Mated to the Wilde Bear novel Chapter 27

Laurel surveyed the assembled mess of rescue vehicles and police cars that lined the road’s edge. She chewed on her thumbnail, searching until she finally caught sight of the truck pulling in at the end of the row of cars. It was white, making it easier to spot the DOT logo on the side.

She rushed for the car just as a man got out and came forward.

“Gerald,” she said, half-relieved but half-nauseous with nerves.

“Laurel,” Gerald greeted her. In that one word was a small thread of warmth. He’d been the nicest man she’d worked for and the friendliest, still careful to keep a professional distance but willing to relax. To talk and joke with her. He was the only boss she’d ever had that let her forget she was a woman in a man’s workplace. For that, she was grateful and held a soft spot for him.

He frowned when she got closer and cast a glance at the work crews assembled. “What’s the status?” he asked. “Is it bad?”

Laurel shook her head. “I don’t know. Blue Bear Search and Rescue went in about twenty minutes ago. No word yet on whether they’ve spotted them or details regarding the extraction.”

Gerald took a deep breath. “Report said it was poachers. This party was a group of four. Someone heard shots fired. What the hell happened?”

Laurel’s stomach tightened for the hundredth time at the mere mention of gunshots, but she nodded and kept her game face on. If Gerald only knew she was more worried about the Search and Rescue crew, specifically their alpha, than about the poachers who’d put in the emergency call.

“The details are still unclear,” she said.