Wren and the Werebear by Aubrey Rose Read Free Book Online

blood in him, and that's when he got the name Chief.
    She'd decided early she wanted to become a shifter assassin. When she was ten, her dad was already one of the best assassins at the CSE. Her mom tried to keep her from knowing about what he did for work, but she knew. She'd always known. He took her hunting and taught her to track alongside him, training that would serve her well later on. It was the only reason she could keep up even a little bit with Tommy at the Center.
    Then her dad went out on an assignment, and he didn't come back the next day like normal. Wren remembered waiting with her mom at the kitchen table all day and all night. Waiting for him to come back. On assignment, you're not supposed to have any contact with the outside world. So all they could do was wait.
    The knock on the door eventually came, and Wren remembered her mom rushing to open it. It wasn't her dad, though. It was some guy in a suit who explained that her dad had been hurt, and could they please come to the hospital?
    When she saw her dad lying in bed, he told her that he couldn't get up to hug her. He would never walk again. Never go out hunting or tracking.
    That was when she decided that she would become an assassin and hunt down every single last monster on earth like the one who had hurt her dad.
    Tommy knew why she was at the Center, and he didn't care that she was the only girl there. He vowed to get revenge for her dad right along with her. In fact, they'd sworn on it in blood one drunken night out at the bar, Tommy pricking her hand and his with his knife before they pressed their palms together.
    "We'll get them," he said. At that moment, she had loved him. They'd dated, but only briefly. And after, when they'd split up because of the work, she still loved him for the promise he'd made.
    After a while, she picked the phone back up. She rewound the video to the first glimpse of the bear, when it was still up ahead in the thicket of trees. Her finger traced the outline of its broad shoulder, the back of its head. Its yellow fur seemed to blend right into the dense brush. It wasn't surprising Tommy hadn't caught it—it was gone in an instant. But how had it gotten back around him to attack?
    "Excuse me? Miss? Excuse me?"
    Wren looked up to see the flight attendant bending over toward her. Outside of the plane window the sky was turning a pale shade of gray.
    "Please turn off all electronic devices. We're preparing for landing."
    Wren powered off the phone and put both hands into her jacket pockets.
    "I'll get them, Tommy," she whispered, looking out to where the yellow sun was still hidden over the horizon. "I'll get the monster who killed you."

Chapter Eight
    The morning sun broke over the ocean as the airplane touched down in Los Angeles.
    Wren stood in front of the car rental place, a slow smile creeping over her face. The car Marty had picked for her wasn't a boring black sedan, or even a saucy red Mustang. Hell, it wasn't even a car.
    "Marty, you beautiful asshole," Wren said, holding the cell phone to her ear as she looked over the shiny black and green motorcycle she now held the keys to. "You spoil me rotten."
    "I thought you might like a fun ride up the coast," Marty said. "Don't speed."
    "Ha! That's a good one," Wren said. "Rent a Kawasaki Ninja for me and then tell me not to speed!" Her fingers slid over the chrome handlebars, the black leather seat. The lines of the sport bike were accentuated by green side panels. A Kawasaki, alright. She hoped she could fit all of her clothes into the saddlebag.
    Oh, who was she kidding? If her clothes didn't fit, she'd leave them behind in the parking lot without a moment's thought. Already she was imagining the ride up the coast, wind streaming through her hair...
    "It's not quite inconspicuous, is it?" Wren asked. "You could have rented me a Volvo station wagon or something."
    "That was my call," Marty said. "This is the most popular bike for California coastal rentals. And I