Page 18 of Bear Facts

The surprising lie rolled easily from her lips. Shane made sure nothing flickered on his face to give it away, but Ewan wasn’t fooled. Shifters had difficulty lying—scent betrayed them.

“Hold on,” Ewan began.

“You want to Challenge?” Shane asked before Ewan could tell Althea that Freya was full of it. “Would be fun.”

“He’s not—” Ewan tried again.

“Her mate, no,” Shane finished. “I wish. But if you don’t believe her, you can scent her on me. Or will when I’m in your face, rearranging it for you.”

“I’m not afraid of a bear,” Ewan declared.

“You should be.” Shane lost his grin, bringing on the air of danger that was never far from a grizzly. “You haven’t fought one before, have you?”

Ewan sneered, but Shane had his answer in Ewan’s sudden trepidation. No, he hadn’t.

Althea ignored them both, her attention all for Freya. “Who else knows of this appointment?” Her question was deadly cold.

“No one,” Freya said quickly. “I promise you. I didn’t even tell him.” She jerked her chin at Shane. “He followed me.”

Which was the absolute truth.

“I figured she was in a hurry to get to something dangerous,” Shane said to Althea. “Looks like I was right.”

“Dangerous for you,” Althea said to Shane. “I have a choice now, you see. Kill you or recruit you. I could always use another Shifter.”

“Tranqing me and leaving me in the woods is out then?” Shane asked. “That was going to be my favorite option.”

“You already know too much about us,” Althea said. “My organization isn’t a deadly secret, but I’d rather not have people harassing me.”

“Murdering Shifters won’t keep folks from your doorstep,” Shane pointed out. “I mentioned my mom.”

“Yes.” Althea’s voice was colder than the winter air. “Touching.”

“Plus, my brother and stepdad and every other Shifter in the Vegas Shiftertown,” Shane went on calmly. “A lot of heat for you.”

“No one will know what happened.” Althea’s confidence made Shane suspect she’d disposed of unwanted Shifters before. “But I want it to be Freya’s choice, not mine.”

Shane wondered why. Testing her, maybe. What was Freya doing, anyway? Trying to join Althea’s team?

“Bet you wish you’d given her more presents,” Ewan sniggered to Shane.

“How about you dump this loudmouth?” Shane suggested to Althea, jerking a thumb at Ewan. “I could beat him to a pulp for you.”

That provoked a laugh from Ewan. “Sure, Ursine. I’m not afraid of a tamed Shifter with a Collar. He tries any aggression with me, and that Collar will shock the hell out of him,” he added to Althea.

“So I’ve heard.” Althea trained her gaze on Shane. “Why don’t you and Ewan give us a demonstration? That is, if Freya agrees.”

Freya watched all this with a blank expression, but Shane sensed her quickened breath and rising body temperature, despite the dozen feet that separated them. He’d deliberately put himself between her and Ewan, not wanting the Feline to read her. The guys with weapons thought they’d guided Shane to this exact spot, but it had really been the other way around.

“It’s okay, babe,” Shane told Freya. “I can take this shithead.”

He tried to convey his assurance to her, which wasn’t feigned. Shane had been dealing with Graham’s near-feral wolves and other disgruntled Shifters for years. Today’s skirmish had been annoying but not unusual. Someone was always scheming to take out Eric or Graham and be leader in their place.

Not to mention the wrestling sessions Shane had been doing with Cormac. Cormac was a skilled fighter, and he’d been teaching Shane and Brody all he knew.

Freya was studying Shane. Shane liked her eyes, the golden highlights holding secrets he wanted to learn.

Would Freya coolly say she didn’t care if the two male Shifters killed each other, or would she wonder in vicious glee who would win? Or be afraid for Shane, her supposed ex?

---