Roar for Her: A BBW Paranormal Weretiger Shape Shifter Romance (Sassy Shifter Brides Book 4) Read Free

he would be left without an heir. It was simply how it went. If he did not bond with a mate, he could not have cubs in the future, with anyone. The Bonding signified both the weretiger becoming strong enough and ready to sire heirs, as well as stepping into the prime of his powers. The elders in Slate’s clan had often said that it was the one surefire way of keeping the weretiger race going, as the stubborn, willful tigers rarely got along in groups, and their desire for solitude didn’t make for great courting opportunities. It annoyed Slate to no end.
     
    It had taken Slate a long time to come to the conclusion that he would rather be without an heir than succumb to the simple physical urge that he knew would take hold of him at one point, driving him to find a weretigress as his mate. For humans, the desire to have both a physical and an emotional connection with their other half was the most natural thing, but as far as weretigers went, it was the height of nonsense. And yet, that was exactly what Slate wanted – a partner, not a vessel to carry his young. If it meant that his line would stop with him, so be it. He had seen too many royal pairs who despised one another – including his parents – to want that kind of life for himself. The only reason they got together was to mate and produce young, living their lonesome, spiteful lives far away from one another in the meantime. It had taught Slate, the eldest of his family’s royal Alpha pair’s sons, to grow up fast and hard, and also to see that he didn’t want his life to take that path.
     
    Ultimately, it had taken him far away from any weretiger clans and led him straight to Shifter Grove. There, he had found a place that would accept him in all his oddity – a proud, powerful weretiger with all the qualities of starting his own clan and becoming a strong Alpha, who instead chose to spend his time operating a small airline between Boise and Talloway Airport, the latter being more of a stretch of road and a shack in the middle of nowhere than a real airport. That was how he liked it, though. Flying gave him the moments of solitude he needed, and Shifter Grove provided the safety and support of a clan without having the same expectations. He loved feeling useful and contributing to building up the dream Deacon, Rake, Warren and the Wartooth brothers had begun. There had been plenty of bad blood after he announced that he would be leaving his clan, his father in particular telling him in no short terms that when it came to his Bonding, he would come back home, that he would have no other choice. Slate was determined to prove him wrong.
     
    It had all gone swimmingly until his heat arrived in a flourish of aggravation and bouts of restlessness. Slate had felt it coming for a while, his good-natured demeanor turning sharper, and he started snapping at others in situations he normally never would have. At first, keeping away from others helped, but soon it became obvious that he wasn’t going to be able to weather it alone for too long. Deacon was of great support, the polar bear shifter having gone through times of difficult internal decisions himself after losing his mate ten years ago. But, after Deacon reunited with his love, Slate no longer felt comfortable intruding on their happiness. Not that Deacon wouldn’t have been happy to help him, it’s just that Slate didn’t want to bring his bouts of sour darkness into the happy bliss of the reunited lovers.
     
    So, that left him with a growing urge to hop into his plane or helicopter, fly to the closest weretigress and ravish her until she could take no more. It didn’t really make for a healthy psyche. All weretigers knew that during the heat, the tiger could become dangerous to himself and others if left alone for too long. He needed companionship, a connection with someone until he found his mate or until the heat passed. While he couldn’t stand crowds during the heat, talking or being close to