by Jane Jamison
He did, however, get between them as Brennan corrected his backward stumble and came at their father with a growl and fangs flashing. Their father shifted, too, bringing out his claws and his fangs. His own growl was lower and filled with fury.
“Hold up, you two. Get yourselves in control!” He stood in the middle, arms straight out, palms pressed against their chests. “We’re family. We’re pack.”
He pushed against them, forcing both to take a step back. Once he was sure they weren’t going to fully shift and go at each other again, he dropped his arms and pointed to the other side of the room. The best he could do was to get his brother farther away. Ordering his dad around would only make him angrier. “Brennan, stand there.”
Amber glinted in his brother’s eyes, but he stalked to the far wall anyway. Case turned to face his father. “So you’ve heard?”
The fifty-five-year-old werewolf wore his dark-brown hair short, almost military style. His brown eyes held sparks of amber and his broad chest heaved. “Damn straight I did. That fucking Harvey Banner was more than happy to tell me all about you and that female werebear.”
Damn. Of all the people in Forever to tell their father bad news, why’d it have to be his lifelong rival?
“Tell me he’s lying and I’ll go and skin him alive.”
Case wished he could call Harvey a liar, but he couldn’t. He respected his father too much to do that. But respect didn’t mean he couldn’t sidestep the inevitable lash of anger coming his way. “What’d he say?”
He saw the last hope his father held die. “Shit. So it’s true? You were in a private room at The Underground with Gaither Monroe’s daughter, Nicole? With a fucking werebear?”
“Yeah, Dad. It’s true,” answered Brennan.
“Damn it all.” Their father jerked backward, almost as though he’d struck him. “What the hell are you thinking messing around with one of their females?”
“Dad, we don’t hate werebears like you do.”
Case shot his brother a look warning him to take it easy. Their father’s hatred of the werebear clan was well known.
They’d heard him tell the story all their life. The story of how their mother’s other mate, Jeb, their father’s brother, had been murdered before they were born. How Jeb had been shot in cold blood by four human hunters, illegally hunting for the sport of it. Four hunters who were racing after a shifted Gaither Monroe. Gaither had led them into werewolf territory and straight across Jeb’s path.
When the hunters saw the large wolf, they’d given up on getting the bear and had shot the wolf instead. The only luck the mortally wounded Jeb had was getting away before he’d died and shifted back into human form. From that awful day forward, their father had hated all werebears. And above all the others, he hated Nicole’s father.
“The hell you don’t. All werewolves hate those furry bastards.”
“Naw, Dad.” Brennan eased toward them. “That’s not true. We don’t. And a lot of others don’t, either.”
It was an old argument. He wasn’t sure why they kept bringing it up. Nothing would change the way his father felt. But it was true. The younger generation of werewolves didn’t hate the bears and the same could be said of the younger bears hating them. “We know why you hate them, but why do the others, Dad? This thing between us and them started long before your brother died.”
His father’s face darkened even more. “They’re scum. You can’t trust them. You can’t believe a damn word that comes out of their mouths.”
“You don’t know, do you?” Not once had Case ever heard of how the rift had started. The older werewolves wouldn’t talk about it, and the younger ones didn’t know. Still, it had never occurred to him that they were perpetuating hatred without even knowing why.
“This is about you and that female werebear. Don’t go trying to get me off-kilter.”
Holy shit. He really doesn’t know. And if so, it’s time to stop the hatred.
But it wouldn’t stop right then. Handling his father’s hatred of Nicole was enough. At least it was a start. One that had to be done.
“We weren’t messing around with her.”
His father narrowed his eyes, making him feel like his father could see straight into his mind and soul. As a kid, he’d been convinced his father could see the lies. More than often, he’d confess and take his punishment just to get his dad to stop looking at him with his piercing gaze.
“So you weren’t with her at the club?”
“That’s not what he meant,” interjected Brennan. “We were with her at the club and out in the woods, too.”
“Either you’re messing with her or not? Say it plain.”
“Brennan means we aren’t messing around. She’s not some girl we’re playing around with.” He steadied himself for the explosion he knew would come. “She’s our mate, dad. We’ve got the connection with her.”
At first, he thought his father hadn’t heard him. Instead, he just stared at him, then at Brennan, his forehead wrinkled, an uncomprehending look in his eyes. But it had to be the calm before the storm.
“Dad, are you all right?” Brennan dipped his head, studying their all-too-quiet father. “Case, did he die standing up?”
Just wait a minute.
As soon as he’d had the thought, Carl Cagle came alive.
“Are you fucking out of your ever-loving minds?” His words disintegrated into a roar that shook the pictures on the wall. Amber blazed in their father’s eyes, and he clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. Fangs slid over his bottom lip, and fur skimmed along his jaw.
The last thing Case wanted to do was to face his father in his werewolf form. His strength and ferociousness was legendary.
“Dad, calm down. We need to talk. We can’t do that if you shift.”
Brennan stood beside him in a show of support. He could sense his brother’s werewolf howling and scratching to be set free. His own inner animal clawed at him. If their father wanted a fight, their beasts would be more than happy to give it to him.
“Dad, calm down. Talk to us.”
His father visibly fought to control changing. Muscles flexed in his jaw and his body went rigid as he commanded his wolf into submission. After more than a minute, the fur started to recede and his body began to relax. Or at least relax as much as it could with hatred and anger still filling him.
“Werewolves don’t mate werebears. It’s against nature.” Their father’s voice was soft, yet filled with steel determination. “It’s just not fucking done.”
“Maybe not before.” Case almost jerked back as the fury in his father’s face intensified. “But it’s going to happen. Nicole Monroe is our mate and we’re going to have her.”
“It’s an abomination.”
“Some would say shifters are an abomination.”
What Brennan said was true. The human world would call them freaks and monsters. “He’s right. We hide because of it.”
His father moved fast. Fast enough to put his face an inch from his before he knew what was happening. “We take care of our own. We mate with our own. You’re going to have nothing to do with her. Never. You got that?”
Case respected his father and loved him more than life. But Nicole was their future. “No, Dad. She’s our mate. Whether you like it or not.”
“Case is right, Dad. Accept her or you lose us both.”
They’d struck a nerve. Hurt and disappointment mixed with the anger in his father’s amber-flecked eyes. He backed away then stopped. “I will never accept a damn werebear as your mate.”
“It’s your choice, Dad.” Case hated to say the words, but what else could he do? “I’m sorry as hell to say this, but if you want us in your life, then you’ll accept her.”
Fury took a back seat to pain on his father’s face. “You are no longer my sons.”
Whirling around, their father strode out of their home. Case watched him go and heard the slam of the front door.
They’d had to
make a stand. And yet, to do so had broken his heart.
* * * *
Nicole scanned the area. Up until the moment she’d parked her car in the lot behind the Up All Night Pharmacy, she hadn’t had any misgivings about what they were planning to do. Now that she was watching werewolves strolling on the sidewalk of Forever, she wasn’t so sure.
She’d been in Forever before and hadn’t been bothered by the werewolves. They weren’t overly friendly, either, but as long as she didn’t cause any trouble, they let her alone. As an added precaution, she’d brought Jasmine along. If a human was present, they’d be even less likely to call her out, thinking that maybe the human wouldn’t know they were shifters. Trying not to expose themselves to humans was one thing werewolves and werebears had in common.
“There it is. Milly’s Coffee Spot.” Jasmine pointed at the small café where a lot of the townspeople liked to go.
“I’ve been here with you before, you know.” She didn’t mean to be short with her friend, but her nerves were on edge.
“But you’ve never gone inside.”
Jasmine’s expression was telling. “Wait. Have you? Been inside Milly’s, I mean?”
“A couple of times.”
“Really?” Jasmine was braver than she was and often went places she wouldn’t have dreamed of going to. Like to a werewolf bonfire.
“Yeah. I was going to find someone to bite and change me, but I chickened out.”
“You chickened out?” Was Jasmine telling the truth? It was hard to imagine Jasmine ever being afraid of a new experience.
“I did. Come on. Let’s get this show on the road.”
She let Jasmine lead the way across the street, walking as fast as they could. They’d gotten to the front door of the café before she finally stopped her. “How do we know Jackson Carr is going to be here?”
“A friend of mine says he likes eating breakfast here every morning. Sometimes with his brothers and his mate.”
“A friend? What friend?”
“Nicole, do you want to talk about how I get my information or do you want to find Jackson Carr?”
“Okay, okay.” She swallowed, hoping to stuff her fear back down. “Open the door.”
Jasmine grinned then swung the door wide. “You first.”
“Thanks. Not.”
As soon as she stepped over the threshold, she was sure every person in the small café knew she was a werebear. The interior wasn’t much, but it was cozy with square metal tables and red leather barstools lining the counter. The place was almost entirely full and, even if they hadn’t already planned on taking at seat at the counter, they would’ve had to anyway. Two barstools were the only places to sit.
The man next to her wasn’t very large, but she still tried to lean closer to Jasmine. He smiled at her, showing sharp teeth, then lifted his nose and sniffed.
Oh, shit.
His gaze darted from her to Jasmine. “Are you two lost? This ain’t Shatland.”
She did her best to put on a pleasant expression. “No, sir. I know exactly where I am.”
“We’re looking for Jackson Carr.” Jasmine’s voice boomed out, causing the chatter to come to a quick stop.
If she could’ve gone through the floor and out of sight, she would have. She’d wanted to ease into trying to find Carr, but Jasmine had made it impossible.
“Why are you looking for him?”
The pretty blonde behind the bar swayed over to them, then leaned her elbows on the counter. She didn’t sniff, but from the piercing glint in her eyes, she knew Nicole wasn’t a werewolf. Her attention shifted to Jasmine, studied her, then whipped back to Nicole.
“Um, I’d like to ask him some questions.” She’d stick to the truth, but she wasn’t about to give any more details than she had to.
“I see. Sort of.”
Nicole was surprised when she stuck out her hand.
“I’m Milly. I own the place.”
Hoping her palm wasn’t sweaty, Nicole took Milly’s hand and gave it a halfhearted shake. “Hi. I’m Nicole and this is my friend Jasmine.” Milly hadn’t given her last name, so why should she? Besides, she didn’t want to let them know she was Gaither Monroe’s daughter.
“Nice to meet you, Nicole.” Milly scanned the rest of the café. “Y’all can go back to eating and gossiping now. I’ll handle this.”
Aside from a few grumbles, the people heeded Milly’s words and started talking. Probably more about her than what they’d previously been discussing.
“That means you, too, Darrel Talbert.” Milly arched an eyebrow at the man beside Nicole.
He grunted, then lifted his lip in a snarl. “Fine with me. I just lost my appetite.” He slid off the stool along with two others seated nearby.
“I hope I’m not costing you customers.” She was surprised more of the café’s patrons hadn’t left.
“Don’t worry. He’ll get over it and be back in tomorrow morning. So, you need to talk to Jackson, huh?”
“I do. Is he here?” She tried to keep her voice down, but it was hard when it took some effort to force words out of her constricted throat. The longer she stayed, the worse her nerves got.
“Who wants to know?” The voice was deep and rich—and held an irritated tone.
Nicole followed Milly’s gaze as it went behind her. Although she was tempted to glance over her shoulder, she was afraid to do so.
Milly tipped her head. “You’re in luck. He’s standing right behind you.”
Nicole swiveled around very slowly, both excited to have found him and scared of how he’d react. She stuck out her hand as she’d done with Milly. “Hi. I’m Nicole Monroe.”
Jasmine’s eyes widened, telling her she’d caught her mistake. She never should’ve mentioned her last name.
Was it her imagination? Had she heard a few growls?
Still, she couldn’t do anything about it now.
She liked the way he looked. His expression wasn’t stern and his eyes were friendly. Did he know what she was? But how could he not? A pretty brunette woman stood off to his right. They seemed dignified and reserved, yet open enough.
“I’m Jackson Carr and this is my mate Emma. What’d you need to talk about?”
The room had gone quiet again. “Could we maybe talk somewhere else? Outside maybe?”
He had a nice smile, too. Almost as nice as Emma’s. “Sure. Follow me.”
She slid off her stool, then caught Jasmine by the arm. “Can you wait here?”
“Are you serious? I got you all this way and now you’re keeping me out of it?”
She could see her friend’s point. “Please, Jasmine?”
Her friend took her seat again. “Fine. But I’m ordering a burger and you’re paying for it.”
“Deal.” She hurried to catch up with Jackson as he led her farther inside the café, then down a short hallway leading to the rear entrance. A short walkway took them to another building behind that appeared to house an apartment above a garage.
Jackson leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. “You’ve got guts coming into Forever, werebear. Especially with only a human by your side. And it’s not the first time you’ve done it, either.”
How’d he know they’d come to town before? Had he seen them? Had others mentioned it to him?
He eyed her up and down. His lip lifted into a sneer. “You’re Gaither Monroe’s daughter, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” Suddenly, she was fearful of being alone with the two werewolves. Did they hate her father? “Um…”
Emma slapped Jackson on the arm. “Don’t pay any attention to his gruffness. He’s just trying to rattle you. Now go on. Tell us what you need.”
She sent Emma a grateful smile. “I’m not sure where to start.”
“Just spit it out. It’ll all come into place.” After receiving another slap on his arm from Emma, Jackson eased up, relaxing his body. “It’s okay. We’re not going to hurt you.”
“I know.” I think. �
�Anyway, here’s the thing.” She’d thought long and hard about what she’d say, but she couldn’t remember a word of it now. Instead, she just let the words fall out. “I’m in love with two werewolves.”
Jackson and Emma stared at her as though they hadn’t understood. When at last they reacted, it was Emma who spoke first.
“Now there’s something I never thought I’d hear. Wow. A werebear who loves two werewolves. Damn. Talk about trouble.”
“Are you talking love-love? Or…what?” asked Jackson.
“Jackson Carr, don’t act like you don’t get it. Can’t you see the girl’s face? She’s in love, all right.” Yet Emma’s expression left no doubt that she was still struggling to understand.
Nicole dragged in a breath. “I know it’s incredible, but it’s true. I felt the connection with them and they felt it for me, too. We actually met when we were teens, but since they’ve come back to Forever, we’ve met up again and we definitely felt it. Stronger than ever. They’re my mates.”
“You’re talking about the Cagle brothers, aren’t you? The ones who bought the old Hapburg ranch?” Emma looked to Jackson. “They’re Carl’s boys.”
“I know.” Jackson still stared at her, harder than ever. “I don’t understand how this can happen. I mean a wolf and a bear? It’s not natural.”
“That’s what I thought when I found out werewolves are real. And that I’d fallen in love with three of them,” added Emma.
“Which is part of the reason why I came to see you. The other is that I wanted to know if you’d ever heard of werewolves and werebears mating. I guess I’ve gotten my answer.” She hadn’t let herself hope they’d tell her it was possible, but she was still disheartened. Even so, it wouldn’t change her mind about the men she loved.
“Hell if I know.” He paced away, then turned to face her. “Although, I do remember my father telling me a story about a werebear and a werewolf mating. Not in their animal forms, of course. They stayed human and never shifted. If I’m remembering the story right. But I thought it was just that. A story.”
At least it was something. “Did they live around here?” She paused, then asked the question worrying her. “Were they able to have children?”