by Elena Aitken
His to Defend
Bears of Grizzly Ridge
Elena Aitken
Contents
Also by Elena Aitken
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Reader Note
His to Defend
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
About the Author
Also by Elena Aitken
His to Tame—Excerpt
Also by Elena Aitken
Bears of Grizzly Ridge
His to Protect
His to Seduce
His to Claim
Hers to Take
His to Defend
His to Tame
His to Seek
Bears of Grizzly Ridge: Books 1-4
* * *
Castle Mountain Lodge
Unexpected Gifts
Hidden Gifts
Unexpected Endings - Short Story
Mistaken Gifts
Secret Gifts
Goodbye Gifts
Tempting Gifts
Holiday Gifts
Promised Gifts
Accidental Gifts
The Castle Mountain Lodge Collection: Books 1-3
The Castle Mountain Lodge Collection: Books 4-6
The Castle Mountain Lodge Collection: Books 7-9
The Castle Mountain Lodge Complete Collection
* * *
Timber Creek
When We Left
When We Were Us
When We Began
When We Fell
* * *
The Springs Series
Summer of Change
Falling Into Forever
Second Glances (Novella)
Winter’s Burn
Midnight Springs
She’s Making A List (Holiday Novella)
Fighting For Forever (Novella)
The Springs Collection: Volume 1
The Springs Collection: Volume 2
The Springs Complete Collection - Books 1-10
* * *
The Springs—Stone Summit
Summit of Desire
Summit of Seduction
Summit of Passion
Stone Summit Trilogy
* * *
The McCormicks
Love in the Moment
Only for a Moment
One more Moment
In this Moment
From this Moment
* * *
Destination Paradise
Shelter by the Sea
Escape to the Sun
Hidden in the Sand - Available 2019
* * *
Escape Collection
Nothing Stays in Vegas
Return to Vegas
Drawing Free
Sugar Crash
Composing Myself
Betty & Veronica
The Escape Collection
* * *
Halfway Series
Halfway to Nowhere
Halfway in Between
Halfway to Christmas
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Reader Note
Thank you for taking a chance on His to Defend!
You might not know…this book (and the entire series) is a little different than my usual contemporary romances.
But sometimes you have to try something a little different, and that was the case for me when it came to writing ‘the bears’.
I had so much fun with this series at a time in my life when that’s what I needed—fun. So much fun in fact that I needed to revisit Grizzly Ridge with four more sexy stories!!
I hope you have as much fun reading these new stories!
AND…don’t forget to join my mailing list where you’ll be the first to hear about new stories, sales and promotions and giveaways!
You can join me here —>
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His to Defend
He’s a shifter. She’s a human. Their attraction is…dangerous.
* * *
Her best friend’s wedding at Grizzly Ridge is just the break from reality that Nina needs. Not to mention the super sexy, mountain man who looks at her like he’d like to flip her over his shoulder and carry her away. He’ll do.
Ryker knows he’s in trouble the moment he sets eyes on the sassy blond with the luscious curves that drive his instincts wild. He’s an alpha grizzly shifter, and she’s a human. There can be no future for them. But, one night can’t hurt.
Right?!
With an attraction this strong—this fated—one night will never be enough.
What was supposed to be a fling turns into something so powerful, Ryker realizes the only way to save the woman he’s falling for, is to leave and never come back. Not even for love.
* * *
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For everyone who has ever taken a chance on love—and those who will.
♥
Chapter One
It had been almost a year since Nina Renton had been to Grizzly Ridge for the first time. She’d been assigned to write a travel feature piece on a brand-new eco-lodge in the remote Montana mountains and, needing a little break from her own life, she’d dragged her best friend Harper along with her. A choice Nina might not make again. Especially because it meant that Harper would end up staying at the ridge after falling in love with the rugged man who ran it.
That wasn’t true, and Nina knew it. As much as she missed her best friend back in LA, she couldn’t be happier for her. Nina never would have guessed that Harper would trade in her slick lifestyle as a PR rep in the big city for a rugged life in the mountains, but that’s exactly what she’d done. And judging by the smile in her voice when she’d called to tell Nina she was getting married, Harper couldn’t be happier.
Nina navigated the SUV she’d rented through the mountain roads. Last time she’d arrived at the ridge, it had been by helicopter. But that had been before.
When she was still on the payroll of Lifestyle magazine.
It was pretty hard to afford a helicopter ride without that expense account to back her up anymore. It was going to be pretty hard to afford much of anything soon.
Nina swallowed hard and forced herself to focus on something else, like how great it was going to be to see her best friend.
Eventually a large wooden sign announcing Grizzly Ridge appeared in the thick trees and Nina’s stomach fluttered with excitement. Spending a few weeks with Harper would be exactly what she needed to figure out what she was going to do next. Besides, the fresh air would be good for her and maybe she’d get lucky and find a mountain man of her own to keep her warm at night.
The thought made her laugh. Even if the
re was a little part of her that didn’t immediately reject the idea of having a man in her bed, there was an even bigger part of her that did. With her own life falling apart, the last thing she needed was to throw a man into the mix.
Then again…maybe a little satisfaction wouldn’t hurt…
Fortunately, or unfortunately, Nina didn’t have time to dwell on the idea because just as the idea was starting to take root, she rounded the corner, drove through a hand-carved wooden gate and into Grizzly Ridge. And just as it had the first time, it took her breath away.
Nina pulled up in front of the main large log building that she knew was referred to as the Den and put the car in park. She remembered the Den well. But there were so many other buildings than the last time.
She stood next to the car and took a deep breath, letting the fresh pine air fill her lungs before she spun in a slow circle, taking it all in.
“It’s pretty different, isn’t it?”
Nina turned on her heel and shrieked. “Harper!”
Her friend ran toward her and they embraced in a hard hug that brought tears to Nina’s eyes. “Oh my God, I missed you so much.”
Harper laughed and pulled back. “I missed you, too. I’m so glad you’re here. I couldn’t imagine doing this without you.”
“Something tells me you wouldn’t have any trouble doing this without me.” Nina tipped her head and gave her friend a look. Harper had always been a strong woman, but when she met Axel, she’d blossomed, as if Axel’s support and love had infused her with even more determination and passion.
“Okay,” Harper admitted. “But I certainly wouldn’t want to do it without you.”
“Now that I believe.” Nina laughed and for the first time examined the changes in her friend. “You look amazing.” Harper had always been curvy, but her curves seemed more lush somehow, her hair shinier and longer, her skin glowed, and she looked fresh and…happy.
“What can I say?” Harper smiled broadly. “Motherhood agrees with me. I can’t wait for you to meet Lily. She’s the sweetest thing.”
Nina still couldn’t believe her friend was a mother. And she really couldn’t believe that Lily was already a few months old, and she hadn’t met her yet. “Where is she? I can’t wait to cuddle her.”
“She’s with Ella in the kitchen.”
“Ella?”
“She’s Kade’s mate. She’s from Argentina and so—”
“Mate?” Nina stared at her friend but Harper only laughed again.
“That’s just the word everyone around here uses. It’s a little more permanent than girlfriend, but not quite wife.” She waved her hand, dismissing it. “The Jackson brothers don’t really believe in marriage. It took a lot of talking to convince Axel it was important to me.”
She didn’t give Nina a chance to respond before she took her hand and pulled her toward the Den. “Come on. I’ll introduce you to everyone. There’s been so many changes since you’ve been here.”
Not the least of which seemed to be that all the Jackson brothers had paired off and found mates. Nina couldn’t help but be a little disappointed about that. Not that she had designs on any of Axel’s brothers, but they were pretty sexy. And as much as she was pretty sure she didn’t want to get involved with anyone, the thought of a little fling might not be a terrible idea.
After all, she was due for a little fun.
“It’s good to see you, man.” Ryker Jackson raised his glass in a toast to his cousins who were all gathered around the bar at the local pub, the Station.
“How long has it been?” Axel, the oldest of the cousins, asked before he drank deeply. “Three years? More?”
“At least three,” Luke, his younger brother, agreed. “It’s been at least that long since we left Jackson Valley and you were gone on some sort of shoot or something. Remember?”
Ryker remembered it well. It was his first professional photo shoot. He’d been trying for years, submitting to travel sites and magazines in hopes that someone would hire him on for a full shoot. His dreams had come true that year when he was sent by Ice Climbers to document a mountain climbing expedition on Mount Washington. It had been exactly what he’d worked for and when the shoot was done, he was riding high and ready to return to the valley and tell his cousins and best friends about his success. Only, when he returned, they were gone.
Their grandfather, the patriarch of the valley, had kicked them all out—Axel, Luke, and the youngest brother, Kade—after they failed to stop their sister from running off with what she thought at the time was her fated mate. The brothers had made a choice not to stop Kira, a choice that had hit Kade, her twin, the hardest.
But it had been a blessing in disguise because after their grandfather kicked them out, the brothers had settled on the ridge and in doing so had created what had quickly become an eco-lodge destination in the mountains of Montana.
“I do remember,” Ryker said with a smirk. “It’s funny how things work out, isn’t it?”
Not that anything had worked out. Not as far as Ryker or their grandfather was concerned. Which was why he was there. The invitations had gone out for Axel and Harper’s wedding and although Gordon, their grandfather, never got one, Ryker had. He’d had no intention of actually going to the wedding. After all, it was a wedding. Shifters didn’t get married. It was a human tradition. And a ridiculous one at that. But worse, Axel might be marrying a half breed, but he was already mated. He was the alpha of his pack. It was unthinkable, and as far as Ryker, his grandfather, and their entire clan was concerned, it was unacceptable.
“I’m glad you’re here, Ryker.” Axel’s dark eyes, a mirror reflection of his own, stared at him, watching him. Ryker’s cousin wasn’t a stupid man; he knew exactly why Ryker was there.
“Me too,” Ryker said, ignoring his cousin’s unasked question.
Luke wasn’t quite so subtle. “Why are you here, cousin? I find it hard to believe Grandfather would have given you his blessing to attend something so…human.”
“Or maybe he didn’t give his permission,” Kade chimed in. His cousin’s tone was still light-hearted, but Ryker was smart enough to know that there was an underlying seriousness. It was only a matter of time before they grilled him about his intentions. They were on guard, something Ryker respected.
Ryker shook his head and took a deep pull from his beer. “Honestly?”
“Of course.” Axel’s gaze hadn’t wavered.
“I missed you guys.” It wasn’t a lie. Not even a little bit. Ryker did miss his cousins. They were like brothers to him. Sometimes even more so than his own brother Liam, who at times could be a little too intense for his own good. “And yes, you’re right, I don’t get the whole wedding thing.” He looked at Axel. “And I really don’t get the whole mated to a—”
“Don’t say it.” Luke put a hand on his arm in warning.
A warning Ryker heeded. “I just don’t get the whole mating thing at all, I guess.”
Kade laughed. “You’re not the only one,” he said. “It took me a long time to understand myself.”
“No,” Luke said. “It took you finding a mate of your own. Maybe that’s all you need.” He turned to Ryker. “You need to find your mate.”
Ryker laughed. “Hell no. Women are nothing but trouble. Mates especially.”
“I don’t know.” Kade wiggled his eyebrows. “I’m pretty fond of the fairer sex myself. Especially my little bespectacled bear.”
Ryker tried not to react, but as much as he loved his cousins, he couldn’t deny that he struggled with the fact that they’d all mated with completely unsuitable mates. As Alpha grizzlies, they should be choosing strong, fierce grizzlies of their own to further the bloodline, to keep things pure.
He didn’t bother voicing his opinions. They weren’t anything the Jackson brothers hadn’t heard before. After all, those opinions came directly from their grandfather and was exactly why they’d lost their mother when they were young. She’d chosen to be with their father,
who was dying, and had left the children with the Jackson clan, making them official Jacksons. It was a similar story for Ryker, Liam, and their sister Natalia. Only it wasn’t until their father died, and their mother, Kristine, came searching for her family, that their grandfather even knew about their existence.
It had been a major scandal in the Jackson clan, that their patriarch, Gordon had a bastard daughter, and she in turn had three young children. But when the dust settled, they all took the Jackson name, as was customary and they were accepted into the clan.
“Wait until you taste her paella,” Kade said, still talking about his mate. “It’s a favorite of the guests.” Obviously proud, Kade puffed up his chest and fortunately the talk shifted away from mates altogether, a fact Ryker was grateful for. Even Axel jumped back into the conversation. He’d been noticeably silent ever since Ryker almost stuck his foot in his mouth about his mate.
It wasn’t until Luke and Kade left to return to the ridge and Ryker was left alone with Axel as they cleared up the bill that Axel turned to him and said, “You have a problem with my mate.” It wasn’t a question, but Ryker didn’t bother denying it. He nodded once and Axel continued. “Look, I’m not going to pretend that I’m okay with it,” Axel said. “Because I’m not. But I do understand it. Grandfather’s influence is strong. I get it. But I want you to know something. Not one of us planned on falling in love with the women we did. It was fated, and although it can’t really be explained unless it happens to you, I can say this…imagine the world’s strongest magnet. Now imagine you are a piece of metal. There is nothing you can do to break free from that pull.”
