Complete Bear Creek and Bear Bluff Box Sets: Including brand new exclusive book Best Man Bear

by Harmony Raines

  “Get in before you get arrested for soliciting. I’m sure that must be one of your gang’s income streams. You are the talk of Bear Bluff—my uncle used to say you had millions squirreled away.”

  “Did he? I never knew your uncle very well. He died last month, didn’t he?”

  “Yes. He had a heart attack on the mountain. It’s all tied into this business, I know it. He held the deeds to Garrow's Creek. They should have passed to his first son, my cousin. Yet they were not there when the will was read. Now Carson has them.”

  “I was sorry to hear about his death. I can’t see how Carson could have the deeds unless he paid a large sum for them. Was there no money in his bank account that could be from the purchase?”

  “My uncle would never sell them.”

  Will was silent, staring out of the window. Then he changed the subject back to their destination. “I think you should stay out of sight. I can see no reason for Carson to know you are with me. I’ll tell him I heard about it and came to find out what was going on.”

  “Tell him you don’t want your family name dragged through the mud. That type of thing?”

  “Yes. That type of thing.” He looked at her for a moment and then said, “You know he doesn’t give a fuck about me as long as I’m not in his life?”

  “No. I don't know anything about your relationship with Carson any more. You shut me out, remember?”

  “I know. I thought perhaps word got round.”

  “Not about this. Like I said, I thought you were close; you always were when we were kids.”

  “It all changed. I guess you never really know someone.”

  “I guess not,” she answered, his cryptic talk making her even more confused. When they had acknowledged their mating bond, he had been so set on marrying her. Even wanting to do the old-fashioned thing of waiting until they were married before consummating their relationship. Then he had gone home, telling her he would be over to Bear Bluff to ask permission to marry her the next day. Instead, he had told her it was madness; she was the heir to Bear Bluff, meaning she would be the chief of the Clan when her father died. If she married outside of the Clan, there would be calls for a vote on her right to rule.

  He said it was for her own good. He had said a lot of things, but they had all sounded like empty excuses. She had begged him, told him she didn’t care about anything except him. He told her that would go away with time. They both knew now that was anything but true. Yet despite her attempts to persuade him, he had refused to be moved. Until he had blurted out the truth in a moment of unusual anger. He could never marry outside of his Clan. His father was too loyal to Bear Creek and would disinherit him. He couldn’t allow that to happen.

  Hurt and confused, she had torn herself away from him and promised herself to never lower herself to begging him to take her again. And despite several close encounters, she had stuck to that, until last night.

  Chapter Five – Will

  What did he think he would achieve, other than another dent to his fragile ego? There was no way he could persuade Carson to hand back the rights to Garrow’s Creek. So why was he here, dressed up like a Wall Street flunky?

  Because she had asked him to. And it was one of the few things he could actually do for her. If he gave Carson an hour’s entertainment then it would be worth it just for her to look at him as anything other than a spineless idiot.

  He also truly wanted to know what Carson was up to. There was no reason to take Garrow’s Creek and build on it unless he wanted war between the clans. And why would he? Why stir up trouble for the sake of it? Carson was a prominent businessman with deep roots in Bear Creek, unlike Will.

  Shaking off the memories of the day he found out the truth about where he fitted into the world, he looked up at the Frasier Building. Then it disappeared from view as Freyja pulled into the underground parking lot. He hadn’t been here for years, and he didn’t want to be here now. Only Will and Carson knew the truth about Will’s past, and Carson had no reason to tell, as long as Will kept out of his way.

  So he felt a little nervous when Freyja got out of the car to hug him and wish him good luck. He longed to stay there in her arms instead of doing this thing he knew he would regret. He could see no way to make this right, but he had to try.

  When he rode the elevator, he felt kind of stupid and out of place. Asking to see Mr Frasier was definitely alien, and having to explain he didn’t have an appointment but he was Mr Frasier’s brother just felt downright false. They hadn’t seen each other for years, so why would Carson drop everything for his estranged brother. Why indeed? But he did.

  “Will,” Carson beamed, ushering someone out of his office to make way for Will as though he was royalty. “It is so good to see you. Coffee?”

  “No, thank you,” Will said, standing there in his ridiculous suit. He would have felt so much more of an equal to Carson if he had been wearing his leathers. In this office, he felt like an imposter. What had he been thinking to ever come here?

  “I would ask what I can do for you, Will. But I think I already know.”

  “You do?” Will asked, deciding to play along. Carson always did like games.

  “Yes. Although I must say I’m surprised it took her so long to come sniffing around.”

  Will’s back stiffened, but he tried to let himself relax. Carson was already on the defensive. “I’m not sure that I follow?”

  “Oh, come on, Will. Who other than Freyja could persuade you to come in fancy dress?” Carson’s smile was not one of welcome now; it was one of ridicule.

  “It wasn’t her idea.”

  “Ahh, it was the bastard son trying to fit in. You don’t belong in this world though, do you, Will? In fact, you don't belong in any world.”

  “Carson, I haven’t come here to trade insults with you.”

  “Too bad.” Carson tipped his head back and laughed. “No. No. It’s too precious, I know I like the long game but I might never have the opportunity to lay my cards on the table and tell you the truth. Not face to face. After all, there's no good having a joke on someone if they never know it.”

  Will frowned; Carson was beginning to sound more and more mentally unstable. A sense of impending dread took a grip of Will’s heart. Dread and remorse for a life lost. A life taken from him by a madman. Yet Carson held the facts and Will needed to know what they were.

  “Once upon a time there was a man who owned a company...”

  “I know the outcome of this, Carson,” Will said impatiently.

  “Oh. Oh no, Will. I’m afraid you don’t. I see your confusion, but I’ll speak slowly and make sure you understand every word.”

  Will clenched his fist, but knew he had to hear Carson out. “You always did look out for me, Carson.”

  “Sarcasm. I like it. Well, you hold onto that, Will.” Carson was enjoying himself too much.

  To let go of some of his tension, Will moved. Sitting down on a chair and crossing his legs, he tried to look relaxed. “You don’t mind, do you?”

  “Oh no. Not at all. This office was meant for you after all.”

  An exasperated Will said, “Get on with it Carson, I have other appointments today.”

  “Oh yes, the biker entrepreneur.” He laughed again and then sat in his own seat, behind the desk that used to belong to his father, Peter Frasier. “You were always so eager to listen to me, weren't you, Will? Like the night, I met you in the meadow, so love-drunk and optimistic, so full of news about your newfound mate. What can I say? It was just another reason for me to hate you.”

  “I was there, remember? Where are you going with this, Carson?”

  “To the past, Will. You were always so trusting and people loved you. Except for me. I couldn’t understand why I was not like you; I simply didn't have it in me. You were just so giving, just like your father. I mean, not every man would open up his home and his heart to an illegitimate child, would they?”

  The dread gripped Will again, but he breathed deeply an
d said, “No. He was a good man and I will always be grateful to him.”

  Carson chuckled again. “I don't know if you will, not when you hear the truth.”

  Will felt the temperature in the room rise with his temper. “What did you do, Carson?”

  “I told a little lie. But one you were so eager to believe. I think you must suffer from a certain amount of insecurity to believe me quite so easily.”

  Will clenched his fist, the muscles in his arm bunching. He wanted to beat the truth out of Carson. It would be so easy; Carson had let himself go by working too long behind a desk. Will, on the other hand, had used physical exercise to push all thoughts of Freyja from his head at night when he couldn’t sleep. He was strong, strong and fast on his feet.

  Once more, he restrained himself. “Stop patting yourself on the back and talking riddles.”

  “Very well. Your father knew he was ill for some time. And so he told me secrets, not wanting the truth to die with him. He was so pleased with himself for being philanthropic. It wormed away in my head until it was all-consuming. A bit like you denying your mate, it never goes away, does it?”

  Will found he could hardly breathe. He knew what was coming, but part of him didn’t want to believe the man he had grown up with and called brother could hate him quite so much. “Go on.”

  “It was the timing of it all, really. I guess you would say it was fate. Because only days after your father told me of my true ... origins, I came across you in the meadow. You had just found out Freyja was your mate and I had to ruin it for you. I couldn’t help myself. I mean you were practically walking on air. And I hated you. I envied you your happiness, your belonging. So much so that I wanted to take it all from you.”

  “She wasn’t my mother?”

  Carson laughed, clapping his hands together. “No. The story I told you was mine. The cave I showed you, where I told you you were spawned. That was my birthplace. The madness of that poor, abused bear belongs to me.” His eyes were wild now, filled with madness. And then just as quickly it was gone, and he calmly finished. “I didn’t dare hope that you would believe what I told you. But you did.”

  “I trusted you.”

  “I know. And you never questioned it. Never questioned him.”

  “I couldn't bring myself to. And then he was too ill. Too frail.”

  “As I said. The timing was ... fated.”

  Will threw himself from the chair, hammering his fist down on the table. “Why now? Why tell me the truth now?”

  “Because the thought of poor Freyja all alone has been on my mind. So I came up with a plan.”

  “What plan?”

  “I got my hands on something she will do anything for. And you turning up here has proven to me that I was right.”

  “Garrow’s Creek.”

  “Bingo!”

  “How does this all connect together, Carson?”

  “She has saved herself for you, despite you sending her away and telling her it would never work out. Am I right? Well now, you know the truth. But if you go running to her and tell her, she will fall into your arms and I will destroy their ancient lands.” He got up and looked down on Will. “Or she can be mine. My mistress. In return I will allow her people to use the land.”

  Will pounded his fist into the desk, denting it. “You cannot do this. There is no legitimate way you could get the title deed for Garrow’s Creek.”

  “Oh. It’s legitimate. You see the lands are passed to the first-born son of the holder of the deeds. Which happens to be me. I am illegitimate. You know who my mother was, Delia Frasier, your father’s sister. But the real secret was my father. My father was Wayne McCormac. I am his first-born son.”

  That was how he had acquired the deeds. His father was Freyja’s uncle, Wayne McCormac, who acted as the treasurer for the Clan’s land. If that were true, the land was legally his. Although Carson’s mother and Freyja’s uncle were not fated mates, and bears seldom had offspring with those not their mate.

  “Now, if my Wayne McCormac had claimed me, none of this would have happened. I would have felt a belonging, instead of feeling like an outcast. So I think it’s time for a little revenge.” Carson’s attitude was seriously asking to be beaten out of him.

  “You can not pass the blame for what you have done, Carson. No one is responsible for this. You told me that Delia, your mother, gave birth in the cave because she was mentally disturbed, that she had spent too long being a bear. That was why I told Freyja we could not be together, because that instability could have been passed on.” Will could barely contain his rage, but he knew this was what Carson wanted. A reaction, to know how much hurt and suffering he had caused.

  “I guess I was right, that child is a little disturbed. But we’re not here to play the blame game are we, Will, you are right. You came here to find out if there is any way you can save the precious lands of the Bear Bluff Clan for Freyja. And there is.” His grin widened, and Will was wondering how many of his teeth he could knock out with one punch. Just the one—he could allow himself one fist in Carson’s grinning face.

  No. He couldn’t, he had to let Carson finish and then talk to Freyja. Yet he knew what words were about to spill from Carson’s mouth. He knew, he didn’t want to hear them, but he had to listen.

  “Freyja is to present herself to me. Virginity intact, and I will break her and then she will be my mistress, at my beck and call until I tire of her.”

  Will turned from Carson at that moment and walked to the door leading out of the office. “I never knew just how mad you were, Carson. Over these last few years, I have questioned what you told me. I have looked deep within myself and seen that I am a good man. I think I already knew that you had lied to me that day. I just never had the nerve to admit how foolish I was to believe you.”

  “Foolish, yes, but you wanted to hear what I said; it gave you a way out.”

  “That’s not true,” Will insisted but part of him accepted Carson’s words. As his father’s heir, there was so much responsibility, responsibility he didn’t want to shoulder. Didn’t think he was man enough to shoulder.

  Carson chuckled. “You are a good man, Will. But you are weak. You think you’re some kind of Robin Hood.” He got up from his chair and came around his desk but stayed out of reach of Will’s fists. “You haven’t moved with the times; you are old fashioned and now you are going to learn we live in a dog-eat-dog, or bear-beats-bear, kind of world. Pass my terms on to Freyja. I look forward to our first encounter shortly.”

  “What makes you think I’ll even tell her? Do you seriously think I would put her in your hands?”

  “Yes. Because your conscience won’t let you keep this to yourself. I know you, Will. Better, it seems, than you know yourself.”

  Chapter Six – Freya

  She sat in the car, wiping the tears from her eyes. There was no way he could see her like this. She had to pretend everything was OK, that she hadn’t heard every word of his conversation with Carson. She needed to know what he was going to do first, although she had already made her own decision.

  The elevator opened and an ashen-faced Will walked out. His gait was off; he had received a shock that had rocked him to his core. All his pent-up tension unreleased, now it was eating him up. When he reached the car, she already had the door open for him. He slumped down in the seat; she started the engine and drove wordlessly out into the daylight. Still he didn’t speak.

  After five minutes, she glanced across at him, scared at the look of complete defeat on his face.

  “How did it go?” she asked, wincing at the look of pain he directed at her.

  “Carson enlightened me on a few things,” he said, and she could see the well of sorrow, so deep in his eyes.

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  He sighed, a shuddering in his chest telling her the emotions he had welled up there, emotions mirrored in her own broken heart. “I don't know where to begin.”

  They were heading to Bear Cree
k, the car eating up the miles while Carson’s words ate up his soul. She concentrated on the road, biting her lip to stop herself from pulling over and kissing his pain away. The whites of her knuckles showed where she fought to keep the car going forward. She had to hold it together.

  “You should drop me off; I can make my own way back.”

  “No. I’m taking you home.”

  “Freyja. You’ll be seen.”

  “I don't care.”

  “Stop the car here and I’ll tell you everything.”

  “No. Not here.”

  “Freyja, you don’t understand. This is far worse than you know.”

  “I know everything, Will.”

  “What?”

  “Left jacket pocket.”

  He put his hand in to his pocket and pulled out a phone. “I don’t understand.”

  “I had planned to record Carson. When I went to see him. But I didn’t want to risk the evidence of our conversation being taken from me if he realised what I was doing. So, I planned to call that phone as I left the car. Then let my phone record it, from the safety of my car. When you offered to go in, I slipped the phone in your pocket instead. It was on silent. When you got out the car I rang it, then I slipped it into your pocket when I hugged you.”

  “You didn’t trust me?”

  “No.”

  He slumped back in the seat. “Thanks.”

  “Not in the way you think.” She blinked back tears, and then a sob erupted from her mouth, which she quickly swallowed. “I never knew what was going on with you, Will. But I always knew that if I needed you, you would be there for me.” She turned and looked at him directly, slowing the car to a halt outside the hangout where he lived above. “I also knew that you would sacrifice yourself for me. If you had to, you would lay down your life for me. I did not want to chance that snake Carson taking advantage of you for my sake.”