by Kim Fox
Contents
Copyright
About
Other Titles in Series
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Epilogue
The Vega Brothers:
Alexander
The Bear Shifters of Vega Ranch Book Three
By KIM FOX
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This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Contains explicit love scenes and adult language.
18+
www.AuthorKimFox.com
Copyright © 2016 by Kim Fox
Polar bear shifter, Alexander Vega, is the last Vega brother who anyone thought would take on a mate. He’s surly, gruff, grumpy and just plain rude. And that’s on a good day. He hates women and doesn’t want them anywhere near the Vega Ranch. But his bear has other plans…
BBW news reporter, Elena King, has come to the Vega Ranch to visit her sister Ava. What starts off as a nice visit quickly goes down hill when a hot, muscular naked man comes running out of the forest, throws her over his shoulder and takes her to an abandoned cabin in the woods. Her anger turns to fascination to something more when she realizes the true nature of the man living with the wild beast inside him.
Alexander will do whatever it takes to claim Elena as his mate but it may not matter either way. General Samson is returning in a few days to bring the polar bear shifter off to war and he’ll be parted from Elena forever. Or will he?
This is the third book of four in the paranormal bear shifter romance series: The Bear Shifters of Vega Ranch.
No Cliffhangers. HEA. 18+
Other Titles in the Series
Julius
Khan
Alexander
Hannibal
(Coming Soon)
one
”Wow,” Elena said, ducking her head to look up through the windshield of her rental car. “Those are some big fucking mountains.”
You couldn’t get more opposite than New York’s cityscape than what Elena was driving through at that moment. She was nestled deep within Montana’s spectacular scenery. She opened her mouth in awe at snow-capped mountains that were kissing the clouds, trees taller than some of New York’s skyscrapers, rivers that ran faster than Manhattan’s subway carts and not one hot dog cart in view. This is incredible.
It had been too long since she had left the city and too long since she had seen her older sister, Ava. Her sister had just married a hot guy named Julius and moved out to his family ranch in Montana. Elena was coming to meet her new brother-in-law and catch up with Ava.
She rolled down the window of the Lexus and breathed in the crisp mountain air as she flew down the long empty road. I can’t believe there are no cars around. You definitely need to leave the city more.
Elena was the top reporter at the top newspaper in New York: the New York Gazette. It was a high-stress job and it had been starting to weigh on her lately. There were so many talented up and comers trying to rip her out of her top spot and she constantly had to be on her A-game. She hadn’t been on a vacation in two years. This had been long overdue.
“This would be the life,” she whispered to herself as she hugged a curve in the road and a large lake covered with sparkling diamonds came into view. A couple was kayaking on the turquoise water, paddling lazily while drinking beers. A fishing rod, which was in charge of catching dinner, dragged behind the man’s kayak with a slack line.
Elena enjoyed the city but living in Big Sky Country would be a dream come true one day. Maybe in her retirement. She dreamt of taking long hikes, going canoeing, and of course writing those books that she had always wanted to write. She loved the excitement of being a reporter but her true passion in writing was always for books. She always wanted to be an author. She only took the reporter job for the cash.
And the cash was very good.
“Where is this place?” she muttered. She glanced down at her GPS and smiled as it showed that the Vega Ranch was only a few minutes away. She couldn’t wait to see her older sister Ava. They had always gotten along so well but she hardly ever saw her anymore. They lived on opposite sides of the country.
Elena pulled off the road onto a dirt path, passing a wooden sign that said: The Vega Ranch.
“Holy fuck!” she said out loud when the log mansion came into view. It belonged on a magazine cover or in a framed picture on the wall of a trendy coffee shop that she went to back home in the city. “Go Ava,” she whispered as she looked up at the towering windows and thick logs that made up the walls.
She pulled the car up to a stop and got out, turning in a circle to take in the stunning 360-degree views. Wow. When Ava had told her to that she moved onto a ranch in Montana she was thinking that she was living in an old rundown shack by the side of the road. She wasn’t prepared for this.
“Elena!” Ava squealed as she burst through the front door.
Uh oh. She was coming in hot. Elena closed her eyes and braced herself as Ava plowed into her, wrapping her arms around her in a tight bear hug.
“I’ve missed you so much!” Ava screamed.
“Me too!” Elena said, squirming out of her solid embrace. “But let’s not crush me before I unpack.”
“Sorry,” she said, smiling as she let Elena go. “You look great!”
“Look at you,” Elena said, looking her sister up and down. “Cowboy boots, jean shorts, checkered top. You’re really going all-in with this cowgirl thing.”
“I am a cowgirl now,” she said with a grin. “I even have my own horse: Mad Max.”
“Look at you go,” Elena said, feeling a tinge of envy. She’d always wanted her own horse too. “Where’s this hunky man of yours?”
Ava grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the front door. “Come, I’ll introduce you. And he’s got three hot brothers too.” She raised her eyebrow. “Two of them are single.”
“I’m listening,” Elena said with a smirk. A little vacation affair with a hot cowboy didn’t sound too bad.
“Well, two are single but one is probably off limits.” She lowered her voice. “He’s not so nice.”
Elena’s lips parted as they walked inside and she looked around. If they moved the furniture, the main living area was large enough to have a baseball game inside. There was an enormous stone fireplace and big comfy couches. The walls were all window, showing off the breathtaking views that the Vega Ranch had to offer.
“I can�
�t believe Montana,” Elena said, walking up to the windows. “It’s like Mother Nature gave all the beauty to her one kid, Montana, and left scraps for everyone else.”
“Wait until you see the rest of the ranch,” Ava said with a nod. “We can go out on horseback later and check it out.”
“Really?” Elena asked, feeling her pulse pick up speed. She had always loved horseback riding but she hadn’t been on a horse in years.
“Is that my new sister-in-law?” a voice called out from behind her.
Elena turned and gasped. That couldn’t be him. Could it?
Ava smiled as the hot blond man with the gorgeous smile and impossibly green eyes stepped beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Go Ava!
Her new brother-in-law was devilishly hot. She’d have to start coming to family dinners more often.
“Nice to meet you, Julius,” she said when she finally found her voice. “Sorry I couldn’t be at the wedding.”
“No worries,” Julius said. “We can reenact it for you after dinner. But I get to be the bride this time.”
Elena couldn’t tell if he was joking or not until Ava slapped his shoulder and chuckled.
Ava was always an optimist and one of those people that you just couldn’t bring down for long. Her bubbly personality always lifted her back up, but Elena had never seen her look so happy before. And why wouldn’t she be? She lived in a mountain paradise, with a hot husband, and she had her own horse! Elena was thrilled for her sister.
“You better be treating my sister well,” Elena said with a playful angry face. “Our daddy is not around anymore but I still have his old shotgun tucked away.”
“Oh, I like this one!” Hannibal said with a smile. “She’s been here for only two minutes and has already threatened to kill Julius. You’re welcome to stay here as long as you’d like.”
“I thought I was a writer,” Elena said, looking at all of Hannibal’s tattoos of his favorite passages on his skin. “You have literally made yourself into a book.”
Julius howled with laughter. “I told you they look stupid.”
“It only looks stupid to you because you can’t read,” Hannibal said, frowning at him.
“Julius can read,” Ava said, kissing her new husband on the cheek. “I saw him reading the back of the cereal box this morning.”
“Two more boxes and I get that decoder ring,” he said, pumping his fist.
Elena laughed. These guys were exactly Ava’s type. She always loved to joke around.
“As riveting as this conversation is,” Ava said, pulling her sister towards the door. “We haven’t seen each other in a long time and we have some catching up to do.”
“You have to go talk about me?” Julius asked with a grin.
“About us,” Hannibal said, smiling at Elena.
Ava chuckled as she pulled Elena away. “Just ignore them. I know it’s hard, like trying to ignore an annoying dog who’s humping your leg.”
They headed outside and Ava closed the door behind her. “Be careful what you say,” she whispered so low that Elena had to strain in order to hear her. “These guys can hear really, really well.”
Through a closed door?
They strolled over to the stables and Ava was bouncing around with excitement. “Look at you,” Elena said with a grin. “Surrounded by hot cowboys. You must have a ton of stories.”
Ava huffed out a breath. “You have no idea.”
A pretty woman sitting on the grass with another hot, muscular guy caught Elena’s eye. A cute young boy was trying to do cartwheels beside them but failing spectacularly. “Who is that?” Elena asked.
“Come,” Ava said, pulling her over. “I’ll introduce you.”
The couple smiled as the two sisters walked over. “Who are you?” the little boy asked.
“Elena,” she said. “Who are you?”
“Liam,” he answered as he sat down on the big guy’s lap. That must be his father. He had the same bright brown eyes and warm smile.
Ava introduced Elena to Bailey and Khan, telling her that they had just gotten married over the weekend.
“Two marriages in a month?” Elena asked. “Is there something in the water around here? I better watch myself.”
“Hannibal is looking for a wife if you’re interested,” Khan said. “It would really help us out.”
Bailey slapped his arm. “Will you shut up? She’s been here for five minutes and you’re already trying to marry her off.”
Khan just shrugged.
“We’re going riding,” Ava said, pulling Elena away.
Bailey waved. “Say hi to Mad Max for me. It was nice to meet you, Elena.”
Ava rambled on the rest of the way to the stables, barely taking a second to stop talking in order to breathe. Elena walked into the stables with wide eyes. There were so many beautiful horses.
“Hello,” she said, gently scratching the side of a beautiful brown horse’s face. He neighed in response.
“Ava,” a teenager boy said, running up to Elena’s sister. “The tractor won’t start again.”
“Sorry, Elena. Can you wait a few minutes while I go fix it?” Ava asked her. “The thing is always breaking down. I have to take apart the whole engine and put it back together properly one day.”
Elena smiled. Ava was always so good at repairs, just like their father. Who would have guessed that there was a talented mechanic hiding inside her?
Ava walked off with the young kid, leaving her alone with the dozen or so horses inside the stables. She smiled as she stood on her tippy toes and peeked in the stalls at the different horses.
“Gambit,” she said, reading the sign over a stall with a gorgeous brown horse inside. He looked a little too wild for her.
Elena stepped back when she felt the ground shaking. It sounded like a stampede of buffalo outside as the vibrations under her feet got stronger. What the hell?
She bit her bottom lip and stared at the entrance to the stables, feeling her heart ready to explode out of her chest. “Ava,” she whispered as the noise got louder.
An enormous black stallion with a shirtless rider on top burst through the door and skidded to a stop only a hair away from her face.
Holy fuck!
She gulped as she looked up the huge, heaving chest of the giant black stallion. She barely came up to its shiny black neck. He was breathing heavily with hot air shooting from his nostrils onto the top of her blonde head. She could feel the heat radiating off him.
Elena stepped back on shaky legs with her heart pounding. She slowly raised her eyes up the horse’s body to the rider on top.
Holy double fuck!
The man was enormous. And gorgeous too. His flexed forearms with the leather straps wrapped around them were thicker than her legs. He was shirtless, showing off his massive chest and ripped abs. Elena gulped as she continued to drag her eyes up his mountainous body. His face looked dark and cruel yet handsome, with fierce eyes that bored into her.
Elena stepped back and bumped into the fence behind her making Gambit the horse jump back with an irritated neigh.
“Who are you?” the man snapped in a deep booming voice that vibrated through her.
That was the question that was on her tongue. Who is this guy? He looked like he was straight out of a comic book with his huge frame, gorgeous face and muscular arms. He looked like he was born into the wrong century. He would have fit in ancient Rome perfectly, crushing skulls in a Gladiator arena or swinging a two-headed ax next to Attila the Hun.
“I’m Elena,” she said, her voice coming out shaky and broken. “I’m Ava’s sister. She invited me here to stay.” She glanced behind her at the empty stables. Where the heck is she?
“Another female?” he asked, glaring at her with his dark brown eyes. “Are you here to marry Hannibal?”
She jerked her head back. “Why does everyone keep asking me that?”
He just stared at her, making her uncomfortable.
“I’
m here to visit my sister.”
Elena couldn’t take her eyes off him. His shoulders were as round as boulders and looked just as hard. She always liked her guys big and rugged with an air of danger to them. This guy didn’t have an air of danger, he had a whole fucking sky.
“Too many fucking females,” he muttered.
“Hey!” Elena said, getting her firm voice back. He caught her off guard when he came barreling in through the door but Elena was no pushover. She was one of the top reporters in the country and lived by herself in New York City. She had visited war zones, interviewed drug kingpins and sat down to talk with serial killers. She could handle a bully like him. “That’s really fucking rude! I’m an invited guest staying here.”
He huffed out a breath and yanked the horse to the side. The giant stallion grunted as his head was jerked around.
“You weren’t invited by me,” he said as the horse turned towards the exit.
“Nice to meet you too, asshole,” Elena called out as the horse took off, disappearing in the direction that it came from.
Elena could feel her heart pounding as the sound of the black stallion’s hooves faded in the distance. Her body was tense and the hair on her arms were standing tall. The fucking nerve of that guy. She stepped to the side to watch him as the horse galloped away.
His rolling back muscles were jacked with a gleam of sweat on them as he rode away like an army was on his tail. Elena’s nerve endings were stirring and tingling as she watched him go. Don’t even think about it, Elena.
Against her better judgment, she had always been attracted to the dark, dangerous types. She always liked a challenge. This guy is not a challenge. He’s a disaster.
