Page 181 of The Cowbears of Curvy Bear Ranch

She roared as the sparse hair on her hands thickened and grew to cover her skin. The pads on her fingers stretched and hardened to form huge paws complete with razor-sharpclaws.

As she dropped to all fours, she tried to find Hank. He stood several paces away with his mouth hanging open and an expression of total shock on his face. She wanted to scream at him to run. He wouldn’t be safe once she’d completely transformed into a bear. She had no idea what she’d do. Would she try to attack him? Tear him limbfromlimb?

Please,getaway.

“Carol?” Instead of running, he took a steptowardher.

Roar!

“Honey, you need tocalmdown.”

Calm down? What the hell did he know about morphing into a thousand-pound grizzly bear? And why wasn’t he scared? Was he a completemoron?

“I know you’re upset right now, but I need you to come back to me so we can talk this out.” He inchedcloser.

What in the hell was hedoing?

“I had no idea you were one of us,”hesaid.

Us?

“I can’t imagine you’ve had a lot of practice shifting in the city. Do you know how toturnback?”

How couldheknow?

“Honey, I’m going to come over and pet you, okay? That might help youshiftback.”

As he approached, she sat back on her haunches and chuffed. Confused, she cocked her head to one side and studied him. He didn’t seem scaredatall.

“Sniff me.” He stopped several steps away and held outhishand.

She lowered her head and inhaled his woodsy aroma. As she brushed her nose across his hand, he reached out and scratched this side of her neck. A low rumble of pleasure tumbled up from her chest. When he moved to stroke the side of her, she turned to look at him. A soft smile spread acrosshisface.

“I wish you’d told me. That would have explained a lot about… well,alot.”

She huffed. How could she know that he was aware that some humans transformed into bears? She couldn’t ask him in her current state, so she told her bear to get back in her chest. It seemed to live there. For years, she’d felt that strange clawing sensation but had chalked it up to heartburn. Now she knew the truth, and apparently, sodidhe.

“Okay. If you won’t shift, then I will.” He sighed and backed up afewfeet.

Her eyes went wide as his body twisted and snapped, morphing into a grizzly bear almost twice the size of her. She chuffed and transferred her weight from paw to paw as excitement coursed through her veins. Her bear roared inapproval.

He’sourmate!

For the first time in her life, she listened to that strange little voice that always seemed to pop up when she was stressed out. Had it been the voice of her bear all this time? She’d been ignoring the poor creature for twenty-nine years; no wonder the animal wasfrustrated.

Unsure of what to do next, she walked over to Hank and brushed her cheek against his face. He returned her affection by nuzzling her neck. She looked into his dark brown eyes and smiled. Finally, she’d found someone who could explain all of thistoher.

A sense of calm diffused the tension in her muscles. She recognized the retreat of her bear a second before her body started to change. Hank also shifted back to his human form. When he finished, she couldn’t stop staring at the ripples of hard muscle on his abs. His thick thighs showed off every pound of perfectly defined masculine power. She tried to avert her gaze from his rigid cock, but she couldn’t help taking aquickpeek.

“It’s hell on the clothing budget.” Hegrinned.

“You’reabear.”

“Yep. Apparently you are too. I hadnoidea.”

“I never knew I could transform until a few days ago,”shesaid.

“No one evertoldyou?”

---