by Maia Starr
There wasn’t much room on the couch, but somehow, they both managed to snuggle together.
“As usual,” he said to her, “you are a miracle.”
“Mmm,” she said, snuggling up against his chest. “How can something that your clan says is wrong feel so right?”
“It is right,” he stroked her hair. “And whatever will be, will be.”
“Are you afraid?” she asked him, sleep starting to take her. She yawned, and he reached to the bottom of the couch to pull a blanket up over her.
“No,” he said. “Whatever will be, will be.”
“But what about...your duty?” she said. “When I first met you, you talked about duty.”
“I did,” he said. “And I will do my duty if they allow me to do so. But if my duties shift to serve the universe in a different way, then I will accept that.”
“You’re so brave,” she said to him and he looked down at her in disbelief.
“I’m brave?” he asked. “Look at what you’ve been through. If anyone is brave, I would say it’s you. You accepted that everything you knew about the universe was different and just loved and trusted regardless of it.”
“Oh,” you mean. “The shifter thing? That wasn’t an issue for me. People are people. It’s what inside that counts.”
“You see, that’s exactly my point,” he replied. “Anyone else would have been terrified of the situation.”
“There are worse things to be terrified of,” she said, and he kissed the top of her head.
Both them yawned and allowed sleep to take them. Jean-Paul tried to block out any thoughts of what was going to happen in the future. Right now, everything was perfect, and he fell asleep happy.
Chapter Thirteen
Jean-Paul had tried to keep the impending date of the council meeting away from Jenna Mae. He wanted to focus on the fact that they were happy inside their house. For the first time in a long time, he was actually productive. He was getting work done, sending emails, working with the fallout of what had happened. But he knew that none of it would matter soon enough.
Jean-Paul woke up the day of his meeting with the rest of his council with a peaceful feeling settling over him. The past few days, he had felt like his heart was in chaos. Today, though, he felt like he would be at peace at last, no matter what was decided.
“It’s today, isn’t it?” Jenna Mae asked when she saw him in the morning. She had gotten up early with Cameron and looked refreshed.
“Yes,” he said. “It’ll be several hours, at least. Is there anything that you need before I go?”
“Where are you going?” she asked. “Is it far?”
“It’s back near the cabin,” he said. “And I’m afraid I won’t be able to respond if...you call me.”
“Jean-Paul, I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “Cameron and I will play all day, and maybe I’ll go grocery shopping so that when you come home, you will have a nice meal.”
“So kind of you,” he said.
“Jean-Paul, I want you to know that whatever happens...I’ll be happy. And I really do think you’re the best Alpha.”
“As long as we are together,” he said, “I can be my best.”
When he left the house, though, it wasn’t without reservations. Because most of the noble bears would be at the meeting with him, Jenna Mae would be left undefended if anything were to happen. He sent up a prayer to the Creator as he got into a taxi and headed back to the cabin, where their whole adventure had started.
Being back near the cabin flooded him with memories. The woods were still damaged where she had crashed her car, and he could see the ghosts of both of them walking through the rain. It seemed like a million years ago, and yet it also seemed like yesterday.
He walked through the woods, climbing the mountain to the caves where they usually met. It had been a long time since the full council met and Jean-Paul saw people that he hadn’t seen in quite some time. Every eye in the cave turned to him when he walked in.
In the center of the room, Remy stood, as the official challenger.
Jean-Paul expected a full trial. He expected to explain his situation. But when he walked in the door, Remy spoke words that surprised him.
“Shall we walk outside?” Remy asked him. “While the rest of our colleagues wait?”
“I’m sorry?” Jean-Paul was completely taken aback by this request. “Walk outside instead of...talking in here.”
“Now,” Remy said. “Before we talk. I will only ask this once.”
This was not the way an official trial was supposed to go. Remy had a strange look in his eye, and Jean-Paul didn’t know what to say. He looked between Remy and the Council and then nodded.
“As you wish,” he said. “As official challenger, you have the right to call the way we go to war with each other.”
“This does not have to be a war,” Remy said, but there was something uneasy and uneven in his voice that Jean-Paul did not like.
Jean-Paul was thinking back to his childhood with Remy, which seemed a million years ago now. They used to play together as children. They used to frolic in the sun and find a spot to hibernate near each other when winter came. They used to say how they preferred bear form, and how neither of them wanted to be Alphas. They liked the responsibilities that came with being Betas: mostly just for show. All of the fun and none of the burden of wearing the crown, as Michael would sometimes say to them.
Jean-Paul wondered exactly how they got to this point. How could two childhood best friends go from such fun to hating each other so much? How could they have turned their backs on each other when their younger years had been nothing but sworn loyalty?
“It is noted,” Darwin said, from his seat around that circle. “That Jean-Paul, Alpha, officially accepts Remy’s, Beta, unconventional style of challenge.”
“We shall return,” Remy said, strangely formal, and then led Jean-Paul out of the cave.
Jean-Paul briefly considered the fact that Remy would try to kill him then and there, outside the cave. He considered the fact that Remy would push him off the cliff, or at least throw his weight against him. Jean-Paul was stronger and more agile than Remy, and while he was angry with him at the moment, he didn’t want to kill him.
Jean-Paul felt like he had done more than enough killing for one lifetime.
Remy was silent a long time outside the cave. They stood on the side of it, where the wind blocked their words from being overheard. They used to play out here while Michael was in council meetings.
“You wanted to talk?” Jean-Paul said, at last. Remy turned to him.
“I wanted to let you know that I know everything.” he said. “About what you did.”
“I assumed you did,” Jean-Paul answered. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be sitting there so smugly.”
“Jean-Paul, think about it,” Remy said. “You killed another Alpha. You slept with a woman who had slept with him. Whether or not that is his mate or your mate, whatever. That doesn’t matter. And now, you are living with her and raising his child.”
“Tell me, Remy,” Jean-Paul said, “is your moral code so rough that you wouldn’t have done exactly the same?”
Remy’s nostrils flared.
“But I didn’t do anything of them,” Remy said. “And I am not the one on trial.”
“The Council will decide.”
“The council does not have to know,” Remy said. “And the council does not have to decide whether you will face the death penalty for that you have done.”
“It is not the death penalty,” Jean-Paul said, even though he didn’t know for sure.
“Isn’t it?” Remy said. “Many of your crimes could be argued as putting the bear clan in danger of being discovered, as well as doing us a massive disservice.”
“They could be,” Jean-Paul said.
“Or,” Remy said, “you could bow out now before they dissect every detail of what you have done.”
“And just hand the crown over to you?” Jea
n-Paul asked.
“You need to think of more than yourself,” Remy said. “You have a woman and a little child at home. What is going to happen if you go into the Council and they decide against you in the worst possible way? Can they survive in this world without you?”
“Jenna Mae is strong,” Jean-Paul said.
“If the wolves retaliate?” Remy answered. “If you are not there, it’ll not take them long to find her. Especially given the display she made at his funeral.”
“You know about that too?” Jean-Paul asked.
“A good Alpha has eyes everywhere,” Remy said, “and can also eliminate anyone who poses a threat to his rule.”
Jean-Paul took a deep breath.
He could fight Remy here and now, and he would probably win. But what about the next time someone challenged him? What about the times he was away on Alpha business, and the wolves found their house? What about the times when Cameron grew up?
He knew there was a huge chance he would lose the trial if all the facts were revealed. Up until now, he had only been thinking about his life as Alpha or free of being Alpha. He hadn’t thought about what might happen to Jenna Mae if he remained Alpha.
Could he really afford to be with Jenna Mae and continue to wear the burdens of the crown? Jean-Paul already knew the answer.
“One condition,” Jean-Paul said at last. “I have one condition to accepting your terms.”
“What is it?” Remy asked.
“I will do everything in my power to keep Jenna Mae and her son safe,” Jean-Paul said. “And you’re right, not being Alpha will help with that. But, if I am not around, you must promise me, everything within your power must be done to provide them the best life possible.”
“Her child is the son of a wolf,” Remy barked.
“Her child is my son,” Jean-Paul said. “As far as anyone is concerned. From this day forward, I will accept him as my own.”
Remy was silent for a long time. It was a hard promise to make, and the Beta knew that he might risk his own life taking on that promise.
However, the other alternative was to risk not being Alpha at this moment, whether in a dual with Jean-Paul or by the council’s decision.
“Fine,” Remy said. “You have my word.”
Jean-Paul watched the rising moon, not looking at Remy.
“Then here ends my rule as Alpha,” he said. “Shall we go back into the cave?”
“If you truly mean it,” Remy said, “then we shall return.”
“You will keep all the facts that you’ve learned about me to yourself?” Jean-Paul asked.
“Yes,” Remy said. “I’m aware of our laws, Jean-Paul. I know you can be prosecuted even if you are not Alpha. In fact, it may be worse if you are not Alpha.”
“If even one of them leaks…” Jean-Paul said, “then I will consider my retirement forfeit.”
“It won’t,” Remy promised him. “On pain of death.”
“Good,” Jean-Paul said, and Remy followed him back as they rounded the corner.
Remy was silent as they walked back in, but Jean-Paul was not about to draw this out any longer.
“I have accepted Remy’s challenge,” Jean-Paul said. “And he has won.”
Jaws fell open. They all knew that Jean-Paul had committed some questionable acts. However, never in the history of the bears had such a thing happened in such a way.
“Jean-Paul,” Darwin said, but Jean-Paul shook his head.
“There is no argument over this,” he said. “Remy has had as much training to be Alpha as I have. Both of us were in beta roles, watching the former Alpha, and accepting that while it may never happen, we must be prepared.”
“You are chosen by the creator,” Darwin said.
“And so was Remy,” Jean-Paul said. “I trust that all of you will show him the same loyalty that you have shown me.”
Everyone mumbled all around him, and finally, Darwin spoke again.
“Where will you go?”
“That, unfortunately, I can’t disclose,” Jean-Paul said. “And I would ask that none of you...contact me.”
“What?” Darwin said. “You are leaving the bears completely.”
Jean-Paul smiled.
“I don’t think I can ever fully leave the bears,” he said. “But I have spent most of my life doing my duty here. I now look forward to a different type of duty.”
He didn’t want to answer any more questions, yet he gave away what his full plans were. He knew that Remy would make good on his promise because his entire crown depended on it.
“Thank you for your years of service to me,” Jean-Paul said, and turned his back on what had been his life for several years.
Relief washed over him as he started walking back down the hill. He searched his body for a hint of sadness, or despair, but there was nothing.
All he wanted to do was go back and see Jenna Mae. He wanted to snuggle and play with Cameron and go to bed early.
“Jean-Paul!” he spun around to see Darwin running after him.
“Darwin,” Jean-Paul said. “Go back to the Council.”
“You just can’t...do this,” Darwin said. “No one can believe it.”
“But I have done it,” he said. “And you can consider me asking you to do so my last order of being Alpha.”
“I’ll miss you,” Darwin said, in an uncommon display of affection. Jean-Paul hadn’t expected it, and he shifted, awkwardly. “I know what you’ve done, but…”
“I’ll miss you too,” Jean-Paul answered. “It’s been a pleasure working with you.”
“If you ever need anything,” Darwin said, “I will still answer your call.”
“Do your duty,” Jean-Paul said with a smile. “That will honor me the best.”
“You sure you’ll be alright?” Darwin asked, and Jean-Paul smiled.
“I will be,” Jean-Paul assured him.
“Then, goodbye, my friend,” Darwin said, holding out his hand. Jean-Paul shook it and then the pair parted for what felt like the last time.
There was one last thing Jean-Paul wanted to do before he headed home to Jenna Mae. He knew it was going to be quite a trek, so he sent her a text message.
All is well, he said. One more mission and I’ll be home to you tomorrow.
Be safe, she sent back, and he changed screens on his phone to dial a taxi.
“Are you sure, sir?” the taxi driver asked when he arrived. “That is going to be quite a journey. It’ll be at least two hundred dollars.”
“I can pay in advance,” Jean-Paul said, “if you are nervous. But I am sure.”
The taxi driver gave him a look and then shrugged.
“Pay me half now,” he said. “And half when we get there.”
“It’s a deal,” Jean-Paul said and slid into the back seat. The last time he had made this trek, it was a three hour journey, and it had been in his own vehicle.
Three hours of sitting with a stranger who wanted to make small talk, especially when Jean-Paul’s mind was a million miles away, was a bit difficult. But eventually, they arrived at the entrance to another forest, just as the dawn light was starting to flood the sky.
“Just right here?” the driver asked. “I can go in a little ways if you—”
“No, it’s fine,” Jean-Paul said, leaning over to pay him. “But I’ll pay you double that if you wait a couple of hours for me.”
“I’ll be sleeping in the back seat until then, sir,” the driver said, and Jean-Paul got out of the car.
It wasn’t that far of a walk into the forest, especially not for a bear shifter. Despite the fact that there was no marker, Jean-Paul knew the spot like the back of his hand. It was a semicircle of trees, just on the edge of a babbling brook. This forest had been a sanctuary for Michael, to get away from it all. And now, the trees grew from the nourishment of Michael’s body, which was buried beneath them.
“Hello, brother,” Jean-Paul said, sitting on the ground. “I know it’s been awhile. But I hav
e so much to tell you. And I hope that you’ll approve.”
He had only visited his brother once since he had become Alpha. Wearing the crown had made the three-hour trek almost unbearable. However, now, with the dawn rising, he felt like he had all the time in the world.
“I love her so much,” Jean-Paul said. “As much as you loved your mate. And I know you’d understand that there was more to life than wearing the crown. I know that you’d make the same choice...I know you’d have done anything to have her back. I couldn’t take the risk of...not having her. I couldn’t walk down the road you walked down. I know that you would have wanted me to learn from your life...and so here I am. Crownless, but happy.”
Of course, Michael didn’t answer back. However, Jean-Paul felt a breeze blow softly in the trees, and touch his cheek as he sat, closing his eyes.
Michael had been in such turmoil when he died, and Jean-Paul hoped that wherever his brother’s spirit was now, he was at peace. It was impossible not to find peace in such a beautiful, quiet spot.
Eventually, Jean-Paul got up from the ground, heading back to the taxi. True to his word, the driver had waited on him, sleeping in the back seat. Jean-Paul woke up him and gave him the address of his mansion, offering an even bigger fee if the driver was fast.
“Somewhere to be?” asked the driver, as they started the journey. Jean-Paul sent a text to Jenna Mae as they drove, and she sent back a text full of hearts. He couldn’t wait to get home.
“Someone to be with,” Jean-Paul answered with a smile. “Two someones.”
“Aren’t you lucky,” the driver said as they rounded the corner.
“Yes,” Jean-Paul said. “Yes, I am.”
Chapter Fourteen
“I know that we have to be in hiding,” Jenna Mae said three weeks later, standing in a small but beautiful cabin that he had rented in the English countryside. “And I know that I shouldn’t tell people my story or that my boyfriend is a bear shifter. But please, please can post a picture of this place on my Facebook account? It even has a fake name.”