Hidden, Clan of the Werebear (4 page)

“Aren’t bears killers?”

“I’m not.”

Nala shooed the children away. “Sorry,” she said. “One of the wolves was telling them stories the other night about the Clan of the Werebear.”

“Oh, I see. I’ve heard those same stories, but I never knew if they were true or not. Samson always insisted that the clan was searching for me.”

“Why did he think that?”

“He found me wandering near the north ridge. He just assumed that the clan might be looking for me. I have always wondered if that was true or not, and what really happened to my parents, but I guess I’ll never know for certain since I can’t even remember them.”

“Maybe it’s for the best. Be careful, Elaina. It’s a dangerous place out in the wilderness. Don’t take too long to find yourself a mate, even if it’s not the best of choices. You need the protection.”

Liam came over and gave Elaina a hug. “Be careful,” he said. “I couldn’t live if I thought you’d come to harm. Maybe I should escort you to the edge of our territory.”

Elaina shook her head. “Not a chance. Go back and enjoy yourself. There’re plenty of comely wolves around here, but when you get tired of rutting all the time, find yourself a true mate. Don’t settle for anything less.”

Elaina walked away with a bag of deer jerky and a bottle of water. When she made it to the fork in the trail, she thought of heading back to the pub and the protection of Samson, but she couldn’t. All she could expect there was locked rooms. Was Samson right? Should she fear the clan? He should have known that for Elaina to truly become a woman, she’d need a mate. From what she recalled, some shifters mated for life with a human, but the clan forbade it. Even among the werewolves, it was frowned upon.

Elaina gazed in wonder at the tall pine trees that loomed over her. She breathed in the musty smell. Her inside bear told her that in the distance was a river.  Her mouth watered at the thought of fresh fish. She could do a little fishing and take a bath while she was at it. As she quickened her pace, a deer crossed her path, and leapt away when it took a whiff of her inner bear. Wildlife were just as sensitive as she was. Some of them had better nasal cavities than others, thankfully. Elaina couldn’t image trying to hunt on her own, but it sure sounded fun to her.

Elaina wasn’t too mindful of her surroundings as of yet. Her feet kicked pine needles as she walked, and the branches of the trees swayed as she bumped into them as she walked. It never occurred to her to walk more quietly since she’d never felt in danger before, but that was when she was under Samson’s ever-watching eye. She knew now that everything Samson had told her couldn’t be false, but if she was never allowed to experience life, how was she ever going to learn how to make her own way in the world?

Elaina reached the edge of the forest that opened up to reveal a raging river within a gorge. She carefully made her way down the steep rocks and dropped to the edge of the water. Jutting out from the rocks was a branch, perfect for draping her clothing on. She pulled her clothing off and slung it over the branch, kicking her boots off, too. She moved down the bank, feeling completely at ease being completely naked. What did she have to fear? If anyone else was around, she’d simply shift. While it would be breaking one of Samson’s rules, Elaina would do whatever it took to protect herself. It would take awhile before she’d be able to adjust herself to the fact that she could do whatever she chose to.

In the calmer part of the river, Elaina waded in, enjoying the feeling of the icy cold water. When she was about waist deep, she splashed water onto her scorching breasts. It felt so good that she about dropped to her knees. She felt a tingle down low that she didn’t understand, but knew that had something to do with the mating ritual that she hoped one day she’d get to enjoy. While bears mated only when they came into season, a werebear’s human form craved it much more, or so she thought since she knew Marla enjoyed the company of many men.

Elaina dove deeper into the river and frolicked for a time. When she flipped and floated on her back, she spotted a man on the shore. He was tall and dark, and made Elaina feel uncomfortable and excited all at the same time. This was the first man she had gazed on that wasn’t a shifter, or so she thought. She couldn’t smell anything over the fragrant flowers that grew near the edge of the river.

She heard Samson’s warnings replaying in her head, and nervously swam nearer to her clothing just as the man began to frantically wave his arms. He cupped his hands over his mouth, but she couldn’t hear him.  Elaina realized too late that she was too near the rapids, and the current swept her downstream. She thrashed her arms, but since she was in a near panic, she was unable to shift.

Elaina struggled to keep her head above water as the river carried her. She heard a rush of water louder than the water she was already in ahead of her somewhere and she was certain that she was headed for trouble. A huge grizzly bear burst into the water, swiping his mighty paw at her, knocking her near the edge of the water. Pebbles embedded themselves into Elaina’s hands and knees as she scrambled from the water. She then fell, exhausted, to her stomach. She didn’t have time to wonder if a werebear had just knocked her from the raging river. Common sense told her it was. She shuddered slightly as she saw the shadow of the bear leave the water and lumber nearby. He sat next to her and gazed into her startled eyes. He lifted his neck sharply, and with a crack of bones, he shifted into the human form. A very naked human form.

Elaina grew warm under the man’s thorough gaze that traveled from her head to her toes. He sat with one arm covering his manliness from Elaina’s curious gaze. He was quite muscular, his muscles rippling as he shifted to a comfortable position. His body was much larger that Liam’s, but bears had a larger body mass than that of a wolf. His chest was also thickly covered with hair. He palmed back his dark hair and asked curiously, “Where did you come from?”

Elaina sat up, covering her generous breast with one arm, lifting her legs to cover her womanhood from the man’s gaze. “I-I was just moving through the area. I must have gotten lost.”

“The river isn’t safe to be frolicking in like a mermaid. More than one person has fallen victim to the river.”

“Mermaid?” Elaina asked. “What’s that?”

“A naked nymph with a tail like a fish. How is it that you don’t know that?”

“I’ve lived in the wilderness most of my life. I don’t know all that much about mythical creatures.”

He laughed. “You mean like a werebear, or shifters in general?” He took in a breath. “You smell like a werewolf,” he said at first. “I could smell you when you came to the river.”

“And what do I smell like now?”

“Perhaps I should taste you and then tell you.” He moved his lips close to Elaina’s and she jerked away.

“No!” Elaina shouted. She leapt up and ran up the riverbank toward her clothing. The man lumbered after her with a pounding of paws, as he was once again in bear form. Elaina was very frightened now. She had no choice but to shift. She splashed through the river where it was shallow and reached the other side. It was then that she realized she was cornered. A rocky bluff extended twenty feet up with raging water both upstream and downstream, and she was on the opposite side of the river from where her clothing was.

She whirled, and the werebear that followed her stood on two feet in the river, bobbing his head like he was laughing at her. Elaina lunged at him, swiping a paw at him. Instead of striking him, she fell face first in the river. She raced for the other side of the river and into woods, the werebear’s laughter driving her to a near panic.
He shifted just to laugh at me
, Elaina thought.

Elaina doubled back, hoping to find where she left her clothing on that branch.

Chapter Six

“Is there a reason you’re naked, Cullen?” a man asked as he walked toward the river, holding a rifle in his capable hands.

Now back in human form, Cullen risked a glance as branches snapped when Damon passed them. “Come now, Damon. It’s not like there is anything improper here. I saved a damsel in distress, or I tried to.”

 Damon breathed in deeply. “Oh, really? Another werebear or human?”

“Werebear, and a skittish one at that.”

“How fun.”

“She’s most likely trying to get back to her clothing upstream.”

“That’s no fun. What are you waiting for? We should head over there.”

The men strode over to where the clothing hung on a branch, collecting it. They kept a keen eye on the line of trees. Cullen could smell the younger werebear not far off, and that’s not all he smelled. She had the fever. Cullen had to distract his mind. There’s no way he’d be able to conceal his hardening member if he thought about how sexy the curvy werebear had looked naked.

* * *

Elaina stared in shock. She had shifted back to human form and now she had two men to contend with, both werebears from the smell of it. One of them held a rifle and Elaina wished she’d never left the pub and Samson’s protection.

There wasn’t any way out of it now. She’d just ask for her clothing back. She had no other choice. She could stay in shifted bear form, but eventually she’d have to shift back to that of a human, and she’d be nowhere near available clothing.

Elaina hid slightly behind a tree. “Please give me my clothing,” Elaina implored the men.

Her clothing was wadded up by the naked man and tossed into the woods. She reached for it and quickly dressed as the men advanced on her.

“Did the clan send you?” the man with the rifle asked, his eyes shifting side to side.

Cullen tossed his head back in laughter. “Does she look like she’s from the clan? She’s more like a helpless cub.”

“She smells all woman to me, Cullen.”

“I’m Cullen and this is my brother, Damon,” the naked man said. “We mean you no harm, but I’m curious about who you are and what brought you to our territory.”

Elaina fidgeted, trying not to stare too hard at the man’s nakedness. “I got lost. I told you that already.”

“So you did, but why did you smell like you’d lain down with a pack of werewolves?”

Damon’s eyes narrowed. “Werewolves?”

“I-I…” Elaina wasn’t so sure she should tell them about Liam or her protector, Samson. “I slept in a cave for a few days. Perhaps that’s why.”

Cullen gave her an odd look. “You slept in a cave for two day? All by yourself?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Okay, but all the werewolves in the area to the west inhabit all of the caves. But I suppose I should believe you since I don’t understand why a werebear would be anywhere near a werewolf. They’re filthy animals.”

Elaina glared at him, clenching and unclenching her hands into fists. What could this ignorant werebear possibly know about a werewolf? If it hadn’t been for Samson and Liam, she’s have perished long ago.

Cullen stared at her strangely. “Where did you get all those wounds?”

Elaina massaged the back of her shoulder, thankful that the bandage covering the bear claw wounds were still concealed beneath the cotton. Since he mentioned wounds instead of wound, she assumed he was referring to the numerous scratches and scrapes she’d accumulated at the wolf’s den. “I took a fall. I’m on the clumsy side,” Elaina lied.

“Where are you from then?” Cullen asked.

“I-I…”

Damon nudged Cullen. “She doesn’t sound like she wants to talk about it, brother.”

Elaina gazed from Damon’s much thinner face to that of Cullen’s. They barely looked like brothers at all.

“Have you escaped from your mate?” Cullen pressed.

“No, I don’t have a mate.”

“That sounds promising,” Damon said. “Eh, brother.”

“Do you want us to help you find your way back, or—”

“She should come back with us, Cullen. She’s lost and hungry, I’m sure.”

“That’s not the best of ideas, but we can’t leave a werebear out here in the wilderness, especially one in the height of mating fever. She’ll have every werebear within twenty miles of here wanting to mate with her.”

Elaina’s face felt hot. “How can you tell?”

“We bears can smell it for miles,” Cullen said with a wink. “Not to worry. We won’t try to mate with you, will we, brother?”

Damon smiled widely. “Oh, no. It never even crossed my mind.”

Elaina felt almost faint. Was she really considering leaving with these two equally handsome werebears to parts unknown? “I hope that’s a promise,” Elaina said.

Cullen gazed into Elaina’s eyes. “That’s a promise, Miss whatever your name is.”

“I’m Elaina. Your brother is right. I am famished. I had hoped to catch some fish while I was here.”

“That can be arranged,” Cullen said.

Elaina and Damon wandered back to the same river bank that Elaina had crawled from after she was nearly swept away by the river. Cullen shifted and soon began batting trout to the shore. Elaina picked up the slippery fish and brought them further on shore. She loved how slippery they felt beneath her fingers. There are so many things she needed to learn. If only Samson had given her the opportunity to learn them. If only he wasn’t so concerned with keeping her hidden.

Damon thought she was from the clan? Strange. That must mean that they’re not from the clan, either. Perhaps Samson was right about how dangerous the clan really was. At least now she might be able to ask more questions about the clan when the time was right.

Elaina felt like she was burning up inside. It was nearly impossible to keep her eyes off Cullen, and it didn’t help that he was naked when in human form.

“It’s time to go,” Damon announced. “Carry the fish in your shirt.”

Elaina lifted the hem of her shirt and piled the fish on it. “What if we encounter a real bear on the way?”

“That’s what Cullen is for. He’ll stay in werebear form until we get home. We can’t very well have a naked man wandering around in the woods. It would be mighty hard to explain if we ran into a human.”

“Not half as hard as explaining why we’re traveling with a bear.”

Elaina brushed against Cullen’s bear form. His brown fur was so soft against her arms that she felt the urge to curl up with him.