To Tame a Bear

by Emilia Hartley

Now, Dom couldn’t see what was right in front of him, either.

  The thought filled her with cold dread. Tears burned her eyes. With shaking limbs, she crawled off the bed and scrambled for the door. Dom said nothing. While she expected his silence, she had still hoped he would call out to her.

  She needed to leave. Not just the cabin, but the state. There was another life waiting for her somewhere else. It would be a place where she didn’t have to look at her mate from a distance, knowing he would never cross the gap that kept them apart.

  A lonely howl filled her throat and cut off her air. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think.

  This wasn’t what she wanted.

  Yet, she didn’t know if she could change it. Aimee thought she could overcome anything, yet this was one thing she had to run away from.

  Chapter Eleven

  Dom was not what she deserved. That much was clear. Aimee was a strong soul, one filled with love and honesty. He was only tarnishing that. He wished he could be better for her, but until he figured out how to handle his beast, he knew he couldn’t allow himself to stay near her.

  The best he could do was apologize for the time wasted. He crept into the kitchen with a box in his hands and a bouquet cradled in one arm. He was ashamed to realize that he didn’t know her favorite kind of chocolate or her favorite flower when he ordered them. It meant he’d filled the box with all sorts of brightly painted bonbons in all sorts of flavors.

  For the bouquet, he’d chosen something as bright and boisterous as she was. Roses wouldn’t cut it for Aimee. They were too ordinary, too everyday. The bouquet he’d bought her was filled with frilly blossoms in blazing pink and yellow. Apparently, they were called ranunculus and peonies, but he couldn’t tell them apart.

  As he neared the counter to quietly leave behind her present, he noticed a notebook. Aimee’s neat handwriting marchedacross the lines with a little sketch hovering over it. Bueok, it read on a hand drawn sign. It was the restaurant she’d wanted to open back at the Den. The dream lived on, he realized. Aimee wasn’t one to let go of things.

  Like him.

  Before he’d screwed things up, she’d found him every day, no matter how hard he tried to hide from her. Dom wanted to put distance between them, but Aimee lured him back with food and her beguiling presence. After the argument, she’d disappeared from his life. He’d been unable to leave her behind, hunting her down to see her at least once a day. It was always from a distance, always far enough that she couldn’t reel him in. Part of him was afraid she wouldn’t try.

  He was addicted, there was no arguing. Sooner or later, he would have to run further. He would have to disappear completely.

  Maybe then, she wouldn’t be able to follow him. He wouldn’t be able to look for her.

  But Dom couldn’t run forever. As long as he breathed, he was a liability. At the Den, shifters who couldn’t control their beasts were given one choice. The secret of shifters needed to be kept. It was safer that way.

  He wasn’t sure who to ask.

  They were his friends, and he knew no one was going to want to give him what he wanted. He almost wished Richard’s Den shifters had finished it on the hill. He’d broken in their hands. The should have killed him. Instead, they made a man into a monster.

  He could go to the Den and ask them to do it. He knew they would be happy to put him out of his misery.

  The beast growled at his thoughts. It wasn’t ready to leave, but Dom figured it would fight. Travelling wasn’t an option. Not if the beast was going to try to keep him from his goal. It needed to be here, where no one could see. Where there were no humans he would hurt.

  He found himself at Orion’s place. It was nothing like Dom’s newer cabin. Orion’s front door was a thick, metal contraption painted a garish red. The exterior had been faded by the elements, the cedar planks more ash colored than the amber they might have once been.

  The red door swung open and Orion’s face appeared. In one hand, he held a beer bottle. The shifter threw back the last of its contents before chucking it into a nearby bin. The glass shattered, making the beast inside Dom flinch and growl. He did his best to swallow it back.

  “What brings you all the way out here? Its not like I live near anyone else.”

  Maybe if Orion did live closer to the others, he would have less of a problem with his beast. The thought struck Dom, contrary to everything Dom had been doing himself. Yet, he still believed that the others would be there for their younger friend if he needed them. Orion wasn’t just a punching bag, but the smartest of them all.

  While Dom was crafty in a kitchen, it was Orion who made their deep-fryer for Thanksgiving. Orion was the one who built generators from junk, crafted waterslides from shop vacuums and plastic sheeting. He was the one who deserved their help. Not Dom.

  He moved from foot to foot, trying to find something to say. He didn’t know why he’d come all this way. Perhaps it had been a fluke. Maybe Dom hadn’t been meant to run into Orion. He was about to turn around and leave when Orion held up a finger and disappeared inside.

  The shifter returned with a bag in his hand. He leapt down the rickety front steps, feet barely lighting on the wood, and pushed the bag into Dom’s hands.

  “These are the containers your woman packed my lunches in.”

  Dom opened his mouth to say that Aimee wasn’t his woman, but the words wouldn’t come out. Instead, he reminded Orion that the containers weren’t hers.

  “Yeah, but there’s a wad of bills in there. I want her to make more. Can you ask her for me?”

  “Why don’t you ask her yourself?” Dom said while thrusting the bag back at Orion.

  He didn’t know how to tell Orion that he hadn’t spoken to Aimee in days. She’d ignored his presence ever since the argument in Dom’s bedroom. That could have been the turning point for them, toward a relationship, but he couldn’t let that happen. She was mad at him, but it was for the best.

  “I just don’t get it.” Orion shook his head. “You have the chance of a lifetime in front of you, but you won’t take it. What kind of man does a thing like that? If Aimee was mine, I’d never let her go.”

  Dom’s lips pulled back from his teeth in a snarl. Orion’s eyes glittered.

  “She is a beautiful woman. I can only imagine waking up to her and breakfast in bed every morning. I’d feel like a king. The only thing that would make it any better was if she was naked while she served me breakfast.”

  “Are you asking to get punched?” Dom spoke through clenched teeth. His beast clawed at him from the inside, eager to escape and attack the man who should have been their friend.

  “What has you so worked up? You aren’t pursuing her. You’ve made it clear that you don’t want your mate.”

  “That doesn’t mean she’ll be with you.”

  Orion sobered. “But that does mean she will find someone else. If it isn’t me, it’s another man. Hell, maybe another woman. I don’t know what Aimee prefers. What I do know is that you can’t ask her to be alone for the rest of her life just because you can’t bring yourself to work on whatever you’re going through.”

  “That’s rich coming from you. Think about that next time you come to one of us for a fight because you can’t control your beast.”

  “I’m not the one who has a mate offering to help me. You have someone who wants to make your life better and you’ve turned your back on her. How do you think that makes her feel? I haven’t seen her smile since Morgan walked in on you two humping in the front lawn of your cabin. That’s not how you leave a woman after sex, man.”

  Dom couldn’t stop himself. His fist connected with Orion’s jaw before he knew what happened. The impact rattled his bones and woke a deep-seated need inside him. It begged for more, for blood. Orion staggered back but didn’t laugh. He didn’t even grin.

  “She’s my friend. I’m tired of watching you hurt her.” Orion straightened. He dug his heels into the ground as if he expected Dom to strike again.

/>   Dom wanted to. He wanted to jump Orion and turn his nose to pulp, but he found the willpower to stand his ground. Couldn’t Orion see what Dom was trying to do? It was messy and imperfect, but Aimee’s life would be better.

  Once it was over. Once he was gone.

  Orion’s face fell. “No. Don’t go there. That isn’t an option.”

  “Don’t tell me what to do. You aren’t the one struggling with this.”

  Orion’s laugh was bitter. “Oh, sure. You’re the only one with problems. Only Dom has to struggle with anything. That’s real fair.”

  He didn’t mean it like that. This was different. Their beasts weren’t the same, the fight between man and beast was different for each. Dom could barely control the monster that wanted to fight everything that stepped too close. There would come a day when he couldn’t hold it back any longer. He would hurt someone, and it would cost them all dearly.

  “Come inside. Don’t worry about breaking stuff. Putting it back together will give me something to do in my free time.” Orion waved over his shoulder for Dom to follow.

  Dom lingered on the lawn, unsure of what he should do. Part of him wanted to let the beast take over and disappear into the winter woods. Another part of him, a stronger part with the will to live, followed Orion inside.

  The cabin was much cleaner than Dom would have thought from the outside. Shelves were filled with small contraptions and what looked like old clocks. While the floor was free and clear of tripping hazards, the shelves were crowded. The counters were scattered with tools, some large and others small. Dom was impressed that Orion could do such intricate tasks.

  He didn’t understand how the hotheaded shifter had the patience and precision to handle such small projects. He’d only ever seen Orion’s strength and the wild torrent of his beast’s unpredictability.

  How long had they all lived together, working side by side each day, and still it felt like the men knew so little about one another? Morgan and Dom were the closest because they often lived together to save money, but they rarely interacted with the others unless it was over food and beer. With mouths full, it was hard to learn anything about those around them.

  Orion plucked two bottles from the fridge and popped the caps. The soft hissing sound broke the silence in the room. Orion slid one across the counter to Dom and lifted the other to his own lips.

  “I know where your head is at,” Orion said, lowering his beer bottle. “Life was shit for me when I was changed. It was a routine hunting trip, but while I was suffering through the change, my friends had packed up and left me. It took me three days to navigate my way out of the woods. Just three days. When I got back, I found my girlfriend in bed with one of my hunting buddies.

  “Life spiraled from there. I didn’t know how to handle the beast in my head or the strength it gave me. I got into a lot of fights at the lumber yard and came damn close to killing a co-worker. Every day that I wake up, the silence of this place pressing on me, and the guilt of the things I’ve done tumbling like a box of rocks in my head.

  “But I get up and I go to work because without you guys, I’d be six feet under. I’m not ready for that. Do you really think you are?”

  Orion’s blunt message smacked Dom in the face. He wanted to fight and push against it, but he couldn’t find a way in. The truth was that he wasn’t ready for what needed to happen. The air rushed from his lungs and his shoulders sagged.

  Orion leaned forward, eyes becoming earnest as they looked up at Dom. “You have a woman out there fighting like hell to get through to you. That feisty otter isn’t going to give up on you. Not ever. Let her do what she needs to do and give her everything she needs in return. Let fate do its thing.”

  “You make it sound easy.”

  Orion scoffed. “There isn’t a damn thing in this life that’s easy. Not the things that are worth something, at least.”

  There was a soft knock at the door, and Orion called for whoever it was to come inside. Dom studied his friend and found a smirk behind the bottle Orion raised to his lips. The door creaked open to reveal Aimee. She paused, hand tightening on the doorknob.

  Dom stood still, as if she might run if he made any sudden movements. The memory of her hands on his body filled his mind. Her palms were small, yet her nails were sharp. He could feel them on his skin again. His beast growled in agreement and tugged him closer to her.

  She sidestepped him, eyes on something past him, as though he wasn’t even there. “Are you sure you’re a bear, Orion? As cunning as you think you are, I would have thought you were a little fox.”

  “What can I say?” Orion flashed a wide grin and leaned against the counter behind him, looking between Aimee and Dom. “I’m a bear in fox-skin.”

  “That’s not how that saying goes, but okay. Believe whatever you want.” Aimee dropped a bag on the counter, landing with a heavy thunk. “I’m making you hot dogs and spaghetti if you keep this up.”

  Dom was about to see himself out when a hand fell on his shoulder. Orion spun him around. There was no escaping. He shouldn’t be near her, not if he was going to sever the connection between them. This was only making things worse. Couldn’t Orion see that?

  He threw a glare at his friend, but Orion was unaffected. The threat of a few punches didn’t faze Orion, not when he practically begged for violence to quench his beast’s uproar. Dom would have been tempted to have it out with his friend, but his own beast was far more interested in the small woman making a clatter in the kitchen.

  The beast directed Dom’s attention to their disgruntled mate. She threw a pot onto the stove where it bounced and crashed to the floor. Anger made her movements jerky. She scowled and growled at everything, casting sidelong glances at Dom. Was she waiting for him to say something? To disappear under her laser gaze?

  “Okay, so I’m going to leave. All I ask is that you don’t bump uglies in my bed. Is that fair?”

  “Get the hell out, Orion.” Aimee swung a knife in his direction.

  The young shifter laughed at the brandished weapon as he left the two of them alone. Dom was left with Aimee standing in the haphazard kitchen with a knife clenched in her hand. It clattered on the floor.

  “I can’t do this,” she breathed as she ran past him.

  Chapter Twelve

  She couldn’t believe Orion tricked her. He was her only other friend in this forsaken place, and he tricked her. She felt betrayed. Loneliness swelled in her chest as she pushed past Dom. It was heavy and thick, impossible to breathe past.

  Dom reached out for her and pulled her back into the room. A venomous response filled her mouth, but never came out. All she could do was glare at him while tears burned her eyes.

  This wasn’t supposed to be like this. She felt cheated by fate. They’d given her a taste of something wonderful and then snapped it in half. If he would not listen to her and give her the chance to help him, then she was left empty handed. She was a child that had been given a giant bag of candy only to have it ripped away.

  Pitching a fit felt childish, but she wasn’t above making a scene.

  “Don’t leave. I will.” Dom walked backwards toward the door.

  “Sure, because that’s what you do every time we get too close. We’re in the same room? Time to run away!”

  She couldn’t help but wonder if some people were meant to suffer. Callie had been given a family that loved her, at least as long as she believed their lies. The moment she walked away, she stepped into the arms of a lover that vowed to protect her. Aimee’s friend had a soft and easy life, even if it had been tumultuous as of late.

  Why couldn’t Aimee have even a moment of that kind of luxury? All she wanted was Dom, and yet that kind of want threatened to destroy her. Having tasted it, she didn’t know if she could ever go back. Sure, she could move on with her life and pretend that everything was okay, but the hope of someday finding a mate had been dashed.

  She’d found him, and he didn’t want her.

  “Do you
want me to hurt you?” He snapped. “Because that’s what will happen if I stay. No one seems to understand what I’m doing. Can they not see how dangerous I am? You saw for yourself how I almost attacked people at the grocery store.”

  Her jaw dropped. “Yes. I was there. Together we stopped your beast. What don’t you understand about the power of mates? I’d rather fight for this than live with the pain of letting you walk away.”

  She didn’t want to beg, but she was close. It shouldn’t have been this hard. No one else in her life had lived through what Dom had suffered. She’d seen first hand what the Den shifters had done to keep him from fighting back. It had been brutal. But it hadn’t been lethal. It shouldn’t have left scars, not for a shifter.

  “Let me do what I want. Let me fight for you.” Her voice was a whisper.

  Dom didn’t move. He watched her. She wished she could read his mind to know what was going on behind that dark gaze. He was locked tight, unwilling to air his secrets even though she’d offered to bear them.

  “What if I can’t risk it?”

  “That’s my risk.” Aimee pointed at herself, her finger digging into her skin.

  She could see that he wanted to run. Dom wasn’t buying it. He was set in his ways, convinced that she was fragile. The fight at the hill had been short lived for her. One of the Den shifters had knocked her unconscious almost immediately. The thing was, she’d lived. Guilt from being unable to help haunted her, but she’d made it out alive.

  Aimee wasn’t going to break. And she was, above all, certain that his beast would never hurt her. Sure, the beast’s fear might annoy her or inconvenience her, but it would never lay a hand on her. Dom’s fear for her safety was charged by his fear of himself.

  She stood outside of the mess that was his head and could see things a bit clearer.

  “Give me one more chance. Let’s go on a date. If it goes well, then there’s a chance this isn’t as bad as you’re making it. If it…if it goes bad, then at least I get one last dance.”