by Anya Nowlan
The wolves didn’t know what hit them when the grizzlies exited the forest and descended upon them like the servants of hell. Ethan could count ten, twelve, maybe fifteen wolves before him – far more than was needed to kill one defenseless woman. They seemed to not be taking any chances this time, and neither was Ethan. He let loose immediately as one of them came within his reach, his jaws sinking into a gray-maned body and grabbing the wolf right off the ground.
He shook him violently as the other bears and wolves clashed in ones and twos, the wolves scrambling for defense. Ethan swung the wolf over his head and behind him, a sickening scrunching noise marking the moment the shifter’s body hit a wide tree trunk and slumped against the ground. Ethan didn’t pause – he just kept going. Rage blurred his vision, images of what the wolves wanted to do to his mate making him go wild with anger.
He tore into another wolf who had managed to keep Aaron at bay, snapping its jaws at the bear. Ethan swiped at him with his paw, strong talons ripping into the side of the wolf so deep that blood gushed immediately, coating the light fur. The wolf yelped and Aaron grabbed him as Ethan turned to find the next victim.
In a blur of teeth and fur, he could finally see the one he was truly looking for – Ryan. A menacing growl emitted from the bottom of Ethan’s throat as he reared up on his back paws and then surged through the writhing bodies, intense battle going on everywhere around him in the dusk. It would have made for a fantastic sight for any human – a true shifter battle of no small proportions.
But there was no time to take a moment and view the carnage. As much as Ethan wanted to bring an end to the Clearpond kind, he knew that this would only be one clash, quickly forgotten in the bloody history between the wolves and the bears. They would both recoup their losses and live on, haggling over the Wyoming wilderness. Still, at the time being, it was the most important war Ethan could imagine, and when he plowed into Ryan from the side, he was filled with an immediate sense of satisfaction as the wolf’s body crumpled beneath him.
Ryan yelped with pain, struggling to escape Ethan’s grasp. Ethan swiped at him, almost sending Ryan into the jaws of another bear, but the clever wolf danced to the left just in time. He snarled low, yellow eyes filled with an anger that matched Ethan’s. But all around him, his wolves were backing up, some already running for their lives. Another bear that was out for a satisfying opponent forced Ryan to move forward and Ethan could finally land a blow again, his heavy paw crashing into Ryan’s maw and sending him flying.
Ryan yelped as he fell to the ground, a deep and nasty looking gash across his face. But he didn’t stop. Letting out a quick, biting bark, he swiftly circled around Ethan and with his tail tucked between his legs, ran into the safety of the forest with the rest of his pack behind him. A few of the bears took chase, but Ethan didn’t, remaining there to breathe in the scent of blood and power all around him.
He looked to his clan brothers, counting that all ten were still with him. Zeke had a long cut down his side and Jameson was limping his front paw. There were several smaller and larger wounds here and there, but no one was down, no one was out. That could not be said about the wolves. Ethan could count seven bodies on the ground, some still breathing, some perhaps not. They wouldn’t hurt the wounded anymore. Instead, as tradition called, they would back away from the scene of battle and let their people come and get them when there was still time.
With a heavy heart and his blood still pounding with adrenaline, Ethan allowed the shift to take him. His body contracted and tightened, the coat disappearing into his skin. The powerful muscles became equally as impressive, but now in their human form, creating thick dips and ridges. Inspecting himself, he could see that he had a bite mark on his left thigh and scratches over his shoulder that he couldn’t account for, but it scarcely mattered.
The rest of the Grimpaw bears changed around him as the ones that had chased the wolves returned, panting a little.
“Good. Tend to our wounded, but leave. I will follow with Jen shortly. Well done,” he said grinning at the flushed, happy faces of the bears around him.
Battle always brought out the giddy side of a werebear, it seemed.
Heading towards the house, Ethan sidestepped one of the wolves panting on the ground, not paying him any heed. It was the cost of war. Some would perish, some would blossom. Nature had a way of evening things out when needed and this time, it was the bears’ turn to win. Ethan wasn’t naïve enough to think that it would always be like that, but for the time being, he intended to enjoy what life had to offer him.
He knocked on the door three times like they’d agreed with Jen and the door flew open immediately, revealing Jen holding a shotgun that made her seem even sexier than usual. She dropped it and threw her arms around Ethan, hugging him tight. Ethan grunted with mild amusement, sliding his arms around Jen and embracing her. It had been days since he really saw her and could talk to her, and damn if it didn’t feel like an eternity.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whispered softly.
“I’ll always come back to you,” he promised.
And he meant that from the bottom of his heart. He’d found his happiness. Nothing was going to take it from him now. Not as long as he drew breath.
Epilogue
Jennifer
“Are you sure about this?” Jen asked with more than a little bit of skepticism in her voice. “Shouldn’t it be like, I don’t know, green?”
She held up a pack of color swatches, inspecting the blue tones that Maisy was currently gushing over. With one hand on her ever-growing belly, she had finally decided to take on the task of figuring out what the nursery was going to look like and Maisy had offered to lend her expertise. So far, they seemed to be in friendly disagreement over everything.
“Green? Psh. Those babies of yours are going to be running around in the woods with their daddy most of their youth. You don’t want everything they see to make them think of shifting. Have you seen baby bear cubs? You think human babies are difficult? Try raising one – or, well, two in your case – who, for the first six or so years of his life, can’t really control when or why he shifts!” Maisy said, putting a hand gently on Jen’s belly and grinning.
“It can’t be that unpredictable, can it?” Jen asked skeptically, giving Maisy a hopeful look.
Receiving a grin in return, Jen half-sighed, half-chuckled. Of course it was going to be unpredictable. And she was going to love every damn second of it.
“What’s unpredictable?” Ethan asked, striding into the room.
Jen spun around, taking in the sight of her gorgeous husband. Every day, he just seemed to grow taller and more powerful in Jen’s eyes. A year had passed since that fateful night when he had gone against four wolves for her and, since then, every single day had found Jen loving him more than the previous.
“I’ll leave you two alone for a moment. I’ll be in the kitchen, making tea if you need me,” Maisy said, smirking a little as she passed between the couple.
Jen had to honestly say that neither she nor Ethan really managed to pay much attention to Maisy leaving. But the kindly diner owner was wise enough to shut the nursery door behind her and, as soon as that door closed, Ethan was on Jen like he hadn’t seen her in months.
His stubbly chin rasped at her cheek as Ethan kissed her deep, Jen grabbing onto his strong arms for balance, though she knew he would never let her fall. His hands were around her, tight and secure, and being there felt more like home than anything else ever had.
“I’ve missed you,” Ethan grumbled, as if it was her fault he had gone to work.
“Well, you shouldn’t have left then,” Jen teased, laying quick kisses all over his lips and cheeks.
“I will admit my fault in this,” Ethan said with a chuckle, lifting her up by slipping his hands under her ass and then letting her put her thighs around his waist.
“No! I’m getting so heavy!” she laughed, batting playfully at him.
Ethan just sn
orted. “Yes. Thick and lovely. I need to have you pregnant more often, I think. So what are we arguing about?” he asked, carrying her over to the desk that sat in the corner of the room.
He set her down on it very gently, remaining to stand right between her legs as if he never intended to go any damn place. Jen had her arms still around his neck and a familiar heat was spreading through her body, making her lust after her devilish husband.
“Paint swatches.”
“A-ha. Not something I’m going to lend an opinion on, then,” Ethan said with a chuckle.
“Don’t you care what color your children’s nursery will be?” Jen admonished him playfully.
“Not as long as they’re happy and healthy. Besides, those kids are going to be outside for the most part anyway,” he said with a world of certainty in his voice.
“That’s what Maisy said too,” Jen said with a grin.
Sweetwater was turning out to be so much more than Jen had been prepared for. After the Clearpond wolves had been pushed back, Wyoming had become an absolute treat. The wolves were still off licking their wounds, barely showing their faces in the area, and Jen had found new challenges. She was building a small company for herself – event organization – which took her all over the state and kept her busy. She’d found that when she put her mind to something, just about anything could happen.
Jen had never figured she’d be the kind of girl to build her own business, but with Ethan coaxing her on and telling her to put her excellent planning and management skills to use, she’d dared take the first step. And it had been completely worth it already.
She and Ethan were mostly living in Jen’s home, as it was bigger than Ethan’s cottage, but they split the time occasionally. Ethan’s home was more tucked away and closer to nature than Jen’s, but kids would need more space than the little cabin had to offer. They’d gotten married just a few months into their relationship – why not go for it when it was so obvious that neither one of them could live without the other?
Ethan’s building business was booming and the day they’d learned of Jen’s pregnancy had been one of the happiest days of their lives. With Ethan, Jen was sure that there would be many more very happy days in her future and she couldn’t wait to see and experience all of them.
Languidly, Ethan ran a hand down Jen’s back and made her curve her body against his touch. She smiled, her teeth grazing over her lower lip in breathless anticipation.
“How about we make Maisy wait for a bit longer?” Ethan asked, kissing a trail down Jen’s neck.
“I’m sure she wouldn’t mind,” Jen said, giggling.
Life was sweet in Sweetwater.
Big Bear Trouble
Sweetwater Brides
One
Evan
The crowd roared as Evan entered the ring. He took a deep breath, drawing in the excitement and energy of the jostling mass around him. The familiar rush of adrenaline was making his keen senses even sharper.
Evan faced his opponent, already standing in the cage.
Jamie Clearpond.
The two men had never gotten along. And not just because Evan was a bear and Jamie was a wolf. Evan didn’t think Jamie had any particularly compelling reasons to hate him, but you can’t stop a man from holding a grudge. Signing up for the fight was probably Jamie’s attempt at settling things, once and for all.
Does he even have any MMA training? Evan thought fleetingly.
It didn’t really matter. Evan was going to wipe the floor with him either way.
Jamie stretched his triceps, a snarl on his lips and his eyes trained on the enemy. Evan could practically see the waves of anger rolling off him. He grinned.
Bring it on.
The ref shouted the go-ahead and the men started circling each other, slowly getting closer and closer. Evan considered Jamie analytically. He was in good shape, as most shifters were.
A bit on the slow side, though, Evan thought wryly as Jamie tried to land a punch to his face but hit nothing but air.
Jamie gathered himself and tried again, this time aiming for Evan’s ribs. Evan swerved, making the wolf miss and stumble. Laughter echoed from the crowd in between cheers.
Enough playtime.
Evan pounced on Jamie, landing blow after blow to his midsection, finishing off with an elbow to his jaw. The man staggered and fell to his knees.
Evan took a step back. No fun in beating an opponent when he was down. Jamie got back on his feet, growling. He took another swing at the werebear, and then another.
Has no one taught him not to telegraph his punches? Evan wondered idly, blocking the hits with ease.
Evan's whole life seemed to be in the cage. Ever since his fallout with his family, his existence had revolved around cheap beer and heavy training, with the occasional, lucrative twirl in the underground fighting scene of Montana. He was hellishly strong and took real pleasure in playing with his opponents, something that his fans enjoyed far too much.
Guys like Jamie? Evan ate them for breakfast.
The mutt bellowed in frustration. He backed up and charged at Evan, knocking him down and landing on top of him. Evan gathered his knees, bucking them against Jamie’s torso and sent the man flying. He fell in a heap on the other side of the cage. The crowd grew wild.
Jamie had barely gotten back up when Evan started leveling him with punches. The wolf kept his hands up, but Evan slipped past his defenses easily. A gash appeared over Jamie’s eye, covering the right side of his face with blood. In desperation, he let down his arms to try and land a blow to Evan’s torso. The bear saw it coming and grabbed Jamie’s arm, twisting it at an unnatural angle.
He let out a scream, making the crowd roar.
The ref intervened, separating the men. Jamie cradled his arm, hunched over and out of breath. Blood was dripping down his neck and onto his chest. He glanced at Evan, eyes filled with something indescribable. He half-hoped that Jamie would give up – both the man’s body and pride had taken enough of a beating already.
“Go home, wolfie,” Evan sneered. “Leave the cage to the real men.”
Instead, Jamie straightened up and began slowly stalking towards him.
Jamie launched for Evan’s legs, but he danced away, quick on his feet. The wolf had learned from his mistakes and was keeping his guard up. He backed away when Evan’s jabs started getting too close to his face.
Fine. I gave you a chance.
Evan was growing tired of the game and shot forward, kneeing Jamie in the stomach and knocking him back into the chain link surrounding the cage. He grabbed the metal, holding on for balance. The referee took Evan’s arm, pulling him back before he could reach Jamie.
The wolf stood, shaking his head as if trying to clear out some dizziness. One of his eyes had swollen shut, the skin around the socket purple and bleeding. He wouldn’t relent and started to approach Evan once more.
He’s not a quitter, I’ll give him that, Evan thought, slightly incredulous that Jamie was still standing.
The men grappled, Jaime sinking his fingers into Evan’s forearms, while he landed a kick to Jamie’s thigh, prompting him to let go. The wolf started swinging at Evan wildly, rage taking over reason.
Time to end this, Evan thought, winding up.
His fist hit Jaime straight on, making him sway on his feet for a moment before collapsing on the floor. The ref rushed over to his motionless body.
This time, Jamie didn’t get up. The fight was over.
At least for now.
Two
Karen
Karen nearly jumped out of her chair when her phone started buzzing. She put down the files she was organizing and rummaged around in her purse. When she saw the name on the screen, she let out a sigh of relief.
“Hey, mom. I can’t really talk right now, I’m at work.”
Like that had ever stopped her before. Karen pressed her phone between her ear and shoulder and continued shuffling the papers around as her mother droned on and on a
bout finding a nice man and settling down and finally giving her some goddamn grandchildren. Karen didn’t really need to devote her full attention to the call – she had heard it all before.
“…I talked to auntie May and her son has this friend who she thinks would be just great for –”
Karen hurriedly cut her off, “No, no, mom, please, I don’t need you to set me up! Look, I’ve got a date later this week, okay?”
“Really? You’re not just saying that?”
“Yes, mom, really. He seems like a nice guy.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful, what’s his...”
“Look, mom, I really do need to get back to work. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Okay, honey. Bye!”
Crisis averted. For now.
There was no date, of course. In truth, Karen wasn’t really keen on dating anyone at the moment.
She looked at her phone. Four missed calls and two unread text messages. No doubt from Kyle. Some people just can’t take a hint. Or in this case, a pretty blunt, “It’s over!”
Mom didn’t know about Kyle. Karen had met him under… not the most palatable circumstances. She had been working at the Pink Pony as an exotic dancer when they first crossed paths. All the other girls had warned her about dating clients, but did she listen?
No.
When Karen got out of the dancing business and started doing temp jobs, she realized that dating Kyle had just been a symptom of unhappiness. She didn’t like being a dancer and just wanted some romance, support and understanding in her life. Kyle was eager to please and a nice distraction. But it wasn’t fair on him.