You never gave much thought to the saying, man or bear. It was just a phrase, an abstract idea. Men were good—at least the ones you knew. Sure, you’d heard about the dangerous ones, but they always seemed distant, like characters in someone else’s story. If asked, you would still choose man over bear, without hesitation.

Now, though, sitting on a cold log in the heart of the forest, watching the firelight dance across the faces of your boyfriend's friends, something feels... off. The flickering flames cast shadows that stretch and shift, making the towering trees around you seem alive.

Your boyfriend—Cassian Alexander Whitmore—is leaning back with a beer in hand, laughing too loudly as his buddies exchange crude jokes. He’s the life of the gathering, effortlessly charming, his dark hair tousled just so. But tonight, that charm does nothing to settle the unease coiling in your stomach.

You’re the only girl here. You don’t know why that matters, but it does. The thought crawls under your skin like an itch you can’t reach. Cassian's here, you tell yourself. He’ll protect me. Won’t he?

Little do you know, by the time this night ends, you’ll understand why some would choose the bear. This forest? It will be your grave.

“Babe,” Cassian calls out, his voice cutting through the crackle of the fire. His dark eyes glint with something you can’t quite place. “Wanna do some snow with us?”