Chloe
Chloe only has four days left in Montana before they leave. She’s barely spent any real time with Danielle, who has taken up hiking with Levi and horseback riding with Gunner. Chloe has instead spent it with a man who’s out of her league. Who’s troubled and a little bit broken. And who she wants to be with more than anything.
It’s hard to think that when she leaves, she’ll never see him again. She’s never felt as cared for or as adored as she does when she’s with Axel. She doesn’t care about what happened with Maury. It doesn’t change how she feels about Axel. Maybe even makes her like him a little bit more. He’s so trusting, so damn caring. He would take care of any person he sees, not for recognition, but because it’s the right thing to do. She’s falling for him, hard.
She thinks he feels the same. That the way he looks at her really is special. When he holds her and kisses her like she’s precious, it shows that he reallydoes care about her. They have yet to talk about her impending departure. She knows it’s coming, but what can they say, really? Her life is in NYC, his is in Montana. This has been a vacation fling, nothing more...right?
Chloe decides to go for a walk. She doesn’t want to bother Axel right now, he’s working and needs to focus on his business, not on a curvy accountant who’s in too deep. The walk is calming. She chooses a new trail without looking at the map, which isn’t too smart, but she tells herself to focus enough to stay on the trail. There are wildflowers here and there. She picks them and thinks she’ll make a bouquet for Axel to put in his office. Everyone deserves flowers.
She’s been gone about two hours, making her way slowly forward along the trail. Taking her time to stop and rest. Relaxing on big rocks and picking flowers as she goes. It’s peaceful, nice, and quiet. She loves it.
There’s a sound, like chirping but different than any bird she’s ever heard. She ignores it, continuing to move forward till the sound gets louder. She looks all around, there are no birds, no squirrels, no movement in the trees. She freezes, her heart beating harder in her chest. There should be birds, there are always birds. A growl comes from behind her, and she sees a mountain lion prowling towards her. It’s slow and careful, but its eyes are locked on hers, and she can’t look away. Her brain scrambles to think of anything she’s read about encountering a mountain lion and comes up blank.
She walks herself backwards slowly before tripping and falling on her ass. Her mostly healed ankle throbs from the fall. The mountain lion comes closer. It screams, mouth opening so she can see the sharpteeth. She crawls backwards till she hits a tree, she has nowhere to go. She knows she can’t outrun it. Even without her bum ankle, she wouldn’t have a chance. The feeling of vomit rises in her throat. Will this be how she dies? Ripped apart by a mountain lion? Or will it just maim her terribly? The last thought in her head is that she didn’t get to tell Axel goodbye.
There’s a roar, terrible and loud, before a grizzly barrels straight into the side of the mountain lion, sending it into a tree. The mountain lion is up in an instant, pouncing and slashing at the bear. She can’t move, it’s too much. She thought there was a possibility of surviving a mountain lion attack, but she knows there will be no surviving a grizzly attack. And that’s what it is, a huge fucking grizzly bear. It must weigh six hundred pounds with dark golden fur and long claws on its paws.
Its head swings towards her for a moment, she’s been spotted. She’s frozen, rooted to the spot. She wills herself to move, to let their fight be a deterrent from eating her so she can escape. At least get back down the trail for help. But she sits there helpless.
They battle, it’s the only word for it. Swiping and snapping at each other. She thought the mountain lion would take the bear easily, but it holds its own. Swinging at the bear’s shoulder so hard that it roars in pain. The bear clasps it in its jaws and tosses it. The mountain lion doesn’t get right up. It struggles to stand, and when it finally does, it lopes off.
Now the bear will come for her. It swings its big head around and looks at her. Its eyes are gold and they meet hers head on. It comes forward slowly, and she scrabbles back against the tree.
“Stop! Don’t come any closer,” she grabs a broken tree branch and waves it at the bear. It continues to walk towards her when she feels the panic take over. Before, she was scared. Scared of the mountain lion, scared of the bear. Now, as it moves towards her, the fear becomes panic. She can feel the anxiety and starts to hyperventilate. This is how she will die, being eaten by a bear during a panic attack.
As she watches, the bear stands on its hind legs. It’s strong and so very tall. It’s beautiful in its power. Towering above her. Her breath hitches in her throat as it begins to change. Body growing leaner, hair receding, bones cracking. Till she sees the face morph, gone is the face of a grizzly bear, replaced by Axel. Axel, her Axel. The man she’s most definitely falling for. Has just transformed from a bear to a very naked man. She presses her palms to her eyes. The panic is still there, it hasn’t receded. And now she’s hallucinating. The bear is still there, not Axel, and she’s going to die.
“Chloe, Chloe. Look at me.” There’s a warm hand circling her wrist and tugging gently. She lets her one hand fall, then the other. It’s Axel. He looks wild, hair a mess, and blown out golden eyes.
“No, no, no. Axel, you have to get out of here. There’s a bear. Axel, we have to go.”
“Chloe, it’s ok, come here.”
He pulls her gently into his arms, and she climbs into his lap. She buries her face in his neck as he rubs her back slowly.
“Don’t be scared, ok? I’ve got you.”
She takes comfort in it. Axel is here with her. He’s holding her, protecting her. She’s safe. Her breathing slows, and the panic dissipates.
“The bear, where’d it go?”
When he doesn’t answer, she pulls back to look at him. His brows are furrowed, and he looks like he’s thinking.
“What did you see?”
She thinks for a moment. The mountain lion was coming towards her, then a bear appeared, the bear and mountain lion fought, and the bear won. Then...then, then the bear transformed into Axel. But that’s not possible. A bear can’t just become a human.
She must have voiced some of this out loud because Axel is looking her over.
“It’s true, I was the bear. I’m a shifter.”
His golden eyes are locked on hers as she takes a shuddering breath. It’s not possible, not physically possible.
“What are you?” she pulls back, and hurt flashes across his face.
“I’m me. I’m...my family, we’re bear shifters. We can transform into bears at will.” His face is serious, “I’d never hurt you. You’re my...you’re special to me.” He brushes her hair back from her face, and she leans into the touch. He’s soft and warm, just how he was before he transformed into a bear. She kisses his palm, and he pulls her back fully into his lap. Stroking her cheek and turning her face up to his, he kisses her. Long and deep till they’re both panting.
“We should go. I’m...I’m naked.” He blushes high up on his cheeks, and her eyes roam his chest. She wants to flick her eyes down, take in his manhood that she can feel hard and pressing into her hip as she sits sideways in his lap. But he’s shy, and she doesn’t peek at his nakedness when he's shifted to protect her.
