Her Scars to Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Dating Agency Romance (Fated and Mated Book 1)

by Harmony Raines

  She needed no imagination to know exactly what they would be doing when they were left alone.

  Carefully navigating the bend to take her out of Bear Valley, she suddenly had to brake hard, as someone appeared in the middle of the road. The car skidded on the ice, but the snow chains managed to gain traction as the wheels spun sideways. Viv managed to steer the car to the side of the road, before she stalled it.

  “What the hell!” she said, as she opened to car door and went around the front to check if she had hit the person, because she couldn’t see them. Dread filled her. There they were, lying on the ground, motionless, with their back to her. She knelt down, pulling the hood off the person’s face. It was a man.

  She cried out and scooted back, but a hand reached out and grabbed her. “Hello, Viv. Long time no see.”

  Her world spun around and she simply stared at him, although she knew she should get up and run.

  Run, said her bear in her head, trying to come forward and take over the situation, but Viv wouldn’t let her. Couldn’t let her, not because she didn’t want Rhys to see her bear, but because she knew that her bear was also more than willing to rip his throat out. She did not want to spend the rest of her life in prison. Not for this piece of garbage.

  He took advantage of the situation, grabbing hold of her hair and pulling her to her feet. Terror gripped her as she nearly slid over, her skull on fire where he cruelly grasped her hair. There was no way she could pull away, and a sliver of fear pierced her heart when she realized she didn’t know if he had a knife.

  The scar on her chest burned, the memory of the pain he had inflicted fresh in her memory once more. How could he be here? How could this be happening?

  “Get in the car.” He opened the passenger door, and pushed her in. Then he pulled out some rope and tied her hands together, while in her head she was screaming at herself to get out of there, to run. Too late. He shut the car door, and went around to the driver’s side, climbing in and starting the engine.

  Her breathing was fast, but shallow, leaving her gasping for breath as panic swept over her. It was if she had gone completely numb, unable to move, or escape. Through all this, her bear roared at her, reminding her they had to get away, not just for their own sakes, but that of her mate.

  If anything was going to be a catalyst for her to take action, the thought of Tad was. How would he live without her, especially if Rhys killed her? How could he survive without a mate now that he had found her? He would live a cold and lonely life, with no chance of a family, or happiness. She could not let that happen to him.

  They were about a mile away from Bear Valley, but the car was only traveling slowly, he wasn’t used to these road conditions. Up ahead, there was a belt of trees. If she could wrench the door open, she could roll out into the soft snow, and then get up and run. Once in the trees, she could get the rope off her hands, and then go bear. If the rope couldn’t be undone, she would have to take her chances and run anyway. She knew this countryside, it was her territory. This wasn’t the same as him shutting her in his apartment and torturing her. She would beat him this time.

  She lay back in the seat, not wanting him to know what she was thinking, even when he spoke, she ignored him, despite his sickening words. “You are mine, Viv. You know that. Why else would you have kept quiet and not told the authorities? I’ll tell you why, because you wanted me to come for you, it makes you feel special, doesn’t it?”

  Tears filled her eyes. That was not the reason she kept quiet, but she wasn’t going to tell him that, she was going to let him think his deranged thoughts while she escaped him. The car was level with the trees now, so she reached for the door handle and pulled it, feeling the rush of cold air as the door opened, and then she jumped.

  The car kept moving. Only when she took a quick glance at it, did she see it was skidding, and then her mom’s car hit a tree with a sickening thud. For a moment she lay there, hoping it had knocked him out, but then she saw movement and knew she had to run.

  Struggling to her feet, she tried to undo the rope around her wrists, but it wouldn’t give. Behind her, the car door opened, and she decided she would have to take her chances in the trees. She ran.

  It wasn’t easy to keep her balance with her hands tied, but she knew she had to get away from here. All she could hope was that she would be able to get her hands free, because like this, even her bear couldn’t save her.

  Chapter Sixteen – Tad

  Tad walked back down the mountain path, heading for home. He was running late, wanted to get home and have a shower before Viv arrived. He smiled to himself, thinking about the woman who was his mate.

  She was slowly opening up to him, and beginning to trust him. Looking out across the village below, he sighed contentedly. Soon this would be her home too. All he had to work out was how, or where, they were going to live. He had shared the house with Jay for nearly four years, and he wondered if he could persuade his brother to move back home to live with their parents.

  No chance, his bear said.

  Tad had to agree; there was only so far he could manipulate his brother about the changed profile picture. Pity.

  Hurrying, he turned to walk down the track that led into the village. Ahead of him, he could see the kids out playing, throwing snowballs and building snowmen. One day that would be his children out here in the snow, all wrapped up with mittens on their hands and scarves trailing behind them.

  As he walked by, a snowball sailed past his head. Instinctively he ducked, and then scooped up a handful of snow, which he threw at Kenny, one of the kids he had rescued from a tree last year.

  “Missed,” Kenny shouted with glee as he ducked down, but Tad was a hardened snowball fighter, his skills honed through hours of playing out in the streets with his brother as kids. So before Kenny had the chance to finish his bragging, the second snowball Tad had made hit him squarely in the face.

  “Shot!” Tad shouted.

  “Yuck.” Kenny recovered, and then used both hands to make a giant snowball, but Tad wasn’t hanging around to for the boy to get his revenge.

  “Make sure you stay in the village,” Tad shouted. “The pass isn’t safe.” His route today had taken him that way, and last night’s snowfall had made the chance of an avalanche very high. He knew what kids were like going up onto the mountain, but he also knew that if he warned them, they would stay out of trouble. He was almost out of range when the snowball came towards him and hit him in the back. He did an emphasized stagger and then fell to the floor, much to the amusement of Kenny.

  “Got you.”

  “You did. Remember what I said, though?” Tad asked as he got up, shook the snow from his clothes, and continued on his way.

  “Yes,” Kenny said and then went back to his snowman.

  Tad grinned as he reached his house, surprised not to find Viv waiting for him. Maybe the snow had slowed her down, or she had an errand to run. Going inside, he went to the kitchen, and put the kettle on to boil. While he waited, he dug his phone out of his pocket. He wanted to check she was all right, and how long she was going to be. He didn’t want her to arrive and think no one was in while he was in the shower.

  He placed the phone on speaker, and put the coffee into the mug, glancing at the notice board. Jay was over at their parents’ house, helping them fix their fence. Great, it means they had some time to themselves. He glanced at the phone, waiting for her to pick up.

  “Ahh, thought you weren’t going to answer,” he said, when at last she answered.

  “Hi. Tad, isn’t it?” a male voice answered.

  “Who is this?” Tad asked, his blood cold in his veins as fear crept through him. He didn’t need to ask. The voice was unknown to him, but held a hint of malice, and he pictured the jagged scar Viv had tried to hide from him.

  “I am Viv’s boyfriend. She’s been two-timing me with you. Now, that is not what a good girlfriend does, so I think you’ll agree she needs to be taught a lesson.”

&n
bsp; “No, I don’t agree. Where is Viv? Can I speak to her?” Tad asked, trying to keep his voice even.

  “No, sorry, she’s a little tied up right now.” He laughed. “You know, I’ve always wanted to say that.”

  “If she’s with you, let me speak to her.”

  “I can’t do that, Tad. But I’ll let her know of your concern.” The line went dead.

  Switching the stove off, Tad grabbed his cell and rang his brother. “Jay. I need you. Meet me at the cabin, now.”

  Jay didn’t ask any questions; the two brothers had dealt with enough emergencies to know by the sound of each other’s voice that this was bad. Tad knew by the time he arrived at the cabin, Jay would already be there.

  He just hoped they could find Viv before it was too late.

  Chapter Seventeen – Viv

  Stumbling, she ricocheted off a tree, bruising her shoulder, but she had to ignore the pain as she ran on, trying to put some distance between her and Rhys. There had to be some way to escape him; after all, she had the advantage here, she was on her home ground. There was no way she was going to let the past repeat itself.

  Running through the trees, she couldn’t see if he was following, but she sure as hell was not going to wait around to find out. Instead, she headed up towards open ground, hoping to get across it and disappear from view before he caught up with her. She was not going to outrun him for long, with her hands tied; it slowed her down too much.

  The trees began to thin, and she was almost blinded by the sun, now low in the sky, about to disappear behind the peaks. If she could keep moving, the dark might close in on them and she would be able to shake him off. She knew these slopes well, she just had to make the right decisions. So many scenarios flooded her brain. She only hoped the one that played out was one that ended in her favor.

  “Hey Viv, your ex-boyfriend is on the phone!” His voice rang out, echoing through the trees, and Viv swallowed the urge to cry out. She had to stay quiet; she had to stay moving.

  Her legs ached from the effort of dragging them through the snow. When she looked behind, her heart sank, her tracks were so plain to see. It would be impossible to lose him, unless she could get to hard ground.

  Think, think, she said to herself. You know these mountains so well. She tried to calm her thoughts, and plan a route that would be easy enough for her to follow, with her hands still bound. There was no way she could climb the steep slopes like this, but she might have to.

  At the edge of the trees, she paused, taking one last look behind her, before she plunged out across the open ground. There he was about five hundred feet behind her, struggling through the snowdrifts, but following her nonetheless.

  “Why don’t you just save us all some trouble?” Rhys called. “If you come with me now, we can just leave, the two of us. But if you make me chase you, you’re just going to make it worse for that boyfriend of yours, and your parents. I know where they live, I know where you’ve been hiding.”

  His words made her hesitate. Should she go with him, if she made him promise to leave Tad and her parents alone, could she trust him?

  Shaking her head, she knew she was falling into his trap. If she let him take her, they would never get over it. It was better for her to carry on, to fight on, she knew it was what they would want her to do.

  With the surge of energy, she struck out across the open land, climbing steadily uphill with a plan forming in her head. She would climb up over the snow-covered plains, and then turn and head towards Grizzly Hollows. If she didn’t lose him on the rocky paths, there was a good chance she could stay ahead of him long enough to make it to the village.

  There she would make for Tad’s house. She would be safe.

  Before she was halfway across the snow-covered plane, she saw him reach the edge of the trees. If only she had time to stop, to find a sharp rock so that she could break free of the rope. Then, even if she didn’t turn into her bear, she would at least be to run faster, and keep her balance easier.

  On and on she went, her breath catching in her throat, and she tried not to let the sobs that were bubbling up inside her burst out. She couldn’t afford for her pace to slow any more. She had to stay strong; she had to keep moving.

  Reaching the rocky incline, she started to scramble upwards, using her feet to push herself up, while digging her hands into the snow, but all she seemed to be doing was causing an avalanche of small stones to go tumbling down behind her. Refusing to look down, she focused on getting to the top of this slope and onto level ground again.

  By the time she reached the top, she could already hear Rhys following her, causing more stones to fall. Still not looking back, she ran, her breath coming in short bursts, causing small clouds to puff out of her mouth as the air grew colder. The light was beginning to fade. Up ahead the path split in two and if she was lucky, she could go one way and he would go the other way, and she would be free of him.

  “You can’t outrun me. You should know that by now. You tried before, tried to hide from me, but I found you. I will always find you.” He sounded breathless, and she prayed that she would be able to outpace him. She was used to these mountains; despite her curvy figure, she was fit and could run long distances if she needed to. At this moment, she certainly needed to.

  The light was steadily leeching from the sky, making the pristine snow look gray as she neared the fork in the path. Ducking down, she tried to make herself look smaller, trying to do her best not to be seen. If he hadn’t reached the top of the slope, he might not see her. She slowed, taking her time to keep to the places where the snow hadn’t managed to settle under the overhang.

  Please, please let this work. She moved faster as the path flattened out. Getting out of sight had to be the key to losing him. It had to work.

  Risking a look behind her, she could no longer see the start of the path she was on, and there was no sign of him. She allowed herself a moment of hope, before she turned back to look where she was going. Too late, her foot snagged on a rock and her ankle twisted, bringing her down with a thud.

  She swallowed the cry that wanted to escape her mouth. Her ankle was on fire; shooting pains traveled up her leg as she tried to move it. This was not good. There was nothing left for her to do. While she was down on the ground, she had to use some precious time to get her hands free.

  Rubbing her wrists up and down on the sharp edge of the stone, it seemed to take an age for the rope to begin to fray, but once it did, she kept on until it was broken in two. With a surge of relief, she sat up, examining her ankle, checking for broken bones. As far as she could tell, it was just sprained. She could move it, but it was already swollen When she tried to put weight on it, she nearly fell back down.

  Gritting her teeth, she walked a couple of steps, and then a couple more. Maybe she should turn into her bear; that would make life much easier. But what if he saw?

  She stopped, listening for any noise. There was nothing. The mountain was completely still. As if waiting for something. A shudder passed through her, and she had the feeling she was being watched. Was it worth the risk to go bear?

  Taking a look around, she figured she wasn’t far from the mountain pass. That was her best bet, if she could get through there, she would go bear and run the last part of the way down to the village. Half walking, half running, going as fast as she could, while her ankle throbbed in complaint, she moved carefully along the path. In places, the snow was piled high and she had to wade through the drifts, wishing she had her snowshoes with her.

  Then she stopped, her heart racing, and she wondered if she had imagined the sound that pierced the night. A bear. Her bear. Was it? She couldn’t be sure; she didn’t know him well enough to recognize him by his call. But her bear was sure, and in her head, she lifted her snout and opened her mouth to let out a deafening roar. If only he could hear her.

  Viv waded through another snowdrift, glad that the overhang above her head had kept the path mostly clear. Even so, her clothes were now soake
d and a chill was starting to set in as the temperature continued to plummet.

  Nearly there, she kept telling herself.

  So close, she ducked under a low part of the cliff, almost having to crawl on her hands and knees when her ankle refused to hold her weight. Then she hobbled on, the pass was in sight.

  Every breath came as a sob now. The pain from her ankle and the fear of being caught by Rhys was too much. But she was nearly safe, so very nearly safe. Hurrying, the darkness almost complete, as the high sides of the pass rose above her head.

  She made it halfway through when she heard his voice.

  “Hello, you naughty little runaway.” She stopped in her tracks. Somehow, he had gotten in front of her. “No, don’t try to run. You know there’s no escape.”

  She turned, not caring what he said, all she could think of was that she would rather die on the mountain than by his hands. In the distance, but closer now, she heard the sound of a bear calling.

  Tad. He was close; she just needed to hang on.

  “I told you not to run!” he shouted. “Stay where you are.”

  Above their heads, there was a low rumble, as if the mountain was shifting. The terror she had on seeing Rhys was nothing compared to what swept over her now.

  “Vivian. I am going to hurt you so bad for making me chase you across this mountain.”

  “Shhhh.” She hissed at him.

  “Don’t tell me what to do.” He took two steps towards her, and then the rumble grew and grew, until the whole world seemed to be filled with it. The first snow came down on big clumps, splattering on the ground and breaking up, but Viv knew the rest was about to follow.

  She propelled herself back along the path, her ankle hurting like crazy as more snow fell around her. There was only one way she could escape and that was to let her bear free, no matter what the consequences.

  In one fluid movement, she shifted mid-air and then ran, the snow filling the pass as she moved, until she was covered in it. And then the world went black.