Bear Cuffs: Bear Shifter Romance (Broken Hill Bears Book 3) Read online

  Bear Cuffs

  Broken Hill Bears Book 3

  Ariana Hawkes

  Contents

  Note from the author

  Also by Ariana Hawkes

  Get your free book!

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  A Thank You from Ariana Hawkes

  Also by Ariana Hawkes

  Bonus story: Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love (Kristin)

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Your free book is waiting!

  About the Author

  Copyright ©2016 by Ariana Hawkes

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events and businesses is purely coincidental.

  This is a standalone, full length novel of around 36,000 words.

  Created with Vellum

  Note from the author

  Hi there! The latest installment of the series that you’ve all been asking about is here! I really hope you’ll enjoy Rocco and Harper’s story - it’s one of my personal favorites so far!

  I’ve also included a free bonus story for you. It’s the second book in my Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love Dating App Romance series.

  Please note: Rocco’s story finishes at about 60% because the free bonus story follows. So don’t be confused - the main story is a full-length installment of 36,000 words.

  Enjoy Rocco and Harper’s story - and your free read!

  Yours,

  Ariana

  ALSO BY ARIANA HAWKES

  Broken Hill Bears

  Bear In The Rough (Broken Hill Bears Book 1)

  Bare Knuckle Bear (Broken Hill Bears Book 2)

  Shiftr: Hope Valley Dating App Romances

  Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 1 (Dina)

  Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 2 (Kristin)

  Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 3 (Melissa)

  Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 4 (Andrea)

  Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 5 (Lori)

  Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 6 (Adaira)

  Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 7 (Timo)

  Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 8 (Jessica)

  Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 9 (Ryzard)

  Ravished by the Ice Palace Pack

  Get your free book!

  A 4.5-star rated, comedy romance featuring one kickass roller derby chick, two scorching-hot Alphas, and the naughty nip that changed their lives forever.

  The only thing missing from Aspen Richardson’s life is a man who will love her just the way she is. In the small town she calls home, bullies from the past remain, making her wonder if it's ever going to happen. But, things are about to change in a major way, as the secret Aspen’s parents have been keeping from her comes out…

  “This book definitely needs to be added to your MUST read list – you will quickly fall in love with this steamy and fast paced story.”

  Get your free book now!

  (If your device doesn’t support links, go to www.arianahawkes.com/freebook)

  1

  Rocco Silvester crouched over his Black Kawasaki Ninja as it roared around the series of tight bends that sliced through Broken Hill’s mountainous territory. He was shirtless, the huge, bunched muscles of his powerful torso and his tanned, tattooed skin bared to the night. He wasn’t wearing a helmet either, relishing the sensation of the cool breeze whipping his face and making his shoulder-length black hair stream behind him. There was no-one to tell him he shouldn’t be doing this; the narrow roads were deserted and the night was exceptionally dark, with no street lighting at all, and the moon no more than a sliver in the sky. A human riding this road at night would be tempting death, but Rocco had the benefit of a bear’s keen eyesight, and he knew those mountainous roads as well as he knew the backs of his own scarred, large-knuckled hands. From time to time the wheels spun perilously close to the sheer drop on his right-hand side, and he had to lean in hard enough that his knee almost skimmed the tarmac, but his skill and the bike’s flawless engineering kept the tires snugly adhered to the road.

  Freedom. These days, the only time he felt like this was when he was riding his bike. Just him and the grunt of the 1,000cc engine, alone in the sleeping world, expect for the occasional startled owl or terrified rabbit caught in the beam of his headlights.

  And then the alert sounded in his brain – his internal reminder that he had an obligation to return to. He ignored it for as long as possible, but now his mind was no longer roaming freely, but occupied once more with thoughts of the clan. Letting off a groan of defeat, he brought his bike to a stop with a squeal of rubber, pulled a u-turn, and headed down the mountain at full pelt.

  As Rocco approached the cabin belonging to Xander, his elder brother and Alpha of the Broken Hill Bears, he saw that he was sitting outside, waiting for him.

  “Hey, Brains,” Rocco called, cutting the engine and swinging one long, muscular leg over the bike.

  “Speaking of brains, I don’t want to be scraping yours off of the road when you come off that toy of yours and you’re not wearing a helmet,” Xander replied tersely. Rocco scrubbed at his hair, reorganizing it into its usual messy style.

  “There was no danger. The road was empty – as it always is – and I could ride it with my eyes shut.”

  He took a seat on the bench next to his brother, ignoring the fact that Xander’s eyes were flickering over the three new tattoos adorning his torso. There was a black bear standing on its back legs and roaring, to honor his father who’d recently died. There was a symbol which was only decipherable to him, and which stood for the initials of Maximus Silvester – his and Xander’s older brother, who’d gone missing a couple of months earlier. And there was the motto ‘semper fidelis’ which he’d only had inked two weeks previously, as a symbol of his decision to return to the clan. He knew Xander didn’t approve of his body modification choices, and he was thankful that he chose not to voice his opinion tonight.

  “Where’s Freya?” he asked of his brother’s mate. Xander nodded toward his cabin.

  “Asleep already. As I should be, but I wanted to catch you tonight, as I’ve got something urgent to discuss with you.” Rocco looked at him closely. His eyes were bright, which indicated that he’d come up with a plan he was excited about, but there was tension in his jaw, suggesting that he knew Rocco wasn’t going to like it.

  Rocco cracked his knuckles, feigning carelessness, although his throat was tightening at what it might mean. He’d only been back in the clan for two weeks, but he sensed that Xander was waiting to pile responsibilities onto hi
m.

  “You’re not the only one who needs their zzz’s, bro. What is it?” he said lightly. Xander’s eyes assumed their serious expression as he slipped into business mode.

  “We had a visitor from the Black Paws a few days ago. Apparently they’ve recently been renovating their library, and seems like they’ve unearthed some ancient decree dating back from the 1700s. It states that if their numbers ever exceed ours, then they’re entitled to demand that we hand over our eligible females to them, as mates for their clan members. One for every ten that they’re over.” Rocco had been slouching, one ankle resting on his opposite knee, but now he jolted upright.

  “What?” he demanded, with a snort of laughter. “Are you kidding me?” Xander let off a long rumble.

  “I wish I was, trust me. And I wish those morons had something better to do with their time than dig up 300-year-old laws, but unfortunately it’s a real law, and it still stands. I had Neve look it over, and she says that the Black Paws are entitled to enforce it.”

  “They’re not going to though, are they?” Xander nodded grimly.

  “Well, it seems like they are. They’ve already made an official demand, and we have three weeks to comply.”

  “This is crazy. I thought there was supposed to be a truce, and everything was cool between us?”

  “Yup. And that lasted a long time. All it’s done is shift their priorities from being devious, to being obsessed with laws.”

  “That filthy bunch of good-for-nothing half breeds!” Rocco roared, clenching his fists, while his bear let off a roar of its own. “They’ll get their hands on our females over my dead body. I’ll fight every single greasy, stinking one of them!” He got to his feet and prowled in a tight circle, his bear snarling and growling. And then he shot a look at Xander, who was watching him, a trace of amusement playing on his lips – lips that were so like Rocco’s own.

  “What’s funny? Why aren’t you furious as well?” He came to a stop and glared at his brother, his huge biceps bunching as he rested his hands on his hips. A cunning look came into Xander’s brown eyes.

  “Well, with Neve’s assistance, I’ve been doing some digging of my own –”

  “Don’t tell me – you’ve found an even older and more obscure law?” Rocco cut in. Disappointment flashed across Xander’s features. He hated it when anyone ruined his game.

  “Yes. And it turns out that there’s another law that makes this law invalid.”

  “Well, what is it?” Rocco demanded, when Xander’s dramatic pause had gone on long enough. Xander cleared his throat.

  “The law is invalidated when a member of our ruling family is mated to a member of the ruling family of another clan.”

  “Mate with another clan?” Rocco echoed. Xander shrugged.

  “It’s not unheard of. Although it hasn’t been very common since we started wrestling, and the animosity between the clans increased.”

  “Do you have a clan in mind?”

  “The Pine Bluff Bears,” Xander said immediately. “They’re a decent crew. We’ve never had any major issues with them. They’re smaller than we are too, so there’s no danger of them trying to control us.” Rocco nodded thoughtfully.

  “Makes sense, I guess. So, who –?” he cut himself off. “Wait.” He glared at Xander. “You’re talking about me, aren’t you? This whole idea is about me getting mated to a Pine Bluff female?” Xander nodded gravely.

  “No! No way!” Rocco bellowed. “This isn’t going to happen!” He paced up and down, his claws bursting through the ends of his fingers and his skin prickling as the fur tried to push its way out. “I’m only 23. You didn’t mate until you were 27. Maximus isn’t mated yet. Why should I mate so young?”

  “Rocco.” Xander’s voice became softer. “You’ve been through so much lately – losing our father; all the trouble with Maximus and his disappearance, and then the betrayals by certain clan members. And I know that losing that last fight hit you very hard as well. I don’t blame you for taking off for a couple of months. I worried about you like hell, but I understood why you did it. You’ve had to grow up fast and shoulder a lot of responsibility. I understand that you’ve had all of the stress and none of the fun that comes with being a full-grown bear. Now you’re back in Broken Hill, I think it’s time for you to settle down, and enjoy what I have with Freya and what Braxton has with Neve.”

  “No. I won’t do it, Xander. I don’t want a mate right now!” Rocco’s voice was getting louder and louder, fury masking his pain. He wasn’t ready. Why couldn’t Xander see that? At the moment, it was all he could do to keep himself together, never mind be responsible for protecting a female as well.

  “We have to do it, Rocco, or we lose some of our females. Can you imagine having to tell Mihaila or Riana that they’re not part of our clan any more? But more than that, I think it’s a great thing for you to do. It’s time you found your mate.”

  “Then I should have the right to select my own mate. You picked yours, our father picked our mother. Why should I be the only one to have some female forced on me that I might not even like?” Rocco clenched down on his bear, tensing every muscle in his body in an effort to prevent it from forcing its way out of him. “I’m not going to mate some stranger. I won’t do it, Xander. I won’t!” he finished, his voice becoming a vicious snarl. He was dimly aware that he was being inappropriately aggressive toward his Alpha, but inside, he was howling in pain. He’d always imagined that he’d mate for love, at some distant point in the future. A forced mating of convenience was the worst possible news for him.

  Xander continued to sit in front of him calmly.

  “Rocco, I didn’t expect you to accept this immediately, but I need you to do this, for the clan. And I truly think that you’ll be happy with your chosen mate. I wouldn’t ask you unless I thought it was a strong match. Take some time, think it over, and come back to me when you’re ready. I think you’ll change your mind when you find out who the girl is.”

  Xander had barely finished his sentence before Rocco was striding to his motorbike and starting up the engine. Red fury and pain exploded behind his eyes as he roared off into the mountains again. This can’t be happening. It just can’t. He’d known love before, and he knew that it was a precious thing to find the one who was perfectly compatible with him. And now he was going to be cheated out of it. Forever. Stuck with a mate he might not even love or desire, for the rest of his life. His bear urged him to ride all the way to the Black Paws and tear apart whoever had allegedly unearthed this dumb law, and he was minded to do it. Take down the whole lot of them, so they never bothered the Broken Hill Bears again. Who is this female who’s been chosen for me anyway? he thought as he took a bend onto a rundown dirt road that led up to the highest peak of the territory. A Pine Bluff Bear. He didn’t know the clan well. He ran through the members of the ruling family. And then he stopped dead, his bike skidding dangerously on some loose rubble. The Alpha of the clan was named Tarkus, and he had three sons. And no daughters. Rocco knew the sons slightly from his teens. They didn’t have a sister. He would’ve known if they did. Xander was mistaken.

  He turned the bike around and sped down the hill again.

  This time, Xander was inside the cabin, leaning on the window ledge of an upstairs bedroom, gazing out, as if he’d been watching for Rocco’s arrival. He came downstairs again and met him at the door.

  “Tarkus doesn’t have a daughter,” Rocco said. “He only has sons.” One corner of Xander’s lips curved up in a half smile.

  “That was the case until a couple of years ago, when Tarkus found a new mate, and adopted her daughter. She’s a strong, good-hearted bear, and a beautiful one too, and I have no doubt that when you get to know each other again, you’ll prove compatible.” Rocco shook his head.

  “Again? What do you mean? Who is she?” And then, as Xander spoke her name, his breath hitched in his throat, and his brain was hijacked with a sense of utter disbelief.

  “No! Not her!”
he yelled. “Anyone but her!”

  2

  Harper Waverly’s mind was reeling as she taught the final lesson of the day to her kindergarten class. She’d done a good job of keeping her emotions in check, ever since her stepfather had give her the news that morning, but with five minutes until the final bell, they were threatening to boil over.

  At last, the bell went, and fifteen little shifter cubs jumped all over her, demanding their last hug of the day before they went home. She hugged each one of them tight, as she always did, making sure that they knew they were loved equally, and then she watched them scampering off with their drawings and collages to show to their parents. When the last one was gone, she left the building quickly and headed for the the secluded forest trail that led to her home, eager to have some time alone to think.

  As she entered the sun-dappled woods, her bear let off a long, confused roar. It was urging her to shift, to release her pent up tension in her animal form, but she repressed it, knowing her human form allowed her to think more clearly. So that was it. She wasn’t going to choose her own mate. She wasn’t even going to be mated to a complete stranger, with the possibility that they’d fall in love in the future. Her mate was going to be the last man she would ever have expected, and someone she knew she could never love. And while every nerve in her body rebelled against it, Tarkus had asked her, and making him happy was one of her main priorities.

  Tarkus was her stepfather, and he’d adopted her when he’d mated her mother only two years previously. He was a good-hearted Alpha, who’d accepted her into his family and treated her as an equal to his other children, and she’d always be very thankful to him for that. This morning he’d explained to her, while they were having breakfast together on the porch of the grand family cabin, that he’d been approached by the Alpha of the Broken Hill Bears, a very old and famous clan, who asked if the Pine Bluff Bears wanted to unite with them in a blood bond. The Alpha was keen to mate his younger brother with a female from the ruling family. Obviously, she was the only eligible female, and Tarkus had asked her if she’d be willing to accept the mating. He hadn’t forced her, or ordered her, as he was well within his rights to, but had fixed her with his kind gray eyes and asked if it was acceptable to her. She understood that it was a huge privilege to the Pine Bluff Bears to be bonded with such a powerful clan, and something that they’d been wanting to do for years, as it greatly strengthened them and protected them from being attacked or taken over by their enemies. She also understood that it was an honor for her to be asked, as it meant that Tarkus truly considered her to be his daughter.