by PA Vachon
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Keep reading for a sneak peek as well as a cover reveal for book three in the Bears in Love series...Bearly Mistaken, the story of Regan, Johnny, and their cub Rory. Smooches!
Bearly Mistaken
Bears in Love Book 3
Releasing March 2018
Winter 2015
Regan knew in her heart that she would do whatever it took to protect the unborn cub in her womb. I was going to be a mom. It wasn’t ever one of the things I’d dreamed of as a child. My own mother had passed away the year before Trevor had joined the clan. I had just turned eleven that year. I had missed all of the mother-daughter milestones. Instead, I’d had my dad, Marcus, who loved me and cared for me, but when it came to girl things, he was clueless. Those were some rough years. Luckily, one of the older female members of the clan had taken me into town when I needed a bra, when that dreaded time of the month had started, and again when I was old enough to start thinking about sex because condoms were a must… No baby for the teenage princess of my clan. Condoms and unplanned pregnancy weren't important once you found your mate, though. My dad was going to shit a brick when he found out he was going to be a grandpa. I was an unmated twenty year old princess now. This was craptastic.
Regan watched as David made his way to their spot, a small pond just up the road from the family compound covered in a light dusting of snow at this time of year. It was such a peaceful place, lush and green in the spring and summer. It was the perfect place to spend time with your mate, even if he refused to claim you. The lush grass was a wonderful place for an afternoon of lovemaking. That’s what it was, lovemaking. We weren’t fucking or just having sex… We loved each other. Or at least, I loved David and I thought he loved me. But you can’t always have everything that you want. Sometimes life gets in the way. The upcoming conversation was not going to be pleasant, but it was something that we had to talk about. David still didn’t know about the life I was growing inside of me, our little miracle. Our cub. So far I had been able to hide it from everyone. I didn’t have much more of that time left though. I still hadn’t told David about the fact that I was one of the Secret Keepers, the enforcers for the shifter community. The enforcers and our clan of grizzlies had been fighting with Hatchet, a maniac leader of a clan of black bears that were too close to exposing our secrets. We were sometimes judge, jury, and executioner in certain situations.
“Babe,” David smiled at me, “I’m glad you’re here. We need to talk.”
“I know we do,” I sighed heavily, not really prepared for our upcoming discussion.
“Regan, it will be fine,” he replied. “You’ll see.”
“It won’t be though,” I murmured.
“I know you think that it won’t,” David said. “But I promise you, we’ll be together soon.”
“We can’t be together if you won’t leave that psychotic clan of bears,” I said as I raised my voice in frustration. This wasn’t the first time we’d had this particular discussion.
“Regan, you have to trust me,” David said.
“David, you’re my mate, and I trust you,” I said, “but mate or not, I can’t break our laws.”
“I know, baby,” David sighed out in defeat, “but I have to stay and see this through.”
“You don’t have to be part of a rogue clan,” I replied. “I’ll talk to my father. He’ll let you join us. Especially since we are mates. He would never make us stay apart.”
“I just can’t,” David said again.
I looked at David sadly, not understanding why he insisted on being a part of Hatchet’s clan. It was insanity. Those bears were going to get our species discovered. No matter what I said, he refused, and I wouldn’t tell him about the cub just to get my way. I couldn’t manipulate him in that way. He needed to want to stay for me, not just because a small life was joining our world in just over six months. We were both shifters, so the pregnancy would be more like a grizzly than a human.
“David, I need you to join me with my father,” I begged, and I didn’t typically beg. “I can’t be with you if you’re going against our most sacred of laws.”
“I’m sorry, Regan,” David replied. “I can’t leave them.”
“Then I can’t do this with you anymore,” I said as I cried silently, tears leaving wet tracks on my face, dripping off of my chin.
I turned away to leave, walking quickly back to my small Honda. I got in the driver's seat, wiped my eyes, and started the car. The engine came to life with a small growl, like a squirrel protecting its horde. As I drove away, I turned on the radio, and much to my chagrin, Sara Evans ‘A Little Bit Stronger’ was just starting, one the best anthems for heartbroken strong women everywhere. I sang along as I let the tears flow, knowing that this was it. No mate, no love, just a product of our time together quickly becoming a reality.
I pulled into the compound and turned off the engine, wiping my face one last time before I got out of my car and started to walk towards my father, Marcus, to let him know about his grandchild. Instead I was sent out on an emergency enforcer mission that would keep me away from home for almost my entire pregnancy.