Bearly Hanging On: Soulmate Shifters in Mystery, Alaska Book 3

by Krystal Shannan

  But, no matter what he told Ava, she still believed that if the magick had shown the way to Tara then he was supposed to follow it—outcast or not. Ava wanted him to tell Tara everything. Take her as his shuarra.

  Nope.

  He growled and gently pushed past his sister into their trailer home.

  “Oh, I see. Just an animal noise. No conversation for me, huh? No talking to Tara. No talking to me. Who are you going to not talk to next?” She let the screen door slam behind him and then shut the heavy inner door.

  “All you want to talk about is Tara or the tribe. I have no desire to discuss either.” He sank into the small couch in their living room, completely dwarfing it with his size and stared around the bare room. One couch. One chair. One lamp. That was it for the living room. The walls were bare. The windows did have blinds, thanks to the last tenant. Ava deserved better than this smelly old trailer. He wanted to do better for her, but this world was difficult. Land had to be purchased. Owned.

  It was nothing like Reylea.

  Which was good in some ways and bad in others. Good because he didn’t have to be reminded of what he’d lost. What they’d all lost. And bad because he still didn’t know how everything worked on this world. They’d figured out quickly that they both needed jobs and also that neither one of them were trained to do anything.

  The woman at Lily’s had taken a chance on Ava and taught her how to wait tables. But Owen had struggled for a while before Leif offered to start teaching him things about cars and engines in the garage behind the gas station. He had a knack for the work once he got the general idea and he liked being able to fix things. Between his job at the garage, and Ava’s income and leftover food from the diner they were making do.

  Ava followed him into the living room and curled up in the big arm chair opposite him. “I saw Naomi today at lunch.”

  He quirked an eyebrow. “The dragon let his pregnant mate come into town alone?”

  Ava’s face split into a grin. “I’m pretty sure unless the sky was raining fire, she would do what she wanted. But she wasn’t alone. Penny was with her.”

  Owen nodded. He’d seen Penny today too. The men had been in town, even if Ava hadn’t noticed them. No way he believed Col or Kann wouldn’t secretly watch out for their mates. Giving them the illusion of ‘alone time’ was one thing. Actually giving them alone time would likely never happen.

  Ava had pointed out all the other N’ra Lowland survivors at one point or other. According to his sister, Penny was the newest addition to the strange assortment. She was human and mated to Kann—one of the lions. Which explained why she’d been with the feline today at the store.

  “They’ve already finished a brand-new cabin for Col and Naomi. According to Penny, they are starting one for her and Kann right away, trying to get it done during the summer months. It’s so beautiful where they are building, Owen. The view of Denali is breathtaking. The forest is thick and undisturbed. They said that Douglas sold them several dozen acres that back up to the state park. They have private land. All the cabins are going to be nearby each other. It’ll be just like—” Her voice broke at the end and she choked a little in her throat.

  It didn’t matter. Owen knew what she was going to say—home. They were building a Tribe settlement. Why wouldn’t they? They were a tribe. They had a chief. Now there were mates. Col’s mate was even expecting young.

  “You should be with them Ava.” His voice was gritty and strained. Ava deserved a tribe. It would make her happy. It tore him to pieces that he couldn’t give her what she wanted most.

  She shook her head. “We should be with them. Both of us. I’ll get them to change their minds. I will. Then Tara would be protected by an entire Tribe.”

  “Are you saying I can’t protect her?” He snarled and stood up abruptly from the couch. He wanted to rip it to shreds. Wanted to punch a hole in the nearby wall. Wanted to throw that damn lamp through the damn window and roar.

  His bear hadn’t been out in weeks. He didn’t have anywhere to safely change. They’d learned early on that people would shoot at bears that came too close to the town. And people hunted the ones outside of town often enough that neither one of them had shifted in a long time. It was wearing on both of them. He could see it in his sister’s eyes too. The wildness. The pain. The anger. Her bear was just as restless.

  “I’m saying we need a Tribe. Our animals need it. I—”

  “Then go,” he said, his voice echoing off the bare white walls.

  “I’m not leaving you. No matter how much you huff and puff at me. We’re doing this together or not at all.”

  “Then not at all.” He glanced out the window and then at the closed door. His bear wanted out so bad it felt like his skin was being peeled off with a hunting knife. Everything ached. He wanted to rake his claws over trees. He wanted to stretch and run and hunt. Anything but be cooped up in the shitty little trailer with his sister staring at him, begging him to give her more.

  Why wouldn’t she just give up on him and go? They didn’t want him. No matter how much she wanted to sweep it under the table, he was a disgrace. An outcast. He had the brand and the shame that went with it. There was no coming back from that. He would live alone his entire life. Col would make sure of it.

  Or end him to prevent disobedience.

  “Owen.” Her voice was so small and tiny. It reminded him of when she’d been just a child. His baby sister. He’d protected and watched out for her his whole life. She trusted him. Believed in him.

  He’d give her anything she needed.

  Anything but this.

  He couldn’t give her this.

  4

  The scent of spring floated on the breeze, budding flowers, trees, and morning sunshine. Tara took a deep breath and then crossed the small parking lot in front of her parent’s grocery store. Other than one other convenience slash liquor store in town, this was the only place to get groceries and home goods.

  They had a deal with a local pilot in Anchorage—Carl. He brought stock to Mystery for them once or twice a month. Brenda McGee supplied a good portion of the fresh vegetables from her green house. And various people from town and the surrounding smaller towns brought things in to trade or sell too.

  Tara unlocked the front door and flipped the closed sign to open. Then flicked the light switch around the corner. Light flooded the store as the fluorescent lights in the ceiling buzzed to life. She headed to the back, put away her coat, and grabbed an apron to tie around her waist. She pushed open the storeroom door and headed into the store, wandering down the aisles making a mental note of anything that needed to be put on the next order for Carl to bring in.

  The bell over the front door jingled. Tara rounded the corner and turned to the front door. She saw a flash of long brown hair and huge shoulders. Owen? Stifling the urge to follow the shadow around the store, she continued down her aisle checking the stock.

  “Now I’m just seeing him everywhere, whether I want to or not.” She sighed and straightened a couple cans of peas on the shelf. Tara walked the last aisle, fixing a few crooked boxes of cereal before heading toward the check-out counter to wait for the customer who was somewhere in the store out of her line of sight. Owen seemed to make it his personal mission to always be just out of reach, which made her want to talk to him even more. He was the one that was always getting away. At least he was coming inside now. Definitely progress.

  The bell over the door chimed again and in walked the guy from yesterday. He didn’t look like he was shopping for anything but her.

  Just like last time.

  A nasty weight settled in Tara’s stomach—the same sick feeling that came when ice cracked beneath your feet and you knew you were about to fall through into black rushing water.

  “Perhaps today we’ll get to talk without interruptions.” He sniffed the air and frowned. Glanced around the store like he knew someone was here but couldn’t pinpoint where.

  Someone was.

&
nbsp; “I’m really not in the mood. You should go.”

  The dark-haired man shook his head almost imperceptibly. The menace in his eyes made Tara swallow but she didn’t back away. Don’t show fear. Don’t show fear. Don’t show fear. She forced herself to make eye contact. Her hands trembled. She shoved them into her pockets.

  “I have no intention of leaving.” His oily voice cut through her bravado.

  She took a step backward, bumping into the checkout counter. “I’m going to call the police,” she raised her voice, summoning every tiny bit of authority she could. Most bullies backed down when confronted with actual resistance.

  He didn’t. He kept moving toward her, closing the gap between them now fast.

  Her legs wouldn’t respond. She was breathing faster. She was telling her legs to go, but they wouldn’t. She just stood there and stared at him getting closer…and closer, stalking toward her like a hungry wolf.

  Dammit, Tara, move your ass.

  Something inside her snapped loose.

  She whirled and hurried to the checkout counter, but it wasn’t fast enough. The creep was right behind her, she could feel his breath on her shoulder. He grabbed her arm before she could slip around the counter.

  A tiny whimper escaped her mouth as Raish’s hand came to rest on her waist. What was he going to do? Yesterday it’d just been a little uncomfortable. He hadn’t touched her.

  But now.

  Now he had his hands on her.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  A blur of long brown hair and a beige coat approached like a gale force wind from her other side. A large hand tucked her behind his massive form. It was Owen. The man she’d seen come in earlier was him. Not only had he shown himself, he was coming to her rescue.

  Air whooshed from her lungs in relief. It wasn’t like she knew Owen all that well either, but with him she felt warm and safe, not hunted and preyed upon. He wouldn’t let this creepy guy hurt her.

  He wouldn’t let her fall through the ice.

  “Leave.” His deep voice was dark and angry and rattling like she might expect a predator’s growl to sound like. This was the first time she’d actually heard him speak and even though he was angry, the very size and power of his voice made her feel protected. Shielded.

  Owen had one hand on her arm, keeping her behind his massive body. Away from Raish. Her heart was racing, ready to run. This guy had proven unpredictable. Was he armed too? There was no telling what he was capable of.

  “Get out of my way, aonkan. Tara and I were having a discussion.”

  Again, with the rumbling rattling growling sound in Owen’s chest. It was seriously the sexiest and most frightening thing she’d ever heard. His hand on her arm sent sparks of heat racing through her like a rampant wildfire.

  “Your friends aren’t here today,” he said, lashing back like a bull whip cracking in the air.

  “Get. Out.” Owen took a step toward Raish. Tara was staring straight at the middle of Owen’s back.

  Kann and Tor and that other blond guy weren’t here today, but surely this dude wasn’t really stupid enough to think he could take on Owen alone. Raish was big, like six and a half feet big, but so much lankier than Owen. Owen had to outweigh the other guy by at least fifty pounds of solid muscle. Still, he didn’t seem intimidated in the least.

  “Mine,” Owen shouted, nearly blowing Raish backward with the force of it.

  Wait? Did he just say mine?

  “You can’t claim her. You’re aon—”

  A snarl erupted from her rescuer that sounded more like a roar and he charged Raish, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and lifting him off the floor as if he was a mere toddler.

  She’d never seen a man lift another like that.

  In a rush of movement and growling—honest to God growling—they were both gone. Owen had hauled the other guy out of the store into the parking lot.

  Tara breathed in and out. Her ears pounded with the thunder of her racing pulse. Her hands were sweaty and shaking. She was freezing all of a sudden. Her teeth were chattering, and her breath was coming in short sporadic pants. If she didn’t sit down soon, she was going to make an ungraceful unconscious swan dive to the floor.

  She didn’t know what to do first. Call the sheriff? Maybe he would do something? Probably not. One thing the newly elected sheriff didn’t care about was men putting their hands-on women. He was a disgusting misogynistic asshole and allowed men in town to behave exactly the same without any consequences.

  A loud shout from outside in the parking lot made her start again. Another roar? Seriously, what was going on with all the animal sounds?

  She let her back drag against the counter, sinking until her butt hit the cold concrete floor. More noises from outside rumbled through the roar in her ears. Her stomach was in knots and threatening to regurgitate her breakfast onto the floor.

  More loud thumps came from the parking lot. She cringed, waiting for more. But as quickly as it started, it stopped.

  The front door swung open, the bell chimed, and booted footsteps lumbered toward the counter. Was it Raish? Or Owen? Or someone else entirely?

  She took a deep breath, grabbed the edge of the counter and hauled her ass off the floor. She wished she kept a bat under the counter. Mental note to bring a bat to work tomorrow. She was pretty sure her dad had one in his closet.

  Tara turned to face the approaching person.

  Not Raish. It was Owen.

  Holy crap. And he looked angry, but not angry at her, just angry in general. It was the first time she’d ever seen him look directly at her. His gaze met hers and the intensity warmed her to the core and terrified her at the same time. There was something wild, almost feral in his gaze.

  “Are you hurt?” His gruff gravelly voice rumbled. He didn’t stop in front of the counter. He came around behind it, but she wasn’t afraid. Owen wouldn’t hurt her. Something deep inside just knew.

  He grabbed her by both shoulders. “Did he injure you?” He leaned down, pushing his face into her hair and breathing deeply.

  Whoa. Personal space? But he pulled back before she could say a word.

  She looked up and couldn’t breathe. She’d known he was big from when he’d gotten between her and Raish, but before that she’d only ever caught glimpses of him from a distance. He was easily as tall as the doorframe or taller. Still, even after all the growling and fighting, he’d stood up to Raish for her. Chased off the creepy asshole. She wasn’t afraid of Owen…at least she didn’t think she was. None of those inner red flag warning bells were going off. In fact, most of her body was waving green ones.

  “I’m okay,” Tara murmured. The adrenaline from the encounter was draining away, but now a whole different hormone was filling her body, making her acutely aware of just how close Owen’s body was to hers. Just how good he smelled. Like firewood and male. His whiskey brown eyes were watching her…staring. She clenched her jaw just slightly to make sure her mouth wasn’t hanging open.

  His long light brown hair had snow stuck in a few places. And it was almost wavy, like he might have curls if it were cut shorter. Some men couldn’t pull off long hair, but this man could. His beard was more than a little scruffy, but it suited him and didn’t hide the fact that he had a strong jaw and angular lines to his tanned face.

  An odd rune-shaped burn on the side of his neck peeked out just above the collar of his red flannel plaid shirt. He had a heavy beige coat on over the shirt, hanging loose and open with a couple of fresh tears in the front panel. That fight must’ve gotten brutal. Jeans covered his lower half and wrapping up the look were the biggest pair of black army boots she’d ever seen. If there was a GQ magazine for lumberjacks, this guy would’ve been on the cover. Every month.

  “You are not his,” Owen huffed out.

  “Damn straight I’m not.” Tara swallowed hard and looked up at Owen again, meeting his penetrating gaze. Neither of them mentioned the part about the confrontation where he’d roared that she was hi
s.

  The idea of Owen claiming her wasn’t altogether unappealing. She’d certainly had fantasies about it, but for it to actually happen when she wasn’t asleep or daydreaming. For him to really say. Mine.

  His piney outdoor scent filled her lungs again. Heat radiated off his body. So warm. She was still shivering and shaken up and she just really could use a hug. Tara took a step forward, closing the gap between them and slipped her arms around his waist beneath the open heavy coat. She pressed her face to the warm soft flannel of his shirt and breathed in and out slowly.

  “Thank you,” she murmured. She was safe, and he’d made that happen. Right now, that was all that mattered.

  He tensed beneath her embrace. For a second, Tara thought he was going to shove her away, but then the tension released, and his arms slowly wrapped around her. His big hands stroked up and down her back, soothing out the fear Raish had put there.

  “He won’t bother you again,” he said, his voice still deep and angry.

  Tara shook her head and reluctantly released the man of her dreams. Even she wasn’t that delusional. Assholes rarely took advice, even if it was beaten into them.

  “I’m sure it won’t be the last I see of him. You know how guys like him are. They never give up, but I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t chased him off, thank you.” She held out a hand. “I’m Tara. I know I’ve seen you around a lot, but we’ve never spoken.”

  He regarded her for a moment, but finally reached out and took her hand, shaking it gently. “Owen,” he replied, his voice a little softer, not as rattled and growly. “And he will not bother you again, Tara. If he does, I will dispense the consequences I promised.”

  Consequences? He’d threatened the guy? With what?

  Owen pulled out a cell phone and laid it on the counter next to Tara. “The number is inside the device somewhere. I don’t know it. My sister insisted on this thing.” He said the word like it was something disgusting and Tara had to choke back a laugh.