Big Bear Trouble: BBW Werebear Shapeshifter Romance (Sweetwater Brides)

by Anya Nowlan

  Karen hugged her once more, getting blood all over her clothes.

  “Thank god you’re okay. That fight was a travesty, I mean what the hell,” she stammered, exasperated.

  “Alex admitted someone paid him off to try and kill me in the ring. I bet that person also slipped some money to the ref to look the other way,” Evan spoke, relief turning into anger.

  It would take a real underhanded, cowardly piece of filth to come up with that kind of a plan.

  “Kyle,” Karen hissed.

  “I saw him trying to drag you away,” Evan growled, blood boiling at the thought of his hands on her. “I managed to signal Everett to go and help you.”

  “Yes, he did. Kyle already had me out the door and was pulling me towards his car when he heard Everett closing in behind us, shouting my name. He took one look at Everett and broke into a run, letting me go,” Karen recounted. “Everett took off after him and I hid behind one of the cars, in case Kyle managed to shake him and circle back.”

  “Where the hell did they go,” Evan wondered aloud, looking around the parking lot.

  “Well, isn’t this a sight,” Kyle drawled, rounding a corner as if on cue. “Seems like good ol’ Alex did a number on you,” he said, looking at the claw marks on Evans chest. “What a shame that other guy dropped out last minute, you would’ve had a lot less trouble with him. Those pesky sudden non-specific injuries sure are a bitch,” he said, grinning vilely.

  Evan had no trouble inferring the meaning behind his words. No doubt the guy he was supposed to have been fighting had a nice little sum waiting for him for taking the night off.

  Karen clutched Evan’s arm.

  “Don’t worry, I didn’t wear myself out too much. A nice warm-up in anticipation of putting you in the ground,” Evan snarled, rage burning in his veins.

  “Where’s Everett?” Karen asked, looking around.

  “Oh, that lumbering giant? He’s a little indisposed at the moment,” Kyle smirked.

  “What did you do to him?” Karen shouted, tears shining in her eyes.

  “Your dear Everett might need some medical attention… Why don’t you come with me, and I’ll tell his brother here where to find him,” Kyle cooed, edging towards Karen.

  Evan stepped in front of her.

  “Not a chance. You’re bluffing. Look at you, twitchy and nervous. Everett can take care of himself. I bet he’s going to come ‘round that corner any minute now,” he snorted, studying the pathetic man in front of him.

  “You really gonna take that bet?” Kyle asked, pulling a knife from his back pocket. “Yeah, you’ll probably overpower me, but what if I get a chance to stick this knife in you before that happens,” he taunted, playing on Karen’s fears.

  “You wanna keep him alive? You wanna get Everett to the hospital before it’s too late?” he turned to Karen. “Then come with me.”

  Evan could feel Karen moving behind him, indecisive. She was considering it.

  God dammit.

  She had killed for him; no doubt she would sacrifice herself if she thought it would save him and Everett. He had to act before she made that decision.

  Evan lunged at Kyle, grabbing hold of his waist and pushing him to the ground. The man went down, arms splaying. The knife fell from his hand and clattered on the pavement. Kyle squirmed futilely, pleading Evan to get off.

  Pathetic, Evan thought with disgust.

  He didn't get to focus on that for too long however, hearing a deep, guttural growl from behind him. Whipping his head around, Evan saw the forms of three full-grown werewolves.

  Jamie, he thought, snarling.

  Making a quick decision, he pulled back his fist and punched Kyle in the face, hard. The man's body sagged beneath Evan. Quick as the wind, the bear of a man jumped up, his fists rolled up tight.

  “Get out of the way, Karen,” he warned, his eyes flashing dark brown as the wolves approached slowly.

  “Be careful,” she whispered before ducking behind some cars again.

  At least she wasn't arguing with him this time. As much as he loved her spirit, this wasn’t the time or the place.

  The shift took over and Evan roared as his body warped and changed. The wounds he already had were excruciatingly painful and the wolves must have thought Evan was going to be easy prey for them.

  What they did not bank on was that now, Evan had someone other than himself to fight for. The time he had spent with Karen had made it painfully clear – she was his mate, and he would go through the fires of hell for her if that was what it took for the two of them to be together.

  In comparison, three wolves were nothing.

  Instead of giving the mutts a chance to charge, Evan barreled down the middle of the trio. With a deep, guttural growl in his throat, he slashed at the offenders, forgetting about his honor and the rules of the fight he always followed in the cage, focusing on inflicting as much pain and damage as he could.

  His sharp claws ripped through flesh, making the wolf on the right of the spearhead yelp as blood splattered and hit the dark pavement. Evan felt the sharp pain of fangs on his neck, Jamie having used the moment to jump him. Trying to get him off, Evan swung wildly, gnashing his teeth as his claws found the wolf on the left.

  The air bloomed with the stench of blood. It fed Evan, making him go harder. He ignored Jamie for a moment, choosing to jump at the wolf he had caught first. Even with the wolf’s powerful jaws ripping into his flesh, Evan fought like a mad bear. He pinned the first mutt and raked his claws across its head, feeling the body go limp beneath him.

  Next, he rolled over his back, forcing Jamie to jump off. He very nearly caught the second wolf beneath him, grabbing its front paw with his teeth as the animal tried to jump away. The snapping of bone and the shrieking of the wolf were music to his ears, fueling Evan on.

  With one wolf down and another limping away, it was just Jamie and him left. Evan approached, shaking his head as blood dribbled into his eyes from his wounds. Adrenaline made his heart pump twice as hard, but exhaustion was lingering on the outskirts of his mind, threatening to overcome him.

  I fight for her.

  Suddenly, Evan sprinted forward, using his amazing speed to his advantage. Jamie jumped but wasn't fast enough and Evan's fangs sunk into the wolf's scruff. As if shaking a damn chew toy, Evan whipped his head back and forth, the werewolf a ragdoll in his mouth.

  Jamie howled in pain, muscles and ligaments tearing from bone, until Evan finally released him, sending the beast flying through the air. The body of the wolf slumped down against the side of a van.

  “Looks like you’re having fun without me,” Everett’s voice appeared behind Evan, panting.

  The bear turned, surveying the situation before allowing the shift to take him, satisfied that all immediate dangers had been dealt with. As soon as he had turned, Evan touched down on his knee, groaning low.

  Karen came rushing to his side, her sweet presence soothing him just enough to bring a small smile to his face.

  “Would not think of it, brother,” Evan spoke. “I'm fine.”

  “You are far from fine,” Karen snorted, but there was a relieved, if concerned smile on her lips as she hovered next to him, one hand gingerly on his shoulder.

  Everett was rubbing the back of his head.

  “This bastard tried to ambush me, hit me on the head with something. If I have a headache tomorrow, he’s going to be sorry,” Everett continued, nonchalantly kicking Jamie's henchman's body on the jagged asphalt.

  The wolf let out an almost inaudible yelp.

  “Well, well. Two sneaky rats teaming up once again,” Evan grumbled with contempt.

  “What should we do with him?” Everett asked, gesturing towards Jamie.

  Evan pondered it for a moment. Jamie had put Karen in danger twice now; he deserved to die for that alone. But the man was lying defenseless and unconscious on the ground – there was no fight in him after having gone toe to toe with the bear.

  “Leave him
,” Evan finally spat out, standing and dragging Kyle, who was slowly coming to up with him.

  He grabbed the man by the throat until his feet no longer touched the ground. Kyle tried to struggle but to no avail. Evan tightened his grip, the bear inside him bellowing with fury. Though tired, it still wanted blood.

  Karen stepped to his side, placing her hands on Evan’s arm.

  “Please don’t. Not for me. He’s not worth it,” she pleaded softly.

  Evan looked into Karen’s sparkling green eyes. She was too kind for her own good. Feeling his anger dissipate, he released Kyle. The man crumpled to the ground, useless and pitiful.

  “Why don’t you call the sheriff’s office,” Evan said to his brother. “I believe they still look down on murder for hire.”

  Epilogue

  Karen stared at the man sleeping next to her, thinking about how suddenly her whole life had changed. If someone had told her just a couple of weeks ago that she would leave everything behind and decide to move to Sweetwater, Wyoming, she would have referred them to a psychiatrist. But there she was, happier than ever.

  Joe was absolutely thrilled when he heard Karen had decided to stick around and had immediately offered her a job at Bluejay’s, which she’d gladly accepted. She couldn’t have imagined a better boss.

  The summer season was officially in full swing and Karen enjoyed being busy. She spent whatever free moments she had outdoors. Evan was more than happy to show her all his favorite hiking trails. He had even persuaded her into going mountain biking with him. She was glad she got through that one alive.

  Then there was Everett, who kept pestering her to go fishing with him and the guys. Karen suspected that what he really wanted was someone to cook the fish afterwards. Her new life really made Karen realize how smothered she had been in New York.

  Now, she had finally found her way.

  Karen got dressed, hopped in Evan’s truck and made her way to Jennifer and Ethan’s house. She and Jennifer had made brunch plans and Karen was excited to have some girl time.

  Jennifer was already waiting for her in the yard when she arrived.

  “Hey! Do you mind if we make a quick stop before heading into town? Evan is out working on the old Grimpaw estate and I thought I’d bring him some lunch,” she said, holding up some sandwiches wrapped in tin foil.

  “Sure, I’ve been dying to see the place,” Karen responded cheerily.

  Jennifer guided Karen through the winding back roads until the forest cleared and the large complex came into view. The brick facade was a bit tired and chipped, but one could easily imagine how grand it had looked in the past.

  The women got out of the car and made their way up to the house, Jennifer fidgeting nervously the whole way there.

  They roamed around the empty house for a bit until they came upon large closed double-doors.

  “Um… You go in first,” Jennifer hesitated.

  Karen raised a brow.

  “You’re being weird today, Jen,” she said, edging past her and stepping through the door.

  “Surprise!” a dozen voices shouted at her, making her almost stumble backwards out again.

  Jennifer nudged her forward, a huge smile on her face. Karen looked around the room. There were balloons everywhere and most of the clan was present, cheering with pink little party hats on their heads. Evan was in the middle of the crowd, holding a huge birthday cake.

  “Oh my god! How did you even know it was my birthday?” Karen gasped, thoroughly shocked.

  “I remembered it from your profile,” Evan replied. “As the date inched closer, I thought you’d say something, but you didn’t. So we thought we’d surprise you,” he explained, grinning.

  “You definitely did,” Karen chuckled. “Thank you all, this means a lot. I love you guys,” she said, getting a little misty-eyed.

  “Don’t get all weepy on us now!” Everett shouted. “Why don’t we just stop talking and eat some goddamn cake!”

  “Yeah, that’s probably the only reason you got up this early on a Saturday,” Karen joked.

  Everett clutched his heart. “You hurt my feelings, sis. My adoration for you is what got me out of bed this morning,” he said theatrically.

  Someone sounding suspiciously like Ethan muttered, “Yeah, right,” and everyone burst out laughing.

  Karen spent a good twenty minutes receiving hugs and well wishes while Evan cut and handed out pieces of cake. Surrounded by so many people that cared about her, the man she loved by her side – it just might have been the best birthday Karen had ever had.

  She had always dreamed of a big family, and, oh boy, had she got her wish. Looking around the room, there wasn’t a single person she wouldn’t have done absolutely anything for, and she knew the feeling was mutual.

  As everyone scattered, Evan plated two pieces of cake and led Karen to a small courtyard behind the house. They sat down on a little bench looking over the garden. It was mostly weeds, but wildflowers had also taken root, breaking up the green with patches of lilac and red. Evan reached down underneath the seat, pulling out two glasses and a bottle of champagne.

  “The surprises keep on coming.”

  “The first birthday of many we get to spend together. I thought it should be memorable,” Evan replied with a smile, filling the glasses and handing one to her.

  “To you,” he said, holding up his flute.

  “To us.”

  And to think that all their troubles had led them to that blissful moment. Everything had almost sorted itself out. Karen’s mom couldn’t have been happier – she was already planning a visit. Evan and Ethan had talked things out and were getting along better than ever.

  Alex had agreed to testify against Kyle, who had turned out had a history of stalking and assault. He was rotting in a jail cell, awaiting trial. No word on Jamie, but he was probably licking his wounds somewhere.

  “You know, there’s something else I’ve been wanting to tell you. But perhaps it’s more of a gift to everyone else than to you,” Evan said mysteriously, trying to hide a smile.

  “Okay…” Karen trailed off, intrigued. “What is it?”

  “I’ve finally found a tenant for the apartment and the cabin is all ready to move in,” he beamed.

  “Really? That’s great news,” Karen exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

  “Now we can make all the noise we want, no one around for miles to complain,” Evan smirked, giving Karen a little wink.

  She laughed, a slight blush coloring her cheeks.

  “And we can finally blast “You Can Leave Your Hat On” and you can show me those moves of yours,” Evan grinned.

  “Oh, I don’t know if you can handle my moves,” Karen teased, egging him on.

  “Is that right,” Evan snickered, snatching the glass from her hand and setting it on the ground. With one smooth move, he pulled Karen into his lap, her legs straddling him.

  “Let’s find out,” Karen coaxed, nibbling on Evan’s lower lip.

  “I love you more every day,” Evan said, suddenly growing serious. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tight.

  “I know exactly what you mean.”

  Also by Anya Nowlan & Rory Dale

  Did you miss the first book in this series? Check it out here:

  Big Bear Problems

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  Don’t miss the excerpt of the third book in the series, Big Bear Blunder, on the next page!

  Big Bear Blunder Excerpt

  I’ve never seen a motorcycle around here before, Rachel thought, her interest piqued.

  Heavy footfalls approached the door. The bell jingled and Rachel’s eyes fixed on
the entrance. A man she had never seen before stepped in, halting in the doorframe to glance around the store.

  He was almost as tall as Everett, with dark blond hair and piercing blue eyes. After marveling at his chiseled jaw and high cheekbones, Rachel’s gaze was drawn to his arms. Intricate, colorful designs shot out from under the sleeves of his navy t-shirt, reaching all the way down to his gloved hands. The stranger ran his hand through his hair, muscles flexing and making the pictures come alive.

  Rachel glanced at Alice, who was staring at the man in unabashed, slack-jawed awe. Rachel squared her shoulders and cleared her throat, hoping to look a little more professional than the small woman beside her.

  Who are you and where have you been all my life?

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  Bear My Baby

  Bear My Baby is a full-size novel and the first of a 4-book series, Shifter Squad Six.

  She never knew danger, but now she can't get enough of the bear it follows...

  Cassie Campton's lived a calm, settled life. Working for an eccentric billionaire, she's given plenty of time for the things she enjoys in life. Surprisingly enough, that makes a person complacent. So, when the man she's devoted years to suddenly draws her into an explosive chase, complete with bloodthirsty villains and the distinct possibility of death, Cassie can't help but wonder if she's gotten in way over her head. But when the commando sent to save you is as hot and as infuriating as hers is, does it really matter?

  Connor McLaughlin is a werebear with a past, and not much in terms of future. Head of Shifter Squad Six, he's a gun for hire, a soldier of fortune. Every job's the same, except for this one. He didn't think he could ever love again, but one look at Cassie and the tough as nails ex-SEAL finds himself stumbling over his feet and words. They only have one night together and after that, Connor's never the same, for better or for worse.