Wounds to Bear (Heart of The Bear #1)
By: Terra Wolf & Lily Marie
One
The bullet in Roman Black’s left shoulder slowed him down—too much.
It also hurt like hell, but in bear form, he could travel faster, and the pain wasn’t as excruciating. He had to keep moving, find help before the bastard took those innocent cubs deeper into the wild. Never mind the human kids in his group that he promised to watch over with his life.
He kept moving, blood saturating his fur. If he calculated right, he’d come out near Grey’s old homestead. From there he could—
He halted at the edge of the trees when he saw the unfamiliar truck.
Damn. The new vet had just set up shop there—the new vet who didn’t know about them yet.
She was about to get a quick and dirty orientation.
***
Dr. Jenna Morgan set down the last box of supplies, and collapsed in the single chair in the exam room.
“Done.” She blew a strand of sweaty hair off her nose, too tired to even lift her hand to tuck it behind her ear. All she wanted to do now was strip out of her sticky, dirty clothes and sink into a nice, fragrant, decadent bath. “Okay—up.”
Her legs shook when she stood, her thigh muscles sore from days of hauling boxes, furniture, and more boxes. Lindy Black, the woman who’d hired who, who also happened to be Pine Heart’s mayor, had offered the use of her family.
“Big, strong boys, all of them,” she told Jenna the day she arrived.
Jenna had smiled and waved her off. The last thing she needed around her right now was a big, strong male anything. Not after Darrel.
Now she was paying for that impulsive act of self-reliance.
“Bath,” she muttered. “Right after I lock the door.”
One day she might feel comfortable leaving her doors unlocked. Today was not that day. She sighed when she saw that the wind had pushed the storm door against the outside wall, and stepped on the wood porch to grab it.
The low growl raised the hair on the back of her neck.
Jenna knew the sound of a bear, that they were common in this wild, thick forest. She had always expected to see her share living at the edge of the trees. But this one sounded close—too close.
She turned, slowly. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just a short human vet, wanting to go inside and let you…”
Her voice faded when she saw just how close, and how huge, the bear was. She didn’t have time to do more than register that when it leaped at her.
She acted on instinct and shoved the heavy storm door between her and the bear.
Impact tore the door out of her hands and she toppled backward. With a roar that stopped her heart, the bear stood, its head brushing the roof of her porch. She debated between staying still and crawling away from it. Before she could do either, the bear lowered himself. She got enough of a look to see he was definitely male. He whined when his left foreleg hit the porch.
That was when she saw blood matting the fur on his left shoulder.
“God—you’re hurt.”
The shaggy head lifted, and amber eyes far too intelligent to be an animal’s studied her.
“Holy shit,” she whispered. She’d heard conversations, around town, and had done as much research as she could on Pine Heart. What little she did find was hard to believe—but the evidence stood in front of her, bleeding on her porch.
There were shifters here. And she was staring at one. An injured one.
“I can help you.” He tilted his head, eyes studying her, like he already knew. Of course he did; everyone in town knew she was a vet. “Did you want me to do it—in this form?”
He shook his head, and made a low rumbling sound, backing away from her. Every time he moved his left foreleg, he growled, and she flinched, watching fresh blood stain his rich brown fur. When he put some space between them, he lowered his head—and began to change.
Claws retracted and fur receded, like reverse growth, revealing clenched, shaking human hands. By the time Jenna was able to tear her gaze away from that transformation, the rest of him was human. Six feet of lean, muscled, naked male knelt on her porch, his left shoulder bloody, his arm limp.
“Stay here,” she said.
She ran into the house and grabbed her kit, a big bottle of water, and a pile of towels she’d just washed. Even with all the blood, she could see the bullet wound. He must have been in excruciating pain. By the time she got back to the porch, he was standing, his right arm braced on the small bistro table.
“Here.” She laid a towel on the chair. “Sit.”
“I need a phone. Now.”
“Not until—”
“Now,” he growled. Heat flared in his amber eyes. Jenna forced herself not to retreat. She was in charge here—this was her home, damn it, and huge, gorgeous shifter or not, he was not alpha here. “Please. I need—” He closed his eyes and swallowed, pain tightening his face. “I need a phone.”
She went back inside and grabbed her compact landline. She got no cell reception out here.
He nodded his thanks and punched in a number with his thumb.
“Grey, I need your help.” He closed his eyes. “All of you. I was jumped in the middle of a forest walk. It was Paul—the bastard shot me and took them.” Jenna watched the emotions play over his face, and knew what he was about to say was bad. “The cubs and the kids. No, he won’t hurt them, damn it—not unless we threaten him. I’m at your old place, with the vet. Hold on.” He lowered the phone. “Can we set up a base here?”