Grizzly Flying High (Air Bear Shifters 1) by Sloane Meyers

the room quickly rose again. Chance had done a remarkable job of appearing calm, but Sawyer had been able to hear the emotion in his voice. Chance was Sawyer’s best friend, and would defend Sawyer to the death if necessary. Sawyer almost thought that the ridiculous challenge to his leadership was harder on Chance than it was on him.
    After another hour of votes being cast and counted, then recounted to make sure, the elders gave Chance their decision. Sawyer knew as soon as Chance opened the envelope that the news wasn’t good. The change in Chance’s expression was nearly imperceptible, but Sawyer saw it. Before Chance even spoke, Sawyer knew the words were coming.
    “The elders have deemed that, by majority vote, Simon’s challenge for alpha will be allowed. Three days from now, the clan will gather in Frost Peak’s town square to witness the fight for the title of alpha.”
    The crowd went wild before Chance had even finished speaking. Enraged screams mixed with celebratory screams, and Sawyer felt his heart clenching up again. He couldn’t bear to watch the scene. Even worse than the fact that Simon had convinced half of his clan to question his authority was the fact that Simon had caused a rift in his clan. The once united front of the Frost Peak Grizzlies was now an angry, arguing mess. This was not how clan members should act toward one another.
    Sawyer slipped out the door and into the quiet night, his inner beast growling mournfully. His heart had never felt so heavy, and he needed to let his inner beast run free for a while to ease some of the pressure. With a formidable roar, Sawyer let loose the bear within him. A loud, powerful rush of energy filled the air, and Sawyer’s clothes tore to shreds as his human skin was quickly replaced by thick skin and dense brown fur. Sawyer’s hands and feet became enormous paws, adorned with razor sharp claws. His teeth stretched and sharpened into the fearsome teeth of a grizzly, and his face morphed into the face of an angry bear.
    With another loud roar, Sawyer took off running. He bellowed out a series of mournful cries as he felt adrenaline filling his body. He felt a strange peace settling over him as his bear ran toward the forest, becoming one with the wilderness. This challenge brought grief to his heart, and filled him with sadness. But it also breathed new life into the alpha instincts that permeated every cell of his body. As Sawyer ran through the forest, tearing through the brush like it wasn’t even there, he felt strength and confidence filling him. Whenever his clan was threatened, he rose to the challenge. No one messed with his bears. No one. It didn’t matter whether the threat was external or internal. Sawyer would fearlessly defend his clan against anyone trying to harm them, or tear them apart. Although his heart ached, it also beat faster, and with a new passion.
    Sawyer knew one thing with certainty: Simon had messed with the wrong grizzly. Sawyer would defeat him, and find a way to reunite the clan. And when he did, Simon was going to curse the day he had decided to challenge Sawyer Williams for the title of alpha.

Chapter Six
     
    Amanda looked uncertainly around the diner she had just entered, unsure of whether she should seat herself or wait for one of the overworked waitresses to notice her. One of the bellboys at her hotel had told her this was the best place in Kodiak for breakfast. From the looks of it, the place was definitely popular. After waiting awkwardly by the front door for a few minutes, Amanda decided to just grab a seat at the counter on one of the old-timey barstools. Hopefully, she would eventually be noticed and be able to order some food.
    She settled in between a young mother who was nervously bouncing a baby to try to keep it from fussing, and a tanned, blonde-haired man who was distracted by the local newspaper. Luckily, the waitresses seemed to pay more attention to her once she was actually seated, and one of them