Bear in the Rough: Bear Shifter Romance (Broken Hill Bears Book 1) by Ariana Hawkes Page B

over.
    “Are you okay?” Freya asked. Eloise turned her head, and in the light of her phone screen, she could see that she’d been crying. “Eloise! What is it?”
    “Freya, I can’t do this anymore. I’m quitting. It’s too much for me. I’ve tried my best, I really have. But for the last few days, I haven’t enjoyed it.”
    “But – that’s because you haven’t had enough water,” Freya said, in a panicked tone. Eloise shook her head.
    “No, that was just the catalyst. The fact is that I’m not strong enough for this. I’ve had a blast. It’s been great hanging out with you guys again. And I want to thank you, so much for this opportunity, but I’m done.”
    “But – but – are you sure?” Marin came over.
    “Eloise, is this like last time, where we just need to work a little harder at persuading you?” she said, squatting down next to her and laying an arm around her shoulders. Eloise started crying again.
    “No. I’m 100% decided this time. Last time I hadn’t tried to hike the trail. This time I have. I’m actually proud of what I’ve done.”
    “And so you should be,” Marin cut in.
    “But that’s it. I’ve hiked way further than I ever thought possible. I’ve had a lot of thinking time as well. But now it’s time for me to return to normal life and leave you girls to achieve your ambitions. You won’t make it to the end with me here. We’ll be too slow and the snow will catch us. It’s better this way.” Freya nodded, respecting what she was saying, even if she didn’t agree with it.
    “Okay,” she said at last. “But will you at least walk with us tomorrow, until we get to the point where we rejoin the trail? There’s a bigger town there, with much better transport connections.”
    “Yes, absolutely,” Eloise agreed.
     
    That night, Freya slept badly. Eloise was next to her, and she kept tossing and turning, in the grip of dark dreams. At last, she woke up bad tempered just after dawn. It was cold in the clearing and they shivered while they had breakfast and packed up, ready for their last day as a trio.
    They refilled their bottles from the cache, and guiltily took an extra plastic bottle each as well.
    They walked at a leisurely pace. The trail junction was only eight miles away and Freya and Marin wanted to make sure that Eloise enjoyed her last day. This section of the side trail was lush compared to the high, rocky main trail, a mix of confers and deciduous trees lining both sides, and at some points almost forming a canopy. They chatted and sang songs as they walked. Freya’s heart ached that Eloise was leaving, but there was also a strangely celebratory mood. Suddenly, it didn’t seem to matter that her friend wasn’t going to complete the trail. She’d taken herself right out of her comfort zone and hiked part of it. And that was surely something to celebrate.
    They were singing one of their favorite pop songs from their high school days as they turned a small bend in the track, following on from a long straight section.
    “What’s that?” Freya said, coming to a stop.
    “What’s what?” Marin replied.
    “The thing right on the track, far in the distance,” Freya said, and they all shaded their eyes to see better.
    “Oh my god! It’s a bear!” Eloise screamed. Freya squinted to see better. There were several large shapes on the track. They were so far away that they were hard to make out. They seemed to have four legs each, but then they only seemed to have two. Is that fur? No, it’s not dark at all, it’s human skin, she decided.
    “What the hell?” Marin hissed.
    “Are they humans or bears? I can’t figure it out,” Freya murmured.
    “Oh my goodness,” Eloise shrieked, hyperventilating. “It’s a whole bunch of bears. They’re going to kill us!” At the sound of her voice, there was a sudden, coordinated movement from the shapes. And then they were moving, slowly at first, but then a lot quicker, right in their direction. Eloise