Scottish Werebear: A Second Chance
Book 6 in the Scottish Werebears Series by Lorelei Moone. Find Books 1-3 here and Book 4 & Book 5 here.
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After months of preparations, the New Alliance is ready to reveal itself in a spectacular fashion. James Finch joins his comrades and exposes his true nature in front of the world media. He was prepared for some fallout but finds himself in a bind when he is reunited with ‘the one that got away’.
When Charlie McAllister switches on the TV after a trying day working at the Edinburgh Herald, the last thing she expects to see is her former flame, James. As she watches him transform into a bear, she has two realizations. This must be why he dumped her so many years ago, and, finally she has a chance to bag a real story and make a name for herself.
Surely, with James’s true nature revealed, nothing stands in the way of their second chance at happiness, right? Wrong. You don’t just expose an ancient secret without rubbing a lot of folk the wrong way. Now, James and everyone close to him have targets on their backs.
This paranormal romance novella is the sixth and final installment of the Scottish Werebear series. For the best experience, readers are advised to read the series in order.
This story is intended for adult audiences only.
Reading order for the Scottish Werebears series: An Unexpected Affair, A Dangerous Business, A Forbidden Love, Sugar & Spice: A Scottish Werebear Xmas, A New Beginning, A Painful Dilemma and A Second Chance.
© 2016 Lorelei Moone
Published by eXplicitTales
Cover Design by Jacqueline Sweet
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Table of Contents
Scottish Werebear: A Second Chance
Story
About the Author
Chapter One
This was it, the moment of truth.
James folded his hands and concentrated on keep his breaths even and deep. He was a calm and balanced man normally, but today was different. It was the right thing to do, but he couldn’t help worrying about what they would unleash.
Weeks of work would culminate in this one act of rebellion. By the end of tonight, the world would be a different place. They’d be free, or they’d be in more danger than ever before.
He looked around the van where his comrades - his brothers and sisters in revolution - sat. Each of the half dozen of them thoughtful, worried, excited. It was hard to pick just one emotion for tonight. They had worked so hard to make this happen, but there were no guarantees in life. It could all go horribly wrong.
“Five minutes,” Henry Weston, their leader remarked, while checking his watch.
Beside him, Gail McPherson - James’ former colleague - grabbed Henry’s hand, and they shared one of those looks that seemed to speak a thousand words.
Henry cleared his throat, causing everyone else in the back of the van to look up at him.
“You all know this, but I feel it should be said out loud. We’ve achieved so much in an incredibly short time. Kyle, your internet campaign has made a bigger impact than I ever thought possible,” Henry said.
Kyle nodded and looked down at his hands. In the short time James had known him, he’d quickly figured out that Kyle was even more socially awkward than most bears.
“Jamie and Aidan, you’ve managed to mobilize so many like-minded shifters through the network of contacts you’d built up. Today would not have been possible without your efforts.”
The two senior members of the Edinburgh Alliance office exchanged a look and a nod.
James meanwhile rubbed his hands together. So many men and women in such a cramped space meant it was warm, yet his hands had remained cold and clammy.
“James.” Henry looked right at him now.
James stopped his fidgeting and looked up again.
“James. The information and support you’ve provided from inside Adrian Blacke’s office has been invaluable. We appreciate the risks you’ve taken.”
James nodded at Henry, who nodded back and checked his watch again.
“The media will have collected outside. We’ve kept them waiting long enough. It is time.”
Henry had barely completed his speech when Heidi, Aidan’s mate, turned the handle on the back of the van and gave the door a strong push, causing it to fling open.
Some distance away, lights awaited. These weren’t just ordinary streetlights; they were clustered much closer together. TV crews.
“This way,” Gail called out.
The group of shifters changed direction and followed her lead, walking at first, then breaking into a sprint. They were going to meet the cameras from a more dramatic angle. As they got closer, the first reporters noticed them and started whispering amongst themselves.
The air was electric. Their campaign had managed to get everyone talking. But nobody knew exactly what was going to happen.
Until it did.
With ten feet to spare, Henry stopped and signaled the rest of the group to do the same.
James stood just towards his left, his breaths short and quick. He felt his body get ready.
This was something they had never done before. It was forbidden. It was dangerous.
But, it was also necessary.
Henry took one step forward to face the media. “We are the New Alliance.”
James closed his eyes as he listened to Henry speak. He thought of his reasons for doing this. Of his sister, Irene, who had first involved him to protect her family.
“You, and the whole world with you, will soon see things you may find hard to comprehend. Understand that we want above all a peaceful coexistence between our species. Do not fear us. Everything will be explained in time.” Henry stepped back into line and nodded at Gail, who stood to his right.
The reporters started to whisper among themselves again.
James’ skin started to burn and itch. His muscles tensed up. He wasn’t just doing this for Irene. He was doing it for himself too. For what he’d given up many years ago.
“Now,” Henry spoke in a whisper so low only a shifter could have heard it.
James let his innermost instincts loose. After the first sound of cloth, tearing, the humans that stood in front of them were stunned into silence.
One by one, the shifters transformed. Their group consisted mostly of bears, with a single wolf among them - Heidi.
James took a deep breath, loving the sting of the cold air in his lungs. This was his true nature. It was exhilarating to be able to show it to the world.
They stood proudly in front of the shocked reporters, who seemed frozen in place. Would they run? Would they scream?
Then the first one stirred, touching her earpiece and frowning, while still keeping James and the rest of the group firmly in her sights.
“I understand,” the woman whispered. “Yes, it’s the same thing here. Yes. I am ready.”
She straightened herself and tried to shake off the fear James could smell on her. Then she turned her back on the shifters and faced her cameraman.
“Lad
ies and gentlemen, as you can see, the spectacle we are faced with here is much the same as on other prominent locations all over the country, as well as the rest of the world. In front of my eyes, these seemingly normal men and women managed to morph into animals. We do not know if they pose a threat, though they announced beforehand that they had no ill will toward us…”
Henry stepped ahead, causing the rest of the confused looking journalists to flinch back a bit.
“We are no threat to you. We simply wish to open a dialogue between your species and ours.”
The woman who had been speaking into the camera slowly turned to face Henry. Her eyes were wide with fear.
One of the men behind her started to hyperventilate. “Holy… shit… it can… speak!”
James could hardly contain his concern. This was difficult for any regular human to understand. Would they choose to learn, or would they reject the chance for a peaceful resolution?
“Rachel Kinsey, Sky News,” she introduced herself despite the tremble in her voice. “Would you be willing to answer a few questions?”
That was a good start, wasn’t it?
“Of course. What would you like to know?” Henry responded.
James tried to listen to the reporter’s questions and Henry’s answers, but his thoughts were a million miles away. They had actually done it.
After at least a thousand years, the secrecy rules had been broken. They had shown humankind that they weren’t the only ones to walk this earth. What happened next was crucial.
James looked around at the other reporters, who were also reluctantly listening in to the interview that was going on just in front of them.
What if the old stories were right? Humans did seem very fearful of what they didn’t understand. More so, because they’d ignored an important consideration. One which James had only come to realize now. Even though they spoke of peace and coexistence, they were predators.
A bunch of bears and a wolf.
It was no wonder these people had been scared half to death. Their fear wasn’t illogical; it was simply instinct. James’ group could tear these humans up in the blink of an eye if they wanted to.
For this reveal, what the New Alliance could have used were some nice cuddly, fluffy animals which humans would feel some sense of endearment towards. But in all their preparations and recruitment up to this point, they had come across only bears, wolves, and the odd fox. James had even heard of a lion and a tiger joining their ranks elsewhere.
Why were there no rabbit shifters?
In the distance, sirens blared. They seemed to be approaching fast. This was their cue.
Henry wrapped up the interview; they gathered up their shredded clothes and scattered as had been agreed in advance. James didn’t look back and ran up the hill towards the castle; his agreed escape route.
The fences and barriers were easy for him to climb. Police cars came to a screeching halt further back, presumably where they’d left the reporters. But he wasn’t worried. They wouldn’t catch him. He ran across the courtyard and climbed the boundary wall. From there he made his way down the hill from the other side, leaving the castle and the cops behind.
Even if they’d just announced their presence to the world, he stuck to his old habits. He chose to stay in the shadows, avoiding any areas where he smelled a human presence. Still, James made good time. He reached his hiding place and quickly pulled out the change of clothes waiting for him. It was much easier to blend into city life if he shifted into his human form again.
So that’s what he did. Within minutes, he looked like any other human out for an evening walk. James picked up the messenger bag that had contained his clothes and checked the side pocket. There they were. The keys.
He zipped up his coat and slung the bag around his shoulder. The bunch of keys was now safely in his pocket, though he held on to it tightly just in case.
The wind had picked up, so it took him a while to warm up again in his changed form. The brisk walk helped.
Another five minutes or so and he reached his getaway vehicle. Everything had gone exactly as planned. Still, as he turned the last corner, a strange sensation overwhelmed him. It felt like a presence, like someone had spotted him. But there was nobody around.
He was probably just being paranoid.
James shook off his concerns and pulled out the keys. He’d get in and drive without pause until he reached the New Alliance’s hiding place. The city - any city - would be on high alert after the spectacle they had caused. Their faces were out there now. It would only be a matter of time before the authorities would know their identities as well.
Because of this, they had picked a remote location for their hideaway.
The next step was to reconvene; the Edinburgh group would collect in person and communicate with the other factions that had formed all over the country. Together they would decide on their next move.
Tonight had gone reasonably well, but this was only the beginning.
Chapter Two
When Charlie reached home, she couldn’t wait to get comfortable. She barely even acknowledged her roommate, Ella, as she made a beeline for her bedroom. Finally, after trading her sensible blouse and skirt combo for some warm pajamas and a pair of fluffy socks, she could breathe a sigh of relief.
“Hey you,” Ella mumbled when Charlie joined her in the living room again.
“Hey.” Charlie frowned as she noticed Ella watching the news. Ella never watched the news. “What’s going on?”
Ella briefly glanced at Charlie as she joined her on the couch. “Don’t tell me you forgot? It’s all over the internet!”
“Well yeah, but don’t tell me you believe that crap? Tonight, your world will change for good.” Charlie spoke in a dramatic voice. “Nonsense. It’ll be a hoax; I’m telling you. They didn’t believe it at the Herald either.”
Charlie was about to get up again to get something to drink when the newsreader was cut off mid-sentence, and the screen flickered to reveal a red background with the words ‘Breaking news’ flashing on top.
“We are interrupting your current program with breaking news…”
“See!” Ella exclaimed, and picked up the remote to increase the volume. “No hoax!”
“For the past week, our country, along with the rest of the world, has been in the grips of what some have referred to as the most extensive social media campaign ever. A mysterious organization called the ‘New Alliance’ has promised us a grand reveal that will change our understanding of the world forever. What exactly this will entail, we do not know. But it better be big, or there is likely to be widespread disappointment. Over now to our reporters, who are on the ground in London, Paris, Berlin, even New York on location as communicated to us in advance by this so-called ‘New Alliance’ …”
The screen flickered again to reveal a wind-blown man in a suit. “Thank you Shelley, this is Ben Thompson live from London. So far, we have not seen any activity yet.”
The view panned to show more of the scenery. Westminster Abbey stood in the background with a busy road in front. Black cabs, as well as the occasional red double decker bus passed by the reporter, but nothing looked out of the ordinary.
“Try another channel,” Charlie suggested.
Ella nodded and flipped across a few different channels. On each one of them, a flustered looking reporter stood in a different location around the country, braving the wintry conditions typical for mid-January. They paused on a local channel when they spied a familiar sight, the Royal Mile and a dramatically lit up Edinburgh Castle in the background.
“Wait,” Charlie whispered.
She had been skeptical, sure. A healthy amount of suspicion was in her nature. That’s what she thought would make her a good reporter one day. How she wished she was there, waiting for the New Alliance to show itself. But clearly, the news channels had taken the announcement seriously enough to disrupt their evening program and dispatch reporters out to various locations all over the
world.
Part of her still wondered if it was a prank, even if she secretly hoped that it wasn’t. With so many horrible things happening in the world lately; wars, natural disasters, terrible crimes. The prospect of change had seduced many. Even Charlie, with her level head and analytical thought process, hadn’t been completely immune.
On the TV, the view changed. No longer was the camera pointed at the Castle, but instead, in the opposite direction. A group of people approached, though they were still too far away to be clearly visible.
Ella picked up a cushion and held it tightly against her chest. Charlie caught herself holding her breath.
Once they were close enough for their faces to be clearly visible, one of the men stepped ahead and started to speak. But Charlie couldn’t focus on his words or his features. She was looking at someone just next to him. A familiar face.
Her heart raced, and she broke out into a cold sweat. A face she hadn’t seen for years.
All those old memories came flooding back. She was the new girl in school, having only just moved to Stirling that year. The local kids were suspicious of her and kept their distance, at least at first. One made her feel welcome; the boy next door who also happened to be in her school, be it a year above her.
They’d bonded over concerns for the environment and discussions about politics which the other kids were least interested in. He had been an idealist, just like her.
And so they became friends, even if a part of her always knew she wanted to be much more than that. For a year, right up to his graduation, they spent almost every day together.
Suddenly, a certain anxiousness started to grow in her. He was graduating, she wouldn’t, not for another year. He would go off to university, and she would be stuck here alone.
He said they’d keep in touch, but she was scared. She couldn’t let him leave without following up on those secret desires that had been growing inside of her.
One summer evening, after the graduation ceremony, she mustered the courage. She told him.
He didn’t speak, just looked into her eyes.
She stared back.
Scottish Werebear: A Second Chance: A BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Scottish Werebears Book 6) Page 1