Joel (BBW Bear Shifter Wedding Romance) (Grizzly Groomsmen Book 5) (18 page)

Rosie picked up her pace, hurrying over to the cliffs- she was sure she'd heard someone saying that the wolves were down in the caves, so maybe that's where Win had gone? To find them? Or maybe they'd just taken him there. Rosie heard the howling once again- and sure enough, it was echoing, bouncing off the walls of the caves a few hundred feet from her. It sounded amplified, as if there was more than one of them down there. She tried to push the fear from her mind, focusing on the task at hand- find Win, get him back to the hotel, and regroup from there. Whatever was going on, it seemed like they're group had as good a chance as any of actually taking these wolves down- after all, Rick had healed right in front of her eyes, just another bizarre addition to the already-surreal day. If they had super-healing on their side, that had to give them the advantage, right? She sniggered to herself, the fear and panic swirling in her brain making every little thing doubly hilarious.
 

She was snapped out of her reverie by the sound of a roar from the caves now below her-not a wolf's howl, but something deeper, throatier, more dangerous. She froze in her tracks-wolves she had expected, but what the hell was this?
 

Slipping her hand under her jacket, she took hold of the knife- she really hoped she didn't have to use it, but it was comforting knowing that it was there. She took another few steps forward, peering over the cliff, and finally saw the source of the noise.
 

Down inside the caves, a bunch of wolves-maybe five, she couldn't count them all, they were moving so fast- had surrounded another creature. A bear. An enormous, deep brown, snarling grizzly bear. The wolves were taking turns jabbing at the bear, darting in, only to get slapped away by an enormous paw or gnash of the teeth. Rosie's jaw dropped. She thought it had just been the wolves- and now there was a bear thrown into the mix? Was it another shifter, or a resident of the island? Surely not- grizzlies weren't exactly known for gravitating towards tropical climates. Rosie crept closer, so she was only twenty or thirty feet from the action, holding her breath as she peered round a rock formation to get a better look.
 

Now she was closer, she could have sworn there was something…familiar about the bear. In it's eyes, maybe, or the way it moved. It looked like it should have been overwhelmed by now, but the wolves seemed terrified, none of them deigning to get too close to the animal. She could hardly blame them- every time one of them approached, the bear would lash out, emitting an enormous roar that seemed to resonate off the rocks surrounding them.
 

Suddenly, one of the wolves made an attack- leaping forward and managing to sink it's teeth into the back of the bear's neck. The other wolves were yelping and barking with what seemed to be encouragement as the bear attempted to shake it off, spraying droplets of blood and spittle on to the sand beneath them. Another one of the wolves darted forwards, and managed to get it's teeth into the bear's throat. Rosie gasped- part of her wanted to charge forward and defend the animal, but she knew she would only get herself hurt. The bear stumbled forward, it's front paws giving out beneath it as the wolves continued their vicious attack. And then, all at once, the bear drew itself up, on to it's hind legs, dangling the wolves several feet above the ground. The wounds looked deep- Rosie could see the blood dripping from them even from where she was hiding- but the bear began to lash out with it's paws, tearing and slashing at the wolves around it's neck.
 

The hairs on the back of Rosie's neck stood up- she had never seen such a display of strength and power before, of pure, animal determination and desperation. She stared, mesmerized, as the bear tore the wolves from it's body, hurling them to the ground, slamming a heavy paw against them as it let out another, blood-curdling roar. The wolf that had been on it's back lay, whimpering, below the creature as it rained blow after blow down on it's head. Rosie had never seen a reaction like that one before, not in nature, and she began to wonder if this bear was more human than she had initially thought.
 

At once, the wolves seemed to silently communicate amongst themselves, and tore off in Rosie's direction- the bear went to pursue them, but instead fell on to it's four paws once again, exhausted. Rosie pressed her back against the rock, holding her breath, as the wolves tore past her- either they didn’t see her or they were too afraid of the bear to care, as none of them gave her a second look. The one who had been on the ground was limping badly, trailing behind the rest of the pack, and Rosie felt a leap of vindication in her chest as it stuttered by.
That’s what you get for trying to fuck up Dina's life.
 

She waited a few moments before she moved- she wanted to be sure that the wolves weren't doubling back on her-and stepped out from behind the rock. She was determined to get a better look at this bear, to figure out why it seemed so familiar to her- but by the time she had snuck out of her hiding space, the bear was gone. And it's in place was a naked, shivering, bleeding Win.

"Win?" Rosie yelled over the wind, her brain feeling as if it was about to collapse in on itself.
 

"Rosie!" Win turned to her, and held his hands out. "Stay back, I don't want you getting my scent on you."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Rosie demanded. Even with everything she'd just seen, her brain still hadn't quite made the connection yet. "Where's the bear that was-"

And then it clicked. Win. Win was the bear. Win, who couldn't even do his shirt up right, was a fucking shifter, a ferocious bear who'd just fought an entire pack of wolves and sent them running. Rosie's jaw dropped.

"That was you!" She yelled, as Win did his best to cover his modesty, hurrying to a set of rocks behind which he had hidden his clothes. She wanted to go to him, but part of her was admittedly scared- if there was one thing she had never expected from this man, it was a secret animal identity. She felt betrayed, almost- just when she had started to feel safe around him, to trust a man for the first time in forever, and he turns out to be some kind of animal in disguise.
 

"I'm sorry I didn’t tell you, but we've got to get back to the hotel now. I don't know when they'll be back, and I don't want you out here when they do." He pulled on his jeans and shirt, and hurried over to her.
 

"What happened? Why were you out here by yourself?" She had so many questions, even though she knew he was right and that they needed to get themselves to safety as soon as they could. He put an arm around her waist, and began leading her back up the path- but he was limping heavily, and bleeding profusely from cuts on his neck and back. Rosie looped an arm under his, taking as much of his weight as she could manage, and pressed a hand against his chest.

"Whoa, whoa, I've got you," she murmured, and he leaned on her, wincing.
 

"I'll be okay in a minute, I just haven't healed yet," he shook his head.
 

"Healed?" Rosie's brain worked overtime, until she remembered Rick. "Shit! Is healing a shifter thing? Is Rick a shifter too?"

"We all are," Win winced, squeezing his eyes shut to deal with the rush of pain. "Please, I'll explain everything. We just need to get back to the hotel for now."

"Promise me?"
 

"Huh?"

"Promise me you'll tell me the truth." For some reason, Rosie felt this sudden overwhelming fear that he would lie to her- maybe it was just the adrenalin mixed with the flutter of chemistry she'd felt between them before, but she needed to know she could trust him.

"Of course I will," he grimaced, pressing a hand against his neck to stem the bleeding. "Now, can we go?"

The two of them made good time back to the hotel, their ears pricked for the sound of approaching wolves as they half-ran across the cliffs. As they came over the hill that lay just South of the hotel, Rosie saw Dina standing in one of the plate glass doors- she had her fingers in her mouth, her brow furrowed, and a wave of relief passed over her face as soon as she saw them.

"They're here!" She yelled, running out to help Rosie with Win. Rosie could see the rest of the groomsmen and bridesmaids inside, and welcomed the hit of heat and dryness as soon as she crossed the threshold.
 

"Fuck, Win, are you okay?" Rick scrambled to his feet, reaching out to support Win who looked like he was on the brink of keeling over.

"I'll be fine," he brushed his help away, and collapsed into one of the seats that edged the walls of the room. He turned to Dina. "Sorry if I get blood on the furniture."

"I don't give a shit, as long as the two of you are alright," Dina shook her head. "What happened?"

"I smelt them, so I went down to the caves and- there were more than I expected. I think they managed to get away from the rest of our lot, so they came after me because I was by myself." Win explained, wincing as Dina darted forward to fuss over his wounds.
 

"Well, that's the last time any of us leave this place with no-one else," Rick frowned. "In fact, I think that's the last time any of us leave this place, period."

"What are you saying?" Rosie asked, her arm still tucked around Win. It was comforting, having him so close to her, and she didn't want to let go of him yet.

"They come to us. We've got the higher ground- they'll have to attack the hotel, and we can fight them off from in here. Put us all in less danger, too, if we stay together," he pointed out, and there was a murmur of agreement.
 

"Sounds good," Win nodded, and Rosie was stunned to see that his wounds were already beginning to knit together, leaving only a few speckles of blood on his skin.
 

"How are you-?" She began, but Win cut her off.

"In the meantime, I need to change and shower and get some rest. Can we do a lookout in shifts? I'll take the next one." He suggested determinedly, and Rick nodded.

"Yeah, go, I'll cover first watch. Look after yourself, alright?"
 

Rick slapped Win on the shoulder, and nudged him towards the stairs. Win turned over his shoulder, and held his hand out to Rosie.

"I think I've got some explaining to do, as well," he commented, and Rosie took a few steps towards him. "If you'll allow me?"

"If you keep your promise," she shot back, and he grinned.

"Of course."
 

Win strode up the stairs, and Rosie had to take long strides to keep up with him.

"Feeling better, I see?" She commented, marveling at how the wounds had vanished from his neck and his back.

"Yeah, I am. But that means those wolves will too." He pointed out.
 

"Do you think they'll come back?"

"For sure. They've got us rattled, and even if we managed to chase them off once, we're stuck on this island for now." He grimaced, pulling his keys from his pocket and unlocking the door. "After you."

Rosie brushed by him into the room, and their sudden proximity sent a shiver up her spine. Seeing him in his bear form- it was so different, so powerful, compared to the quiet, gentle man she'd met that morning.
 

He sat down on his bed, and ran his fingers through his hair.

"So, what do you want to know?" He spread his hands out, and offered her a smile.

"Um…" Rosie mind suddenly went blank. She had been so full of questions back when she'd first seen him, but she couldn't think of one now that she was confronted with the opportunity to have them answered. She remembered what he'd said as they'd been leaving-
we all are.
That needed some explaining, to start with.

"What did you mean when you said "we all are?"" She asked, standing awkwardly next to the door, not wanting to sit next to him on the bed for fear of sending the wrong message.
 

"The groomsmen. We're all…bear shifters. I know that sounds ridiculous, but it's the truth."

Rosie's eyebrows shot under her fringe.

"Does Dina know?"

"Not that we know of, but she's smart. It wouldn't surprise me if she's figured it out." He glanced out the window as the wind picked up, shaking the glass and whipping the rain hard against the hotel.
 

Rosie remembered what Dina had said as she'd been trying to leave-
they have this under control.
Yeah, Dina probably knew. It didn't seem like the sort of thing that would pass her by.

"When did you…when did all this start for you?" She began, not sure what the right way to phrase her question was. It was difficult; she didn't want to come off as insensitive, but then, she had so many questions, and no better time to get them answered.

"Puberty," he shrugged. "It's when it happens for most of us."

"Does it just turn up, or…?"

"My uncle had it, so it probably runs in the family." The calmness with which he was answering her questions was putting her at ease, and she found herself drifting closer to him, perching on the edge of the bed.
 

"How does it affect your life? Or, I mean, does it?"

"Of course it does," he grinned, a tinge of sadness to his smile. "Not many people know about it- it tends to scare them, especially because, you know, I'm a giant fucking bear sometimes and people assume that I'm going to be out of control and hurt them."