Romance: My Bear Boss: BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance (BBW Shifter Romance, Paranormal Shifter Romance) by Ashley Hunter Page A

in Ingrid’s voice, just a lack of understanding.
    I had orders. Even if I wanted to get rid of you, Leo would never allow it. He’s fond of you.
    “That’s ridiculous.”
    And then Nadya did something Ingrid did not expect. She gave her a soft smile.
    He said that too.
    --

 
    Ingrid learned that their clan had been around for hundreds of years, and that wolves weren’t exactly the creatures spelled out in supernatural novels. They hunted in packs and often stayed clear from humans, preferring to stay close to their more beastlike relative.
    Lions, or in this case, mountain lions, as Nadya had explained, rarely met together even though they upheld family values like any other mammal. They held their own, kept to their territories and tried to make their way in the world.
    Misala, Leo’s sister, had been a beautiful young woman who wanted nothing more than to spread peace between the shifter clans.
    She had expressed her desire to help others, not just in her clan, but among the human realms as well.
    You remind him of her. Nadya signed one evening.
    Ingrid felt a jolt in her heart that shouldn’t have been.
    “How?”
    You care a lot for others as well. Even if it is a bit stupid.
    Ingrid was surprised to find that Nadya had become incredibly talkative, which was amusing to admit.
    She spoke often of Leo, explaining the customs, explaining that on the days he wasn’t around he was ensuring that his territory wasn’t disturbed. He had taken Nadya in when she was young.
    Being a shifter and deaf was unacceptable in the clan and those who were born with disabilities were killed or left to die of exposure. Leo had protected her and trained Nadya, allowing the girl to live and become a skilled shifter.
    I may not hear or speak, but I still have a voice. I can feel my enemies through the earth. He gave me that.
    The more Ingrid learned about Leo, the more it was easier to see him less like a monster… and more like someone she could trust.
    But even after all this, she wasn’t sure if she could trust him. Regardless of what happened.

 
    Chapter 15
     
    Five months to the day that Ingrid had disappeared.  She wondered if people were searching for her, if they knew. And the desire to at least get a message out had become overwhelming and made Ingrid try to make an effort.
    She showed up one day to breakfast, unannounced when she saw him there.
    Leo sitting there, slouched uncharacteristically against his chair and staring vacantly at the ceiling.
    She cleared her throat and he was suddenly shooting up from his chair to look at her, visibly startled.
    “Ingrid…?” he asked, pulling himself from his chair.
    “Good morning.” She greeted, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. Leo nodded, if a bit awkwardly, before motioning toward her seat.
    When she was sitting, he followed, watching her with eyes that were so full of so many emotions, it was almost overwhelming. “I have a favor to ask.”
    “What kind of favor?” Leo inquired, not daring to move.
    She hesitated for a moment, glancing away from his gaze to pick at a grape. She brought the berry to her lips before biting down.
    She didn’t notice the way his eyes followed the movement raptly. “A message.”
    As expected he said nothing, but when she met his gaze he didn’t seem closed off. If anything, he looked grim.
    “There’s a cabin, a little ways down from here. It belongs to my friend. She let me use it as a vacation spot, and it’s the reason why I ended up all the way out here. I haven’t seen her in five months and she’s the only person that ever really gave a damn about me in that town… It would mean the world to me, if you could find a way to tell her that I’m okay.”
    Leo said nothing for a while before he took in a deep inhale.
    “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
    Ingrid’s shoulders slumped, she had expected this. It had been worth a shot. Nodding, the brunette began to push out of the chair before Leo spoke again.
    “Because