Page 9 of My Forever Bear

I take a deep breath before diving into the most painful time of my life.

“Like I said, Finn and I shifted for the first time on our eighteenth birthday. It was scary as fuck, but we had each other,” I say as I give her a watery smile.Fuck. “My mom found out a week later about us being shifters and kicked us out of the house. Shifters in our area had gotten a bad rap. Everyone thought they were criminals and murderers.”

“Kiernan, I’m so sorry. Is that when you came here, to Cypress Valley?” Her voice is soft and comforting, giving me the strength to keep going.

“Not quite. We'd found a pack of nomad bears living on the outskirts of the city. They offered to take us in. We ran with them for a few years until they started to get more aggressive. Finn and I made a plan to leave, but before we could run, Finn wound up dead.”

I hear her suck in a sharp inhale. “H-how?”

“One rainy night five years ago, Finn got roped into a brawl with one of the other members. The guy seemed shady as fuck, but Finn was too hotheaded, so I couldn’t talk him out of fighting. The guy was feral after being a nomad for so long. His bear became aggressive and uncontrollable, going in for the kill while Finn’s bear had his back turned.”

I look up from where I’m clutching her hand on the table. My heart thundering in my chest. Tears slowly track down her face and her bottom lip wobbles.

A cold sweat breaks out on my skin, my voice turning hushed as I tell her about the worst night of my life. “I still remember the life fading out of Finn’s eyes as I held him. I clutched his lifeless body until his skin grew cold. One of the older pack members had to drag me away screaming. Eventually, I passed out.”

I don’t realize I’m crying until her warm body is in my lap and her dainty arms are wrapped around my neck. She buries her face in my neck and sniffles.

“Kiernan, I’m so sorry. I wish I could do something to make it better.”

Using my finger, I tip her chin up to look at me. Staring deep into her red-rimmed eyes, I confess, “You being here, in my arms, is exactly what I need, Lilac.”

A slight shiver rushes through her small body. She gives me a weak smile and asks, “What happened to the guy who killed Finn?”

“The other bear fled before I could rip him apart. I spent a rage fueled week searching for him, but he never turned up. Later, I found out the pack disbanded after Finn’s death.”

“What about the police? Wouldn’t they help you?”

“Ha,” I let out a dry chuckle, “Baby, law enforcement won't lift a finger when it comes to shifters, especially shifter on shifter violence.”

“So, what did you do?” Her slender fingers caress the hair at the nape of my neck. Having her in my arms makes the ache in my chest bearable.

“I wasn’t in a good head space. I was all alone, not wanting to face reality anymore. I figured I could let my bear loose in the woods and let my consciousness wither away until it was just him.”

“Oh, Kiernan, no.” She gasps as her brows furrow. Lifting my hand, I run a soft finger over the wrinkles, smoothing her delicate brows back in place.

“I packed my camping gear and walked into the woods off the Cypress Valley Trail, near where I found you. Reese stumbled upon me after I’d been out there for a week on my own. He saved my life.” I huff a weak laugh. “He offered me a safe haven and time to grieve for Finn. All he asked in return was some manual labor. I’ve been here ever since.”

“I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that alone, and at such a young age,” she says softly.

Circling my arms around her, I let my eyes search her face. She looks exhausted. Her blinks are becoming longer and her eyelids are beginning to droop.

“Sorry. This conversation got a little heavier than I wanted. Ya know, Finn would have loved you,” I chuckle. A pretty pink blush creeps up her neck and chest. Man, I wonder how far down her chest that blush goes. My dick hardens in my jeans at the thought of seeing her naked and spread out on the kitchen island. My tongue tracing a path over her flushed skin.

She clears her throat and jolts to a stand. Ah, shit, did she feel my hard-on?

Taking a deep breath, I focus on something not sexy, willing my cock to soften. Busying my hands, I stack her bowl in mine. I drop them in the sink… tomorrow's problem. I turn back toward her and extend my hand. “Let's get you to bed.”

She hesitantly slides her hand in mine, following me around the island into the living room. She drops my hand and points awkwardly over at the couch. “Well, um, I guess I'll see you in the morning.”

It takes my brain a second to get over how damn cute she is when she's nervous and realize she intends to sleep on the couch. Not on my watch.

Stomping over to her, I invade her space. “Wren, I'll be damned if you're sleeping on the couch.”

“Why? It's plenty big for me. No way would you fit on itandsleep comfortably.” She stomps a foot to emphasize her point.Brat.

I don't tell her how I won't be sleeping well, anyway, not with her so close, her lilac scent invading my home. I'll be too distracted to get a wink of shut eye. I'll probably have to go jerk off in the shower just to get my dick to calm down.

As I look over at her again, she stifles a sizable yawn and reaches for the fuzzy blanket on the couch. I sigh, watching her sway on her feet. She's exhausted, and she does make a valid argument.

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