Wanted By The Alpha Lion (Heroes of Shifter Creek 2) by Clara Moore Page A

natural to acknowledge the existence of shifters, as if she were talking about the changing seasons.
                  For the first time since she met him, Derek took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair – his sandy blonde hair, streaked with hints of red. Matched with his tan and blue eyes, it made him more than a sexy cowboy. It made him irresistible.
                  “Evidence?” he muttered. “That’s troubling to hear. What kind of evidence?”
                  “I’ve uncovered the bones of a man-beast. His bone structure tells me he’s male, but he’s only a human on top. He’s what appears to be a tiger on the bottom, based on remaining patches of fur that were preserved. But I don’t understand why he’s caught between his two worlds.”
                  “He must have died while he was shifting,” Lolli speculated.
                  “Probably,” Krista agreed. “His pose is irregular. His arms stretch out, as if he was reaching for someone.”
                  “Have you surveyed the land for more bodies?”
                  “Yes, but his is the only one around. It’s a great mystery, so much so that I can’t help but feel his death is related to the lost settlers. It’s too much of a coincidence to have two great mysteries within the same area. When I began to peel the earth away from his bones, I believed I was uncovering the first of the settlers. That this one skeleton would lead me to the others. But now there are more questions than answers.”
                  As she spoke, Krista tried to ignore the fact that Derek sat beside her, that she was destroying reality as he knew it, but Lolli turned his attention to Derek, confronting him. “And how do you feel about Krista’s discovery?” It sounded like a challenge. “Do you plan to do anything about it?”
                  It was an odd thing for Lolli to ask, but Krista waited patiently for Derek to answer. He seemed torn, suppressed by an unknown confliction.
                  He’s just processing , Krista told herself. It takes time.
                  “No,” Derek finally answered. “I don’t plan to do anything about what Krista discovered. I’ll protect her.”
                 
    ***
                               
     
     

Derek
                 
                  He wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell her everything, but he couldn’t. It would be selfish to do so. If Krista knew what he wanted to say, what the native man had almost pushed out of him, then she would be in more danger than she already was.
                  Right now, the situation was under control. That’s all his people wanted – for things to be in order. For their secret to be kept.
                  The rest of the world wasn’t ready to live amongst shifters. It wasn’t ready for his people, his family of tigers.
                  Family was a stretch. Tigers weren’t like the wolves or the mountain lions the native man had spoken of. Derek envied those shifters for their sense of family and community. Tigers were a lot more solitary. They mostly lived alone or in small groups. Children were usually born of flings or short-term relationships. Many of the ranches around these parts resembled convents, maintained by females choosing to raise their young together.
                  Some males preferred it that way. It left them free to live out their solitary lives. Others, like Derek, did not. He was a tiger, but he was also a man. He wanted a mate – someone to stay by his side.
                  He wanted Krista.
                  Now, standing beneath a night sky, watching as Krista pulled the tarp away from the grave, trusting him without restraint, he was mesmerized by her. She was so beautiful, her