“I love you,” he whispered.
She smiled, stroking his cheek and saying, “I love you too, Sam.”
Beside her, her sister stood, wrapped in Daryl’s arms. Antonia gave herself a moment to absorb the joy she felt inside. Hadn’t they shown that despite everything, happiness was always waiting around the corner? They had simply found the strength to grasp hold of it, and they would never now let go.
The End
Snowbound With The Bear
Fiona is on the run, worse she is trapped in a snowstorm and freezing to death on the side of a mountain. With no hope, she lies down thinking this is the end, but then her mate finds her. Only her mate is a bear shifter.
Fiona is a wolf shifter from Wolf Valley. A place where things are not going well. They have no alpha and the pack is unstable. Her cousin wants to do a deal that involves Fiona, a deal she wants no part of, so she runs. Right into a snow storm.
With the temperature dropping and her life fading, her only hope is the big bear that saves her. But when they discover they are fated mates, can a wolf and a bear really make things work?
Hal lives on his lonely mountain for a reason. But when he finds Fiona, he has to act, even if she is a wolf. Some how he has to get her back to his isolated cabin and warm her up. And we all know shared body heat is one way to keep warm.
But when they try to fetch the supplies he dropped when he rescued her, he has to save her once more. Because the wolves are not willing to give her up that easily.
Chapter One – Hal
Hal’s whole body stiffened. He lifted his short snout into the air and breathed in the scent, which tried to evade him on the breeze. The air was so cold it left frozen icicles on his whiskers, but he had to stop, had to be certain. Now he was. Against all odds, here on the mountainside, in near blizzard conditions, he had found his mate.
Well, found wasn’t perhaps the best word to use. The snow was falling so thickly he couldn’t see a thing. The scent could be from anywhere. All he could do was search. Because, if he didn’t, his mate would freeze to death.
He shrugged his shoulders, settling the straps of his pack on his broad back. There had been a small window of opportunity, a lull in the winter storms before bad weather settled in again. It had driven him to risk a trip down to Bear Creek to top up his supplies. He could survive on rice and beans, but he was a bear with a sore head without coffee.
He would have made it back in plenty of time. His thick fur kept the worst of the cold out and his big paws easily coped with the snow on the ground. Now he had to make a choice: either make it back to his cabin safely or search for his mate. For most other bears, there would be no choice, but Hal was not most bears. He enjoyed a life of solitude. Purposely living up here, high in the mountains, to avoid people, and other bears.
Being a loner, he had never actually sought out his mate, preferring to spend his days in the forests with only himself as company. When winter came he did what bears were meant to do. He hibernated, or as good as, in his lonely cabin.
He liked it that way, always had. However, when her scent came his way again, he knew it had affected him and changed him. There was no denying it, even though he wanted to. She was his and he had to find her.
In his head, he carried a clear map of the terrain of his mountain, despite it being featureless in the snow. It was rough going, the forest so dense in patches it was hard to push through. Steep slopes were pitted with holes where rockslides had taken the mountainside, leaving it treacherous. These holes would be filled with snow. If you fell in one, you could easily disappear and suffocate. However you looked at it, time was not on his side if he wanted to find her alive. And he did. Didn’t he?
He began to circle around, making a wider sweep each time. The snow continued to fall; only his skills were keeping him from getting hopelessly lost. As he walked, he went over all the things that were bothering him.
This far over, the chances of it being another bear were slim. No one came this way from Bear Creek, and Bear Bluff was even further away. Someone coming from there would never have got this far in the snow. The same could be said for a human, which meant this was most likely a shifter of a different kind.
So far, not a problem. However, if you took it one step further, the chances of anything other than a wolf being up here were slim. They were the only bigger shape-changers that were around here. But wolves didn’t trespass on Bear Creek territory, not unless they had good reason. And the only reason you would be up here in weather like this was if you were on the run. It meant his mate was in trouble, and his protective instinct kicked in.
He began to move faster, knowing he was up against the weather. If she was lying in the snow, then she would freeze. Even if she was still on the move, chances were, she would soon succumb to hypothermia. As would he, if he didn’t get back to his cabin before dark.
He thought about dumping the pack. It was designed to come undone if he pulled a cord with his teeth. But he needed the supplies, especially if there were going to be two mouths to feed. So he plunged on, the scent becoming fainter. Maybe she was on the move, or maybe he was going in the wrong direction.
Snow began to blur his vision and he had to fight every step of the way. This was madness. He needed to get to shelter, but the primal part of him that knew she was his mate wouldn’t let him. One foot in front of another, he moved determinedly in his search.
Then, as he came from behind a thicket, he caught a strong scent of her. He stopped, the snow immediately settling on him. She was so close. He put his head down and ploughed forward through drifts of snow that were banking up against trees. His senses were alert; he tried to see or hear anything that might give her whereabouts away. If she was unconscious and under the snow, this was going to be near impossible.
Then he found her. Although it was more like he fell over her. She was lying on her side: a silver wolf, although her wet coat looked dirty grey against the pristine snow. He walked up to her carefully, one-step at a time. If she got scared and sprang at him, she could inflict a deadly bite. Although as far as he could tell, she didn’t have the strength in her to do him any damage.
Close enough to touch her, he sniffed her, blowing warm air onto her cold body. She was oblivious to him, which made the situation dire.
Gripping the pull cord on his pack, he undid it, dumping the supplies on the floor. He would have to come back for them later. He looked around quickly, making sure he had his bearings. This was no time to get lost.
Now he had to decide how he was going to move her. He worked his way around her body, scraping the snow off her with his giant paws. It was a clumsy way of doing it, but if he had to change into a man and carry her, he needed to wait until the last moment. As a bear, he was prepared for the snow; as a man, he would most likely die of exposure in no time.
Chapter Two – Fiona
So cold. Her body temperature was dropping dangerously low and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Too exhausted from running, the cold was going to claim her. At least it would be better than giving in to what her cousin, Kurt, wanted to subject her to. There was no way she would allow him to give her away just because she hadn’t found her mate yet. She knew he was out there, and she would wait for him.
Sorrow filled her heart. He would be the one waiting now. Forever. Because she was going to die, here on the side of a mountain. Not even in her own territory. She had known the instant she crossed the border into Bear Creek, but there had been no other way. The pack chasing her would not give up. She had gone against the wishes of her Kurt, who was vying to take control of the clan. He couldn't let her escape; it would dent his authority amongst the others. She knew that if he couldn’t take her back, then she must die.
As the snow covered her body, she knew he had gotten his wish. The snow would cover her beautiful silver coat until it could not be seen. When the thaw came, the creatures of the forest would find her and eat her flesh. She would be no more than a pile of whi
te bones in a forest. That was the last image she saw as her brain began to shut down. At least she no longer felt the cold. All she felt was numb. Slowly, Fiona Silver Wolf was leaving this world.
Warm breath ruffled her damp fur; they had found her. Would they help her or leave her here to die? Did she even care any more? She took a breath, one more nearer to her death. Then the calm settling over her vanished.
Her heart jolted, adrenaline making her blood quicken, bringing her back from the brink. A deeper breath this time, her lungs filling, her nose twitching as it deciphered the message it received. Her mate. He was here, beside her. She had to live; her paws twitched and she tried to lift her head, but there was no strength left in her. The bitter irony was not lost on Fiona.
Try. Try. She breathed again, the snowflakes clogging up her nostrils. At her back, something was pushing her, nuzzling her. Her mate was encouraging her to get up; then it struck her. She was already dead. This was the afterlife. And anything was possible in the afterlife.
She summoned her strength and lifted her head. Her eyes opened, but all she could see was snow. If she was dead, then she wished she could have at least woken on a warm beach somewhere. Typical.
The nuzzling was insistent. With a great effort, she sat up and turned her head. A bear. A great, stinking bear. That was her mate? The spirits of the afterlife must like a joke. Why couldn’t they have given her a long-limbed timber wolf as a mate?
The cold bit into her and realisation dawned on her. She wasn’t dead. Somehow, he had revived her and unless she wanted them both to die, she had to get up and move. Slowly, she dug her front paws into the snow to get a grip and tried to stand, only to fall again. Her body trembled from the effort and the cold. There was no way she was going to get up.
He stood watching her, his head tilted to one side. This must be a let-down for him too. Instead of a nice bulky bear as a mate, he had her. Pale as the moon and fast on her feet. At least in wolf form. As a human, she was still pale, her hair startlingly white, but her body too round for most men to contemplate any romantic advances. Not that she cared. She had saved herself for her mate, as was the traditional way in the clan. Although traditions were another thing being trampled. Her clan was leaderless and losing its way.
The bear moved around to the front of her, staring her in the face. If they were the same species, they might be able to communicate. But they weren’t, so apart from snarling and growling, which only served as a warning, they were like humans from different lands. He tried to put his broad head under her chest and lift her up, but she slid back down. Again, he tried and this time she put more effort into it, straining to get her back legs off the ground, but she couldn't do it. If she was human, then she could cling to his fur. She would have to change; it was the only way.
Flopping back down on to the ground, she tried to summon the energy to change. Focusing on her human form, she tried to walk into it, to take that form. For a moment, she thought she had it, but the energy fizzled out. She closed her eyes and tried to ward off sleep. If that took her, she would die here.
All around her, she felt the crackle of energy; he was doing the very thing that had evaded her. Opening her eyes, she watched as the bear disappeared from this world. Electricity sparked around him as slowly a man formed in its place. And what a man. He was broad-chested and strong, everything a man should be in order to protect his mate and his cubs.
In one swift movement, he was on his knees, her head in his warm hands. She whimpered against him; if she had the strength, her tail would be wagging like a common dog. He looked into her eyes and spoke, “I’m going to carry you. Do you understand? I need you to stay calm and not struggle.”
She nodded her head almost imperceptibly, but he felt it. They understood each other.
It took him a couple attempts to get her up into his arms. She tried to stay relaxed, not hard when your body is incapable of any real movement, but still he struggled to stand. When he held her securely, he leaned down and grabbed the strap of his pack. Somehow, he found the strength to carry her and drag the pack behind him. She had no idea where he would take her, and it did not matter. Anything had to be better than dying in the snow.
Endlessly, he trudged through the snow, climbing up the steep slopes with superhuman strength. Consciousness came and went. Every time she opened her eyes, she expected to see something different. Every time it was just white everywhere, swirling around them, clinging to them and soaking them as it melted.
She was jolted awake by the sensation of falling. At first she thought he must have reached their destination and be setting her down none to gently. But as she scrambled to right herself, she saw he was falling forward, too—his foot had gone down a hole and tipped them forward. Lying on the snow, winded, she watched as the white turned to red. He was bleeding, a deep cut across his chest where she had clawed him in her blind panic.
Her heart contracted in her chest; she would never intentionally cause him pain, never. She ducked her head and pulled herself forward, licking his arm and then his chest. If she could have rolled over, she would have shown him her tummy. Anything for him to know she meant him no aggression.
“It’s alright. I know it was an accident.”
He braced himself and then stood up. In his face, she could see his exhaustion and knew she had to try to help him. Once more, she tried to stand; this time she found the energy to push herself up. He put his hands under her rib cage and helped her. For a moment, she braced herself, keeping herself upright. Then she took one-step forward. It took every ounce of her strength, but she did it.
Side by side, they dragged themselves up the mountain; he guided them, zigzagging to make it easier. He had left the pack, concentrating instead on getting them to safety.
“Not much further now,” he said, his hand buried in her fur so that they weren’t separated in the snow. “I always liked living high up, now I wish I had a nice cosy house in town.”
She was glad he didn’t. If he hadn’t been passing by, she would be dead. Talk about fated mates. It seemed they came along at just the right time. Fate had made him pass her way and she would be forever grateful.
At the point when she knew she could go on no more, he said, “There.”
She looked, but couldn’t see where his “there” was, but his pace picked up and he dragged her forward. A dark shadow appeared against the snow, and they were practically on his porch before she realised. Never had she been so glad to be home. And this would be her home, if he’d have her. There was no going back; her clan were no longer her family. He was. Bonded mates: that meant the same to the bears. Right?
Chapter Three – Hal
The feel of her fur against his fingers was all that kept him going when his body wanted to collapse in the snow. Burning muscles screamed at him to stop; he couldn't go on. But the feel of her fur anchored his determination to succeed. He needed to put one foot in front of the other and guide them to the cabin. They were so close. But the fall had taken the fight out of him. If she hadn’t got up and walked, then they would both be out there, dead in the snow.
His cabin was right in front of them. He knew because he had walked this path so many times, but he couldn't see it; the blizzard had almost become a white out. Only his other senses told him he was home. Then they were on the porch and he was on his knees, scraping the snow away from the door so they could get inside. There was a shovel here somewhere, but they didn’t have the luxury of time. So he risked frostbite and used his hands.
Reaching up, he grabbed the handle of the door and pulled on it, raising himself to his knees and then his feet. As he opened the door, the rush of warm air hit them and he staggered forward into its welcoming arms, dragging her with him.
There they lay on the threshold while he caught his breath. Then he crawled forward enough to shut the door, pushing it with his feet. Collapsing back down, he lay side by side with a wolf, in his home. Inside, he laughed at the picture that flashed into his mind of
them here. But his body didn’t express the humour it felt; it lacked the ability to move another inch.
Time passed by, how much he didn’t know. He knew he should get up and change out of his wet clothes, but he didn’t have the energy. Instead he pulled his shirt off and pushed his jeans down off his legs to lie there semi-naked next to his mate. Occasionally his eyes flickered open and his fingers closed around her fur. For now, they were both still alive. Slowly the warmth of the cabin chased the chill from his bones and his brain began to work.
He sat upright. They had been still too long; she had been a wolf too long. To be your other self was not without dangers, one of which was sleeping too long as your animal. It lead to some confusion and in extreme cases the inability to recognise that you had another side, a human side.
Turning to look at her, he noted her shallow breathing and cursed himself for not helping her sooner. Placing his hand on her fur, he gently rubbed her neck and then down her shoulder to try to get some feeling into her body. Nothing. He rolled over to kneel beside her, suddenly becoming aware of the throbbing pain across his chest. He looked at his torn skin and remembered her claws scratching him; he would have to clean that up soon to stop infection. He had no antibiotics here, and the chances of getting into town in this weather were near zero.
Placing both his hands on her, he shook her firmly; pleased to see her legs twitch. She needed to warm up and the best place for that would be on the hearth of the fire. He put his arms around her and dragged her along the floor, too tired to lift her. At first, it was OK, but then she opened her eyes and panicked.
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