She’s the human, the missing hiker, there’s no doubt about it. I have to get her out of here before the searchers find the graveyard.
I lift her gently in my arms and she doesn’t make a sound. I should get out of here quickly. It’s already starting to snow at this elevation, but I can’t help stopping and appreciating the weight of her in my arms. I look down at her fair skin and her soft lips, which are almost blue. Her beauty hits me right in the chest, and I know if she was awake I would probably ask her if she’s crazy being out here like this. Whoever her partner was left her out here to die. He better hope I don’t get my hands on him.
I shake the thoughts from my head. I’m thinking crazy thoughts. There’s no reason to get possessive of the woman. She’s a human… and I’m a shifter.
Ray
An Alpha Bear Shifter Romance
Chapter 1
Keri
Arney Bealer is leading the way through the forest… and I’m stupidly following him. He says it’s a trail, but it doesn’t look like any trail I’ve ever hiked on. “So the rest of the outdoorsman group is meeting us?”
“That’s right,” Arney says.
I keep following him, and luckily he doesn’t say much. Of all the people in the group, Arney is the one that is the most annoying. He tries to be helpful, and everyone else seems to like him, but maybe he just tries too hard. I don’t know. I joined the Great Outdoors group because I enjoy hiking and never had anyone to go with me. There’s around twenty people in the group total, but usually only four or five people end up showing for each adventure. This is the first overnight trip, and even though I’m nervous, I’m also excited. I didn’t want to miss this one because it will probably be the last one before winter hits.
After about two hours of walking, he stops in the middle of a clearing. “This is it.”
I look around and there are not any other tents set up, there’s not a soul in sight. “Where’s everybody else?”
He shrugs and starts unpacking his stuff. “I guess they changed their mind.”
Suddenly, I feel like such a fool. I believed Arney when he told me he was an expert outdoorsman. I believed him when he told me he and a few of the others in the group of enthusiasts were going to rough it in the snowy peaks of the Klamath Mountains.
I scan the clearing just hoping that someone I know, someone else besides Arney, is going to be showing up any minute. We just hiked through the mountains for hours. I can’t tell him he’s a fucking jerk for tricking me into camping alone with him.
I try to hide my irritation and start unpacking my stuff. My movements are jerky, and I’m barely able to contain myself. I literally am cussing Arney out in my head. What kind of man does this? I don’t know what he’s thinking. Does he really believe that he’s going to get me out here and I’m going to fall for him or something? There’s no way.
I start unrolling my tent and right now I’m so thankful that even if I’m not trained in wilderness survival, I am trained in self-defense. He’d better not try anything.
“We can share my tent,” he says from behind me. I don’t even turn around and when I don’t acknowledge him, he says it again. I keep putting up my tent. “No, we’re not sharing a tent.”
If I can just make it through the night, we can go back down the mountain in the morning. There’s no way I’m staying up here any longer than I have to. With darkness coming, I know it’s not safe to go back down now, but as soon as the first light comes, I’m outta here.
Luckily, Arney started a fire as I was putting my tent up. I sit down opposite of him and can’t bring myself to even look his way. Holding my hands out toward the fire, I try to warm up.
When I do finally look at him across the fire, he’s smiling at me. “We’ll stay warmer if we sleep in the same tent.”
He has to see the anger in my eyes, but I don’t care. I glare at him. “I’m not sharing a tent with you. I’ll be happy to help you set up your tent.”
“Fine,” he mutters, like a two-year-old that’s not getting his way.
I help him put up the tent, and I begin to wonder how I ever believed that he was an experienced outdoorsman. I don’t even think he’s put up a tent before. He’s absolutely clueless.
When I finally get it put together and up, he makes his move. I knew it was coming. I knew he had a motive for getting me out here alone.