Bear Protector - Bella Love-Wins Page 0,16

about was remaining subtle—it had never been his strong suit. He was always ready to go, to push forward. He had never been good at biding his time, acting or playing it cool. Thankfully, only nine days remained before Kiera had to cast the transformation spell. Less than nine days to seduce her and bring her around to his way of thinking? He looked forward to this new challenge. One thing was for certain. He would not stand by and watch while another batch of young men became slaves.

“How was the meeting?” Liam, Xander’s best friend and most trusted advisor, asked when Xander crossed paths with him near the camp dining area.

“Promising.” It was the only answer he felt comfortable sharing. He was keyed up, filled with energy, optimistic for the first time in years. Already, he wished nine days would pass in the blink of an eye so he could see the outcome of putting his plan set in motion.

“You look like you need to shift,” Liam murmured. “Either that or you need to find a human female and get laid.”

Xander smiled and shook his head. Liam knew him well enough to register the caginess in his stance. The urge to give way to his animal trembled under his skin. It had been almost a week since his last shift, so his Kodiak bear was restless. Meeting Kiera today did not help. Right now, giving in to his beast was exactly what he needed to do.

“Shifting it is, but not for too long,” Xander told him. “Let’s go.”

They headed to the closed-in wooded area of the camp. The space had been set aside for letting their animals out and for tactical training while in shifter form. Removing his clothes and placing them on one of the nearby posts, Xander closed his eyes. His animal was rearing to take over. In mere moments, all human thought ceased, and his body yielded until he was all Kodiak bear.

He roared, and beside him, Liam’s animal echoed him. They wrestled and grappled for some time, then explored the woods, parting ways with their muzzles to the frosty ground. Invariably, they would meet up again near a tree or felled log, and would wrestle some more until they were both out of breath. After some time, when Xander’s Kodiak bear was ready to yield to his human side, he transformed back quickly. The tension had left his body. He could focus again, and his first thought was about seducing Kiera.

Liam shifted back to his human form shortly afterward. As they dressed, Liam studied his face. “How was that meeting? Really?”

“Just as I said,” Xander told him. “It was promising.”

His best friend grinned, but did not let up on the discerning glance. “Promising for our cause, or to get your dick out of your pants for a witch?”

The answer was both, but it was too early to let Liam into his plan. “Get your mind off my package and worry about your own. I hear it’s been months since you had a woman, Liam,” he joked.

Liam had a smug grin on his face. “Your access to our camp’s rumor mill is sorely lacking, fucker.”

“Yes, I am the fucker, Liam. And you are the…un-fuckable.”

“It’s kind of interesting you think so because that, my friend, is not what your momma told me.”

Xander laughed hard for the first time in days. Liam was the only person with whom he could be himself. All the other shifters saw him as the alpha, a larger-than-life leader meant to rule. “Keep my momma out of it, shithead. In any case, if you’re not careful, you’re liable to go blind next time you jerk off.”

“Have you not learned? You can fool everyone, but you cannot trick me.” Liam pulled Xander aside, looking in all directions to make sure no one was close enough to hear them. “What exactly do you plan on doing with that witch?” he demanded in a fierce whisper.

It appeared that Xander would share his plan for Kiera after all.

5

Kiera

Kiera stared out the window of the carriage as the Chancellors guards returned her to the fortress. She was alone. Apparently, Coco had asked them to take her back after storming out of the Great Hall. The news of Coco’s departure was unsettling. It spoke volumes, filling Kiera’s mind with many more questions that she had about her meeting.

How could Coco just up and leave her there?

What was the reason for Xander’s grudge with the Chancellor?

Why did Xander get under