Chapter 12

We didn't getto fish for long before the storm rolled in. It wasn't safe to be out there with metal poles. We decided to clean up and try again another day. Leo wasn't there long enough to relax, but at least he didn"t snarl at Javi. He didn't pay much attention to him at all. We rode back in Malcolm's truck, and he sat silently in the back seat, staring out the window.

The rain didn't start slow. It hit hard and fast, coming down in sheets and making it hard to see. Even being in the forest didn't help. It was a slow drive back because we had to be careful, and it was mostly dark because of the clouds when we finally arrived.

Leo was out the door of the truck before Malcolm could even put it into park. I shook my head with a smile.

"He sure loves his mama."

Malcolm hummed, his smile relaxed. "Most cubs do. Javi, stay here. I'm gonna get your mama and–"

Javi was already out the door, giggling as he dodged through the rain into the compound. Malcolm sighed.

"There went the hope that I could keep ‘im dry. You still as fast as I remember?"

I grinned at him. "Faster. I'll race you. One, two, three!"

I was out the door like a flash, and I could hear Malcolm cursing behind me. "Dammit, that's cheating!"

Snickering, I hurried inside out of the rain, skidding to a stop when Leo's screams caught my attention.

"Where is she? What did you do to her? Where's my mom?"

My stomach dropped, and I hauled butt down the hall, ignoring the fact that I was dripping all over the floor. I'd clean up later. I caught myself on the open doorway, looking around wildly. Most of the women were there, but the air was strained, tense, and Talia and Kiara weren't in the group.

"What happened?"

Leo's little snarls grew louder as Sariah replied, tear tracks on her cheeks. "I didn't mean to. I didn"t know it was a secret. Kiara got upset, and she left and Talia just–"

"She ran," Rhea finished. "I called the crew, they'll be on the lookout, but with the storm, it might be hard to find her tonight."

Leo spun around, racing for the door, but I caught him around the middle before he could run out into the rain. I picked him up, shaking my head firmly.

"No. You're a cub. You can't go."

"Let me go! I have to find her! Let me go!"

He shifted, the stress and fear forcing the change right in my arms. It was disconcerting, holding someone in the middle of a change, and I nearly dropped him. He used the distraction to his advantage and tried to jump out of my arms, but I grabbed his scruff just before his feet touched the ground and hauled him back. He bit and clawed at my arms, but I ignored the little stings. He was upset. He was allowed to get mad.

"Leo," I called as calmly as I could. "I can't find her if I'm worried about you. She's gotta be scared right now. If she finds out you went after her, she'll be real upset. You don't want to hurt her, do you?"

He yowled, still scrambling against me, but I knew he was listening. I hugged him against my chest, shushing him and petting his fur. Bear wanted to go after Talia right away, but we needed to take care of her cub first. I didn't want him all alone and scared.

"I'm gonna find her. I promise. But you gotta promise to stay here. Stay here so I can focus on findin' her. Please, little cub."

His yowls shifted into whimpers and he went lax in my arms. I wanted to spend time soothing him some more, but I'd have to do that later. The longer Talia was on her own, the harder it would be to find her. I handed Leo over to Malcolm and tugged my wet t-shirt over my head.

"Which way did she go?"

"East," Rhea answered.

That wasn't helpful. I wasn't sure which way that was.

"Take a right out the door. She followed the creek. Mudslides are common in the mountains, so you need to hurry," Runa said, appearing suddenly in the hallway. She was all wet, and she had mud up to her shins. She must've tried to follow Talia before she turned back. I dipped my chin once and headed for the door, stripping along the way. Mama would scold me for leaving my clothes everywhere, but this was an emergency.

Bear exploded out of me the second we stepped outside. We hit the ground running, heading right into the forest. It took a minute to find the creek. It was hard to see with all the rain. Lightning flashed on and off, which didn't help any. I thought I saw prints in the mud, but the lightning made it hard to tell, and they looked like shadows in the dark. I sprinted along the edge of the creek, my nose in the air as I tried to catch Talia's scent. It was hard in the rain. All I smelled was green earth and water.

I ran until my lungs burned, until my limbs got heavy. I was about to slow down, to look for tracks again, when I heard a lioness roar. Bear skidded and turned suddenly, following the sound. The closer I got, the more I heard. It wasn't just a lioness. Barks and yips, like dogs, filled the air, followed by a loud howl. Wolves.

Fear dumped into my system, and I tore through the trees until I could see them ahead of me. Talia was surrounded by a pack of wolves. They were circling her, snapping at her and trying to hurt her. I bellowed out a challenge, barreling into a group of them and knocking them away. One was bigger, and I went for him first, pinning him to the ground and snarling right in his face. I didn't want to hurt him, not if I didn't have to, but if they didn't leave, I'd rip them all to pieces. Talia was mine to protect. I promised her I'd keep her safe.

The wolf got the picture, going limp beneath me and giving me his belly. Surrender. I gave him one last menacing growl and stepped back, not stopping until I felt Talia pressed against my side. The wolf didn't challenge me again, rolling to his feet and running away. The rest of the pack followed him, leaving us alone.

Once I was certain they were gone, I turned to check on Talia. There was a hint of copper in the air, some bite marks in her fur, but nothing too bad. Her throat was safe and there was no heavy bleeding. I nudged her like I did the cubs the day before and she followed me after I looked over my shoulder at her.

We wouldn't make it all the way back to the compound without getting lost. The storm was getting worse, and I was terrible at tracking. It was dumb luck and Runa's instructions that led me to Talia. We'd find our way back when the storm died down.

Instead, I led us to a cave I passed not far back. I sniffed it carefully, but whatever lived here before hadn't been there in a while. I shook out my fur at the entrance and was planning on staying a bear to keep warm, but Talia shifted back and crumbled to the ground, sobbing. I couldn't just ignore her. I shifted, pulling her into my arms the second I could.

"You're okay. You're okay."

She tried to say something, but it came out jumbled and choked from the sobs. I couldn't even hope to understand her. I figured right now I didn't need to. She was too upset to explain. I petted her hair, shushing her like I did Leo, and waited.

The tears slowed eventually, and she shivered from the cold. Kneeling on the stone floor wasn't helping, so I pulled her to her feet and tighter against me. I was always pretty warm. I thought it'd help. Probably should've considered the fact that we were naked.

I didn't notice at first, too busy trying to warm her up and take care of her. But it dawned on me eventually and no amount of yelling at my body to ignore it stopped my dick from swelling. I jerked, spinning away from her, and tugged hard on my hair.

Stop it, you stupid bear. She's upset.

"T-Teddy?"

Crap.

I wouldn't be able to hide it from her. It wasn't like I was small. I was big all over, including between my legs. And I didn"t have any clothes to hide it. I willed it to go away, but my mind kept going back to how her curves felt pressed against me and it wouldn't go down.

"I-I'm sorry…"

"No!" I spun around, worried she thought it was her fault. She didn"t do anything wrong. I completely forgot about my problem until her eyes dropped to my lap and went as wide as dinner plates.

"Crap."

Covering myself with my hands, I spun around again. "Sorry. Just– You're pretty. I'm just gonna… stay over here. I'm not mad. Don't apologize." Think of something else. Burs in your paws, gross stuff stuck to dishes, smelly gym socks. Not the pretty girl behind you with the gentle curves and long legs. Gah! Stop it!