Table of Contents
Bear Kamp Book 4
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Epilogue
Saving the Bear
Bear Kamp Book 4
Rachel Robins
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Epilogue
Prologue
Rick
Twenty years prior
She was beautiful. When she looked over her shoulder, blonde hair blowing in the wind, he was hooked. His eyes roamed her body, and then met back up with her knowing eyes. She knew she was beautiful as well.
“Come with me, shifter,” she said, her voice low and sultry.
“Wherever you want me to go, I’ll gladly follow,” he said, taking her hand.
She led him down Bourbon Street and then up a back alley. He noticed briefly that his usually tense bear was subdued. Obviously, Rick hadn’t felt the mate bond before, but maybe this woman was his mate. The woman to finally subdue his beast. He followed as she led him down another block and into an older French-style Louisiana home nestled in the heart of New Orleans.
His alpha would argue he should have let someone know where he was. Rick had yet to encounter anyone, shifter or human, that could best his bear. The need to participate in the buddy system seemed ridiculous. His alpha’s reasoning was directed more towards the younger men just coming of age to mate. It made them hotter-headed. Rick would agree with that. He was definitely hot-headed, but now in the presence of this woman his bear had yet to rumble to life at all.
“Welcome to my home, shifter,” she said, turning and sweeping her arms out around her in the middle of her living room.
Her scent swirled around him and he hummed with pleasure.
“What’s your name, mate?” he asked, his voice husky with desire. His bear growled, and Rick assumed it was with pleasure at having found their mate.
“Rachel,” she whispered.
Before he could blink, her body was on his. Her lips were trailing a line of kisses down his jaw. He yanked her over to his lips and kissed her the way he had wanted to since the moment he saw her. The kiss was fueled with passion, and Rick felt his head get dizzy with pleasure. His legs seemed to be losing the ability to stand. He sunk down onto her couch, pulling her down on top of him.
She straddled his body, nestling them firmly together. He tried to fight through the haze consuming his mind. He’d never wanted a woman so much. She had to be his mate. She whispered something in his ear. The sound was magical. He wanted to respond. He wanted to fall into their passion, and lose himself there for eternity.
Chapter One
Rick
“Rick! Rick! Where’s your head at?” Jasper said, snapping his fingers in front of Rick’s face.
Rick focused in on his pack mate and friend, Jasper. He shook the fog out of his mind and looked around. He was at The Kamp, his alpha and lifetime friend Austin’s bar. Austin and his mate, Kate, owned and ran the bar even now that they had welcomed their beautiful baby girl into the world.
“You okay, man?” Jasper said again when Rick still didn’t respond.
“Yes, yes, I’m fine. Sorry, just old memories,” he said, waving his hand in a gesture of dismissal.
Emma joined Jasper. She looked at Rick with concern, and then back at her mate, Jasper, as if for clarification. Emma had come a long ways since she had first come to know the pack. Rick had immediately assumed she wasn’t right for Jasper. A human female that just wanted to experience a shifter. Emma had grown and shown strength to overcome her past struggles and be the mate that Jasper deserved. They had a strong mate bond, now clear for anyone to see.
“Seeing Justin so happy just has me reminiscing about some of my younger days, is all. Now get out of my face. I’m going to go congratulate the young cub now,” Rick said, slowly rising to his feet. He could still feel the fog slightly in the back of his mind. Justin and his mate, Veronica, were celebrating their mate bond ceremony and wedding with the pack. The bar was at capacity with not only Justin’s immediate pack mates, but the entire extended pack as well.
“He hates when you refer to him as ‘the cub’, you know that, right?” Jasper said laughingly.
“I know. Which makes it even more fun,” Rick said as he tried to laugh. The sound came out as a strangled, huffing noise instead.
Jasper and Emma exchanged another weary look. Rick was getting sick of seeing that look on everybody’s face when he was around. Now that Justin, the youngest, had found his mate and was bonded, that left Rick as the only remaining stag member. He was also the oldest, which made everyone antsy, like he would just shift and start killing people any minute.
He made his way over to Justin and his mate Veronica. There was quite a line of people waiting to speak with the happy couple, so Rick decided to get another beer first. That’s when he crossed her path. Her scent was overwhelming, and it caused the fog to spread faster. She caught his eye and made her way over to him. He held his hands up and waved them, then walked towards the back of the bar as fast as he could.
The fog was gripping him tighter and tighter. The closer she got to him the more his skin started to tingle with the need to shift. He wasn’t going to be able to control it much longer. He threw the back door open and fell to the ground.
“Rick, my child. I knew the time was near.” Emma’s grandmother came out of the dark. She was a healer, an old healer which made her powerful.
He tried to respond to her, but he couldn’t. His whole body was shaking and he knew his time was here. His bear had finally gone feral. They would have to put him down. Tears spilled from his eyes. He wanted to find her. He had wanted to find the light to finally release the darkness inside of him. Free him from his beast. Rick hated the thought of his friends having to kill him. He knew how hard it would be for them. T
he trauma that came with killing a pack mate was unforgettable.
“I can buy you time, my child. She’s here. She’s been so close, and she, too, has waited for so long.” Emma’s grandmother’s voice washed over him. He could feel her power keeping his bear just on the edge of the shift. He wished he could ask her how she knew his mate. Who his mate was. Anything to help save himself.
Then she started to chant. Her body moved and swayed as she spoke. The words seemed musical, and he could feel the fog lifting, and his bear retreating. Then he felt free. It was as if he was flying.
“When the time comes, try to remember,” she called, and then everything went black.
Chapter Two
Stella
Stella stumbled out the back door of The Kamp minutes after Rick. She had seen the light in his eyes dwindle. She had seen that light fade before when she had been helping Grandma with some of the older feral bears over the years. For some reason, watching it happen to Rick made her want to break down and cry. He hadn’t been what she would call a friend to her since she arrived, but there was something about him that called to her.
Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness outside, she looked around, but there was no Rick. Grandma stood at the wood line looking up.
“Grandma, did you see Rick come out here? I’m afraid his bear is close to going feral! He shouldn’t be alone.”
“He wasn’t alone, baby, he was with me,” Grandma said without turning to look at her.
“What do you mean?” Stella cried out. He couldn’t be gone.
Grandma turned to her, and her face was solemn. Stella fell to her knees. She had expected tears or sadness when she heard the news about Rick, but she felt nothing. Stella sat there for a while, and tried to dissect her feelings. In the end, all she could come up with was that she didn’t feel that Rick was gone.
“He’s not gone,” she said out loud to nobody. Grandma must have gone back inside.
Stella took off to find her. Grandma had done something, and Stella needed to know what. She needed to find Rick. Panic started to rise, and she tried to hold it back. Rick had been hot and cold with her, but she figured he was just another older, lonely shifter looking for comfort in a stupid human woman. Stella had learned that lesson already, and she wouldn’t fall victim to it again.
Rick had never made a move, though. That’s what had encouraged her to be his friend. They had had similar dealings and both of them had given up on finding love or a mate at their age. With the rest of the group finding their mates, a lot of times they ended up spending their time at The Kamp together. Stella felt a responsibility to find him and help him.
She slammed into the bar and sought out Grandma. She was standing by the front door beside Emma.
“Where is he?” she said low enough she hoped nobody else would hear.
Unfortunately, Emma’s newfound bear skills allowed her to hear everything.
“Where’s who?” Emma asked nonchalantly.
Neither Grandma nor Stella responded. They just looked at each other in a silent battle. Then a roar filled the room, and brought everyone but Stella to their knees. Then they all began to whimper. Austin was on his knees, but it had been his roar that had brought them all down. As alpha, he was finally feeling the separation from Rick. Stella kneeled out of respect, knowing that the pack would need to mourn.
After the initial shock wore off and everybody was released from Austin’s power surge, they all stood and huddled together.
“Why would he go off by himself? We could have helped him!” Kate said helplessly.
“Is he feral or is he gone?” Jasper asked Austin.
“He’s gone. He’s severed his ties from the pack. I assume that means he’s somewhere out there, feral. We must find him. As his pack mates, it’s our job to see him to the other side.”
They all nodded. Stella looked to Grandma as if to urge her to say something. The woman just stood there and offered comfort through her healing powers.
“He’s gone. You won’t find him around here,” Stella said out loud. It seemed involuntary, but as soon as she spoke the words she knew they were true. Rick was gone.
“What do you mean, Mom?” Emma asked.
“I don’t know how to explain it, but I know he’s not around here. If he’s severed ties with the pack, maybe he’s gone off to die somewhere by himself. I’m not sure. I just feel it.”
“Are you his mate?” Austin asked, stepping closer to her.
“No, nothing like that. Rick and I, we’re more like kindred spirits. We’ve had a lot of the same trials and tribulations so we understand each other. I feel connected to him, but not like a mate.”
“Then you don’t really know for sure. You’re just a human. You have a feeling but no substantial way to know if it’s correct or not. We need to comb the area,” Justin said.
“I may not be magical, but I can tell you that is an act of futility,” she said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt.
“Justin’s right, let’s spread out and search,” Austin said, sending everybody out into the night.
Stella and Grandma were the only two left behind. Stella turned and looked at her. Why Grandma wouldn’t let Stella know what was happening was beyond her.
“Please, Grandma. Tell me where he is. I want to help him.”
“If you want to help, my dear, then you just need to feel. Seek him out. He’s there, waiting for you. There will be a battle, and you’ll feel her as well. She’s been waiting for this, lingering in the background. Be strong.”
“Who? What are you talking about, and what does it have to do with Rick?”
“I’ve already allowed you to know more than I should. Go, they will all search, but it’s only you who can find him.”
With that, Grandma left. Stella stood rooted to the floor for what felt like forever. She had no idea how to seek Rick out emotionally. She wasn’t magical. She wasn’t even his mate.
Chapter Three
Rick
“Rick, you’re being obtuse.” The woman laughed, slapping him on the chest playfully.
“No, I’m not. You’re being stubborn.” He tried to keep a straight face, but her laughter was contagious.
“Fine, I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree,” she said, turning back to her drink.
They were in a bar full of people. Rick and the woman next to him were off by themselves drinking while couples danced all around them.
“Would you like to dance?” he asked her.
“Oh gosh, I haven’t danced in years,” she replied with a shy smile.
The smile was a caress across his old soul. His bear craved the sight of it.
“Well, then it sounds like you’re due.” He grabbed her hand and lifted her to her feet.
Once they were out on the dance floor he spun her around and they swayed to the beat together. Her scent was intoxicating. Her eyes danced with joy, and Rick felt like a king to be the recipient of her company. He wanted more, needed more. Then he pulled her tight against his body and leaned down to capture her lips.
He woke up with a start. The dream had stirred his bear to life, just as they always did. Rick shook out his fur. After a busy morning preparing the bar, he had come back up to his apartment for a nap. What Rick needed the most now was to let his bear run. After he had dreams of her, he always found his bear restless.
Making his way out of his apartment and down to the beach, he disrobed and shifted. The hot Carolina sun beat down on his back, but it felt good to his bear. He hadn’t been able to shift for over a week because he’d been too busy at work. His oceanfront bar was becoming widely popular with the tourists, which was great for his pocket, but his bear was suffering.
He ran in his bear form. The people of Carolina were used to seeing him run on the beaches and in nearby areas. After an hour of running, a migraine took hold. He fell on the beach and prayed it wouldn’t last long. The migraines had started in the past week, and Rick was hoping his bear wa
sn’t preparing for going feral.
“Rick! Hey man, you okay?” Steve, Rick’s manager, stopped by to ask him. Steve was also a shifter, and the part of the beach where Rick had his bar was a primarily shifter community.
Rick just batted his paw out as best as he could manage. The migraine still had a vice grip on his head so he couldn’t do much more than that. Then a familiar scent caught his nose and the migraine was gone. He sniffed several times and ran in the direction it seemed to be coming from. His bear became frantic, searching, and he was afraid he was going to go feral right there on the beach if he didn’t find the source. After a few minutes of searching he lost the scent, and realized it may have just been a passerby with a similar perfume to someone he had known before.
Before. Rick felt like big chunks of his life were missing, but he couldn’t entertain the thought long. The migraines always came. With no healer in the entire state of South Carolina, he had no choice but to live with them. Without a pack, moving amongst territories was dangerous, and Rick was too old to go picking fights with packs.
Defeated and tired, Rick made his way back to the bar. He had an apartment above the bar, which gave him constant access. His managers didn’t mind him popping in and helping from time to time. Without a mate or a pack, Rick didn’t have much else in his life besides the bar and its patrons.
The bar gave him solace. The regulars looked forward to their time at the bar as much as Rick looked forward to their visits. In a sense, they were his pack. He cared about them, and he liked to think they cared for him. His bartenders had been there for as long as he could remember. Both were drifters as well, but young enough that there was still time for them to find mates and packs. Rick hoped they both found that.
Rick finally made his way back to his apartment. He shifted and went inside. The aftermath of his migraine had him feeling weak and tired. Too tired to go check in at the bar, he crashed on his bed.
Chapter Four
Stella
Stella paced her kitchen. It had been a week since Rick had disappeared, and she hadn’t been able to figure out anything. Grandma had been evasive and cryptic, which just annoyed Stella. The pack had also come up empty-handed every place they had searched. Grandma had warned her that they would, but that just made Stella even more anxious to find Rick.
Saving the Bear (Bear Kamp Book 4) Page 1
