Free August: Mating Fever (Bears of Kodiak Book 2) by Selene Charles

present, and future of his people. Their birth as a nation, their rise to power, the unification of the Breed—all of it slipped through his mind like a moving picture.
    Finally, he felt the call of instinct hammer through his bones. He felt the magick for her take him. A scent tickled his nose then, alerting his bear to its mate, the scent of sweet, clear, arctic waters.
    His eyes snapped open, and the image that floated through his head suddenly made him break out in a wash of desire and agony of panic.
    His mate was Jackson. And Jackson was leaving today.
    With a mighty roar, he ripped the hooks from his chest, barely sparing a glance for his brothers. Phoenix and Chance were still dangling, but Phoenix was beginning to stir.
    Not wanting to be stopped by either of them, August tore from his human form into that of his grizzly and ran as though his life depended on it.
    Heart pounding with fear, he moved with the power of a raging grizzly. Ripping through trees and bushes, he headed in the direction of her cabin, which was miles from his home.
    It might have been faster to drive, but he was on full instinct mode and thought more like a grizzly than a human.
    All he knew was that he needed to get to his woman now.
    Now!
    With a growl, he pushed his limbs harder, running so fast and so hard that his fur matted with sweat.
    The only thing that kept him going was that maybe, just maybe she was still in town. Maybe she hadn’t left on time and waited on the slightest of slim hopes that she might find herself as his one .
    Please, Jack, please... don’t go yet .
    He shot his plea out to the universe, praying to the gods that one of them would take mercy on him and make a miracle happen.
    ~*~
    Jackson
    S he stared at the Kodiak coastline with eyes blurred by tears.
    She’d been a delusional idiot to have even considered for a second that she might have been August’s fated mate.
    The tail end of her truck was all packed up. She didn’t have much in this world. A few books and some clothes were about it.
    She should have left that morning, but she hadn’t. And now, there she was, standing on the beach of what had once been her cabin home, soaked from head to toe from the lashing rains that had fractured the sky like dark magick, and waiting for a bear who had never shown.
    “You’re such an idiot, Jack.” She sniffed, wiping at the tears that had blended with rain on her face.
    Looking at the gray coastal waters one last time, she turned her back, determined that she was never going to return to Alaska again. She needed the waters like she needed air to breathe, which was why she was headed to Big Sur in California.
    August had always wanted to go there. It seemed stupid to keep him in her life, even in such a minor way, but she loved him. She always seemed fated to be doomed in love.
    Swallowing hard, she jogged back to her truck and got in, starting it up. Her old Chevy roared to life. She went to flick on her wipers when she spotted a massive grizzly standing on the beach she had vacated just seconds ago.
    It breathed heavily and stood absolutely still, staring at her with keenly intelligent frost blue eyes.
    This animal was Breed.
    More than that, this animal was August.
    She knew it deep in her soul.
    Frozen, she could only stare at it as it lumbered heavily in her direction. It stopped only when it got to within swiping distance of her door. August let out a rumbling growl, showing off a mouthful of fangs.
    Rather than being terrified, she smiled. Because in her heart, she’d heard his plea: I love you.
    Opening her door, she got out. She was slammed on all sides by the torrential rain, but she felt invigorated by it. Her skin began to glow in shades of mother-of-pearl.
    “Auggie,” she whispered.
    In seconds, the beautiful creature shifted into an even more beautiful man. August stood tall, proud, and completely nude before her, looking broken but also hopeful. “I love you,” he said softly.
    And even though