Free The BBW and the Beast: A Shifter Retelling of Beauty and the Beast (A BBW Shifter Fairy Tale Retelling Book 1) by Sylvia Frost

brother.
    Samson flew, propelled by pure fury, and slammed into Luther with all his might. His brother fell down easily, malnourished from his time in hiding. But Samson didn’t wait for him to get up.
    He would kill Luther for daring to touch what was his. Slowly.
    His brother whined, a high noise that only stoked Samson’s bloodlust. Samson lunged for his throat.
    “Wait, stop!” his mate yelled.
    Samson growled. He wondered what kind of sense she had to yell at what she must have thought were two battling wild animals, but as he drew back from his brother’s throat, he saw what was wrong.
    His brother wasn’t a wolf at all anymore.
    He had changed back into a man.
    And a pathetic one at that. Naked, skinny for a shifter, and pale as the last dregs of melted snow, his brother looked dangerously close to death already. His dark hair was knotted around his face, his only clothing his numerous tattoos and scars, the tattoos marking poor sod human or werewolf he had killed who had gotten in the motorcycle clubs way. He looked nothing like the rebellious young adult he had been when he left home.
    “S-Sam,” he croaked. “Wait. You don’t understand.”
    Samson growled, his lips pulling up around his teeth to show his long fangs. If Bel hadn’t spoken, he would’ve eviscerated Luther already.
    Luther crossed his legs, covering his crotch with his hands awkwardly. “I just needed to remember what it felt like to be human. I thought if I touched her maybe…” He shook his head, mangy hair covering his hollow cheeks, shoulders tensing. “Never mind. Kill me if you want. I deserve it.”
    Samson’s back rose, his tail standing up straight. While Rex hid his emotions under his tight control and mastery of most of the human financial markets, Luther usually suppressed his under a surly strength and quick claws. The similarities between Samson and his youngest brother were disturbing.
    Samson’s hackles lowered, his wolf calming at his brother’s words, the bonds of their pack reminding him that Luther, for all his foolishness, was not the enemy. In fact, it was Luther he had come here to find. In everything with Bel he had forgotten that. He had let down his pack. Father would’ve been disappointed. And Mother. Samson couldn’t bear to think of her, even after all this time.
    “S-Samson?”
    The voice of his mate was so small, so broken, that it made the shameful mewl building in his throat crescendo. His tail curled, and he resisted whining. She wasn’t supposed to find out like this.
    Luther looked between Bel and his brother a few times before realizing, “She doesn’t fucking know, does she?”
    “Samson!” Bel repeated, her voice screeching higher.
    “This is your business,” Luther nodded stoically. “I’ll leave you to it.”
    From the corner of his eye, Samson watched his brother, still naked, turn and stumble toward away. It was a mark once again of his failures, that he had so many problems to deal with that he couldn’t even enjoy his reunion with Luther. All of his being focused on his mate.
    She was staring at him with a mixture of betrayal and wonder. “I-I’m going crazy.”
    He started toward her, sure that if he nuzzled her side she would recognize him and realize he wasn’t a threat, but she jumped backward when he did. So Samson knew that it was time for him to tell the truth.
    And he began to change.

15
    B el didn’t believe it .
    Even as she saw the wolf twist and turn, its bones lengthening like they were made of Silly Putty, skin replacing fur. Even after there was no denying that the beautifully muscled, feral-looking man in front of her was Samson.
    “This,” Bel said, pointing at Samson so hard she wondered if she might accidentally trigger some kind of magic spell, “isn’t happening.”
    “Isabella,” he said, reaching out, pleading.
    Bel kept herself from looking down. “No. You’re extinct.”
    His hand fell to his waist and he tried to smile at her, but she