AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Me too.” Clarissa grinned, her features warm and inviting—not what Alani had expected at all. “I just moved to town a few months ago. It’s a bit crazy; finding out some bear is your soulmate. Just let me know if you need anything. I’m always available to talk.”
“Thank you,” she said, trying to sound as genuine as possible. Her voice wavered somewhat, but Alani didn’t want to seem ungrateful or frightened. Because she wasn’t. It was just a lot to take in. “I appreciate it.”
Ivo returned to her side moments later, wrapping an oversized sweater around her shoulders. He had slipped into a pair of slightly too small track pants, and just as she was about to comment on how well they framed his… package, a clapping sound silenced her. It sounded so crass, so out of place, as each beat bounced off the walls and reverberated back to her. Alani whirled around on the spot as Clarissa held her toddler tighter to her.
“Well,” one of the rams from before sneered, naked and in his human form. Behind him, nearly a dozen big rams mounted the stone plateau at the mouth of the cave, and from the looks of it, there were more on the way. “Isn’t this so touching and sweet? Never knew bear brutes had it in them.”
“I’m going to give you one opportunity to leave, ram,” Miguel warned as Ivo tugged Alani behind him. She peered around his bare torso, anxiety mounting as more and more rams shuffled out of the treeline and into view.
There were more than she had seen when they captured her—way more. Too many. She clutched Ivo’s arm, barely noticing the way her nails bit into his skin. Did this cave have an exit? If not, they were trapped—just a bunch of sitting ducks. Bears. Whatever.
“Is that supposed to scare me?” the ram demanded with a harsh, barking sort of laugh. The kind that was forced and cruel. “We’re here to take, bear. Our clan is built for this terrain. Therefore, we have claims to the entire mountain range. Bears belong in the trees, not the mountains.”
“Our clan has lived here for centuries,” Miguel snarled, and Alani felt Ivo tensing beneath her hand. Someone touched her shoulder, the contact making her jump. Clarissa pressed a finger to her lips and then beckoned for Alani to follow her back toward the crowd. Already other males were inching forward, headed to the front of the cave to meet the threat. Alani didn’t want to leave Ivo’s side, not for a second, but she had promised him she would find a way to stay safe.
“And one of your clan severely injured our Beta ram,” another ram shouted. “The bear Ivo Ames is a savage, and we demand justice.”
“You kidnapped my mate,” Ivo fired back, his voice more animalistic than Alani had ever heard. She gave his arm a squeeze before slipping back to join Clarissa behind the males, adrenaline pounding through her system and making her legs a little wobbly. “I should have killed your fucking Beta.”
A rumble of agreement passed through the bear clan.
“So be it,” the ram shouted, words echoing deep into the cave. “We were willing to let the females and cubs escape, but for that, you will all… die.”
