The Big Sky Alpha novel Chapter 118

118. Bears

FREYA POV

It’s easier said than done.

I know Colt, and though I know he really means what he’s saying it’s not going to be an easy one for him to actually do. He’s lost me before, that is a pain I didn’t have to feel. Clearly, it messed with him.

The next morning I woke up, ate, and went to go back to my digging through books. However, we were met by Sasha.

“I think you two need to see this.” She said.

We went with her back to the kitchen, which felt incredibly odd. She’s the healer so it’s always to her hut.

We went back to where the bear was hanging, where they gutted it in the cellar so it would stay pretty cool. What we saw was gruesome.

Where just last night hung a large grizzly bear now hung a large man. Now I’m really wishing we hadn’t gutted the bear. That is an image I really didn’t want to see.

“Get him down from there.” Colt said. Obviously as grossed out by this as I was.

Quickly a couple guys got him down. They laid him out on a table down there that we use when

we’re processing the meat of our kills. Though I can honestly say I never thought I’d see us using the table to place a grown man that had been fully gutted.

Oddly the main thing I found myself thinking was that I was happy no one ended up eating the

heart of this kill.

“I didn’t think anything like this was possible, Alpha Sasha said in a very horrified voice.

“We just found out about it ourselves. I had a suspicion that he was one but something seemed off

about him remaining a bear.” I said back, in an equally horrified voice. I can’t believe all of this.

“How do we find out who he is? Who he belongs to Do they live alone or in packs? Is someone

going to come looking for him?” Colt started asking

Sasha turned away from the body laying on the table and looked to Colt, “I think that seer should take a look at him.” Without turning back to the body she just waved her hand behind her like she

was motioning up and down his body, “He has markings all over him. Maybe something on him will

tell us who he is or where he’s from.”

She turned and left the room. Just as she left, Levi walked in.

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118 Bears

“Holy s**t!” He said as he came to a stop and leaned back a bit. “That is NOT a bear, Alpha.”

+25 Points

Apparently we both forgot to mention the bear shifters to anyone else before we went off to our

room last night.

“He’s a shifter.” Colt said without looking away from the body. Everyone else is having a hard time

looking at it, but he’s having a hard time looking away.

“He’s a what?” Levi said, he sounds like Colt did when I first mentioned the very idea of a bear

shifter.

“It’s true. We just found out that they exist. We haven’t even had a chance to tell anyone else yet.” I

said for Colt.

“What exactly does this mean?” Levi asked looking to the both of us. I looked over at Colt. He still

couldn’t tear his eyes away from the man.

“Right now I think Sasha is right. We need Eunice to get in here quickly and examine these

markings. They’re nothing I’ve seen before.” He answered. Maybe that’s why he’s looking so

intently on the body.

After maybe ten minutes Eunice came down. Instantly shocked by what he saw.

“I’m sorry for the image Eunice.” I began, “But we need you to examine this man’s markings and let us know if you know what any of them mean or where we might go to find out.”

“A shifter.” He said as he slowly walked over. “Why is he all…” he waived his hands over the body.

“The men gutted the bear and hung him before processing the meat, but then they were greeted by this body in place of the bear when they came in Like us, they must shift back to their human forms when they die in shifted form. Though it would seem they take longer to shift back.” I said.

Eunice walked up and down examining the man from head to toe. He didn’t just look at his markings, he looked at his teeth, his eyes, his hands and feet. After what felt like ages sitting in the cold cellar looking at the body of a man ripped open, Eunice walked up to us.

“I think we can maybe leave now.” He said. I quickly walked to the door and opened it, Levi right

behind me. Colt hesitated, but he followed us.

Once we were upstairs in the kitchen I asked Chay, the lady working in the kitchen, if she wouldn’t

mind making us some tea and bringing it out into the lounge area.

We all sat down in the lounge area. Jessi heard us and came down to sit with us while the nanny lady watched the kids.

“The markings on the shifter are from all over. It looks like he’s traveled and gotten tattoos

everywhere he went.” Eunice began saying as Chay brought out a tray with many cups and a large

pot of tea filling our cups up in our hands and leaving us.

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4118 Beats

+25 Points “There is one mark on him though, it looks like a pack marking. However, from what I know about bears, they don’t travel in packs. Bears are never seen with other bears unless they are mother bears with their cubs. Even then it’s only for a year or two.” He said, taking a break to sip on his tea.

Colt sat there staring into his cup and lightly swishing it around. He’s not taken a single sip, but he seems very interested in it. Either that or is in deep thought.

“Colt mentioned to me that he hasn’t seen a bear up here in a very long time. Is this something that happens often?” I asked. Honestly, I don’t know much about bears other than they’re dangerous.

“Well, I wouldn’t say it’s normal. However, the sightings of bears has increasingly gotten less and

less. No one really knows why.” He answered.

Finally, Colt spoke.

“My father said it was because they were hunted to extinction.” He cleared his throat and for the first time since he saw the man’s body he looked up at the rest of us. “My father used to say that bear was something we never ate. I didn’t understand why, seemed like something that could easily feed a pack through a harsh winter, but I guess I understand it now. Maybe this isn’t something that’s such a secret or unknown thing about these creatures.”

“Why wouldn’t we have any information about them then? All we have is information on bears. There’s nothing about shifters in any of the books have read. If anyone knew about this, why don’t we know anything about it?” I asked.

“Not to mention all the other shifting creatures the goddess told you were out there.” Colt said.

I explained to Levi, who has not been caught up on any of this, what the goddess told me about last night with the shifting creatures. I left out the information she gave me about Kira though.

“Alpha!” Ash hollered as he burst through the doors of the pack house. “Alpha. Word from the guards. Our border has been breached by bears.” He stood tall in front of Colt. Colt stood up

immediately.

“How many?” He asked.

“They said there was a lot. I didn’t get a number.” Ash said.

“Prepare for battle. Don’t engage, just prepare. They don’t know that we know, so we need to approach this delicately.” Colt said.

I looked at Colt, “Not to mention the fact that we have one of their kind laying on a slab downstairs

cut open and gutted.” I reminded him.