Chapter 2

“They did what?” Rex gasped in disgust, feeling his beast demanding to be set free. The fear in the female’s eyes was enough to tell him she was frightened of being anywhere near her clan. “Where is your family?”

“I never had a family,” she replied. “I was raised by my clan leader, and when I came of age, he started having males touch me to get me mated. When I didn’t find my mate, he brought in males from other clans to place bids on me. When he found the highest bidder, he sold me. I was going to be forced to mate with a male grizzly from Montana on Christmas Day, but I ran away two weeks before he was supposed to arrive.”

“Do you know the name of the male coming to get you?” Rex asked.

“No,” she replied, shaking her brown hair. It was a matted, tangled mess. She obviously hadn’t showered in months, and being in her bear form was the only thing that had saved her life. The female had lost so much weight, her cheeks and eyes were sunken into her face, and you could see the bones in the tops of her shoulders as she adjusted the blanket. When they’d found her and she’d shifted, his heart had squeezed tight when he saw each and every one of her ribs.

“I promise you,” Rex began, moving closer. Gods, how he wanted to cup her chin and tell her he wouldn’t let the male, or her old clan, get to her. He left enough room as to not scare her, but he wanted her to know he was no threat. “My brothers and I will not let them take you back. They will be punished for their crimes.”

“It is a crime,” she agreed, her voice holding steady even though she was obviously exhausted. “I may have been raised by the O’Kelly clan, but I realized from an early age, they were not good.”

“O’Kelly?” he asked. He’d never heard of that clan before, but then again, they didn’t roam far from their lands.

“It’s a small clan in Hickory Flat,” she supplied.

“How did you get here?” Rex pressed. He wanted to know everything about what they were possibly facing. Just by seeing Ada in her condition when she was found made him and his brother rage with anger. It wasn’t good for him to roar at the insanity of what she was telling him. He didn’t want to scare her away.

“I traveled by foot for days until I found your land.” Ada admitted. “It was the most secure place I’d found after crossing the river to the west of here, so I climbed the fence, thinking if you had a fence there, the rest of the land would be enclosed. By the time I’d made a den, I was too weak to search for food and all I wanted to do was sleep.”

“And your bear took over?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“She saved my life,” Ada asserted.

“She did what she was supposed to do to keep her human alive,” he offered.

“Ada, do you feel up to taking a shower now?” Tessa asked as she entered the room from the hallway leading to her quarters.

“I’d like that,” she replied. Tessa helped her to her feet, tucking the blanket around her waist and holding the female up as they walked away.

“We’ll be back,” Tessa said over her shoulder. She paused, her brows furrowing as she stared at Rex for a moment. “Ada will need a place to sleep tonight. Can you take care of that for me?”

“She can sleep in my room,” he blurted. “I’ll take the couch in my living quarters.”

“That sounds great,” she replied, smiling wide. Rex saw a twinkle in his sister-in-law’s eyes, and he wanted to tell her to keep her opinion to herself. Ada was still in shock, and he wasn’t even going to entertain the idea of touching that female to see if they were mates.

Rex would admit he felt protective of the female. Who wouldn’t want her safe after hearing her story? No female should be put up on the auction block and sent off to an unknown male for money.

“What did you learn about her?” Drake asked as he emerged from his room. Each of the brothers had their own hallway leading to a living room and bedroom combo. The hallways to their own quarters sloped into the ground, making it the perfect spot for their hibernation during the winter.

“Where’s Gunnar?” Rex asked. He didn’t want to have to repeat himself.

“I’m here,” Gunnar replied as he walked out of the office right off the living room. “I’ve searched missing person’s reports, but I didn’t find Ada on any of them.”

“That’s because her clan didn’t want her to begin with,” Rex snarled.

“What?” Drake bellowed. “What in the hell are you talking about, brother?”

Rex repeated the story of Ada being put up for auction. The more he relayed her explanation, the more his brothers’ eyes bled the golden hue of their beasts. By the time he had finished, all three of them were baring their fangs.

“O’Kelly clan?” Drake asked.

“Yeah,” Rex nodded, “but her last name is Carlisle.”

“I’ve searched for her online, but as it is with most shifters, we don’t have much public information,” Gunnar offered.

“She mentioned her parents were deceased and the clan had raised her,” Rex informed them. “That’s all I know right now.”

“Let her rest and get some food in her,” Drake suggested. “We will find out more later. Until then, we need to be on alert.”

“What about the crops?” Rex asked. He needed to head out to the field at first light to continue prepping for planting.

“I’ll take care of that for you,” Gunnar offered, slapping him on the back. “You take care of Ada until we can find out more about the O’Kelly clan.”

“I’ll be out there in the morning, too,” Drake offered.

Drake handed him another beer and sat down on the end of the couch. Rex wandered off to his room and stripped the sheets off the bed. It took him a few minutes to remake his bed, fluffing the pillows for Ada. He wanted her to be comfortable. He paused for a moment to stare at the bed. She’d gone almost three months sleeping on the hard ground. The more he dwelled on it, the angrier he got.

By the time he had his bed made and had added a pillow and blanket to his couch in the adjoining room, he was fuming. As he stepped out of his quarters and began walking up the hallway to return to the living room, he heard her voice. It was soft and gentle. He didn’t want to go barging into the living area of their home with shifted eyes and extended fangs.

She has to be scared to death.

Rex rested his back against the wall and took a deep breath. No female should be treated as Ada had been treated. He’d been envious of his brother and his mate, Tessa, for the last year. They’d met during the last mating season, and it was the first time he’d ever been around another male with their female during their mating.

Drake, although a complete asshole usually, was gentle with her. Granted, he’d tried to push Tessa away only because she was human, but once he felt the urge to protect her, Drake had worshiped her.

Rex felt a pull toward Ada, and his beast kept prowling in his mind whenever he scented her or heard her voice.

Could they be mates?

Hell, he didn’t know, but he wasn’t going to touch her in the condition she was in. That would be as bad as her clan selling her off to a strange shifter in another territory.

Pushing away from the wall, he crossed through the living room, walking into the kitchen where Ada and Tessa were sitting together at the table. Ada was smiling at Aria while Tessa held the sleeping cub in her arms.

“She’s beautiful,” Ada cooed as she brushed the back of her knuckles over the cub’s cheek.

“Thank you,” Tessa beamed.

She’d transformed with her shower. When they’d found her, Ada’s hair had been a dark-brown, but now that she was clean, the strands held a golden sheen to them. They curled naturally at the ends, and her big brown eyes were surrounded by long, thick lashes. It didn’t matter that she was skin and bones from the lack of food. Rex thought she was the most beautiful female he’d ever laid eyes on.

“Would you like more to eat?” Rex interrupted, clearing his throat.

“Maybe a little,” Ada replied, turning in her seat. Tessa had given her a pair of leggings and a cotton hoodie. The poor female was so tiny, the material reached her knees. Rex knew he’d tower over her, and his guess was confirmed when Ada stood up from her seat. “I can get it if you show me where everything is.”

“Please, sit,” Rex begged. She was over half a foot shorter than him, and the more he was around her, the more her natural scent called to his beast.

He never thought he’d be enchanted by the scent of roses, but ever since Ada had cleaned up and had returned to the kitchen, he was having a hard time controlling his bear. The beast inside him was clawing to get out. He wanted to provide for her, protect her…and touch her.

The male, Rex, was huge. Ada watched him move about the kitchen from the corner of her eye, and the beast inside her demanded she walk over and run her fingers through his long, blond hair.

Absolutely not!

His scent was stronger now. When he walked past the table, she inhaled quietly. It didn’t take much for her to realize it was his mating scent and Rex was probably her forever mate.

Ada didn’t know what to do about it, at all. She was in no shape to deal with a mating, and she wondered if Rex was keeping his distance because of the fact that she was so fragile. Feeling a bit of sadness, she looked down at her body. The leggings Tessa had given her fit okay, but unfortunately, it proved her body had lost at least thirty pounds since she’d fled her clan.

She looked like a skeleton. Most males liked their mates to be thick as it was a sign of a good breeding partner. Their kind wanted many cubs, and while Ada wanted to be a mother one day, the current condition she was in didn’t bode well for her to be appealing to any male.

“You okay?” Tessa asked under her breath.

“Yes,” Ada lied. “I’m a little hungry, and I’d like to sleep after I eat.”

“Eat what you can, and I’ll show you to my room,” Rex offered, placing the bowl of stew in front of her. Ada leaned back in her chair while he placed a napkin and spoon next to the bowl. She didn’t want to risk touching him.

Ada dug into her food and ate in silence. Rex stood off to her left, drinking a beer as he leaned against the counter. He watched her carefully, and while she should be uncomfortable, she wasn’t.

By the time she had finished, her eyes began drifting closed and she jerked her head up to keep from falling asleep at the table. The clock over the fireplace said it was almost nine, and she needed to sleep. “Can you show me where I will sleep?”

“Come with me, Ada,” Rex ordered, dropping his empty beer bottle in the trash. She waited for him to pass, then she stood from her seat. Tessa gave her a comforting one-armed hug since she was still holding her sleeping cub.

Rex waited patiently as she moved in his direction. He nodded to his brothers and held his hand out in the direction of his room. The descent into his place wasn’t far, but by the time they reached the door, she felt at ease. The brothers had built the home with every comfort in mind. Each one of them had their own area and an underground living space for the winter.

The door opened, and once inside, she saw a living room with a big, fluffy couch and recliner on her left. On the wall was a flat screen television. A small kitchenette was directly in front of her, and a two-person table on her right. Against the far wall was another door, and she could see the tall, extra-large bed.

“You can sleep in my bed and I’ll take the couch,” Rex announced, clicking on a lamp next to his recliner. She noticed a hardback book on the side table, and smiled to herself. It’d been so long since she’d had time to read.

“I’m so tired,” she admitted, following her statement up with a yawn. “Thank you.”

“You are welcome, Ada,” he replied and pointed to the bedroom. “Climb in. I’ll be out here if you need anything.”

“Goodnight, Rex,” she whispered while she avoided any eye contact.

As she climbed into the bed, pulling the covers over her body, she didn’t even have time to think about the male in the other room or what was going to come the next day or the day after that before her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.

It could’ve been an hour or four days, but as soon as Ada opened her eyes, she screamed when she saw a male sitting in a chair across the room. Rex stood up and held his hands out in front of himself.

“Ada, it’s just me,” he spoke calmly.

“What are you doing?” she panted.

“You were crying in your sleep, sweetheart,” he said, returning to the chair. The only light was from a nightlight in the bathroom, and a glance at the clock told her it was just after midnight.

“I’m sorry,” she sighed. “I don’t even know why I was doing that.”

“I came in here about an hour ago when I heard you,” he explained. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I am,” she replied and sat up in the bed. “I can’t thank you enough for letting me stay here. I have nowhere else to go.”

“Right now, we need to worry about getting you healthy,” he said, relaxing more in the chair. Ada watched as he crossed his ankle over the top of his knee, leaning his left arm on the armrest of the chair. The long hair that all bear shifter males sported fell to one side when he used his other hand to run his fingers through the strands. It only took a few seconds for his scent to reach her nose.

“Oh, god,” she whispered, inhaling. “It’s your mating scent.”

Males carried a mating scent that would become more and more prevalent when they were around their mates. With Ada having been so tired and hungry, she was affected by the scent, but she didn’t even realize how strong Rex’s scent really was until that moment.

“Roses,” Rex breathed, inhaling deep. “I scented them when I found you, but I was in too much shock to realize what was going on.”

Ada wanted to reach out to him, but she wasn’t ready. She couldn’t even sit up long enough to eat a meal let alone consummate a mating. “Rex, I can’t.”

“I know,” he said, giving a short nod. “You are in no shape.”

“I’m not even appealing right now,” she said in disgust, looking down at her tiny body. “I think I’ve lost thirty pounds over the winter.”

“You’re beautiful the way you are,” he replied, and stood from his seat. His brows pushed forward with concern. “Don’t ever think you’re not appealing, Ada Carlisle.”

“Thank you, Rex,” she whispered.

“I would never touch a female to force a mating,” he began, then sat on the edge of the bed. The closer he got, the more she could scent him. “I can wait for you.”

“I appreciate that,” she said, a soft blush making her cheeks warm. “Not all males are like you and your brothers.”

“Why don’t you get some more sleep?” he suggested. “I’ll go back to the couch. If you need me, just call out and I’ll come back in.”

Ada nodded and pulled the covers over her body. She watched as he left the room but didn’t close the door. She felt bad, because the couch couldn’t be very comfortable for a man his size, but he would probably argue with her if she even thought about trading with him.