Free Tempting The Bear: Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance (Gray Bears Book 4) by Natalie Kristen Page B

Instead, he had
flown into a rage and ordered her to terminate the pregnancy
immediately.
    “ If you don't get rid of
the baby, then I will,” he'd threatened.
    It was only then that she
realized her folly. She had stupidly thought that Douglas loved her
and wanted a future with her. He never wanted anything with her.
She wasn't even a fling.
    She was only twenty-one when
she met him. Douglas was twelve years older than her. He was suave,
confident and he would chat and flirt with her while she served him
at the diner he frequented.
    She thought there was love,
romance and honesty between them. But there was nothing. She had
given him her virginity, her trust and he used her.
    In tears, she had assured
Douglas that she would raise the child on her own. The child would
have nothing to do with him. But Douglas coldly told her that the
mere existence of the child was a stumbling block to his plans and
his future life.
    “ I'm going to be the
future Alpha of the Hamilton pride. This child cannot exist, Harper.
Get rid of it!,” Douglas had snarled.
    Harper finally understood who
and what Douglas was. Douglas was a lion shifter, and he had set his
sights on Lucy Hamilton, the only daughter of Warren Hamilton. Warren
Hamilton was the Alpha of the Hamilton pride of lion shifters and the
Chairman of Hamilton Inc. If Douglas married Lucy, he would inherit
the Alpha position and all the wealth and prestige that came with it.
There was too much at stake for him.
    If Warren Hamilton found out
that Douglas had a child with another woman, he would never allow
Douglas to marry his precious, virgin daughter. Douglas was a
Vice-President at Hamilton Inc, and had systematically and schemingly
worked his way into Warren's favor over the years.
    Douglas was a lion shifter,
but Harper finally saw that he was really a cold-hearted,
manipulative snake. He had unfeelingly used Harper to satisfy his
own lust and pleasure. Warren Hamilton guarded his daughter's virtue
fiercely. If Douglas slept with Lucy before marriage, Warren would
kill him. So Harper was a free and easy outlet for him.
    Harper felt so ashamed and
angry and...dirty. She felt used and cheapened. How could she have
allowed a man like Douglas to touch her?
    When Douglas continued
threatening and intimidating her, Harper decided that the only way to
be free of him was to run. Run far away and stay hidden until her
child was born.
    When she reached Shadow Point,
she thought that this small town would be a good place to raise her
child. There was a large paranormal community in Shadow Point.
There was shifters, vampires, witches, fae folk and humans all living
in the town. Her child would feel right at home here. She didn't
want him to feel like he didn't belong. There were many half-shifter
kids in the community, and he could make many friends who were just
like him. And many more friends who were not at all like him.
    Harper smiled at the thought
of her son playing in the school yard with all the other cubs and
pups. There was so much hope and promise in that beautiful image,
and she imagined a little boy with brown hair and hazel eyes like her
running and laughing with all the other kids.
    With a quiet sigh, Harper
jolted herself out of her reverie. She remembered that she was out
of a job and fast running out of cash. Tonight's incident had been
the only unpleasant thing that had happened to her since she came to
Shadow Point. But unpleasant things happened everywhere. In big
cities and small towns. All she had to do was look for another job.
    She would be fine. Her baby
would be fine. They had each other, and that was all that mattered.
They were a family, small but whole.
    As long as she had her
precious baby, there was nothing that she couldn't endure and
overcome.
    Harper gazed up at the stars
as she walked. Her dad had passed away a few years back and her
mother had left them a long time ago. She couldn't even remember
what her mom looked like. Her mother had remarried