Shifting Alliances by Riley Storm

Working at a dive bar on the outskirts of Plymouth Falls, Amber Ferlund can’t fall any further. But when the darkness inside her rears its head yet again, driving her out into the cold darkness of a northern winter, she realizes there’s always one more level of hell. Having abandoned herself, she waits for death to free her from looming insanity. What she doesn’t expect is that her savior will appear dressed in black, his sword stopping a hair from her throat. Nor that he will be so good looking.

Kasperi is on the hunt. He and his fellow bear shifters have been dispatched to investigate reports of magic being used in Plymouth Falls. Now, hot on the heels of the rogue mage, he readies his weapon and prepares to rid the world of yet another enemy, before they can kill more of his friends. But he stays his hand at the sight of the beautiful but beleaguered woman, alone in the forest, moments from freezing to death. She’s no threat to him, is she?

His fellow shifters disagree, but Kasperi knows they’re wrong. This woman needs aid, not the blade of his sword. Together, they must teach her how to control her gifts, to use them for good before they corrupt her completely. Nearby wait his former fellows, ready to take her head for the slightest mistake, and deeper in the shadows lurks a stronger enemy, one who recognizes Amber’s true potential. But, if anyone wants to get to Amber, they’ll have to go through Kasperi first, because he’ll protect his mate at all costs.