Spirit Bear

She never thought she would love again…and then he appeared in her life.

Rescued alive, but not whole…

Laura is a white wolf shifter far from home and out of her element. She’s been held prisoner for years by those who would use her power for their evil purposes, but she’s held strong against them and lived to tell the tale. But she’s lost everything in the process—her mate, her baby girl, her zeal for living. He baby is a grown woman now, and Laura is overjoyed to be reunited with her only child, but questions remain.

Is he her friend, or warden?

Tasked by the Alpha of his Clan to watch over Laura’s recovery, Gus feels especially drawn to the injured woman. He is a rare spirit bear shifter who walks the shaman’s path. Considered spooky by most of his friends, Gus finds acceptance and welcome from Laura that he cannot resist. The questions bothers him - and his Alpha - was her escape too easy? Has she been delivered into their midst as some kind of living Trojan Horse?

How can he be her true mate?

Laura begins to realize that the so-called mate she’d had years ago may not have been her one, true mate. Her attraction to Gus is too strong to be denied and she feels things for him that she never felt with her baby’s father. New feelings are stirring - as is a feeling of danger and inexplicable rage when she sees anybody other than Gus or her daughter. Something is wrong. Very wrong. She will need help to defeat the residual evil left on her by years of captivity. She only hopes Gus and the good people of Grizzly Cove will be up to the task - and that something will be left after the evil is washed away. She’s only just regained her life. She doesn’t want to lose it again…this time, possibly, forever.

Gus saw his quarry sitting at one of the picnic tables down by the water and changed direction. He walked slowly, wanting to give Marilee and Laura as much time together as he could. He knew Marilee would have to be getting back to work soon. It was clear the mother and daughter were enjoying an early lunch before the real rush at the bakery started, and Marilee would have to be inside, serving.
Gus planned to be there when the women finished, so he could tackle his prey—figuratively, of course. Big John had set him a task—to spy on Laura—but it was more than that. Gus wanted to help her. She had been so vulnerable when she awoke from the self-imposed coma state. She’d been so hurt, both physically and emotionally.
Her physical injuries had healed, mostly, but Gus knew, the mental trauma she had been through wouldn’t go away as easily. Since embarking on the shaman’s path, Gus had been drawn to help those in need of emotional or spiritual solace. He could no more ignore Laura’s situation than he could walk past a trapped bird and not try to help it get free. He had to help her. His instincts were screaming at him to offer whatever assistance he could to the beautiful white wolf.
He saw his opportunity as Marilee stood and Laura gathered up the trash from their meal. Marilee took the bag of garbage, then kissed and hugged her mother, and jogged back across the road to the bakery. Laura, as Gus had hoped, stayed for a bit, sipping the drink she hadn’t yet finished. Now was his moment.
“Hello,” he said, walking up behind her. He knew she had already seen him. She’d turned her head briefly when she first sensed him approach.
“Hi, Gus,” she said, still contemplating the water. She’d turned to sit the opposite way on the picnic bench, using the table as a back support as she gazed out at the cove. “Fair warning. You may not want to be around me. I’m in a bit of a grouchy mood.”
“Hm. A grouchy werewolf. I guess I can deal with that. We bears can get mighty grouchy ourselves, from time to time.” He sat down at the opposite end of the bench she was on, not crowding her, but also not very far apart, either.
Shifters needed closeness. Wolves, even more than bears. He knew that and wanted to provide at least the illusion of solidarity, of caring, that often played a large role in Pack dynamics. Gus had known his share of wolves in his time, and he was more aware of their habits than most bears.
“What rubbed your fur the wrong way today?” he asked, coming right out with his question. He figured she would appreciate the direct approach, and bears were known for their candor.
She turned her head to look at him, leveling him with a sort of bleakness in her steady gaze. “I need to get a job.”
He burst out laughing. He couldn’t help himself.
“It’s not funny,” she insisted, turning her nose up as she looked back at the water.
“I’m sorry. I just thought you were going to say something dire and all you need is a job? That’s not what I was expecting,” he explained, still chuckling.
“It’s not as easy as you make it sound. I have no skills. No experience. I’ve been through half of the stores on Main Street, and nobody needs what little I have to offer.” She sounded miserable now, in addition to looking it. That would never do. Gus got serious. Here was a problem that he might be able to help her solve.
“What does Marilee say? You’re family. I’m sure she’d be willing to help you—”
She cut him off. “I don’t want to be a burden on her. Or anyone, for that matter. I want to pay my own way.” He heard the pride in her tone—and the desperation. Maybe this was something she had to do to prove she was no longer a prisoner, even if only in her own mind. “Everyone here has been so kind. Nobody’s mentioned how much I owe them, but I’m keeping track, and I’m going to pay them all back. From the girls at the bakery to the man who owns the hotel.”
Gus could understand that. Nobody liked to feel like a charity case. He had to figure out some way to get Laura a job. It was clearly important to her, so it was now important to him, as well.