Bear My Heir: BBW Werebear Navy SEAL Second Chance Forbidden Pregnancy Romance (Shifter Squad Nine Book 1)

by Anya Nowlan

  “If they catch you with her, we’re all dead,” Ryker mused, pursing his lips slightly before breaking into a wide grin. “I like it.”

  Leave it to the crazies to back me up on a suicide mission.

  “Alright then. So here’s what we do,” Dice said, with Price and Rio leaning in as well as he started explaining his plan to them.

  A scant minute later, they split apart, Rio and Price heading off together and Dice going with Ryker. Rowen had already left Meredith by her lonesome when Dice got close enough for her to notice him.

  Stay quiet, Meredith…

  He could see her glancing up at the guard, the pink in her cheeks paling now, but she stayed perfectly still. Ryker grabbed a glass of whiskey from a passing tray and casually made his way past Meredith and her guard. Exactly when Ryker and Dice were next to Meredith and her guard, a spot of commotion could be heard across the room, with most people turning to see what was going on.

  Dice knew that it was Rio and Price, stumbling into the other two guards that had come in with Meredith, who Thor had confirmed over the comms. He didn’t turn to look. As if taken by the sudden confusion, Ryker whipped around quickly and spilled the contents of his tumbler on the guard and shoved into him, beginning to apologize profusely.

  “My word! I didn’t see you there, old chap! Let me help with that,” he exclaimed, in the most painfully amusing British accent Dice had ever heard.

  Dice grabbed Meredith by the wrist and pulled her aside, quick steps taking them swiftly to one of the bathrooms under the cover of the confusion. He locked the door behind him and as he turned around, he was immediately greeted by Meredith’s arms flinging around his neck. He embraced her without question, pulling her into him and breathing in the scent of her hair as if it were the air he needed to breathe to live.

  “Spirits above, I’ve missed you,” he said, thumbing off the transmission side of his comm unit as he did so, leaving the occasional chatter to stir in the background.

  “I can’t believe you’re here,” Meredith whispered, clinging to him. “I have so much to tell you. Oh, Dice…”

  “And I want to hear all of it. But baby, we don’t have time.”

  Saying that threatened to break his heart, but seeing her soft, lovely gaze flick up to him and look at him with all the love in the world strengthened his resolve. He could make it through this day, and every other day. For her.

  Now I just need to make sure she survives all of this.

  Thirteen

  Meredith

  Meredith didn’t know whether she should laugh or cry. Maybe a bit of both. It couldn’t hurt, right?

  Though Dice told her that they didn’t have time – and that much she could tell herself as well, because they were cooped up in a tiny bathroom at the most lavish terrorist party known to shifterkind – she couldn’t help herself. Getting up on her tiptoes as much as the high heels allowed her, she brushed her hands over Dice’s cheeks and pulled him into a kiss.

  Their lips met and there was no hesitation, no spot of tentative nervousness. Only love and acceptance of one another.

  His tongue snaked into her mouth and she moaned breathily, her lashes fluttering closed as she felt his arms tighten around them. It was like he was breathing life back into her, and hope. It had seemed impossible to think that there could really be any good left in her future, other than the chance of seeing her son again, but now in Dice’s arms, she knew that there was more to fight for.

  It was a needed reminder.

  Reluctantly, Dice pulled away from their kiss and she allowed him that much, though she hated to break their moment. But as soon as she looked at him again, even through the haze of lust and love, she could see how serious the situation was. There was an aura of nervous energy around Dice that she had rarely seen.

  “Okay. What do I need to know?” she asked, getting them both back on the track of business over pleasure.

  “Right,” Dice said, loosening his grip on her and slicking a hand through his short-cropped hair. “My whole team is here but we’re supposed to be observing. Do you know why you’re here tonight?”

  “I’m supposed to be meeting the Research Control Committee. I think it’s about my work. I should be testing on live subjects already, shifters, but they’ve been dragging their feet.”

  Dice nodded solemnly. Even just looking at him set her mind at ease, clearing away the fog of worry and panic. He was like a sentry, tall and proud, distilling faith in her in a way that nothing else could.

  “That’s what we were hoping for. We need to know who these people are. I have someone watching and we’re going to be nearby, but I don’t think we can get you out of here today. We’re only supposed to mark our targets for the future and then come for you when we have them rounded up.”

  Meredith’s expression fell slightly and she looked down at her feet, the gems on her shoes sparkling back at her with nauseating cheer. She understood, of course. Frankly, she wasn’t sure if she would have agreed to go to begin with, seeing as she didn’t have Dice with her. But somehow hearing it made it all the more real.

  Freedom and happiness were like carrots being dangled in front of her nose and she could never quite reach them.

  “I understand,” she said softly, nuzzling her nose into his neck and breathing in his scent by the lungful.

  God, he smells so good, she thought absently, as if trying to distill that feeling she got of warmth and safety and tuck it away somewhere deep inside of her, where the despair couldn’t get to it.

  “You shouldn’t,” Dice said, his voice rising slightly with frustration. “You shouldn’t be understanding any of this. You shouldn’t fucking be here to understand this, to cope with this.”

  “Shh,” she hushed him, her hands on his chest.

  Looking up at her tall, always deathly calm and composed man, she was surprised and touched to find him cracking slightly under the pressure. She knew it was all for her and for the good of both of them, she needed him to hang on.

  “If you don’t fight through this, I won’t be able to either. Dice, I-… I need to tell you something.”

  Meredith bit her lower lip, feeling a violent shake burst through her. This wasn’t how she wanted to tell Dice about Dean. In fact, being cooped up in a lavish bathroom while everyone outside and around them were their enemies was just about the last way she could have imagined telling the man she loved that she had borne him a son. But life didn’t really ask for her opinions on a lot of things these days.

  “I know, Meredith,” Dice said, that unshakable certainty and calmness of spirit back in him just as swiftly as it had seemingly left.

  Meredith frowned, her brows furrowing together.

  “You… you know?”

  “I know about the baby. I know about our son,” he said, and she could see the shimmer of what she could only assume to be tears in his eyes.

  She knew they reflected the ones that were growing in hers as well. Without thinking, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, anchoring herself in place for a moment and sharing the heartache they both felt.

  “I didn’t want to bring him up like that, Dice,” Meredith whispered, feeling the secureness of Dice’s embrace lulling her into a sense of safety.

  “I know you didn’t. Spirits above, Meredith, it kills me to know that you’re going through any of this. And with a child in the mix… You need to know, I couldn’t be happier, and prouder, knowing that we have a son together. And whatever I do, I promise I will get both of you out of this nightmare alive. You hear me?”

  He tipped her chin upward and she looked into his deep, solemn gray and hazel eyes, letting out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. Smiling faintly, she nodded and then planted the gentlest of kisses on his lips.

  “I know, Dice. I know.”

  She didn’t have the heart to tell him that at that moment, she didn’t even know where their baby boy was, let alone whether he was truly okay.

&n
bsp; Right then, she could hear the very faint buzz of his earpiece, followed by a growl from Dice. It was one of frustration and annoyance, not directed at her but the world at large, which seemed to be firmly against the both of them.

  “That was Ryker. We need to get you back in there. Your guards are tearing up the place and we don’t need them getting suspicious.”

  “We wouldn’t want that, no,” Meredith said with only a hint of sarcasm, making both of them smirk slightly.

  Dice obviously couldn’t stop himself and before he unlocked the door, he stole another passionate, intense kiss from her that left her knees quaking. The touch of his wide palm on the small of her back, sending warmth radiating through her, was the last contact she had with him before she slipped out through the door and returned to the party.

  As if nothing had happened, she plucked a champagne glass from a server and made a show of taking a dainty sip. It was more to cool her nerves than for anything else, though.

  You can’t be blushing like a schoolgirl who’s been caught making out with the quarterback under the bleachers. Its game time, Meredith! Look alive!

  None of those quaint little motivational chants really made her feel any better, but she could slowly feel her heartbeat returning to normal as she put distance between herself and the bathroom. Dice was still waiting in there, she was sure of that. She needed to get far enough away from there that no one could suspect them to have been there together.

  Before she managed to make it out of the room though, she felt a vice-like grip chomping down around her arm. With a gasp, she spun around to face her attacker, finding the stern, obviously irritated form of one of her guards staring back at her.

  “I’ve got her,” he spoke into the headset, before returning his attention to her. “Where were you?”

  “I was in the ladies’ room,” Meredith said, trying her best to look indignant. “What, am I not allowed to pee anymore without werewolf supervision?”

  “Watch the attitude, honey. I don’t think I need to remind you that it’s not only you who is in danger of losing a few good years here if you mouth out. Come on, they’re waiting for you,” he said, his voice barely more than a snarl as he yanked Meredith along with him.

  Glancing over her shoulder, the last thing she saw was Dice standing across the room, looking like his gaze alone could make the gates of hell open up and gobble up the whole party.

  We’re both going to make it through this. I know we will.

  But that was another thing she couldn’t entirely believe.

  Fourteen

  Meredith

  Meredith realized how loud the din of the party had been when she finally stepped out of the rooms it was being held in. A few hundred ultra-rich patrons could apparently make a hell of a racket.

  As the automatic doors closed behind Meredith, now escorted by two of her guards, the sudden silence was deafening in a way. She was led through the large, sprawling suite and up a spiral staircase to the second floor of it. Everywhere she looked, she could see opulence, wealth and obvious signs of money.

  From the paintings on the walls to the Italian marble floors, everything was perfect. Too perfect. It was almost clinical in its grandeur and all Meredith could feel when looking around was how cold it made her feel.

  She could hear the low humming of voices coming from up ahead, distinctly male. When she was shown into a large sitting room, once again overlooking Abu Dhabi and with a partial view of Etihad Tower number two, whatever had been left of the ease she’d felt with Dice was wiped away immediately. Julian Rowen was there, along with two other men, laughing and conversing amongst themselves.

  They didn’t even seem to notice her enter, though they clearly only made it seem that way as the doors opening and closing were loud enough. Four guards were posted outside the front door, the glass walls providing a clear view of them, decked out in full gear. When she’d passed them by, she’d seen them sniffing her as if she was a discarded bone, only to turn their noses up at her.

  Fucking werewolves, she thought mildly.

  “Leave us,” Julian said, his tone perfectly pleasant.

  The guards did as they were told and Meredith was left alone with the man of her nightmares, and two others who seemed to watch her with little more than passing interest.

  “Gentlemen, this is Meredith Wilder. You’re both acquainted with her work, I’m sure. She’s been a little bit of a diamond in the rough for us but I think we’ve made some progress in making her shine lately,” Julian said with a chuckle, sloshing vodka around in tight circles in his glass. “Meredith, these are Doctors Pasterne and Arville. They’re representatives from the Research Control Committee.”

  “Julian has told us so much about you,” Arville said with a grin that lacked emotion, straightening his wire-rimmed glasses.

  Both of the men were dressed in fine, but understated suits, making them pale next to Julian.

  “Gentlemen,” Meredith offered with a nod of her head.

  It was an uphill battle, reminding herself that she was supposed to be behaving with these people, that she was supposed to be respectful. When the most prevalent desire in her mind was to break the champagne flute she was holding and gouge out the eyes of every single man there, it was sort of hard to keep her cool.

  “Please, take a seat,” the man introduced as Pasterne noted, leading her to a set of sandy leather couches and chairs.

  She picked a seat and sunk down, feeling all the more vulnerable now that she was off her feet. The men followed one by one, keeping careful distances between one another. Julian sat down across from Meredith, resting his chin on his palm and observing her with evident bemusement.

  “Have you been enjoying the party so far?” Pasterne asked, apparently keen on keeping up some modicum of decorum through small-talk.

  As if you care, she thought sourly.

  “Yes. It’s been very… uplifting,” Meredith said, a genuine smile sneaking over her lips as she thought of her stolen moment with Dice.

  “That’s the kind of spirit we like around here,” Julian said with a chuckle. “Isn’t that right, gentlemen?”

  Both Arville and Pasterne nodded.

  Her smile wavered but she held firm, taking a little sip from her glass and looking between the men expectantly.

  Whatever it is they want, I need to be able to give it to them. For both of my boys.

  “So how can I help you gentlemen today?” she asked.

  “Straight to the point. How nice. Usually they break into tears within a few words,” Arville said with a chuckle, joined in by Pasterne. “But if you’re being so forthcoming, then we shall be as well. Meredith, we’ve been going over your work now for a while and some things simply don’t add up.”

  “What do you mean? I keep meticulous notes, at least I hope I do,” Meredith said, the smile dropping from her expression.

  It was an all-out lie. She kept careful notes, yes, but she always fuddled up this or that to keep anyone from being able to replicate her results. By the look the men shared between them, Meredith got the sinking feeling that she’d been found out.

  “You see, Meredith, when we find that one of our scientists has come up with something that looks particularly promising, we start doing regression tests on their work. What this means is that we take their newest research and then see if it holds up by doing it again in another lab. I’m sure I do not need to explain to you why this would be wise or necessary for the scientific process.”

  Meredith could only nod numbly, her hands clutching the glass tightly once more.

  “So when we took an interest in your work, we discovered that it seems that your notes and your outcomes don’t quite add up. Do you want to explain to us why that is, Meredith?” Pasterne asked, quirking a brow at her.

  Meredith opened her mouth, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights, but nothing came out. She cleared her throat and tried again, this time mustering her courage. She knew that this day would on
e day come, even if she had been hoping that the people who worked for The Arctics on the science side were as dumb as their guards.

  Her hopes had proven to be unfounded, unfortunately.

  “Well, I would have to look at the particular test you were running, I imagine. I can’t say that there isn’t a chance that I left something out of the notes by accident, but this is certainly not something that I’ve meant to do. You must believe me on that. I know how important it is for me to remain transparent with my work.”

  She quieted, feeling herself paling.

  Rowen’s gaze stayed on her and he observed her like a snake would a little rabbit, preparing to strike. She wanted to wither away from that deathly pair of eyes, but she couldn’t show them weakness.

  “I don’t think it’s a case of a missing word or a formula here or there. Your formulas are always methodical and exact, but the combination in which they need to be administered has not once given us the results that you have described. Now, having seen the test subjects you’ve worked on and having run tests on them, I am aware that your results are true. I simply think you are lying to us, Meredith,” Rowen said, tilting his head to the side slightly. “Are you, Meredith? Are you lying to us? I don’t like being lied to.”

  That sinking feeling got all the more prevalent with each word Julian Rowen spoke. Taking a breath, Meredith tried to force herself back to that moment with Dice just half an hour ago, when she had felt so safe and protected, both emotionally and physically.

  “I would never lie. I don’t want anything to happen to my son,” she said, a clearly audible tremor in her voice now.

  “That’s right. We have your baby boy,” Rowen said with a sudden smirk, as if he only then remembered it. “It would be a shame if something happened to that boy. So much potential! Shame he’s a bear, though. He would have made for a good foot soldier. How did that happen, by the way? How did you manage to get pregnant from a werebear when you’ve been held by The Arctics for six years now?”