Page 8 of Bred By the Beast

At least she had the fire. It gave her a false sense of security, which was better than nothing. She remembered being held by him on the hike to the cave. The more she thought about it, the more his strength astonished her. They’d walked over rugged terrain for miles. And she wasn’t light by any means. The mere thought of his power definitely turned her on. Add the way his hands felt on her body...

No way would a man like him be interested in a woman like her, so it was best to keep those fantasies locked away.

There was no way to tell how much time had passed, but she heard animal noises close to the mouth of the cave, and her heart started racing. She slowly shuffled her way farther into the cave. Where was Wilder? Some animal was coming home for the night. This was the end of her. The sniffing and grunting sounds nearly made her pass out from the fear.

When she saw his face duck into the cave, the relief made her dizzy. He’d come back to her. And he was with a small bear. She tensed up. It may be a so-called cub, but it was huge. With killer teeth and claws.

“Don’t worry, he won’t hurt you,” Wilder said.

“How do you know?”

“He’s alone now. His mother was killed by those poachers, her body just left to rot. There was just the one cub.”

“Did they kill the others?”

“No, first-time mothers often have just one.”

The cub was fascinated by the fire but wouldn’t get too close.

“He’s cute, but I’m still scared. I don’t know why you’re not.”

“I know how he feels. I know these animals,” he said. “I’ve helped injured animals most of my life.”

And somehow, he became even more attractive to her. This time she really paid attention. His eyes were so dark, she’d call them black. Or was it because of the shadows? His hair was shaggy, dark, and unkempt, giving him a rugged quality. His features were strong and masculine, and his body ... well, in the t-shirt she could see he was corded with muscle. A true powerhouse of a man unlike any she’d ever seen. The men in her circles were pencil-pushers, and she was usually the one stuck carrying the boxes of printer paper.

Wilder was in a league of his own.

****

Wilder had been so grateful and relieved to find the young cub hunkering down in the woods near his mother’s body. It brought back a firestorm of darkness he kept buried. Too many memories. No way could he leave the cub alone, even if it wasn’t a shifter.

He carried him most of the way, but set him down for the last bit of the journey. He wasn’t a shifter, just a grizzly cub, but Wilder still had command of the beasts in his human form. They sensed an alpha and obeyed, even stubborn little cubs.

He knew of several bear families near his cabin who’d willingly adopt the youngster. He’d just have to make the journey with them tomorrow.

Wilder sat down on the opposite side of the fire. The cub came and curled up next to him against his leg, immediately falling asleep.

“I’m still in shock that a wild bear cub is acting like that with you. You’d think he was your pet dog, not a wild animal.”

“He’s been through a lot.”

“I guess so.”

She didn’t look convinced. He doubted she’d imagine he was a grizzly shifter just because he was good with animals. He’d have to be more careful, though. If humans knew about shifters, they’d destroy them all. Like everything else they touched.

“Are you cold yet?” That same look was in her eyes. She was getting suspicious.

“I have a high metabolism. It keeps me warm.”

“What were you doing so far from your cabin at night?” she asked.

He narrowed his eyes. “You do remember I saved you, right?”

“Yes, but I have a lot of questions. I’m a photographer but I work with journalists every day. I guess I got my inquisitiveness from them.”

“This is my land. Sacred land. I know about the poachers and do my best to scare them off. It didn’t turn out so well today.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” she said, her voice softening. “You can’t be everywhere at once.”