Blaze by Ophelia Sexton

A bear shifter with the heart of a hero. Dimitri Medved used to live in the shadows of New York high society. But his ruthless, unscrupulous parents poisoned everything they ever touched before they were caught and sent to prison. Trying to escape his past, Dimitri left New York City and started a new life in a small close-knit shifter community far from the glitter and corruption of the big city. When Dimitri headed west to the wilds of Bearpaw Ridge, he traded his Armani business suit for the helmet and ax of a volunteer firefighter. After his first rescue, this protective, alpha bear shifter knew he’d found his true calling, and his true home.

All he lacks now is his mate. When he stops to help a woman stranded with her young daughter on the outskirts of town, he’s struck hard by Cupid’s arrow. It’s not just the woman’s fragile beauty, her lush curves or her delicate scent. His bear recognizes that Damaris is their fated mate. Add in her sweet, lively daughter, and Dimitri thinks he may have finally found the family he’s craved ever since he can remember. Dimitri’s restless bear hungers to claim his mate. But his instincts tell him that Damaris has secrets…secrets that now threaten her and her daughter. He needs to protect them both, but can he convince her to trust him before it’s too late?