by B. N. Kasner
Bear With Me
By B. N. Kasner
Table of Contents
Copyrights and Disclaimer
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Epilogue
Copyrights and Disclaimer
Copyright © 2017 by B. N. Kasner
Cover Copyright © 2017 by B. N. Kasner
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 B. N. Kasner
All rights reserved.
Prologue
“Is everything set?” Noah Sanford whispered into the payphone in Frostford, Oregon. If anybody from Redwater ever found out what he was up too, they'd kill him, and he wasn't exaggerating.
“Yes, we'll be there in twenty minutes.”
“Now remember, the alpha's house is on the southwest side of the woods. The wife shouldn't be a problem to take care of. If you see the son or alpha, do not engage them.” Noah felt like he was going to be sick. Was he actually planning the murder of his female alpha with help from an extremist hate group? He stomped on the little voice of reason in his head. It was too late to back out now. This had to prove a point to Micheal Callahan. Noah Sanford was a bear whose council should be heeded.
He'd been trying to tell Micheal the anti-shifter group, Children of the New Order, would come knocking on their door sooner rather than later. But his alpha wouldn't listen. They needed to take precautions to protect themselves from humans. When would his alpha learn that humans couldn't be trusted? Noah didn't even believe other shifters could be trusted, only Grizzly bears.
“Are you doubting my ability to follow simple directions Animal?”
“No.” Noah barely held his growl in. He hated working alongside these humans, but if it got him the results he wanted, then it would be worth it.
“Good, because we're going hunting.” The phone disconnected, making an ominous beeping sound in his ear.
Noah woke up in a puddle of his own sweat, panting like he'd just ran a marathon. It’d been years since he'd had a nightmare, or rather, that exact one. Seventeen years had passed since the night Isabella Dodson was accidentally killed instead of Dorothea Callahan. Although the whole point had been to show Micheal he'd been right, Noah still felt bad over Isabella's death. He'd always had a soft spot for her, and later, her daughter Grace.
Grace made him have nightmares. The image of a little girl with matted red hair, a tear stained face, standing there with a single red rose in a black dress looking lost and alone. It haunted his dreams for years. Apparently, after all those years, the dream still had an effect on him. “Fuck.” He dragged his hand down his face before trying to rub the image from behind his eyes.
Now as he laid in some seedy motel bed in North Carolina, Noah wished he'd listened to the little voice in his head. Maybe his life would've turned out different. Hell, who was he trying to fucking kid. He'd always wanted power and had done whatever it took to get more. All of this feeling remorseful shit almost made him want to stop his path to revenge.
Then he remembered the lovey dovey look on Mason's face when he met Ella and all of Noah's fucking dreams went down the drain. Reaching over, he patted the nightstand until he found his cell phone. It wasn't one of those damn fancy ones, just a plain old flip phone. After three rings, someone finally picked up.
“Haven't heard from you in years, Animal.”
“Are you ready to go hunting?”
“I thought you'd never ask.”
“Just don't fuck it up this time.” Noah had a feeling death was knocking on his door. He had to get things right this time around because there wasn't going to be another chance.
Chapter One
Carter Montgomery watched quietly as his closest friend held his son. His other childhood friends were gathered around looking at Mason's twins. He'd never felt so alone. Everyone in his life had moved on to the next chapter, and yet, Carter was still stuck in the past. He would always be trapped in the past, there wasn’t a way around it.
Not even the persistent efforts of the gorgeous red head beside him would change that. Carter had built a concrete wall around his heart so high, and for so long, nothing could get through it. Sometimes, like right then, he wished his life was different. That his true mate, Rebecca, hadn't died when they were eighteen.
That he hadn't wasted his time and claimed her when he had the chance. That they had a family so full of love every shifter got jealous of them. The list went on and on. Fuck, his own friends still didn't know about her. Mason, his best friend for fucking years, was slipping away faster and faster. Now with Gene married and expecting a baby? Hell, Carter had no chance of getting the friendship back.
He couldn't be there anymore. The memories were killing him on the inside, making him want to actually feel something for the first time in nine years. Quietly, so he wouldn't disturb all the happiness in the tiny hospital room, Carter slipped out the door and made his way to the elevators.
“Where ya goin'?” Stopping, he looked towards the ceiling. He'd know that voice anywhere, even if he didn't want to.
“Go back, Grace.” Carter wasn't going to look at her. Every time he did, his heart hurt. His stupid dumbass of a bear had decided it wanted Grace for a mate. Like the animal had totally forgotten their sweet and soft Becky.
“Don't leave. Mason will be upset.” Goddess help me. Carter turned around, taking her in without looking away from her eyes. She was short and curvy, with straight fiery red hair and hunter green eyes. Rebecca had been tall and lean, with brown hair and hazel eyes. A submissive, sweet as honey, bear. Grace was a fighter, stubborn and dominant. Basically, the total opposite of Becky. The sooner she accepted they weren't choice mates, the better.
“He won't care. Gene's there.” Carter hated when he let personal shit slide, and Grace had the tendency to pull information out of him like a leaky sieve.
“Yes, he will. You've been friends forever.” Her eyebrows were scrunched up, and he worked hard to ignore the urge to smooth out her forehead. His stubborn animal used his instincts to try and sway Carter, but it wasn't going to work. Not while he could still clearly see Becky in his mind, hear her laugh when he was home alone.
Carter saw the minute she'd cooked up some hair brain idea. “Whatever it is. The answer is no.” Only Grace didn't explain anything to him. Just grabbed his hand and tried to pull him away fro
m the elevators. He'd been getting close to Grace a lot lately, which cemented the idea of Grace being a mate to his bear. Carter needed to stay away from her, not keep touching her soft skin. “Let go.”
“No. You're stayin' here, even if I have to drag ya back in there myself.” She grunted. Grace was strong, but not as strong as him. If he were a nicer guy, Carter probably would've budged at least a little bit, but instead, he laughed. “Don't you chuckle at me.”
“I'm leaving Grace.” He pulled, but instead of letting go, Grace only pulled harder. They were having a tug-of-war over his damn arm. “Grace.” He gave her a warning growl. A warning which only spurred her on. With the next tug, Carter used his much longer reach to grab for her with his other arm. Grace ducked, and somehow now it was her trying to get free.
“Don't like it, do ya Gracie.” The nickname slipped out his mouth, making him lose focus. She almost got loose, except Carter clapped his hand down around her wrist.
“Why'd ya call me that?”
“Slipped out.” He might as well tell the truth once in a while. Obviously, she didn't like that answer because she tugged harder. With her back to him, he used his hand to turn her around, Grace whirled on him, biting his forearm in the process. She'd bitten him before when they were sparring, but nothing like this ever happened.
Carter tried to yank his arm free, although he already knew it was too late. Grace's eyes were the golden color of her bear. “No. No. No.” He saw the dread wash over her face, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it. Her bear had taken over.
Carter felt the bond wrapping around him, trying to get past the wall he'd built around his heart. Grace finally released his arm and covered her mouth, tears running down her cheeks. He felt how scared and shocked she was. She bolted for the elevator, and of course, the doors closed as soon as he got to them. “Shit.” He slammed his open palm against the door.
The mating bite had already healed over, leaving a scar behind. I think I'm going to be sick. Carter pushed his rolled-up sleeves down to his wrists. Motherfucker, he'd have to wear long sleeves until they figured out what the hell they were going to do.
“Where's Grace?” Lani's voice almost made him jump. He had to make her go away before he broke down in the middle of the hallway. Not to mention, he still felt everything Grace was. Carter realized she didn't know how to block him, or she would've already.
“Said she wasn't feeling good and would come back tomorrow. She doesn't want to get the little cubs sick.” Just buy it and walk away. “Can you let them know I'm heading out too?” He could tell by the look on her face, she knew he was a lying sack of shit.
“Yeah, and Carter?”
“Hmm?” He hummed, ready to run for the stairs at that point. Anything to get out of there.
“If you hurt her, Gene won't be the only one you have to worry about.” Lani turned and walked away without looking back. A little too late for the warning since I already have. Hitting the button until the elevator doors opened didn't help the anxiety growing in the pit of his stomach. Or maybe it was Grace's anxiety. Carter had a mate again, whether he wanted one or not. With his head in his hands, he sank down to the floor. I'm sorry Becky.
He only let himself have a pity party until he hit the parking deck. There had to be some way out of the mating. They weren't true mates and maybe if they caught the issue soon enough, it could be undone. The more Carter thought about it, the better it sounded. At least to his heart.
The rational part of his brain still had doubts. He'd never heard of a mating being undone, although his circumstances were different than most. Most shifters wanted to be mated, not the other way around. If anybody knew how to help him and Grace out of this predicament, it'd be Greg. He was an elder and had that huge book full of mating mumbo jumbo. Now, Carter just had to get Grace on board with the whole idea.
◆◆◆
How did this happen? The same question repeated in Grace Dodson's head. Maybe this whole thing was just a nightmare, and any minute now she'd wake up. She pinched herself on the arm. Okay, not dreaming. Grace felt herself losing control, but she didn't make a move to get out of her truck. Instead, she clutched the steering wheel until her fingers hurt, her knuckles turning white.
Usually, whenever she felt out of control, she'd shift. Although now, Grace couldn't trust her bear not to do something crazy. Like go straight to Carter's house and wait for him to show up. She wasn't about to let that happen, so shifting was out of the question. Now she'd have to deal with her problems like an average person.
Only the issue wasn't a normal fucking person’s problem. Hell, it wasn't even a standard shifter problem. Any sane shifter had control over their animal at all times, the only ones who didn't were ferals. A whimper escaped Grace as her head hit the steering wheel. Her thoughts were getting the best of her. Grace knew deep down she wasn't feral and was probably having a panic attack.
She hadn't had one in years, but apparently, the night was going to get worse. Unfortunately, calling her big brother wasn’t an option. Gene would want to know what had her worked up, and he always got the truth out of her. This time, the truth would get Carter beat to a bloody pulp, even if the fault laid on her shoulders.
Gene didn't see her as anything more than a cub, even though she was about to turn twenty-one. His pregnant mate was the same age, but that was different, at least according to him. Grace didn't see a difference. She saw an overprotective brother keeping the guy she had a crush on forever away from her. Of course, said guy had done a good job of showing Grace where she stood with him.
Which only made the situation that much more confusing. How could she have a mate bond with someone who didn't think of her as anything more than a friend's annoying little sister? Grace wanted a love like Gene had with Lani. As much as it made her sick to hear about their sexcapades, she wanted the same kind of passion with her own mate. She silently cursed herself while banging her head against the steering wheel.
It’d only taken one moment of kindness for her young heart to latch itself onto Carter. Right after her true mate Zach died in a hit and run accident, Grace had been a hot mess. At the time, she’d been ten and didn't know how to cope with losing a mate. Sure, they were young, but still, a weak bond had formed. The only one who got through to her was Carter.
For the first six months, he'd taken her under his wing. Always looking out for her, trying to make her laugh or smile. He was the only male other than Gene or Zach to pay any attention to her since her mom had died. It wasn't until a boy had made fun of her for crying that her feelings cemented themselves. Carter got her off the bus that day, and when he'd saw her tear stained face?
She couldn’t stop him from talking to the bully. Grace was still sure if they’d been the same age, the bully would've gotten beaten up instead of a stern talking to. Then he had gently wiped the tears from her face and told her everything would be alright. Her innocent little heart had eaten up his words and attention. The boy never spoke to her again, eventually even switching schools.
Even after years of seeing him parade women around in front of her, Grace never gave up her crush. Instead, both her bear and her heart grew more attached to Carter. She'd never tell anyone, but since she'd turned eighteen, Grace had made sure Carter never saw the same woman twice. It wasn't hard since Carter was an asshole and didn't even try to remember the women's names.
The women who thought they had another chance, though? Those ones, Grace made sure knew the score. They weren't going to be more than a one-night stand, and they certainly weren't going to be his mate. Was it an awful bitch thing to do? Hell yes, but Grace was possessive. If anyone got to be his mate, it was going to be her.
Well, Grace had gotten her wish, just not the way she'd thought she would. In her mind, it hearts and flowers. Romance. That sorta shit. Not an accidental bite she knew he didn't want. Carter would never come around and soften up to her now.
Goddess, she just couldn't catch a break. All she wanted
to do was find her mate and have an epic love. Perhaps a bit much to ask for, but hell, a girl could dream. That dream was down the fucking drain now. Or maybe if she played her cards right, this would turn out to be the best thing to ever happened to her. Grace's head popped up as she thought about it.
Biting is what cemented a mating. Until you bit the person, anything could happen. Okay, not anything, but still, the thought made Grace's heart soar with hope. She had a chance. Her dreams could still come true, all they needed was a little elbow grease and a lot of hard work. Grace liked to talk a big game when it came to her girlfriends, but she didn't know the first thing about seducing a shifter male into mating.
If things were different the first person she would've gone to was Lani. Her sister-in-law oozed sex appeal and had Gene wrapped around her little finger. It didn't hurt Gene loved her more than anything in the world. If only Carter loved me. A light bulb went off in Grace's head.
She needed Carter to fall in love with her. Personally, she didn't have to worry about falling in love. Sometime between being ten and twenty, she'd fallen head over heels for him. Only her high school boyfriend rivaled her affection for Carter, but the boy couldn’t handle her being able to turn into a bear.
Now, she really wished she could call her friends to ask for advice. If she knew next to nothing about sex and men, then she literally knew nothing about love and men. How in the hell was she going to get Carter to fall in love with her? It wasn't like he’d show up and make things easy for her.
Grace about bit her tongue off when Carter's little red sports car skidded to a stop behind her truck. When he opened the door, and he had a small smile on his face, Grace accidentally swallowed her gum. The look on his face looked more calculating than sweet and lovey though.
Goddess, what kind of scheme had he cooked up in thirty minutes? Whatever it was, Grace hoped she'd be able to talk him out of it. She had a mate to win over, and nothing would stop her from getting her own happily ever after. Including Carter himself.