Free Rose's Bear: A BBW Werebear Shifter Romance by Ellen Dominick Page B

beast got closer. Rose could smell it, the scent of earth, sweat, and something else clung to it. Rose had never smelled it before. Was it musk? The scent of wildness ?
    It snorted above her. Its breath was hot and seemed to be getting closer and closer to her face. It let out a long, low growl that rattled Rose's bones. Was she going to be eaten now, too? Rose felt the moist fur against her cheek.
    Don't be afraid. The dwarf is gone now.
    Rose peered at the beast with one eye. When she saw how close it was, how its size dwarfed her body, she screamed.
    "What are you! What do you want from me?"
    I'm just a bear. And I don't want anything. I just saved you, that's all.
    When she saw that the bear wasn't coming any closer, Rose calmed down a little. She looked at him, still not sure what to believe. She'd already been tricked once in these woods.
    "Why should I trust you?" Rose asked.
    You don't have to.
    After that, the bear turned around. He started to walk back into the darkness.
    As he moved, Rose noticed a sharp scent. It wasn't the bear, and it wasn't there before. Then she saw it, a pool of red liquid growing near the beast. Something short and sharp was sticking out of the bear's back.
    "Wait! Wait!" she yelled.  
    Rose ran after the bear, throwing herself in front of him.
    "The dwarf did that, didn't he? I'm sorry!"
    The bear didn't say anything. His large eyes stared into hers. He looked like he was waiting for something.
    "I can't let you go alone. Please, let me help you," Rose said. "Come home with me."
    She tugged at the big animal, pulling at his fur. Surprisingly, he let himself be pulled.
    When they reached the glen, it was night time. The sky was dark, and the lights were on in Rose's little cottage. As soon as she appeared from behind the trees, she heard her mother's voice. She came running out the door.
    "Rose, where were you? I told you never to leave the glen, and we thought you might be hurt, and…"
    Rose's mother's voice trailed off when she noticed the lumbering shape behind her daughter. She stopped in her tracks, slumped to her knees, and fell over.
    Gwen, hearing the commotion, ran out too. She saw her mother on the ground and went to her, holding her in her arms. She looked up and saw Rose. Then Gwen looked to the bear. She looked back at Rose.
    " Really Rose," she said. "What have you gone and done this time?"
    "You know what Gwen, shut up ," Rose said.
    She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. Rose had never talked to her sister that way before.
    "This is my friend…"  
    Khole
    "Khole. He saved me in the forest and now he's hurt. So I'm going to take care of him, and he's going to sleep here tonight."
    Rose looked at her sister. Gwen looked back with wide eyes. Then she turned to their mother.
    "Fine. Suit yourself. But remember what mother told us about the forest," she said. "Things there aren't always what they seem, and it looks like you are already getting into trouble."
    Rose didn't respond. She just took Khole over to the cottage. First, she gathered the supplies she needed. A pitcher full of water and a bowl, a bit of cloth she ripped from her own dress with her teeth, some balm made from flowers blooming in the garden. When she came back to Khole, her arms were full.
    It was hard to maneuver around Khole's large body, but somehow Rose managed to do it. She removed the small knife that was sticking out of his back, washed his wound, applied the balm, and bandaged him up.
    Thank you .
    Khole's voice boomed in Rose's mind.
    I've caused you enough trouble. I'm going back to the woods.
    The big bear turned and headed towards the forest. As he tried to walk, one of his legs dragged slowly behind him.
    "No!" Rose yelled. "You are staying. You are going to sleep by our fireplace until you get better. I'm not going to let you go!"
    Her hands curled into fists and her arms shook as she spoke. If she had to stand there much longer, she worried she might cry.
    The bear came closer to