The Bear’s Secret

by Fay Walsh

  He felt the struggle in his body. He couldn't believe that this was happening, that he was in this much pain just from the presence of Emilia. He started to remember everything, the pain, the grief, the way his parents looked when they died.

  All of that was almost too much to bear, and when he looked at Emilia, she simply smirked.

  “You're feeling it now, aren’t you? You feel the grief of the moment, the way that everything made you feel, the pain that you suffered from, the agony that seeing them dead made you feel. Tell me, Billy, do you remember seeing their dead bodies, the pool of blood that they laid in? I remember that, and it’s still a delight to remember to this day,” she said.

  “You’re fucking crazy,” he said.

  ‘I know. But, you won’t be able to win. I'll make you feel grief and pain, make you remember that painful day, the way that you felt when you saw them, and I'll make it nearly impossible for you to move,” she said.

  He could feel it taking over his body. He didn’t want it to. The grief was getting to be far too much. She moved her hands, sending a wave of energy towards Billy. He fell back, feeling his heart lurch, and his body ache.

  If he didn’t do something soon, she would kill him. But, he needed to do this for both of them.

  “Come on Billy,” Nikki said.

  He looked at her, seeing the look of determination in her eyes. The fire that was there ignited something in Billy. He felt a sudden surge of energy, something he didn’t have before.

  Maybe this was the power that Darren spoke of when he told the shifters about his battle. He looked at Nikki, who stared at him with an unwavering gaze.

  It was strange because this surge of power was foreign, but at the same time, he knew what it was. This was the power of a shifter’s mate, the power of a force of determination, the power of love.

  He started to feel the energy surge through his body, and when he did feel this, his fur started to change. It became snowy white, and while Billy had no idea why this happened, he wasn’t going to complain.

  He moved towards Emilia with a speed that he didn’t have before. She looked at him with shock in her eyes, the speed, unlike anything she experienced before.

  “No, not even your parents did this-”

  “I’m not my parents,” he stated.

  He moved his arms on instinct, slashing through the barrier that she had. Each and every single claw-mark was hitting now. He couldn't believe this, and as he continued to stab, punch, and slash at her, she didn’t fight back.

  What was this newfound power? He didn’t understand it, but he wasn’t going to complain because it was helping.

  He started to move his hands, again and again, each slash making him feel powerful. Emilia looked up, with pain obvious in her eyes, but Billy didn’t look back. He refused to look back. He would kill her if it meant that he could have a normal life with Nikki, to finally let go of his past.

  The grief that she put out meant nothing to him. He wanted to fight this woman, to get back the freedom that he sought.

  With the final blow to the face, Emilia fell back, and Billy felt the energy subsiding. But, he noticed that while Emilia was lying dead, her body was glowing green, trying to regenerate.

  “Fuck, Nikki the gun! Shoot the head,” he said to Nikki.

  Nikki moved forward, the pain making her eyes water. Billy wanted to help her. He grabbed her body, pulling her towards the green form. She closed her eyes, cocking the gun towards Emilia’s head, and with the pull of the trigger, the echo of the gunshot, and splattering blood, Emilia laid there dead.

  They both looked at the dead forms, neither of them saying a thing, but instead, taking a moment to let all of this sink in.

  Chapter 22

  It was over.

  Nikki looked at the two people, the two people that had led her on. She didn’t know what to feel about them. She looked at Billy, and he nodded.

  “You’re hurt. Let’s treat your wounds first,” he said.

  “Yeah, but where? I don’t want to go to the hospital,” she said.

  He paused, and she wondered where he was going to take her. She had a feeling that it would probably be a place related to the shifters, but she wasn't totally sure.

  “I think Alana might have something. Let me go in and see if she does. Come with me,” he said.

  She got up, following him like a puppy. She didn’t really have anyone else to turn to right now. The whole situation was rough, and Billy was the only person she could rely on.

  She didn’t want to go back home. The fact that she killed two people like this, even though it was in self-defense, made her feel a bit shaky. She started to walk, but after the third step, she howled in pain. She looked at Billy, struggling to keep herself up.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “No. I'm in so much pain right now,” she admitted.

  He looked at her, feeling bad for what was going on. She needed to get out of here, but she knew that there were multiple bones broken in her body. She felt a pair of hands lift her underside, pulling her up. She cried out in pain as she felt him hold her there. He touched her hair, looking at her in the eyes.

  “Are you okay with this?” he inquired.

  “Yes. Please, just get me out of here. I'm in so much fucking pain,” she admitted.

  She wasn’t going to admit this to anyone else, but Billy was the lifeline that she needed. She could feel Billy lightly rubbing her back, telling her that it was okay. He looked into her eyes, and she felt that strange sense of trust, something she normally didn't feel for others.

  In truth, she struggled with trusting plenty of people. Right now, she was struggling to process what had just happened with her parents, but the fact that Billy was there, holding her, made her realize that everything would be okay.

  She closed her eyes as he carried her out of there, and into his car. He laid her down in the back because it was far too painful for her to sit upright, and after Billy closed the door, he drove over to the shifter’s house. He brought her to a small home near the property, and when she was laid in bed there, a few people came around.

  She could barely make them out, but one of them she thought was the alpha. She could barely hear what they said as well, other than Billy.

  “Wait, you mean Emilia, the shifter killer?”

  “Yeah. She saved my life,” Billy said.

  “Wow. Okay, I'll have Alana prepare the tonic. We’ll get her at least partially healed, if that works,” he said.

  “Alright. I just want her to be in less pain. She’s in agony,” Billy said.

  That wasn’t a lie. Nikki could barely tolerate the pain. After a few minutes, or at least what Nikki thought was a few minutes, she felt something enter her mouth. It was a vile liquid, something she could barely stomach, but she heard the reassuring sound of a woman’s voice.

  “Drink it, sweetie. You’ll feel much better if you do,” the lady said.

  Nikki decided to believe what she said, and she quickly drank the liquid that was given to her.

  She didn’t know what happened next, or even how much time had transpired since she was given the contents. However, she felt much better afterward. It was a slow process of healing, but the pain died down. She felt the woman give her another dose of whatever it was a little bit later. Nikki didn’t know what to do, other than to accept this.

  Whatever this woman was doing, it was saving her life, so she had no complaints.

  She continued to drink whatever the woman was giving her, complying with the soft words that she heard. After a little bit, she started to feel a little bit better, and over time, she noticed that things were getting much easier for her. After what seemed to be an eternity, she realized that she could stomach the pain of moving slightly. She opened her eyes, and in front of her was Billy.

  “You finally woke up,” he said.

  “Yeah. I still feel like a train ran me over, but I'm much better than before. How long have I been out?” she
asked.

  “About a week. When you came in, Travis was shocked that you were even alive. He told me that one of the bones was definitely hanging by a thread. Alana prepared a concoction, and we had a surgeon take care of you here. We told them that you shouldn't go to the hospital. They’re kind of back alley, but they know their shit. They treat shifters,” he explained.

  She nodded. That explained the pain in her side.

  “But… what now?” she said.

  “I think you should wait a few more days until you’re fully healed before we discuss what happened. How does that sound?” he asked.

  She took a moment to process that. In a way, she understood why. She didn't feel ready to discuss what transpired back there, or even what to do next. She was still in far too much pain to process this.

  “You’re right. I'm not in any shape to discuss what happened,” she admitted.

  “Yeah, no shit. You’re a mess, Nikki,” he said.

  “Well, I may be a mess, but at least I made it out alive,” she teased.

  “You're right. You did make it out alive. And your work and dedication to the cause ended up helping us a lot more than you know,” he stated.

  “W-what do you mean?”

  “Sleep for a bit, and then we’ll talk.”

  She felt her eyes close once more, the pain from earlier coming back. She shuddered at this, but sleeping seemed to be the better option right now.

  For the next few days, she just continued the same process. Being fed by the mysterious woman, waking up and feeling slightly better, but struggling to recover. After another week, Nikki began to move, realizing that she actually felt miles better. She was able to get up and walk around without too much pain. When she looked at Billy in the kitchen, he nearly dropped the bowl he was holding.

  “You’re awake!”

  “Yeah. I feel a little off, but I'm better now,” she said.

  “Thank God. I'm so glad this is working. I wouldn't suggest going too hard or anything, but I do feel that it’s time for us to talk. If you want to,” he said.

  “Yeah. I want to. I want to thank the person who gave me the medicine, though. She did help a lot,” she admitted with a blush.

  “That’s Alana. She’s off taking care of some other duties with Travis. Apparently, the whole mess with your dad and Emilia-”

  “Thomas,” Nikki corrected.

  “Sorry. Thomas caused a lot of trouble. Apparently, authorities found him, and they’re looking for the killer. They don’t know who did it, but they’re checking all registered users in town. I took the gun and the knife from the scene, so they can’t dust for fingerprints, but I think we should've been better about leaving the place,” Billy said.

  She flushed. “Sorry about that.”

  “No, it’s okay. Trust me, I think you did the right thing, and you honestly saved a lot of people’s lives back there Nikki. You saved my life,” he said.

  She flushed, but she still felt a bit off about what she did.

  “Can we talk about this now? I'm trying to get my feelings all in place,” she told him.

  “Of course. Let’s sit in the living room. Nobody will come to bother us,” Billy said.

  She nodded, flopping down on the couch. Billy locked the door, looking at her there. She could see the radiant look in his eyes.

  “You're really happy I didn’t die. I can see it,” she admitted.

  “You don't know the half of it, Nikki. Trust me, I thought I lost you,” he said.

  “I thought I was lost as well,” she said.

  “Anyway, how do you feel about everything that happened?” she asked.

  She paused, trying to take a moment to process everything.

  “I… I killed two people that were pretending to be my parents. It was in self-defense, right?”

  “Correct. The man that you called father, was hell-bent on killing you. He was ready to do whatever it took. You felt the pain, you still feel the pain from what he did,” he stated.

  She touched the ribs and then nodded.

  “Yeah. They pretended to do what they did to hurt me. I'm just in shock,’ she told him.

  “I know. It’s scary,” he stated.

  “Yeah. I trusted them, Billy. I thought that they would help me, but instead, they pretended to be helpful when in truth they hurt me. I feel tricked,” she admitted.

  “I know. They tricked both of us,” he stated.

  “Yeah. I can’t believe it, I moved into a home with two psychopaths, thinking they were my parents, when in reality… they’ve been dead for a while,” she said.

  “Yeah, I tried to see if I could find anything on them while you were asleep, but nothing. They hid it so damn well,” he said.

  “So I can’t even go to a gravesite to pay my respects?”

  Nikki felt like crying at this point. She was hurt. But then, she felt a pair of arms around her.

  “I thought about what to do about that and… I asked for Travis to put a memorial in one of the local graveyards for them. While we can’t give them a proper burial, I think it’s still fitting to have something there as a means to pay respects,” he explained.

  She listened to this, tears falling down her face.

  “Thank you, Billy. I'm just so shocked by it all, so amazed I got tricked like this, and honestly, I feel different. I feel broken. I feel like I'm just… here now,” she said.

  “I understand that Nikki. Well, just remember that you're not alone. You have me. And the other shifters know about what you did. They said that they’re actually impressed with you. They didn’t think you would have had it in you to do something like this,’ he admitted.

  “I didn’t think so either. But it’s just, it’s a lot. I feel like I'm experiencing a whole new world with you though Billy. Honestly, you've treated me more like family than others have. I've always been pretty independent, leaving home so young, and I came back because I wanted to help my family. But to find out that they were nothing but fakes using me for their own personal gain… it’s a lot, you know?” she said.

  “I know Nikki. I get that. I know what it’s like to feel this way. I've been in this situation myself. Realizing that I'm broken, that the life I've been living wasn’t the one that I wanted to live. It’s hard, but you have people who care about you. And the truth is, I've been feeling a bit different myself,” he said.

  “H-how so?” she asked.

  He blushed, and for the first time in forever, Nikki realized he was trying to figure out how to respond next. Billy turned to her, turning red in the face as he uttered the next works.

  “I love you, Nikki. More than you can possibly understand,” he said.

  Nikki looked at him, realizing that she was feeling the same way that he did. It was so different from her, but at the same time, it felt nice.

  “I love you too. I really do. It feels so right to admit this to you, and I just… I don’t want to let this go. Ever,” she said.

  “I don't either,” he replied.

  She leaned in, feeling her heart race. When she planted a kiss on his lips, she knew that even though they were both broken, they both fit amazingly well together, and that was all that really mattered at the end of the day.

  Sometimes two broken pieces fit well together, and that was something that made Nikki smile as she remembered it.

  Chapter 23

  The kiss they shared on the couch was different from the first time. In the past, there wasn’t that feeling of love, that dedication that no matter what, they would have one another. But at that moment, as they locked lips, Billy knew that he loved her. He knew that both of them needed one another no matter what came their way.

  Their kiss was gentle and relieving. Billy finally felt that he had nothing to hide anymore. She was in his house, on his couch, and she knew the truth about not just his identity as a shifter, but what happened in the past to make him the person that he was today.

  The fact that she didn’t run away either was somethi
ng that Billy also appreciated. He didn’t have to worry about that anymore.

  It was nice, to say the least.

  When they kissed, Billy realized that he did feel for her and that he enjoyed her presence. The kiss that they shared was subtle, and it felt right. It didn’t feel like either of them was forcing it either, and the way that the lips seemed to mesh together in perfect harmony was something Billy only thought he would get to experience in his dreams.

  Yet, he was definitely experiencing it in reality, which made it even better. They continued to kiss, both of them enjoying the engrossing presence of one another.