Free The Witness and the Bear: (Werebear Shifter Romance) by T. S. Joyce

tell. It helped not to carry the burden alone.
    “How?” he asked.
    “Shot him. He had a gun on me and I was on this din gy, glass riddled concrete. I’d been running but he caught me. He didn’t know Jimmy had given me a weapon and we went together. I died that night knowing I’d taken down another one of Stone’s men, and vengeance was probably the only thing that kept my body fighting while Jeremy tried to find me help. We couldn’t go to a hospital. Stone has eyes everywhere.”
    “Shit, Hannah. I shouldn’t have turned you away when Jeremy brought you to me.”
    Miserable, she shrugged. “You didn’t know me. No one did.”
    “I don’t want you leaving here. Not until we know the danger has died down. No going into town where someone can make you. Just stay close, where I can keep you safe.”
    “Okay. Now you. What does my scar mean to you?”
    The barest smile crooked his lips. “We used to have a seer. She had the sight and most of the time, she was right in her predictions. When I was younger, she said a woman with a heart shaped scar would break me.”
    “Break you? But I don’t want to break you.”
    “I used to be afraid of you, but now I think it was a good thing. You’re changing me and maybe it’s bad, I don’t know. Maybe it means I’m weaker, but it feels right.” His finger rubbed the outline of her scar. “Jenny always thought you would be good for me. She thought I was too serious, too focused on the good of the clan and not enough on myself. I used to dream of the scar.”
    “Bad dreams?”
    “I thought so at the time.”
    “Riker, what are we going to do about Merit?”
    With an explosive sigh, he locked his fingers behind his head and sat on the couch beside her, leaned back into the cushion. “I don’t know. I don’t want anyone but you. Thinking about what I’m supposed to do gives me a sick feeling but I’m the best one to lead this clan. It’s flourished since I first challenged two years ago. I know I can do good for them.”
    “So , you can’t just tell the clan you picked already?”
    “Doesn’t work like that. The bear has to choose. They’ll argue I didn’t give it the options I was supposed to by law. I have to bed Merit and then tell them my decision is you before the summer solstice or I lose my position. I couldn’t ever challenge for alpha again because I would’ve broken clan law.”
    Breath gusted from between her lips and she rested her feet on his lap. He massaged them as he stared at the blank television screen.
    “Riker?” she asked quietly, hating the words that would tumble from her lips. “I can’t stand between you and your clan. I don’t understand the dynamics, not yet. But you’d grow to resent me if I hurt your relationship with your people. Bed Merit. Come back to me.” Closing her eyes against the nausea bubbling in her throat, she stifled the break down. He’d been kind to her when every instinct in her said it wasn’t in his nature to do so. She was special to him, she could see that. She had to give him up for a night if she wanted to see him happy. And she was so damned tired of cursing her loved ones’ happiness.
    “And you’ll resent me if I bed her.” His eye twitched and she fought the urge to press her thumb over the tick and settle the stressed muscle. “You’ll think of us. Of what I did to her and it would poison us. You aren’t like the women around here. Love and sex are synonymous for you and you’d question my feelings for Merit.”
    She didn’t answer, couldn’t answer. Her throat was full of denial but she couldn’t release the lie. As much as she’d try to get over it, every time she saw Merit, it would burn.
    “We have two weeks.” He pulled her into his side and stroked her arm. “No decision needs to be made tonight.” At her sniffle, he jerked his attention to her. “Why the tears?”
    “I’m just scared I’ll lose you and I’m so damned tired of being scared.”
    “Hey,” he