by Marla Monroe
All she could do was nod and pray the tears burning her eyes didn’t escape with so many others still in the room. As soon as Warren had left, she turned to Creed, a tick at the corner of his left eye telling her he wasn’t completely unfazed by everything.
“Um, is there a bathroom close by?” she asked him.
“I’ll show you,” one of the males she’d met but couldn’t remember his name told her. “Follow me.”
Wren stood up, straightening her shirt before following the male with blue-black hair that had gray highlights through it. He had it gathered in a ponytail in the back. She imagined it would reach his shoulder blades if left hanging free.
“I’m Zeth. Eason is a good male. He’s never lost control around us. Give him a chance, Wren. He’ll make you very happy. All he’s thought about since we first planned to come here was finding a mate to spoil.” Zeth led her to a door just off the kitchen and indicated with a sweep of his arm that they’d reached the bathroom.
“I will, Zeth. I honestly don’t believe he’d hurt me or anything. I just don’t have a filter between my brain and my mouth. If I think something, I generally say it. Believe me, it’s been a bone of contention between my brother and I for years.”
Zeth’s goofy grin looked out of place on his handsome face with those long dark lashes. The male nodded before walking back to the kitchen. Wren stepped into the spacious half bath and took a long hard look in the mirror. Even though Eason’s fur had been an odd mixture of colors, it had never occurred to her that he wasn’t just a bear with funky fur. After all, her wild dog was just as colorful and it bled over into her human hair. It had been a shock was the only explanation she had for her harsh outburst.
How am I ever going to fix this? He’ll never believe that I truly trust him. I’ve failed my mate. We aren’t even fully mated yet and I’ve already hurt him. What does that say about the rest of our lives that I’ve started out on a bad foot?
Right then, she wondered if she’d screwed up her chance at having mates for good. She knew she could find someone else she truly liked, maybe even loved and force a mating bond, but it was never as close as the one you could have with your true mates. Only the males were unable to do that past a certain age. Those who held out hope took a huge chance at never finding that one shifter born to be theirs. Now she wondered if her brother had made a selfish mistake in choosing to wait and risk losing the pack and maybe even her.
She shook her head in anger at her thoughts. No. Everyone deserved a chance at finding that one person guaranteed to make you happy even in the bad times. Her brother had chosen to wait for his, and she had hers right in front of her and had quite possibly thrown away what Mo might never have.
Tears blurred the image in the mirror for a few seconds before Wren wiped them away then pressed the heel of her palms into her eyes to try and regain some control over her emotions. She had to pull it together and reassure her mate that she trusted him. The problem was, how?
Wren mentally shook herself and washed her face before drawing in a deep breath and opening the door. No one waited on her to her relief and disappointment. She’d hoped for some support but truly didn’t deserve it. She wasn’t sure how to find Warren and Eason since she’d never been anywhere besides the kitchen and living area before.
When she stepped into the kitchen, no one was there. In the living room, she found only Creed, their Ursus. It seemed that he’d been waiting on her to reappear. When she walked in, he nodded toward the sofa and stood up. Wren shivered at the power that radiated off the bears’ leader. She knew that hers and Mo’s was impressive as well, but being on the receiving end of it felt a lot different. It was then that she realized that Alex’s power had been much less potent. Why hadn’t she noticed that before?
Concentrate, Wren. I’m about to get chastised by the sleuth leader. I can’t afford to piss him off any more than I probably already have. We need his help with defending our wild dogs if Alex is behind the break-in and kidnapping of TJ and Scoot.
“Wren. I can understand that meeting your mates is an exciting and sometimes fearful time. I know since we’ve only had our precious Serenity in our lives for about five months now. Then to find out one of them is a hybrid who truly carries two shifters inside of him has to be frightening of its own accord, but I promise, Eason is a good bear. He’s kind and caring and will stand by you no matter what happens. He would stand by you over me, Wren.”
She gulped and tried to speak, but nothing would come out. She already knew how badly she’d screwed up. Hearing it from her mates’ leader only made it harder to take.
“Think about it for a minute. I broke off from my home sleuth to travel to an unknown place in order to start a new sleuth and bring in mates for my bears. There were few choices that we weren’t already kin to back home. It was time and my other brothers did the same in different areas. Bringing along an uncontrolled hybrid would have been a foolish thing for me to do. My father allowing Eason to leave if he thought there might be a chance that he’d endanger us as well as the shifter race as a whole wouldn’t have happened.”
“I know. I wasn’t thinking. It just came out,” she mumbled, looking down at the big leader’s massive feet.
“Is there any fear of Eason inside of you, Wren? Do you doubt his ability to take care of you and protect you from anything including himself?” Creed asked.
Wren thought about it and shook her head. “Not really. I think mostly it’s what I’ve been taught that makes me hesitate. I didn’t mean to hurt him. I honestly would never hurt him. He’s one of my mates.”
Creed nodded, a serious expression drawing his brows together and the corner of his lips down slightly. Wren hated that she’d caused so much distress to the members of his sleuth. Even now she was probably bringing danger to their doorstep by involving them in the wild dog’s issues. Wren almost decided to forget the entire thing and return home—home with her brother.
As if knowing the direction her thoughts were taking her, Creed growled under his breath. “Don’t even think about it, little pup. They’ll only follow you wherever you go.”
Wren’s eyes widened at his words. How had he known? Was her face that expressive? She’d never realized that before or maybe it was just that this was a part of her heart that was on the line this time and she couldn’t cover up something that deep.
“You don’t know everything yet, Creed. I need to talk to you about my pack and the wolves and what we found at our garage tonight. You might not want me here once you realize the danger it could put you in,” she said.
Creed actually laughed.
“Little pup, after Serenity, do you honestly think we are so easily worried? Scared? The only thing that truly scares me is my mate and what she might cook up next. We are bears, Wren. We make others scared. Now talk to me,” he said with an amused expression pulling his mouth into a smile.
“Someone broke into our garage tonight and kidnapped two of our wild dogs,” she said, throwing up a hand to stop him when he would have spoken. “They used something to drug them.”
“There isn’t anything out there that would last long enough to allow someone to secure them and cart them off without a fight,” he said as his brows narrowed. “Are you sure they didn’t just leave of their own free will?”
“I’m sure. It was TJ and Scoot. They’re my best friends and neither of them is seriously smart. They are, however, very strong. It would have taken at least five or six other shifters to take them down. There would have been a mess in the garage, but nothing even looked touched,” she told him.
“Why do you think they used a drug?”
“Because I could smell that medicinal smell that you always find in doctor’s offices and hospitals. It clogs my nose.”
Creed frowned for a few seconds then looked thoughtful as he started to pace. Wren had a bad feeling he knew something that would make things even worse.
“There was a rumor before we moved here that humans—hunters—
had access to a paralyzing agent that worked on shifters. We never saw any evidence of it, so we dismissed it.” Creed stopped pacing and turned to look down at her. “Maybe it’s not a rumor at all. Maybe hunters are back with a new weapon, and your pack is the first target.”
Chapter Nine
Warren hesitated in the doorway with Eason behind him. His Ursus was talking to their mate alone in the living area. He wasn’t sure whether to interrupt or just wait for him to acknowledge them. Their leader would know they were there by their scent, so it wouldn’t be eavesdropping per se.
“Maybe it’s not a rumor at all. Maybe hunters are back with a new weapon, and your pack is the first target.”
With those words, Eason plowed through Warren, nearly knocking him to the ground. The other bear had Wren wrapped in his arms with fur evident along his long limbs before Warren could even right himself.
“Who’s after her? What weapon?” Eason demanded as Warren hurried over to intervene if necessary.
The sight of their leader’s lips twitching in obvious amusement softened the earlier declaration for a split second, then Warren remembered it was their mate he was talking about. That changed things quite a bit. No one would get close enough to her to harm her.
“Wren, start from the beginning and fill us all in on exactly what’s happened,” Creed said as he walked over to a chair and sat down. “Don’t leave anything out even if you don’t think it matters.”
Wren hesitated but seemed to come to a conclusion and cleared her throat while she seemed to gather her thoughts.
“What is it, Wren? I can tell there’s something on your mind.” Creed stepped forward but stopped when Eason’s growl turned from a soft noise to a full-on snarl.
“Stand down, bear. I’m your Ursus. I’m not a threat to your mate. I’m one of her protectors.” Creed spoke as if chastising a child.
“We also caught the scent of wolf, but not a pack wolf, and not of Alex’s pack,” Wren interrupted, drawing the attention back toward her.
“Have you ever had wolves in the area not associated with Alex’s pack before?” Creed asked.
“No. But we really don’t know anything about his pack. The only wolves we’ve seen are the ones he keeps around him, his guard. He claims to have seventy-five in his pack and until now, I’ve never doubted him.”
“But now? What’s changed?” Warren asked.
“Why, if he was so serious about mating me, had he never wanted to introduce me to his pack? If he has seventy-five wolves, why would he want to take on a pack of African Wolf Dogs with no real revenue worth speaking of?” She shook her head, throwing up her hands. “And, I just realized that he isn’t as strong as your Ursus or Mo and I. I’m not even sure he’s as strong as you and Eason. Why I never thought of all of this before, I don’t know.”
“You were more focused on not wanting to be his mate and the fact that your brother was onboard with the mating,” Warren told her.
“Why does he want my pack so badly and what does it all have to do with the strange wolf and possibly hunters with a new weapon? Their connected somehow. I know they are.”
Creed nodded and looked up for a few seconds. “I’m afraid you’re right. Alex losing you as his mate could bring all of this to a head. I’m almost afraid to say it, but we have to consider that Alex could be in bed with the hunters in exchange for something else he wants just as badly.”
“But what could that be and what would it have to do with my pack?” Wren asked.
Warren watched as Eason rubbed his hands up and down Wren’s arms. The sight of his bondmate holding and attempting to comfort her had his chest tight with some unnamed emotion. Warren felt like it was approval, but it seemed more than that—maybe it was satisfaction that she was accepting one of her mate’s attentions without thinking about it.
“I don’t like that Wren is in danger. She stays with us from now on,” Eason snarled.
“What?” Wren pulled from his embrace and stood up to stare at the big bear who was taller than her even sitting down. “Why would you think I’d stay with you? I can take care of myself and will move back in with my brother if he’s in danger as well. I won’t leave him to protect the pack by himself. I’m his second.”
Eason growled and rose to his full height, towering over their mate. Warren strode across the room to flank Wren. He was with Eason on this. Protecting her was nonnegotiable. She was their mate and their bears wouldn’t settle for anything less.
Creed chuckled. “Wren, what if I told you that your mates were in danger but they refused to stay here under the sleuth’s protection? What would you do then?”
Warren had to hide a smile when she growled, showing her teeth. Before either he or Eason could react, she’d turned around in Eason’s arms and had him by the ears, scowling up into his surprised face.
“Um, I think you see what I mean,” Creed managed to get out between chuckles. “They don’t have a choice, Wren. They have to protect you.”
“Fine. They can come with me back to our apartment. I’m not sure where they will stay since it only has two bedrooms that are tiny, but they can stay with us.”
Warren’s gut clenched that she’d agreed so easily. Then he thought about what she was saying. She expected them to back out because there wouldn’t be any room for them to be comfortable. He mentally shrugged. He’d sleep a lot better on the floor by her bed than he would in his own comfortable one. In fact, sleeping as his bear would be a greater determent for anyone thinking to get to his mate.
“Fine. We will stay with you,” Eason said without seeming to think about it at all.
“We could all stay at Serenity’s house with Mojave so that we all have room and aren’t tripping over each other,” Warren suggested. He didn’t expect Wren to agree, but thought he’d put it out there regardless.
It wasn’t that he wanted a little more luxury than Wren’s bedroom floor. It was that he wanted the backup they’d have with his sleuth right next door. When it came to the safety of their mate, Warren wasn’t the least bit proud or unwilling to ask for their help. Every male bear in a sleuth protected every female of the sleuth no matter who they belonged to. They would protect their female first, but second would always be the next female in danger.
“If you don’t want to stay in our apartment, I understand, but I’m not leaving Mo by himself. He’s my brother. You can stay here or at the garage. Your choice,” she told them with a sweet smile.
Warren grinned when Eason pulled her back into his arms, wrapping them around her like a good fur coat. “Not on your life, wild pup. You’re more important than an empty bed. We’ll be wherever you are,” he said in a deep gravely ‘bear’ voice.
“Don’t you dare shift wrapped around me like this! I don’t want bear claws in my skin.” Wren struggled in Eason’s arms, but he just chuckled and held on.
Warren had no doubt his bondmate was gentle where he touched her, but his hold was like a vise-grip plier when he didn’t want to let go of something. If he’d been in his brother bear’s position, he’d be holding her in place as well. Their little mate packed a big punch and was devious when she needed to be. He had no intentions of underestimating her. He’d seen their Ursa do just that to Creed and Shayne.
“I have no plans of shifting right now, mate. I am going to keep you near me at all times. Once this is over with, the three of us have some talking to do,” Eason told her.
“If we’re going to head back to your brother’s place, we need to go now,” Warren interrupted whatever his feisty mate was about to spew at Eason.
“Fine. I need to return the bike anyway.” Once again, Wren struggled to escape Eason’s grip. “Let me go, you big oaf!”
Eason’s easy chuckle reassured Warren that he was in complete control. Even his fur receded once he’d calmed down from hearing that their mate was in danger. He tended to believe that Wren’s touch eased his dual bears’ need to compete with each other. It gave Eason even more control than
he’d managed to earn since he’d been eleven and had his first shift. Even if Wren hadn’t been their mate but had been able to have that type of effect on his friend, Warren would have wanted to claim her to keep her close by. The fact that she was and that he was already a little in love with her felt like icing on the cake.
“My little wild pup needs to get it through her thick skull that I’m not letting her out of my sight,” Eason told Warren with a wide grin. “Ready?”
I’ll get our clothes together. You keep our mate from splitting without us. She’s funny that way,” Warren told him. He spared a quick glance at Wren and winced. If looks could kill, he and Eason would be six feet under right then. Of course to a bear that was just about perfect for a den.
* * * *
Wren was fit to be tied. Hell, she might as well have been considering the grip Eason had on her. She had to admit that he wasn’t hurting her. In fact, the exact opposite could be said considering how hard her nipples were and the state of her panties. If she hadn’t felt the mating pull when she’d first laid eyes on them, Wren would have known they were hers the second one of them touched her.
Damn! I’m already losing focus with them so close. I’m supposed to be trying to get away from Eason instead of leaning all into him like I am. He’s going to think I’m some kind of horny dog. Oh, right. I am.
From the moment they’d walked out to the truck to wait on Warren, Eason had his massive arms around her, effectively binding her to his chest.
If she wasn’t secure in the big bear’s arms, Wren would have stomped her feet at herself. Now was not the time to go into heat. Why did meeting your mates for the first time always end up with the female going into heat? It wasn’t fair. Didn’t Mother Nature understand that sometimes sex wasn’t the answer?
“Settle down, wild pup. Warren will be right back and we can hit the road,” Eason crooned in her ear.