Mine To Bear (A Paranormal Shifter Romance) (Atonement Book 2) Read Free

were bleeding badly, and he had a wolf on top of him while another was worrying his legs.
    As Philip saw backup charging down, he got rid of the wolf on top of him the easiest way he knew how. He rose up and slammed his back against the trees, crushing the wolf between them. The second attacker, sensing an opening, began to dart forward.
    He got no more than a step before Edward's mass hit him like a runaway freight train. The wolf didn't move as Edward continued to roll along, flicking out a paw to open the throat of one of the wolves Derek was battling. Slowing, he turned back to face the carnage in his wake.
    It was over.
    Wolves lay strewn across the path, almost a dozen of them downed between himself and his friends, in the span of mere seconds. It had been a slaughter, completely senseless. He couldn't help but wonder what they were protecting. It had to be something extremely important, but he had no idea as to what.
    He stayed in his bear form while Derek tended to Philip. The wounds looked bad, but shifter's tended to heal quickly and easily, so there was no need to worry besides closing them up. Patrolling the perimeter, he ensured that they weren't snuck up upon again. None of them had expected to find this many wolves, which told them there was something more going on here, something the wolves really did not want anyone else to see.
    With the three of them ready again, they continued up the hill, Edward leading the way, his monstrous bear sniffing constantly to detect any future threats. They came across one cleverly hidden bear trap, but his nose easily picked up the metal, and they were able to disable it without harming anyone.
    The path became more worn as they neared the side of the mountain, indicating more traffic. There was still no further sign of wolves, not even once they sighted the opening to the den. Carefully they entered the opening, wary of any traps that may be set. Once they got past the first set of rooms, something came to Edward.
    It was a human female, not a shifter.
    Without thinking he pushed past Derek as he moved deeper inside.
    "Edward, slow down! We don't know what's back there!" His friends scrambled after him, trying to keep pace.
    It was useless, however, for he was on a mission, focused completely on the scent he had picked up. There was something about it, something that spoke to him in a way he hadn't known possible. He bulled through doors, obstacles flying out of the way as he pushed through room after room. The sheer size of the den wouldn't register on him until later, until after he had located the source of the scent.
    He shouldered his way through one last door, before coming up short. Derek nearly bounced off him as he tried to come to a stop. He stood rooted to the spot, staring intensely across the room at the filthy, half-naked, screaming woman locked in a cage.  It was almost too painful to look at, now that he had located her, realizing just what had been going on within this room. The other scents in the room told him what they had been doing to her.
    Taking a step forward to open the cage, he froze when she scrambled back against the far side of her prison, desperately clawing at the walls behind her, trying to get free. Then he remembered he was still in his bear form. Without thinking, he shifted right there in front of her.
    "Out of the room," he spoke to his friends, not being rude, simply taking charge of the situation. They exchanged glances and backed out of the room, going off to explore the rest of the cave complex, to ensure no rude surprises awaited them. Philip went to close the door on his way out, but at the look of panic in the woman's eyes, Edward held it open.
    "It's okay. We're not the same men you've had to deal with." He spoke slowly and in soft, comforting tones. It was not a normal method of speech for him, but it felt right for the situation at hand, so he did his best.
    Doing his best to not make any sudden, jarring movements, he shuffled