Releasing the Bear: BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance (The Callaghan Clan Book 2) by Meredith Clarke, Ashlee Sinn Page A

told me.” He put a hand on my shoulder and then immediately removed it when my body trembled with a growl. “We’re going to find her.”
    My throat was so tight I couldn’t speak, so I gave him a nod.
    “Now, have you picked up the trail outside?”
    I turned to look at the tiger and was again awed but unimpressed at the same time. Major Patel had nothing on my size. But I could see the muscles under his shirt. Built like a MMA fighter, I hoped his tiger side helped make him a fierce partner for our goals tonight.
    “I…I didn’t try yet,” I finally said. Why had I not tried to pick up their scent trail yet? Jesus, what was wrong with me?
    Major sniffed the air, mouth open and looked way too much like a house cat. “Do you want to change?”
    “Seriously?” I said in shock. “You, the ISC representative and the one that forced Scarlett and I here in the first place, you want me to turn into my grizzly here? In the middle of the city?”
    “Will you understand what I say to you as a bear?”
    I gave him a look. “You are a shifter, right?” He should know that we were still connected to our humans even in animal form.
    “That’s not what I meant,” he held his hand out until I gave him my phone. “I mean you are upset. Will you be able to control him?”
    Oh. Fair enough. “I need to find my…Scarlett.”
    Major looked up at me with his orange eyes, obviously hearing my mistake. A small smile pulled at one corner of his lips. Then he tucked his dark hair behind his ears and shoved my phone in his back pocket. “Go into the shadows over there and change. I’ll try to get the scent from the lobby. Okay?”
    I wasn’t sure how I felt about him taking charge, but it actually helped me focus. Running in along the front of the hotel and then around to the side, I hid behind the pair of dumpsters. Garbage and urine overwhelmed my nose. A rat scurried across my foot. Kicking it free, I pulled off my boots and then my clothes and let my bear rip free. The pain soothed me. The pain meant I had a purpose and my bear would find his mate.
    Major whistled when he got around the corner. I stepped into the light coming from one street lamp and Major stopped cold in his tracks.
    That’s right, tiger. You’re in my territory now.
    With his gaze averted, he slowly approached me. “I found their scent. Is that a sedative?”
    I huffed my response.
    “Okay,” he said with gritted teeth. “Let’s just hope they didn’t put her in a car.” Major jogged ahead, back toward the entrance, but stopped when he realized I wasn’t following. “Come on. We have to start over here. It’s okay,” he added when I stomped my front feet, “it’s clear.”
    I flared my nostrils, taking in all of the smells. Dirt, cement, humans, dead rodents. The lovely aroma of the city. This is why my bear and I hated coming here. Major snapped his fingers and pointed to the ground. I was tempted to bite them off. I wasn’t a dog. But then I caught Scarlett’s trail and my animal senses focused only on that.
    They’d dragged her into the easement dividing the hotel’s property and the lake it over looked. She didn’t have any shoes on and I picked up a faint scent of blood. That agitated the bear and he pushed me forward into a run. Major would find us eventually.
    With nose to the ground, I followed the dirt and grass patch until it ended at a pair of railway tracks. Running over them, I continued to follow her, until I realized the scent trail had disappeared. So I backtracked, almost running into Major and giving him a low growl when he didn’t get out of my way fast enough. My bear didn’t care if he was a tiger. He’d fight anything right now.
    We ran down the tracks, the ones heading north and out of the city. Major surprised me with his stealth, as I could barely hear him keeping up behind me. When we reached another crossing, I slowed. Lifting my head, I huffed to the left.
    “That way?” Major asked.
    Another huff.
    He