Wild Bear (Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance) (Rescue Bears Book 2) by Scarlett Grove Page A

said, looking down at Theo. He’d been sitting on Shane’s foot the entire time.
    “There’s nothing to play with in there. I want to be with Daddy,” Theo said.
    Lily let out the breath, puffing out her cheeks. She looked at Shane for help, for a solution. The bear inside him swelled with pride. It felt good to be on the same page with his bear for once.
    “We can talk at my cabin. It’s more comfortable there. I’ll ask Levi’s mate Juliet if she can watch Theo for a while.”
    “Okay,” Lily said, looking down at the Theo.
    Shane sent a text to Juliet and received one back a few moments later.
    “She’d love to watch him for a while. I’m going to need a ride back. My bike’s still out on the highway.”
    “Let’s go. Come on, Sweetie. Mommy is going to talk to Daddy.”
    Theo skipped out the door after Shane, and Lily followed them. Shane picked up the cub and carried him down the stairs. Lily opened the back seat, put Theo inside, and unlocked the passenger door.
    The short trip to the lodge was filled with Theo’s chatter recounting the night he’d spent in the woods with Shane. Lily drove silently, looking worried and uncomfortable. He was determined to put her mind at ease. Once and for all, he would give her what she needed. The old bad bear was gone.
    Once they made it to the lobby of the lodge, Juliet was waiting there with open arms for their cub. She was a petite woman, and Theo came up to her mid-chest at just five years old.
    “Hi,” Theo said, walking up to smiling Juliet. “Mommy says you are going to play with me while she talks to my daddy.”
    “That’s right, Theo. We’ve got a great playground here at the lodge. Would you like to show me some of those acrobatic skills I’ve been hearing so much about?”
    “Um…” Lily started.
    “Mommy. I can do it. You always try to keep me from showing myself.”
    Lily frowned, deflating. She’d been trying to keep him safe. Just like Shane had been trying to keep her safe.
    “Okay, Theo. Just be careful.”
    “Yay!” he said, clapping his hands.
    “I’ll take care of him,” Juliet said, winking.
    Theo’s shifter skills had been the talk of the crew since they’d found him in the woods. The kid had evaded five grown shifters with top of the line equipment for an entire day. The kid was already a legend. He doubted Theo could hurt himself on a jungle gym. Lily was a human and there was much of shifter life that she didn’t understand.
    An idea started to cultivate in Shane’s mind. Something he should have thought of a long time ago. Most human women who mated with shifters remained human. But not always.
    Juliet took Theo out the front door of the lodge, telling how much fun they were going to have. Shane took Lily’s hand in his. Gently, he led her out the back toward his cabin. They walked along the path with the manicured grounds. The cabins were secluded in their own stands of trees.
    They came to Shane’s cabin, and he opened the front door. Lily hadn’t spoken since Theo had gone off with Juliet. He couldn’t read her tight expression. She seemed sad and tired as hell. His heart hurt, seeing her like this, knowing he was partially the cause.
    She went to sit on his couch and he built a roaring fire in the fireplace before coming to sit beside her. She was wearing a thick gray cardigan with a black printed t-shirt underneath. She’d put black makeup around her eyes at some point, but it was a little smeared at the edges.
    Shane wanted to hold her and take away her sadness. He sat there, paralyzed. Would she let him?
    “Lily,” he started, finally reaching out to touch her shoulder.
    She turned to him, her expression blank. “How did you tame your bear? What changed?” she said in a soft voice.
    “I was going to make love to you. I felt myself slipping away and my bear taking over my mind. I just knew I couldn’t allow it. I allowed it to happen again.”
    “Was your bear in control the last time?” she asked,