Bearing It All (Grizzly Affairs Book 1) by Magenta Phoenix Page B

you to watch my mate! Where is she?” His bear’s anger echoed in his voice. How could he have trusted his irresponsible twin with his most precious possession? This was a man that could not even keep a cactus alive.
    Tossing the magazine aside, Robert lifted his propped feet off the table as he sat up. “Calm down, Gramps. She’s fine.” He stated as he stood up to stretch.
    Doyle ignored the front door opening as his father stepped in from the cold with a look of annoyance. “If she is fine; where is she?” he asked through clenched teeth.
    “She should still be in your room. Last I saw her was about ten minutes or so. She said she needed some air, so she borrowed my boots and went to your room for a jacket.” Doyle quickly spun on his heels and headed for his closed bedroom door.
    Jerking it open, he was greeted by an empty room. A thin trail of cold air seeped into the barren room from an open window. Coming to a stop beside the open window, he spotted the discarded screen protector lying discarded among the snow.
    Large boot prints were branded into the icy snow heading down the mountain towards Darkwood Springs. A small town on the edge of his territory, under his protection it was home to human and shifters alike. Fear suddenly gripped him. Why had she run? So many concerns raced through his mind at her absence. What if she got hurt? What if she made it to town and found a way to leave him? What if another shifter claimed her?
    His bear growled viciously at the shear idea of another man, shifter or not lying any short of claim on her. No other would claim her but him! Turning back to his father and brother that stood in the hallway with matching looks of confusion, Doyle advanced on his brother. Coming to a stop in front of Robert, he circled his anger clenching hand around his throat. Squeezing,
    Doyle lifted his younger brother off his feet as he glared up at him. Doyle’s eyes glowing with retribution at Robert’s part in Aria disappearance.
    “What the hell, Bro?” Robert gasped out as Doyle’s tightening fingers suddenly sprouted claws. “What’s the problem?” He wheezed out.
    “Why weren’t you watching her?” His growling voiced vibrating the walls with his ferocity.
    “I didn't think that meant she couldn’t go outside.” Robert wheezed out breathlessly as his face was turning red rapidly. With a look of self disgust, Doyle abruptly let go of his twin. Abruptly free, Robert's body landed brutally in a heap on the floor while cupping at his offended throat.
    His shoulders hunched dangerously as he stalked away, Doyle entered the kitchen and began searching through drawers for what he needed. Behind him, his father and solemn looking brother followed.
    “Why would she run from you?” His father asked, absently scratching at his chin.
    “She didn't run from me.” Doyle argued, his eyes snapping at his father’s calm ones. “She’s just running from something else.”
    “What are you going to do?” Robert asked, curiously. Pulling open another drawer, Doyle smiled with success as his hands closed around the object he needed to bring back his stubborn and strong-willed mate.
    Coiling the long length of a rope around his arm and elbow, not taking attention off his task, he answered. “I am going to go after her and bring her back. Then I plan on getting to the bottom of whatever she is so scared of. After that, I plan on binding her so tightly to me that she’ll never remember a time when she wasn’t.”  Tying the rope off to prevent it from unraveling, Doyle returned to his room. Quickly donning a sweater and his boots, he returned to the living room doing all he could to pay no attention to his smirking father and brother.
    “That doesn’t sound very modern , son.” His father chuckled throwing Doyle’s words back at him. Without another word, Doyle shoved past the two of them and out the front door, leaving the door flung wide open.
    Both came to stand in the open doorway,