Hunter Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Enforcer Bears Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

almost like the beast was teasing Steven. He’d track him without result for days, and then, just when he thought that the jaguar had moved on, there’d be another paw print, or another fresh scent where the big cat had rubbed against a tree.
    He can't hide forever. Sooner or later I'll catch him. There has to be a reason he stays close to this lake. He must have a hidden lair somewhere...
    A bird made an angry sound, chiding him from the vantage point of a branch high above him.
    Steven grinned and brushed the wet hair out of his eyes, and then he concentrated.
    Shifting came as easily as breathing to him. Since childhood, he'd preferred the form of his bear. It meant that he didn't have to listen to his father shouting or his mother crying. He didn't have to feel afraid or small or helpless.
    The form of his bear had given him strength back then. He'd hidden away with his animal as often as he could. And as soon as he was old enough, that was the life he had chosen: the life of a wandering bear, never settling down, always finding new adventures. The odd job of tracking down a shifter who'd caused trouble wasn't exactly lucrative, but it was enough money for someone like him who didn't need much.
    All he needed was the forest, moss beneath his paws and blue sky above his head.
    Steven inhaled deeply. The scents of the forest filled his senses: wet stones, old leaves, ripening berries, the clear, sharp scent of fir needles releasing their aroma where he’d stepped on fallen branches.
    When he exhaled, all the sensations suddenly grew in intensity. A shock like lightning ran through his body as everything seemed to expand. His nose twitched, recognizing three different, old deer trails. His ears heard the rustling of a mouse in a bush, and the hungry cries of newly hatched birds in one of the trees nearby.
    He'd shifted, as easily as that.
    Like every time he returned to this form, a wild elation filled him. His paws itched to run. This was who he was meant to be. This was his home: the forest, the sky, the wilderness where no one had expectations.
    It was freedom, and it was all his.
    A joyful roar escaped him, and then he set off north, circling once more all the spots where he'd fount jaguar prints before.
    He ran and ran, pausing every now and then to sniff at spots of particular interest—but today, there were no new scents to demand his attention. The jaguar had a very distinctive scent, sharp and jarring, but even though Steven searched all the spots where he'd found traces of the shifter rubbing against trees or climbing rocks, today he had no success.
    It took him several hours, and in the end, Steven had circled the entire lake. He still couldn’t make rhyme or reason of the places where the jaguar kept reappearing, but the one thing they had in common was that he never seemed to move very far from the lake and the forest surrounding it.
    Which in turn reminded him once more of Cleo.
    He skidded to a stop when right at that moment, a familiar scent caught his attention.
    Cleo!
    Now that he looked around, he could see that he was close to her house. Too close for comfort—although he was certain that his brother would find some sort of explanation if Cleo called in distress because there wasn't just a jaguar, but an additional bear roaming around outside her house.
    Better not to chance such a thing. It was bad enough that his hunt had led him so close to her. He might not be buck naked this time, but surely the fact that he was a bear wouldn't work in his favor either.
    Carefully, he made his way forward. He'd left his clothes not far away. He'd circled the lake once; it was perhaps half an hour from here to the little rocky outcrop where he'd found a tiny, natural alcove to leave his belongings. He'd just have to make it past Cleo's house safely.
    His nose twitched as he inhaled the air once more. Her scent was more distinct now... and a moment later, he heard the sound of feet coming down a path.
    Steven was