Heart Of The Bear (Appalachian Shifters #1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

know each other.”
    “Doesn’t matter,” Ivy said. “Shifters work differently than humans. They’re more animalistic. They can sense compatibility via scent.”
    “Ew. Are you saying he smelled me?”
    “Basically. He detected your unique pheromones, likely.”
    “I have no idea what that means. Ask me the correct ratio of flour, sugar, and butter for shortbread or where foie gras comes from, and I’ve got you covered. But what the hell are pher… phar… whatever?”
    “Pheromones are imperceptible to humans, but other animal species can detect them. Actually, humans can perceive them. They just don’t realize it,” Ivy said. “You’ve heard of ‘chemistry’ between people, right? Well, that’s what causes it. If your pheromones are compatible, there’s chemistry.”
    “So you’re saying love is basically just science?”
    “Not love… just chemistry.”
    “There’s a difference?” I asked.
    “Don’t ask me! The closest thing I’ve ever been to ‘in love’ was the time I tried dark chocolate fudge in town! I need to go see if your broth is ready. It’s past time for you to eat.”
    With that, Ivy got up and left the room, leaving me to mull over everything she’d said. Could it be that Caleb was attracted to me? Surely not. I mean, I was just a chubby girl with plain brown hair and brown eyes. Nothing special. Right?
    Then again, if what Ivy said was true and shifter men preferred curvier chicks…
    Oh, hell, who was I kidding? It didn’t matter what crazy notions I got into my head that this Adonis might actually be attracted to me… it couldn’t be true. It just couldn’t be.

Chapter Four

     
    I’d been with Caleb’s pack for nearly a month before I could manage to stand up and hobble around a bit. Several of the male pack members had taken to coming by to check on me, and Caleb never showed any signs that it bothered him. I had decided that Ivy was wrong. He wasn’t attracted to me. He just didn’t like the idea of a human coming into their group. That had to be it.
    One evening I had gone for a stroll around the den, which is what they called the little pseudo-village they had up on the mountain overlooking Gatlinburg. The view was breathtaking, and I looked down at the town in the valley and watched the tourists… they looked as tiny as ants from my vantage point… as they visited the shops and the aquarium.
    I felt a hand rest on my shoulder, and I turned to see one of the pack males standing behind me. He smiled at me warmly, and I couldn’t help but smile back.
    “How are you feeling, Penny?” he asked. “It’s good to see you up and about.”
    “I’m sorry, I seem to have forgotten your name,” I apologized.
    “Rusty,” he said, his smile fading slightly.
    “Of course,” I said. “Rusty. Now I remember. Sorry, my memory hasn’t been very good since the crash.”
    “It’s alright,” Rusty said. “Can I walk with you?”
    “I don’t see why not,” I answered.
    There was a little path that wound through the den and down the side of the mountain toward a little branch where they collected water. There were no utilities that far up on the mountain, so they lived a very rustic lifestyle that I actually found refreshing.
    As we walked, I felt movement behind me, and suddenly Rusty’s arm was draped across my shoulders. I tensed up, but I said nothing. I didn’t want to be rude, but this gesture made me uncomfortable. I’d barely even spoken to Rusty before this.
    As we approached the branch, I was relieved to feel his arm moving off my shoulders, but unfortunately the situation grew even more awkward immediately afterward. Rusty pushed me against a tree and pressed his lips against mine.
    I pushed against his chest with both hands and tried to twist my head to the side to get away, but my neck was still quite sore, making it nearly impossible to turn my head more than a couple of inches in either direction. His lips were quite insistent, and the harder I