Page 19 of Bred By the Beast

“Maybe.” But he didn’t sound confident about that.

They got to the house and he made sure his dogs were inside, and he locked the doors. She didn’t like this. He was right—humans did ruin everything. She sat on the couch and hugged her knees.

“Don’t be nervous,” he said. “I’ll never let anyone hurt you.”

“They have guns, Wilder.”

“And they’re in my forest.”

She didn’t know what that meant but she was tired of trying to second-guess everything. If they made it out of this alive, she’d never question him again.

****

Wilder slipped from the house after making sure Poppy had eaten and calmed down. He didn’t want her to hate his home and return to the city. After finally finding his one true mate, he couldn’t risk losing her. If those poachers tried to fuck this up for him, he’d make them live to regret it.

Right now, he had to secure his property and make sure Poppy was safe. Since she’d been staying with him, he hadn’t been doing his usual reconnaissance of the shifter lands. He made scaring off the poachers and protecting wildlife a high priority. For years, he’d kept his land safe, earning him some sort of reputation as a giant bear in the human world. Poppy had come to photograph him, only there was no giant bear. It was only him in his shifted alpha grizzly form.

It wasn’t just bears he helped, but even deer or other wildlife that needed rehabilitating. He’d bring them to his cabin and help them recuperate.

As for trespassers or threats, that’s when his grizzly came out.

He followed the tracks and scouted the area around his home. The faint scent of diesel caught his attention, so he travelled farther down the ridge. There was evidence of a firepit, cigarette butts, and the litter they left behind. He bent down, picked up a butt, and sniffed it. It was the same as the ones he found at the murder scene of the mother bear. They were still looking for Poppy. They wanted the evidence that could be used against them, but they would get much more than that.

Wilder wasn’t naïve about guns like his parents were.

He knew about humans and had blended into their world from time to time, but preferred to stay away from them.

Wilder moved along the trail, knowing they couldn’t be too far based on when they’d tripped his camera. They had to have seen his cabin. What were they waiting for? Maybe they were unsure if Poppy was staying at the cabin. He’d have to keep her inside and out of sight, unless they already knew she was there.

Five minutes later, he slowed down. He’d found the men. They were fixing a UTV that had been damaged over a downed log. Only a fool would try to bring any type of vehicle his deep into the unforgiving wilderness. The only way through was hiking by foot.

“We don’t have the part,” a man said.

“Well, what the fuck do you expect me to do? I’m improvising.” The other man was laying on his back, grease on his hands as he worked on the UTV.

“Give it up. We know where she is, and the longer we wait, the greater the risk.”

“We don’t know what we’re dealing with,” said the other man. “What if it’s a ranger? I couldn’t find anything on a map or deed for a house.”

“If it was a ranger, she’d be home and we’d have the law chasing down our asses. She’s scared and we can end this here.”

“We have her car, her address, everything. If she tries to leave, we’ll find her before she goes to the cops.”

“No, we end this here. A dead girl can’t make problems for us.”

Wilder counted five men and many packs of supplies, and he assumed weapons as well. It was worse than he thought. The poachers had been watching them and knew Poppy was at his home, and they’d seen him, too.

Only they’d be much safer with a ranger than with him. In fact, he’d start lessening the threat tonight. Wilder shifted into his fur, his bones breaking and elongating, his fur covering his body. He tensed as the power of the shift took over, finally leaving him as an animal.

He sniffed the air and pawed the ground with his mighty paw and claws. It felt good to be one with his beast again. They were in sync, Poppy the priority for both of them.

The human taking a piss on the periphery of their temporary campsite was his target. He bound in, slashing and tearing with claws and teeth before the man could make a sound to alert the others. It was fast, precise, and lethal.

Now there were four. His hope was they’d find their mutilated friend and it would scare them into leaving the forest. He was being merciful for now, even though they didn’t deserve it.

Wilder needed to be home with Poppy. Reassuring her, courting her, and protecting her. If the hunters didn’t leave his forest soon, he’d deal with the other four.

Once he got home, he found Poppy on the sofa, reading one of the old classic books he’d salvaged long ago.