Big Bear Trouble: BBW Werebear Shapeshifter Romance (Sweetwater Brides) by Anya Nowlan, Rory Dale

forever, you know.”
    “Sure I can,” Evan chuckled, taking her hand into his. Karen just smiled and shook her head.
----
    T he next afternoon , Evan and Karen made their way back into town to get ready for Evan’s fight. They stopped by his place first. The door to Evan’s apartment had been replaced, not a scratch anywhere. As they stepped inside, Karen gasped.
    There wasn’t a stitch out of place. The kitchen chairs were back in their places, instead of being piles of wood on the ground. The floors were shiny and blood-free. The countertops gleaming. Not a speck of dust or dirt anywhere.
    “Ethan had some guys come over,” Evan explained.
    “Can they do my apartment next?” Karen joked, walking around.
    Evan felt a little stab, reminded that Karen had a place of her own waiting for her.
    Wasn’t I supposed to be her home?
    His phone buzzed. It was Tom, confirming the fight. There had been a last minute change.
    Evan was now fighting Alex Maugham from the Clearpond wolf pack.

Sixteen

Karen
    K aren listened to Evan speak on the phone.
    “Still on for tonight? Okay. The location this time? Mhm. What kind of change?” Evan grew quiet.
    “Oh. Well, then. No, that’s fine,” he said before ending the call.
    “What’s up?” Karen tried to say cheerfully, sensing that something was off.
    “My opponent changed last minute. I’m now fighting Alex from the Clearpond pack,” Evan replied.
    “Wait, what? Why?”
    “Tom said the guy I was supposed to fight had an injury and Alex subbed in.”
    “Could it be intentional? Maybe he’s a Jamie sympathizer looking to take his anger out on you in the ring,” Karen protested, growing worried.
    “They couldn’t plan on my original opponent’s injury. And I happen to know Alex. He’s never had any beef with me or with the Grimpaw clan. He’s a hell of a fighter, though,” Evan assured her, smiling.
    “Are you sure you’re ready? You can still change your mind,” Karen offered.
    “I can fend for myself,” Evan replied, silencing any further objections she might have had with a kiss.
----
    K aren accompanied Evan to his dressing room, if one could call it that. The fight was taking place in an old abandoned warehouse on the edge of town. Tom – a skinny, tall man with an expensive looking haircut, wearing a black suit – was already there.
    “Hey, there’s my man!” he said, patting Evan on the back. “Your match is on third. I got you some ringside seats if you want to watch while you wait. I gotta go see how the other guys are doing, good luck!” he added, disappearing around the corner.
    Evan got undressed, his body rippling with every move. If one looked closely enough, the skin on his right arm and left leg was still a little pinker than on the rest of his tan body. He pulled on his shorts and started his warm-up routine. The concrete around them made the air cold and damp.
    Karen tamped down the anxiety building inside of her and put on a smile. She could hear the crowd gathering, buzzing and shuffling somewhere in the distance.
    They made their way to the center of the warehouse. A large cage was set up in the middle of the massive room. Folding chairs surrounded it in every direction. The seats closer to the cage had pieces of paper with names on them.
    They looked for the ones marked “Evan” and sat down. Lights had been set up, illuminating the ring but little else. A small makeshift bar was serving beer and whiskey near the entrance. Tom appeared in the cage, holding a microphone, followed by what looked like a referee.
    Two burly men in shorts joined them. Tom welcomed the spectators and introduced the men, before rushing out of the cage. The referee nodded and the first fight began.
    Evan spent the match whispering into Karen’s ear. He explained the different moves, and the tactics and styles the fighters were using, what was allowed and what was not. By the time the second fight rolled around, Karen found herself fascinated.
    It