Billionaire Bear Shifters A Paranormal Romance Complete Series Boxset - Brittany White Page 0,179

her ground. She knew what she should do; he’d left his throat open, she could just dart low and sink her teeth into the soft meat of his neck and it would all be over. But she couldn’t. She knew she couldn’t. She was weak. The best thing she could do was to show him and pray he only killed her.

She looked up at Vince. Get them out of here. Vince’s eyes narrowed, cocking his head to one side. Connor was halfway across the clearing, swatting her wolves like flies when they lept for him.

What are you going to do? Vince’s voice was taunting in her head and she grit her teeth, turning away from him to face the bear. She had to trust that he’d listen to her, for once in his life. At the last possible second she clamped her eyes shut; she didn’t want to see Connor’s reaction. A coward till the end.

She shifted.

Silence. Brooke kept her eyes closed, but she could still see Connor’s face, contorted in fury and hatred, behind the lids.

“Brooke?”

She jerked, eyes flying open. He’d shifted. Connor stood in front of her, those deep dark eyes wide with shock.

Brooke ran.

68

Connor

Connor was dumbstruck. The rest of the wolves had run, following a large black wolf that had spent most of the fight up under a tree, but Connor could only stand and watch as Brooke turned and sped off into the trees. A second later he followed her, ignoring his brother's calls for him to come back. He’d explain everything to them later, but now he had to find Brooke.

God, I’m so stupid. The scent, the fights, the wound. Connor’s stomach twisted painfully - those deep angry gashes on Brooke’s skin - he’d done that to her. He had to make it right.

He found her by the water’s edge. She was still human but as she twisted round to face him she bared her teeth, poised to shift. He held up his hands.

“I don’t want to fight,” he said softly.

Brooke snarled, “We haven’t got a choice, Connor. You know what I am now - there’s no need to pretend to spare my feelings.”

“But I’m not pretending! I care about you Brooke; I don’t understand why you didn’t just tell me.”

Brooke laughed, but it was cold and empty. Connor could see tears gathering at the corners of her eyes and he wanted nothing more than to reach forward and wipe them away. It felt like they’d travelled back in time, all the progress between them lost.

“You’re kidding, right? When would I have told you? When we were fucking? When we were arguing every day at Cole’s? Maybe I should have just mentioned it in my interview? ‘Anything else you’d like to mention Brooke? Oh yes, I’m the alpha of the new wolf pack that just moved into town but don't worry! I only bite if you piss me off, or maybe if you ask me real nice!’ Please, you would have chased me out of your office.”

I wouldn’t, he wanted to scream, but he knew she was right. He’d hired her right after Eric’s ex had nearly torn the lodge apart from the inside out. If he’d known the hot new shop keeper was the alpha of the small group of wolves at the bottom of the mountain, he wouldn’t have hired her, wouldn’t have let her near his family.

Now though… Connor looked into her eyes. They were the same dark shade of hazel as the she-wolf he’d fought just a few days ago. He expected to feel angry, but all he felt was that stirring in his chest that said she was his. He didn’t care who or what she was. He wanted her more than ever.

“I don’t care,” he said fiercely, willing her to believe him. “I don’t care that you’re a wolf, Brooke.”

“Or that I’m an alpha? It doesn’t tear your little delicate Strauss ego to shreds to want an alpha in your bed?” She hurled the words at him like grenades, but despite the fury of the words, her eyes were wary. Connor smiled. Actually, he loved it. Brooke was demanding, strong willed and beautiful. His knuckles turned white at the bitterness in her voice, furious at the thought of someone telling her she wasn’t good enough for them. He tilted his chin up.

“Why don’t you come find out just how much I don’t care?” His eyes glinted with challenge. Brooke looked at him for a long moment, almost in disbelief,