Bear Exposure (Highland Brothers 3) by Meredith Clarke, Ally Summers Page A

white from the grip. She had been driving for four hours. Her shoulders hurt and her eyes stung. But she couldn’t stop. Only two more hours to Seattle.
    She shoved her blond hair from her shoulder and reached for the radio. If she could find a station out here it would be a miracle. There was nothing out here but woods.
    It didn’t help that it had started to rain and the sunset made everything an eerie gray color. She strained to see the road.
    “Oh, great.”
    She heard the plink, plink sound of ice tapping her windshield. Everything was starting to freeze.
    Every time her eyes darted to the rearview mirror it reminded her why she was in the car. Why everything she owned was packed in the trunk. Why she didn’t know what else to do but run.
    She refused to think about it. Refused to think about how close she came to making the biggest mistake of her life. She turned the volume up all the way and tried to make out the song through the static.
    It was her own damn fault. She had taken one look at the guy with crystal blue eyes and had fallen hard. He was sexy and charming. Everything she thought she needed until she found out there was another side. He wasn’t human.
    She shook her head. He wasn’t the man she thought he was. He was a shifter. Part wolf. Part man. Maybe she could have gotten over it, but when he told her his pack would have to initiate her, she freaked out, packed two suitcases, and left town.
    She had always considered herself liberal, but holy hell, a shifter initiation wasn’t something she was interested in. She hoped Seattle would be far enough he wouldn’t try to find her.
    Colton told her he would pick her up at six to begin the mating ritual—whatever in the hell that was. She didn’t stick around to find out.
    He had called her cell three times. Each time the phone rang she jumped. The last voicemail gave her the creeps. It cemented her reason for leaving Cover City.
    Colton’s voice was crisp and calm. “Presley, I’m at your place. Where are you? The pack is anxious to get things started. Give me a call. I’m waiting.”
    Why had she given him her number? Why did she let him buy her a drink after work? She clutched the wheel. She had screwed up.
    She had tended bar long enough to know not to date the customers, but there was something about him that was alluring, almost mind-numbing.
    She shook her head. Now she was unemployed. All the cash she had from last week’s tips was wadded up and shoved in her purse. She prayed it would be enough to pay for a few nights in a hotel until she could find a job in Seattle.
    There were a million bars. Someone had to be looking for a bartender.
    The static faded, and she started to relax when she recognized an old ballad. For a split second she let the music smooth her. Long enough for her eyes to close. Long enough to lose focus of the road. Long enough not to see the deer stepping in front of her car.
    “Shit!” she screamed as her car hit the animal and skidded off the road.
    Presley held the steering wheel, clutching to the only thing she had. She felt the car hit nose first into a ditch. Her head jerked and bounced on her shoulders before crashing against the wheel. She tried to open her eyes, but all she felt was a searing pain across her cheek. Then everything went dark.

3
    Striker
    T he private road for Highland House was only another mile. He had officially driven on to his family’s property. The state road ran through a section on the edge of the land. Striker slowed the car to make the turn when his headlights bounced off something metal in front of him. He pulled over.
    There was a car slammed into the ditch, just before the gravel road.
    He threw his car in park and ran across the street. He could see someone through the window slumped over the steering wheel.
    He gripped the door’s handle, tugging a few times before realizing the crash must have jammed it shut. He gave a slight growl before yanking harder. He needed his bear