A Lamb for the Bear's Appetite Read Free

to learn that. Liam saw red when the other male lifted his hand and brushed a strand of hair from his female’s face, as if he had some kind of proprietary claim on her. It did please him that she slapped his hand away, but that still didn’t stop the low, deep rumble that left him, one that had the leopard snapping his head toward Liam and baring his teeth. His mate looked over at him as well, and her eyes widened as her animal recognized the bear in him instantly. And that she. Was. His.
    ****
    Olive’s mouth grew dry, and her throat closed when she saw the polar bear shifter charging forward. Oh, hell no. Her inner animal had instantly recognized him as her mate as soon as their eyes had locked. He was no doubt a gorgeous male, with short black hair, bright green eyes, and a body that was quite possibly the biggest she had ever seen, and that was saying something since Trent, the leopard shifter that stood a foot from her and whom she loathed, was a big asshole. But this polar bear, who had murder in his eyes, which were trained right at Trent, could have crushed him with one hand. There was no doubt about that. As much as she would have loved this hot stranger to annihilate Trent, she couldn’t let that happen, because Trent had already told her if he was out of the equation, there was someone waiting to take his place and finish off her brother. When he was only a few feet away she moved just as quickly as the bear, and placed herself between him and Trent. The sudden surprise that crossed the bear’s face had his steps faltering, but he regained his composure instantly.
    When he was close enough to hear her she said between clenched teeth, “Just wait one damn minute.” She held her hand up, and right when she thought he would tear through her just to get to Trent, he halted when her hand landed right on the center of his impossibly hard, wide, and muscular chest. The shockwave that went through her at that simple contact had her already tight throat closing even further. He seemed to have the same electrically charged reaction to her as she had to him, because the scent of his shock filled her nose. His eyes widened only slightly, but his nostrils flared and his chest expanded even further. When a mate found its other half the reaction was intense, encompassing, and there was nothing else like it in the world. It made no sense and frankly pissed Olive the fuck off. This was a complication she did not need in her life, not now, and not ever.
    “ Mate , move out of the way so I can beat that motherfucker’s ass for laying his hands on what’s mine.”
    Olive’s anger, which had been a slow simmer deep inside of her, flared to the surface with astounding force. She jabbed her finger into his rock solid chest, only managing to cause a sting of pain in the digit from the contact as she came up against stone.
    “First thing, ‘mate’ is not my name, and secondly you have no claim on me, bear .” She looked over her shoulder at Trent, saw the asshole grin down at her, and felt everything inside of her tightening in disgust. Clearly the vile leopard was having fun with this little encounter, and she sensed that he, too, was barely holding to his inner animal. When she looked at the polar bear again he was staring right at her, his animal now taking control. She could see his canines press against his lower lip and knew that he was barely hanging on. He was all alpha male, and ready to claim her right here, but no damn way in hell was that happening. Ever. She couldn’t be saddled with an alpha when her main focus right now was finishing this obligation with Trent, and getting Holden the hell out of Kashton and away from this evil. Letting herself get immersed in the world of being mated and claimed would only distract her from that end goal.
    “Step out of the way, female .” He lifted his hand and wrapped it around her wrist in a gentle, yet possessive manner. Heat traveled from the point of contact right up