The next pair of bears on duty had already shifted into their animal forms, and they waited with Quinn for his final report.
“There were two, but when we circled back around, we could only find one and he was speeding away,” Wade said. “They came out on shiny new snowmobiles and carried big shotguns, which leads me to believe there’s a team somewhere close. Whoever paid for their expedition has a lot of money, but not necessarily a lot of experience. We would have followed them, but the wind is blowing too hard. Their tracks disappeared instantly. The important part is: I’m not convinced they’re looking for Santa. I think they may be hunting, so keep your patrols random and don’t stick too close together.”
The two bears nodded and then took off running down the tunnel.
“Christmas is only a week away,” Quinn said. “Do you really think they’re hunting polar bears?”
“Yeah. One tracked Joel in his scope for about a hundred feet, and he could have easily used the binoculars around his neck instead. Luckily, we know the land better. Joel jumped into a trench and circled around behind him. That’s when we found out the weather wouldn’t let us track them today.”
“Shit,” Quinn said. “The ones looking for Santa are easier to get rid of.”
“Yeah, these guys didn’t seem to be leaving anytime soon.”
“Okay, I’ll update everyone, and we’ll probably need to add in a few extra shifts.”
“That’s fine, just keep me posted.”
“Will do,” Quinn said. “Are you going to see your girl now?”
“Hopefully,” Wade said. “We didn’t have any solid plans, but I wanted to tell her about my bear today. I’m going to head down there after I shower.”
“Good luck, man. I hope it goes well,” Quinn said.
“Thanks. See you tomorrow.”
Wade went home and typed in a quick message to Dani before he stepped into the shower. The warm water felt good against his achy muscles, but he didn’t linger under the spray. The night before, he’d told Dani he had something important to share, and he wanted to keep his word.
He also wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.
He’d never told another person about his shifter side, and he was both elated and anxious to share that part of himself with his mate.
What if she didn’t believe him? Or ran away screaming? Or worse, what if she never looked at him the same?
That was the main reason he’d decided to tell her so soon after becoming her friend. The way her light brown eyes assessed him made his dick harden and his bear roar in delight. Both the animal and the man wanted to claim her, and though he could accept the fact she only wanted friendship, he couldn’t accept her disgust.
He needed to know now, before things went any further…and so did she.
He got out of the shower, got dressed and put on his coat. He didn’t really need the accessory, his animal side kept him plenty warm, but he got a lot less stares with it on. Especially in freezing temperatures.
Dani still hadn’t responded to his text message, so he pressed her name from his call list and let the number ring until her voicemail picked up. After a brief message, he hung up, grabbed his wallet, and used his medallion to transport him close to her apartment.
The gold, circular piece of jewelry allowed residents of Santa’s Village to travel back and forth between their home and the outside world in an instant. Every resident had one, and as a form of protection, they rarely, if ever, took them off.
He knocked on Dani’s door, and when she didn’t respond, he sent her another message and set off for the club. Even though it was barely past noon on a Saturday, he had a feeling her friends, the owners, might be inside. If she wasn’t with them, maybe they could tell him where to find her.
A few minutes later, he rapped his knuckles on the open office door in the club and peeked his head in the small room.
“Hey Steph,” he said.
“Wade!” Steph shrieked. “Oh my god! You scared me half to death!”
“Sorry,” he laughed. “The front door was unlocked and nobody answered when I called out.”
“It’s fine,” she said, waving her hands around. “You’re fine. Scott ran to get us some food, and I was really concentrating on this stupid order form. Please, come in. Have a seat.”
She motioned to the chair at the desk behind her, and he took it.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“Actually, I was looking for Dani. She’s not answering her phone, and she hasn’t returned my texts all day. I went to her apartment, but she wasn’t there, so I came here.”
“She probably went hiking,” Steph said. “Cell service is horrible on the trails.”
“Shit, you’re right,” he said. “I should have gone there first.”
“Even if you had, they’re really hard to navigate if you don’t know the way. You could be looking for hours.”
Not in his bear form, but he couldn’t tell her that.
“I have to try,” he said. “I really want to see her today.”
“Why?” She asked, her eyes narrowed.
“Why what?”
“Why do you want to see her so badly? Why today?”
Steph looked as fierce as a mama bear protecting her cub, and Wade had to smile. The woman was a good friend to his mate, had been for several years, and even though she was pregnant, and he was nearly twice her size, she wanted to know his intentions.
“I love her,” he said simply.
“I thought you were just friends?” she squealed.
“We are, but I’m hoping that will change one day. By the way,” he added, “can you tell me the real reason why she refuses to date musicians?”
Steph scrunched up her face and stayed silent for a long time. He figured she was weighing out the pros and cons of betraying her friend, and he appreciated her willingness to at least think about it.
“Do you really love her?” she asked, finally.
“Yes, I do,” he replied honestly.
“Will you make sure she doesn’t spend Christmas alone?”
“She’s spending Christmas alone? Why? I thought she was spending the day with you and Scott.”
“Usually she does, but we’re going to Scott’s parent’s house this year, and frankly… Well, let’s just say I wish I could get out of going, too. We invited her, of course, but she declined.”
Why didn’t he know that? Easy, because she hadn’t trusted him enough to tell him. He’d had a whole speech planned on why she should spend at least half the day with him. Now that he knew the truth, he didn’t plan on giving her a choice.
“She definitely won’t be alone.”
“Good,” Steph sighed. “Thank you, Wade. You’re a good man.”
He smiled at her and raised an eyebrow in question.
“Okay,” she relented. “She’s going to kill me, but… I’ll give you the short version. About two years ago, Dani was dating the lead singer in a band that played here regularly. They’d been going out awhile, so when he called her out one day from the stage, she’d expected a proposal. Instead, he…”
“It’s okay, Steph,” Wade said. “What did he do?”
“He called her fat, said she spent all his money on food, that he was going broke feeding her, and that she kissed like a cow and sucked in bed. Oh, Wade,” she sniffed, “it was horrible. Dani wasn’t only humiliated in the town she grew up in, she was devastated. She’d thought he was the one.”
“What the fuck?” he swore. “Who does that?”
“I know right? Scott fired the band, but it took a long time before people started to forget. Even now, people still bring it up in random conversation. Not everyone remembers it was her, but she’s still subjected to their comments.”
“Damn, no wonder she doesn’t want to give me a chance.”
“I keep telling her that all musicians aren’t the same, but she doesn’t believe me. Maybe you can change her mind.”
“I will,
” he said, standing. “Thank you, Steph. I have to go find my girl.”
“Good luck,” she called after him.
Wade walked to the entrance of the nearest trail and sniffed the air. Her scent was nearly non-existent, and he knew he needed his shifter senses to find her. Luckily, the fresh fallen snow provided the perfect camouflage for a polar bear.
Chapter Four
Friday night brought Arctic Storm back to the club for their second show.
When Wade and the other band members arrived early to set up their instruments, Kira rushed over to say hello, but she kept her distance from the drummer and stayed away from him the whole night.
Oddly, she also stayed away from Dani, and when their paths inevitably crossed, the other waitress stayed quiet and civil. Kira didn’t try to steal her tables or sneak into the band’s dressing room, and if she made any ugly, weight or size comments, Dani didn’t hear them.
The woman’s sudden indifference put Dani on edge, but all thoughts of her coworker’s strange behavior vanished when she and Wade set out for the diner.
Once again, they shared two desserts, drank copious amounts of coffee and talked until daybreak. As they hid in the warmth of the diner, the frigid December air dropped below freezing, and when they stepped out onto the frozen sidewalk, the biting cold nearly froze her in place.
“You need a warmer jacket,” he said, taking off his coat.
“N-n-no, Wade,” she protested. “I d-d-don’t want you to be c-c-cold.”
Her teeth chattered uncontrollably, as if they were a novelty windup toy chomping everything in sight, but Wade seemed perfectly normal.
“I’m never cold.”
She could only watch as he carefully bundled her up.
Even though he’d been wearing it less than five minutes, the body heat from his coat seeped through her flimsy attire and instantly warmed her all the way through. Despite being already bundled, albeit not enough, she didn’t have to worry about the material fitting around her curves. Wade was huge, and his coat provided ample room for all of her attributes.
After he secured his jacket around her, he removed his scarf and wrapped it around her neck. Considering he hadn’t shivered once, she didn’t try to stop him. When he finished, he looked down at her with something akin to love and her heart nearly stopped.
In that moment, she realized she loved him, too, and she desperately wanted him to kiss her. He slowly leaned in, and then abruptly stepped away, leaving a wide gap between them. In reality, the distance was only about a foot, but it felt like miles.
“Let’s get you home,” he said, clearing his throat.
“Okay.”
Unlike the days before, they walked to her apartment in silence and her disappointment grew with every step. Something had changed between them, and she worried she would never see him again.
When they reached her door, she hastily unbuttoned his coat and shrugged it off.
“Thank you for letting me borrow it,” she said, handing it back to him.
He took it, and then brushed a lock of hair out of her eye.
“Hey, why so glum? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” she said, unwrapping the scarf.
“You keep it,” he said, stopping her hand with his. “I have to get a few hours of sleep, and then I have to work, but I’d like to see you later. I have something important I need to share with you.”
“What is it?” she asked, nervously.
“I can’t tell you now, but it’s nothing bad, baby, I promise.”
The way he said baby made her pussy tingle and her knees weak. She wasn’t even sure he was aware the word had slipped out, but it didn’t feel like something a friend would say.
They said their goodbyes, and the thought of seeing him later made her giddy.
She crawled under the covers with his scarf in her arms and slept until noon.
***
Dani brought the edge of the navy blue and gray plaid scarf up to her nose, and inhaled deep.
Again.
Wade’s scent, a combination of fresh, clean air mixed with sugar cookies, and something manly, primal and unique to only him, filled her nose. She’d never smelled anything like it, and the fact that she considered not returning the garment proved how deep she’d fallen in love with her friend.
She shook her head and continued down the dirt trail.
Walking along the familiar paths usually helped put things into perspective, but she was more confused than ever. What important information did Wade have to share with her? Did he love her, too? Or had he become tired of waiting? Had he met someone one new? Was their friendship over?
Don’t be ridiculous!
No, the last thought was too extreme. He wouldn’t end their friendship, at least not outright, but if he met someone, it would end. Even if his new girlfriend was cool, Dani didn’t want to live the next ten years as a third wheel to another couple, especially if the better half of the couple was Wade.
The path narrowed, and she concentrated on where to step on the uneven snow and ice covered terrain. Suddenly, she realized the sun no longer warmed her back, and she looked around to get her bearings. Somehow, she’d travelled off the trail and into a copse of thick, unfriendly looking trees. Fall had stolen most of their leaves, but the thick, snow-covered branches blocked the warm rays of the sun.
A moment of panic set in.
After hours of checking her phone nearly ever five minutes, Dani had been on the verge of going insane. She couldn’t take the waiting and wondering about Wade and his confession one more minute, so she bundled up, grabbed the wicked device and took a walk.
Cellular reception didn’t exist on the trails, but she’d walked the paths too many times to count. Finding her way home wouldn’t have been a problem if she hadn’t ventured into unfamiliar territory.
Luckily, she’d left a lasting impression on the unused land, and she turned to trace her footsteps back to the marked trails. With her eyes downcast, the first thing she saw was a pair of black work boots.
Wade!
Hope sprung until she allowed herself to look at the rest of him.
Definitely not Wade.
The man was muscular and tall, but no where near the size of the drummer, and his black hair and equally dark eyes were filled with something she couldn’t name. The fact that he carried an ax made her heart rate accelerate, and she couldn’t stop the gasp of shock that escaped. Her body temperature rose, causing little beads of sweat to break out on her forehead, and real fear set in when he flashed her a feral smile.
“Well, well, well,” he said. “Today must be my lucky day. What’s a pretty plump thing like you doing out here all alone?”
“Just walking,” she said, forcing a smile.
“You’re a long way from the trails,” he said. “It’s not safe. No one can hear you scream out here in the middle of nowhere.”
Shit!
“You’re right,” she agreed. “That’s why I’m going back.”
“You’re not going anywhere,” he said, flashing her another unnerving smile.
His boots ate up the ground between them in seconds, stealing her chance of escape. He reached out to grab her arm, but froze in midair. A second later, the smell of urine reached her nose. She looked down to confirm her suspicions and took a step back from him.
What the fuck?!
“Bear,” he said.
“What?”
“Bear,” he yelled. He dropped the ax, turned and ran.
“Well, don’t run,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
She turned, looking for the bear in question, and saw a polar bear dropping onto all fours from his hind legs. He was less than three feet away. How had he snuck up on her? But more importantly, why hadn’t he attacked?
He sat on his haunches and tilted his head to the right, watching her intently as his eyes changed from black to midnight blue. The color seemed unusual for the species, but more importantly, it seemed
familiar.
“Wade?”
In an instant, the bear was gone and Wade stood in his place, fully clothed.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said, holding up his hand as if to placate her.
Afraid? He was amazing and she was far from being scared of him.
She took three steps forward and encircled her arms around him, plastering her body to his. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but they were happy tears filled with joy and love.
“Oh Wade,” she sobbed into his sweater. “I’m not afraid of you, I love you.”
His muscles relaxed and he hugged her back, surrounding her with warmth, protection and love.
“I love you, too, baby,” he said. “More than you’ll ever know. Are you ready to admit we’re more than friends and give us a chance?”
“I’m ready, Smalls,” she said, holding in a laugh and smiling up at him.
“Trust me, baby,” he said, leaning down to kiss her. “Nothing about me is small.”
***
Wade pressed his lips against hers softly, giving her time to change her mind and run. The fact that she’d accepted his bear so easily surprised him, and he wondered if she was in shock.
Her pink, perfect lips were cold and he closed his lips around the lower one to warm it up a bit. Dani kissed him back with the same gentle strokes, and he wondered if she regretted admitting her feelings.
Her hands slid up his chest and she wrapped them around his neck, pulling him down for more. She parted her lips, and he seized the opportunity to slide his tongue inside her mouth.
Oh holy hell!
She tasted sweet and sinful, as if she were a rich, decadent dessert baked especially for him, and his dick swelled and pressed into her soft, round tummy.
Dani moaned, wrapped one leg around his thigh, and he was lost.
He slid his hands over her ass, grasped her thighs and picked her up. Dani squealed, but she tightened her arms around his neck and didn’t protest.
He pressed her back up against the nearest tree harder than he intended, and ground his cock against her core.
Shifter Wonderland: Twelve BBW Paranormal Holiday Shape Shifter Romances Page 56