by Snow, Jenika
The BEARy Possessive Grizzly
Bear Clan, 5
Jenika Snow
Contents
Synopsis
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue One
Epilogue Two
Epilogue Three
About the Author
The BEARy Possessive Grizzly (Bear Clan, 5)
By Jenika Snow
www.JenikaSnow.com
[email protected]
Copyright © October 2019 by Jenika Snow
First E-book Publication: October 2019
Cover model: Andrew England
Cover photo provided by: Andrew England
Cover designer: Designs by Dana
Editor: Kayla Robichaux
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: The unauthorized reproduction, transmission, or distribution of any part of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
This literary work is fiction. Any name, places, characters and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or establishments is solely coincidental.
Please respect the author and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials that would violate the author’s rights.
Cason
I devoted my life to working, building a career and business, making sure I was secure and stable in my life for the sole purpose that I’d find her, that everything would be ready and perfect for her.
My mate.
The one woman who would complete me.
The one woman who was born to be mine alone.
Watching my brothers find their other halves hadn’t been easy, but I knew I would never give up. I couldn’t. My mate would make all the bullshit disappear. She’d make my life have purpose. And that’s the only thing that mattered to a bear shifter. To me.
If there was one thing I knew without a doubt, it was that once I found her, I wouldn’t go easy. I would make her see that, once she was mine, that was it. There was no going back.
Mena
Half bear, half human. That’s what I was.
My human side dominant. No shifting, no primal urge to be in my animal form. But I was okay with that.
I’d grown up with parents who wanted only the best for me, and that meant not being with a shifter, because of the politics that went along with it, because my father was an outcast for loving my mother—a human who wasn’t his fated mate.
Love who you want. That’s what they said. That’s what they lived by.
But I needed to find myself, needed to find what I wanted out of life. And so I took an impromptu camping trip. I wanted to get away, to reconnect with my bear side, even if she was buried deep down within my human genetics.
But I wasn’t alone. He found me, this alpha grizzly bear shifter who looked at me like I was the sun he’d been searching for his entire life.
His mate.
Mine, he growled out like the feral animal he was.
And in that moment, I knew there was no going back.
Prologue
Cason
I stood on my deck, leaning against the railing as I stared off into the forest. The sounds of birds filled my head, and the sight of animals scurrying deep within the woods was something I was able to pick up with my shifter vision. I was shirtless, my sweats hanging low on my hips, wild energy pumping through my veins. I already shifted twice today, let my bear free, let him be wild, but I was ready for round three.
If I were being honest, I was not the type of person who particularly enjoyed being around others. I liked my solitude, my little piece of land away from everyone and everything. I’d built my cabin far away from my brothers—not because I didn’t enjoy their company, but because it was just easier for me to be with my own thoughts.
And now that four out of the six of us had found our mates, with only Damon and myself without our other halves, it was a lot fucking easier to be on my own. Seeing my brothers happy and content, their fated mates by their sides, their families growing, had this ache settling deep within me.
So yeah, being alone was really fucking good for me.
As the years passed, and the idea of my female grew further and further away, I realized that being out here was for the best. I’d started becoming grumpier, more animalistic. I let my bear out more than I was sure any other shifter consciously did.
One thing I was sure most humans didn’t know, one thing shifters kept tightly guarded, was the fact that the more times we let our animals out, the more times we shifted to let it be free, the more primal we became.
I was right on the verge of just saying fuck it all and being a bear full-time. But I’d miss a lot of shit being human afforded me: enjoying a nice meal, and sitting around the campfire with my brothers and shooting the shit.
I’d miss a lot of fucking things about being a human.
But the truth was, it was easier to be a bear. Less hectic, less confusing. There were no responsibilities or expectations. I lived off the land and just let my basic urges run free. And it was incredible. It was exhilarating and liberating. But whether I was in human form or shifted as a bear, there was one thing that was deeply rooted in me, something that grew by the second.
My mate.
It was this growing feeling inside of me, like this seed was planted deep inside me and every year it grew until one day it would just burst free, tearing me from the inside out.
I had one sole purpose on this planet, and that was to find my mate, to claim her, mark her, to get her swollen with my child. And the very thought, the picture of her big and round, my baby growing inside her, my mark on her neck, was nearly enough to send me into a frenzy of possessive need.
I didn’t know where or who she was, but what I did know for certain was that if I ever did find her, I was going to claim her so fucking hard there was no turning back.
I just hoped I wasn’t more animal than human when that time came.
Chapter One
Mena
“When are you going to find a nice man, Mena honey?”
I stopped midbite as I looked up at my father. “A nice man?” I asked with a mouthful of my mother’s homemade meatloaf.
“Well, a nice human, sweetheart.”
I set my fork down and reached for my glass of red wine, taking a long drink from it before I answered. Having a father who was a bear shifter and a mother who was human meant my father was an outcast from the moment he decided to marry and be with someone not his fated mate. But he’d fallen head-over-heels in love with my mother, mate or not, because after forty years of him being alone, he was done looking for that “soulmate.” And I couldn’t blame him, was glad they’d been happy and found each other.
I’d been their midlife baby, the surprise they thought they’d never be able to have any children. I’d taken after my mother’s side, fully human but with slight bear-shifting genetics. My senses were keener, more heightened. And my drive for the wilderness was there, so strong I found myself in the woods weekly just to touch base with nature.
But actually shifting into a bear? Never going to happen for me.
So here I was, my father salty because he was estranged from his bear side, and both my parents wanting nothing more for me than to be happy and live a shifter
-free life with a banker husband, a white picket fence around our three-bedroom home, and popping out little human babies.
“We just want you to go after what you deserve, honey.” My mother brought her fork to her mouth, the prongs speared with romaine and spinach, a dollop of thick ranch dressing dripping onto her plate.
I glanced at my father, who was in the process of cutting into his pretty much rare steak. The focus he had on the piece of meat was akin to being in love.
“I’m actually going to head to bear country for the week to go camping.” That had my father glancing up midchew. Bear country wasn’t the town’s real name, but it was one the residents and anyone who lived within a hundred-mile radius called it. Mainly because the population of bear shifters in that area and the surrounding parts was pretty thick.
“Bear country?”
I nodded at his question. “Yeah. Isn’t any mountain town filled with wild animals?” I asked in confusion.
My father lifted a salt-and-pepper, bushy eyebrow.
“And you’re camping? Like in a tent or one of those rent-a-cabins?” There was worry in my mother’s voice, and I almost scoffed.
“I’m gonna rough it. Full-on middle of nowhere, pitching a tent, and starting a fire all by myself.”
My mom and dad glanced worriedly at each other.
“You think that’s a good idea? Safe? The bear shifters that live in the forest are feral, Mena. They aren’t like the bears who live in towns. They are in their animal form more than they are human.”
I did roll my eyes then and scoffed. “I don’t even know if there will be bear shifters where I’ll be. And if there are, I’m sure I’ll be fine. It’s not like I’m not bringing protection.
“Protection?” My mother all but gasped that word and quickly covered her mouth with her hand. She leaned in closer. “Like a gun?” she whispered.
“Oh my God, Mom.” I couldn’t help but laugh. “Firstly, you make it sound like a dirty word. Secondly, no, I am not bringing a gun. I don’t even own one.”
“Oh, thank fuck.”
“Harold,” my mother hissed and glanced at my dad. “You know I don’t like that kind of language.”
“Sorry, dear.”
“I have pepper spray and my hunting knife Dad gave me for my fifteenth birthday. I’ll be fine. Promise.” I smiled. “Dad taught me all I need to know to survive out in the woods.” I glanced at my father and he grinned, his chest puffing out in pride.
“Damn right I did.”
My mother, being human, was against all forms of violence. But having a bear shifter for a father meant I learned all about surviving in the woods and how to take care of myself.
“Are you taking any of your friends, honey?” My mom went back to eating her dinner, but her focus was on me.
I shook my head. “No. This trip is just for me. With work and finals, I’m pretty stressed. So when I take my last exam, I’m going to have my car packed for the week and just head out.” I could see the pride in my father’s face, but also the worry.
He may have taught me how to survive, but that didn’t mean he also hadn’t told me about all the strangers.
He was nervous, probably more so than my mother. He knew all about how bear shifters could be. Because he’d been an outcast for falling in love with a human female who wasn’t his mate, he’d seen the ugly side of his kind.
But no matter what, he still didn’t try to hide who and what he was. Who and what a part of me was.
* * *
It was twenty minutes later when we finished eating, and as I helped my mom clean up, my dad called me into the other room. I headed into his study and saw him sitting by his desk. Being a high school English teacher meant he did a lot of work from home, grading papers, doing lesson plans. The end of the school day wasn’t the end of the day for him.
So when he opened up his drawer and pulled out a gun case—the gun case—I felt my eyes widen a little.
He unzipped the case and opened the top, turning it around so I could see his pistol. I knew it had been in his family for a very long time, something that had been passed down to the men in his family. His father had given it to him before he was shunned from his clan.
I looked between the gun and him and back again. “Dad, what is this?” Of course I knew what it was. I just wasn’t sure why he was showing it to me.
“I want you to have this.”
Surely he didn’t think I was so helpless I would need it for my short-term camping trip.
“Listen, I want you to be safe and protected, and sometimes a hunting knife just doesn’t do the trick.”
I was shaking my head before he finished. “Dad, it’s legit like a week I’ll be gone. I’m not going to the middle of nowhere. The town is like twenty minutes away.”
He chuckled in that deep, husky voice I was familiar with. “This isn’t just for the camping trip. I’ve wanted to give you this for some time. I figure now is as good a time as any.” He smiled. “You’re my little girl still, even if you’re all grown up. And I want to make sure you know how to handle yourself.” He leaned in and kissed the top of my head, and I smiled. “Be safe, but most of all be content and happy. Know what you want in life and follow through with it all the way.”
He ruffled my hair before turning and leaving me. I looked down at the gun sitting in the case and ran my fingers over the cold metal. I was glad I had supportive parents who accepted anything and everything I decided to do with my life.
Now, I just needed to realize what I actually wanted to do.
Chapter Two
Mena
I took a step back and cursed as I felt sweat start to form on my forehead from pitching the tent. I placed my hands on my hips, staring at the small two-person tent currently situated between a couple large pine trees.
I turned and went back to my car and pulled out the padded mats, setting them inside the tent, and then made a couple more trips to grab my sleeping bag, some blankets, and all the other camping paraphernalia I needed.
I hadn’t been camping in forever, but damn could I still make one good-ass campsite.
I popped the trunk and looked at the four boxes of food and five jugs of water my mother and father packed, and all I could do was smile and shake my head. I was only going to be gone for about a week, yet they’d given me enough stuff it was like I would be gone for a month.
When I looked down at my cell, I saw I had zero bars of service. But instead of worrying about that, I felt a sense of relief.
It was another fifteen minutes of getting everything situated before I finally sat down to start making a fire. Once the flames were licking across the wood, the sound of crackling filling my head, the smell of smoke mixing with the scent of evergreens and pine trees, I felt calmness settle in.
Despite my human side being dominant, my bear did come out when I was surrounded by nature. Being in the woods made my animal side content and relaxed.
It made me happy.
It made me feel like I was at home.
* * *
Cason
I stood at the ledge, looking down over the sleepy, quiet town below. This was my home, the place I called mine my entire life. The construction business with my brothers, my side business of woodworking... my life was pretty damn near perfect.
But then again, it wasn’t.
I felt like I was missing a part of myself, an integral piece that would make me whole, make me complete.
And that was my mate.
Six brothers, four of them having found their fated females, yet here I was—myself and Damon—mateless, missing a part of ourselves. And the truth was, we may never find our females. It wasn’t unheard of. In fact, there were plenty of instances where shifters had given up hope of finding their other halves. And so they fell in love with humans or other shifters. They had families. They started lives with them. And although that was an option, the truth was I didn’t want that. I’d rather be alone than be with a female who wasn’t f
ully mine, wasn’t born to be solely my mate.
Closing my eyes and just inhaling and exhaling slowly, I felt my bear stir, felt him rise up from deep within me and push forward for supremacy. I’d been letting him out more and more, my human starting to feel more submissive as my animal became dominant. Although he’d always been at the forefront, it was my human side who took precedence. But not lately.
I was starting to feel more animal than human, and that was a dangerous situation. Because when a shifter let his animal side reign supreme, it was hard going back. It was hard not to just be in animal form full-time, letting yourself be one with nature, not letting any of the bullshit of the human world consume you.
I started taking off my clothes, enjoying being out here in the middle of nowhere, only nature surrounding me. The property myself and my brothers owned was vast and extensive.
When I had my shirt and pants off, the material pooled by my feet. I was about to remove my briefs when the scent of burning wood from a fire filled my nostrils.
I growled low. This was our property, and anyone on it was trespassing. I could picture young college assholes pitching tents and starting campfires, drinking beer and smoking pot. My animal was dying to come forward, my bones and muscles pushing out of my skin, my body all but shifting, changing for the impending transformation. And I let it overtake me.
I let it rip through my human form until I was on all fours now, my claws digging into the dirt.