“Our boy is growing up,” Drew teased.
“This is great news because I know exactly what I’m going to do with the money,” Quinn said, checking on the baby.
“What’s that, babe?” Drew asked.
“I’m going to start a PR firm of my own. Right here on Fate Mountain. It will be dedicated to promoting the positive qualities of the shifter community and the shifter businesses in our town.”
“Quinn, that sounds amazing,” Drew said, leaning in to kiss her cheek again.
“So, your PR firm will be dedicated to promoting shifter lifestyle and shifter businesses?” Lily asked.
“That’s right. I know now that it’s my calling to help heal the injustices inflicted on shifters by people like my parents.”
“You’re a hero, Quinn,” Angus said.
“I just want to make things right, in whatever way I can. I know PR. I can help that way.”
The gang continued to chat about the exciting things happening in all their lives. Everyone had an opinion about what Juliet should name the baby girl. Shane started to pester Corey about why he didn’t want a mate, and Corey’s face started to turn bright red.
“Why would I want to add all that drama to my life? Look at you all. You mates might love each other, but look at what it took for you to get there. No thanks. That’s not for me. I’d rather be on my own than go down that road. Shane and Lily took fifteen years to get together. I know how much pain you both went through. I’d rather spend my time alone with my computers in my cabin at the lodge. That’s all I want out of life. No mate or cubs for me. Thank you very much.”
“You’ll change your mind,” Levi said.
“No, I won’t,” Corey protested.
The rest of the group looked at each other knowingly, and Lily started to giggle when Shane leaned in to take a long sniff of her neck. The two of them could barely keep their hands off each other most of the time. They had the most PDA of all the couples in the group, much to Corey’s constant disgust.
After everyone was done eating and all the presents had been opened, the guys helped Drew carry all the baby’s things into the new nursery. Once everything was in place, baby Max had a comfy place to sleep. Everyone said their goodbyes, and Quinn and Drew were finally alone.
They sat on the loveseat in the nursery, watching their baby sleep in the new crib that Levi had given them. Quinn felt a warm rush of pride and joy as Drew held her close. The house was warm, but Quinn heard the rain start to patter on the roof outside.
“It’s raining again,” Quinn whispered sleepily.
“But we’re safe and warm.”
“And together at last,” she said, hugging him closer.
He kissed the top of her head and felt his beard brush her cheek. She felt for the first time in nine months, or perhaps in her entire life, that she could finally rest. With a deep sigh, Quinn closed her eyes, dozing and happy to be safe in her beloved’s arms with their baby sleeping right beside them.
Ski Bear
From Paris with pastries ...
Pastry chef Maisie Green has come home from Paris so she can be close to her mom. Starting over on Fate Mountain means long hours of work, but her mom persuades Maisie to sign up on the shifter-human matchmaking site started by a local bear shifter.
Ski instructor Zach Rayner competed in the X-Games before the war, and like the rest of the Rescue Bear crew he’s an ex-Navy SEAL. He loves high-risk, adrenaline-rush living … but he knows it’s time to settle down and be the steady kind of man who’s worthy of his mate.
To Fated Mate-dom ...
Maisie and Zach get an instant match on the mating site. Their chemistry is undeniable, but Zach wonders if he’s sophisticated enough for a woman who’s used to the high life of Paris.
Maisie isn’t sure she’s ready for the demands of being a bear shifter’s mate -- especially an uber-athletic guy like Zach. She doesn’t even like skiing … and her business still takes most of her time. Is getting involved really fair to either of them?
And the dangers of a snowy forest
Zach takes it slow, and his patient courtship is slowly winning her over. When Maisie decides to practice her skiing, however, she gets lost in the woods. Can Zach and the other Rescue Bears find her in time? And if they do, will Maisie finally be ready to trust her heart to her mate?
Chapter 1
“Ski Bear to Alpha Station. Continuing along the ridge where the target was last spotted,” Zach Rayner said into his walkie-talkie.
“Copy that, Ski Bear.”
Zach pushed his ski poles into the snow. A blanket of fresh powder had covered the area that morning in a sudden snowstorm. Two experienced skiers had been stranded somewhere on the mountain during the storm. They’d been missing for several hours, and their families back at Fate Mountain Lodge were worried.
Zach had diverged from Brew Bear fifteen minutes before. According to Geek Bear’s data analysis, the skiers had most likely gone in this direction.
Taking in the terrain, Zach had to agree. This was the most likely path off the mountain. The skiers hadn’t made it back to the lodge, so something had to be wrong. Zach came to the edge of the ridge where the mountain sloped on three sides.
“Ski Bear to Alpha Station. Approaching the southern edge of the ridge. No visible tracks. Advise on which direction to continue.”
“Alpha Station to Ski Bear. Geek Bear advises taking the southern slope toward the lodge.”
“Copy that Chief Bear. Taking the southern slope.”
“Wild Bear and Big Bear will meet you at the bottom of the slope.”
Zach continued down the steep mountainside, snaking back and forth with expert skill through the snow. Zach, codename Ski Bear, had been skiing since he was a cub. Of all the Rescue Bears, Zach had the most tremendous acrobatic and athletic skill. He was known among the crew for his high flying stunts and impulsive good nature.
Lately, Zach had been trying to overcome the image he had with the rest of the Rescue Bears. He didn’t want to be known as an immature screw up or someone who had to be watched like a hawk for the rest of his life. Zach was ready for a mate. That meant it was time for him to grow up and make something of himself.
Zach looked in each direction through his goggles, seeing no signs of the missing skiers as he made his way downhill. He trusted Geek Bear’s data analysis. The skiers had to be around here somewhere.
The passing snowstorm had swept the sky clean of clouds, and a swath of crystal blue stretched out above the blanket of fresh white snow on the mountain. Zach took a deep breath of the crisp winter air, filling his lungs with its sweetness.
When he came to an area that intersected with another trail, he spotted Wild Bear and Big Bear to the east. He stopped and brought his walkie-talkie to his lips.
“Ski Bear has eyes on the Big Bear and Wild Bear.”
Zach hurried across the lower ridge to where Shane and Angus had stopped in the snow.
“I’m picking up a strong human scent here,” Shane said.
Shane was known as Wild Bear among the crew because his animal senses were stronger than the rest. He’d also had a reputation as being a little unhinged until he finally got together with his fated mate not long ago.
Knowing what Lily did for Shane made Zach want to find his mate even more. He loved having a good time, but he also knew that he would never accomplish anything truly great if he couldn’t get himself on the right track. When the rest of the Rescue Bears had signed up for Mate.com, a human/shifter dating website that Geek Bear had created, Zach signed up too.
Unlike the rest of the crew who’d already found their mates, Zach still hadn’t found anyone. After Brew Bear’s mate Quinn came back to Fate Mountain and they had their baby, Zach knew it was time to start making some changes in his life.
“What direction was the scent coming from?” Zach asked, sniffing the air.
He could smell the very slight scent of humans, but he couldn’t make out an
ything specific.
“It’s further down the mountain from here,” Shane said.
“The slope is too steep for us to ski,” Angus said.
“It might be too steep for you, Big Bear,” Zach said. “But it isn’t too steep for me.”
“If you say so,” Angus said, looking down skeptically.
The slope below them was at a seventy-five-degree angle, but Zach had skied steeper. He still had plenty of tricks up his sleeve, even if he had made the decision to become a more mature bear.
“Ski Bear to Alpha Station. Taking the southern slope below the second ridge.”
“Be advised, Alpha Station, the slope is approximately seventy-five to eighty degrees.”
“Ski Bear, don’t take any unnecessary risks,” his alpha Levi said through the walkie-talkie.
“There’s nothing to worry about. I can ski this in my sleep.”
“Copy that, Ski Bear.”
Zach backed up on the ridge and got ready to propel himself down the slope. Both Corey and Shane had confirmed that the skiers would be in this area. Now it was up to Zach to find them. Zach’s skis tipped over the edge, and he started down the slope. He made quick side-to-side motions as he launched downward. The slope was tough, but he was tougher.
Even with his quick switchbacks, he was going superfast. He angled his skis to the side to slow himself as he came to the next flat elevation. Once he stopped, he sniffed the air. There were snow-covered evergreens down here, and Zach could see movement in the distance along the tree line. That’s when two humans jumped up from below the trees and started waving their arms frantically.
“Help!” one of them yelled.
“Ski Bear to Alpha Station. I have eyes on both targets.”
He skied across the flat elevation to where the two humans had been hunkered down in a makeshift igloo. One of them remained sitting and looked as if he had hurt his ankle. Zach didn’t have a rescue sled. Big Bear had one, but he wasn’t able to get down the slope.
“Alpha Station, targets appear healthy but injured. Requesting air extraction.”
“Helicopter in route to your location, Ski Bear. Good job.”
It felt good to have his alpha tell him he had done a good job. Zach had been working as a ski and climbing instructor at his alpha’s lodge for the past three years and he didn’t want to change that. But he’d been living in a cabin at the lodge all that time too. Part of Zach’s mission of self-improvement was to become a home owner in preparation for his mate. In three months of looking, he still hadn’t found the right home.
In the distance, Zach could see the helicopter heading towards his location. A moment later, the loud spinning of the blades sliced through the air.
The helicopter sent down the emergency gurney, unable to land on the fresh snow. Zach helped the injured skier into the lift. The gurney was pulled into the helicopter. Then he and the second skier were lifted up with harnesses and rope. When everyone was inside the helicopter, the pilot turned around and headed out.
They flew fast over the white-tipped peaks of Fate Mountain. The rocky outcroppings looked blue as they sped past. Zach wasn’t from Fate Mountain, but it had definitely become his home.
When the helicopter landed at the hangar, there was an ambulance waiting to take the skiers to the hospital.
“Where are we celebrating tonight?” Zach asked into his walkie-talkie.
“Come back to the lodge, Ski Bear,” Levi said.
Zach sighed, feeling like he was still being treated like an immature kid. Just like the rest of the Rescue Bears, Zach had served as a Navy SEAL for four years. He was just as much a hero as anyone else. But because Zach was the kind of bear who didn’t like to take life too seriously, too many of his crewmates didn’t take him very seriously either.
Zach was getting tired of having that kind of reputation among his friends. He wanted to be respected, if for no other reason than for his mate to feel more secure when he finally found her.
Zach got a ride from one of the helicopter pilots, who dropped him off at the lodge. By the time he got there, the rest of the rescue crew was already sitting around their normal table in the main dining room, enjoying nice juicy steaks and pints of Fate Mountain Lager.
He took his seat among the crew, and a waiter brought him his own dinner. Since Levi owned the lodge, it definitely came with plenty of perks. Where else could you have a steak delivered to you within ten minutes of entering a restaurant?
That was the kind of thing that usually got Zach excited. He had a positive attitude and liked to express his gratitude for the good things in life. Instead of jumping up on the table and doing a happy dance, Zach just shoved his steak in his mouth and chewed. This whole maturity thing was more difficult than he had expected it to be.
“How are Quinn and the baby?” Levi asked Drew.
A week after Drew’s mate Quinn had arrived on the mountain three months ago, she had given birth to a baby boy they’d named Max. Everyone in the clan was ecstatic for them, including Zach.
Zach took a sip of beer and pulled out his smartphone. He’d been a member of Mate.com for almost a year and still hadn’t been matched with anyone. He was starting to get a little depressed. That was an emotion Zach had rarely felt, and it made him uncomfortable.
There still weren’t any one hundred percent matches on his profile. He frowned and put the phone away.
“Quinn and Max are thriving,” Drew said. “I couldn’t be happier.”
“That’s good to hear,” Levi said. “Juliet is due any day now.”
“Have you settled on a name yet?” Drew asked.
“I still think you should name her Sunshine,” Zach said.
Everyone turned and looked at him with shocked and annoyed expressions on their faces.
“What?” Zach asked. “Sunshine is a beautiful name. Who doesn’t like sunshine?”
“I’m not sure that name is appropriate for our alpha’s daughter,” Angus said thoughtfully.
“Why not?” Zach asked.
Everyone was always so serious. Every single one of them. Zach wished they would loosen up once in a while so that he wouldn’t have to go so far out of his way to fit in with the rest of the bears. It was no secret that Zach was the only polar bear on the crew. But that wasn’t the only thing that separated him from the rest of the bunch.
Zach wasn’t the kind of bear who liked to spend his life worrying or getting himself worked up into some kind of emotional turmoil. There were plenty of bears on the crew who were no stranger to emotional mayhem. Zach never lived his life that way.
He was a bear who enjoyed being happy and having a good time. He just wished he had his own mate to share it with. If that meant he had to be serious like the rest of the bears, he supposed it was a small price to pay to find his one and only.
Zach finished his steak and beer and ordered another pint. Just as the waiter brought him his second beer, most of the other bears were getting ready to go.
“Where are you going?” Zach asked. “We just got started.”
“I need to get back to Quinn and the baby,” Drew said.
“I need to get back to Juliet. She’s due any day now,” said Levi.
Everyone else, except Corey, agreed that they needed to get back to their mates. When the rest of the bears left, Corey frowned over his beer and stared at the bear across the table. Corey hadn’t been mated with anyone either, but that was because Corey refused to join Mate.com.
“I guess it’s just us,” Zach said. “Are you having another beer?”
“No. I have some exciting developments happening with my programming. I need to get back to my cabin to continue my work.”
“Everyone’s leaving? Just like that? What happened to us?”
“Well, the rest of the bears have mates, and I have work to do. You are the only one who doesn’t,” Corey said, picking up his coat off the back of his chair and pulling it on over his shoulders.
“Thanks, Corey. Yo
u’re a real pal,” Zach said sarcastically.
It took a lot to upset Zach. But being ditched during a rescue celebration and told off by Corey was almost enough to make that happen.
“How are things going with your house hunt?” Corey asked.
“Nothing feels quite right. I want it to be the perfect place for me and my mate and our cubs.”
“I’m sure you’ll find it soon.”
“I want to be ready for my mate, but I haven’t found her yet either. Why isn’t your dating app working for me?” Zach asked Corey.
Corey zipped up his poncho and stared at Zach.
“It has nothing to do with my dating app. Your girl simply hasn’t signed up yet. She may never sign up. That’s something you’re just going to have to live with. Good night,” Corey said, turning away.
Zach rolled his eyes at Corey’s back. Geek Bear could really lack empathy for other people sometimes. That was something that did annoy Zach. Zach cared about everyone, and he wanted everybody to be happy.
He had grown up in Southern California after the Great Shifter Council had made the announcement to the world that shifters existed. The shifters of San Diego had not experienced a violent backlash from humans like they had in most other places.
While the rest of the shifters in the country were dealing with riots and police brutality, the shifters in San Diego were surfing and singing Kumbaya on the beach. It wasn’t that San Diego was that much different, but there were a lot of top ranking officials and business people in San Diego who were able to influence the culture enough to keep the rest of the shifters there safe.
Zach and his family had been among them. He’d spent his childhood surfing, skateboarding and taking trips to the mountains to ski in the winter time. Before the war broke out six years ago, Zach had been a professional athlete in the X-Games. He’d participated in everything from skateboarding to snowboarding, all the while being completely out as a polar bear shifter.
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