Bearly Healed: Pacific Northwest Bears: (Shifter Romance) by Moxie North Page A

scars,” she said quietly.
    Sophie’s eyes softened even more than they already were naturally. Sophie’s heart was breaking. She’d called Effie and asked her about Cass after she’d met her. Effie was happy to fill her in. The stories she told about her wild and crazy friend were nothing like the young woman sitting next to her. That girl was hopefully still in there, but right now she had all her shields up. The walls she’d built were for protection, and Sophie didn’t blame her.
    “First, your scar is far less noticeable than you think. I’m guessing it’s the first thing you see in the mirror. But I’ll be honest with you, the short blonde spiky hair is the first thing that draws the eye.”
    “It was orange,” Cassie said softly.
    “Wow, orange. I’d love to see that,” Sophie said with a laugh. She got a smiling lip quirk from Cassie.
    “Second, I’m British. No matter if I saw something shocking or not, I would never be so tacky as to show it,” she said, raising her eyebrow in an aristocratic look.
    Cassie took in this cherub trying to look snotty, and it sooo wasn’t working. She started cracking up. She laughed and laughed. “You’ve seen that look, but girl, you have not practiced it,” she mocked.
    “Oh damn, it’s my mom’s look. I’m thinking of using it on Cage,” Sophie said with a pout.
    “That look will probably just get you kissed,” Cassie guessed.
    “Oh, honey, you don’t even know. That big dummy thinks I’m cute when I’m pissed. Can you imagine? It drives me barmy!”
    Cassie wasn’t sure what barmy meant, but she figured it was annoyed at the very least.
    “I can’t imagine a man finding me cute when I’m angry. I tend to scream and scratch,” she admitted.
    Sophie tried to imagine this broken little bird getting rowdy. It was hard to imagine. “Hmm, I think I’d like to see that.”
    Cassie just shook her head. She made poor life choices. Effie had once called her a Tasmanian devil when she’d gone ape shit over her favorite TV show being cancelled. Her world would never be shiny again. It was ugly.
    “You don’t think I’m going to get any other visitors tonight do you?” Cassie asked as she finished up her plate, leaving it on the nightstand.
    “Nah, sweetie. We’ll give you your time. But we are a pushy lot. We will only be patient for a while. Then we will bulldoze into your life. It’s kind of like an initiation,” Sophie explained thoughtfully.
    “Nice, do I get a funny hat to wear? The Bison lodge has ones with horns,” Cassie snarked. It was a weak snark. All the food she’d consumed in the last two hours was starting to weigh her down. She let her head fall back to her pillow. Her eyes were droopy as she looked at Sophie.
    “Well, we can make you one for sure,” Sophie said thoughtfully.
    Cassie gave her a weak smile, and Sophie saw how tired she was. “I’m gonna let you rest, sweetie.” She gave her foot another gentle touch and left the room, closing the door softly behind her.
    “You were in there a while, babe.” Cage pulled her onto his lap when she came up to him. “Everything all right?”
    “Yup, chatted a little. She ate quite a bit. I think she’s going to sleep,” Sophie said. Cage was spoon feeding her the dinner she’d missed.
    “Is she in pain?”
    This came from Cash, who’d joined the group after Sophie had taken Cass her food. He was leaning against the counter with a plate in his hands. He put the plate down when he asked the question, his bear concerned for some reason.
    “She didn’t seem so. But man, is she sad. Like deep down, soul sad,” Sophie said frowning.
    For some reason, Cash’s bear didn’t like hearing that. The wounded woman with the amazing smell should be happy. Anyone that smelled like candy shouldn’t be sad.
    “I have to say, her biggest fear, and stop me mom and dad if I shouldn’t share this, is about her scars,” Sophie started.
    “No, dear, I think everyone needs to know. I