Guarded by the Bear (Shifters of Ursa Falls Book 1)

Some towns bury their secrets. Ursa Falls buries the people who ask. A year ago, Nora Vale's little sister Erin died in Ursa Falls. The official ruling was a bear attack. Nora doesn't believe it. On the surface, Ursa Falls is a postcard. Underneath, the town belongs to the Hale clan, who hold the deeds, the council, and the sheriff's badge, and who have never once let go. Gideon Hale is the eldest son and heir, the most powerful man of his generation and the least free. Ordered by his father to learn what the newcomer knows and make her leave, he takes the job to keep her out of the hands of Dray, the polite, soft-spoken enforcer who makes problems disappear. He tells himself it isn't the way she laughs at the worst moments, or how she looks at him like a puzzle worth solving. Nora is using him, too. He's her only way through the doors this town keeps locked. Two people lying to each other, both starting to enjoy it, both running out of time. Because the closer Nora gets to the truth about her sister, the closer she gets to what the Hales really are. And Gideon knows exactly what happened to Erin. Ursa Falls is a darker bear-shifter romance with a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers heart, a small-town mystery, and a threat that never raises its voice. Standalone with a full HEA, no cliffhanger, and a world you'll want to come back to.