Bear Next Door (Midlife Shifters Book 1)

by J. L. Wilder

  “It isn’t your baby,” she said.

  He raised his eyebrows. “I beg your pardon?”

  “The baby isn’t yours,” she said, backing closer to the hallway that would lead her to her bedroom. Any moment now, she would turn and run. “You’re not the father.”

  He crossed the room so fast that she didn’t have time to back away and grabbed her by the upper arms, shoving her back against the wall. She gasped in shock and pain. “Marty—let go of me!”

  “You little slut,” he breathed. “You’ve been cheating on me.”

  “I left you, Marty.”

  “You’re my wife! Mine! I don’t care who’s been fucking you—any baby you give birth to belongs to me!”

  “No!” She struggled against him. “My baby has a father, Marty, and it’s not you!”

  He slapped her across the face so hard that tears came to her eyes.

  “You’re nothing but a whore,” he growled. “You’ll be punished for what you’ve done. And you and our baby are coming back to Vegas with me. I’ve been too generous with you in the past. Too lenient. Now I can see that what you really need is a firm hand to keep you in line.”

  “Let me go!” She stomped on his foot and managed to pull herself out of his grasp. She turned and ran to the kitchen, hoping to find something quickly with which to defend herself—a knife or even a fork would do. A slap across the face was one thing, but she couldn’t allow him to get any more violent with her than he already had. She couldn’t let him hurt her baby.

  Before she could reach the kitchen, though, he had her by the wrist. He pulled her back toward him and wrapped his arms around her torso, lifting her off the ground.

  She screamed, kicking back at him, trying to shake herself free, but his grip was too strong. He kicked open the door of the hall closet and tossed her inside, slamming the door closed behind her.

  Evelyn sprang to her feet and tried to force the door open, but there was no knob on this side. She could feel the weight of him on the other side, holding it closed.

  “Let me out, Marty,” she called. “Let me out and we’ll talk about it.”

  “You had a chance to talk already,” Marty said. “You’ve proven that you don’t want to settle this by talking. You want to run away. You want to become another man’s whore.”

  “I’m no one’s whore,” she spat.

  He laughed darkly. “What? I suppose you think this man loves you?”

  She didn’t answer. It wasn’t his business. What existed between herself and Brady was special, and she wasn’t going to allow Marty to drag it through the mud.

  He continued anyway. “He doesn’t love you,” he said. “You’re delusional if you think he does. If he loved you, he would be here. You wouldn’t be living on your own like this. You would have him here to defend you.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Evelyn said.

  “Don’t I? Okay. Then where is he? Why are you all alone tonight?”

  “I don’t have to explain myself to you,” Evelyn said.

  “You’re wrong about that,” Marty said. “You most certainly owe me an explanation for your behavior over the past few months, Evelyn. Look at the things you’ve done. Running away from your husband. Trying to hide. Letting another man knock you up. You should be down on your knees thanking me for being willing to take you back. You should be drowning in gratitude.”

  Evelyn didn’t respond.

  “Is he coming back?” Marty asked. “The man? Will he come and find you here? Or is he the love-them-and-leave-them type? Maybe he’s forgotten all about you already? Maybe he never gave a damn about you at all.”

  “He loves me,” Evelyn said. “He loves me, and you never did. It’s thanks to him that I understand what love is.”

  There was no sound for several minutes.

  Evelyn pushed against the door again, wondering. But it still refused to budge. Either Marty was still holding it in place or else he had shifted something in front of it so that it couldn’t be opened from the inside.

  Finally, he spoke. “It sounds like you believe he’ll be back for you,” he said. “Is that true?”

  She didn’t answer. It was none of his business.

  “So much the better,” Marty said. “I’ll wait for him here, then. And you can wait too. When he comes back, I’ll deal with him myself, man to man.”

  Evelyn felt sick. Brady would be walking into an ambush.

  “You can’t hope to fight him,” she said desperately, hoping against hope that Marty would give up. “He’s stronger than you are, Marty.”

  Marty laughed. “Please,” he said. “Stronger than I am? Unlikely. This man of yours is a pathetic asshole who can’t get a woman of his own, who has to steal the wives of real men and knock them up in order to win their loyalty. I know enough about him already to see that he doesn’t have any real strength. If he did, he would have established some kind of protection for you. He wouldn’t have left you in a position where an unwelcome guest could just walk into your home.”

  Evelyn couldn’t stand the thought of a fight between Brady and Marty. If Brady were to get hurt, it would kill her.

  “Let me out,” she begged. “I’ll leave with you right now. We can go back to Vegas tonight.” Anything to prevent Brady from getting hurt.

  Marty laughed. “You’d run again at the earliest opportunity,” he said. “I have to show you why I’m the best choice to be your mate, Evelyn. When I’ve defeated the man who’s been fucking you, your doubts will be gone, and we’ll be able to resume our life together. But not until then. You just wait there.”

  Evelyn wrapped her arms around her knees, curling in on herself, trying to suppress the terror that was rising within her.

  There was nothing to do now but to wait and see who would win the fight.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  BRADY

  The members of the den filed out the back door and into the yard.

  Although the yards that went with the homes on their block were small by design, the den had taken advantage of the fact that the entire block was their territory. They had torn down all the fences and trees that cordoned off the municipal property lines, creating one large communal space shared by all the members of the den.

  It was a big enough space for a fight.

  Brady backed away from Steve, keeping his eyes on his alpha, careful to keep Steve in front of him. He couldn’t allow Steve the opportunity to make a move without being seen. This battle was going to be tough enough as it was.

  He knew that Steve had no intention of fighting fair. Brick and Edgar would certainly enter the fight again, just as they had last time.

  The only thing Brady had going for him was the fact that this time he knew what to expect. This time, he knew that Steve’s acolytes would be jumping in on his side. So it wouldn’t be a surprise to him when an attack came from another direction. He would be braced for it. He would be ready.

  He sank into a low crouch, stripping off his shirt and kicking away his pants. There was no reason to believe they would stay in human form. This could turn into a brawl between bears quickly, and he knew he had to be ready for that.

  But he wouldn’t be the first to shift. He wouldn’t take the battle to that plane. It was too dangerous to fight in animal form, and Brady wouldn’t do it unless he had to. To do so would be to risk the death of his denmates. He despised Steve, but he didn’t want him dead.

  Steve lunged.

  Brady was ready and moved to intercept him, catching Steve’s shoulder with his own. He threw his alpha back onto the ground and fell onto him, pinning him down. Maybe there was a chance this fight could be won quickly. If he could just take Steve out of commission—

  Someone grabbed Brady’s arm and threw him back, away from Steve. He landed on his back and slid backward a few feet.

  He scrambled upright. He was face to face with Brick, and Brick was heaving and panting, a moment away from shifting.

 
“I’m not going to do it,” Brady said. “I’m not going to do it unless you do it first, Brick.”

  “Take him out, Brick!” Steve roared.

  “Are you really his second?” Brady asked Brick. “Do you know for sure? Is he as loyal to you as you are to him?”

  Brick let out a snarl. His pupils were dilated. He hardly looked human at all anymore.

  Brady looked around at the rest of the den. “Is this really the alpha you want?” he asked. “Someone who lets others fight his battles for him? He says I need to prove my strength against him, but he’s too afraid to face me in a fair fight.”

  “I have the loyalty of this den,” Steve said. “I can use every resource at my disposal, Brady. That’s my right.” He turned to Edgar, who was hovering at the edges of the assembled group, looking as though he was itching to jump into the fray. “Teach him a lesson about loyalty,” he barked.

  Edgar sank into a low crouch and began to shift.

  His shoulders broadened. The shape of his face changed. A moment later, Brady stood face to face with a massive, angry grizzly bear.

  He dove to one side, rolling as he did so, reaching deep within himself for the animal instincts that dwelt there. It wasn’t safe to remain human right now. He had to fight fire with fire.

  He came up on all fours, his lips peeled back to reveal his ursine fangs, his claws digging into the dirt of the yard.

  But as he scanned the faces in front of them, he realized he hadn’t been the only one to seize the moment and shift to his more brutal form. He was facing three bears now—Edgar and Brick on either side of Steve, who was advancing on him slowly.

  There was no way he could hold his own against all three of them.

  He had been foolish to think there was a chance. They were going to tear him apart.

  He could have turned and run right then, hurried back to Evelyn. But he forced himself to stay, to face down the enemy. They would never be free as long as Steve was consumed with the need to keep Brady down.

  If I die here, at least he’ll likely forget about me for a while. Evelyn and the baby would be on their own, but maybe they would be safer that way. Maybe Steve will ignore them until the baby is old enough to fight for his birthright himself.

  It was an awful thought—leaving them like this—but there was a shred of hope to be found in it.

  And it was the best Brady could do. Either he would win this fight—which was looking increasingly unlikely—or he would lose. But either way, there was a chance that Evelyn would be free of Steve. Either way, her world would be a little bit brighter.

  He braced himself for the inevitable attack.

  But the flash of movement, when it came, didn’t come from the front. It came from behind him. From a body lurching past his, diving forward into the fray.

  Danny.

  He recognized his friend at once by his lean build. He was the smallest adult male in the den, but he threw himself at Brick without hesitation.

  And suddenly, the odds were a little more even.

  Brady hadn’t yet gotten over the surprise of having an ally in the fight when a weight crashed into him from the side, sending him sprawling. Edgar.

  Brady was larger than Edgar, but Edgar had the element of surprise. He slashed at Brady’s face, and Brady felt the sting of a cut running parallel to the old motorcycle accident scar.

  He shoved Edgar off and scrambled away.

  Edgar circled him, teeth bared, ready to attack again.

  Then, from behind, another bear entered the fight, one with fur so light it was almost blond. Will.

  Edgar roared and tried to shake Will off, but Will sunk his teeth into Edgar’s shoulder and hung on.

  Both seconds were now occupied, and Brady turned and advanced on Steve.

  Steve backed away from him slowly.

  Brady leaned forward, showing his teeth. Showing that he was a threat, that he meant business. He wasn’t going to leave this fight until the matter of who would be alpha going forward was resolved once and for all.

  And I can win.

  Now that Edgar and Brick were preoccupied fighting Danny and Will, there was every chance that Brady could gain the high ground and win the fight. There was every chance this was going to go his way.

  I guess Steve isn’t the only one who has loyal soldiers among the ranks.

  He heard a roar and the sound of ripping fabric as another bear joined the fight. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that Travis had teamed up with Danny to fight Brick. Will had gotten Edgar on the ground and had his teeth around Edgar’s throat.

  It was over.

  There was no way Steve was going to come back from this.

  Brady threw himself at Steve, his teeth seeking Steve’s throat. Steve flailed, trying to push him away, but he had no chance. Brady was bigger, heavier, stronger. A better fighter. He put the full weight of his body on Steve’s shoulders and pressed a paw to his throat.

  Beneath him, Steve shifted back to human form. He was pale, sweating, scrambling.

  “All right,” he cried. “All right!”

  Brady didn’t move. Steve hadn’t yet said the words he needed to hear.

  “I surrender!” Steve said. “You’re the alpha! Just don’t kill me!”

  He’s a coward.

  Brady allowed himself to resume human form, rising from his baser instincts into complex thought, flexing his weaker but more defined human muscles to grip Steve by the neck. “Call them off,” he said, gesturing behind him at the ongoing fights. “Tell them to stand down.”

  “Stand down!” Steve choked. “Brick! Edgar!”

  Brady turned, not letting go of Steve’s throat. “You heard him,” he called. “Everybody back off.”

  It was his own men, he noticed, who obeyed quickly. Danny, Will, and Travis stopped fighting immediately and backed away.

  As if they were following orders.

  Brick and Edgar hesitated. They looked unsure of what they should do.

  “I’ll kill him,” Brady said, stepping sideways to make sure they could see that he had Steve by the throat. “Don’t think for a moment that I won’t do it.”

  The truth was that there was no way he would be able to do it. He didn’t want Steve dead. Steve had been a bad leader, and he had been cruel, but he was still family, and Brady couldn’t kill him. All he wanted was to defeat him.

  But this was a show of strength. He needed Brick and Edgar to believe that he was capable of killing if he needed to.

  And they seemed to buy it. They stepped back slowly, their gazes fixed on Brady and Steve as if they were afraid that any sudden move might swing the outcome of this encounter against them.

  “Shift back,” Brady said. “Everyone. I want everyone in human form. Right now.”

  Danny, Will, and Travis obeyed quickly, Brick and Edgar more slowly. But one by one, everyone in the yard resumed their human form.

  Brady released Steve and stepped back, but he didn’t lower his guard. This could erupt into violence again at any moment.

  “I’m the rightful alpha of this den,” he said. “I am the one with the right to lead. I’m the one with the power to lead. Does anybody else want to dispute that?”

  No one spoke.

  Brady turned to Steve. “Acknowledge my command,” he said.

  Steve sneered. “I’ll never acknowledge you as alpha,” he said.

  “You know you can’t lead this den now,” Brady said. “You’ve lost what little respect you had. Your authority was paper-thin as it was, and now you’ve lost a fight with the true alpha. Your days as leader are over.”

  “Well, I’m not going to stay here and submit to your authority,” Steve said.

  “You can leave,” Brady said. “If that’s what you choose. I want you to stay. I want you to be a part of this family. But if you can’t do that, you’re free to go.”

  Steve didn’t give Brady a second look. He stormed out of the yard and toward the front of the alpha house, where Brady coul
d imagine he was packing his things.

  Brady looked to Brick and Edgar. “You can stay if you want to,” he said. “We can start over.”

  But Brick and Edgar were already backing away, and Brady knew they were as good as lost.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Will said quietly. “We’re better off without them.”

  Brady shook his head. “This isn’t how I wanted my tenure as alpha to start,” he said. “I want to be an alpha who benefits the den. I don’t want us to be divided.”

  “You welcomed them with open arms,” Will said. “There wasn’t anything more you could have done. They don’t want to be a part of us.”

  Brady nodded. Will was right. He could only help the members of the den who wanted to be helped. He could only be a great leader to those who wanted to follow.

  Like Evelyn.

  A wash of relief came over him. Their problems were solved. She would be free to come home now. He could finally claim her as his own.

  “Patch up each other’s injuries,” he said. “There’s something I need to take care of.”

  He grabbed his shirt and pants, pulled them on, and set off toward Evelyn’s apartment at a run. He couldn't wait to give her the good news.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  EVELYN

  When Marty had first locked her in the closet, Evelyn had felt as alert and wired as if she had just drunk a whole pot of coffee. It was the adrenaline, she suspected—the fear and the intensity getting the best of her.

  But now, her emotions were wearing her down. She was huddled in the corner of the closet, and she had found a coat she’d tossed here—one she didn’t like anymore and never wore—and pulled it over her body like a blanket. She was shaking; she didn’t know whether from cold or fear. Maybe it was a combination of the two.

  She could hear Marty moving around her apartment, which felt like a violation. This had been the very first place in her whole life that was hers and hers alone. She had shared it with Brady, of course, and the two of them had made some good memories there, but every night he had gone home and the apartment had once again belonged to Evelyn.