Beauty and the Bear (Redwater Shifters Book 2) Read online

  “We know you'd never hurt any of us, but that doesn't mean you don't make my protective instincts kick in.” At least Scott had the decency to look sorry. The other males just looked ready to pounce at a moments notice.

  “Give me a damn break.” Grace's head peaked out before Carter's arm wrapped around and pushed her back again. “Carter Montgomery, I swear on the Goddess I will let my brother at you if you try that again.”

  “Come over here Red. At least I won't treat you like a lady.” Isaiah winked. He was always the comic release, making the tension dissipate into thin air.

  "She is a lady, you dumbass." Corey was turning into quite the gentleman. He was always looking for approval from either Mason, Gene or Scott. Those men had become his role models. His brothers weren't bad men or role models, but Lani suspected Corey harbored some type of resentment towards them.

  “Let me get this straight. This Jeremy guy-”

  "Jeremy Hilton. Asshole wolf." Alex interrupted shaking his head. The two wolves had never gotten along. Jeremy was always a kiss-up, trying to worm his way into Alex's father's good graces.

  “So, he was your?” Gene looked at Lani warily. What the hell is that look for? Did he expect her to say, mate or boyfriend? Because Jeremy had never been anything except a thorn in her paw.

  “Predetermined fiance, words of my previous alpha. Not me.” Some of the tension in his body dissipated and he wrapped his arm around her waist.

  "Okay, this wolf wants my mate. Now he's stalking her, and by the looks on your faces." He pointed at all the Wilson siblings. "I think ya'll knew he'd come for her eventually?" All the siblings nodded their heads. Lani rolled her eyes.

  "To be fair. It wasn't our business to share with you." Ella was the peacemaker, and throwing her under the bus in the process. Of course, it wasn't their business, but if Lani had thought Jeremy would be back for her she'd have told Gene in a heartbeat.

  “Last I heard, he'd promised to back off.” She looked straight at Alex. He'd taken care of everything for her. There was no way Lani was going anywhere near Jeremy, not after she'd found her mate.

  "I talked with his father. Jeremy was nowhere to be found." Alex began to pace the floor. "I've been looking for him. He's been MIA since you left." Lani wasn't the only one who saw where his reasoning was going.

  "He must have followed you here. The fucker has been here the entire time." Gene growled, pulling Lani tighter against his chest. "How did he slip through all the amped up patrols?"

  "It could only be someone from the inside. Who knows how everything is running at the top of the food chain?" Isaiah had taken a seat on the couch, rubbing his temples as he thought.

  “Noah.” Grams stood from her perch next to Scott on the love seat. “He's the only one it could be. We should get Viv and Greg over here, maybe she can track him. I know they've been caught up in something with their twins, but they'd help.”

  “No witches. They can't be trusted.” Alex snarled, leaving the room. He was still sore over the fact a witch had tricked him into becoming his father's puppet. Basically, he'd been turned into a damn zombie who took commands from a deranged psychopath. Lani didn't blame him for being leery of witches.

  “Okay, no witches.” Grams murmured staring at the now empty archway into the family room. “But it still has to be Noah, and if he's here...” She let the sentence hanging, swinging her gaze over to Mason and Ella. Ella shivered and snuggled into Mason's chest as he stroked a hand down her back.

  “He'll never get her. I won't fucking allow it.”

  "None of us will." Corey moved to stand next to his sister. Ella was more like his mother, and Corey loved her like one. Mason pulled the boy into a hug with him and Ella. They were a family now. The sight made Lani teary-eyed. She sniffled a little and realized that Grace, Annie, Grams and her mom had misty eyes as well. Her parents had been a little too quiet for her liking.

  "Enough, before you make the females cry with all your mushy gushy shit." Carter shook his head, but for once looked a little amused. Not much, but it was progress with him.

  “Whose this Noah person? What does he look like?” Her dad, Liam, asked from the back of the room.

  “Noah Sanford was a council member who didn't like that I mated a wolf. He'd been trying to send me on mating scouts, looking for a suitable female bear. Like your alpha, Noah believed in keeping the shifter races pure. Only bears with bears. Wolves with wolves. That sort of thing."

  "Not only does the guy act like a snake but he looks like one too. White hair, 5"9, with hazel eyes. The bear's eyes are green, though, and they turn to little slits. No joke." Gene said, playing with the ends of Lani's hair. As Gene got further into his description, her dad turned pale.

  "What's wrong honey?" Her mom, Emma, felt her father's forehead with the back of her hand.

  “I thought I saw Jeremy two weeks ago three towns over, New Westward. But I was sure it was just my imagination.”

  "And now?" Emma's voice was small and not like her at all.

  “He was definitely there and with this Noah guy.” It was so quiet in the room, she could've heard a pin drop.

  “You're sure?” Mason's growl only made the tension thicker.

  "Just like Gene said. An older man with white hair and green shifter eyes. Jeremy didn't know anyone like that back in Kansas, so I figured it was just someone with a close resemblance."

  “Were they alone?” Gene asked, and now he was tense. No amount of petting on his chest was helping.

  "Yeah, I didn't see anyone from inside the territory. We were there because New Westward has this farmers market Emma likes to go to."

  “At least we know what we're up against.” Isaiah stood from the couch, stretching. “I don't know about you guys, but all this excitement has me beat. I think it's time I head out and check up on Alex.” He gave Gene a wink before waving to the room. His departure was the first of many until Lani was alone with her mate. Gene had a dark look on his face, and Lani knew she wasn't going to like whatever came out of his mouth.

  ****

  “We need to talk.” Gene internally winced at his delivery. He wanted her relaxed, or as relaxed as she could be under the circumstances. Lani's shoulders straightened as she headed towards the kitchen. Not really the place he wanted to have this particular conversation, but maybe she and the baby were hungry. He hadn't fed them enough today. Lani's head was in the fridge when he came up behind her.

  “Do we have any chocolate milk?” She yelled. It made him smile after a hell of a day. His mate never seemed to know when he was standing right behind her. “I want it to go with my banana and peanut butter.”

  “In the door, to your right.” Gene took a seat at the island in the middle of the room, giving him the best view of her fantastic ass. He was still a man looking at the woman he loved, no matter the stress of the day. Gene just knew he couldn't act on it right then. She gave a little yelp when she saw him so close.

  “Damn it. How do you sneak up on me? You're a giant, which is a good thing, and I'm Goddess blessed.” She put her hands on her hips, shaking her head. Gene saw the moment a light bulb went off in her head. “Since we've already started to bond, I wonder if some of my abilities are transferring to you.”

  “Woman, what are you talkin' about?”

  "Think about it. When I first met Mason he was dominate, but now that he and Ella are fully mated? He feels more dominate then even Ella's dad did, and he was a full blooded Goddess blessed shifter. I think that it comes from Ella. She's a rare Goddess blessed, female alpha wolf."

  "You're right. Mason's stronger, moves faster and can see better. Almost like his senses are enhanced."

  “Exactly.” Lani pointed at him with her peanut butter spoon. “I can sneak up on almost anyone. Makes me an excellent patrol wolf and I can also hear better than most.”

  “Will my senses change in my bear form?” This wasn't what Gene wanted to talk about, but now that Lani had planted the seed in his head it wa
s all he could think about. “Bigger, stronger, anything like that?”

  "No idea." Her eye's lit up as she took a swig of her chocolate milk. "But let's find out. My wolf has been dying to see your bear."

  “No.”

  “No?” Lani whined. He'd never be able to resist that little whine. Damn her for being so adorable.

  “It's not safe. What if Jeremy's out there right now, just waiting to get to you.” Lani rolled her eyes at him.

  "Please, as he'd ever get past you. Don't try and kid me, big guy." She pouted and batted her eyes at him. "Please?" Goddess, let me have a son. If he had a daughter, she'd have everything her little heart desired.

  "Get your coat and gloves." He sighed, dragging a hand over his face. Lani squealed, and Gene realized he could hear her feet on the floor. Just as he was about to eat his own spoon of peanut butter, Lani snatched the spoon from his grasp. "I was gonna eat that."

  “I know.” She mumbled around her mouthful of peanut butter. “Let's go.” She almost bounded out the door before she stopped and waited for him. He let his breath out slowly, thankful Lani wasn't going to be stubborn about staying in his sight. Lani couldn't keep herself in one spot for very long once they were outside.

  “Now, don't pounce on me when I'm naked. We both know you can't resist me.” Gene winked as his mate's cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. Lani scoped up and folded his clothes as he prepared to shift. Shifting didn't hurt in itself, but it wasn't a walk in the forest either.

  Being bigger than most shifters was usually a good thing. It also meant more prominent bones that had to snap and realign themselves. So shifting, in general, wasn't a big deal, but if Gene had to change in a hurry? It was painful and zapped all the energy from him. Would that stay the same? He'd seen Ella shift, and she could move from one form to another with a fluidity like water. Was that just because she was an alpha, though?

  “What's shifting like for you?”

  “Like breathing. All Goddess blessed shifters feel closer to their animal forms, the elders used to tell stories.” Her eyes looked misty. “My granddad was an elder before William decided he knew everything there was to know and kicked them out. Apparently, the first shifters were directly related to the Goddess. Her children.” Gene started the process of shifting while she continued her story.

  "When they were put upon the earth, some of them couldn't survive living like animals, and so the Goddess blessed them with a human conscious. Those of us who stayed in their animal forms longer became more attached to the animal. Eventually, our population began to die out. Nonshifter mammals and humans hunted us for food.

  "They didn't realize we had thoughts and feelings. To them, we were wild and strange creatures. What wild animals traveled with mates and young? So to save her more feral children, see where the word feral comes from? Anyway, to save them she gave them a human side, but it was harder. The ancestors were closer to the animal form.

  "For awhile they didn't know how to interact with the human half of their bodies. It was like they were cavemen and had to learn how to live in a world they didn't understand. In a body, they didn't understand. It took them one hundred and fifty years to come to terms with their new lives. After that, they vowed to stay close with the animal and teach their ways down the bloodlines."

  Gene had heard the story of his ancestors before, but never that version of it. Lani gasped when she finally got a glimpse of him entirely shifted.

  "You're so handsome. Come here big bear." His bear puffed up his already large chest and lumbered over to his mate. Lani's hand felt nice petting his head, then behind his ears. "I didn't think your fur would be soft, and you're huge. Walk around and see if you feel any different." He did what was asked of him. None of his senses seemed different, but he did move faster, and he felt stronger. Sniffling brought him back to his mate. Shifting back quickly still hurt but not as bad as it used to.

  “What's wrong?” Gene wrapped Lani up in his arms, leading her back into the house.

  “My wolf wants out, but I can't shift. She wants to be with her mate and frolic around with your bear.”

  "You can't shift because you're carrying our baby." This was the perfect opportunity for Gene to bring up what he really wanted to talk about. "And soon hopefully you'll be my mate." At her confused look, Gene elaborated. "Fully." Her delicate blonde brows went up as she stepped out of his arms. That's not a good sign.

  “Fully? Are you just saying this because of the whole Jeremy issue?” Definitely not how I thought this was going to go.

  “Of course not.” He scoffed before reining his temper back in. “I've wanted to mate you since the moment I laid eyes on you. This stalker has only made my resolve stronger. The plan was always to be mated by the time the baby comes.”

  “Oh has it?” Shit. Gene didn't like that tone of voice. "Did you ever think to consult me about the plan?" She was too calm for his liking.

  “No. We're going to be mated by the time our child's born.” He growled, which looking back was a mistake.

  "While you think that plan of yours over, you're going to be sleeping in the guest room." Then she turned and stormed from the kitchen.

  “I'll sleep on the floor, but not in another room.” He snarled at her empty spot. There was no need to yell when she'd hear his reply from anywhere in the damn house.

  “As long as it's not the bed.”

  Chapter Twelve

  They're fighting, good. Jeremy Hilton pushed a chunk of his dirty blonde hair out of his eyes. He wanted to prowl closer to the house, but that fucking bear would see him. All Jeremy needed was to get Lani alone, then he'd snatch her and mate her. There wouldn't be any courting like the bear. No, he'd take his mate the way he wanted to. Roughly.

  His mate shouldn't even be in the same house as another male. Not to mention Jeremy knew Lani was a whore. Sleeping with a man that wasn't her mate, but he'd teach her a lesson for that. Then she'd never step out on him again.

  “Quit growling like a damn dog.” Noah Sanford spat at him from his seat on an old tree stump. “If that man hears you, we're both dead.” If Jeremy didn't need him to help get his mate back, he'd have attacked him weeks ago. But Noah knew how things were run in Redwater. He was the reason they'd stayed a step ahead.

  Jeremy wasn't worried about the bear playing house with Lani. He was a Goddess blessed shifter, what could a measly grizzly shifter do to him? Nothing. We're leaps and bounds above the bear. Our mate will see. His wolf was right. Lani would see she was meant to be with him. He'd known it from the moment she'd turned fifteen.

  Of course, Jeremy hadn't been allowed to approach her. He'd been twenty-three at the time, and a twenty-three-year-old shouldn't be lusting after a fifteen-year-old. So Jeremy did what any male in his position would. He'd went to the alpha and told him Lani was his mate. Alpha William had been more than happy to arrange their marriage.

  Lani had been his since then, and he'd scared off every male, even the one from her high school. Hoping that she'd run to him for comfort. That hadn't happened, but it had made it easier to get closer to her. It had been enough for awhile, except his instincts to mate started to kick in. Both the wolf and the man wanted to sink into their mate. We've waited long enough. A hand stopped him after he took a step forward.

  “Didn't you hear my boy? That bear in there will tear you to shreds. What the hell are you thinking?” For an older shifter, Noah was deceptively quick.

  "I'm thinking, that I want my mate." He growled, to which Noah covered his mouth. Jeremy was tempted to bite the old fool when the back door opened, and the bear stepped out.

  “Damn stubborn woman.” Jeremy breathed out slowly. The bear wasn't outside because he knew they were there, but because of Lani.

  "Bring me up a cupcake and glass of milk please." His mate's voice carried on the bitterly cold wind. It made his cock hard. No one made his cock hard like Lani, not even the women he paid for sex. They were just warm substitutes for his mate. When the back slidi
ng door closed, Noah whirled him around to face him.

  “Listen to me, wolf. Gene Dodson is not someone you want to fight head on. Remember the plan. Split the woman from him, then grab her.” Noah had the same plan for another female Jeremy knew well. Ella Wilson. His alpha's only daughter. Through his father, he'd learned Ella had mated with the alpha bear shifter in this territory. Fucking traitor.

  "My instincts got away from me. Everything's under control now." It was a bold face lie, but the stupid weakling didn't need to know that. Lately, the old coot seemed on edge.

  Jeremy didn't know him well, but enough that he was weary of him. He wouldn't put it past Noah to leave him to clean up the mess if things didn't work out. Well, Jeremy wasn't going to go down alone. If he was getting caught, then so was Noah.

  Jeremy wasn't willing to wait more than two weeks for Lani. No matter how long Noah wanted him to sit around. He'd been watching her since June. He was going to have his mate with him by January, come hell or high water.

  ****

  Noah Sanford didn't trust the dumb dog staring at Gene's house. Truly, if Jeremy hadn't turned out to be the perfect distraction, then he'd have killed the shifter months ago. His plan was to sneak in and take Ella in the middle of the night. Just to give both Ella and Mason PTSD, since Ella went missing in the evening before.

  He'd even told Jeremy his plan was to get to Ella. Now, though, his plan had changed. Stealing their baby would cause them much more pain. Not only would Mason and his mate be devastated but the whole territory would mourn the loss. It was the perfect way to get back at the entire town. A town that his family had a part in founding.

  A fucking town that turned it's back on him the first chance they got. It was going to be so satisfying to see everyone's faces when their precious future alpha went missing. He barely held in the cackle in his throat. I'm going to burn this territory to the ground. And take everyone down with it.

  While the wolf distracted them with Lani, Noah would be able to move around town without worrying someone would be looking for him specifically. Now he just had to make sure the mutt at his side didn't ruin everything he'd worked for. Jeremy was starting to show signs of turning feral. Just what I need. A wild Goddess blessed shifter on my hands.