Releasing the Bear: BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance (The Callaghan Clan Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

Brandt had called me over. When I noticed Bo’s convertible and Derrick’s Jeep sitting on the far side of the driveway, I knew this definitely had something to do with clan business. The town car parked in front to the stairs leading up to the deck and entrance doors had me perplexed though. Was this something bigger than the clan? Was there something going on with our family businesses that I didn’t know about? Our clan had many connections with local and state government officials…and they were often the only ones who would have someone drive them out to our property.
    As I made my way up the stairs, the front door opened and Emma walked out with a watering can. She didn’t see me at first, a surprise considering how hyperaware she’d been since becoming pregnant. Her protective instincts surged, making her grizzly one that I certainly didn’t want to mess with. She wore yoga pants and a baggy tee shirt, which didn’t reveal the small bump already growing in her belly. Her hair was pulled up into a messy knot, showing me that she didn’t feel the need to dress up for our unexpected guest.
    “Hey Brennan,” she said with a smile when the wood stairs creaked below my weight. “You look snazzy.”
    “Snazzy?” I laughed and gave her a quick hug. She smelled like a momma bear.
    “Don’t make fun of my sayings,” she teased. Nodding her head toward the door, she added, “You better get in there. Everyone’s upstairs in the office.”
    “Do you know what’s going on?” I asked.
    “Not yet.” She started picking through her basil pot. “Brandt was too worried this morning to speak to me about it. Plus, our visitor was the one who broke the news, so I didn’t get any alone time with him yet.”
    “Sounds bad,” I mumbled. “Do you think I can just go back to bed?”
    Emma laughed and rubbed her belly. “You can’t if I can’t.”
    “Fine,” I said with a sigh.
    She patted me on the shoulder and held open the front door. “Whatever it is, you brothers will be able to handle it. I have no doubt in that.”
    “Thanks, Emma.”
    “Anytime.” She studied me for a moment before continuing. “Something’s different about you.” Looking at my face, then my hair, she took in a deep breath. Her growing smile hinted that she knew what happened to me last night. “Who is she?” Emma nudged my arm.
    “What are you talking about?”
    “You can’t lie, Brennan. Never could.”
    It’s true that I’ve known Emma since we were kids and she always called me out on things. But I couldn’t have this conversation right now. Not when there was something going on upstairs and especially not when I had no idea what was happening with Scarlett anyway.
    “I have nothing to tell,” I said again, pushing my way into the house and leaving Emma standing on the landing watching and smiling.
    “Well, I hope I can meet her soon. It would be nice to have another female around here.”
    I didn’t acknowledge her comment as I walked up the three flights of stairs to reach the office. Knowing that Emma was already acquainted with Scarlett actually made me want to tell Emma. But as I walked past a large canvas painting of a grizzly fending off a pack of wolves, I realized that this dream of mine could never come true. I was a grizzly. She was a wolf.
    And that didn’t mix in our world.
    “Whoa, Brennan. Get your head out of your ass.”
    My brother Bo startled me when he stepped out into the hallway. I’d almost run into his smaller frame while I admonished myself for even thinking that a life with Scarlett as my mate would ever be possible.
    Bo wore a pair of khakis and a flannel—his typical, carefree and un-businesslike attire. He’d let his hair continue to grow, with waves of brownish-blonde curls almost covering his eyes now. To this day, I always thought he’d fit in better in southern California than Alaska.
    “You look fancy,” he said with a smile, flicking a finger at the front of my