Romance: Stranded With The Alpha Bear: BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance (Werebear, BBW, Bear Shifter Romance) (Sweet Shifters Book 1) by Ashley Hunter

to help Rick, but I think he might be a goner.”
    “Do you have any medical supplies?” I asked Christian.
    “In the bathroom upstairs,” he answered as he swiftly moved to the couch with the men.
    I ran up the stairs and searched for some kind of first aid kit. Under the sink, I found a pretty thorough box of supplies and ran back down. Christian had torn his shirt as a kind of tourniquet for the wound, but it didn’t seem to be working.
    “Where is Jimmy?” Christian snapped.
    The blonde man looked to the redhead. The redhead gave a sad shrug and said, “The last time I saw him, it wasn’t looking good.”
    I pushed Christian aside and started to treat the wounds. “My mom wanted to be a nurse before she had us. She liked to practice on us and teach us things.”
    He gave me a smile, while the others gave grim nods.
    “What happened?” Christian asked.
    “We actually saw Marilyn and followed her,” the blonde answered. “What we found was a whole stronghold of them. They weren’t about to give anything up.”
    “It was awful,” the redhead shook his head. “We came straight here. We didn’t know what else to do.”
    “Is the leader there?” Christian asked gravely.
    “We think so,” the redhead answered.
    “I have to go then. I can’t let you guys do this on your own.”
    “What about her?”
    “I’m going too,” I answered as I finished wrapping up the wound.
    “Someone needs to stay with him,” Christian answered. “I don’t want you to go out there if something happens to me. Arlo, you stay here with her.”
    The blonde nodded.
    I stood, “I can help the wounded. Let me come and help.”
    “No, I won’t have you harmed. Arlo will keep you safe.”
    “But Christian.”
    “I will not argue. We have to go now.”
    With that, he and the redhead flew out the door. Arlo locked the door behind them and slid down the door with a weary, sad exhale. He put his face in his hands and sat there frozen for a long moment. He didn’t cry, but he looked exhausted and overwhelmed. Perhaps he wasn’t the best choice to protect me.
    “Do you want some lasagna?” I queried. “We just made it. Still hot.”
    He looked up, but didn’t move. “That’s okay. I don’t feel like eating right now.”
    “Are you sure?”
    “I just saw a few of my friends ripped apart. I think I’m good.”
    “Okay. I guess I’ll put it away then.” I truly would like to eat some of that lasagna, but it felt untoward with the situation. Especially with a man possibly dying on the couch. I think I wrapped him up all right, but I really only know the basics.
    Still, I snuck a few bites as Arlo placed his head back in his hands again. Okay, maybe more than a few. After a few minutes, he looked up again, seeming a bit calmer.
    “You really are very pretty,” he said. “I thought Christian might have just been exaggerating.”
    I couldn’t help but blush. “Did he say I’m pretty?”
    He nodded, “He talked about you a lot . We almost got tired of it.”
    “I didn’t even know he was talking to you all.”
    “We had meetings in the evenings. That’s usually the best time for us. I think you were doing something else or he’d just do a conference call.”
    “Oh, I see. I didn’t think he thought so highly of me.”
    “It is weird. He usually doesn’t think highly of anyone,” he shrugged. “He’s a hard nut to crack.”
    I took a deep breath of air and smiled, “That is very nice of him. Was he um… close with his sister?”
    “Very close. That’s how we knew it was her. We all grew up together. It really was a big blow when she disappeared.”
    “I can only imagine.”
    “I think his mom was looking for a reason to leave, and that was the last straw. It’s not easy to be the alpha’s wife.”
    “So Christian’s family has always been the alphas?”
    “Yes. They have a strong bloodline.”
    “Do you think the other girls are still alive?”
    “I don’t know. Anything can happen. To be