Free Bearly Ever: An Alpha Werebear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Arcadia Knights Book 1) by Olivia Gayle Page A

however, just turned and smiled as her mate walked up.
    “Is he going to use the dogs to find Sonya?” Ever murmured to Aidan.
    “Not exactly.”
    Derek Landry was a quiet, unassuming man with dark hair and brown eyes. He was on the shorter side, only a few inches taller than Aidan’s mother. Unlike most shifters, he was average-looking, but it wasn’t his looks that had Aidan seeking him out.
    “What can I do you for, Sheriff?”
    “I need your help finding someone.”
    Derek cocked his head to one side. “Human or were?”
    Never one to mince words. “Were.”
    Beside him, Ever jerked in surprise. “What? We’re talking about Sonya, right? No, she’s human.”
    Aidan winced. He hadn’t told her yet about what exactly he and his father had seen on the recording.
    Derek glanced at Ever, then back at Aidan. “You have something that smells like her?”
    In reply, Aidan pulled a sock he’d stashed away from the demolished house and handed it to the other man. He could feel Ever’s eyes burning holes into his skull but kept his eyes on Derek, who brought the sock to his nose. “Definitely a familial resemblance with your girl here,” the other man murmured, taking another sniff. “It’s not fresh, at least a couple weeks old but I have the scent. You sure this is hers?”
    “It came from the house where she lived, so I’m hopeful. She was kidnapped from Arcadia two weeks back.”
    That got the other man’s attention. Derek’s eyebrows dropped into a frown. “From Arcadia? I thought the Brahm had that place locked down tight.”
    “He thought so too.” While many in town didn’t mind the constant monitoring, many chose to live outside the confines of the city and away from the surveillance. Technically they were still on Arcadian soil and under Marshall’s rule, but away from the constant prying eyes.
    Not that the Brahm couldn’t get his information by other means. He made sure to stay one step ahead of everyone else. Which is why this breach was such a shock.
    Derek’s mouth twisted, then he turned to Ever. “I’ll find your sister,” he promised, voice gentle.
    Ever didn’t answer, just nodded. Emotions Aidan could read easily spilled from her eyes however, and he knew Derek could read the gratitude there too. Aidan put his hand on the small of Ever’s back to steer her toward the truck, and felt her stiffen.
    Looks like he’d pissed her off. He was pretty sure how he’d done it too.
    They said their goodbyes and moved back toward the car. Ever stayed out of his reach, eyes forward and gait stiff. Aidan sighed. “Look, I…”
    “Why didn’t you tell me my sister was one of you?”
    She said the last part in a grumpy voice, and Aidan tried not to take offense. “I wasn’t sure until I saw that video, and at the time you didn’t even such a thing existed.”
    Ever folded her arms, still not looking at him. “You should have let me know directly, not making me find out secondhand like that.”
    Yes, he should have. Shit, another thing he’d screwed up with her. “I’m sorry,” he said, exhaling rapidly. “You only today found out we existed at all, I didn’t want to worry you.”
    She harrumphed, then glanced back toward the kennels and his family. “So what does he turn into, a bloodhound?”
    Aidan shook his head. “Derek is another bear shifter, like me.”
    Ever screwed up her nose. “Is everyone in this town a bear?”
    He shook his head. “Bears have one of the best noses in the animal kingdom. I could go looking for your sister too, but Derek knows these woods better than I ever will. Plus, he has more experience tracking in other ways. To answer your other question, no, we have many different shifters in Arcadia, not just bears. The Animal inside depends on the person, not genetics.”
    The cellphone in Aidan’s pocket rang. He almost ignored it, wanting to make sure she understood his reasons for doing what he did, then figured it might be a lead. “Yeah?” he