Mac (Winter - Shifter Seasons Book 3)

by Harmony Raines

  What the hell has he got against Wes? Mac’s bear asked.

  I have no idea, but he’s not going to cause trouble. Mac momentarily lost focus as he sensed Saffron and the others approaching. Damn, they were vulnerable. Although, Kelos would likely shift and burn this bear alive if he attacked Saffron or any member of her family. Even Deirdre.

  Mac fixed his attention on the bear, while his senses also kept track of his mate. One of them should warn Kelos, but the Winter brothers didn’t want to break rank and expose Wes to attack.

  He’s going, Mac’s bear roared loudly and snapped his teeth together as the bear suddenly tore his attention away from Wes and leaped away, heading toward Saffron and the others.

  Damn it! Mac yelled at his bear, who pivoted on his haunches and ran after the bear. He would protect Saffron, no matter what the cost and as he plunged forward through the trees, he sensed Beck by his side and knew he was not alone.

  Chapter Twenty-Five – Saffron

  “Nina, slow down.” Saffron reached for her sister but she pulled away.

  “He’s here.” Nina hurried on along the trail as if her old self had returned.

  “Let her go,” Kelos said quietly to Saffron as he kept pace with ease.

  “I don’t want Nina to overdo it,” Saffron tried to explain.

  “Mom…” Jonas ducked past Kelos and Saffron and ran to keep up with his mom. “I can sense Wes. He’s up ahead.”

  Nina glanced over her shoulder at her son and Saffron noticed the tears shining on her cheeks. Why was she crying? Had something happened to Wes?

  Her heart hammered in her chest as Saffron kept pace with her sister. Kelos was here and had sworn to look after them. Saffron had to take him at his word and trust that the dragon shifter knew what he was doing.

  “There’s a bear.” Jonas thrust his hand forward and pointed through the trees.

  “It’s too big for Wes,” Saffron said. When Wes had shifted, he’d been nearly half the size of Mac’s bear. The bear that was heading for them was large, perhaps bigger even than Mac’s bear. Hadn’t Hex said he was bigger than his brothers?

  “It’s not Wes,” Kelos replied.

  “Who is it?” Saffron asked him. “Is it Hex?”

  Kelos glanced down at Saffron. “Don’t you know who it is?”

  “No,” Saffron replied, feeling a little stupid. She’d only ever seen Mac’s bear and Wes’s when he shifted earlier. She was certain this bear was neither of those.

  “I do.” Nina stopped dead in her tracks and her knees buckled beneath her as her hands covered her mouth. “Evan.”

  Saffron stared at the bear heading toward them. “Are you sure?”

  Nina nodded as the bear ran toward them. “Evan.”

  The bear slowed his headlong rush, his eyes fixed on Nina. Two mates reunited.

  “Dad?” Jonas glanced up at Saffron as if seeking clarification, but Saffron had never seen Evan as a bear.

  “Evan. It’s me, Nina.” Nina crawled toward the bear who stood like a statue staring at her.

  “Nina, be careful,” Saffron warned and placed her hand on her sister’s shoulder before sliding it down to cup her elbow. “Come on, up you come.”

  Nina clutched onto Saffron and accepted her help to stand. “It’s Evan, I know it is.”

  Saffron’s shoulders dropped as the bear continued to stare at them. If it was Evan, why didn’t he shift back into his human form?

  The bear spun around as Mac and his brothers approached on foot with a small bear trailing behind them. His fur bristled and his lip curled back like a snarling dog.

  “It’s okay.” Mac held his hands up as he tried to defuse the situation. “We’re just here to help.”

  “Evan.” The bear’s head snapped around as Nina spoke. “Wes is stuck as a bear. He needs your help.”

  The bear looked at Nina with unblinking eyes before he half turned to look at the smaller bear.

  “Dad, please.” Jonas scooted past his mom and slid down onto his knees. Without hesitation, he flung his arms around the bear’s neck and clung to him as sobs racked his body. “Dad. It is you.”

  The bear’s eyes closed, and he inhaled the scent of his son. And Saffron was in no doubt it was his son. This was Evan, come back from the dead.

  “I knew it!” Nina said triumphantly as she pulled away from Saffron and went to the bear. Behind them, Wes, still stuck as a bear, brushed past the Winter brothers and went to his family. After a moment’s hesitation, the young bear rubbed his head against the larger bear who accepted the attention with a big sigh.

  Evan was home. Not just because he was here in Bear Creek but because he was surrounded by the family who loved him.

  “She was right,” Deirdre said from Saffron’s shoulder. “She was right.”

  “Does this mean you are going to leave them in peace?” Saffron didn’t look at her mom, she couldn’t take her eyes off the scene before her. Nina’s family was reunited at last. Even if half of them were bears.

  “I don’t think I want to leave,” Deirdre murmured.

  “I suppose you could hang around for a while.” Saffron tore her gaze away from Nina and looked directly at her mate. “You could hang around for my wedding.”

  Mac heard her, his cheeks flushed pink and a big smile spread across his face. “Do you mean that?”

  “I do.” Saffron laughed and cried, her heart swelling inside her ribcage as happiness filled her.

  “A proposal.” Kelos stepped forward, circling around Nina and went to Mac. Plunging his hand in his pocket, he pulled something out and opened his palm to show it to Mac. “I want to give this to you as a gift. When I was sorting through my treasure, I saw it and it felt right to give it to the man who showed me what family really means.”

  “Kelos, I can’t take it,” Mac insisted.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, you want to choose your own ring for your mate.” Kelos stepped back, embarrassed that he had offended his friend.

  “No, it’s not that.” Mac swallowed hard. “It’s just that ring is probably worth more than all the wages I have ever paid you.”

  Kelos chuckled. “I never worked for money, Mac. I worked to feel a part of this world. A world that is lonely for a shifter without a mate. As you understand.”

  Mac nodded solemnly and Kelos opened his hand. Without hesitation, Mac took the ring from Kelos and grinned. “I wish you could find your mate, Kelos. I really do.”

  “Maybe when the spring comes, my mate will drift in on the breeze like the blossom falling from the trees,” Kelos said wistfully.

  “There’s always hope, Kelos. Never give up on hope and hope will never give up on you.” Mac locked eyes with Saffron.

  “Wait.” She put up her hand to stop Mac before he made his proposal. She glanced down at Wes and Evan, they needed help first.

  Mac followed her gaze. “Nina, Jonas, why don’t you give your dad and brother some room?”

  “Come on, Jonas.” Nina got shakily to her feet and took hold of her younger son’s hand. “Let Mac help your dad and Wes.”

  “Is Dad stuck, like Wes?” Jonas asked as he helped Nina move out of the way.

  “Yes.” She looked down at the two bears. “Yes, I think he is.”

  “You can finally be a family again.” Saffron left her mom and went to Nina and Jonas. Slipping her arms around them both, she attempted to shield them from what happened next, scared that either Evan or Wes might be stuck as a bear for the rest of their lives.

  However, she trusted Mac, trusted he would do his best for them.

  “Evan.” Mac put his hands on the large bear. “I’m Mac. I want to help you.”

  The large bear looked up at Mac, his expression unreadable. Huffing and stamping his feet, he showed his agitation. Surely, he’d tried to shift back into his human form before. Saffron’s hope plummeted. What if he was brain damaged and it was impossible for him to return to his human form?

  “Wes needs you.” Mac placed one of
his hands on the small bear shifter. “He needs to see you shift. Can you do that for your son?”

  The large bear swung his head around and stared at the small bear for a long while. Everyone else stood silently watching. And hoping. Saffron closed her eyes and gave a silent prayer. Fate needed to step in right now and make this right.

  Nina needed her husband back and the boys needed their father. “It’s all right, Nina,” Saffron told her sister who was shaking so hard her teeth chattered. “It’ll all be okay.”

  Nina placed her hand over Saffron’s and nodded weakly. The last of her strength seemed to slip away. She was scared, scared this was how her family would be from now on. Half bear and half human. “I just want my family back.”

  Saffron held her sister and nephew tightly as Mac backed away from Evan. “This will all work out and then you can start a new life here in Bear Creek.”

  “That sounds perfect.” Nina leaned on Saffron’s shoulder.

  “It’ll be okay,” Deirdre whispered from behind them. But no one could be sure. Not unless Evan or Wes managed to shift.

  “Hey, Wes.” Hex got the attention of the little bear. “Remember what I told you? Focus on your human side. Picture him in your mind and then step into him. Let your bear go.”

  The little bear nodded and closed his eyes. For a second, the air around him shimmered but nothing happened. The bear was still there.

  “Don’t push too hard,” Mac told him. “Just let it happen. Don’t force it.”

  Saffron held her breath as Wes tried again. But the small bear walked backward, shaking his head in frustration when he couldn’t shift. Evan’s bear sensed his son’s frustration and went to him, trying to comfort him.

  “Evan.” Nina slipped away from Saffron and went to the bears. Kneeling before them, she said, “Help each other. Please.” She dug her hand in her pocket and took out her phone. Tapping the screen, she scrolled through the images until she found one of her family before Evan disappeared. “This is us.”

  She held the phone up to the bears. Evan’s bear leaned forward, staring at the image. Then he took a couple of steps backward. His face contorted in frustration until finally, the air around him shimmered and the bear disappeared from the world. Saffron held her breath, scared that Evan was gone for good, that he wouldn’t be able to find his way back to his family.

  “I see Dad.” Jonas dashed forward and flung his arms around his father as he came back to the world. At last, Evan was reunited with his family.

  “Evan.” Nina staggered to her feet and fell into Evan’s outstretched arms.

  “I’m so sorry. I was stuck.” He buried his face in her shoulder and his shoulders heaved with emotion as he hugged them. “I have to help Wes.”

  Nina and Jonas clung to each other as Evan dropped to his knees and put his hands on Wes’s shoulders. “Hey there. It’s time to shift back, Wes.” Wes glanced up at Deirdre, his eyes filled with anxiety.

  “Mom.” Saffron turned to her mother. “You need to promise you are never going to speak a word of this to anyone. And promise you will never try to split up this family.”

  “I promise,” Deirdre said without hesitation. “I’ve learned my lesson. I think I’ve also learned what true love is.”

  “Hear that, Wes? Everything will be okay,” Nina assured her son.

  The small bear locked eyes with Evan and then took a huge breath. Closing his eyes, he exhaled slowly and the air around him shimmered. For a long moment, Saffron thought Wes’s human side would be lost forever, but then the bear faded away.

  “Wes.” Nina’s voice filled with urgency as the place the bear had stood remained empty. But then the shadowy outline of a teenager filled the space. Wes was back with them.

  Mac came to Saffron and wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed in relief. “Now can I propose?”

  “You sure can,” Saffron answered in a breathless voice.

  Mac glanced down at the ground before he held out the ring to Saffron and dropped down on one knee. “Saffron, you have made my life complete. In the few short days since we met, I’ve realized exactly what was missing from my life. Will you please marry me?”

  “Yes.” She didn’t need to think about her answer. “You have made my life complete, too.”

  Saffron held her hand out and Mac pushed the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly, as if it was made for her. Just like Mac was made for her.

  As he pulled her into his arms, it felt so right. His lips on hers, his hands encircling her waist. Mac was the man she had waited her whole life for.

  “Come on,” Nina said as she held onto Evan and Wes. “Let’s get off this mountain.”

  Kelos looked at the inky blue sky. “Why don’t I carry those who can’t shift?”

  Nina’s expression grew troubled. “Promise me you won’t get stuck again.” Her question was directed at her husband.

  “I promise.” He took her hand and kissed the back of it. “Now that I’ve found you again, I don’t ever want us to be apart. I don’t know what happened. All I remember is falling. When I woke up, I was cold and shifted to stay warm. I started to make my way down off the mountain but then I couldn’t remember who I was and where I was going. I only recalled growing up here in Bear Creek, so that’s where I headed to. But the longer I spent as a bear, the harder it was to remember the man I was before.”

  “Is that why you didn’t come back to us?” Nina asked quietly.

  Evan nodded. “I’m so very sorry.”

  “All that matters is we’re back together now. Our family is complete again.” She kissed his cheek as tears misted her eyes. Sniffing loudly, she pulled away from Evan. “Okay, Kelos. I’m ready for that dragon ride.”

  “A dragon?” Evan asked in shock.

  “Yes. A dragon.” Nina took Jonas’s hand. “We’ll see you back at the truck.”

  “Kelos could take you back to the sawmill and I’ll give everyone else a ride home,” Mac suggested.

  “Is that okay with you, Kelos?” Saffron asked as the cold seeped into her bones. As the sun dipped down behind the mountains, the temperature plummeted. If they didn’t get back to the house soon, her hands and feet would freeze.

  “Yes.” He looked around. “This way.” He beckoned them back along the trail and they followed until the trail opened up into a wide grassy area. “This will do.”

  Shifters and non-shifters gathered around to watch as Kelos shifted into his dragon. Saffron’s surprise at seeing Mac shift for the first time was nothing compared to seeing an actual living, breathing dragon standing before her.

  “I’m not going to lose you to the scaled beast, am I?” Mac asked as he helped her climb onto the dragon’s back, which earned him a stern look from Kelos.

  Saffron hesitated and then turned to face Mac. “You won’t ever lose me, Mac. We’re going to spend the rest of our lives together.” She lowered her head and kissed his lips. “Trust me,” she murmured against his ear before she climbed onto the dragon’s back.

  When the others were all settled behind her, Kelos dipped his wings and then sprang into the night. As the wind whipped around her face, Saffron looked down at the ground, searching for Mac. But she didn’t need to search, the connection between them stretched out but didn’t break and she knew that just like Nina and Evan, they would always find each other because they were mates destined to be together until the end of time.

  They shared a love that would never die.

  Epilogue

  “I hope you are dreaming of me.” Mac slipped his arms around Saffron’s waist as she leaned against the old tree on the edge of the forest.

  “I was dreaming of flying on a dragon.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “It was the most amazing thing. My heart seemed to beat in time with his wing beats and the heat from his body chased the chill from my cold bones.”

  Mac sighed. “I can’t compete with a dragon.”

  “You don’t have to.” Saffron turned around to face him, her lo
ng wedding dress rustling as she moved.

  Mac took a step backward and caught hold of her hand. “I want to remember you like this. Here under the gnarly old tree. Here, where so many years ago I felt I had finally found a home after my father died. Now, I know this is where I want to live with you for the rest of our lives.”

  “And raise a family.” She looked over his shoulder at the sound of children laughing. “That’s a good sound.”

  “Wes and Jonas have certainly livened the place up.” Mac grinned. “They remind me so much of when we were young.”

  “And the next generation of Winter children will grow up here and learn all about the forest and the mountains.” She cocked her head on one side. “I truly hope with all my heart that we have children of our own.”

  Mac sighed and pulled her close. “So do I. But if it doesn’t happen, we can find a different way to have a family of our own. As long as we are together and we talk things over, we will find a way.”

  “I like that you are so optimistic,” Saffron whispered against his ear. “I also like that you are mine. All mine. For eternity.”

  Mac turned his head, his expression filled with the intense love he had for his mate. Their lives were complete in this moment. What had come before and what might come after this special day didn’t matter. All that mattered was now.

  “I love you, Mrs. Winter.” He dipped his head and captured her lips.

  Saffron clung to him, her fingertips digging into his arms as she kissed him right back. Mac slid his tongue along her lower lip, and she shivered in anticipation. Opening her mouth, she allowed him access, nipping his tongue lightly as he tasted her mouth.

  “I love you, too, Mac Winter.” She looked around. “Perhaps we could find somewhere to go and consummate our marriage.”

  Mac groaned. “That sounds incredible…”

  “But?” She took a small step back and looked up at him. “Don’t tell me you have been called out to fell a tree on your wedding day?”

  “Nothing so dramatic.” He nodded toward his office. “The others are coming. My mom wanted to make a toast.” He grinned. “It’s not every day you have all three of your sons married off at once.”