Beck (Winter - Shifter Seasons Book 2)

by Harmony Raines

  “Listen, I’ll be sensible.” She tapped the side of his hand gently. “You have your super senses. You’ll know if there is a group of people holding Hex and if there is, I need you to promise me that you’ll call in backup.”

  “You mean Brad?” Beck took a long shuddering breath. “I don’t want to put so many people in danger.”

  “And you shouldn’t be so stubborn that you don’t know when to ask for help.” She pressed her lips together. “I know you left Bear Creek because you thought you had something to prove. I also know Mac has this need to protect you and Hex.”

  “You don’t trust us.” A small smile crept over his lips as he took in a long shuddering breath. Beck was fighting with his emotions, fighting for control. “You’re probably right.”

  “I am. You, Mac and Hex have shared a lot together. You’d do whatever it takes to keep each other safe. Which is why I’m coming. I’ll call for help if you need it.” She took a step back and then turned and left the room. “Get dressed, I’ll make some coffee.”

  Beck started collecting his clothes, his movement superhumanly fast. Kassia had only just reached the kitchen when he appeared behind her. “This is killing me.” He looked down at his phone. “I know someone has Hex but we don’t know what they want or where they are.”

  “Can you trace his phone?” Kassia asked. “There’s an app you can use.”

  “There is?” Beck asked.

  “Yes, find my phone or something.” She put the fresh coffee on, pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. “Shall I look?”

  Beck nodded and handed her his phone but snatched it back when it beeped. “Another message.”

  Kassia watched his expression closely as he tapped the screen and opened the message. “I thought you should know what it’s like to lose a brother.”

  “That’s what the message says?” Kassia asked in disbelief.

  Beck held his phone up so she could read the message. “It must be Matis.”

  “Do you know him?” Kassia got up from the table and slipped her arms around Beck, needing to comfort him.

  “No. Lim talked about his family, but he didn’t live with them.” He closed his eyes. “He said they hadn’t spoken for a while. They wanted him to finish his education, and then join the family business. He didn’t know what to do. He thought that if he had open space all around him, he’d find clarity and know what he wanted to do. I think that’s why we gelled at first, because we had similar choices. Lim was at the start of his life and I was trying to decide if I’d wasted mine.”

  “And Lim’s family wasn’t as understanding as yours,” Kassia finished for him.

  “No.” Beck glanced sharply toward the door and stiffened. “Mac is here.”

  “I don’t know if I’m ever going to get used to that.” Kassia kissed Beck on the cheek, wanting to reassure him before she went to the front door. She opened it before Mac had a chance to knock. “Come in.”

  “Thanks.” Mac’s hand dropped to his side and he stepped inside Betsy’s house and headed for the kitchen. “I got here as fast as I could.”

  “I have a message from whoever has Hex.” Beck swallowed hard as he held up the phone for his brother.

  “I thought you should know what it’s like to lose a brother.” Mac’s forehead creased as he reread it. “I thought you should know what it’s like to lose a brother.”

  “I have an idea who has Hex.” Beck put the phone back in his pocket and shook his head. “I’m so sorry, this is all my fault.”

  “No, it’s not,” Kassia said savagely before she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Beck wasn’t the only one at risk of losing his temper. “This is not your fault. You did nothing wrong.”

  She went to the counter and took down three coffee mugs, placing them down on the counter too hard. Luckily, they didn’t crack. This was all wrong. Beck didn’t deserve any of this. There was no relief in knowing that whoever took the photos of her and sent them to her phone wasn’t connected to Travis.

  “Why don’t we start at the beginning?” Mac asked as he placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder before taking a seat at the table.

  “The beginning.” Beck ran his hand over his face. “Thanks.” He glanced up at Kassia as she placed the coffee down on the table.

  “Yes. I’m guessing this has something to do with what happened when you were away.” Mac smiled up at Kassia as she passed him a cup of coffee and sat down next to Beck.

  “Yes.” Beck didn’t meet his brother’s eyes. “When I first left Bear Creek, I traveled around on my own. I needed time to think, to take stock of my life. Then I met Lim. He was younger than me, but we were in the same place emotionally and we became friends.”

  “Go on,” Mac encouraged when Beck stalled.

  “We just gelled. We had a laugh. I supposed he reminded me of myself when I was younger. I saw the choices he was trying to make and thought I might be able to help him.” Beck’s forehead creased as if he were dredging up memories he’d hidden away. Kassia reached out and stroked his back, offering him her love and support. There was so much about her relationship with Travis that she’d pushed down and buried in an attempt to stem the flow of guilt and regret.

  “He was looking to find himself. He was young and you thought if you could help him, it might make you feel better about your own life.” Mac looked at his brother with profound understanding. “I know why you left, Beck. I know it’s because you figured you were always in my shadow.”

  Beck nodded and raised his eyes to meet his brothers. “I thought I was missing out by not doing my own thing. For not doing what I wanted with my life. The thing is, I never knew what I wanted.” His eyes flickered over to Kassia. “Not until I came home and found my mate.”

  “The thing you were missing was never a job or making a success of your life, it was having a mate and family.” Mac nodded and inhaled a shaky breath. “I get it because now I’m the one who is jealous, I’m the one who is trying to claw my way out of my own skin because I want what you and Hex have so damn much.” His voice was raw, and his eyes misted with emotion. “Sorry, Kassia.”

  “No.” She reached out and took his hand. “Don’t ever be sorry for saying what is in your heart. My mom always encouraged me to talk about stuff like this.” She wiped away a large tear as it rolled down her cheek. “Sorry, this isn’t about me.”

  “It’s about all of us.” Beck slid his arm around her shoulders and hugged her close. “We all have our demons.” He took out his phone and laid it down on the table with the image of Hex, tied up and gagged, facing upward. “And this is ours.” Beck and Mac locked eyes. “You might have started the business, but I stayed to make a life for us all, too. I stayed for Hex and for Mom and for you, Mac.”

  “So how do we get Hex home? What is this really about, Beck?” Mac asked.

  Chapter Nineteen – Beck

  “What is this really about?” Beck repeated Mac’s question as he tried to compose his thoughts. Since receiving the images of Hex, Beck’s mind had been all over the place, reliving the past and making a future where he was responsible for his brother’s death.

  “Yes, what happened to drive someone to hurt our brother?” Mac needed to know and then they needed to act.

  “Lim was a wolf shifter. We were traveling through a mountainous region, trekking over the high peaks where the air was so clear it pierced your lungs.” Beck inhaled deeply, he could smell the clean mountain air and feel the gentle breeze on his face. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine he was back there now, with his friend by his side. It was as if none of this had ever happened.

  But that wasn’t where he wanted to be. He wanted to be here with his mate by his side.

  “We had plenty of supplies and had no intention of visiting any of the villages that were dotted across the lower slopes, but Lim had this sudden urge, this need to go to one of the villages. One particular village.” His hand tightened around Kassia.

  “His mate,
” she murmured. “He sensed his mate.”

  “Yes. I didn’t understand it, how the pull of his mate could be so strong. But I do now.” His mouth twitched up at the corner. “It’s the strongest feeling, as if you’re attached to another person and being reeled in. It’s a need. A thirst or hunger, only no food or water will satisfy that need.”

  “Only your mate,” Mac said in awe.

  “Only your mate.” Beck nodded and his eyes grew distant. He was back there, walking down the trail to the village. Lim was so excited, his wolf was desperate to break free and run toward the small collection of smallholdings nestled into a valley. He should have seen it then, just how little control Lim had over his other side.

  But he didn’t. Beck had figured that’s what it felt like when you found your mate. That finding the person you were meant to be with for the rest of your life drove you a little crazy, made the world tip on its axis.

  “So, you went to the village and Lim found his mate,” Mac prompted and pulled Beck back from his daydream.

  “Yes. But she was already married. An arranged marriage with a man she didn’t love. It tore Lim up inside.” Beck’s jaw tensed. “There was no reasoning with the guy. His wife was his property. So Lim decided to steal her away.”

  “Things got violent?” Mac asked. Did his brother think Beck was capable of violence, of hurting someone?

  “We left the village. We had no choice. But we stayed close by. There was a cave in the mountains, and we made our camp there. I tried to convince Lim to leave but he wouldn’t. Lim was convinced he was there to rescue his mate. And maybe he was.” He ran a hand through his hair, kicking and fighting as he tried to push down the surge of emotions that hit him. He didn’t want to remember the primal anger that flashed across Lim’s eyes as he left his mate behind.

  Beck should have seen it that day. He should have seen how close to the edge his friend was. If he had, Beck might have been able to prevent what happened next.

  “Lim would sit on the ridge overlooking the village. We stayed there for a few days. I tried everything but there was nothing I could do to get him to leave. I can see why. Now that I’ve met Kassia, I can see how impossible it was for him to leave. But it was also impossible for him to stay.” He pressed his lips together as a thought suddenly struck him.

  “What?” Kassia asked.

  “Fate got it wrong.” Beck lifted his eyes and locked them with his brother’s. Mac would understand just how devastating that realization was. “Fate must have gotten it wrong. We’re raised knowing that our mate is the perfect person for us. That they come into our lives for a reason.”

  “Perhaps that’s true for Lim and his mate,” Mac suggested. “Only we can’t see it.”

  “Lim killed his mate’s husband,” Beck said bitterly. “Lim lost control and they fought in the street like dogs.”

  Mac’s head snapped back. “As a wolf or a man?”

  “Does it matter?” Beck shot back. “The man died, and Lim went to jail. He’s not with his mate. They are not living together. They have no family, no children, and no hope. He lives every day of his life away from her, pining for her.” He shook his head, his eyes wild. “How can that be right? How can that be fate?”

  “I don’t know,” Mac replied, his eyes wide. “That’s not for us to deal with. What we have to deal with is Hex.”

  “This text is from Lim’s brother, Matis. The family blames me for not stopping Lim. For not being able to convince the court Lim acted in self-defense.” Beck ran his finger over the screen of his phone. “Maybe I’m the one who tricked fate. Maybe I was supposed to be there so I could stop Lim. I got it wrong just as I got so many other things wrong.”

  “No,” Mac shook his head. “Don’t blame yourself for the actions of another. That gets you nowhere.”

  “So, how do we find Matis?” Kassia steered the conversation back to the reason Beck had spilled his guts and bared his soul.

  “We should tell Brad,” Mac announced.

  “Are you sure?” Beck asked. “We don’t know what Matis wants. What if involving the Sheriff makes him panic and Hex gets hurt?”

  “We need help with this. We need help tracking him.” Mac pulled his phone out of his pocket.

  Beck stood up from the table, closed his hands around his phone and walked to the kitchen door leading out into the yard. He needed fresh air and a clear head. As he stood outside under the stars, he tapped his phone and sent a message to Matis. “Where are you? What do you want?”

  Of course, Beck knew what he wanted. He wanted Beck to suffer the loss of his brother just as he had.

  There must be some mental health issues with the family, his bear ground out. Shifters don’t go around hurting other people like this.

  How did this happen? Beck asked his bear. How did Hex, of all people, get caught up in this?

  It doesn’t matter how it happened, it just matters that we resolve it. That we get Hex back to Martha. His bear’s body language softened. She might be with child. Isn’t that what Mac said?

  He did. Beck smiled despite everything. Finally, the Winter family will have a new generation. I’d gotten to thinking our bloodline would end with the three of us.

  It looks as if you were wrong, his bear said.

  I’ve been wrong about a lot of things, Beck’s heart filled with sorrow.

  There was nothing you could have done to stop Lim, his bear said firmly. And there was nothing you should have done to cover it up. He took a life. Even if it was an accident. He had to face the consequences of his actions.

  No matter how many times you tell me that and no matter how many times I tell myself, it doesn’t get any easier. Beck’s hand gripped his phone tighter as it beeped. He took a quick look at the message.

  “What does it say?” Mac demanded.

  “I want you to suffer,” Beck ground out the words.

  Wait until I get my claws around that wolf shifter’s neck, his bear roared with simmering rage. But then he let it go. They needed cool heads.

  Perhaps if we could retrace Hex’s movements, we might be able to find him. Beck pocketed his phone and went back inside.

  Good idea.

  “Brad will be over shortly,” Mac told him as Kassia leaned against the counter, her face pale and her arms folded across her body.

  “We should look for Hex’s truck. From there we might be able to pick up his scent.” Beck held out his hands as Mac looked at him dismissively. “We have to do something.”

  “I know. But if Hex was put into another vehicle, there will be no scent to follow.” Mac went to his brother and placed his hands on his shoulders. “I just don’t want you to get your hopes up.”

  “My hopes up?” Beck questioned.

  Pain etched Mac’s features. “Let’s wait for Brad.”

  Beck nodded, unable to read Mac’s expression. “Crap.” His phone beeped again, and he took a quick look at it.

  “What does it say?” Kassia asked as she offered more coffee.

  “It’s not from him. It’s from Duane. I was going to go visit them this evening,” Beck didn’t show them the new message. This was his mess to deal with and he didn’t want anyone else in danger. “I’ll go and wait for Brad.”

  He shouldered past Mac and went to the front door. Taking a step outside, he hesitated. Leaving Kassia was almost impossible. But what life would he have if he didn’t do his best to get Hex back unharmed?

  Lim’s brother won’t reason with you, his bear told him. He only wants you there so you can see him hurt Hex.

  Beck hovered on the doorstep as he stared down at the map on the phone. This was something he needed to do alone. This was his mess and he should clean it up. Was he still that little kid who lived in his brother’s shadow or was he a man capable of dealing with his own crap?

  No, even now you don’t get it, his bear replied. You are part of a family. A family that sticks together and works together. Mac might own the sawmill, but he has never tried to
control you. This isn’t about breaking away and proving yourself, it’s about doing the right thing. Just as helping build the business was the right thing.

  Beck’s grip on the phone tightened, he wanted to crush the thing with his bare hands, just as he wanted to crush Matis. With a groan, he turned around and went back inside the house. “I have a location.”

  Mac looked up sharply and moved swiftly across the kitchen to his brother. “I know the area. There’s an old abandoned barn there. That must be where they are.”

  “We should go.” Beck didn’t want to wait for Brad, he didn’t want the Sheriff involved in this.

  Brad needs to handle this, his bear told him sharply. The man who has Hex needs help. This isn’t how normal people behave.

  Agreed. Although, part of Beck figured what Matis really needed was for someone to tear his head from his shoulders.

  “I’ll grab my coat.” Kassia dashed to the hallway and took down her coat and quickly put it on before she shoved her feet into her hiking boots.

  “Are you sure you wouldn’t be better back at the sawmill?” Mac’s concern was evident in his expression. “I can call Joey and ask him to come over and get you.”

  “No, thanks, I already told Beck I’m coming.” She stood in front of Mac as she lifted her hair out from under the collar of her coat. “We’re mates and despite what he thinks about fate getting it wrong for Lim, I believe that I am here for Beck because he needs me for this.”

  Mac nodded and a smile crept across his mouth. “I like you, Kassia.”

  “Good, because I like you, Mac, and I am part of this family. A family that works together.” She opened the front door as Brad pulled up to the curb and got out. Avery climbed out of the passenger side of the sheriff’s truck and approached the house with Brad behind her.

  “Hi, guys. What kind of trouble have you gotten yourselves into?” Avery looked at the Winter brothers each in turn.

  “Hex is missing. We believe he’s been kidnapped since I received these.” Beck showed them the phone.