Werebear’s Baby Girl

by T. S. Ryder

  “Good. Because the doctor thinks that is good exercise . . . you should do it frequently . . . ” She started to feel the aches in her body from the force of their movements and let out a small groan. “God. I’ll never go back to human guys after this.”

  Rex chuckled as he kissed her hair. “Good. Because I never want you to leave.”

  A spike of surprise went through Mindy. Her eyes widened, even as her heart soared. She hid a smile in his chest, her arms tightening around him. Maybe this wasn’t a fairy tale after all . . . maybe this was real.

  Chapter Fourteen – Rex

  The island didn’t have a real bank. Instead, it was a credit union run by the Ridgeline clan, under Kurtis’ jurisdiction. Given the current state of the island, there would be no help there getting the money they needed to pay off the remaining part of Meyer’s loan. So, he took Mindy and Ginny to the mainland to get a mortgage on his property so that he could have the money to pay off Meyer.

  As he arrived, an arm around Mindy’s waist while he carried Ginny in her car seat, he saw Jarvis and Fredrick exiting the bank. He slowed down, eyeing Jarvis warily. They hadn’t seen each other since Rex had been shot.

  The two other bears caught sight of them and adjusted their course to come greet them. Fredrick gave them a wide, open smile, waving at Ginny as she babbled. Jarvis nodded at Mindy, smiled at the baby and focused on Rex.

  “What are you doing here, Rex?”

  “Same thing you are, most likely. The alphas tasked the two of you to figure out how to pay Meyer?”

  Jarvis’ smile turned to a scowl. “Yeah.”

  Fredrick nodded, looking grim. “He has us over the barrel. If people knew what we were, we’d have Salem all over again. I’d like to put the fear of God in him.”

  “The problem is, a man like Meyer thinks he is God.” Rex’s gaze darkened. Didn’t he once think that of himself as well? Could there be a possibility to reason with Meyer? “I just wish I knew how to make him turn around . . . change . . . ”

  “Not everybody wants to change, Rex.” Tyrell narrowed his eyes at him, though what he was thinking, Rex didn’t know. “We know two things for certain, though. We can’t let our secret get out, and we can’t let him bleed us dry. For the sake of our children.” He glanced again at Ginny, his gaze softening once more. “Kurtis and Bobby have managed to negotiate some wiggle room and Noel’s looking into his history while Ricky’s trying to find out more about his organization. He’s got his fingers in a lot of pies, though.”

  Rex felt a surge of pride in his alphas. They weren’t showing him their bellies. Yes, they needed to play along for the sake of the island, but meanwhile, they were thinking of ways to solve this. They had to think of everything. It must be so stressful for them.

  “Has anybody seen the video he’s got?” Mindy asked, shifting from foot to foot.

  Jarvis shook his head. “Anyway, how much are you looking for, Rex? These banks charge an arm and a leg for interest.”

  “Well . . . We’re not sure whether Meyer’s going to double interest again, but we need five thousand right—” Rex stared as Jarvis whipped out his phone. “What are you doing?”

  “Cynthia and I have got about that much saved up. You’ll have to pay us back,” he added, narrowing his eyes at Rex, “but it’ll be better than, what? Selling your boat?”

  Rex shook his head. “Mortgage.”

  Fredrick snorted. “Yeah, no. What happens if you default? We could end up with some developer building condos on the island.”

  Rex stared at Jarvis. He was going to lend him the money, just like that? A lump rose in his throat. Normally being this close to his rival made his bear go crazy but right now it was content to just lie down in his chest. Chilling out. Maybe things really were changing.

  Jarvis smiled at him. He punched Rex’s shoulder lightly and grinned at Ginny again. “She looks like you.”

  “God, I hope not!” Rex’s eyes widened in horror as he looked down at Ginny.

  Jarvis laughed. “She’ll probably start looking like her mother when she’s a little older. Tamara did.”

  The mention of his niece made Rex’s shoulders slump. Once more he was reminded of how little progress he had made in that direction. Seeing his expression, Mindy leaned against him and shook her head.

  “Has Cynthia softened at all?”

  Jarvis hesitated a moment. “She . . . is thinking.”

  Mindy’s eyes flashed, and she opened her mouth, but Rex interrupted. “Considering everything, I’m grateful for that. Thank you, for the money. I will pay you back. In the meantime . . . ” He glanced down at his daughter and then turned to Mindy. With all the stress going on, it would be good for them to have some time to relax. “Want to go get a swimming suit for Ginny? I’d like to be able to take her to the beach sometime soon. It’s going to start getting colder.”

  Mindy still frowned at Jarvis, but she nodded. “Yeah. We can do that.”

  “There’s a great kid’s store downtown,” Jarvis offered. “It’s got a good selection of new and used stuff.”

  Fredrick sighed loudly, his expression caught somewhere between amused and wistful. “Guess I’ll start heading for the docks. Since I’m the only one here without a child.”

  He headed off, and Jarvis gave Rex directions. His bear rankled, even at those simple instructions but he fought it down. He ought to be glad that Jarvis wasn’t disapproving of him spending money on this instead of saving every penny to pay him back. The weight of that debt—and that trust—sat heavy in Rex’s chest but it wasn’t an uncomfortable weight. No . . . this was almost comforting. It was a step in the right direction, Jarvis putting that trust in him.

  And once Meyer was out of the way, perhaps things would improve even further.

  ***

  Five thousand dollars, all in hundreds, in a single white envelope. Rex’s bear snarled and growled as he walked up the path to Kurtis’ townhouse, already furious at having to face this man. He forced that discomfort down, though. He needed to stay calm, rational and, yes, submissive, in order to keep Meyer from coming after Mindy in a fit of revenge. Rex had no doubt that his previous intimidation would only go so far.

  Meyer glared at him, fear and fury equal in his eyes as he opened the door. Rex thrust the envelope at him, keeping his bear down.

  “The rest of Mindy’s debt.”

  The tense muscles in Meyer’s jaw relaxed. “You still owe me a new gun.”

  “I don’t think so. You tried to kill me for no reason, and you came after Mindy . . . So no. I don’t owe you a new gun.” Rex paused for a moment. Even with the look of arrogance in Meyer’s eyes, he still looked terrified. It was something that Rex would have gloated over in another lifetime. Now, though, he kept his head screwed on straight and lowered his voice, so as to sound less threatening. “Bears only kill when we’re cornered. We don’t want any trouble—but you’re cornering us. Having a gun? Would only make your threat worse. It might even make someone act irrationally and go after you.”

  Meyer tensed again. “So you’re threatening me now?”

  How was that a threat? “No. I’m telling you the facts.”

  “If I get hurt, everybody in the world will know exactly what is happening on this island. That video will be released. What will you do then, huh?”

  Rex opened his mouth, his bear snarling, but he swallowed it down. He couldn’t act irrationally. As triumph blazed in Meyer’s eyes, though, Rex thought about what he would have done even a few years ago, had he been in Meyer’s position.

  He never could resist bragging.

  “So this video . . . I guess it’s set up with some sort of time release? You have to keep postponing the release otherwise it would automatically go up. How many people did you need to do that?’

  Meyer laughed at him, a smirk crossing his face. “You’re pretty stupid, you know that? How many people? One. Me. I know technology.”

  A thrill went through Rex, though he fought t
o keep it off his face. That meant that nobody else was involved in it. He stuck his hands in his pockets and shuffled backward, making himself look small and submissive. Not easy but he managed it. Just keep him from suspecting anything.

  “Whatever. Just stay away from Mindy.”

  “Do you really think that you’re in a position to give demands? You animals are awfully pretentious. If I choose to release the video, everybody sees you turning into a bear. And then hunters from all over the world will come to this place, and you’ll be riddled with so many bullets that even you won’t be able to get back to your feet. And then what will happen to dear little Mindy?”

  The taunt made Rex growl despite himself. Meyer flinched, and Rex got only a little triumph over that before the loan shark’s face hardened.

  “Watch it. Who do you think they’ll come after first?”

  “How do we even know you have a video?” Rex clenched his hands in his pockets, wanting nothing more than to punch this smug son of a bitch in the face. “You weren’t anywhere near Mindy and me when we were talking.”

  Meyer smirked. He reached into his pocket, making Rex tense but he only pulled out a cellphone. He flipped through it and then held it out, showing Rex the video.

  It was clearer than he had hoped. The angle had the wind blowing right into the mic, which would be why he hadn’t smelled Meyer there, but the words could still be heard clearly. As he watched, an icy chill ran down his spine to curdle in his gut. He remembered that he had considered not telling Mindy that he was a bear shifter just yet, instead making love with her and leaving telling her his secret for another time. If he had done that, then perhaps the island’s secret would be safe.

  “I’ve seen enough,” he snapped.

  His mind went a million miles per hour. The quality of the video was good but not great. The video had obviously been shot on a cellphone. There had to be something they could do . . . maybe steal his laptop? Hack into his social media accounts? But there was no way to know for certain where he had stored the copies of the video, which he was sure to have, and Rex doubted he’d tell them.

  “So you see,” Meyer said, still grinning triumphantly, “you can do nothing. There is no stopping me, Rex. Just give me what I am owed.”

  “You have your money.” Rex averted his gaze so Meyer wouldn’t see the idea sparking in his brain. “Just leave us alone. Video or no video, you don’t want to push us too far.”

  He turned on his heel and walked away without listening to Meyer’s arrogant shouts after him. A grin crossed his face as he headed for the one clunker he’d kept. Meyer might think that he had just proven his superiority, but in truth, he’d revealed the ace up Rex’s sleeve. Seeing the video had given Rex everything he needed to come up with a solution.

  The car coughed as it started but was soon running. Rex steered it towards the alphas’ house, at the center of convergence of the four clan territories.

  His cellphone went off, breaking his concentration. He glanced at it, surprised. Out here on the island cell reception was spotty at best. When his gaze landed on it, though, his heart sunk. It wasn’t a call at all. It was a reminder. He was meant to be meeting with Dr. Hopkins in an hour. A curse flew from his mouth. For all his talk about therapy helping him change for the better, he forgot his appointments?

  He let out a breath, releasing the swell of guilt. There were plenty of legitimate reasons why he had forgotten about it. He’d have to call Dr. Hopkins once he reached the alpha’s house.

  The house, large enough for all four alphas, their mate, their son, their unborn child and any other children they might have in the future, soon came into view. He parked alongside Ricky’s truck and hopped out. He allowed a grin to spread across his face as he raced to the porch and rang the doorbell.

  Bobby answered. He was the most even-tempered bear on the island and rather slender for an alpha. He had been elected to the position of alpha in the Black Sands, rather than receiving it through heritage, but that didn’t make his authority any less in Rex’s eyes. Seeing him made Rex’s bear retreat a little.

  “Rex.” Bobby nodded at him. “What brings you here?”

  Rex’s face broke into a grin, earning him a raised brow. “I know how to stop Meyer.”

  Chapter Fifteen – Mindy

  When Diana Dobson, the alpha-queen of the island (at least, that was how Mindy understood it; she wasn’t entirely certain how it worked yet) invited Mindy to her house, she jumped at the opportunity. Since they had gotten to the island, it had been mostly just her, Rex and Ginny. Sure, they went places together, but with the threat of Meyer over their heads, Mindy hadn’t been too thrilled about the idea of leaving the house. Now that her debts had been paid off, however, Mindy felt like she could breathe again.

  After she arrived at the alphas’ house and found Cynthia and Ruby there, she got a little tense. The other women were welcoming, though and inquired politely about both her and Rex. She slowly started to relax.

  Now, they were on YouTube, watching the video titled ‘Island Bears—coming soon!’

  Mindy stifled a giggle as the camera panned down Rex’s body, stopping just short of indecency. It cut to a shot from a distance as he shifted to his bear’s form. Her own, overly dramatic expression of shock made her groan.

  “I am definitely not an actress,” she sighed.

  Ruby laughed, patting her on the back. “We wanted it to look bad, remember?”

  The scene cut away to images of her and Rex walking along the beach, with cheesy, overly romantic music overlaying it. Then it cut to a dramatic shot of her face, looking afraid and a closeup of Rex in his bear form. A voiceover came on, “Don’t be afraid.”

  It cut out then, and a website that the alphas had slapped together came up.

  Cynthia laughed as she bounced her child on her knee. He was the same age as Ginny. “The alphas have outdone themselves. That looks exactly like an amateur attempt at shooting a movie.”

  Diana nodded. “You should check out the comments, too. So many people saying that the graphics suck and the bear looks so fake. Rex was pretty smart getting this up.”

  A proud smile crossed Mindy’s face. It had been his idea to put out the video, making it look like it was part of a movie that was being filmed for YouTube. Now even if Meyer released his video, nobody would believe that it was real. They’d think it was just footage of the “Island Bears” movie. The alphas already had the cancellation of the movie project planned, due to “overwhelmingly negative feedback.” It was brilliant.

  In the meantime, the alphas had increased security at the house that Meyer was staying at, to make sure that he didn’t bother any other bears or make more videos.

  Mindy turned to the other women. As good as the idea was, she couldn’t help but feel nervous. “Do you think it will work?”

  “Of course.” Cynthia smiled. “When you look at that and think about some of the advanced techniques that they use in movies these days, Rex does look fake, doesn’t he?”

  Beside her, her older daughter Tamara huffed. “But it’s real.”

  Ruby ruffled her brilliantly red hair. “They won’t know that, sweetie.”

  “But why don’t we want them to know?”

  Mindy studied Tamara for a little bit. The six-year-old had the flaming red hair that her father and aunt shared but Mindy could see the resemblance to Rex.

  Cynthia kissed Tamara on the top of her head. “Remember how I found out that you could turn into a bear and I was really scared, and I scared you and Daddy?”

  Tamara grimaced.

  “It’s like that. Only a lot of people finding out together would cause panic. So that’s why we want to keep it a secret, at least for now.” Cynthia paused for a moment, then combed her fingers through Tamara’s hair. “And I know it looks real, but that’s because we know that it is. People out there in the world, they don’t know that bears like you are real and so they’ll believe any explanation that sounds more realistic to them.�
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  Tamara snorted. “People are dumb.”

  All four of the adults laughed. Tamara rolled her eyes and wandered away, bored with the conversation. Mindy adjusted Ginny in her arms, as the baby was getting fussy. Cynthia’s baby, too, was starting to cry.

  Mindy whipped out a blanket from her diaper bag and let Ginny stretch out on the floor. She settled at once, and Cynthia put her son on the blanket, too. Mindy considered her for a moment. There had been no word about whether or not she was softening toward Rex or not. While Mindy understood her point, she believed that it was no longer necessary to keep Rex away from his niece.

  “So,” she said, her gaze still on Cynthia. “You reacted badly when you found out about the shifting?”

  Cynthia grimaced. “In my defense, I found out because someone attacked me.”

  Mindy narrowed her eyes. “But you still reacted badly . . . Maybe reacting in a way that you now wish you hadn’t?”

  Cynthia’s expression was blank, but there was a look in her eyes that told Mindy that she knew exactly what she was driving at.

  “I’m not saying that Rex doesn’t regret what he did, or that if the same situation came up right now rather than a year ago, he’d do the same thing. But I don’t know, not yet. Until I do—”

  “How can you know if you won’t give him the chance to prove that he’s changed?”

  Diana cleared her throat, bringing the attention to her. “Well, I understand that Cynthia’s hesitant. But Rex and Tyrell seem to be on better terms with each other. I know that Rex is determined to finish his rota so that he can earn money for the college fund.”

  Mindy and Cynthia gazed at each other for a long moment before Cynthia nodded. “You’re right.”

  Mindy gave Diana a grateful smile, then focused on Cynthia again. “So, what do you think? Will you give him a chance? I know he won’t disappoint you.”

  Tamara came storming into the room again. “I want to go outside. Aunt Ruby, could you please take me up to see the two seal pups that Noel brought back?”