But I’d onlyheardabout unintentional turns. Those were things that happened to other shifters—ones way more impulsive and far less responsible than me.
I couldn’t believe my bear had not only lost control like that but had also completely blacked me out. As if he’d intentionally decided to act behind my back.
Do something truly terrible behind my back.But my bear would never...
The sight of my brown hat lying in the snow, alongside my boots and the shredded remnants of my clothes, told me he had, though.
Among the scraps, something red stood out—something other than my jacket. A scarf.
It was hers. I didn’t know how I knew that, but I did. This scarf belonged to the woman my bear had built the nest for—despite everything I’d sworn after Ash chose my brother over me.
Kneeling, I picked it up and brushed snow from the fabric. The moment I touched it, the scent hit me: sweet and warm, like caramel dipped in chocolate.
Flashes of memory followed: blood, chocolate, maple, cognac. Teeth sinking into flesh.“Don’t fight it,”a gravelly voice advised.
I blinked hard, trying to make sense of the jagged images. But they slipped away, leaving behind emotions I couldn’t reconcile. Or shake.
MATE! OURS!My bear growled low in my chest, a primal claim that made me clutch the scarf even tighter.
The thought of my bear claiming a mate behind my back unsettled me—almost as much as the possessive growl I couldn’t suppress.
“Memories coming back to you, hugrrh?” Twin asked behind me.
Yes and no.
“I’ve got to get to the station,” I muttered, brushing past the red grizzly without explanation.
What explanation was there to give? I couldn’t remember enough to make sense of anything, and the fragments I did recall only confused me more.
What the hell did my bear do?The question echoed in my head as I made my way down main street to the station.
Despite the too-large boots and my blanket toga, I crossed the distance in record time.
Unease coiled tighter in my gut when I spotted the bright red rental car with Vancouver plates parked outside the RCMP detachment. Pulse racing, a cold prickle climbed up my spine. This wasn’t good. The bear had definitely done something—something I would never approve of.
Hand frozen on the door handle, alarm bells blared at me to stay outside as my chest tightened, possibilities racing through my mind—each worse than the last. But I was the chief officer of Bear Mountain. Running from responsibility wasn’t an option. Even when my brother claimed the life that should have been mine, I’d stayed at the post I’d sworn to maintain.
I took a breath, steadying myself, and pushed the door open.
And immediately wished I hadn’t.
The scent hit first—maple, cognac, and that unmistakable chocolate-caramel warmth. It was overwhelming, filling every corner of the space, like it had been waiting for me.
But it wasn’t the scent that made my stomach drop.
It was the sight of what was happening inside the station’s holding cell, illuminated under harsh fluorescent lights.
And that was when the events of last night all came flooding black to me. Like a frigging Celine Dion song.
Every. Single. Moment.
8/
you are definitely my human
less than an hour earlier…
holly
