Forbidden Love: A BBW, BWWM Paranormal Romance Read Online Free PDF Page A

the clan. She’d taken the responsibility so that her son
could have his birthright, but every member of the clan, even the
die-hard manly werebears, agreed that she had been one of the best
leaders of the century.
    “ Susan, you’ll go with him and find your
sister.”
    “ Mother, she’s fine. I bet you anything
she’s by the river eating salmon, completely unaware of the
time,” Susan argued.
    Typical , Riley thought. “Mom,
I’d rather go by myself anyway. Let the brat stay here.”
    Susan punched his arm and said, “I’m not a
brat! I just think tracking her would be a big waste of time! She’d
be back by the time we found her scent.”
    “ Then we’ll all be happy. Stop whining and
go with your brother. You need the exercise anyway,” Cammie
ordered her daughter with a swat on her butt. Both of her children
sighed heavily, showing their similarities in the simple gesture. She
smiled as she watched them leave in the direction Alice had taken
that morning, proud of her children even when they drove her crazy.
    *****
    “ Do you really think something happened to her?
Because I don’t,” Susan griped as she followed her
brother through the brush.
    “ No, I don’t, but I also know there have
been some poachers in the area and we shouldn’t take chances.”
    “ Poachers? I haven’t heard that rumor,”
Susan retorted. “Who told you that?”
    “ I have my sources.” Riley meandered through
the trees, looking for signs of a large animal passing through. “Keep
your eyes open, please. The faster we find her trail, the faster we
can find her and get back.”
    “ I can’t see a thing. Where did someone see
poachers?” Susan asked, increasing her stride so as not to fall
behind her brother. She peered into the shadows of the forest,
praying nothing watched them.
    Riley rolled his eyes when his sister stepped on the
back of his boot for the third time. He’d told her about the
poachers to scare her, although Susan didn’t wander far from
camp like Alice did. But Alice was sensible; Susan was seventeen. Why
his parents had waited almost thirteen years before having their last
daughter was beyond his comprehension. But he wouldn’t know
what to do without his younger sisters.
    “ The poachers were miles from here, but you know
how Alice is. She probably walked that far to find her alone time.”
Riley also said “alone time” sarcastically. Werebears
were by nature social creatures. Alice was a rare one who enjoyed
being alone from time to time.
    “ You know what I heard?” She waited for him
to say what, but he stared at the ground, searching for clues. She
rolled her eyes and continued. “I heard the wolf pack has been
patrolling more, and closer to our camp.”
    “ Where did you hear that nonsense?” he
asked. He’d stopped and was kneeling next to a tree trunk,
picking at the bark. “Look, some of her fur. She must have been
scratching her back.”
    “ Feels good against a big tree like that. And it’s
not nonsense. Tina told me,” Susan replied, looking at the
bark.
    “ Tina is an idiot. The wolf pack has been
patrolling more, but only in their own area. They don’t want to
come up here any more than we want to go down there.”
    “ Tina isn’t an idiot! That’s mean,”
Susan defended the dubious intelligence of her friend. “Hey,
why aren’t we in our bear forms. This would be way easier if we
were. Faster too.”
    “ I wanted to get a direction before turning. And
now I have it. Let’s go.”
    They transformed simultaneously, Riley’s form much
larger than his sister’s. He snuffled at her and butt her with
his head to indicate direction, and they ran.
    *****
    Inside Alex’s tent, Alice realized her family must
be worried about her. She could do nothing about it right now, and
she sincerely hoped they wouldn’t send out a search party. Her
scent would lead them here. Good lord, the
problems that would cause , she mused to
herself.
    Alex had gone to the kitchen area to