Joel (BBW Bear Shifter Wedding Romance) (Grizzly Groomsmen Book 5) by Becca Fanning Page B

Iris demanded bluntly. If she was stuck with, she wanted to know at least that he could defend himself, let alone her.

    "I'll try hand-to-hand, I guess? I don't even know if I can shift any more. It's been such a long time since I last…." His words trailed off, as if he was trying to dredge up distant memories. "I can barely remember what it feels like, you know?"

    "Do the rest of them know you don't shift?" Iris pushed further. This was all so odd to her.

    "I don't think they've ever noticed," he replied, "I mean, we go out shifting together once in a while, but I usually just let them split up off ahead of me and meet them back where we started. They just think I'm the most punctual bear in the world."

    Iris giggled at the ridiculousness of his sentence, and Ian smiled at her, the tension ebbing out of his face as he did so.

    "I don't think I'll ever shift again, if I get the choice," he admitted, stretching and shifting himself so he was a few inches closer to Iris. "I know that sounds odd but…it's not a part of me I want to explore anymore. I'm done with that."

    Iris looked back at him, and saw a sudden vulnerability in his eyes; he had been so in-control up until that moment, but right there and right then, he looked a little lost, as if he didn't know how to handle the truth in what he had just said. She realized that he was closer than before, only a few inches away. If she reached out her fingertips, she could just about-

    Before she had a chance to follow those thoughts through any further, the door flew open. They both jumped to their feet, and Iris felt a flash of embarrassment despite the fact she hadn't so much laid a finger on Ian. Ian hurried towards Adam, one of the other groomsmen, who was standing in the door frame with a look of pure panic on his face. And I immediately knew what was going on, as soon as the door had opened, I had felt that familiar prickle across the back of my neck.  

    "They're here," he murmured urgently, as if he didn't want Iris to hear. But Iris took a few steps closer, tilting her head so she could make out everything he was saying.

    "Who's here?" She demanded.  

    "The wolves. They're here. Inside the hotel."

    Iris felt another rush of adrenalin, but this one was powerful enough that it almost knocked her off her feet, her vision clouded, and her knees began to buckle underneath her. Ian grabbed her as she stumbled back, and held her close to his chest as he turned back to Adam.

    "How many?"

    "Five," Adam replied. "Is she okay…?"

    "She'll be fine," Ian shot back as I pulled myself upright again, using the bedpost as leverage. "Do we know where they are?"

    "Down in the lobby. We managed to get all the staff evacuated, but we're all scattered around the hotel."

    "Are they just…waiting for us?" Iris asked incredulously.

    "That's the thing. One of them, the alpha, I think, he hasn't shifted, he's human." Adam's eyes were wide and confused, and he was about to continue when another one of the bridesmaids, Maya, appeared behind him.

    "Adam, we need to get everyone downstairs," she reminded him urgently, then shot a look inside the room at the two of us. "We'll have this under control in no time, yeah?"

    "Why are we going downstairs?" Iris asked fearfully. "Why are we trying to get closer to them?"

    "They…he wanted to see everyone. He said that he wouldn't hurt anyone else as long as he could have a chance to get his say." Adam explained, his eyes sliding away from her's, breaking contact.  

    "And you believed him?" Iris exclaimed. She'd seen the damage these animals, and they were animals, whether they were shifted or not, could do. She didn't want to be trapped in a hotel reception with them.  

    "The other option is to fight them, right here and now," Adam pointed out. "And we don't know how many people could get hurt or…worse."

    The word hung in the air between them, heavy with implication. Iris glanced at Ian, who nodded grimly. Adam was right, they