Free Waking the Bear (Shifter Wars) by Kerry Adrienne

that Evers believed any of the funky superstitions about it, but the land had been lion territory and Max knew that. He’d wanted access to the cave for a long, long time. If some fairy lived there that granted wishes or told the future, then even better.
    All Evers knew is that his parents were buried there. Griff had taken him there to kill him. That was reason enough to take the cave from the bears.
    The door opened and Max entered, along with a crowd of young lions following him. Evers watched the group enter, noting the almost-cubs fawning over their leader like he was a rock star. He shook his head.
    Max stopped and looked around the room, giving a quick nod toward his sons, Marco and Mason.
    Large and muscular, with a head of thick pale white hair that framed his face standing out at least six inches in all directions, Max held a presence in the room that wasn’t matched by anyone. His gaze, centered around gleaming blue eyes set in sun-tanned skin, pierced anyone who dared meet it. He stood at least half a foot taller than everyone in the room. No question he was the alpha, leader of the pride. Marco and Mason rose to meet their father and the other lions all stood, heads down, to acknowledge his entry.
    Evers took another gulp of the soda. Finally.
    Max hugged each of the twins, giving them a sharp pat on the back before moving into the room, nodding and greeting everyone. The boys’ mother had died in childbirth, and since then they had been raised and spoiled by the whole pride.
    After his own parents had been killed when he was a teen, Evers had naturally filled in as a third son for Max, since his parents had been Max’s best friends.
    He’d always been envious that Marco and Mason had a father. A real one. His own was dead and buried.
    And it was Griff’s fault.
    Evers’s parents’ car had run off a muddy road in heavy rain and flipped multiple times down an embankment. According to what he’d heard from Max, they’d been driving through the national park, having spent the day hiking and picnicking near one of the scenic waterfalls near the gorge. The same park that Griff was now ranger for.
    A teenaged Griff had come upon the scene of the accident. Supposedly, he had been out collecting mushrooms to dehydrate for use in cooking, but it was all too convenient that he’d been in the same area of the accident. Somehow, he’d either caused the accident or finished off Evers’s parents, not that it mattered now. After all, he was a bear, and the bears were sworn enemies. Max hadn’t told him directly that it was Griff’s fault, but it wasn’t hard to figure out.
    The police hadn’t arrived for forty-five minutes and the ambulance took over an hour to wend its way through the park to the accident scene. Evers held his hand to his throbbing head and bit back the bile taste in his mouth. He pulled out his roll of antacid from his pocket and popped three, chewing the chalky mint tablets like he was tearing into meat.
    At the very least, Griff had allowed his parents to die. Otherwise, they would still be alive. Max had kept him from investigating the crime for a long time, first because Evers was too young, then by directing him to other tasks, but finally Evers had enough and decided it was time to find out the truth. When he’d pulled the police report in Oakwood last winter, he’d seen little mention of Griff—and no mention that he’d tried to save Evers’s mom and dad. Only that the bodies were dragged off by animals.
    Griff had not only killed his parents; he lied about it.
    It was at that point Evers decided that revenge, once and for all, was the answer. No more speculation or excuses.
    The bastard was going to pay for his parents’ deaths. A bear wouldn’t save a lion, much less go out of his way to do it.
    Evers clenched his fists.
    “Evers.” Max hugged him then moved past. “It’s wonderful to see you again. You weren’t around much this winter.”
    Evers jerked out of his train