Bear in the Rough: Bear Shifter Romance (Broken Hill Bears Book 1) by Ariana Hawkes Read Free Book Online Page B

hiding rolls of human fat under there?” Xander patted his hard abs.
    “Nope. Military drills were pretty thorough. Even if I was only ever expending half my energy.”
    “So are you good? Shall I tell the event managers that you’ll be headlining?” Xander’s bear pushed at his skin, urging him on.
    “Hell yeah!” he found himself bellowing. “I’ll beat the crap out of that miserable Trey, or whatever his name is. I’ll show him and whoever else dares challenge me exactly who’s boss!” A bloodcurdling roar from his bear cut off the end of his sentence. Rocco looked impressed.
    “Xander, you’re back!” he said. “I’ll go let Len know the good news.” As he reached the front door, he paused. “And when the fight’s over, you need to find your mate.”
     
    “A mate,” Xander muttered to himself as he collapsed back onto the couch. “Why do the clan give a shit about whether I’m mated or not? I’m the Alpha. Ultimately, I’ll make all the decisions.” His life had changed so much lately, and his grief for his father cut him so deep, that the last thing on his mind was looking for a female to share his bed for the rest of his life. “I’ve got more important things to think about right now. Like the fact that I’ll be fighting the Black Paws’ best fighter, in public, observed by hundreds of shifters and humans, in a little over 24 hours.”
    He leapt to his feet and stripped his clothes off, not half a second before his bear burst out of him. He had to prepare. First, he’d run and hunt, test his reaction speeds, climb some tress and work on his arms. And then he’d shift back and lift some logs in his human form. He couldn’t fail at this. The stakes were incredibly high. Losing to the Black Paws would make him an unworthy leader, and could mean war, as other clans would try to step in and seize power.
    As his bear let off a roar of aggression, his stomach knotted with apprehension.
     

Chapter Five
     
     
    “You know what this means?” Freya said, pointing to a dusty sign for Townsville, which indicated a side track, leading off the main trail.
    “Is it an actual town?” Eloise said hopefully.
    “You betcha!” The other two gasped.
    “We’re staying in a motel! Real beds! A shower! Nice food!” Marin shrieked.
    “Yup!” Freya replied, her joy mirroring theirs. “According to the guide, it’s another two miles from here, then we need to thumb a lift – apparently safe to do in this part of the country – and it’s another ten miles to the town. Are you game?”
    “Are you kidding?” Eloise said, already heading down the side track at a far quicker pace than she’d been going before.
     
    A guy known as Hiker Trash Bill picked them up within minutes of them arriving at the main road, and they were soon climbing out of the bed of his pick-up. When they saw the lights and stores and restaurants of the small town, they jumped for joy. They checked into a motel and took turns at having hot, steaming showers.
    “I’ll never take a motel for granted again. Not even a real shady, roach-infested one” Marin said, lying on her back on one of the huge beds.
    Freya burst into the room. She’d been downstairs getting advice from the receptionist on where they should eat that night.
    “There’s a great steak place in town,” she announced, eyes shining. “And there’s something else that I think will interest you ladies a lot – a couple of girls told me that there’s a wrestling match on tonight, in the next town, and that we should definitely go.” Eloise wrinkled her nose.
    “Wrestling? It’s not something I’ve ever wanted to see. I hate violence.”
    “Yeah. I was kinda planning on a hot date with the TV. I’m not sure if I want to trade that for seeing a bunch of big guys body-slamming each another.” 
    “No worries. It was just a thought,” Freya said with a careless shrug.
     
    The steaks were the most delicious they’d ever tasted.
    “I think