Kendall's Mates

by Munro, Shelley

  “What about children?”

  “We’ve decided we’re not ready for children yet, but once we are it won’t matter who the biological father is. The child or children will belong to all of us.”

  “But your arrangement is non-traditional. Don’t people gossip and, forgive me, treat you like a tramp?”

  “I’m sure they do, but none of them want to upset my men. They’re fiercely loyal to me and to each other. Living in a small town like Churchill has actually helped.”

  Something dashed across the road, and Fiona slowed the vehicle.

  “Was that a polar bear?”

  “Yes.” Fiona frowned in the direction of the fleeing animal. “They’re near town but it’s not polar bear season yet. That normally starts around October. This is when to the bears start to congregate to wait for the sea ice to form.”

  “So why would this bear be so close to town?”

  Fiona peered through the windshield and searched the shadows. “I don’t know. It looked skinny. I mean, the bears are skinnier than normal at this time of the year because they don’t eat until they’re on the sea ice.”

  “Should you report the bear? It’s not right in town, but what if it attacks someone?”

  “I’ll ring as soon as we get home,” Fiona informed her.

  They completed the rest of the drive, and Fiona pulled up outside the warehouse. She and the Swenson brothers lived in the accommodation above.

  “How does a toasted sandwich sound?” Fiona asked.

  “Perfect.”

  “Great. You shower and get ready for bed. You look as if you’re almost asleep on your feet. I’ll start the sandwiches and make that phone call.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You can pay me back by making dinner tomorrow night,” Fiona said.

  “Deal.” Kendall forced her legs to move, exhaustion striking her now that she was back at Fiona’s. Fiona murmured into the phone as Kendall turned into her bedroom and closed the door. She glanced at the bed and sat while she took off her footwear. Her boots clomped as she set them aside. Just a few minutes. She’d lie down for a few minutes and rest.

  * * * * *

  “Leif suggested I call you.” Fiona’s voice rippled down the phone line. “I didn’t want to notify the authorities in case it was a shifter. We have seen no normal polar bears for months. This bear ran across the road in front of us.”

  “We’ll investigate,” Sax said.

  Tate and Ran nodded approval since they’d eavesdropped on the entire conversation.

  “I’m probably worrying about nothing, and it all happened so fast. The bear appeared very skinny.”

  “Your instincts were right. We’ll check it out now, and if it’s a wild polar bear, we’ll make sure it leaves town. If it’s a shifter…”

  “I’m going to worry until I know.” Fiona paused. “Will you send me a text and let me know what you find? Don’t phone because Kendall is sleeping. She crashed before she ate dinner.”

  “I’ll text you,” Sax promised and hung up.

  “I’ll get the check while you finish your steak,” Tate said.

  Five minutes later, they left the bar. Once outside Sax automatically breathed in the air, testing for out-of-place scents.

  “Nothing,” Sax said. “You?”

  Tate shook his head. “Lots of human scents but no shifters or wild bears.”

  “We should check out the house. Perhaps our guest has arrived earlier than we expected,” Ran suggested.

  “Beats driving around the streets looking for a ghost bear,” Tate agreed.

  “You want to walk?” Sax asked.

  “It might be better than announcing our arrival.” Tate turned toward Sax’s house. “Any guesses as to how Kendall will cope with knowing of our shifter heritage?”

  Ran shrugged. “She’s the first woman we’ve met that we’re serious enough about to consider telling. It’s hard to say. She seems sensible. Like Fiona. Fiona obviously didn’t freak out on learning of polar bear shifters.”

  “Early days,” Sax said. “Let’s see how a joint relationship works with her before we worry how to tell her the truth. One point in our favor is that Fiona is around for her to discuss bear shifters.”

  “Good point,” Tate agreed.

  “Yes,” Ran said. “I wonder if she’d like me to read aloud to her. I could read a biography.”

  In a matter of minutes, they approached the building and halted by mutual consent halfway down the street. Lights shone from behind drawn curtains at the neighbor’s. Sax’s house lay in darkness.

  Ran made snuffling noises, his broad chest rising and falling. “I don’t scent a bear.”

  “Okay,” Sax said. “Let’s split up and circle the house. And maybe one of us should wait at the front door in case we have a guest and flush them out.”

  “Tate and I have a better sense of smell. We’ll check around the house. You stay here.”

  Sax dipped his chin in a jerk of agreement. “Holler if you need me.”

  Before they could put their plan into action, the door to his house opened, a tall, thin man standing in the entrance.

  “Ah, I guessed you’d noticed my presence once I saw the work you’d done today.” He stood back. “You’d better come inside.”

  “Shouldn’t that be my line?” Sax said dryly as he stared at their father. “I mean, the house belongs to me.”

  “What are you doing here?” Tate demanded in a hard voice.

  Ran scowled but didn’t add to the conversation.

  The man shrugged and retreated inside.

  Sax glanced at his brothers and suspected their set expressions echoed his. “Are we going in?”

  “I have questions,” Ran admitted. “I guess you guys do too. Maybe he’ll answer them.”

  Tate scowled and gave a curt nod. He entered the house and Ran followed. Sax sucked in a fortifying breath before stepping inside. A light switched on in the main room.

  Sax walked into the lounge that still held the scars of their work today. Ran and Tate were in a stare-down with their father. Sax recalled his mother crying late at night after he’d gone to bed. Anger flared to life in him, tension sliding through his limbs.

  A thought occurred. “How long have you been here? Did you arrive in polar bear form?”

  “Yes,” Gunnar Hallsten said. “Someone saw me.”

  “I’ll text Fiona so she stops worrying,” Sax told his brothers. He punched in a quick message and shoved his phone away in his jeans pocket. “Right. Why are you here? And why are you sneaking around instead of approaching us like a normal person?”

  “I wasn’t sure if any of you wanted to speak with me,” Gunnar confessed.

  Sax stared at the man he’d last seen as a teenager. As far as he knew, Ran and Tate hadn’t seen their father since the year they’d turned fifteen. The year their parents had separated.

  “Why are you here?” Ran demanded.

  Gunnar sank onto the red couch. His bony shoulders hunched and his face seemed pale, almost yellow in the warm light. “I wanted to speak to the three of you. Together.”

  “Ever heard of a phone?” Tate asked.

  “These days I spend most of my time in bear form. I don’t own a phone and had no idea of where you were or how to contact you. Then, local gossip told me you were back in Churchill. I seized the opportunity. I needed to talk to you together. It’s important.”

  Sax exchanged glances with his brothers. Why now? Why hadn’t he bothered to search them out when they could’ve done with a masculine figure in their lives? Did he want money? Had he learned how successful they were and wanted his share?

  “Do you have anything to drink?” Gunnar asked. “My throat is scratchy.”

  “Water?” Tate asked.

  “Please.” Gunnar coughed. His shoulders shook with the force of his hacks, and Sax, Ran and Tate glanced at each other again.

  Sax strode to the kitchen to grab a glass of water and hurried back when
their father’s barking continued. Gunnar fumbled in his jacket and pulled out a handkerchief. He covered his mouth with it, and once the coughs tailed off, Gunnar wiped his lips. Sax noticed the blood on the handkerchief before Gunnar whisked it back into his pocket. Sax handed him the glass of water. Several drops splashed over the edge of the glass before Gunnar took his first swallow.

  “Have you seen a doctor?”

  “I’m dying. The clan medicine men can do nothing for me,” Gunnar said. “Cancer, they said.”

  Sax stared, his throat tight at the revelation. He wanted to demand why now? Why bother? They’d needed him when they were children. They’d required his guidance during their teens. They’d craved his love and approval then. He glanced at Ran and Tate and read their irritation, their anguish. Like him, they weren’t sure what to do or how to feel about the disclosure from Gunnar.

  “Do you need money? Is that what you’re here for?” Ran asked with a trace of belligerence.

  Gunnar didn’t react to the attitude. “I need to explain why I didn’t hang around when you were kids.” He sounded more sad than anything.

  Anger flared in Sax, but he refused to unleash it or to show Gunnar how much his disinterest had hurt him. How it had wounded each of them.

  “Few fathers did. Most of our friends have different fathers. It’s the polar bear shifter way.” Tate’s voice sounded gravel-hard, and his expression etched into tight lines of disapproval. “Although I don’t understand why. If I ever have children, I will be part of their lives.”

  “Sax, do you and Ran feel the same way as Tate?” Gunnar scanned their faces. For an instant, Sax saw regret. Gunnar scrubbed a hand across his face then his gaze dropped to his feet. His thin shoulders caved inward as if shame sapped at his strength.

  “Yes, if any of us have children, we’ll nurture them. Let them know they’re loved and supported no matter what path in life they choose.” Sax had no need to confirm with Ran. He knew. They were family and best friends, and over the years they’d discussed the matter a time or two.

  “Good. That’s good.” Gunnar coughed again and sipped more water. “I never agreed with the old ways. Sax, when I met your mother I fell in love. I wanted to marry her and learning she was pregnant—it was one of the happiest days of my life.”

  “You walked away,” Sax snapped. “You never even looked over your shoulder. Do you know how damn hard it was being half-shifter? I could’ve done with your support. And then I couldn’t shift like the others. That made my life even more difficult and lonely.”

  Gunnar swallowed and tugged at his collar. His chin trembled. “I’m sorry. So sorry.”

  “Yeah. What happened? Why did you mate with our mother instead?” Tate asked.

  Ran shook his head in disbelief. “You might’ve been thrilled at the news of a pregnancy, but you made Marie miserable and our mother grumpy.”

  Gunnar expelled a hard sigh. “My mother happened. She didn’t approve of Marie or the fact she was human. I was young and stupid and afraid to leave Churchill and start over with nothing. In hindsight, that’s what I should’ve done. Manned up, left Churchill and taken Marie with me. I should have tried to get a job in Winnipeg or farther south. Marie pleaded with me to try this option but my mother informed me I’d never survive away from Churchill. She told me my polar bear would take over, and I swallowed every falsehood. In those days, young shifters didn’t leave Churchill.” He paused and coughed again. He hacked up more blood.

  Sax sat on the other end of the couch and waited for their father to recover. When he should experience love and kinship, sorrow at the knowledge his father was dying, all that filled him was confusion. Not enough to forgo all the manners his mother had taught him though. “Do you need anything? More water?”

  “No. Just listen. Please. The matriarchs of each family group held the power. They kept us together, and we obeyed their edicts. This was important since more and more humans came. We had to integrate, and the matriarchs kept the peace.”

  “I still don’t understand. If you loved Marie, you were short-changing our mother,” Tate said once Gunnar fell silent.

  For a long moment, their father stared at the far wall, his gaze distant as if he drifted in the past. Finally, Gunnar’s skinny chest rose and fell in a heavy sigh. “My mother gave me an ultimatum. I could have Marie but I had to leave Churchill. Remember, Ma had already informed me living away from here was impossible for a polar bear shifter. If I stayed, I had to mate with a shifter of her choosing.” He exhaled again, a long, wheeze of whistling air. “As I said, I was young and stupid. I didn’t support Marie or agree we could make it as a couple, as a family. So, I broke up with her and returned to the family home. Two weeks later, I mated with Amelia and we held the mating celebration. Not long afterward, I got a job with the railway. I wanted to support Marie too and obtained a second part-time job at the port. I helped Marie buy this house, so she had a permanent place to live. My mother was livid when she learned she could do nothing because the title was in Marie’s name.”

  “How old were you when you met my mother?” Sax had never asked. He’d known his mother had been young, around eighteen.

  “Nineteen of your human years. I had difficulty reading. Marie offered to help me after we met one day at the café. There was only one in Churchill then. Marie slipped on the ice, and I caught her before she fell. We shared a table, and she noticed I had trouble with the menu. I loved Marie. I miss her every day.”

  A sad smile curled across Gunnar’s lips, and Sax believed him. To his knowledge, his mother had never looked at another man.

  “What about our mother?” Ran demanded. “She didn’t deserve the crap you put her through.”

  Gunnar grimaced. “Amelia and I have made our peace. We both made mistakes, but she knew of Marie’s place in my life. I told her I intended to help Marie and our child. Amelia knew everything before we mated. She thought she could win my heart. She didn’t. I respect your mother, but I never felt more than friendship for her.”

  Ouch, Sax thought. That couldn’t be easy for Ran and Tate to hear.

  “Things were better for both of us after we separated,” Gunnar said.

  “If you loved Marie why didn’t you go back to her after you left our mother?” Ran asked.

  “It was too late. There were too many years of hurt between us. Besides, it would’ve made her a target. We talked most weeks, but I never visited her. I didn’t want to draw my mother’s attention…” He scanned each of their faces, regret evident in his pained expression and slumped shoulders. “This doesn’t show me in a great light. Believe me, if I had my time over, I’d do things differently. My mother and I never spoke again after I left Amelia, not even when Ma became sick. Ma refused to speak to me before she died. You boys are the only good thing to come out of this debacle. It pleases me you’ve found each other and you’ve created a successful business.” He wiped his sleeve over his brow to clear away beads of sweat.

  “Have you eaten?” Sax asked.

  “Food doesn’t stay down these days.” Gunnar was matter-of-fact and didn’t appear to want sympathy. “I won’t last much longer. I prayed I’d see you boys first. I prayed real hard for that.”

  A grudging compassion filtered through Sax. It can’t have been easy for Gunnar, trying to forge his own path, trying to fight tradition and a determined matriarch. But damn it. He’d messed with the lives of others. Not only his, but his sons, his lover, his mate.

  “Tell me about your business,” Gunnar said after a long silence. “Marie was real proud of you all. Amelia didn’t approve, I know, but these days she boasts to her friends. Sax, you always liked to build things. Marie didn’t want me to buy you the toolset. She decided you’d saw off a finger or injure yourself. But she listened and when you had a problem, she’d inform me and seek tips to pass on to you.”

  “That was you?” Sax asked, belatedly remembering his mother listening to his frustration and saying she might have an idea. A d
ay or so later, she’d come back with a suggestion to solve his building dilemma.

  “One time, after we heard you and Mom fight, I dreamed Tate and I should meet Sax. Every night for two weeks, I had the same dream. I should visit Sax and ask him to teach me how to build stuff,” Ran said.

  “Yeah, you gave us a toolset each, and we didn’t know what to do with any of the tools,” Tate contributed. “Ran described his dream to me. Our mother locked us in our room, in punishment for cutting off a girl’s pigtails. It wasn’t long after you and Mom had another argument about Marie, and we climbed out the window and visited Sax.”

  Ran chortled, more lighthearted now because of the pleasant memory. “Yeah, we bowled up to Marie’s door and knocked. We told her we’d come to visit our brother, and she let us in and gave us cookies and milk. She was so gracious when most woman would’ve acted the bitch. We loved Marie.”

  “Something we have in common,” Gunnar murmured. He coughed, a harsh phlegmy sound and a trickle of blood ran from his nose.

  Sax pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to his father. “You need to visit a doctor.”

  “No.” Gunnar groped inside his jacket and pulled out a thick envelope. “I have land. It’s an hour away via helicopter. I’ve signed it over to you boys. It’s a beautiful area, and it overlooks several polar bear dens. I’ve lived there for years off and on, and I keep the wolves away when it’s time for the mother and cubs to emerge. It’s a special place, and I know you boys will cherish it. You could develop a small lodge there if you wanted. I trust the three of you to keep the bears safe.”

  “Every generation returns to the same den,” Tate said.

  “Yes. It’s sacred and such a mystical place.” Gunnar’s expression brightened with enthusiasm. “Developers have been after me to sell the land. I’ve followed your company and the projects you’ve designed and built. Once I saw your designs I knew I could trust you with my land.”

  “Where are you staying?” Ran asked.