by Kelex
Sent away for their own safety, Kai and Lane have lived away from Bear Mountain for nearly a decade. Calls from home finally bring them back for an extended visit. Lane’s papa is ill… and Kai needs to confront the demons of his past—namely the death of his father, Gregor, and his brother’s part in it.
Declan is happy his younger brothers have finally come home and now is his chance to convince them to stay. Only it’s more difficult than he expected it to be. His brothers are happy with the new lives they’ve built for themselves and they don’t want to return to the valley.
Only Kai and Lane come face to face with a true reason to stay, a broken, battered male—one of the freed Zed victims who’s struggling to find his way in a new world.
Turi’s struggle for mental health makes him skittish at best. The instinct to surrender is at war with his own inner demons. He pushes Kai and Lane away, refusing to accept himself as worthy of love.
Will he push them all the way out of Bear Mountain—or can they help him find the peace he needs to heal before it’s too late?
A Monster for Two Bears
Bear Mountain, 21
by
Kelex
MMM, MÉNAGE, GAY, PARANORMAL, BEAR SHIFTERS
Twisted E Publishing, LLC
www.twistedepublishing.com
A TWISTED E-PUBLISHING BOOK
A Monster for Two Bears
Bear Mountain, 21
Copyright © 2018 by Kelex
Edited by Marie Medina
First E-book Publication: November 2018
Cover design by Cover by K Designs
All cover art and logo copyright © 2018, Twisted E-Publishing, LLC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
All characters depicted in sexual acts in this work of fiction are 18 years of age or older.
NEW FROM KELEX
Want to stay up to date with new releases?
Join Kelex’s monthly newsletter!
NEWSLETTER SIGNUP
Dedication
To all of you who love my bears as much as I do…
Their story couldn’t be over.
Author’s Note #1:
Bear Mountain is more akin to a serial. While there are HEAs and HFNs for each of the throuples in my books, there are threads that flow through multiple books in this series.
Therefore—they should be read in order. The Bear Mountain world grows bigger with each book.
In other words, if you have not read any Bear Mountain books before, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you DO NOT start with this one.
Author’s Note #2:
This story comes after the Project Zed spin-off series storyline is complete.
PZ was discussed in A Rhino for Two Bears (Bear Mountain, Book 18) as well as others, so if you haven’t read the Zed books, don’t worry. You already have an idea what Zed is and what they did to the shifters they caught.
(Though it’s likely worse than you imagined if you haven’t read that series.)
There are four characters from the Zed world who do show up in this story: Cal, Samuel, and their sons.
Samuel was introduced in A Rhino for Two Bears, but his story expanded in Beast, Project Zed, 1. He was the Native shaman who helped the shifters keep Jericho imprisoned after the mutation.
In Beast, Samuel fell in love with the first of the Zed monsters freed, Cal.
His and Cal’s love story was the backbone of the Zed series. And when they later found and saved the child Cal had been forced to father while under imprisonment, Cameron, they made a home for him and became a family, before adding a newborn boy near the end of the series.
Cameron, or “Cam” as he likes to be called (it is a mixture of his fathers’ names, he likes to tell people), has an autism-like condition, which is rare for a shifter, but is potentially due to the experiments done to him from his birth and the sterile lab environment he was raised in. He struggles to understand intrapersonal relationships and sees a therapist to help him learn to interact with the world around him—and he is flourishing now.
Cal, Samuel, and Cameron have been through hell and made it out the other side intact and happy.
But perhaps they have one more hurdle to get over in this story…
For those of you who have NOT read the Bear Mountain books, ignored my first note above, and are plowing on into your first Bear Mountain book…
Brother bears are not blood brothers.
Within the den, they’re paired in their youth, bonded as two parts of a triad, who then seek their fated mate together once they’re adults. Brother bears are very close, and in many cases, seek the pleasures of the flesh with one another before, and sometimes after, they have found their mate.
For many years, it was against bear law for a bear to lie with another bear. Bears were to claim a human as their mate, because bear blood was violent and needed the softening of the human side.
But many brother bears turned to one another, seeking solace. Very many, in fact. Finding a fated mate wasn’t easy, and nights can be cold in the Pacific Northwest.
As the decades passed, bear blood was diluted. Perhaps too much. Bears began finding themselves being bound to bears, not humans. Some were even exiled for choosing to break bear law.
And then the alpha, Gregor, changed the law, in part for his son Declan and Declan’s brother bear, Ryder… so they could claim the omega bear they’d been paired with.
It opened the doors to freedom for all. To love whomever they wanted, to mate whomever they wanted… humans… bears… other shifters…
For some, it was hard to let go of the past and the old law, especially when they were raised to see things a certain way.
And most particularly when that change shattered their world.
Table of Contents
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Epilogue
Also By Kelex
About the Author
Chapter One
Several years ago…
Breathe. Just breathe.
Kai stood in the darkness, a blanket of stars above. Any other night and he would have lifted his stare and watched the sky with wonder. He’d seek out the constellations, easily picking one out amongst their brethren. Kai and his brother bear, Lane, had lain out in that very yard on cool spring and summer nights, hidden amongst the high grasses, watching the movement of the heavens above.
Like those calm nights, he could now hear the hum of the cicadas and the croaking of frogs over the thunderous beating of his heart. It was like any other night.
But it wasn’t any other night.
Even in stillness, his body thrummed; the beast within struggling to comprehend the primeval shift in his universe. Electricity arced through the air, as if some otherworldly force hummed around them unseen, but felt.
“There will be no bear like Gregor in this lifetime.” Royce lit a torch and stood close to their father’s body. “May his soul burn bright in heaven and forever guide us from the stars.”
Kai sta
red at his eldest brother, the moment feeling surreal. Royce’s words echoed around in his mind, not truly gauging. He searched the faces of those gathered around the body of his father.
Gregor.
Their alpha.
No more. He’s gone…
Kai stared at the lifeless body, the truth that his father was gone not quite cemented yet in his mind. Just hours before, Gregor had been yelling at him about getting his life in order. About standing up and being a man. You’re on the cusp of manhood, Kai. It’s time to step up… it’s time for you to be the man I know you can be. I’ve got a lot on my plate. I need you to look out for yourself and your younger brother—and both brother bears.
Kai had rolled his eyes, not ready for the responsibilities of adulthood. There was plenty of time for that…
Plenty of time…
Only there wasn’t.
In one moment, Gregor had been larger than life. Vital.
Alive.
Now his father’s body grew cold in the night’s mountain air, that simmering vitality now evaporated. The hollow corpse rested on the pyre amid the small gathering, looking as if Gregor could simply wake up and say hello at any moment.
Please… please wake up… for the love of Ursa! WAKE UP!
Before he could witness a miracle, Royce handed the torch to Kai. He took the heavy wood, the heat of the flames washing over his face. Kai stared into the blaze a moment, his heart seeking the right words. He was caught by the beauty of the fire, the way it swayed and danced at the end of the wood, words escaping him.
He had to come up with something…
This was the bear shifter way—the traditional ceremony to send the dead on to be with the ancestors. Usually it was done with the whole of the den as witness, but considering the night and how Gregor had died, his older brothers had thought it best for their father to have the ceremony here and now, before all hell broke loose.
Those that loved the dead were supposed to speak about the things they loved about that person, hoping their words would open the doors to the afterlife. Gregor would hopefully go on and live with the ancestors…
I’m not ready to let go.
There were so many things Kai wanted to say, angry words that wanted to fall from his lips. How could you do this? How could you leave us? Why did you sacrifice yourself for him?
He eyed his brother Declan, the anger swelling even more. Fucking Declan.
If he opened his mouth and let the anger trickle out, he wasn’t sure he could stop it, Declan being the target of his rage. Instead, he bit back the venom and tried to speak of his father without fury tinging his words. That wasn’t how he wanted to send off his father. Gregor—even if they hadn’t always seen eye to eye—deserved better. “No other male will ever cast a greater shadow.”
His words weren’t enough, but any eloquence failed him. It was all his shattered mind could come up with in that moment.
Lane, Kai’s brother bear, placed a firm hand on his shoulder, showing support. Heat leeched into him from Lane’s nearness. Still he felt cold inside.
Kai passed the torch on to LJ. Tears slid openly down his baby brother’s cheeks, and they were illuminated by the flickering of the flame.
He wanted to whisper that it would be okay, but that would be a lie. There were no words that would make LJ feel any better.
“I don’t know what to say,” LJ said, his words breaking mid-sentence. “I’m not ready to say goodbye.”
Royce moved closer and drew LJ into the crook of his arm and kissed the male’s forehead. “None of us are.”
LJ passed the torch on to the next male, and each one said his goodbye to their alpha. Kai barely heard any of it… the words a murmur against the roaring of his mind. Finally it was passed to Ryder, Declan’s brother bear.
Kai stiffened.
“To the male who taught my brother bear to be strong of body and mind. He’ll be missed.”
Ryder brought the torch to Declan and met his gaze. Kai watched the way the two seemed to speak silently, just through that look. What were they sharing? Were they happy Gregor was gone?
Declan acted as if he was in pain, as if Gregor’s death had broken him. But Kai wasn’t so sure of that. Declan and their father had always been at odds—and now, it was his brother’s fault that Gregor had died.
Declan and Ryder.
Had the pair not been so obstinate in wanting an omega as their mate, Gregor wouldn’t have changed bear law. Kai sensed it had been some effort on Gregor’s part to bring his son home. Even for all their arguing, Gregor had a special place in his heart for Declan.
He had a special place for them all.
Royce had been the heir apparent. Declan the rebel. Landon James was the baby. That hadn’t left much room for Kai. He’d been practically invisible at times, except in those moments when his father had been yelling at him to get his head out of the clouds, grow up, and be a man.
Kai lifted his stare to the heavens—noticing a glimmering star. It shot through the inky sky and for a moment, he wondered if that was Gregor leaving their world for the next. Right then, he’d do just about anything to have his father yelling at him about the future.
Declan walked closer to their father’s body and knelt, his words a whisper on the wind. Kai listened close, but the fire in Declan’s hand seemed to mask most of it. When he rose, Declan lowered the torch to the wood and watched as the flames roared, quickly engulfing their father’s body.
Inch by inch the fire grew, hiding the dark form at the base.
Kai wanted to roar. He wanted to scream into the night and rage against the death that had come too soon. He wanted to beat Declan into a bloody pulp for taking their father away. The only father he’d had left.
Lane’s arm wrapped around him, pulling him closer. He leaned on Lane’s strength, preventing him from falling to his knees and weeping like a little cub. When Declan, and then Ryder disappeared into the woods at the edge of the pyre, Kai’s stare followed them into the darkness, curious. Why were they in such a hurry to leave?
It was then that he realized someone was there. He drew in a scent and stiffened. Moments later, they reappeared, clutching their omega, Gage, between them.
The omega at the center of it all.
The reason Gregor was dead.
Kai bit back the ugly words brewing within. He stared angrily at the flames, the rage eating him alive…
Gage was just as much to blame for Gregor’s death as was Declan and Ryder. After a few moments, Kai couldn’t stand to be there, seeing them together. He stalked off, and let his shift take over.
Limbs twisted, fur sprouted, and his clothes tore away. In a matter of moments, he became bear. He sensed his brother bear following. Lane was never far from his side—and when he turned to look over one furred shoulder, he saw his brother bear shifting, too. He took off at a quick run, putting his father’s funeral and his family behind him.
He ran as hard as he could, headed up the family’s mountain. Their home was in the valley, right at the base of the one mountain long ago claimed by their kin. Pushing himself, he climbed the craggy stone side, until his muscles screamed. As he neared the top, he made his way to the clear spring pool he’d swam in for years with his brothers.
Shifting back to his human side, he stepped onto the smooth rocks at the front of the pool and dove into the warm water. When he broke through the surface, he watched as Lane sloshed in behind him and dove in as well. After a couple of minutes, Lane reemerged before he moved closer, facing Kai.
He could sense Lane seeing through him.
“What’s wrong?”
Kai sputtered. “My father just died.”
One of Lane’s brows rose. “It’s more than that to whatever this is you’re feeling.”
Kai looked away, unsure his brother bear would want to hear the ugly, angry things swirling inside his mind.
“I can feel anger coming off you in waves,” Lane said. “Don’t bottle it up. Talk to me.
”
Kai drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He stared up into the sky, pleading with Ursa… Arcturus… any who would listen. Give me strength. Make the pain stop. “You don’t want to hear what’s inside my head.”
“I do.”
Kai focused on the steady intake and exhale of air from his lungs. A shiver raced up his spine, the cool air above the warm water at war.