Bear's Temptation

by Fay Walsh

  This thought made her realize that she would be held responsible for whatever would happen with this. Even if she didn’t share it, she would need to make sure it was kept safe. This shot felt like a ticking bomb.

  But, what to do? What would be the best course of action?

  “Ugh, this is so hard!” she cried out loud, banging her fingers on the table.

  She wanted more than anything to just bite the bullet and do it, but at the same time, there was some sort of force holding her back. She thought that maybe it was her guilty conscience. Maybe she was just worried that someone might figure out that she was the one selling it.

  Lisa tensed, trying to figure out what to do. This was the hardest dilemma in her whole life. In truth, she wanted to reveal everything about Darren’s true nature to the world, but there was something within her that was holding her back. She couldn’t believe that she actually felt guilty about hurting someone that had treated her like garbage.

  “Why? Why do I feel guilty?” she asked herself.

  It couldn’t be her conscience, could it? She normally didn’t care. She was a journalist, although she had never been in a similar position before. She had thought that uncovering a secret would be exciting, but in reality she was deeply bothered. She had to decide, even though it was a hard choice.

  She could send it to the press, just to get it off her hands. This would get Darren the attention he deserved. He was rude, and she couldn’t stand people like him! She started typing her boss’s email address, but when she got to the button her fingers were shaking like crazy.

  It was strange. It was like a presence was preventing her from doing this. She wanted to push it. She had to finish what she had started, but she couldn’t. She didn’t think it was right.

  “Why? Why do I want to protect him?” she exclaimed in frustration.

  She had the picture. She had the email open with her boss’s name on it, and it was right there. It was practically begging for her to press the button and end everything. But, she couldn’t. She just couldn’t do it. Instead, she stored the picture in a hidden folder on her laptop and deleted it from her phone.

  “I just don’t get it! It’s like my body has a will of its own. Why must I protect this man?”

  She sighed, wondering just what it was that was holding her back. She had all the means to take revenge on this man for the way that he had treated her. Eventually, she would.

  Chapter 8

  Darren raced back to his Clan with his heart pounding through his chest. He hadn’t predicted this course of events.

  On the one hand, Darren feared that a human, and even graver a reporter, had snapped a picture of him in his bear form. On the other hand though, he felt elevated that he was able to save her. It was a weird mixture of feelings.

  “I can’t believe her,” he mumbled, wondering at her daring personality.

  He had thought that she was better than this. That she would have some ethics as a journalist. The fact that she had done this sent a feeling of betrayal through his body.

  He needed the picture back. He couldn’t let her be, that was for sure.

  He went inside to where the guys were, and they all looked at him with wonder. Their eyes were widened, and Darren could feel them expecting to drop the bomb.

  “What’s the matter?” Travis said.

  “It’s hard to explain,” Darren said.

  “Do you want to go talk about it in private?” Travis offered.

  Darren nodded. “I’d prefer to keep it between myself and the Alpha. If that’s okay,” he stated to the rest of the Clan.

  “Let’s go then,” Travis said.

  Before the duo left for the Alpha’s office, Billy commented.

  “Gee, he looks spooked,” he stated.

  “It’s none of your business Billy,’ Darren spat.

  “Gee, sorry about that. Whatever, just don’t bring us any trouble,” he said.

  Darren sighed and he felt Travis’ hand on his shoulder, urging him to follow him.

  “Relax. We’ll talk inside. Whatever has you spooked is something you shouldn’t take out on the guys. I can tell you’re worried, Darren, but right now isn’t the time for conflict,” Travis said.

  “You’re right. Sorry,” Darren said.

  Travis smiled, lightly tapping Darren’s back and the two of them went into the office. Travis closed the door, locking it, and he sat down at the desk. Darren sat across from him, and he immediately spoke.

  “She saw,” Darren said.

  “You mean that woman, right?”

  “Yeah. The reporter. The one who keeps bothering me for an interview. She saw me shift today. It wasn’t because I wanted her to see though, Travis. She was in danger,” he tried to make as much sense as possible.

  Travis bit his lip and nodded.

  “I see. What was the danger, if you don’t mind me asking,” he inquired.

  “There are more shifters in town. More than we thought, Travis. I… I fought one of those shifters. He was actually a lion. We need to discover them,” Darren explained.

  “Oh boy. This is going to be fun,” Travis said.

  “Yeah. There was this lion shifter, and honestly, I thought that I could take him without shifting. But then, he was about to kill Lisa. That’s her name. The journalist,” he explained.

  “Lovely. So, the situation is like this. We have a shifter that’s hell-bent on killing humans again, and we have a human that’s found out you’re a shifter. We need to watch our backs.”

  “Correct. And she just snapped a picture of me. I just… I don’t know what to do, Travis. I know that she doesn’t mean harm, but she’s bent on making sure she gets the scoop that she wants. She’s a reporter, she has no heart for other people,” Darren said, not even himself believing the panick in his voice.

  “I know some reporters who aren’t complete dirtbags. But, I will say this, Darren, I do believe you’re going to need to watch your back. Do you think that she will be a threat for the rest of the Clan?” Travis asked.

  “I don’t know Travis. But… I fear what will happen if I approach. I fear she might turn on me, even though I must do it,” he stated.

  “Darren, you never know. Women are bizarre. Trust me, as much as I love Alana, I know that her mind works in a weird way. I know that… they tend to act on instinct without understanding things. But, the big thing for you to realize, Darren, is that you need to rely on others for once. I know that you’re bad with that. You tend to bottle everything up but if you keep doing that, you’re going to get hurt. You’re better than this, man, and I know that you’re stronger than this,” Travis said.

  Darren sighed, listening to Travis. The Alpha was right. He needed couldn’t handle this alone.

  “You’re right, Travis. What do I do now?” he inquired.

  “Simple Darren. You work this out with her. Go and talk to her, explain things. If she hasn’t reported to the first available website yet, you’re still in the clear. But if you discuss it with her, she might tell you her reasoning and you will be able to secure this picture. Some people are better with explanations than you think, Darren. Humans are bizarre, as you’ll soon realize,” Travis explained.

  Darren listened, acknowledging the words that Travis uttered.

  “Maybe you are right Travis. Maybe you are,” he said.

  “I know that I’m right, Darren. I know because… well, I get humans. I want you to work it out, because it is not only dangerous for you. This picture threatens the whole Clan and this time it’s your responsibily. Of course, I’ll have your back, if you need me to. Both me and the guys. Please, try to work on that so that, when the time is right, you take a leap of faith, letting her know the truth,” Travis explained.

  Darren nodded, taking all of this in. Travis was right. This was his responsibility and he couldn’t put the guys in this position, just because he was caught off guard. He would make this right for everyone.

  “Thanks, Travis. I appreciate th
is,” he said.

  “Hey, sometimes you just need that kick in the pants. That’s why I’m here,” Travis said with a smirk.

  Darren laughed, and the two of them sat right there for a moment in silence. Darren looked over at Travis with a frown on his face.

  “Don’t tell the guys about this. I don’t want them to ask me questions and I don’t want to worry them. I will report everything to you,” he stated.

  “Your secret is safe with me, Darren,” Travis said.

  Darren extended his hand, a smile pouring over his face.

  “You’re a great Alpha, Travis,” Darren said.

  “Thanks. I try to be, Darren, but I know that I stumble and fall sometimes,” he admitted.

  “We all do. It happens, but with the right dedication and drive, everything will be okay,” Darren said with a smile.

  Both of the guys stood up and walked outside. The other shifters looked up, with Billy practically clamoring for an explanation. But before he could say anything, Travis stepped in.

  “Don’t worry about this everyone. It’s Darren’s battle. He just needed someone to talk to about this,” he said.

  “Yeah,” Darren agreed.

  The other shifters nodded.

  “But will it affect us?” Benjamin asked.

  “It might. But, we are trying to talk to this person. Thinking of all of our options,” Travis explained.

  The shifters didn’t get it, but all of them seemed to be in support of whatever both Travis and Darren were doing. When they walked out, Travis closed the door and walked with Darren to the edge of the property.

  “When in doubt, offer her money, Darren. Humans are quite… strange and their obsession with money. Sometimes a small amount can dissolve all of the conflicts at hand. If you feel like, you’re not getting anywhere with her then try to bribe her. I say, do that as a last resort,” he explained.

  Darren seemed to understand Travis’ reasoning.

  “Yeah. She seems money-hungry, in a sense, so this might work,” he pointed out.

  “There you go. You’re strong Darren, I do applaud that. You are more level-headed than some other shifters would be in this same situation,” Travis explained.

  Darren nodded. “I’m just trying to protect everyone,” he replied.

  “And it’s working, Darren. Just… continue to be strong, to be secure, and to put trust and faith in yourself. I believe that, once you manage to do that, everything will be okay,” he stated.

  Darren agreed with that and decided to take action at once. He walked over to her place. When he outside her house, he saw that the lights were on. He took a deep breath, considering all the ways that this could go.

  “Geez,” he said.

  He hoped that she would be accepting towards him, especially after she had heard his explanation. When he knocked on the door, he felt his body hesitate for but a moment, wondering if she would respond.

  After a brief second though, he heard the door unlock, and soon, it opened up. Darren stared at Lisa, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.

  “What do you want?” she asked, slightly fearful.

  “I’m here to talk and to possibly make things right,” he said to her.

  Lisa paused and Darren was sure that she would slam the door on his face. He noticed that her hands were shaking and that she refused to look him in the eye. But then, she opened the door a bit wider, letting out a sigh frustration.

  “Come on in,” she told him.

  He looked at her and he realized that she was annoyed. He hoped that this wouldn’t turn awkward. From just the fact that she had let him in, he felt that there was a chance that this would go better than he thought.

  Upon entering the house, he sat down in the spot she motioned and she sat next to him. There was an awkward silence, since no-one seemed too keen on talking. After taking a deep breath, Darren spoke.

  “So…”

  “You’re here for the picture, aren’t you?” she inquired.

  “Yeah. Honestly, if you want money for it, I have some-”

  “No,” she simply stated, not caring to explain any further.

  Darren’s eyes widened as she stood up, heading towards her computer. She opened up a folder, and after some clicks she opened the picture for him to see. He looked at her as she zoomed in the picture to focus on Darren’s face. She looked at him, and then she immediately turned away with her face reddening in response.

  “But-”

  “Don’t worry about it. I don’t want this burden,” she interrupted him.

  She looked at him with a reddened face and Darren felt conflicted. He did appreciate that she wouldn’t go public with this, but at the same time, there were so many questions and so few answers. He felt that he owed her an explanation. This discovery would be shocking to her. Once he had told her his story, maybe they could begin again on the right terms.

  “Do you want to talk?” he asked her.

  Lisa seemed a bit hesitant, but then, after a brief moment, she nodded.

  “Yeah. I’d like to know a little bit more about it,” she admitted.

  Darren looked at her, trying to figure out where to begin. At that moment, she seemed to not be as belligerent as before, but a part of him also wondered if there was more to her actions than met the eye. He wondered if his explanation would be enough for her, or if she would demand more.

  Darren wanted to tell her everything, for some reason. He had come at her place expecting her to be put up some kind of fight. He never considered that she would just not want the picture. Maybe there was more to her than what met the eye.

  Darren hoped that he wouldn’t regret his decision.

  Chapter 9

  As Darren sat there, Lisa kept feeling her face heat up. She wondered what to ask first. She had so many questions but she still hesitated, as she felt his eyes gaze upon her with curiosity and concern.

  “But why? You could ruin my damn life with this, Lisa. You could make so much money off of one picture,” he pointed out.

  “I don’t want to. It’s not right,” she admitted.

  “Are you sure? I mean, I know that it’s definitely something you could take advantage of. I made the mistake of letting someone catch me in that form,” he explained.

  Lisa tensed, clenching her fists and looked at him.

  “You know you’re just a monster, right?” she said.

  “Yeah. I do know that. And I don’t really plan to change that about me,” he said to her.

  “Well, I don’t appreciate it at all. You’re smug, you think you’re better than everyone, and you’re cold. Something I find so… so annoying!” she said.

  “I understand. But, you know that’s how I run my business, right?” he asked.

  “I know this, and yet… In truth, I know that you’re cold-hearted, but there is something… something about you that keeps reeling me in. I don’t get it at all. I’m not used to feelings such as this if we’re going to be honest here,” she explained to him.

  “I understand. I mean, sometimes, it’s easier not to explain. But, are you sure about the picture? I mean, I know that you could benefit from this. You’re trying to make it big, and this would be that ticket to fame,” Darren pressured her.

  She hesitated. She knew this. She had thought long and hard about it. She had even typed the email with her boss’s email address. But, she didn’t send it and a part of her still wondered why she didn’t screw his life up, when she had the chance.

  “I don’t get it myself, Darren. I honestly don’t. I would love to be done with this all,” she said to him.

  “I know. Well, if you do end up wanting to say something, it’s fine. I understand why,” he said.

  “I don’t want to Darren. I really don’t. There’s something about you… something that makes me curious. There are just so many questions that I have, so many things left unexplained. I really want to learn,” she pleaded him.

  There was that journalistic curiosity that went
with this. She wondered if there was a chance that she would finally get the answers that she wanted.

  She knew that in order to get that, she would need to make sure that she kept him on her good side. There was really no sense in making him annoyed if she wanted the truth. She just needed to follow his pace.