Mating Fever (Morgan Clan Bears, Book 3)

by Theresa Hissong

  Mating Fever

  Morgan Clan Bears

  Book 3

  By

  Theresa Hissong

  Disclaimer:

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead is purely coincidental. The names of people, places, and/or things are all created from the author’s mind and are only used for entertainment.

  Due to the content, this book is recommended for adults 18 years and older.

  ©2020 Theresa Hissong

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover Design:

  Gray Publishing Services

  Editing by:

  Heidi Ryan

  Amour the Line Editing

  Follow Theresa at

  Authortheresahissong.com

  Or

  www.facebook.com/authortheresahissong

  Dedication:

  To the readers:

  May we all meet again.

  Contents:

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Prologue

  Gaia started the coffee brewing five minutes before the diner opened for the breakfast rush. With the oncoming spring, the people of town were more active. The snowfall she’d given them early in the year had been received with excitement by the little children. It didn’t matter that the adults were agitated with the aftermath, because Gaia was in a great mood and wanted to give back to the youth.

  New laws had been made over taking care of her earthly home. New foundations and organizations undertaking the massive amount of waste in the oceans had been announced at the beginning of the year, and that made her beam with pride. The younger generation was finally doing something to restore the Earth’s natural state. It would take many years to undo the sins of the past, but at least the humans were on track.

  “Are you ready?” she asked Tony, her cook, as he prepared his station for the morning rush. She was in a great mood and wanted to pay it forward.

  Several human males were already in the parking lot. It was five in the morning on a Sunday, and from the looks of it, they were on their way to a local lake to do some fishing. She smiled as they entered, making a note to keep the air warm and the sun bright over the water to aide in giving them a little luck.

  “Morning, Gaia!” Several of the men were regulars, and she already knew what they wanted the moment they sat down. She poured several cups of black coffee and added three creamers for one of the men.

  “Here you go,” she said as she placed the cups. “Everyone want their regular?”

  A round of agreements sent her to the kitchen window to inform Tony they were ready to eat. More customers entered as her new waitress, Mara Wood, arrived a few minutes late. Gaia gave her a scowl, but otherwise left her alone. The poor human was living with a terrible mate, and she knew he’d been the one to hold her up that morning. He was also responsible for the bruises she kept hidden under long-sleeved shirts and a lot of makeup.

  He would get his one day.

  After the group of males left to start their fishing trip, Gaia waited on the three humans sitting at her counter. “Can I have a blueberry muffin?” a voice she already knew rumbled out behind her.

  With a heavy sigh, she turned around to find the local sheriff and angel, Garrett Lynch, sitting where Mr. Williams had been only moments before. She scooped up the other man’s payment and entered it into the register, wiping her hands on the apron she wore.

  She hadn’t seen much of the angel lately, and after their little run in last spring at her home, he’d pretty much left her alone. “What else can I get you, Sheriff?”

  He waited until she retrieved the muffin from the bakery case to clasp his hands on top of the table. “I need to speak to you privately.”

  “I’m sure you can see I’m quite busy right now, Garrett,” she hedged. With Mara there, she really didn’t need to rush around as much, but she used the excuse anyway. The last time they had been alone together, some semi-serious flirting had gone down, and she wasn’t sure how to take it.

  “It’s about your…boys,” he said, lowering his voice.

  The mention of the Morgan bears sent a chill up her spine. The sheriff had no business with them, and he best keep his nose out of their daily lives. She narrowed her eyes and leaned over the counter, so her mouth was close to his ear. “Those boys are mine, and you best keep them out of your mouth.”

  “What I have to say involves your bears,” he replied with a whisper.

  Her eyes swirled like the eye of a hurricane as the anger over speaking their species out loud in a room full of humans brought out her darker side. The grizzlies were the only ones not known to the humans, and they wanted to keep it that way. “Go to my office.”

  The sheriff stood and placed a few bills on the counter for his uneaten muffin before he strode to the back of the diner. Whatever the lawman had to say better be worth him almost exposing the grizzlies to the humans.

  “Mara, can you watch the counter?” Gaia asked her waitress as she removed her apron. “I’ll be back shortly.” The meeting with the sheriff wouldn’t take long.

  She pushed open the door to her office a little too hard, making the male turn around to see what the noise was all about. He frowned at her, but Gaia didn’t comment. She wanted to get down to business and tell the angel to leave her diner.

  “What is this all about?” she barked, folding her arms across her chest.

  “It’s about the clan,” he sighed, his tall, tight body deflating just a bit. From the exhausted look on his face, Gaia realized what he had to say must be important.

  “What about them?” she pressed.

  “The humans know,” he began, pulling a chair away from the front of her desk to take a seat. “They know about the grizzlies, and I had a vision that a group of four hunters are coming for them today.”

  “Well,” she chuckled. “That’s not going to be a problem. They’ve been in hibernation and will be for another week or two. There is no way they’ll get to the clan. They’re in their dens.” The bears didn’t like to leave their homes until a week or two after the spring equinox.

  “I don’t care what they usually do,” he barked. “I’ve seen it happen, and my visions are always correct.”

  “I thought you were in charge of the werepanthers?” she asked, wondering why he was even talking about her bears. She oversaw them…not the sheriff.

  “I am, but the vision was given to me by the gods,” he replied, glancing toward the ceiling. Gaia rolled her eyes. Their gods were always stirring the pot down on her planet, and she really wished they’d back off. “I saw it, Gaia.”

  “What did you see?” she asked, ignoring the desire to claw his eyes out for stepping into her territory.

  “Gunnar and his destined mate will be shot today,” he admitted. The sheriff approached her, cupping her upper arms. An electric pulse shivered through her when his eyes flashed white. “Please send word to them.”

  “Are you sure about this?” she gasped, feeling her heart thunder in her human body.

  “I don’t question the visions they allow me,” he replied. His radio crackled with a cal
l from dispatch, but he reached back and lowered the volume on the unit that was clipped to his belt. “I was sent here to care for the panthers. I’m only allowed to see if anything human is coming for them. With the recent work of other shifters in the area, I’ve been blind. When this vision hit me this morning, I was confused, but I also knew not to discredit it. I came to you as soon as I could. Whatever you do with the information is on you, but I would at least contact one of those Morgan brothers to let them know. I already tried to call them, but they didn’t answer.”

  “They don’t use their phones during their hibernation,” she admitted. “They might wake up a few times and check their messages, but it’s not often.”

  “Please, just call them,” he urged, dropping his hands. “I’m not going out to their land, because I am not welcome. I figured it was quicker to get the message to you than to drive out to their land, anyway.”

  “I can reach them,” she replied, rubbing her temples. “I’ll go now.”

  “Good,” he nodded. “Thanks for the muffin.”

  The sheriff left her standing in the middle of the room. With a white flash, he was gone, and she was left with the information. Humans were on the hunt for her bears, and she’d move the heavens to make sure Gunnar and his soon-to-be mate were out of harm’s way.

  As she dialed the male’s phone number, a rumble of thunder sounded outside. Her eyes swirled faster as the call was left unanswered. She would drive those humans away from the clan, and she’d rain hellfire down on them if they laid one finger on her bears.

  Chapter 1

  Gunnar Morgan stretched as he woke from hibernation. His bear rumbled at the scent of Anna Claire still sleeping in his bedroom. Once winter came, she had been living in the one temporary home on the property, but she was scared to be there alone. Gunnar had offered to move her into his room and place a spare bed out in his living quarters so they could be together during the winter. She’d agreed, and that had made his heart swell.

  They’d forged a friendship over the summer and fall, but they hadn’t touched. Anna Claire was still struggling with her demons when they had bedded down for the winter, and he didn’t know if she would ever be ready for a mating. His beast was fighting him every second of the day to touch her and show her how much they wanted to be her mate.

  “Gunnar?” Anna Claire’s sleep-fogged voice called out.

  “I’m here,” he promised as he pushed the bedroom door open. His bear rumbled in his mind when he saw her nestled in a mound of blankets and several pillows. She’d made a nest in the center of her bed for her winter slumber. “Are you ready for spring?”

  “I am,” she whispered, but her eyes betrayed her. She cast a glance at her lap, and a soft sigh fell from her pouty lips. “I think I am.”

  “You can wake up whenever you’d like,” he reassured her. Gods, if he could kill her father again, he would. The male had allowed men to touch her and pass her around like her life was worth nothing. Last spring, they’d found her trussed up in the forest with a gash across her abdomen and thighs He’d vowed to himself he’d see her healed from the trauma.

  “Can you give me a minute?” she asked, a soft blush painting her cheeks.

  “I’m going to make some coffee out here in the kitchen,” he advised. “We don’t have to go into the main house for a few more days.”

  “What day is it anyway?” she asked.

  “It’s March nineteenth,” he answered, looking at his watch. “We usually don’t gather with the others until about three days after the first day of spring.” Bears were groggy coming out of hibernation, and they were hungry. The Morgan bears usually spent those three days eating as much as they could to bulk up from the long winter sleep.

  “That’s good,” she nodded, relief making her body sag.

  “You can sleep,” he urged. “I’m going to start making some food, too. If you are feeling up to eating, it’ll be ready in about an hour.”

  “That sounds amazing,” she hummed as she rubbed her flat stomach. “I could eat a whole cow.”

  “Supplies are low, but I have just the thing.” He winked and turned from the room, closing the door to give her some privacy.

  At least Anna Claire was talking and acting the same as she’d done right before the winter solstice. He’d worked hard to keep the lines of communication open with her, letting the female know he was going to be patient with her. The last thing he wanted to do was give her any reason to think he would force a mating with her.

  He and Anna Claire already knew they were mates. Their bears had already claimed each other by scent, but not by blood or touch. He’d seen what had been done to the female, and he wouldn’t blame her if she never wanted to have a mate. He’d be her friend and protector for the rest of her natural life if she made the decision to stay unmated.

  Gunnar whipped up a high protein meal and left it in the oven to cook. He set a timer and made his way out to the main house to check on supplies. They’d stocked their quarters with food before the hibernation but left the bulk of things in the main house. Since he was awake, he might as well make a list of things they’d need for the next few months until Ada could prepare their garden.

  He was thankful the female had taken over the patch of land behind the house. Gunnar had been in charge of that when he was younger, before his parents were killed, but let it go when they were thrust into the farming business left to them by their father. Ada had grown enough vegetables for them to last through the winter, and Gunnar and Anna Claire had spent many afternoons bonding over canning the foods to give them a longer shelf life. When he reached the living room, he saw his brother, Rex, in the kitchen grabbing one of two bags of potatoes.

  “Hey, brother,” Rex boomed. His mate had given birth to a male cub during the winter, and he’d been pampering her all throughout their hibernation. “How’s Anna Claire?”

  “She’s as well as to be expected.” Gunnar paused to frown. “She struggled the first few weeks of hibernation, but eventually settled.”

  “Maybe things will change once we get moving again.” Rex shrugged, but his face had still fallen at the mention of the female.

  “How’s Ada? Thane?” Gunnar inquired. He’d only seen the cub a few times over the winter. Just because they were hibernating didn’t mean they slept the entire winter away. They would emerge every couple of weeks to check on their home and grab supplies if they were needed. Very rarely did they ever leave the homestead.

  “Perfect,” Rex blushed. “They’re perfect.”

  “Have you heard from Drake or Tessa?”

  “They’re awake, but you know Drake.” Rex rolled his eyes. “He’s going to stay locked up with his mate and cub until the last day.”

  Gunnar laughed and reached into the pantry to grab a can of coffee for Anna Claire. They hadn’t stocked any before winter.

  “I’m planning on making a run to the fields tomorrow. Do you want to ride along?” Rex asked.

  “Yeah,” Gunnar said with a nod. “I’m going to check on the elders and the O’Kelly boys sometime later today.”

  “Ada talked to Martha two weeks ago, and they were doing very well in their cabins,” Rex informed him. “It’s odd, but nice having them here.”

  “It’s new for us, but I’m grateful for Luca and Ransom’s help this season,” Gunnar admitted, picking up the last bag of potatoes. “Let me know when you want to leave, and I’ll ride with you.”

  “You’ll call me if the elders are in need of anything?” Rex added a bag of sugar to his stack of supplies once Gunnar had moved away from the pantry.

  “Sure will.”

  Rex gave him a nod and disappeared down the hallway leading to his quarters. He could hear their cub fussing a little, but the sound was cut off when Rex closed the door.

  As he closed the cabinet doors, Gunnar felt a craving deep in the pit of his stomach. His beast stirred, moving just underneath his skin. He felt his canines thicken in his mouth. Clamping down on the
realization, he tried to push at his beast. Mating season was upon them, and as hard as he tried, he couldn’t resist the pull toward the quarters he shared with the woman who wasn’t ready to come out of her shell from her attacks to touch him.

  Gunnar, her possible mate, had left the quarters to grab some supplies. Anna Claire took that opportunity to shower and grab some new clothes. She used the hairdryer under his sink to dry her long, blonde hair. She styled it simply and put on a pair of jeans and a thick sweater that fit her small body.

  As she entered the living quarters, she found Gunnar in the small kitchen, removing a dish from the oven. She hummed at the scent of chicken and potatoes. “That smells amazing.”

  She’d lost a lot of weight over the winter, but that was normal for bears. The weight would return in the next few weeks as they all prepared themselves for spring. The males had work to do to plant the crops, and the females would take over on the homestead.

  Ada had already planned out their backyard garden for the summer, and Anna Claire couldn’t wait to get started.

  She finally had something of her own, and even if it was gardening with the others, she’d do her best to help out the Morgan clan as repayment for everything they’d done for her. It was only fair to help their new home thrive.

  “Sit,” Gunnar ordered, nodding toward the small table. “Let’s eat.”

  Anna Claire sat while Gunnar served up her food. She thanked him and ate the meal he’d prepared. She’d found out he had a love of cooking when she’d first arrived. The meals he made were worthy of a five-star restaurant, but he’d mentioned he never wanted to leave the clan to pursue a career in a big city.

  “I’d love to see Ada and Thane as soon as they are out of hibernation,” she mentioned as she dipped her chicken in honey Gunnar had put in a bowl for her. He remembered her doing that from the summer, and it warmed her heart.