Bearly There (Redwater Shifters Book 1)

  Bearly There

  By B. N. Kasner

  Table of Contents

  Copyrights and Disclaimer

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Epilogue

  Coming Soon

  Copyrights and Disclaimer

  Copyright © 2016 by B. N. Kasner

  Cover Copyright © 2016 by B. N. Kasner

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2016 B. N. Kasner

  All rights reserved.

  I would like to dedicate this book to my parents and husband. Thank you for telling me I could be anything I wanted to be and for always believing in me.

  Chapter One

  Perhaps this wasn't the best idea that Ella Wilson had thought up. Okay, so it was definitely and absolutely the worst plan in her life's history. Desperate times call for desperate measures. This wasn't the first time she had thought that and was certain it wouldn't be the last. She shook the rainwater from her stringy, greasy wavy black hair. It had been ages since she cut it last, reaching down to her waist. Ella had missed most of the rain since she was able to smell it long before the storm blew in. Being a wolf shifter helped with certain things.

  Ella stretched her tired and sore legs debating whether she wanted to shift or not. The wolf was howling to get out, but it tended to be reckless. Hence the situation she was in now. Her emotions always got her into trouble and when shifted everything she felt was amplified. Pair that with an animal instinct and sometimes things went a bit haywire. Maybe just a quick hunt to refuel. The wolf yipped in excitement agreeing a hunt was for the best. Behave. She wasn't sure if she thought that for herself or the wolf but in most cases, it applied to both.

  She took her clothes off quickly, the pieces of fabric that used to be her clothes were really only dingy rags now. The once snow white shirt was a dark and dirty gray, and her sweats were riddled with holes and frayed along the hems. At least they had started out black and were still black. After four years they had basically fallen apart, but Ella wouldn't part with them. She was one of those sentimental types. These are the last things he touched. Ella shook that train of thought from her head. It wouldn't do her any good to start down that path now, later when she wasn't hungry and restless she could go there.

  With all the rustling around with her clothes, Ella knew that any creatures would be far off by now. Ella was a special kind of wolf shifter. Her pack,well, her ex-pack, had their animals close to the surface. They were the warriors of the wolf race, which meant they had to be able to shift or change at a moments notice. It was something the alpha, in particular, preached on a daily basis. She could practically hear him roaring battle commands in her ear, and winced, slamming her deep blue eyes shut. Breathing deep she slowed her heart, a panic attack wasn't on today's agenda.

  Tipping her head toward the sky her body began to tingle. Replicating goosebumps but more intense. Within seconds she was on all four paws, shaking out her black fur. She resisted the urge to howl. Barely. Something she wanted to avoid was notifying other shifters in the area to her. Other shifters couldn't be trusted. She'd learned that the hard way. Don't trust outsiders. She huffed at that, but it was true. Her father had taught her that, and not to trust him in time.

  The last time Ella had run across shifters they had tried to take her back home. Lindale, Kansas. Lost Moonlight Pack. Living Hell. All of the above applied. Apparently, there had been a bounty placed on her head. One hundred thousand dollars. Ella had been damn pleased, she didn't realize she was worth that much to the pack. Or to anyone. She whined at the thought, then began to trot around sniffing for some prey to try and sway her mind. It didn't help. Seemed like it was just one of those days that she took down memory lane.

  Ella had a running tally which by her own admission wasn't very accurate. She hadn't spoken to another human being in three years and twenty-four days. Heck, she hadn't howled since before she'd left home. Fucking hell, this sucks. Just then a fluffy white streak caught her attention. Dinner is served. She licked her lips. She crouched low to the ground, the leaves and twigs brushing her sensitive underbelly. With a deep inhale she scanned the forest floor, in the waning light of dusk everything had a shadow.

  Another deep inhale and she caught the scent trail, which led to the slight southwest. Then a slight snap sounded and in the quiet of the forest, it was as loud as a gunshot. Ella took off at a dead run, using her small and nimble form to gain speed with stealth. Even though the white streak which Ella identified as a bunny, was fast, there was no chance of escape. Ella was a hungry wolf who hadn't eaten in five days. She quickly pounced, killing the creature instantaneously. She was never one to play with her food. A quick and fast kill was the most humane. Finishing up her satisfying dinner, she laid licking her paws.

  The sun had long set and the forest was in complete darkness. It was getting close to the time to return to her shelter. She would have liked to dig herself a nice deep den but was too afraid of getting comfortable with her surroundings. Best to keep moving. Don't want to get attached to anything again, ever. She sighed, her life would never be what she wanted. Too much had happened and left her with enough emotional baggage to fill all of Oregon. Even if she managed to find her mate, that one perfect person, Ella was sure he would run like the wind in the other direction.

  Thankful she had yet to meet him, the hopeless romantic inside her heart wanted to hold out hope. Maybe if she could get herself together a mate would overlook the glaring flaws. Yea, because being a homeless drifter living in the woods is so appealing. Not too mention the overflowing body hair. She scoffed, Ella wasn't sure if she could even hold a sane conversation anymore. The most she talked to was herself, in her head. In fact, Ella was so caught up in her own thoughts she almost missed the telltale sign of a deer nearby. A tree about thirty feet dead ahead of her had rubbed bark, from a buck leaving his scent to mark the area.

  Before her eyes, a doe appeared from the direction of a small stream. The doe didn't even notice. Ella was sure her silver wolf eyes would be reflective in the half moonlight that had come out. However, the doe seemed dazed, glancing past her as if she weren't even there. She knew her black fur blended into the darkness, but not that well. Whatever had the doe spooked, it sure wasn't Ella, but she wasn't about to look this gift horse in the face. A doe could keep her going for at the very least two weeks. Maybe a month if she conserved her energy and only shifted when necessary.

  This was just what she needed to make her move further north, once she was across the border her father wouldn't have any resources to find her. Ella moved slowly and quietly keeping her attention on the doe at all times. Nothing broke her focus. When the doe stopped to sniff the wind that was blowing, Ella took her shot. A well place bite to the hind qua
rter took the doe down making for a quick hunt. She would be eating good tonight. Caught up in the adrenaline, Ella did something she would come to regret. She howled, a long howl, filled with pride that could be heard from miles away.

  ****

  "Are you listening to me, boy? I'm not repeating myself again." The white haired council member was by far the most annoying bear he had ever met. So naturally Mason Callahan was not paying attention. Here we go again. He sighed, rolling his eyes towards the white ceiling. Just as he was admiring the water spot in the very corner of the room, Mr. High and Mighty slammed his fist against the long wooden meeting table.

  Half the table jumped and the other, including Mason, wasn't impressed. It was one thing to try to intimidate someone into doing your bidding. There was just one tiny problem, Mason wasn't just anyone. He narrowed his eyes at the man, whose name after some reflection, finally came to him.

  "Noah." Mason growled low in his throat. That was all it took for Noah Sanford to sit down, with his eyes down in submission and clenching his teeth.

  Mason smirked, he never denied being a smug asshole. In fact, it was a well-known fact that Mason wasn't afraid to show or display his power. He was a grizzly bear for Goddess sake, and the alpha of this sleuth, Dark Oaks. All decisions would be made by him and in favor of him. Unless in the rare case, he was wrong. There was only a point one percent of that happening, or of Mason admitting it. He stood easily from the leather chair at the head of the table. For a six foot three, two hundred and fifty pound muscled grizzly bear he was unusually graceful.

  "I'm not sure why this keeps being brought up. I'll say it slowly for you all since you must be having a hard time." Mason looked pointedly at the older members of the council. The ones against him, including Noah, were two other males and one female. Greg Peck was the oldest member of the council, hell in the whole sleuth even. How he still had graying brown hair and clear blue eyes Mason didn't know. But he suspected it had to do with the man's mate being a very powerful witch. Scott Harrison was handsome for an older gentleman, with salt-n-pepper hair and brown eyes. However, those same eyes showed his bone-deep loneliness, but also his interest in the female member. Mason's own grandmother.

  Betty Callahan or better known as Grams by almost everyone younger than her had the same pale green eyes as him and her once blonde hair was now white. Grams didn't use to be part of the council but had joined when her mate died ten years earlier. Everyone respected her and regarded her opinions, only second after Mason and Mason's beta and best friend, Carter Montgomery. He wanted to roar with displeasure that his own kin would publicly stand against him, but at least he understood her standing on the issue.

  "I. Am. Not. Taking. A. Mate. At least not anytime soon." Mason waited for a heartbeat for someone to say something. Noah was gripping the side of his chair so hard his knuckles were white but kept quiet. Greg was cool and collected as always, just biding his time. Grams was frowning so hard he thought her face might get stuck that way, and Scott was intently watching Grams. Scott always voted the way Betty did, hoping to catch her eye in a nonchalant way. It hadn't worked yet. Poor guy doesn't stand a chance. Mason barely held his chuckle in, shaking his head.

  Carter sat to his immediate left and was rolling his eyes at something his top enforcer Gene Dodson was whispering. Carter was almost as tall as Mason reaching six foot even and weighed around one hundred and seventy pounds. He had black shaggy hair that needed a cut in Mason's mind but to each his own. Carter had tanned skin from his heritage, along with deep chocolate eyes. Mason and Carter had been best friends their entire twenty-six years on this earth, their fathers had also been the alpha and beta. They were groomed to take over together and saw eye to eye on every issue, at least so far. Carter was always the thinker and quiet one. Responsible. Sometimes a total bore, but I love him like a brother anyway.

  Gene was the bear who always seemed to stand out. He was the tallest shifter Mason had ever met at seven foot tall and built like a Mac truck. With red hair that was curly when he let it grow out past his crew cut and deep evergreen eyes. Gene was naturally pale but was now tanned since he had been out almost every day this past summer. Being the head enforcer meant he had to be in top shape at all times. The protection and defense of the sleuth all relied on him. Though he was the group jokester and couldn't be taken seriously at all times he was still well respected. Sometimes he would run drills on the whole sleuth, except that the sleuth didn't know it was just a fake drill.

  The last person sitting at the table was Nathan Bowers. Nathan was a natural blonde like him, with blue eyes. He was that all American boy next door. Smart, athletic, and good looking. He was also great at politics. Mason had met him while traveling between the northwest regional bear sleuths. Having no family yet, Nathan had been happy to leave and join Mason as his go-between guy. He would deal with other shifters and report back to Mason. Not to mention he also dealt with other alphas with the grace of a gazelle, which was hard to come by. His official title was sleuth ambassador.

  Nathan was waiting for Mason to speak with a raised eyebrow. Apparently, he was drawing this out too long. "Since there are no objections at this time. Meeting adjourned." Mason slammed his open palm on the table breaking into a wide smile. He wasn't waiting around to hear what was sure to be a lecture on the benefits of having a mate from his Grams again. The four guys split from the meeting house, which was really just a shack on the edge of town close to the forest. The dark sky showed that they had been there for at least two hours. What a joy it had been.

  Nathan was the first to speak kicking a rock down the gravel road. "You know, having a mate isn't that bad." He took a breath but before he could say anymore Gene cut him off.

  "You're only saying that because you're getting fucking laid every night."

  "Not just at night buddy, all the time." Nathan smirked. "When was the last time you asshole's got laid on a regular basis?"

  "Not everyone likes the same thing all the time. You have to switch it up." Ah, Carter the playboy was now getting involved. It was no secret that shifters had very active sex lives. Shifters in generally were more sexual beings. Mason just didn't like to brag about it like the other guys, but he would never admit that out loud.

  "Just think about this." Nathan paused for what seemed like dramatic effect and began strolling backward to face the others. "You have a perfect woman. She's all you've wanted and more. The sex is off the charts, I mean even her scent makes your cock hard. Now imagine that she only wants you for the rest of your lives. It's fucking awesome." Just as Mason was about to make an input to the conversation, if you could call it that. A wolf's howl sounded from within the forest making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

  Chapter Two

  “Holy shit! Was that a wolf?" Nathan said while Mason was barking orders at Gene.

  “Get a team on the perimeter now!" He turned to the others. "Carter, you're with me. Nathan go back and round up everyone into the safe house. No one leaves until I return." Nathan continued down the gravel road now running, while Gene was long gone.

  "You thinkin' shifter or animal? I couldn't tell." To be honest, Mason was having a hard time himself. Usually, a wolf shifter's howl would depict the person's emotions, whereas a regular wolf calls to tell their pack something. The one they had just heard was a mix of both. Happiness and excitement, but it was also telling nearby predators that it had had a very successful hunt.

  "Not sure, but I'm leaning towards shifter."

  "That doesn't make any sense." Carter ran his hand through his hair. That was his I'm thinking this out move. Always the thinker. "Why was there only one howl?"

  "Maybe we're dealing with a lost pup." He didn't want to think of the other possibility. He met Carter's eyes, nodded his head in the direction of the howl and began a slow walk towards it.

  "What about a feral?" He just had to bring it up, didn't he? Mason didn't answer. In rare cases, a shifter could go feral, most likely from a
traumatic event. Like a mate's death. Just another reason I don't want one. Mason had first-hand knowledge of ferals and the kind of damage they could cause if they went unchecked. His dad Micheal had gone feral after his mom, Dorothea, passed away five years ago.

  Unfortunately, Mason had been the only bear strong enough to take his dad down. The memory still haunted his dreams on occasion. A feral shifter at the basic level is just another animal. However, since they are now missing the part of their minds that held them in check they're more aggressive. They would attack anything and anyone if they got in the way. The shifter would lose their mind, like Alzheimer's in humans.

  Micheal had been looking for his wife when he finally turned feral. Thinking that the people of Redwater, Oregon were keeping her from him. Had he been in the right mindset he would have known his wife had been dead for six months. Six months of dad losing his shit. Slowly. Ever damn day. Mason blinked his eyes hard, feeling tears prickling at the edges. He kept his emotions to himself in public, but things affected him deeply. Being alpha was about being strong and immovable at all times, no matter what or who.

  "Damn, I hope it's not a feral. After all this mating bullshit and stress..." He let the sentence die off into the silence, running a hand down his face. Mason was tired from the mating meetings. Shit just tired in general. Running the sleuth with just Carter and the council was beginning to take a toll on him. Both mentally and physically. Which was why the council had started pushing the issue of taking a mate. It wasn't that Mason was against a mate. In fact after hearing and seeing how happy Nathan was, he was longing to meet his one true love.

  The problem was he didn't have time for a mate. There were problems that came up daily, and some nights he was sleeping on the couch in his office. Mason could only provide her with a one-sided relationship, at least for the time being. Down the road in maybe, three years, he would be more settled and could delegate more duties to others. All his mate would have right now is a house that was barely lived in and if he could fit in the time maybe a nice quick fuck. When he did find his mate he wanted to spend hours feasting on her body. He had thought up many different fantasies and all of them required ample time.