Free My Hero Bear by Emma Fisher

But so are we. I’m allowed to love you, and you’re allowed to love me.”
     
    Dylan looked up at her, his eyes a stormy sea of trouble. “But he didn’t approve. And he died before we had a chance to make things right.”
     
    “I love my brother, and I still mourn his death to this day. But he was wrong about us. He was wrong about you.”
     
    “What are you saying?” Dylan asked.
     
    “I’m saying I refuse to let the past dictate our future. I’m saying that whatever problem my brother had with our relationship was his problem, not ours. I’m saying that I love you.”
     
    She cradled his head against her breasts. Her fingers stroked through his sweaty hair, hoping she could bring some peace to the war inside the man she loved.
     
    He leaned against her and wrapped his massive arms around her waist. Dylan was heavy but she was more than willing to carry his weight for as long as she had to.
     
    “You don’t have to be alone anymore,” Rory said. “I’m here with you now. For as long as you want me to be.”
     
    ***
     
    Dylan loved the way it felt to lean on Aurora. Her body was soft and comforting, like the perfect complement to him.
     
    Her words struck a chord in him, playing heartstrings he didn’t know were there. Dylan had never felt lonely. Solitude suited him, or so he thought.
     
    But when she said she would be here with him, he realized for the first time that something had been missing from his life. Like he’d lost a part of his soul a long time ago, and now that Aurora was here, he felt like he could be whole again.
     
    It was so strange to think he’d been broken and he never even realized it. He knew he’d been damaged by everything he’d been through, but it took Aurora’s presence to get him to understand just how much.
     
    And something else lingered in the air between them. She’s made it clear that she loved him. The idea seemed absurd to Dylan. He didn’t think he was worthy of love. Not anymore. Not after all the things he’d done.
     
    He wanted to believe her, but he was sure she was just trying to comfort him in the moment. Given time to think about the things he’d told her tonight, she would realize what kind of monster he really was.
     
    And even if she could forgive him, Dylan found it impossible to forgive himself.
     
    He looked up at her, her face dark with worry. He was the one who’d caused her to feel this way. It was his fate to cause pain and suffering wherever he went. That’s why he was a good soldier. That’s why he would make a terrible mate.
     
    He forced himself to his feet and he grabbed Aurora’s tiny hands in his own massive fists. “Let’s get back.”
     
    Dylan released her hands, but to his surprise, Aurora continued to clutch his hand with hers. She refused to let him go.
     
    They walked back to the house, picking their way through the dead trees. Aurora looked around at the devastation surrounding Dylan’s home.
     
    “So you did all this? You destroyed all of these trees?”
     
    Dylan felt ashamed. Every fallen tree was a symbol of his weakness. He had never intended for anyone else to see this. The worst thing in the world a man could be was weak.
     
    “I can’t help it. Sometimes I lose control. It usually starts as a bad dream. And somehow the nightmare doesn’t end, even when I wake up. I’ll find myself snapping back to reality with hours of time having gone by. A whirlwind of destruction surrounding me. My body bleeding and broken and covered in blood.”
     
    “There has to be some way to control it. Maybe we can figure out what it is that sets you off.”
     
    Dylan shook his head. “I’ve never been able to control it. Whatever demons are screaming inside me, it’s like they need to get out. And this is the only way they can do it. Once it starts, it doesn’t stop until I’m too exhausted to move.”
     
    “You stopped tonight,” Aurora said.
     
    Dylan stopped walking and turned to look at her. She