Bearly A Chance
Soulmate Shifters in Mystery, Alaska Book 4
Krystal Shannan
Praise for Krystal Shannan
"Wonderfully imaginative. Vampires have never been so sexy or dangerous."
Liliana Hart, NYT Bestselling Author
Highly recommended Krystal Shannan for anyone who loves a good story, some romance, hot sex and a action all around.
Reviewer
"Of Spells and Shadows is just what I need in a fantasy saga--alpha wolves, a steely heroine, and a plot that makes you turn the page faster and faster."
Carrie Ann Ryan, NYT Bestselling Author of the Talon Pack Series
“Hot sexy sassy women hot sexy alpha strong men!”
Reviewer
"Krystal Shannan and Camryn Rhys cast a wicked spell! Of Spells and Shadows is a refreshingly, richly imagined, captivating paranormal romance. With a novice witch heroine and a pair of werewolf half-brothers vowed to protect her--one lowborn, the other royal and a captain of the magick Court's guard--this book held me enthralled."
Lara Adrian, NYT Bestselling author of the Midnight Breed series
"Shannan weaves a sexy, action-packed tale sure to keep you turning the pages late into the night."
Liliana Hart, NYT Bestselling Author
"Rough and tough Texan cowboys meet stuffy court deceit and politics in Of Spells and Shadows. The Court of Draiochta series promises an entirely new set of possibilities and conflicts. I'm not sure where the authors plan to go next with this series but I'm definitely on board for the ride."
Xtreme-Delusions Blog Reviews
Acknowledgments
I know I left you hanging with what happened to Ava in her brother Owen’s book. So here it is! There are some cool hints about upcoming things in the series too!
Hugs,
Krystal
Bearly A Chance
Ava saw her mate. He saved her life from the wolves trying to kill the Tribe and take Tara away from her brother Owen. After the fight, he disappeared. Follow Ava on her journey that might steal everything away from her that she’s ever wanted.
A sexy adventure that’s got thrills (and wild romps!) around every corner, Bearly A Chance is the 4th book in the scintillating Soulmate Shifters in Mystery, Alaska series.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Afterword
About the Author
1
“I would not wish any companion in the world but you” –William Shakespeare
The fight on the mountain…
Pain seared through Ava’s side. Her shoulder ached from where a wolf had raked claws through her skin. The wind howled and shrouds of white snow circled around her like angry spirits bent on vengeance. Even the mountain was against her. Wolves were circling from every side and there was no one close who could back her up.
Everyone was fighting.
Everyone was bleeding.
This fight was going to hell. They needed to find Tara fast. And that dragon needed to change his ass into a twenty-ton-fire-breathing-reptile before they all bled out. There were too many wolves.
A snarl came from her right.
She swung her large head and swiped with her paw. A grey wolf went flying into the murky snow-filled air with a pained yelp.
Got that one. Her bear chuffed with satisfaction and turned back to find a black wolf standing just in front of her…but not facing her. Not fighting her. He was fighting another wolf. And there was something about him. Something off. His fur was brighter than it should’ve been. Almost like…
It can’t be a Soul Call. Now? Right now, in the middle of this mess. And a wolf.
What the hell was she supposed to do with that?
Wolves didn’t mix with other breeds.
Ever.
But he was fighting for her. With her. He’d seen it too. She had to be glowing for him as well. There wasn’t another explanation for why he wasn’t attacking her. For why he was ripping one of his own pack to shreds right in front of her.
The second wolf to her left charged, ignoring the two fighting in front of her. She feinted to the right and then lunged, catching the approaching wolf off guard. Her large fangs closed over the wolf’s spine. She crunched and tossed. Probably didn’t kill him. But it would put him out of commission for a really really long time.
She turned again, this time coming eye-to-eye with the large raven-black wolf. His fur shimmered with the ethereal glow of magick. Her stomach clenched, tying itself into a knot. Her heart faltered, stumbling beat over beat trying to find a new rhythm. Whoever this guy was—wolf or not—he was hers. She’d found her Fated mate.
His gold eyes shimmered through the blinding snow, calling to her soul like he’d reached out and touched it. The growls and cries of pain swam around them, but all she saw was the sharp metallic glow of his eyes and the soft ethereal radiance surrounding every inch of his body.
Her muscles twitched, ready to lunge or run. She wasn’t sure which would be necessary. He was her mate, but it was widely known that wolves never crossed the species barrier, even if it meant being alone. But they weren’t on Reylea any longer.
The wolf curled his lip and growled low. Then shook his head, flapping his ears. It was a strange mix of menacing and cute.
Ava opened her mouth and roared softly.
The wolf took a step toward her. Paused. Another step. Pause. Another step.
Ava lowered her head and met him halfway, rubbed the side of her face against his. His scent was strong, but mixed with the blood of others, including some of the Tribe in Mystery. Kann’s scent was all over the black wolf.
She walked forward, trailing her nose over his midnight black pelt. A cat-scented claw mark sliced cleanly through his right flank. Her bear chuffed and bared her teeth, anger rising like boiling water in a teakettle.
The bugle of a dragon shook them both out of the moment. The wolf took off like a whisp of smoke in the wind. Ava followed without a second thought.
She could deal with the fallout later. Right now, she just needed to follow her mate. He might be fine with ignoring the Soul Call, but she wasn’t.
They ran hard.
Ava’s lungs burned. She wasn’t slow as a bear, but wolves were faster, especially over longer distances. It didn’t matter, she’d run until she collapsed. Though she’d prefer not to collapse. Also, daytime meant hunters and she didn’t want to end up a bearskin rug on someone’s cabin floor.
She shifted into her human form and shouted. “Stop!” The wind blew her voice back into her face. “Please.”
The wolf paused at the top of the rise. He looked back at her for just a moment before sprinting out of sight.
Dalmeck! Dammit! Whatever! Ava snarled, irritation bubbling in her gut like the molten rock in a lava pit. She lurched forward, shifting back into her bear as she dropped to all fours. Her long legs ate up the ground.
The wind was dying down. Visibility was increasing, but she’d have to track the canine the old-fashioned way. He had too much of a head start on her.
She trudged through the snow, up the side of the mountain. The sounds of the fighting behind her died off until she couldn’t hear them over the roar of the wind rushing between the trees right at her face.
Ava could smell her mate though. He was still ahead of her and turning just a bit to the right. She adjusted her trajectory and kept climbing. Her leg muscles trembled, tired already from the fighting and wounds she’d received while mowing through this guy’s pack. Hopefully he wouldn�
�t hold a grudge for the pack members she’d sent over death’s bridge.
At the ridge where she’d last seen him, Ava shifted back into human form again so she could see the tracks on the ground more clearly. Her bear was good for keeping her warm in this frigid environment and its strength but tracking really wasn’t a skill set.
Also why they’d needed the Dragon to find Tara in the first place.
She glanced along the ridgeline, tracing the freshly broken snow across the hillside where he’d run. From her? Or just from Col?
Probably the dragon. If she didn’t know Col wouldn’t turn her to ash, she’d be hightailing it too.
Ava shifted again, settling into a slow lope she hoped she could keep up long enough to stay close to her mate. His tracks were still spread out at an almost full out run.
Her bear grunted in disgust, but continued forward, plowing through the powder sending it spraying in either direction. She wasn’t going to give up. She couldn’t lose him. If she didn’t find him, one of the others from the tribe might hunt him down. They wouldn’t know he was her mate. He needed her.
Mate. Bear. Pack will kill. Dragon will kill.
He kept running. His legs ached. His wounds burned. His lungs felt as though they were close to bursting. But he couldn’t stop. Even when she called out to him. The wind had been against her, but he’d still heard. The tone of her voice had been a balm to his empty soul, but he couldn’t stay with her. His wolf wouldn’t allow it. His sense of survival drove him forward.
Dragon. Death. Pack will kill.
He’d fought his brothers. His friends. He’d killed his own.
They would never let him keep a mate outside the pack. Outside their species.
Wolves didn’t mix. Wolves never mixed.
He was a traitor. He’d turned against Raish. Against his alpha. Against the royal bloodline that his family had served loyally for generations. All of it thrown into the wind for a mate…for a bear.
He couldn’t let her catch up. If he did, he’d never be able to leave her again.
2
Ava clawed her way up a steep embankment and slid to an ungainly stop. The shelf against the cliff was too narrow for her bear.
She shifted and shuddered at the icy blast of wind that cut into her uncovered face and hands. She wasn’t dressed for a storm. Boots and a hat. Everyone wore that but they had come out looking for Tara in animal form, she hadn’t bundled up thinking she would need extra winter gear. But now, at the top of this damned mountain ridge, she wished for gloves. A mask. A parka. Goggles. Everything.
Every breath hurt. Her skin tingled and burned like she’d touched a hot stove.
The storm had brought in sub-zero temperatures again. She breathed slowly through her nose, letting her body warm the air before it got to her lungs. Both Penny and Naomi had told them over and over not to breathe cold air through their mouth. Something about freezing their lungs or drowning or something. It hadn’t sounded pleasant.
She inched along the shelf, following the fresh paw prints. Around a corner she came to a break in the shelf. He’d jumped it. But she didn’t have that option. Her bear was enormous, and this little shelf of rock was barely three feet wide. She pressed her back to the cliff and tried not to look down at the snow and rocks below. The fall wouldn’t kill her, but it wouldn’t be pleasant either.
She grabbed an outcropping to her left and stretched her foot over the break. An extra gust of wind bit into her face, blowing her hair into her field of vision. She held on tight, frantically looking for foothold, but finding nothing but air. Another gust shoved her hard into the cliff wall, knocking air from her lungs. She fought the urge to gasp.
She breathed a little through her nose, fighting the burn. She’d been stupid to follow him up the mountain. The air was thinner. Colder. She was going to die up here on this mountain and he didn’t even care. How could her mate not give a damn? He’d saved her from his pack? Now he led her on a wild chase so she could die from exposure. Didn’t he know anything about this weather? He’d been here as long as she had.
Her fingers slipped a little. The cold was numbing them. She looked up, willing her grip to tighten, but it was no use. She could see her fingers slipping.
Shit. Shit shit.
She used the last bit of energy she had to launch herself across the break, hoping her foot would finally find solid ground. It hit the edge instead. She felt her body crumple and slide down the cliff face.
A scream tore from her throat and echoed along the wall.
Her elbow smashed against a rock.
Her feet flailed, looking for any foothold as she slid.
Her ribs hit something. A protruding rock. She managed to wrap her whole right arm around it, halting her fall, temporarily at least.
Her legs dangled uselessly. No footholds. Only smooth cliff walls.
Her arm trembled and her lungs burned from the small slow forced breaths she was taking. She wasn’t going to be able to hang on very long and the fall down the ridge was going to be a bitch. She could survive it if she could keep her head safe.
Maybe.
The scream halted him. Something in it pulled at his soul. Mate. Trouble. His wolf raised his head to howl, but he cut off his animal. Howls would call the pack. Howls would call the dragon.
Mate.
He turned back toward the ridge he’d just come over. He’d taken it because he knew a bear wouldn’t make it across. Had the female been stupid enough to try anyway?
He snarled and turned around, retracing his steps back over the ridge, back to the narrow shelf of stone he’d used to get across the mountain face.
He topped the ridge and turned the corner. His heart stopped at the sight ahead. She was dangling between the rocks. Between the break in the shelf that he had cleared with an easy hop. But she wasn’t in bear form. Not anymore.
Her legs swung wildly, looking for support. Her arms were wrapped around a narrow protruding rock. He squinted his eyes in the cold icy wind that had to be battering her against the cliff.
The storm had let up. Visibility was better. But the wind was colder than ice. This world had been difficult to adjust to and staying in wolf form had been the best way to survive it. His beast ran hotter than his human form.
Another cry came from his mate. He could see the glow of the soul call in her face. Her hands. Wherever skin showed, the magick shined through. It was a sight he’d given up ever seeing. And now he was seeing it in a female of the bear tribe.
How could this be happening? Why would fate be so cruel?
He bounded along the shelf and stopped at the edge of the break, looking down at her. She was at least three feet below him. His wolf huffed at her and her body stilled. She glanced up at him, the fire in her gaze burned with anger.
“You ass!”
Ass? He wasn’t sure what the term meant, but it was angry. The tone he understood.
“Are you just going to watch me die?”
No. He didn’t want her to die. He’d fought his brothers to keep her alive. Why had the stubborn female followed him? The dragon would kill him on sight. He’d helped his Vaaedri—his prince—his friend—steal another male’s mate. Then he’d turned on his own pack. He would be branded aonkan at the very least. Most likely killed on sight. He was a traitor.
His wolf’s feet itched on the icy rock ledge. Help mate. Now.
He had to shift.
But it was safer to be a wolf. Being a man was dangerous. Unknown. He was better as his beast.
Help mate. Now. His wolf repeated and pushed against his hold. The beast wanted him to let go. It wanted its mate. He did too. But they were doomed.
He released and his body morphed. He hadn’t been a man in so long. Even back on Reylea, wolves tended to stay beast more than man. The cold of the wind bit against his bare flesh. He wore only a tosa. No foot coverings. But he did have an ax.
He pulled it from the strap at his waist and leaped across the opening to the o
ther side of the ledge.
“What are you doing? Help me, please!” The language was still settling in his mind. The magick hadn’t quite rounded out everything yet. She was the first person he’d spoken to in years. Even here in this new world, he’d refused to shift and go into town with the others.
He’d listened to them talk about the bear and his mate. He’d listened to Raish go on and on about getting vengeance. He’d helped guard the human woman when the pack had brought her up the mountain. But he hadn’t shifted. He hadn’t spoken.
He swung the blade, sinking it into the rock to act as an anchor. Then lowered himself over the edge.
“Climb?” he said, searching for the right word in his mind. The language was strange on his tongue. “Climb me.” He hung to the ax with one hand and the ledge with the other, lowering his body completely. His legs were close enough that she should be able to grasp them.
He felt a twinge of something when her fingers grasped at one of his ankles.
“Shit.” She growled. “You know, if you wanted me to climb you like a tree, the easiest way would’ve been not to run from me.” Her fingers dug into his flesh as she pulled herself up his legs. To his waist and then finally to his shoulders. Her legs wrapped around his waist and she buried her face into the crook of his neck, breathing ever so slowly. “You’re warmer than me. Sorry, just had to take a second.”
“Stubborn female. You not follow.” He huffed out under his breath.
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