The hairs on the back of Rosie's neck stood up- she had never seen such a display of strength and power before, of pure, animal determination and desperation. She stared, mesmerized, as the bear tore the wolves from it's body, hurling them to the ground, slamming a heavy paw against them as it let out another, blood-curdling roar. The wolf that had been on it's back lay, whimpering, below the creature as it rained blow after blow down on it's head. Rosie had never seen a reaction like that one before, not in nature, and she began to wonder if this bear was more human than she had initially thought.
At once, the wolves seemed to silently communicate amongst themselves, and tore off in Rosie's direction- the bear went to pursue them, but instead fell on to it's four paws once again, exhausted. Rosie pressed her back against the rock, holding her breath, as the wolves tore past her- either they didn’t see her or they were too afraid of the bear to care, as none of them gave her a second look. The one who had been on the ground was limping badly, trailing behind the rest of the pack, and Rosie felt a leap of vindication in her chest as it stuttered by. That’s what you get for trying to fuck up Dina's life.
She waited a few moments before she moved- she wanted to be sure that the wolves weren't doubling back on her-and stepped out from behind the rock. She was determined to get a better look at this bear, to figure out why it seemed so familiar to her- but by the time she had snuck out of her hiding space, the bear was gone. And it's in place was a naked, shivering, bleeding Win.
"Win?" Rosie yelled over the wind, her brain feeling as if it was about to collapse in on itself.
"Rosie!" Win turned to her, and held his hands out. "Stay back, I don't want you getting my scent on you."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Rosie demanded. Even with everything she'd just seen, her brain still hadn't quite made the connection yet. "Where's the bear that was-"
And then it clicked. Win. Win was the bear. Win, who couldn't even do his shirt up right, was a fucking shifter, a ferocious bear who'd just fought an entire pack of wolves and sent them running. Rosie's jaw dropped.
"That was you!" She yelled, as Win did his best to cover his modesty, hurrying to a set of rocks behind which he had hidden his clothes. She wanted to go to him, but part of her was admittedly scared- if there was one thing she had never expected from this man, it was a secret animal identity. She felt betrayed, almost- just when she had started to feel safe around him, to trust a man for the first time in forever, and he turns out to be some kind of animal in disguise.
"I'm sorry I didn’t tell you, but we've got to get back to the hotel now. I don't know when they'll be back, and I don't want you out here when they do." He pulled on his jeans and shirt, and hurried over to her.
"What happened? Why were you out here by yourself?" She had so many questions, even though she knew he was right and that they needed to get themselves to safety as soon as they could. He put an arm around her waist, and began leading her back up the path- but he was limping heavily, and bleeding profusely from cuts on his neck and back. Rosie looped an arm under his, taking as much of his weight as she could manage, and pressed a hand against his chest.
"Whoa, whoa, I've got you," she murmured, and he leaned on her, wincing.
"I'll be okay in a minute, I just haven't healed yet," he shook his head.
"Healed?" Rosie's brain worked overtime, until she remembered Rick. "Shit! Is healing a shifter thing? Is Rick a shifter too?"
"We all are," Win winced, squeezing his eyes shut to deal with the rush of pain. "Please, I'll explain everything. We just need to get back to the hotel for now."
"Promise me?"
"Huh?"
"Promise me you'll tell me the truth." For some reason, Rosie felt this sudden overwhelming fear that he would lie to her- maybe it was just the adrenalin mixed with the flutter of chemistry she'd felt between them before, but she needed to know she could trust him.
"Of course I will," he grimaced, pressing a hand against his neck to stem the bleeding. "Now, can we go?"
The two of them made good time back to the hotel, their ears pricked for the sound of approaching wolves as they half-ran across the cliffs. As they came over the hill that lay just South of the hotel, Rosie saw Dina standing in one of the plate glass doors- she had her fingers in her mouth, her brow furrowed, and a wave of relief passed over her face as soon as she saw them.
"They're here!" She yelled, running out to help Rosie with Win. Rosie could see the rest of the groomsmen and bridesmaids inside, and welcomed the hit of heat and dryness as soon as she crossed the threshold.
"Fuck, Win, are you okay?" Rick scrambled to his feet, reaching out to support Win who looked like he was on the brink of keeling over.
"I'll be fine," he brushed his help away, and collapsed into one of the seats that edged the walls of the room. He turned to Dina. "Sorry if I get blood on the furniture."
"I don't give a shit, as long as the two of you are alright," Dina shook her head. "What happened?"
"I smelt them, so I went down to the caves and- there were more than I expected. I think they managed to get away from the rest of our lot, so they came after me because I was by myself." Win explained, wincing as Dina darted forward to fuss over his wounds.
"Well, that's the last time any of us leave this place with no-one else," Rick frowned. "In fact, I think that's the last time any of us leave this place, period."
"What are you saying?" Rosie asked, her arm still tucked around Win. It was comforting, having him so close to her, and she didn't want to let go of him yet.
"They come to us. We've got the higher ground- they'll have to attack the hotel, and we can fight them off from in here. Put us all in less danger, too, if we stay together," he pointed out, and there was a murmur of agreement.
"Sounds good," Win nodded, and Rosie was stunned to see that his wounds were already beginning to knit together, leaving only a few speckles of blood on his skin.
"How are you-?" She began, but Win cut her off.
"In the meantime, I need to change and shower and get some rest. Can we do a lookout in shifts? I'll take the next one." He suggested determinedly, and Rick nodded.
"Yeah, go, I'll cover first watch. Look after yourself, alright?"
Rick slapped Win on the shoulder, and nudged him towards the stairs. Win turned over his shoulder, and held his hand out to Rosie.
"I think I've got some explaining to do, as well," he commented, and Rosie took a few steps towards him. "If you'll allow me?"
"If you keep your promise," she shot back, and he grinned.
"Of course."
Win strode up the stairs, and Rosie had to take long strides to keep up with him.
"Feeling better, I see?" She commented, marveling at how the wounds had vanished from his neck and his back.
"Yeah, I am. But that means those wolves will too." He pointed out.
"Do you think they'll come back?"
"For sure. They've got us rattled, and even if we managed to chase them off once, we're stuck on this island for now." He grimaced, pulling his keys from his pocket and unlocking the door. "After you."
Rosie brushed by him into the room, and their sudden proximity sent a shiver up her spine. Seeing him in his bear form- it was so different, so powerful, compared to the quiet, gentle man she'd met that morning.
He sat down on his bed, and ran his fingers through his hair.
"So, what do you want to know?" He spread his hands out, and offered her a smile.
"Um…" Rosie mind suddenly went blank. She had been so full of questions back when she'd first seen him, but she couldn't think of one now that she was confronted with the opportunity to have them answered. She remembered what he'd said as they'd been leaving- we all are. That needed some explaining, to start with.
"What did you mean when you said "we all are?"" She asked, standing awkwardly next to the door, not wanting to sit next to him on the bed for fear of sending the wrong message.
"The groomsmen. We
're all…bear shifters. I know that sounds ridiculous, but it's the truth."
Rosie's eyebrows shot under her fringe.
"Does Dina know?"
"Not that we know of, but she's smart. It wouldn't surprise me if she's figured it out." He glanced out the window as the wind picked up, shaking the glass and whipping the rain hard against the hotel.
Rosie remembered what Dina had said as she'd been trying to leave- they have this under control. Yeah, Dina probably knew. It didn't seem like the sort of thing that would pass her by.
"When did you…when did all this start for you?" She began, not sure what the right way to phrase her question was. It was difficult; she didn't want to come off as insensitive, but then, she had so many questions, and no better time to get them answered.
"Puberty," he shrugged. "It's when it happens for most of us."
"Does it just turn up, or…?"
"My uncle had it, so it probably runs in the family." The calmness with which he was answering her questions was putting her at ease, and she found herself drifting closer to him, perching on the edge of the bed.
"How does it affect your life? Or, I mean, does it?"
"Of course it does," he grinned, a tinge of sadness to his smile. "Not many people know about it- it tends to scare them, especially because, you know, I'm a giant fucking bear sometimes and people assume that I'm going to be out of control and hurt them."
"Have you ever? Hurt anyone, that is?" She moved a little closer to him. This was the question she wanted answered- she found herself drawn to him, and the last thing she needed after getting that badly hurt in a relationship was to get actually, physically hurt in her next one.
He shook his head.
"It's hard to explain, but I am in control when I'm like that. I'm not fully me, but I can recognize the stuff that I should and shouldn't do. What you saw- I never use shifting like that except when my life's in danger."
"You say it like it's happened before," she breathed, looking at him intently. He glanced away, as if she'd hit a sore spot.
"Once. I was out with my ex- my fiancée- and some guys started on us at a bar. They followed us out to the car, and one of them pulled a knife, so…" he shrugged. "I didn't hurt anything of them, but I scared them away pretty good. And terrified the living fuck out of my girlfriend."
"Did she not know about it?" Rosie cocked her head at him.
"No, she knew, she just hadn't seen it before," he explained, a flash of pain passing across his face. "I think that's part of the reason she cheated on me, in the end. She couldn't bear the thought of having kids that were like me, kids that she could be scared of."
"And you think…?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "Not that I'd ever tell anyone that. It's not the kind of thing people want to hear- yeah, she cheated on me, but then I'm a bear sometimes, so I guess it balances out."
"That's really…" she searched for the words, but they escaped her. "I don't know. That doesn't seem fair."
"I guess it doesn't really come down to what's fair and what isn't," he pointed out. "You know that. It happened to you."
Rosie frowned, and it was her turn to look away, hoping to hide the discomfort she felt at his words. Not because he was reminding her of one of the hardest experiences of her life- but because what happened to her seemed so pathetic in comparison to what happened to him.
"My ex cheated on me because I was shitty at relationships, not because one of us was a bear," she parried. "It doesn't measure up. You couldn't help it, I could."
"No, he's the one who could help it," Win shot back. "You've got nothing to do with it. Some people are just built that way, no matter how good the relationship is."
"I guess," she shrugged, trying to brush off the comment. It was almost habit now, trying to avoid conversations on the topic of her ex-boyfriend, but for the first time, there, then, it didn't actually hurt.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to rake it up," he apologized softly, moving to put an arm around her.
"No, it's fine," she replied, actually meaning it. "Seriously. I don't care about what he did any more."
"Really?"
"You're right. It's stupid to get hung up on the crap he did when it had nothing to do with me, especially when…" she gestured towards him without thinking, and then blushed. "Fuck, I didn't mean-"
She was suddenly very aware of the weight of his arm around her shoulders, how close they were sitting on the bed.
"I really don't mind if that is what you mean," Win answered, his voice gentle. For the first time since she'd sat down on the bed, Rosie looked at him- really looked at him- and found a warmth spreading out across her chest. Refusing to give her brain any more time to overthink what she was about to do, she leant forward, and kissed him on the cheek. She felt his stubble up against her skin, the roughness of it, and lingered there for a moment before she leaned back.
"I think I'd like that," she murmured, and, just like that, Win was on top of her.
It had been so long since she'd felt the weight of a guy on her- the heat of him, the closeness- that it almost took her by surprise. He was rough and quick and needy, slipping an arm around her waist and pressing her down on to the bed in one swift motion. His mouth found her's quickly, and she felt as if her heart was going to punch straight through her chest when she felt his tongue slip past her lips. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt wanted like this, desired so potently. She tentatively placed her hands on his back, and pulled him closer, marveling at the feeling of the muscles beneath his shirt. She had never thought- never, in a million years- that she would actually feel good enough about herself, about everything, to hook up with someone at this wedding, but in that moment, she wanted nothing more than to feel him inside her. She practically blushed at her own thoughts- with Jacob, she had never found herself so consumed by lust, so utterly taken over by her need to have him, but with Win, she could barely wait. He pulled back, ran a hand through his hair, and closed and opened his eyes, as if trying to clear his head.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
Before he had a chance to continue down that line of questioning, Rosie had yanked him back down, kissing him with a fervor. She didn't know how much time they had, and she knew she needed relief- taking his hand, she slid it up her shirt, his cool fingers skimming across her breasts and making her gasp.
"Okay," he grinned, his breath coming a little short, as he quickly unbuttoned her shirt and pulled it apart. She had small breasts, and was glad she had chosen that day not to wear a bra. Any extra fabric between them felt rather extraneous to circumstances. His hands were deft and quick, feeling as if they were everywhere at once as they moved across her torso, down her belly and towards her pants.
"Take off your shirt," Rosie panted, surprised by her own forwardness, but he quickly did as he was told. She realized that ever since she'd seen him there- naked, bloodied, still somehow as powerful as he was in his bear form- she'd wanted to get her hands all over him. He sat up on top of her and threw his shirt aside, and she ran a hand from his neck all the way down to his jeans.
"Stay like that," she ordered, and slid out from underneath him, drawing her legs up coyly so that she was in front of him. He looked down at her, one eyebrow cocked, as he tried to figure out what she was going to do next.
Edward (BBW Western Bear Shifter Romance) (Rodeo Bears Book 1) Page 44
