Bear Temptations Read Free Page B

determining why he’d abduct her, if that’s what happened at all. There were a billion reasons why, ranging from him being crazy to them having run off to elope. Not that this explained why her stuff was trashed while his wasn’t present at all… God damnit, Mary, my mind cried as I raked my fingers through my wavy, dirty blonde curls.
    As my head started getting fuzzy, buzzing nicely from the amount of vodka I’d consumed, it reoccurred to me that I’d just almost gotten killed by wolves. Or at least I thought I had! But they ended up being people, or something? Maybe the wolves belonged to people and the people came out to grope me once I was deemed helpless. But that wouldn’t explain how they returned to wolf form as they were running away from the bear.
    Racking my brain for an explanation, I suddenly remembered reading a headline in the news a few weeks ago that really stuck out: New Virus Makes People Feel Like Animals. After reading the title, I couldn’t help but assume that it was a joke article or just referred to heightened senses or something. Now the regret burned through me with the wish that I’d paid more attention to the article.
    Once my cheeks started becoming numb, I knew it was time to head to bed. It didn’t matter how much I pondered the current situation: it wasn’t going to help me get closer to my sister and certainly wouldn’t give me insight on these wolf shifters, not even if I had an eternity to think about it.
    Staggering up with lantern in hand, it felt like the steps towards the dining table were yards away even though it must’ve only taken me a few steps to reach it. My hair swept some of the dust off the table as the lantern whooshed out with a blow from my lips. And in the corner of my eye, something moved outside the window.
    What the fuck was that?
    Fear filled me once again as it occurred to me that I’d have even less of a chance of protecting myself in this isolated cabin. Quickly, I put out all of the other lanterns except for the one already in my hand, which I held at my legs to try to minimize the light. I leaned against the wall and tried to peer out the window as cautiously as I could, careful to not make myself seen by whatever was out there. It was no use; the view outside the window was pitch black, especially with the lit room I was in. Setting the lantern down on the ground, I decided I’d be able to peer outside more easily now that they had less of a chance of looking inside without the lantern illuminating me. I cupped my hand to look out the window in hopes of catching whatever it was, and then I saw it. It was a bear (maybe the same bear as before?), pacing back and forth, as if it was troubled by something.
    Well, I’d certainly be safer if I had as many doors separating me from the wild as possible, so I stumbled into the small bedroom and quietly shut the door behind me. Gingerly placing my bag on the ground, I felt my way towards the cot. My fingers brushed against something furry; exploring further, I happily discovered that there was a pelt blanket carelessly tossed to the side of the cot, out of my vision. Won’t be needing these, then, I thought with a giggle as I peeled off my torn, dirty clothes. The booze had really done me good, because otherwise there’d have been no way I’d be able to rest easy tonight. For now, I was filled with happy thoughts in spite of everything that had gone wrong, delighted that I was able to find somewhere warm to sleep, had food in the fridge, and apparently a bear that cared about my well-being. The last thought released another one of my giggles, and I dozed off with a smile.

Chapter 6

    The creaking of the wooden boards is what woke me up. I had no idea what time it was as I used my phone for time rather than a watch; what I knew was that I was still exhausted and very much still drunk rather than hungover. So it must have only been a few hours, probably sometime between midnight and 3 a.m. as I had no