TAKEN BY THE BEAR
By
Natalie Kristen
Also by NATALIE KRISTEN
MISTY VALLEY SHIFTERS
Growl For Me
Fight For Me
Purrfect For Me
MATE series
Alpha Mate
Bear Mate
Vampire Mate
Wolf Mate
Wild Mate
Dark Mate
Blood Mate
NORTH WOLVES
To Kill A Wolf
ALPHA GAME
Alpha Game
Alpha Game 2
Alpha Game 3
DARK erotic romance
Rapture In The Dark
Release In The Dark
One Night With Death
Copyright © 201 5 Natalie Kristen
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are used fictitiously or are the products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual locales, events, establishments or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
About this book
One billionaire alpha bear and one BBW on the run...
Plus size Ruby Kyle has been running from her crazed, homicidal ex for so long. She's been in Ursa Springs for a couple of months now and her ex hasn't found her. Maybe, just maybe, she can finally stop running and make a life for herself here in this remote shifter town.
But everything changes one night...
Nate Lawson is a billionaire, a werebear and the new Alpha of the Silvertip clan in Ursa Springs. When he saves a human woman from a rogue werewolf one night, he is amazed to find that the feisty, curvy female is his mate. She is his, and she is in danger.
He will mark her, protect her, claim her. And he will show her what it means to be truly TAKEN BY THE BEAR.
*****
CHAPTER ONE
“Goodnight, Ruby!”
“Bye, Ruby, you take care.”
Ruby Kyle went over to hug Dani and Fiona. “Goodnight, girls. Thank you so much for all your help. You girls have been awesome! Really.” She released them and hurried over to the counter to get the boxes of cupcakes she'd prepared for them. “Here. These are for you. Freshly baked, and all your favorite flavors!”
“Aw, Ruby, you shouldn't...”
Ruby waved away their protests and steered them towards the door. “You girls get home safe now. It's getting late. Go on!”
“Okay, okay, we're going,” they laughed. “Thanks, Ruby. Bye!”
The door closed and she watched the two girls grab a cupcake from their boxes and munch happily as they hurried across the street. Ruby let out a little sigh as she continued wiping down the counter. Dani and Fiona were great but this was just a temp job for them. The two girls were hardworking, polite and cheerful, even when handling the grumpiest, growliest customers. And God knows, bears were grumpy, growly and well, simply bearish, especially in the mornings. Making a pit stop at Coffee and Cupcakes on their way to work was a must for most of the werebears in Ursa Springs. No self-respecting bear could drive past her little cafe at the corner of Spring Street without stopping to grab a coffee and a bag of cupcakes to go.
Ruby glanced at the calendar on the wall. The school term was starting soon. Today was Dani and Fiona's last day. They had told her that they could still come and help out during the weekends, but Ruby had planted her hands on her ample hips and tut-tutted loudly. “Don't be biting off more than you can chew now. You're going to be so busy with your school projects, and weekends are for your family and friends. All work and no play makes you a dull bear!”
Dani and Fiona had giggled and protested, “We're not full bears. You know we're half human.” The girls' mothers were human women who had mated with bear shifters. Ursa Springs was a shifter town, and it was teeming with big, strapping werebears. There were humans and other shifters as well, but the majority of the population were bear shifters.
Ruby made sure all the chairs and tables were neatly in place before flicking off the lights. As she locked up the small cafe, she wondered if she would be able to cope without Dani and Fiona. Good help was hard to come by, and she was on a tight budget. She had used up almost all her savings when she bought over Coffee and Cupcakes from the previous owner. The previous owner, Queenie, was a sweet, petite werebear who had gotten married to a billionaire weretiger who lived in another state. She was moving out of Ursa Springs, and she had asked Ruby if she was interested in taking over the business. Ruby had been waitressing for her at that time. The business was worth way more, but Queenie had agreed to let Ruby have it as a price she could afford.
The offer represented a new hope, a new life for Ruby. Ruby had been in Ursa Springs for three whole months when Queenie made her the offer. Ruby wanted desperately to believe that she could finally make a life for herself here. Buying the business made her buy wholeheartedly into that belief. She was buying a business, a future, a fervent hope.
Ruby stood at the edge of the sidewalk and glanced back at her little cafe. She had been running Coffee and Cupcakes on her own for two months now, and business was picking up. In fact, life was starting to look good here in Ursa Springs. At least it was beginning to look like life again.
Maybe, just maybe, she could finally stop running. Perhaps she could finally make a life for herself here in this small, remote shifter town. She could be safe and—dare she hope? Happy.
Spring Street was quiet and deserted at night. All the shops and businesses closed up at sundown. But in the day, the entire street was a bustling hive of activity. There were small accounting firms, lawyer offices, clinics, eateries, hardware and clothing stores, hairdressing salons and pubs crowded down the length of the entire street. People were forever rushing in and out of doors, hurrying into offices with their briefcases and stepping out of the shops with bulging bags.
Her small cafe did well enough. The honey and salmon cupcakes were always sold out by lunchtime, and the rest of the cupcakes would be gone by closing time. She usually let Dani and Fiona go off once all the cupcakes were gone, and she would stay back to serve the few customers who strolled in just for coffee. But the girls had insisted on staying back today to help her. It was their last day and they wanted to make sure everything was in order before they left. Those young ladies were responsible and diligent, and they loved working in her cafe. She would miss them, but she would find a way to cope. She always did.
Ruby smiled wistfully at her own reflection in the shop window. Her brown hair was a frizzy mess as usual, and she looked worn and tired. Her eyes were smarting and her legs ached. She had been on her feet the whole day, sitting down only to gobble down a quick lunch and dinner. She ticked off her mental checklist and gave herself a small pat on the back. She had managed to tally the accounts and tidy up the place. Everything was clean and polished and ready.
Pulling her coat tighter around herself, Ruby quickened her pace and hurried down the quiet street. The streetlamps were few and far apart, and there was more shadow than light. The shadows slithered and writhed along the walls and buildings, and crept silently on the ground behind her. They seemed to be following her, reaching for her, waiting, just waiting for the chance to pounce. Ruby winced at her own paranoia. She had grown too jumpy and edgy, constantly looking over her shoulder and scurrying and scuttling around instead of wal
king confidently.
“Stop it,” she chided herself under her breath. “It's just the wind.” She sucked in a steadying breath and hissed, “It's not...him.”
It was false bravado and she knew it. Her own footsteps echoed along the deserted street, sounding unfamiliar and ominous. She just couldn't shake the feeling that she was being followed. Ruby glanced around feverishly, hating herself for feeling so scared. It had been more than five months now. She'd thought that she had found a safe haven in Ursa Springs. Could he have found her again after all?
Ruby squeezed her eyes shut for an instant, feeling her throat and chest constrict painfully. With rising panic, she scanned the shadows, expecting and dreading to see those taunting, evil wolf eyes glowering at her, watching her with hate and malice.
She bit into her knuckles as she resisted the urge to run. She felt so tired. She was tired of running, of being scared. She had been running from town to town, but always, he would find her. The longest she had managed to elude him was three weeks.
But she had been living in Ursa Springs for five months now. Five months and no sign of him. She was safe here. She wanted to be safe here.
Don't let him appear now. Don't let him find me!
She was thirty years old. She shouldn't be running and hiding for the rest of her life.
Damn it, she wouldn't!
Ruby glared at the moving shadows and listened to the rustling leaves. She tensed at a jarring metallic sound, but it was just an empty tin can being blown along by the wind and rattling noisily down the street.
Gulping loudly, she turned up her collar and walked with quick, shuffling steps. Her tiny rented apartment was just two streets away. She would get home safely. She had to.
“He's not here,” she repeated under her breath, willing herself to believe her own words.
She thought she heard a sound behind her, and she had to stop herself from breaking into a panicked run. She couldn't let her imagination and paranoia rage out of control.
Keep calm.
“Keep calm and eat cupcakes,” Ruby recited, forcing a strained smile to her lips. Fiona had worn a cute sparkly t-shirt with those words emblazoned on the front to work a few weeks ago. The moment Ruby saw it, she'd gushed, “Oh, I just love your t-shirt!”
The very next day, Fiona and Dani had excitedly pushed a hastily wrapped present into her hands. It was that cute t-shirt, and in her size, no less.
That would not have been possible anywhere else. Cute pretty clothes generally didn't come in her size.
She was what most clothing store assistants called a plus size woman. She couldn't recall the number of times she had spied a lovely little dress in a shop window and hurried eagerly into the shop, only to have the store assistant tell her that they didn't carry clothes in plus sizes.
That was another reason why she had fallen in insta-love with Ursa Springs.
The female werebears in Ursa Springs were mostly tall, broad and as generously proportioned as her. Some were way taller and broader than her, but the majority of the women here were around her size. Sure there was tiny, petite werebears like Queenie, but they were the minority, and Queenie was forever complaining to Ruby how hard it was to shop for clothes in Ursa Springs.
She could live here forever. Coffee, cupcakes, clothes—she had everything here.
If only...
Ruby froze.
She heard an unmistakable step behind her.
And a laugh. A mocking, triumphant laugh.
No. No!
Ruby spun round so quickly she almost lost her balance. She backed away slowly, shaking her head.
He had found her after all.
Her dream was over. Her nightmare had begun, again.
Ruby stared into those glinting, yellow eyes. She saw the seething anger and madness in them. She saw his thin lips twist in a sardonic smile as he stepped out from the shadows and advanced towards her.
Colton Smith smiled, baring his wolf fangs at her as he stalked silently forward. “Hello Ruby, it's nice to see you again. You're looking delicious, as always.”
“Why...” she choked out.
“You sure gave me the runaround this time, Ruby,” Colton said smoothly. “I've had to hunt high and low for you. Across rivers and valleys, towns and cities. Why, Ruby? Why all the running?”
Ruby blinked back sudden angry tears. He had no right, no fucking right to tear everything down around her. She swiped furiously at her eyes, hating the feel of hot tears on the back of her hand. Weak! She had been weak and stupid. How could she ever have been so weak and stupid to have fallen for his charms? It was just an act. Colton Smith was a beast, a monster through and through.
Ruby stared in absolute loathing and fury at the hulking man standing just a few feet from her. She wished with all her heart and soul that she had never laid eyes on Colton Smith. God, to think that she had once found him handsome. Granted, he was tall and lean, with straight, even features and a full head of copper colored hair. Perhaps many women would still find him good-looking now, but Ruby knew better. She knew him, and he wasn't good-looking or good-anything. He was ugly, hideous, monstrous, both inside and out.
She had met him one night in a bar. She was just getting over a bad breakup, and she had left her brain at home. She didn't want to think about her scumbag ex-boyfriend, and she didn't want to cry and mope and throw a pity party all by her lonesome in her empty flat. So she had pulled out a sexy, slinky little red number, piled on the make-up and headed down to the nearest bar. She would drink too much and flirt with handsome, horny strangers. She would forget her ex, forget her heartbreak and get laid.
Colton Smith had slid quietly into the bar stool beside her and started chatting with her. He had seemed so nice and friendly. He had made witty jokes and made her laugh. And through her alcohol-fogged eyes, she'd thought him handsome. And since she had left her brain at home, she had let the vodka speak for her.
The vodka had asked him back to her place. She had woken up with the mother of all headaches and a naked stranger in her bed. She couldn't even remember his name. Confused and embarrassed, she had mumbled incoherently and tried to ask him to leave as politely as she could. But she didn't succeed in shoving him out of her bed, much less out her front door. Colton had smirked at her, flattered her with flowery words and seduced her.
The worst part was that she allowed it. She allowed him to flatter her, deceive her and seduce her.
After that night, Colton started to pursue her relentlessly. He asked her out, was all artificial sweetness and charm, and pleasured her almost every night in her bed. For more than a month, she lived in a mindless haze, letting herself be flattered and followed. She'd stupidly thought that Colton was just being protective and sweet when he appeared at her workplace and at her doorstep.
But one night, when she saw him waiting for her at her front door, she just started shivering, violently and uncontrollably. An insidious, inexplicable chill crept up her spine, and she suddenly felt frightened, frightened of him. She found herself overcome by a sudden revulsion and dread, and she just didn't want to go near him. It was like the blinkers just fell from her eyes. The fog lifted from her mind, and she saw him clearly for the first time. She saw the maniacal glint in his eyes and the cruel twist of his mouth. She remembered with sudden clarity the flash of rage in his eyes which he would quickly mask with a disarming smile whenever she told him that she wasn't in the mood.
When she began to back away from him, he grabbed her and tried to kiss her, but she managed to push him away. Keeping the fear out of her voice, she told him politely that she wasn't feeling well and she needed to take two aspirins and crawl into bed.
He didn't take that well. With a snarl, he grabbed her and threw her against the wall. She watched in horror as he shifted into a slavering red wolf, his fangs and claws lengthening as he prowled towards her. Her screams attracted the attention of her neighbors and some passers-by. By the time
they reached her, Colton was gone.
Two nights later, he cornered her when she was rushing home from work and forced her into a dark alley. When she told him firmly that it was over between them, he gripped her by the neck and let her feel his claws digging into her flesh. He let his claws slice out slowly, inching them painfully into her neck.
“You're banishing me?” he spat at her. “You! Who the fuck do you think you are?”
“B-banish?” What was he on about? He was a raving lunatic, a rabid, banished werewolf. It finally dawned on her.
Ruby forced herself not to wince and just keep absolutely still and calm. “You never told me much about yourself, Colton,” she swallowed and said steadily when he loosened his grip on her. Injecting some saccharine into her voice, she asked, “Which pack are you from?”
“The Red Fangs pack.” He spat on the ground. “But the fucking new Alpha banished me from Misty Valley. I swear I'll return to Misty Valley and I will kill him! Logan Reed is as good as dead! You hear me? Dead!” He punched the wall so hard bits of the crumbling, dirty wall flaked off. Colton raised his bloodied fist and roared, “The Red Fangs pack is mine!”
He was glaring up at the unjust, uncaring heavens, and Ruby took her chance. For those few precious seconds, he'd taken his eyes off her. She tried to run past him, but in a flash, he snatched her back and flung her to the ground.
“You! Where do you think you're going, Ruby? You are just like Logan Reed! You want to kick me out, and get rid of me. It's not so easy,” he hissed, yanking her up by the hair. “I won't kill you,” he promised. “I'll just make you watch. They'll suffer because of you.”
“W-what...”
Taken By The Bear: BBW Billionaire Bear Shifter Romance Standalone Page 1