The Bear’s Secret Baby: A Bear Shifter Romance (Werebear Ranch Book 1)

by Layla Silver

  Her stomach tightened, and her instincts told her that something was wrong. This car hadn't come to the highway behind her out of coincidence.

  She was being followed.

  Chapter 13 - Josh

  Josh kicked a bucket of wood chips off his newly finished porch, a low growl rumbling in his throat and extending into his chest while he watched the scattered bits of wood bounce and slide down the hillside. It took every part of him to keep the raging emotions inside him as a mere growl, and not a constant stream of roars that would scare every animal and human away from the ranch, never to return.

  He wanted to rip the planks from his porch and toss them over the hill, too, but he had managed to go a full day without breaking anything important. He wasn’t going to destroy something that he’d just have to fix again later.

  These powerful emotions weren’t like him at all. Usually, he was fairly mellow and easy-going, even when he was shocked. Very few things bothered him like this. Josh was starting to calm down just a bit, but only a bit. He could try to rationalize it to the end of the earth, but he still couldn’t understand it. How could Angie have kept all this from him? That her daughter, the daughter that Angie had used as an excuse to keep him away, was also his daughter? Emma, his little cub.

  It was irrefutable that she was his. Maybe if Angie had told him that before he’d seen Emma transform, he might not have believed it. Emma seemed to take completely after her mother, after all. Her hair color seemed to be the only feature that was Josh's. But her transforming there, while he was in the house ... Josh couldn't hide from the truth.

  Emma was his, and Angie had lied about it.

  Josh paced back and forth on the porch. The midday sun was high in the sky, beating down on the ranch with its summer heat. The porch had been built so he and his future family could look over the vast landscape of the ranch and enjoy the sunset, but Josh didn't care about the view right now. He cared about how Angie, his mate, the woman he wanted to ask to move in with him, to officially become his mate, had kept the fact that he already had a cub of his own from him.

  The part of Josh that kept wanting to destroy things started to rile down, but it was only replaced by despair and frustration. Maybe he couldn't blame Angie for keeping the truth from him. When they'd first slept together, when Emma was conceived, Josh had been a typical bad boy. He couldn't hide that fact, couldn't deny what a piece of shit he had been back then. And he couldn't blame Angie for not wanting anything to do with him. He’d been confused back then about why Angie had disappeared … had been confused until recently, even, right up until she’d said that she’d never contacted him because of his reputation, not because he was a shifter.

  So it was entirely possible that she'd planned on telling him. Now that he thought about it, she had probably wanted to make sure he would be a good father first. Perhaps she’d thought that he wouldn’t accept that Emma was his because of the way he used to be. Even though he'd known she was special back then ... he had still been a completely different person. He might have gotten scared and pushed her away.

  She probably knew that too. And it made sense for her to take some time to get to know him better. After a few weeks, she'd finally come around, seemed to realize he wasn't chasing her just because of their history. That it wasn’t some elaborate game he was playing just to mess with her. It was all because there was something special about Angie. If they had spent a little longer together, Josh wanted to believe she would have told him the truth.

  On a logical level, he knew she probably wasn't trying to lie to him or slight him just to hurt him or get back at him. But the Bear inside him was angry, and when his Bear was angry, it was dangerous to try and reason with it. As much as he wanted to answer Angie's calls and texts, doing so could have spelled disaster. He just needed a little more time to think, to calm down, to calm his Bear down.

  His phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, seeing that it was another call from her. He declined, closing his eyes in frustrated defeat.

  A roar finally bubbled from Josh's throat, his whole body convulsing. Shudders passed through him as muscles and bones began to shift inside him, reshaping his body into that of his Bear. Rich, dark brown fur sprung up all over his body, covering him in a warm, comfortable blanket. His thoughts were still his own, but no longer as complex, as emotionally frustrating. They were more primal, instinctual, and gave him a larger sense of peace. Something completely separate and free from worrying about Angie, Emma, and what he was going to do now.

  His claws dug into the wood at the edge of his porch, and he launched himself down the hill and onto the trail, his claws digging into the worn earth. Gravel crunched beneath his paws as he crossed over into the forest bordering the house, the home he'd built in his human form. He dashed past Greg’s bachelor shack and into the trees, falling into a rhythmic dash that guided him forward.

  Josh let the earthy scent of the dirt and moss he kicked up under his claws permeate his senses, the smoothness of cedars and pines penetrating his nostrils, the scent of wild game lingering on the ground and in the branches above. He wanted to hunt. To climb. To chase prey and claim a fresh meal.

  But he ran instead, climbing over fallen logs, splashing through the creek that crossed part of the ranch, running through fields of wild grass taller than his Bear body when he was on all fours. His heart raced with exertion, with the excitement of the forest, distracting him from the pain Angie had caused him. Even though he still hurt, being in his Bear form allowed him to think in simpler terms, allowed him to distance his emotions from fact.

  The facts were, almost irrefutably, that Angie cared about him. She wouldn't have let him back into her life at all if she hadn't. Wouldn't have spent another night with him, let alone two. Wouldn't have gone on a date with him, introduce him to her mother, or let him anywhere near Emma.

  Yes, he was upset that she hadn't been truthful with him, and he knew he was allowed to feel that way. But he also knew that he'd been the one to make her skeptical of him in the first place. And now, instead of telling Angie that he just needed time to process, he ignored her calls, probably made her think that her mistake had been a deal-breaker. That he didn't want anything to do with her anymore.

  That couldn't be further from the truth.

  Sweat clung to Josh's fur. He reached the edge of the forest and looked up at the sun. It had descended a bit already, and he figured about an hour must have passed since he’d transformed and run into the woods. Josh could have raced further and let the rest of his emotions run their course, but his anger and frustration were starting to be replaced by fear. Josh didn't want Angie to feel like him finding out that Emma was his had made him decide to run for the hills. Didn't want her to think that she'd been right all along, that he hadn't changed, that he didn't want a child.

  Wasn’t that exactly what she’d think if he didn’t answer her calls?

  Shit. That wasn’t what he wanted. He needed to get back to his house and call her right away. They needed to talk, to fix this, and he needed to finally tell her that everything would be okay. Fear coursed through Josh as he continued running forward, down the slight hill and completely out of the forest. Dirt filled his claws as he slid down, closer to the road. It would be easier to follow the main road through the property and back up toward the house instead of going back through the rough terrain of the forest.

  He spotted the road and followed alongside it, starting to pump his legs as hard as they would go. If he wasn’t fast, if he missed any more of Angie’s calls, things might get worse. What if she disappeared on him again? What if she changed her mind about wanting him?

  A woman screamed from behind, somewhere out of sight.

  Josh wanted to continue to run towards his house, but his Bear instincts kicked in, turning him around and pushing him toward the sound. Something wasn’t right. No one should be up there unless they lived on the ranch. Had the scream been from Kyle's mate, Claire? She was the only woman who current
ly lived on the property.

  But when Josh crested the hill, it wasn't Claire that he saw. Two strange vehicles were parked outside the ranch's main building. No, only one strange vehicle. As he got closer, he realized that one of them was Angie's old Civic. The other was a black SUV, its windows tinted to hide the insides.

  On the other side of the vehicles, a strange man in a black suit was approaching Angie, who was backing away, holding their little Emma tight in her arms.

  "Help!" Angie shouted, looking around wildly for someone, anyone, to help her.

  Her eyes met with Josh's and widened. She took a step back, choking with a sob.

  Josh roared, and the man turned around. Noise rumbled through Josh’s chest, a sound louder than any he'd ever made before. A sound that warned the man that he'd pay for threatening his mate, for even going anywhere near her.

  Josh picked up his speed, then pushed all his energy into his legs to leap at the guy. But instead of mauling the man, the stranger shifted before Josh's eyes, his skin turning to the gray pelt of a Wolf, his body reshaping into the large, vicious canine just before Josh's claws sunk into him.

  Another shifter.

  Still, Josh had the advantage of size and the first attack. His claws raked the Wolf's flank, the creature growling and yelping in pain, spinning to kick at Josh with his hind legs. The Wolf struck him, but Josh's Bear pelt was thick and protected him from harm, as the attack didn't have enough force behind it to break through to his skin beneath. Josh smacked the Wolf with his front paw, sending it flying.

  It hit the gravel road, yelped, and rolled. The Wolf was still for a few seconds, but Josh knew better than to think he’d won already. Shifters were more resilient than regular animals.

  Sure enough, the Wolf quickly rolled over, snarling, its fangs and chin covered in blood and saliva. It clawed at the ground in front of it, trying to look intimidating, but Josh wasn't going to let this shifter threaten his mate and child and get away with it, not without quivering in fear and fleeing with its tail between its legs.

  He gave the Wolf the opportunity to do exactly that. In response to the Wolf's poor attempt at intimidating him, Josh stood on his hind legs and towered over the Wolf, growling and showing his massive fangs for it to see. Josh advanced on his enemy, swatting in his general direction.

  If the Wolf was smart, it would leave before things got too messy, but it didn’t. Apparently, it wasn't intimidated by Josh's size, so instead, it snarled again and charged.

  Josh roared, and the world around him seemed to shake. In the corner of his vision, he saw Angie flinch, trying to keep Emma from seeing the fight. There was only one thing on his mind now: to protect his mate and child. This Wolf, whoever he was, would never try to mess with them ever again. He fell onto his forepaws and rushed at the Wolf, aiming to bite his throat, but his enemy twisted his body in the last second, giving Josh a mouthful of shoulder and fur instead of a bite at his throat. The coppery taste of blood gushed between Josh’s teeth, the taste of victory, of defending his mate from this aggressor. He clamped down harder and twisted.

  The Wolf managed to lock its jaw around Josh's foreleg in an attempt to keep the Bear from clawing at the Wolf's throat while gripping its shoulder. Pain seethed through Josh, and he roared, but the Wolf's fangs were mere needles pinching his leg.

  When Josh didn’t let go or respond to the Wolf’s attack, the creature started to howl and attempted to rip himself free, clawing at Josh's side and fur with its hind legs. Clumps of brown fur tore free and scattered in the wind, and claws nipped his side, but Josh didn't care. He clamped his jaw down harder on the thrashing Wolf, feeling muscle and tendon ripping each time it struggled.

  Some sense returned to Josh then. He could kill this Wolf, but that would mean that he would kill a person. Did he really want to have that on his conscience?

  He released his pressure on the Wolf a little, growling at him, giving him a warning from shifter to shifter. That if he ever returned, or went anywhere near Angie or Emma ever again, he’d kill him. No hesitation. If he even came anywhere near the ranch again, and Josh sniffed him out, he’d be dead meat.

  When the Wolf finally howled his understanding, Josh twisted his fangs in the Wolf's shoulder one last time, then flung him away. Blood painted the gravel and grass as the Wolf limped away, its tail between its legs as it ran as fast as it could toward the car.

  Josh stood on his hind legs, a growl breaking into another roar as he watched the Wolf shift back into a human and get into his car. Josh and his Bear both sniffed in satisfaction as the man stomped on the gas and the car disappeared into the distance.

  Finally, after the Wolf had been gone for a few minutes and there was no sign of it coming back, the pain in Josh's front leg began to set in. Numbness spread through him, little pins and needles dotting the limb as the adrenaline of the fight and the need to protect Angie and Emma disappeared. He whimpered a little as he began transforming back into his human form, remaining on his hind legs, so he was standing up when he turned back into a human.

  He was a little self-conscious about transforming in front of her, to have her watch his body shift and morph back into that of a human. It wasn’t a pretty sight, but as the pain rocked through him, he knew he couldn’t maintain it much longer without going full Bear and running into the hills. So instead of shying away from her, Josh faced Angie so she could see the brown fur disappearing from his body, his legs, arms, and torso, bringing him back to the body of a man, his clothing shifting with him, something he’d learned to do when he was a kid. If Angie were to be his mate, she’d have to see it sooner rather than later.

  Even in his human form, a massive gouge from the Wolf's fangs cut into Josh’s arm, and his jeans were a little torn from the Wolf's claws. Blood soaked his arm, and he winced when he moved it. The wound looked a lot worse than it felt, though, and it was far from the worse he’d ever gotten in a fight with another shifter.

  His advanced healing abilities would kick in soon enough, so he wasn’t that worried about his injuries. He glanced up from his wounds and met Angie's eyes. She was pale, and Emma's face was puffy and pink as she cried in Angie's arms, her head pressed against her shoulder. Angie seemed too shocked to soothe her daughter, her eyes darting from wound to wound as if she were debating whether she should run or try to help him.

  Josh looked at himself again, covered in blood, dirt, and torn clothes. Not only did he look like a mess, Angie had watched as he fought another shifter, did everything but tear him to pieces, then sent him off limping and bleeding. His heart thudded in his chest, his head spinning from exhaustion and blood loss. If Angie hadn't been afraid of his Bear shifting abilities before, she had to be now, after witnessing the fight. He wasn't sure what to say, what he could do to make her feel better. Not many people could handle that much blood and gore.

  But after a second of shock, Angie rushed to his side, tears in her eyes. "Josh, oh my God, you're bleeding, we should go to a hospital—" The words came out of her mouth in bursts that were panicked and almost unintelligible. She slipped off her coat and wrapped it around Josh's arm, trying to stem the bleeding, but her hands were trembling so badly that she could barely hold it tight.

  Josh stopped her, put his hands on her shoulders, and stared into her deep blue eyes. He tried to calm her down. He wanted to pull her into his arms, tell her everything was going to be okay, ask her a million questions about the guy who had been threatening her. How did she even know another shifter? Or was it a random attack? But he was covered in blood, and she had Emma in her arms, and he wasn’t even sure if she wanted him to touch her.

  "Don’t worry about me, I'm fine," he said, breathless.

  He almost couldn't believe she was here, that she was really here, worried about a scratch and some blood and not running, screaming, back into her car with Emma and disappearing forever. She was here.

  "You're not, that's a lot of blood, Josh, this is serious," she said, but Josh shook his head,
and she quieted down. "A Bear shifter thing?"

  He nodded, too exhausted to manage many more words right now. He needed something to drink and to sit down and rest a few minutes.

  Angie took his hand. "You ... you protected us, Josh. I'm so sorry. So sorry for hiding the truth from you, for getting you into this mess ..." her voice cracked. "We should probably go somewhere and get you cleaned up and talk ..."

  "Talk. Yeah. That'd be a good idea," Josh said. He held Angie's coat to his arm, not because he needed it, but because it was proof of her thoughtfulness. Proof that things could still work out between them despite Angie mistrusting him and her witnessing him trying to tear a Wolf apart.

  He led them up the hill and toward his unfinished house. At the hill's crest, they saw Greg walking down from it, waving at them and jogging over.

  "Hey, man, I was just looking for—" he started. Then when he got a better look at Josh and at the dirt, the wounds, and the blood, his eyes bulged. "Holy shit, what happened? Are you alright?"

  "Everything's under control," Josh said, but his voice was strained. He glanced at Angie, who was still pale, though some color was starting to return to her cheeks. She'd managed to calm Emma a bit, too. "Angie and I need to talk, though. Do you think you could play with the little one for a bit?"

  "Of course, whatever you need," Greg said, looking Josh up and down again. "You look like you need a moment. Come on, little one, let’s go and play!"

  Angie kissed Emma on the forehead and handed her to Greg. She was a little fussy at first, but once Angie gave her her stuffed bear and promised not to leave her sight, she calmed down and went with Greg to play in the grass a little way from Josh's house.