Nightmare Bear Novels & Stories

The voice crawled over Kiera’s skin like ice-cold wire. “Subject Subject 3… I knew you’d come running.” Her lungs locked. The world shrank. The forest dimmed around the edges, narrowing into a tunnel pointed straight at that voice—smooth, clinical, familiar in the worst possible way. Her nightmares hadn’t lied. They were here. Ronan moved before thought could form, his body snapping into a defensive stance between her and the looming shadow. The bear—huge, bristling, furious—let out a low, rolling growl that vibrated through the soil.

Other cages lined the perimeter of a clearing. A low, guttural growl rumbled from the shadows to her left. A mountain lion, pacing tight circles in a box barely big enough to turn around in. To her right, a massive shape shifted in the darkness. The scent of bear was pungent and undeniable. Heather’s mind raced back to the young she-bear she had been tracking earlier—the one she failed to find. Was she here too? “Looking at a big payout tonight, boys,” one of the men laughed, wiping grease onto his jeans.

Her hands running down the hard muscles rippling on his back. Suddenly, Ari’s body froze, and he looked toward the cave entrance. Tia was about to say something when she heard it. The sound of a deep huff and a growl. It was a bear. Ari climbed off of her in a flash and shifted to Nikau as he darted out the door. She could hear a viscous growl rip from Nikau, followed by a growl from the bear. Tatiana shifted into Talia and darted out to find Nikau and a black bear snarling at each other. The bear stood up on his hind legs and swiped his claws at Nikau. Nikau pulled his lips back and gnashed his teeth at the bear in warning. Talia took advantage of the fact they were both distracted and circ

Twenty-four hours later I get Mina’s report via email. It’s one sentence: Thunderbirds are go! I call her. “You’re sure?” I say before she can greet me. “No shady stuff? At all?” “Nothing. Bear owns a business—two businesses, actually. Mechanic plus body shop. They do well enough that he paid his brother back the initial investment, plus profit. Did you know Bear isn’t his real name?” “No… well, I figured it was a nickname.”

In the middle of the night, the faint sound of a door opening woke me. I didn't turn on the light. I just lay quietly in bed, listening to the sound of bare feet on the wool carpet, coming closer and closer. The footsteps stopped beside my bed. In the darkness, a figure leaned over me, carrying a heavy smell of whiskey and that familiar trace of gunpowder. It was "Dante", or perhaps I should call him by his real name—Luciano.

] [Look at the bear's eyes! [It's going to attack! Run!] The Greyridge bear stood up. Not slowly. Instantly. It rose to its full height and was half a body taller than the tallest person there. Its foot came down on the crackers and crushed them to dust. Petra stumbled back a step. Her phone hit the ground, and the frame went sideways from the camera pointing at the sky. Then came her scream, followed by the bear's roar. Next was the dull thud of something hitting the gravel.

The insects had stopped their chirping, and the wind had died down to a stagnant breath. From the darkness of a hollowed-out oak, two glowing, amber eyes ignited. It wasn't a wolf. It was a Scourge-Bear—a creature corrupted by the dark magic that bled from the Shadow Packs to the north. It stood eight feet tall, its fur matted with a black, oily substance that smelled of rot.

Something was definitely brewing there. Finally, we pulled into a gravel lot. I leaned forward, trying to see what this “spontaneous” adventure was. “Is that what I think it is?” I asked slowly, staring at the dilapidated structure ahead. Eli’s grin told me everything. “What the actual hell…” I whispered, my eyes locking on the chipped paint, broken windows, and vines crawling up the walls like nature was trying to warn us. A crooked sign above the doorway read: HOUSE OF SCREAMS – ENTER IF YOU DARE.

Naomi is uncharacteristically quiet, and Nicole is holding Pandora, nervously running her fingers through her fur. “So that was a fun girls’ night out,” Eliza says, crossing her arms. All eyes go to her and silence falls over our little group. And then we all start laughing. “I don’t understand why it turned into rats.” I sink onto the love seat opposite the couch. Lucas takes a spot next to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. I let him pull me against his firm chest, finding instant relief to have my body pressed against his. “Hellhounds don’t turn into anything, right?”

He collapses to the ground, growling in pain, desperately fighting back. My mum, in a desperate howl, drops me and shifts into her wolf form to join the fierce battle. Then I wake up with a jolt as hot tears stream down my eyes. My heart races like it wants to escape my chest as the remnant of the dream lingers in my mind. Scanning the room, confusion clouds my thoughts as I search for reassurance that it was just a dream. The dream is disturbing because it keeps recurring. I had watched my dad get killed by a ruthless Alpha right in front of me, and since then, the scene of battle keeps reoccurring.