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  Fly Bear

  Justice Squad- Fate Rock Shifters

  Scarlett Grove

  Contents

  FREE BOOKS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Also by Scarlett Grove

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  About the Author

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  An Omega’s fire … Charity Morning is a werewolf Omega held captive by Raze, a cruel Alpha who wants the power her mating thrall can give him. When a vision shows Charity her true mate, she flees to him. But will the cool, controlling man she finds be any better? An Alpha’s strength … Aaron Blake must prove his worthiness to become his pack’s new Alpha. To claim Charity as his Omega, he must fight off the other males who want her … and then pleasure and dominate her in bed until he earns her trust. Only then, with her true submission, will their mating be complete. A deadly challenge … As Aaron and Charity realize that their mating is much more than a tradition, Raze and his pack track the Omega to her new home. They want her back--at any cost. Can Aaron defeat them all, or will Charity lose him before they can confess their true feelings? Super hot read. 18+ Steaming hot love scenes and mild violence. HEA Standalone novella.

  Under the light of the full moon, Avery experiences a night of endless pleasure in the arms of a seductive stranger. When she witnesses his transformation into a wolf, she's convinced their passionate encounter was part of an otherworldly dream. But her pregnancy test confirms it was all too real and now she must find the father of her child.

  Chapter 1

  Rider Hendrix gripped the handlebars of his dirt bike and leaned into the curve. The cool night breeze blew over his face and tingled on his skin. His headlights bounced over the rocky path and dust bloomed in the air. Bounding over an incline, he looked over his shoulder, heart racing, at the sound of engines buzzing behind him.

  As the paths intersected, another rider narrowly missed clipping his back tire. He gritted his teeth in determination. Squeezing his accelerator, he pushed his bike harder up the next incline.

  He curved his body, making himself more aerodynamic as he sped down the hill and into a dense grove of young alders. The path was uneven and the spindly tree trunks seemed to pop up out of nowhere. As he dodged several trees, swerving back and forth, he could hear the other riders gaining speed.

  The most dangerous part of the track was just ahead. He pushed his bike to top speed. The trees gave way to the view of the mountains as the path narrowed further along a cliff face.

  He glanced behind him at the oncoming racers. His greatest rival, Mark Harris, was gaining on him. Rider was the reigning champion of these late-night dirt bike races — a title he wasn’t about to give up.

  Rider participated in the illegal races against his CO’s advice. It wasn't that Hawk disapproved of the gambling. It was that he didn't want his men to take any unnecessary risks in their leisure time when their work with the Justice Squad, a clandestine military operation based in Fate Rock, Colorado, was already so dangerous.

  “Why don't you take up golf?” Hawk always asked him. But Rider was an adrenaline junkie. He couldn't give up the thrill of the race. Or the thrill of the win. Even if he lost all his money on his bets, he didn't want to lose his reputation as the champion racer. As a veteran of multiple wars and a decorated pilot, Rider was used to being at the top of his game. He wasn't about to let a used car salesman like Mark beat him.

  The moon glowed overhead, casting the mountain in a hazy blue sheen. The extra light illuminated his path, making it easier for his shifter senses to allow him to see in the darkness.

  Just then, a rock blew up from under his tire and slashed his neck, shredding the skin. The momentary distraction made him lose focus for just a split second, but a split second was all it took. He decelerated, trying to keep his balance. Mark pushed past on his left, trying to force him off the cliff. Rider corrected his trajectory, blocking Mark from passing, but he didn't give up. As Mark pushed ahead, he clipped Rider’s front tire.

  The momentum of the bike caused him to swerve toward the cliff drop off. He tried to correct by pushing his bike into a skid, but his bike was out of control. The other racers were pressing past. He was inches from the edge of the cliff when he let go of his handlebars and allowed his bike to plummet off the cliff and into the dark oblivion of Fate Rock.

  He landed hard on his back, knocking the wind out of him. As he lay on the gravel staring into the night, several racers stopped to help him. He climbed to his feet, his mind reeling as he walked toward the edge. If he had held on for just a few seconds longer, he would be at the bottom of the cliff with his bike.

  “That was a close call,” said one of the human racers.

  Rider was stunned and speechless. He had been in plenty of scrapes in his day, but nothing like this since he had joined the Justice Squad. His life had flashed before his eyes in that moment, and he’d thought about all the things that he would never experience if he died. He would never have a mate or a family. He would never watch his children grow or have grandkids. He'd never have another summer barbecue with the gang in the backyard.

  Wordlessly, he walked with the other racers to the finish line, congratulated Mark — the man who'd almost killed him — and drove home in his Mustang.

  The next day, he woke up tired and sore from the fall. It was Saturday and he had plans to host a barbecue with his crew from the Justice Squad. After what had happened the night before, it meant more to him than ever.

  He got ready and headed to the grocery store to buy all the supplies he needed for the party. Ribs, hamburgers, sausage links, steak, chicken, and shrimp for kebabs. He grabbed onions and bell peppers and pineapple, soda, chips, and beer. As he was heading out of the store with his groceries, he glanced down at a local periodical lying on a bench outside.

  It was open to the advertisement section with a big ad for the shifter dating website, Mate.com. Rider had known about the site for years, but had never signed up. He hadn’t really known if he wanted to settle down and have a family — until today. He grabbed the ad, shoved it in his bag, and unloaded his groceries into the car.

  At home, he started to marinate the meat while he peeled potatoes for potato salad. The ad lay on the kitchen table, forgotten at first. But every time he walked to the back door to check his grill, he saw it.

  He had never felt the urge to mate before. But after last night, it seemed to be all he could think about. He had too much to do to sit down and open the app on his phone, but he filed the idea away in the back of his mind.

  Besides, he still had to think it over. What if his new desire to settle down was just a temporary impulse, and he went back to his wild ways tomorrow? It wouldn't be fair to any woman to have to put up with that kind of thing.

  Maybe he would talk to Hawk about it. All of the other guys had been on Mate.com since they had joined the Squad. The only one to have found a mate so far was Max Johnson, who had met Stephanie Plume on a mission in the Caribbean.

  They were happily living their lives together, appearing to be the average suburban couple. Even when Max went on dangerous missions, Stephanie seemed none the worse for it.
She assured everyone that she could handle it. And Rider was sure that she was convinced. But he wasn't as convinced quite yet. Being the mate of a member of the Justice Squad could take its toll on a human lady.

  Later that evening, there was a knock at the door. Rider answered it to find his CO standing on the other side holding a fresh peach pie.

  “I baked it myself,” Hawk said.

  “Right,” Rider said, playing along. He was sure that Hawk had bought it from the bakery downtown, like he always did.

  Stephanie and Max arrived next. Stephanie brought her famous St. Louis-style barbecue sauce to complement Rider’s recipes. The rest of the guys brought beer and wine and hot dogs. Sampson had forgotten to bring anything, as usual, but Rider didn't fault him for that.

  They sat down on the back patio around Rider’s big table, sipped cool beer, and devoured their barbecue.

  “Delicious as usual,” Zander said.

  Unlike most of the guys, Zander was earnest and sincere, and never withheld a compliment.

  “It is delicious,” Titus agreed with a full mouth.

  “I don't know how you do it,” Stephanie said. “It’s so good.”

  “Your sauce certainly helped,” Rider said with a wink.

  “My sauce was just the icing on the cake. You did the hard part.”

  “So, has anyone had any luck with Mate.com?” Rider asked, changing the subject. Everyone looked up at him as if he had just grown another head.

  “Stephanie and I met on Mate.com, and we couldn't be happier,” Max said.

  “Anybody else?” he asked hopefully.

  “Not yet,” Jamison said. “But it's not for lack of trying.”

  Aside from Hawk, Jamison was the most eager to settle down. As one of the area’s most successful land developers, he had a lot to offer the ladies. And as the most senior of the crew, Hawk was feeling the clock tick on his chance to have a normal civilian life.

  “I'm on there. But I don't know if I'm really into the online dating thing,” Zander said. “I'd rather it happened naturally, you know what I mean?”

  “It's harder for us shifters to find our fated mates than it is for humans to find somebody they’re compatible with. There's only one person for us. They can mate with anybody,” Jamison said.

  “Still, I feel like it's not very organic,” Zander said.

  “Online dating has a bad reputation because of the way that humans use it. None of us is interested in a casual hookup. We only want the real deal or nothing,” Jamison said.

  “So, are you finally going to join?” Hawk asked.

  “I'm thinking about it.”

  “Why the change of heart?” Stephanie asked.

  “Had a bit of a scrape in my dirt bike race last night.”

  “You and those races.” Hawk shook his head. “When will you ever learn? You should stop risking your life for fun. I’ve told you time and again you should take up golf. Don't you get enough adrenaline from all of the dangerous missions I send you on?”

  “Yes, Mom,” Rider said rolling his eyes.

  “What happened?” Max asked.

  “My bike fell off a cliff. It got me thinking that maybe you were right about settling down, Hawk.”

  “Rider Hendrix thinks I'm right about avoiding unnecessary risks. I thought this day would never come,” Hawk said.

  “When I was staring into the dark void over the cliff, I couldn't even see where my bike had landed. I couldn't help but think about all of the things I still haven't experienced. All of the simple, normal things that most people take for granted. And it just really hit me. I think I’m going to join Mate.com.”

  Chapter 2

  Darcy Lane slid the plate of New York steak and scalloped potatoes onto the stainless steel shelf and dinged the order bell.

  “Order up,” she said, grabbing another tag off the line. She returned it to her grilling station and flipped the chicken and burgers on the grill. Tyler, the prep cook, filled her station with sauce and she wiped her brow with the back of her arm.

  “Busy night,” Tyler said

  “I've gone through two tubs of sauce already,” she said.

  “You're looking a little worn out. Did you get enough sleep last night?”

  “I'm fine,” she said, wrinkling her eyebrows. Tyler grunted, shrugged, and continued with his job filling the other stations.

  Darcy let out a long sigh. She was used to people asking her if she was tired. And it wasn't always because she actually was tired. It was because she never wore makeup, and her thick glasses accentuated the natural dark circles under her eyes. She had seen other women when they weren't made up and knew that she wasn't the only one who looked like that, but everyone was so used to seeing women's faces primped and polished that they were averse to seeing a natural one.

  It wasn't that Darcy had any moral or ethical reasons to not wear makeup. She simply had no idea how to buy it or put it on and had never made the effort to learn.

  She flipped a burger on the grill and checked the temperature. It was a perfect medium rare, so she slid it off the grill and onto the bun. She added the sauce and the fixings, and added the restaurant’s famous fries to the plate. People didn't always come to the steakhouse for burgers and fries, but they made a fantastic meal. She slid the order onto the tray and her waitress friend Shelley took the plates with a sigh.

  “The guys at my table are being relentless,” Shelley said. “I'm playing along for the tip, but I don't know how much longer I can take it. I might have to tell Hector.”

  “What are they doing?”

  “They keep making not-so-thinly-veiled comments about my ass.” Shelley grabbed the second order. “I better get these out.”

  Darcy returned to her station and flipped the steak onto a plate. She was used to hearing remarks from other women about how men hit on them. She knew that it was threatening and that they didn't like it. And she was sure that if it happened to her to the same degree that it happened to girls like Shelley, she wouldn't like it either. But there had only been a few occasions in her entire life when anyone had ever bothered saying anything even remotely sexual to her. And it had been years since she’d even had a date. That was way back in culinary school. Ever since, she’d spent her life working her way up to head chef in the restaurant, spending her free nights at home with her cat, a good book, and a glass of Chardonnay.

  It wasn't that she minded. She had a good life. She'd worked hard and pulled herself up out of the worst circumstances to where she was today. She had a nice apartment, nice furniture, and a 401(k). There wasn't much more she could ask for. But sometimes, every once in a while, she did feel a bit lonely.

  Darcy wasn't used to having people in her life. Her parents had died in a car crash when she was five. She’d had no relatives to take her in, and had ended up in the foster system. No one wanted to adopt a kid who was already five years old, so she was shuffled from house to house until she was eighteen and had to go out on her own.

  She brushed a stray lock of frizzy red hair behind her ear with the back of her hand and pressed the tip of her tongue to the gap between her teeth. She had never had her teeth fixed, either. There had never been money for it. There had never been money for anything. In all the years being shuffled from home to home, she'd never really made any attachments to anyone.

  But she had grown a love of cooking in her early teens when she’d realized that her drunken foster mother wasn't going to get off the couch to cook anything for her or the other children. Darcy had learned how to put together a good meal from the scraps around the kitchen, and that practice had unfolded into a love of the culinary art form.

  After graduating high school with good grades, despite everything, she had applied to culinary school and had gotten in by the skin of her teeth on a scholarship. She had to work two jobs as a prep cook and busser to pay her bills and the rest of her tuition, but she'd graduated with honors at the top of her class.

  She’d landed her first jo
b in a five-star restaurant and had been working in the airport steakhouse for the last five years. Not only was it the highest rated restaurant in the Denver airport, it was one of the highest rated steakhouses in the entire city.

  She was proud of what she had accomplished, but she knew that there was still something missing in her life. For all her confidence in the kitchen, Darcy lacked any confidence in relationships. Especially relationships with men.

  She brushed the chicken with another layer of sauce, flipped it on a plate, and added the rice pilaf. She put the order on the shelf for Shelley and went back to work. She felt bad for Shelley, but part of her didn't want to hear any more about how men found her friend so attractive.

  Darcy had never learned how to do any of the girly things men liked. There were other girls in the foster system who cared about their looks and makeup and clothes. They spent all of their time and extra money on making themselves beautiful. Darcy didn't have that much money or attention to go around. She had needed to focus on either school or being attractive, and she had chosen school.

  She’d seen what had happened to the pretty girls in foster care. Often they ended up pregnant with kids of their own to support, or were in terrible relationships with men who abused them by the time they were eighteen. Once in a while, a girl would find somebody great and lived happily ever after, but that was so rare, she chose not to chance it.

  Darcy had observed that focusing on being beautiful didn't always lead to good results. So, she'd ignored it, and ignored it, and ignored it. Now that she was established in her life and wanted to find someone to start a family with, it had become a liability more than an asset.