by Tyler, Jules
"Poor girl must be traumatized! No wonder she ended up here," Mama screeched as she stood and began to pace the floor. "Who hurt her? I want names. I will make sure our girl gets avenged."
"I already promised her that I wouldn't go after him, Mama. That's a promise I intend to keep," Brady sighed.
"You did what?" Mama stopped and stared at him, mouth gaping open and her eyes looking like they were about to bug out of her head.
"I promised I wouldn't go after the bastard. I want to with every fiber of my being, Mama, but she asked me not to. Her needs come before mine."
"She obviously doesn't know what's good for her. What's good for her is to have that mother fluffer ten feet under and for me to piss on his grave!" Mama exclaimed as she folded her arms and stomped her foot like a toddler throwing a tantrum.
"No, Mama, what's good for her is to be mated to me," Brady shook his head in exasperation as he stood to go pull his food out of the microwave.
"And for her to give me grandcubs!" Mama clapped her hands in excitement as she plopped back down on the couch as Brady sat back down with his food.
Brady shifted uncomfortably next to her and cleared his throat after swallowing a mouthful of potatoes, "Uh, yeah… About that Mama. Stella's wounds… They're pretty deep. She said that there's a lot of scar tissue. The doctors told her she most likely wouldn’t be able to have children."
Mama leaped on top of Brady, grabbed him by the shoulders, and began to shake him as she shouted, "And you're still expecting me not to go after him? He's robbing me of my grandcubs, Brady! He hurt your mate and is robbing me of grandcubs! HE NEEDS TO DIE!"
"I know, Mama, I know. But Stella doesn't want us getting involved. Just leave it be. She's safe now. If she wants to have cubs, we can look at getting a surrogate or something. I've heard there's ways to make it work with the mother and father's DNA so that the surrogate only carries the baby and doesn’t donate her own eggs. We could make this work. Only if Stella wants to though. Got it?" Brady said, pushing her back to her side of the couch.
"Oh, alright. I give up," Mama sighed, sinking back into the chair and picking up her book.
"Good. Now there's something I do want your help with, if you're feeling up to it," Brady grinned mischievously as he shoveled another mouthful of food into his maw.
"What did you have in mind?" she asked, perking up in excitement.
"We need to go get the Christmas decorations out of the storage room downstairs. I want to decorate Stella's cabin while she's asleep tonight. Then tomorrow all three of us are going to get her a tree for her cabin."
"I'll go get my boots on."
Chapter Fifteen
Stella awoke the next morning to the smell of bacon drifting in through her bedroom door. Smiling to herself, she realized Brady must've taken the morning off from the lodge. Stretching her arms up above her head, she let out a nice relaxing yawn. Sometimes you just needed a good stretch before you were ready to get out of bed in the morning. Sliding out of bed, she checked her complexion in the mirror. Just because she just rolled out of bed didn't mean she had to look like it. Quickly she ran a brush over her short hair and pulled on her sweater so she wouldn't be cold. Walking out of the bedroom, she smiled at Brady, who was perched on one of the barstools at the counter.
"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," Brady crooned at her as she slid onto the stool next to him.
Leaning towards him so he could kiss her cheek, Stella took notice that it wasn't Brady that had been cooking, but instead it had been Mama Ally.
"Oh, good morning, Mama," Stella chirped as she watched Mama flip over a pancake on the griddle she had placed on the stove top.
"Stella darlin', I think we need to move you into the lodge so I can cook you a proper meal on a proper stove. Not this nonsense that we put out here for short term guests," Mama Ally lectured, waving around her spatula for effect.
"It really isn't that bad. I could just come inside for meals if you'd like. I don't want to be a bother," Stella said.
"Darlin', are you a dog? No? Then why in the world would I let you just come in the lodge for meals like you are one? You wouldn't be a bother. Now are you gonna make me beg or will you just ease my mind and move into the lodge?" Mama asked, sticking out her lip in a pout.
"I'll think about it," Stella smiled. She didn't have the heart to tell Mama that she felt moving into the lodge was a big step that she wasn't quite ready to take yet.
"Alright, fine. I'll let you think on it," Mama sulked for a moment before dishing up two heaping platefuls of pancakes, bacon, eggs, and sausage links.
"Dang, I can't remember the last time I had this much food for breakfast," Stella recalled as she leaned over her plate and inhaled the delicious scents that were wafting off of it. She did so love pancakes and bacon.
"I think the last time was last week on our grocery run when we stopped at the Three Bears Diner," Brady teased as he shoved a forkful of food in his mouth.
"True point. If we keep eating there every time we go to town, I'm going to have to custom order my leggings so I have something that fits," Stella giggled as she patted her belly.
"Oh whatever, honey. You can afford another twenty pounds or so," Mama Ally rolled her eyes at her.
"Whatever you say, Mama," Stella smiled as she stuffed hunk of pancake in her mouth.
"We have another surprise for you too," Brady murmured in her ear as she swiveled her chair around to face the living room.
Stella had to hurry and swallow before her mouth dropped open at what she was seeing. Her entire living room had been transformed into something from the Hallmark Channel. There was garland with lights woven into them draped all around the room. Tiny holly wreaths decorated the walls, and a little village sat on the television stand with small figurines creatively placed around the houses. She couldn't believe it.
"How did you guys do all of this while I was asleep?" Stella marveled.
"Oh honey, it was easy. You could sleep through a buffalo stampede with how hard you were sleeping when we got here. I'm surprised Brady's banging around with a hammer didn't wake you, to be honest. Sounded like a bull in a china shop, that one," Mama said as she came around the counter and wrapped Stella up in a hug. "I know your Grandpa Buck would just love this. I wish he was here for you, but I'll still claim you as mine, if that's okay? You've always been family, Stella, no matter what."
Stella felt the tears threatening to escape her eyes and she blinked them back. She had done plenty of crying since she got here, so there didn't need to be more.
"This was super sweet of you guys. I can't thank you enough for doing this," Stella sighed as she looked around at all the decorations again.
"I know what you can do to thank us," Mama piped up.
"Mama, just leave Stella alone. When she's ready to move into the lodge, she will, okay?" Brady admonished her.
"Excuse me, Son, but that's not what I was going to say. Thank you very much. I was actually going to suggest she go with us to get a tree today," Mama sassed back at him.
"Oh, I'd love to go get a tree with you. Let's go get a tree Brady, please?" Stella said excitedly as she wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him with her best version of puppy dog eyes.
Brady chuckled, "Alright, alright, we'll go get a tree. But only if you eat all of your breakfast."
"Done deal," Stella squealed as she hopped back on her chair and shoveled food into her mouth.
"What am I gonna do with you?" Brady asked Mama as she settled down onto the couch with her own plate filled with food.
"Love me? Never leave me?" Mama suggested as she plopped a piece of sausage in her mouth.
Stella nodded in agreement at Brady.
Today was shaping up to be a good day.
Chapter Sixteen
Brady smiled as he watched Mama and Stella wander the hillside they had picked to look for a tree. He was sure to have his hands full with these two in his life. They were both so sarcastic and
bossy, but it made him feel better seeing that Stella looked as though the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. Telling someone about what she had been through with Alaric had done wonders for her soul, he could feel it. Watching her interact with Mama, he could tell the difference in the way she was holding herself and how animated she was becoming. It was definitely a sight to behold.
"We've been out here an hour, and you two aren't any closer to picking a tree than when we got here. Why don't we pick a different spot to look?" Brady called out to them.
He had to try not to laugh when Stella turned to him with her hands on her hips and scolded, "Listen here, Brady Eastern. I picked this hill to find our tree and on this hill only will I be looking. Do not rush me."
Mama cast a wicked grin over her shoulder at Brady, "She's quite the little firecracker, Son. I wouldn't mess with her."
Brady brought his hand up and rested his forehead against it, squeezing his temples. Fates help him, he was going to have to find some patience to be able to handle both of them.
"Alright, but only because Stella asked so nicely," Brady teased as he leaned back against the Razr and watched them continue their search for the perfect tree.
A pair of yellow eyes peering through a tall pine at the top of the hill they were scouring brought his bear to attention inside of him. Scenting the air, he was able to confirm his suspicions.There was a cougar hiding in that tree, and Stella was headed right for it.
"Mama, Stella, get away from that tree," Brady warned, trying to keep his voice calm so it didn't alert the cat.
"What's wrong with it?" Stella asked, turning around to look at him with a confused look on his face.
"I'll tell you in a minute. Why don't you and Mama come back down from there for a few while I get things sorted up there?" Brady suggested, hoping that they would take the hint.
"But that's so far. Why can't you just tell me what's wrong with the tree?" Stella protested.
"I think we'd better listen to him sweetheart. If Brady thinks there's something wrong with that tree, he's probably right," Mama said gently as she scented the air as well and caught wind of the cougar's scent.
"Oh, alright," Stella resigned as she started to pick her way down the hill.
Stella took a few steps before losing her footing and sliding part way down the hill into a tree bowl.
"Well shit, that smarts," Stella muttered as she tried to push herself up.
Brady glanced up at the tree where the cougar had been and prayed it wasn't there anymore. There weren't any glowing eyes anymore, but he could still smell it. It was definitely still here somewhere.
"Are you alright, beautiful?" Brady called up to her, forcing himself not to go up after her. He knew if he went tromping up the hill it would only make things worse, and he needed the vantage point so he could see the cougar if it made an appearance again.
"Yeah, but I think we might need to go back to the lodge and clean me up. I'm covered in sap, and my hand is bleeding," Stella explained.
Brady and Mama locked eyes at that moment, "Mama, get her out of there."
As that last word fell off of Brady's lips, he found the cat again, crawling down the right side of the hill, towards where Stella had fallen.
"Shit," Brady muttered. "Fates forgive me. She's going to hate me after this."
Forcing himself to change, Brady felt his bones begin to pop and crack as they reshaped from man to bear. Willing the transition to move fast, he roared out in pain. Slamming down on all fours, he forced his muscles to cooperate with his mind. Training his eyes on the now startled cougar, he took off up the hill after it. As he ran past Stella, he could see the horror in her eyes. His heart broke, knowing she would likely never trust him after this. Her safety was his first priority though, so he pressed on up the hill after the cougar.
Chapter Seventeen
The ride back to the lodge had Stella fidgeting in her seat. Brady was a bear, a polar bear from the looks of the white fur that had covered his body when he had gone after that cougar. He was like Alaric, but that couldn't be right, could it? He was so different from Alaric. He didn't give her the creeps like he had. He didn't force her to do anything she didn't want to do either. He had been gentle, and kind. She'd known him for years. Had he always been this way? How did he get like this? Nothing made sense anymore.
Brady pulled the Razr up in front of her cabin and moved to get out to open Stella's door.
"I've got this, Brady," Stella said somberly as she let herself out of the Razr.
"Stella, it's not what you think," Brady called after her as she hurried inside and closed the cabin door.
I don't know what to think anymore.
Stella walked to the bathroom and stripped off her clothes as she started a hot shower.
"Why is it always the weird shit that happens to me?" Stella pondered out loud as she stepped into the shower and let the hot water pour over her.
The stories Grandpa Buck had told her as a kid weren't really stories after all. He and Brady’s Grandpa Will had told her so many times the stories of the bear-men and their mates. She always thought they were just stories of great protectors and the women that stole their hearts. But how could Alaric be like them and not be like Brady? Was it the bear they shared their bodies with that made them who they were?
Her heart felt like it was being torn in two. She was missing something; she was sure of that. Sinking down to the shower floor, Stella folded her legs to her chest and she stared at the drain as she tried to piece together everything in her head.
Chapter Eighteen
Brady paced the space in front of the window that looked at Stella's cabin. He had royally screwed things up. He should've told her what he was when she told him about Alaric. Now she probably thought he was keeping secrets from her or trying to trick her into falling in love with him. He was losing her, he could feel it.
"Wearing a hole in that floor isn't gonna do you any good, Son. You did what was best and protected her the best way you knew how. Just give her some time to wrap her head around everything," Mama called over her shoulder from the stove where she was cooking.
"She's going to ask to leave now. After what that shit-sniffer did, I can't say I blame her either. She just needs to let me explain. Maybe I can convince her to stay if I tell her what she is to me," Brady insisted, continuing to pace the length of the window.
"How is doing that any better than what he did? Sure, he physically tried to force her to stay with him, but you going out there and baring your soul to her isn't much better. That's called forcing her hand, my love. I know I taught you better than that," Mama lectured.
"Yeah, you're probably right, Mama," Brady resigned, slumping down in an armchair that looked out the same window he had been pacing.
"Ain't no probably about it, Brady. Mama always knows best," Mama sassed, stirring the pot of chili she was working on.
"So how do I win her back? We were finally getting to a place where we could stop calling it a friendship and start calling it a relationship," Brady sulked, kicking his feet up on the coffee table.
"Well, if you'll stop acting like a kicked dog and start acting like a man, I'll tell you," Mama admonished him.
"I'm not acting like a kicked dog," Brady protested as he got up and crossed to sit at the counter.
"Uh huh, sure you aren't, sweetheart. Now listen here," Mama started as she set down a hot bowl of chili in front of him with a slice of cornbread. "You're gonna give that girl all the time in the world that she needs. You wanna know why? Because she is your mate. She's still healing from the trauma that asshat put her through before she came up here. You need to trust the Fates and your Mama. Everything will work itself out. She's just scared and confused right now is all. You need to be the man I raised you to be and learn to be patient with her. Great things take time, Son. If you try to force it, guess how it's going to turn out?""
"Like shit?" Brady rolled his eyes at his mother. This was someth
ing she said frequently to him growing up.
"Exactly, this old bear knows what's what. Just give her some space and let me take care of your girl for now, got it?" Mama encouraged as she turned to grab the Tupperware off the counter and fill it with chili for Stella.
"How do you know she'll talk to you?" Brady asked, stirring his bowl of chili around.
"It's like I said, this old bear knows what's what. Best way to help someone heal? Feed them. Food raises the spirits and warms the soul, Son. Don't you forget that. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a young woman out in that cabin that needs a Mama Ally hug and some food. Don't you dare come out there until she asks you to," Mama warned as she scooped up the pan of cornbread and the big container full of chili.