Don't Moose With Her (Bearbank Book 1) by Ariana McGregor

blood freeze in his veins. No. The universe could not be that cruel. Claimed or not, she was his mate. Fate could not throw his mate at him and then take her away at the hands of a psychotic killer. One that he happened to be trying to find. He stared at Mark and then stood abruptly, grabbing his jacket.
    “Ethan.” The boss had arrived. Alex looked at him. “She specifically requested that you do not attend.”
    Ethan stared at him. She what? Every part of him was desperate to check on her. To reassure himself that she was okay. He needed to be there. His wolf was going crazy inside his mind, demanding that they protect their mate.
    Alex fixed him with his steely gaze. “I have no idea what is going on and I don’t care. Just remember that you are a professional and I don’t want to be fending off any complaints about your behaviour.”
    Ethan nodded, grabbed his keys, and left. This was his mate and his case. He needed to be there. His wolf snarled at him to go faster and he broke into a run. Arriving at his car, he threw himself into the driver’s seat and drove as fast as he could without breaking any laws or endangering anyone.
    A short drive later, he pulled up at the house, left the car, and burst through the front door. The first thing he saw was Dana’s shocked face. He watched as the expression hardened and she deliberately turned her gaze from him. Ouch.

Chapter 14
     
     
    Dana was having a bad day. Ethan storming into the house was not helping. Part of her, a part that needed slapped silly, desperately wanted to go to him and snuggle into his arms. Stupid mating instinct. She needed comfort from her mate. Except, he wasn’t really her mate, didn’t want to be her mate. So, what the hell was he doing here?
    Turning away from him, she saw Katie glaring at him and could actually hear her growls. Leo was likewise staring at Ethan, his expression not pleased. The first two police officers to arrive had been a leopard shifter female and a wolf shifter male. They looked puzzled as the atmosphere thickened and darkened.
    “What happened?” Ethan barked at them. Great. Looked like pretty much everyone was pissed off.
    The leopard female pointed over to the box in the corner. “This arrived this morning. Dana has been receiving gifts from a secret admirer. All pleasant enough until this morning.”
    “What changed?” Ethan asked, looking into the box. His jaw was clenched and his fists balled tightly. Clearly he was struggling with his temper. He wasn't the only one.
    “Gee. What do you think?” she asked. She didn't even attempt to stifle the sarcasm dripping from her voice. She was angry too. How dare he come here? She was struggling today and she did not need a repeat of last night on top of it all.
    He blanched a little as realization set in. The gifts had been thoughtful and pleasant, if a little creepy, until he had spoken with her at the bar. For all it hadn’t ended well, to an outsider, they would have looked pretty cosy at times. Her stalker was jealous. Hah! Jealous of a man who didn’t even want her. Perfect. Katie’s arm tightened around her in support and she looked up to see her friend glaring at Ethan.
    Leo snorted and returned to looking through the other gifts and letters. Dana shuddered and leaned closer to Katie.
    “There’s no one new in your life?” Ethan asked, his eyes still on her.
    She looked pointedly at him.
    “Other than me,” he sighed.
    She shook her head. “No. No one that stands out. I don’t recognise everyone who comes into the café though. We have regulars but we also have new people coming in all the time. I didn’t notice anyone unusual.”
    “It’s him, isn’t it?” Katie asked quietly, looking at Leo. “The Shifter Stalker.”
    Leo sat on the coffee table across from them, shooting a glare at Ethan’s irritated growl. “Yeah, he’s claimed two victims in this area already. It follows the pattern. I’m sorry Dana. We’ll do everything we can to