“You alright, man?” Nathan said. “You seem…? Something? I dunno. Just, off.”
Connor had already spoken to his brothers before about how much he wanted to find a mate and start a family. At a point, it just felt pathetic to keep going on about it.
“I’m good,” Connor said simply. His tone brooked no argument; Nathan knew better than to push.
“Oh! There is one more thing,” Nathan said. “I’ve heard a few mentions about a new wolf pack in town. Nothing serious yet, but they’re new and uh, sounds like they’re skirting the edges of our territory. Puts the other bears on edge, you know?”
“Oh great, something else to worry about,” Connor muttered. But he waved a hand at Nathan’s worried look, nodding. “It’s fine. I’ll keep an eye out.”
With that, Nathan left, and Connor remained for a couple minutes, sipping his brandy and brooding until he forced himself out of his chair and back to work.
But instead, he found himself heading to the promenade to look for Brooke.
58
Brooke
Brooke left for work at Cole Couture at seven in the morning every day. The shop didn’t open until nine, but there were new racks and displays to set up as the winter season at the Black Bear Lake Lodge kicked in. Brooke was almost late, parking crookedly in the employee lot and scurrying through the back entrance to the promenade with her thermos of coffee, juggling her bag with her heels and work clothes inside. She was required to wear heels and a simple black pencil skirt and white blouse for her Cole Couture job - not things that could be worn easily to and from the snow filled parking lot.
Despite the awkward hours and uncomfortable dress code, Brooke was grateful for the job at the promenade’s biggest boutique. When she’d rolled into town with the rest of her wolf pack, jobs had not exactly been assured. They had all just been scraping by since getting driven out of their own land back in Nebraska, and Brooke had been sure she’d end up working fast food for minimum wage.
When she’d stumbled onto the shop at the very swanky Black Bear Lake Lodge that paid double minimum wage plus commissions, she’d been overjoyed. She’d also been extremely mindful that Black Bear Lake was a bear shifter town. Her wolf pack needed to be careful. There was a lot of open land up in the mountains, plenty of space to run and hunt that was not bear territory, but that didn’t mean she might not face some discrimination.
The potion that hid her shifter’s scent had taken a while to perfect. She’d bought the recipe and a year’s worth of ingredients from a witch she’d found through the pack. She figured everyone didn’t need to use it, just those who would frequently be in close contact with the bears. Some of them had found work among humans who wouldn’t know a shifter’s scent even if they could smell it.
So that morning, as usual, she’d dabbed the potion on her neck like perfume. That was all that was needed, which was a relief. Nothing was worse than having to choke down a potion in the morning. And, as usual, she’d opened the store with a feeling of anticipation. It was an anticipation that she hated to admit to.
Connor Strauss…
Would he come in, pretending to shop while instead taking his sweet time starting some silly argument or judging the way she’d set up a window display? He was always trying his best to get under her skin. Usually he came by in the morning, while obviously right in the middle of going about his business in the lodge. He always seemed to find a few minutes to give her a hard time. Occasionally, Brooke ran across Connor elsewhere in the lodge - in the foyer or the dining hall or the lounge. He seemed to be everywhere.
On this particular day, Brooke didn’t see Connor until well after lunch. It threw her off a little. She spent half her morning with her ears perked up, sometimes sniffing the air for his distinct scent; sandalwood and something extra, something she didn’t want to admit was nice. Instead, it was only customer after customer who came to the store looking for whatever the hot new trend was in winter wear.
It was around two when Connor finally came by. Brooke sniffed him out before she saw him, and then he was striding into the store. She hated herself for glancing at her reflection in the small mirror her co-workers kept next to the cash register, and hated herself even more for making sure her red hair was arranged nicely.
He was wearing one of his dark suits today and for some reason that irked her. He looked fantastic in dark colors; they emphasised the way his jet black hair curled over his ears. She didn’t know why he wasted so much product trying to hide that fact that he had curls. He often had a thin beard growing in, but today he was clean shaven. His stark jawline made his blue eyes pop.
Connor was crazy attractive and that was vexing.
“Brooke!” Connor leered as he approached. He looked way too happy to see her, and she couldn’t decide if that was because he was excited to tease her and flirt in his annoying way or because he actually enjoyed her presence. Probably the latter.
He’s a bear shifter, she reminded herself. Of course he gets off on being a dick. An attractive dick, but still a dick.
“How are you doing this fine morning?” Connor leaned against her shop counter, his hand smudging the glass she’d wiped clean not an hour ago. He took a mint from the bowl by the register and popped into his mouth. She watched his thick fingers and the way his tongue flicked out to curl round the mint. Her breath was a little short, and that was vexing too.
“I was doing fine until you showed up,” Brooke snarked back, smirking up at him. He had to be a foot taller than her. It was like he was built to infuriate her. “Don’t you have something better to do than come in here and bother me? Or is it your brothers who do all the real work?”
The insult was meant to bring him up short, but Connor seemed to like it. He popped a second mint into his mouth and smiled as though genuinely pleased. “They probably do,” he said, shrugging as if the thought didn’t bother him at all. “Anyway, I’m here on business.”
“Sure you are,” Brooke said, raising her eyebrow.
She could hardly remember how they’d fallen into this ongoing banter. Since the first time they’d met, they seemed to have this unspoken understanding between them that they would keep this little rivalry up between them. To his credit, Connor had come around to each shop just a month ago, taking the time to meet all the new clerks of the winter season. Brooke had watched all the other shop girls melt in Connor’s presence, and thought Connor enjoyed it all a little too much. When he’d come by Cole Couture, Brooke had all but ignored him, and when he’d teased her for it, she’d snapped that his suit was out of style.
Now, here they were. Connor Strauss couldn’t seem to get enough of her mocking.
“No, really.” Connor stood up straight and took off his suit jacket. Brooke’s gaze wandered to the bulging muscles that strained the seams of his shirt. Broad shoulders and a solid chest tapered into a trim waist, and she could see a hint of abs that on anyone else would make her drool.
He probably waxes his chest, she thought, trying to talk herself out of how attractive she found him and frowning down at the cash register.
“I’ve heard my wardrobe is outdated and so am in the market for a few new suits,” Connor said. “What do you think?” Connor pointed to a headless mannequin wearing a double-breasted suit and raised an eyebrow. “Also, is it me, or is the waist on that thing crazy high?”
“It’s in,” Brooke said loftily. “But it wouldn’t look good on your body type.”
“Everything looks good on my body type,” Connor said matter-of-factly.
Brooke grit her teeth, I wish he was wrong. “Oh brother,” Brooke said under her breath. “Alright, if you really want to know, you should be taking more risks. You, sir, buy boring ass suits. All that charcoal and black. You should spice them up with ties and pocket squares with bold colors, bright patterns. That’s my advice.”
Connor leaned on the counter again, his suit jacket hanging off his finger. Up close, she noticed how long and thick his eyelashes w
ere, and how much his blue eyes glittered when he grinned. “Thanks for the advice,” he said.
All the heat rushed to Brooke’s face.
“Maybe I’ll come by later for a fitting…” He tossed her a wink and was gone in a flash, leaving Brooke to wonder how he’d managed to make the word ‘fitting’ sound so dirty.
“I hate him!” Brooke glowered, and her breath steamed in the chilly air.
Her cousin, Carlo, walked beside her as they crossed the employee parking lot. Carlo was smirking and looking way too amused. Brooke had a tendency to rant about Connor Strauss nearly every day after work. She couldn’t seem to stop herself.
“Tell me how you really feel, cuz,” Carlo cackled He was nineteen, a young wolf with thick dark hair and a carefree smile that hadn’t broken even after his pack had been driven out of their home after years of turf wars with a rival pack. Now he operated the gondola at the lodge. “He must be something if he can drive a steadfast alpha like you crazy.”
Brooke snorted at that. He wasn’t wrong. Brooke was never usually so riled up, even in the face of difficult men. She’d come across enough of them, especially ones who felt threatened by a rare and powerful female alpha. But some men clung to their traditions of entitlement and seemed to take it as a personal affront that she, a female, was alpha of her pack.
“I wonder what Connor Strauss would think of me being an alpha,” Brooke mused, as they reached her Jeep and climbed in. It was fairly new. She’d leased it soon after getting her shop job, finally getting rid of the rusty old beater of a van that had brought many of her pack members from Nebraska to Colorado.
“Does it matter?” Carlo asked, then smirked. “For the record, I think he wouldn’t care.” He stared out the window at the delicate snowflakes flurrying outside as Brooke pulled out of the lot.
“You like Connor,” Brooke said flatly. “Why? He’s a bear and he’s - he’s...ugh!”
“That was really articulate,” Carlo teased. “Ugh. I’m convinced.”
“He’s still a bear.” Brooke pursed her lips. She was being ridiculous. Connor Strauss just seemed to bring that out in her sometimes.
“Not all bears are bad,” Carlo argued. “I mean, the only shifters who have ever given us trouble were other wolves, and you know it.”
“Hashtag not all bears,” Brooked deadpanned.
“Ha ha ha.” Carlo stuck his tongue out at her and she chuckled. “I’m running tonight with the guys. Just thought I should let you know.”
Brooke nodded, tensing slightly as her Jeep crawled through the traffic of the twisty road that led them from the lodge to the cheaper side of town out to the renovated motel where she lived with the rest of her wolf pack.The motel had been turned into basic apartments.
Brooke said, “Just be-”
“Careful,” Carlo said, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, I know, cuz.”
“I’m serious,” Brooke said gravely. “Don’t cross into their territory. Stay in the neutral areas. If you see anything, smell anything...”
“Brooke, we live here now, too,” Carlo said tightly. She saw him clench his fists from the corner of her eye. “At some point, it’s our home too, right?”
“Right,” Brooke said softly. “Just...be careful.”
59
Connor
Connor’s brother, Cody, had been going on runs more often than ever before. But these weren’t like the runs he’d used to go on with his brothers. Now Cody had six little cubs to look after. He spent more time babysitting in the woods than fishing or hunting, and though Connor knew his brother was very happy with his life, he also seemed like a guy who needed to let off some steam.
Connor cleared it with Cody’s mate, Jess, first. As the older, alpha brother, Connor was always careful about overstepping into mates’ territory. When he was thoughtful about such things, the mates always noticed. They were fond of Connor and appreciated that he looked after each of their families as well. Connor considered it very important that his brothers’ mates like him.
At eight pm, Cody came to find Connor out beyond the lodge, having driven up from the big old house where he now raised his brood. He was wearing a big blue parka and he grinned at Connor as he came running through the snow to the edge of the woods.
“Hey! Jess informed me that I’m going on a run with you,” Cody said, laughing. “I’m always the last to know these days.”
“I thought you could use an old fashioned run without cubs,” Connor said.
“You’re right,” Cody said, slinging his arm round Connor’s shoulders. “Man, I love those kids more than life itself, but goddamn they are exhausting.”
Connor chuckled under his breath. He’d had Jess send Cody to one of their favorite spots - the foot of the mountain behind the lodge around the east side, up the road where the woods were thick. The road was snowy and difficult to drive but they weren’t very far up and it was still early winter yet.
They chatted about Cody’s family life, and business at the lodge, and even a crime show they were both watching, which they loved to argue over with each other. They hiked into the forest and when they hit an icy creek, they finally cast each other a silent nod and shifted into their bear forms.
It had been days for Connor since he’d had the chance to go on a run and it felt good to be in his bear body, especially in the bracing chill of a new winter. For a while, they just played, pouncing at each other in the snow and wrestling. When Connor waded into the creek, nosing around for fish, he knew that there would be a competition. He had a trout half in his mouth when Cody barrelled into him with the full weight of his huge body. Connor was bigger, but taken by surprise he was easily shoved into the icy water, soaking his thick coat. He staggered to his feet and roared at his younger brother, but it was playful, his tongue lolling out as he rammed Cody back. They didn’t end up catching any fish, but it was a lot of fun anyway.
Then the wolves showed up. Connor was thrown off, not least because he could only smell one of them, and even that was faint. It was harder to pick out the unfamiliar scent, especially when the air was so cold.
There were three of them in total. Connor caught the scent of one of them and he stopped cold in the woods. He’d been sniffing around something interesting under a log - a frozen over honeycomb. He could tell when Cody caught the scent because he bumped into Connor and then tensed, looking around, his ears perked up.
Regular wolves they wouldn’t have been worried about. But other shifters could be tricky. And more than that, they were in bear shifter territory. They couldn’t have missed the markings, or the scent of so many bear shifters all in one place. It was hard to believe it was a mistake.
Yet, the last thing Connor wanted at the start of his lodge’s busiest season was a turf war with the new wolf pack in town. He felt a surge of anger. His bear wanted to fight, and took a lot of concentration for Connor to calm down and assuage that fighting part of him. It would show strength, sure. But it would also cause trouble Connor didn’t need.
Instead, he let the wolves approach. Cody, mercifully, followed his lead. Before Jess he might have gotten in the intruders’ faces, overly aggressive, but fatherhood and matehood had mellowed him a bit. Still, Connor knew if a fight came, Cody would be there backing him up.
The three wolves were all pretty young but not children. They were gray and were undeniably beautiful walking through the snowy woods. They didn’t get into the bears’ space, instead stopping short and playing casual, sniffing at each other and at the trees.
Connor stood up on his hind legs and gave a warning bellow before dropping down again. That was a clear sign that any of them would know. It meant this was his turf, bear turf, and they had better turn back. But it also meant that he didn’t want to fight.
The wolves should have immediately turned back toward the road to get out of bear territory as quickly as possible. There were woods at the foot of the mountain and that whole area was considered neutral. They could run and hunt there, but wo
lves hanging out on the mountain were likely to cause all kinds of trouble that Connor couldn’t stand the thought of.
But they didn’t leave. They paced around in little circles, panting and making a show of ignoring Connor. Cody shook himself, pawing at the snow. He was wanting a fight and was holding himself back.
Connor shook his head, his fur shaking off snow. He roared a little louder. One of the wolves charged at him and snapped. It wasn’t a serious challenge, but it was meant to convey that the wolves didn’t particularly want to leave.
The ensuing fight was short. Nobody was killed. The five of them went at each other with snaps and swipes, just feeling each other out. Cody got in a vicious swipe at the largest of the wolves, tearing up the interloper’s shoulder and making the trio fall back. The wolf that had charged at Connor earlier paused to growl before disappearing into the trees after the other two.
Once they were gone, Connor nodded to the road and Cody followed him back to their cars. They shifted back just before the trail ended, catching their breath as it steamed in the chill air.
“The fuck was that about?” Cody asked. His cheeks were red, his expression dark. He looked pissed, like when he was younger and loved nothing more than jumping into a fight.
“They’re just douchebag kids,” Connor said. “Testing their boundaries. Let it go-”
“Let it go?” Cody said, throwing his hands up. “Wolves on our turf, and you’re going to let it go? What kinda goddamn alpha-”
A growl ripped from Connor’s throat, a snarl twisted his face as he spun on his heel in the snow, looming over his brother. He got in Cody’s face, glowering. “I’m the kind of alpha who knows better than to start serious shit over a couple kids being assholes. That’s a smart alpha. You gotta problem with that, Cody?”
Billionaire Bear Shifters: A Paranormal Romance Complete Series Boxset Page 38