Page 25 of Bred By the Beast

She exhaled the breath she’d been holding, feeling dizzy for a minute. Poppy was still on edge. The bear could come back any minute. She was just wondering where Wilder was when he came out of the forest next to her.

“Wilder, there was a giant grizzly over there a minute ago.” She pointed to where it had disappeared. “I think it could be the one I was trying to photograph. It was huge. We should get out of here before it comes back.”

“It wouldn’t hurt you,” he said.

“How do you know?”

“Just a hunch.”

She narrowed her eyes. Most people would be afraid of a bear that close. Wasn’t he afraid of anything?

****

That night, Wilder made a firepit, adding enough wood to get it roaring. He had a bench near the pit that he’d made himself years ago. Poppy wanted to roast some honey marshmallows, so he’d carved some twigs she could use.

They sat together on the bench, a large old patchwork blanket over their shoulders. Her childlike wonder and awe only made him fall deeper in love with her. He wanted to give her everything, make all her dreams come true. Only life was never so simple.

He knew the poachers were still here. On his land. If they didn’t give up on Poppy, he’d kill every last one of them. Until the hunters were back in their human world, he wouldn’t be able to rest or enjoy the simple pleasures without that constant unease hanging over him. Until Poppy was safe and could wander their land without fear of man, he’d be on guard.

She giggled as her marshmallow caught fire, bringing it close to blow out. “I managed to ruin my marshmallow,” she said.

“No,” Wilder said, carefully pulling it off the end of the twig. He blew on it for a few seconds then offered it to Poppy. She opened her mouth and took a big bite. “The burn brings out the taste.”

“You’re right.” She smiled, wiping the edge of her lip.

He ate the other half, and out of nowhere they were kissing. The sweet taste lingered between them. Her heat was strong, an aphrodisiac he couldn’t resist. He combed a hand into her hair, holding her head as their kiss deepened.

With the sound of branches cracking, she broke the kiss. Through the dancing flames, he could make out the shapes of several coyotes on the other side of the fire. Poppy nearly fell backward off the bench to get away from them, but he grabbed her before she could fall.

“Wilder!”

He hushed, holding her close. “They’re just warming up by the fire.”

“What?”

“It’s okay. They won’t hurt you.”

She pressed herself as close to him as possible, nearly disappearing under the blanket. “How? How is that possible? Why aren’t they afraid? Why aren’t you afraid?”

“They’re just curious.”

“About us?” she asked.

“About you.”

She looked up at him, pausing.

“Don’t worry, Poppy. Coyotes are smart. They don’t pick fights they can’t win.”

“So, you’re saying you’re scarier than a coyote?”

“I didn’t say that.”

He was getting uncomfortable. One day she’d find out the truth about him and everything between them would fall apart. What human woman wanted to mate with an animal? He’d lose her, and he couldn’t let that happen. The only way he could keep her was to hide his shifter side forever. It wouldn’t be easy, but she was worth the effort. There was no way she’d love him for what he truly was.

After a while, the coyotes returned to the forest. Poppy visibly relaxed more once they weren’t watching her. She was never at risk because they knew she was under his protection. Out here, everything claimed territory, and Poppy belonged to him.

“I still can’t imagine you living out here alone as a boy.”