by Alanea Alder
"Who looks after the lands to the south?" Rebecca asked.
"To the south are two government-owned nature refuges. Wild animals live there. If you're ever lost, do not head south. It's dangerous, even at the borders," Liam explained. Pa nodded.
Rebecca turned to Bran. "Is that why Mrs. Arkadion is having you check the perimeters?" she asked.
Pa barked out a laugh. "Don't let her hear you call her Mrs. Arkadion. She believes that was my mother. You can call her Ma and me Pa. We're not real formal around here," Pa said, smiling down at her.
Bran nodded. "Something like that. We have a perimeter around the town to, uh, keep us safe. I sent two of my, uh, friends out to check and make sure that it was okay and to see if they could find tracks of the animal you saw."
"Here you are, pretty lady." A deep voice said from behind the counter. She turned to face yet another devastatingly handsome man. Was there something in the water that made these men drool-worthy?
"Thank you, Connor. Rebecca, this is Connor. He's my third-eldest son," Pa announced proudly.
Rebecca smiled and accepted a huge bowl of stew. Connor looked a lot like his father. She could see what Pa must have looked like when he was younger. They both had the same warm chestnut-brown hair and brilliant green eyes. She must have been blushing, because Kate spoke up.
"If you think he's cute, wait until you see all seven of them together. I swear if I weren't taken..." She let her voice trail off as Bran growled lowly and she laughed.
Rebecca's jaw dropped.
"There are seven of you?" she asked Connor. She shook her hea and looked at Ma.
"You are one amazing woman," she said, shoveling a spoonful of stew in her mouth.
Connor just grinned. "Trust me, she was more than up to the task of having seven boys. She still keeps us on our toes."
"Good answer, son," Ma replied, wrapping an arm around his waist.
Rebecca smiled at their obvious love for one another.
Just as she was about to take a second bite the door opened and a blast of cold air blew in. A tall man stepped into the diner and took off his sheriff's hat.
He filled the doorway in height and breadth. She could only stare. Bran, Liam, and even Connor were handsome. But the man before her was a god. His broad muscled chest tapered down to a fit waist. The distinct shadow of a beard giving him a rugged look. His dark lashes matched the deep-brown hair he wore long, almost to his shoulders.
She placed a hand to her chest. It felt as if her very soul was reaching out to him. He looked down at her, his green eyes widening as he inhaled deeply. She watched in amazement as his eyes darken to a forest green. He growled low and long before stalking toward her.
Her breath caught in her throat as his face descended toward hers. When their lips met she felt her entire world shift on its axis. Fire raced through her body igniting small explosions. His hand in her hair pulled her closer. She opened her mouth for a whimper, and he took full advantage of it, sliding his tongue in past her lips to trace the roof of her mouth. She was just about to wrap her legs around his waist when he abruptly stood back, breathing heavily. He stared down at her as if seeing her for the first time. He opened his mouth, then closed it. Opened it again and closed it. Roughly he slammed his hat back on his head, turned, and stormed back out into the snow.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Connor clear the counter with a one-handed jump to run after the man.
"Holy shit!" Liam exclaimed.
"That was my eldest son Aleksander," Pa said thoughtfully as he rubbed a hand over his chin.
"I need to go now. I need to walk my car." Rebecca jumped off the barstool, promptly falling to the floor as her knees gave out. "Your floor is broken. It moved closer to my head," she said in a daze.
"Good God!" Pa reached down, picked her up and held her like a baby doll. "Margie, I don't think she's okay," he said, looking into Rebecca's eyes. "Her pupils are completely dilated."
"Of course she isn't okay. Aleks all but started the claiming." Ma said untying her apron.
"Should you say that? She still doesn't know about us," Pa whispered, speaking over Rebecca's head.
"Right now that poor baby doesn't know up from down. Do you, baby girl?" she asked, rubbing a hand over Rebecca's curls.
"Yes, I'm upside down," Rebecca agreed as she desperately tried to make sense of their conversation.
Pa grimaced. "What the hell is that boy doing?" he asked no one in particular.
"At least we now know how she made it past the town's perimeter spell to keep out humans," Kate said.
"Never mind that now. Let's take her to Leona's. Her bed and breakfast is across the street. I would take her to the ranch, but with the way Aleks reacted..." Ma trailed off as she put on a light coat.
"Is that wise, Ma? Leona is a bit...out there. Bran and I could take her to our place," Kate volunteered.
"We can?" Bran asked and Kate elbowed him in the stomach.
"Of course we can," he confirmed, nodding.
Ma shook her head. "We appreciate the offer. But she'll be perfectly fine at the bed and breakfast. Leona is a bit high strung and loves shocking people with her eccentric ways, but I know she will take real good care of our baby girl here." Ma said as she opened the door. "Spread the word, Rebecca is to be protected at all costs."
Why? Rebecca wondered. Because her son likes me? He didn't act like he liked me. Oh, it's still snowing. Rebecca turned her face to the sky as tiny snowflakes drifted down to melt on her cheeks. I love snow.
Pa cradled her carefully as they walked thru the small, quiet town. What have I gotten myself into now?
CHAPTER TWO
"I'm floating," Rebecca told Pa. She felt disconnected and drunk.
He smiled down at her as she heard his feet crunch in the snow. "You'll feel more like yourself in the morning. We're taking you to the bed-and-breakfast run by a close friend. Her name is Leona. She will look after you."
"Why am I all fuzzy?"
"Can we explain that later?" he asked. "Just know that we know what's going on and you'll be fine."
She nodded. "Okay, Pa." She snuggled down into his chest.
Pa stepped up on the old wraparound porch attached to a Victorian-style home. "Our poor baby girl," he murmured.
"She is ours now," she said, softly patting his shoulder. She knocked on the door. After a few moments the door swung open.
"Good heavens, Marg, what on earth? Is the child okay?" Leona stepped aside to let Pa carry her into the first-floor guest room. He set her down carefully on the plush bed.
"Aleks inadvertently started claiming her then, abruptly left. She is still reeling from the soul merge being started then stopped." Ma pulled a soft blanket over her.
"Why on earth would Aleks do something like that? That boy has been looking to find his mate and settle down for years," Leona asked.
"That boy looked plain spooked when he bolted. Connor went after him. If I know my boy I think he's scared to hurt her. She isn't one of us," Pa said as he, Leona, and Ma left the room. Their voices grew fainter as they walked into the foyer.
"She is a tiny little thing. Well, he'll have to get over it if he wants to settle down. Everyone knows you don't go against what Fate has given you." Leona chuckled. "Leave her with me. I'll look after her."
"She doesn't know about us yet, Leona. Be careful," Pa said. Leona laughed at Pa's concern.
"Looks like someone took a real shine to this baby girl," Leona said. "Just look at that blush." Both she and Ma laughed.
Pa cleared his throat. "She's just so tiny and doesn't have anyone. I'll run back to the garage to get her things and be right back. She'll want her clothes in the morning" he mumbled.
"Come on, Aaron, we'll see her in the morning," Ma said.
Rebecca snuggled down into the soft blankets. I'm just gonna close my eyes for a second. Still smiling she drifted off to sleep.
* * * *
"Aleks, wait up, man!" Connor spri
nted after his older brother. He had never in his life seen his always-in-control brother lose it like this.
"Just leave me alone, Connor, I'm in no mood for your shit," Aleks said, walking briskly toward the sheriff's station.
"You just started claiming your mate and then walked away. What the fuck, man?" Connor demanded. "You weren't in there when she was telling us about how she got here. She has no family. I think she was brought here specifically to be your mate." Connor followed Aleks into the station.
"You saw her, Connor. What is she, like five feet tall? She's tiny! There's no way she can be my mate and live in our world. Can you see her having seven sons? Seven boys who will also be bear-shifters? If having them doesn't kill her, raising them definitely will." He threw his hat onto his desk and collapsed into his chair.
"Aleks, Rebecca is your mate. What are you going to do? Not claim her?" Connor asked, standing over him. Aleks just looked up at him then looked away.
"Please tell me you are not seriously considering letting her go? She. Is. Your. Mate. Do you know how lucky you are to have found her? I mean Fate literally hand-delivered her to you, and you're like, 'No, thank you, I'd rather jack off for the rest of my life.'" Connor watched his older brother's face. When Aleks said nothing, Connor sat in the chair across from him.
"Aleks, Fate wouldn't give her to you if you would hurt her. You would never hurt any woman. I know that even if you don't." Connor sighed as Aleks continued to stare out the window.
"Come on, dumbass, let's go to Mojo's. It looks like you could use a drink." Connor stood.
Aleks was still scowling as he got to his feet. "She's so small," Aleks finally said.
"Yeah, bro, but they're usually the ones with the giant hearts. Come on." Connor slung an arm over his shoulder and steered his brother back out into the snow.
"You know Ma is going to kick your ass, right?" Connor chuckled. "She was really taken with Rebecca, and don't get me started on how Pa was hovering over her."
Aleks stopped then paled. "Fuck! Let's get that drink," he grumbled.
Connor laughed enjoying his brother's chagrin. Maybe Aleks needed someone like Rebecca to shake up his world.
* * * *
"What in the hell was his name again? Alexander, wasn't it?" Rebecca asked the next morning at breakfast. She sat across from Leona in the kitchen. They had instantly bonded when they discovered they were both avid readers and the other one was just as quirky as themselves.
"It's Aleksander with a 'k'. It's a softer sound than the 'x'. That's what Marg said when she named him anyway. It was probably the drugs they gave her." Leona sipped her coffee.
"Why in the world did he kiss me like that and then leave? And why did I get so loopy?" Rebecca was shoveling the best pancakes she ever had in her mouth. Leona could cook like a dream.
"You want the truth?" Leona asked, pushing her hand through her blue bangs.
"Yes please, and do you have more of that maple syrup? I'm in love." Rebecca looked up and pouted.
Leona laughed. "You are going to run that family ragged, baby girl. Good for you!" Leona went to the kitchen and came back with a crock of syrup.
"He kissed you because you are his mate. You are his mate because he is a bear-shifter, and as a shifter he gets a mate picked by Fate to help him balance his man and animal." Leona sipped her coffee again.
Rebecca just stared at Leona as a thin line of maple syrup steadily fell onto her pancakes, her arm frozen as her brain processed this bit of news. She had been talking with Leona all morning, and though she was the quintessential eccentric, she seemed very down to earth. She didn't really seem like she had any screws loose.
"No shit?" she asked finally.
"No shit," Leona said.
Rebecca decided that Leona's possibly make-believe world was better than the one she was living in, and since she was on sabbatical anyway she decided to just go with it.
"So a Sherrilyn Kenyon kinda shifter or a Charlaine Harris kinda shifter?" Rebecca asked, putting the syrup down and picking up her knife and fork.
"I knew I was going to like you the second I laid eyes on you, baby girl. To answer your question more like a mix of both. We only shift into two forms, though stronger shifters can manage partial shifts. Claws mostly. We live in family units, have extended lives and can heal quickly." Leona picked up an apple slice and popped it in her mouth.
"We? So what are you, or is that rude to ask?" Rebecca asked.
"It is considered gauche to ask, but since you're our baby girl and I know you don't have a heightened sense of smell, I'll tell you. I'm a silver fox. The Arkadions are bears. Bran McGregor and Kate Edwards lead the local wolf pack, and Liam Lewenhart leads the local lion pride. Everyone else who isn't wolf or lion is like me with neither pack nor pride. We've come to Arkadia since it's known to be a peaceful and neutral place for shifters to live without worrying about clan wars or being discovered by humans. There is a perimeter spell around the entire town and surrounding lands that protect us from humans accidentally coming upon us." She smiled at Rebecca.
"What about me? I totally found you by accident," she said, sitting back, cradling her coffee cup on her chest.
"Was it really an accident, baby girl? Think about it. You told me your car was starting to break down. Your phone's battery died. You were running out of gas. Two animals ran across your path. Do you really think that sounds natural?" Leona smoothed one hand over the tablecloth.
"No, it doesn't. If I was meant to come here, then why did he walk away? If I was meant to be his mate, why didn't he want me?" Rebecca stared down into her cup.
Leona sighed. "Because he's a man, darlin' and he is as stubborn as they come. I've seen that boy walk past an aggravated hornet's nest to stay on the sidewalk since his mama told him not to go on the street. We, that is, his parents and I, believe that he is afraid to claim you since he's afraid to hurt you."
"That is ridiculous!" Rebecca started.
Leona stood, Rebecca blinked, and she was gone. She felt an arm wrap around her throat, and she gasped.
"I apologize, baby girl, but you had to see that there is a difference." Leona took her seat as Rebecca clutched her chest.
"You scared the hell outta me, Leona!" she exclaimed, frowning fiercely.
"I know, but you needed to be a bit scared. You see, we are faster and stronger. Our bodies are heavier and bones denser. Even if Aleks were a human, a man his size would still need to be careful with you. As a shifter he is probably scared out of his mind. You are right to be upset, but please try and understand where he is coming from." Leona smiled at her softly.
Rebecca looked at the older woman and sighed.
"I see your point." She paused before continuing. "He's special to you, isn't he?" she asked.
Leona looked startled and then smiled.
"You are very perceptive, baby girl. Yes, he is. I love all of those Arkadion boys dearly. Benedict is the playboy. Connor is the happy-go-lucky one. Duncan and Emmett, the twins, are bruisers with soft hearts. Finnian is the peacekeeper, and Gavin is a brilliant yet anti-social veterinarian. I am godmother to them all. But Aleks, Aleks was always the serious one, the responsible one. Maybe in his own way he knew he would be responsible for those who not only live here in Arkadia but in all of Arkadia's sister towns." She looked lost in thought for a moment then shook her head.
"When he was just a little boy, in his quiet and serious way he always made sure to visit me and make sure I wasn't lonely. He would walk over here every day after school and do his homework at this very table while his Ma worked the diner. The other boys went out to play. Only after he finished his homework would he wave good-bye and then join them. He has a gentle heart that one. I'm so glad he has found you. He deserves to be happy." Leona smiled at Rebecca. "You're taking this really well, Rebecca, almost too well."
Rebecca just shrugged. "I have been reading nothing but paranormal books for over ten years. I love animals, and I felt the connection pulli
ng me to him. I have no family and no home. I come here, and not only is he the most gorgeous man I have ever seen in my life, he is also my mate destined and created for me by Fate. He comes with a large and loving family and a shifter town as a home. The only possible problem is that he can turn into a huge apex predator that can defend and protect me. What exactly is the downside?" she asked.
Leona threw her head back and laughed. "Well, if you put it that way." She was still laughing as she stood. She picked up the breakfast plates. Rebecca stood and grabbed the silverware.
"Hey, Leona, were you supposed to tell me all this?" Rebecca asked, following her hostess to the sink.
"Well, usually your mate would be the one to explain everything to you. But considering he has his head up his ass and you're living in an all-shifter town, I thought it might be best to tell you up front. Why?" Leona rinsed the plates before placing them in the dishwasher.
"He's the sheriff, right? I could have sworn he was in a uniform last night," Rebecca asked, smiling.
"Baby girl, what are you up to?" Leona asked curiously.
"I'm going to go visit a bear," she said with a grin.
* * * *
Aleks trudged back to the sheriff's station from the diner, his head pounding with one of the worst hangovers of his life. He didn't know whether it was from the volume of alcohol he consumed or the lingering side effects from stopping the soul merge. Both Ma and Pa had laid into him the second he stepped into the diner for breakfast. His ears were still be ringing. He knew walking away from Rebecca would be bad, but he hadn't known what effects a partial soul merge would have on his mate. He battled with himself. He wanted to go to her and make sure she was okay. But he also wanted to keep his distance.
He sat down laying his head back on his chair. Maybe he should just take the day off, go back to bed, and pretend he dreamt the past twenty-four hours. With his eyes closed, he remembered how she smelt. Like honeysuckle and vanilla. His dick hardened and his mouth began to water. He remembered her soft, dark curls and bright violet eyes. He had never seen eyes like hers before. She was small but her mouth felt like heaven. He could imagine her warm soft lips wrapped around his cock. He shifted in his chair trying to adjust his rapidly shrinking pants. He imagined her on her knees looking up at him, saying his name.