Free Hero Bear: BBW Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance by Zoe Chant

Caleb here? Were these two in on the joke too? Worse, was she about to be set up, again? “Oh. So do you know Caleb Bentley?” She had a horrible sinking feeling that Dylan knew exactly who she was.
    “Sure! We grew up with the Bentleys. You know, this one time—”
    “Did Caleb have a good laugh with y’all about what he did?” She should have known. Small towns. Everybody knew everybody.
    “You know Caleb?”
    “Oh sure,” Michaela said, aware that Brenda and Dalton were listening to her. She glanced at Dalton, then back to Dylan. “I’m sure all y’all were in on it, since you like pranks so much. Which one of you had the idea he should tell me he was a werebear? Him saying he couldn’t shapeshift to prove it, that was a nice touch. What would he have done if I’d believed him?” She laughed and slammed back the last of her beer. “Guess he would’ve been stuck with me.” She stood up. “Bren, I’m going home. You coming with me?”
    Neither of the men said a word, probably too surprised— and maybe a little ashamed— that their target had started talking back. They both stood when she did, and then Brenda followed suit.
    “Michaela, honey. What are you talking about?” Brenda was pulling money out of her purse to settle up.
    “I didn’t get to tell you that part. Guess it wasn’t enough to lead the new girl on, Caleb figured he’d try to make me look like a fool too.” She finally spoke directly to Dalton. “Tell your brother he can go to hell!”
    She stormed out, with Brenda on her tail. “’Chaela, wait.” Brenda stopped her in the parking lot.
    Michaela pulled her arm away. “That was his brother you were dancing with!”
    “I didn’t know, honest,” Brenda said. “He didn’t give me his last name. You think he was in on the joke? What were you saying about bears?”
    “That’s what Caleb tried to tell me.” Michaela ached with how foolish she felt. She headed for the car again, and Brenda didn’t stop her. “I guess he wanted to see how much bull I’d believe, so he said he was, I dunno, part bear or something.”
    “Dalton seemed so nice...”
    “See what I mean? So did Caleb!” Michaela unlocked her car door and got behind the wheel, pausing to consider if she was drunk or not. Once Brenda was in the passenger seat with the door closed, Michaela dropped her head to the steering wheel. “I can’t believe I slept with him.”
    “Honey, if it’s any consolation, if he’s as cute as his brother, I can understand why.” Brenda rubbed her back. “You okay to drive?”
    Two beers over the course of the night. Yeah, she’d be fine. “Yeah. Let’s go home. Sorry about your night out.”

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Eight
     
     
    Caleb was never going to be able to show his face in the holler again, much less in town. When Dalton came home and told him what had happened at Willie’s, it was already too late. Dylan Ellis would have told the whole damn Ellis family by now that Caleb Bentley had lost his bear. The shifter community in Salem Creek was small and tight-knit, and like any family, they razzed each other mercilessly. For something this serious, though? They might be quietly sympathetic, and that was a thousand times worse. As if he didn’t get enough pity these days.
    He rolled over and stared at the alarm clock. Much as he wanted to hide out in the house, he was going to have to get up and go to work soon. He hadn’t slept a wink all night, tossing and turning.
    He told himself Michaela didn’t understand what she’d done, blurting out his problems like that. That she didn’t understand how hard it had been to tell anyone. It didn’t make it feel any less like a betrayal. He sat up and rubbed his face hard. Might as well get up and face the day. His hands went through the practiced motions of attaching his prosthetic, so much a part of his morning routine he hardly thought of it anymore.
    Michaela really didn’t