by Vivian Arend
The screen split again, this time, the third video showing the common room of the pack house with Auntie Amethyst sitting in her recliner, a large bowl of popcorn in her lap. She was watching them both on her television. When it became clear that Lara was closing in on discovering him, Auntie rolled her eyes then deliberately held her popcorn bowl to one side before letting it go, cupping her hands to her mouth and shouting for help.
Lara straightened instantly and took off at a run, vanishing out of the picture and reappearing in the common room to help with cleanup.
Meanwhile Alex had slipped into the office and found his information.
He sighed heavily as the camera followed him all the way back down the hallway, up into the attic, and away from the pack house.
“So much for being a super sleuth,” he said wryly.
Lara snorted. “They got me too,” she pointed out.
Her grip on his fingers tightened, and he really didn’t care that he’d been caught on camera because, in the end, what they had together was more important.
Besides, they had gotten to the truly interesting part of the video. This one involved a lot more nighttime shots, but it was pretty clear that there was a bear wandering the pack house in the dead of night.
A polar bear sitting at the pack computer and carefully using one long nail to punch in orders on…Amazon?
Lara leaned against him. “What are you doing?”
“Not sure,” he admitted. “Give me a second.”
What were you doing? he asked his bear.
Wooing. I told you I would take care of things, his inner beast said proudly.
And while online shopping was the source for some of the gifts, it was Alex in bear form who hauled in the lake trout, awkwardly dragging an overloaded bag across the floor until stopped by—of all people—Crystal.
She shook her head in amusement before hauling a kiddie pool out of the storage closet. She helped him deposit his gift then snuck him back into Lara’s room.
It seemed there’d been more than a few people conspiring to get them together.
A collective sigh of happiness went up from the wolf pack, and Lara turned to him with love in her eyes. “Awww. The gifts were from you all along.”
“I guess so,” he admitted. “I should give my bear credit.”
“Then he is quite the charmer.” There was more video playing from the time after Lara and Crystal’s fight, the days when Alex had begun to get to know the pack members, playing games and talking and hanging out in the evenings.
It was entertaining to watch, and it made something glow in Alex’s heart. He had a new place in the world. Not only at Lara’s side, but in the midst of a wild and unruly pack of wolves.
Not bad for a straitlaced security expert.
Not bad for someone who’d been planning to avoid mating fever at all costs.
He took the glass of whiskey his brother offered him, staring down at the amber fluid that reminded him so much of the highlights in his mate’s eyes. The sweet scent rose to his nostrils, and he looked across the room to find Gramps staring at him, a satisfied smirk on the old man’s face.
He’d been manipulative, and yet it had been exactly what Alex needed to light a fire under him.
He raised his glass to the old man. “I’ll admit it. You were right. Thank you.”
Grandfather Giles grinned and lifted his glass in return. “I figured you’d see things my way. That’s why I was nice and didn’t offer up the Canada Day security footage of you in that staircase for the show.”
Alex choked on his whiskey. “No way.”
Gramps tilted his head slightly, his expression one step away from full-out grin. “To your happily mated future.”
Alex didn’t know if he should laugh or scream. The old man was incredible. At some point Alex wanted to grow up to be as sneaky as him.
“Does this mean I don’t get to chastise him anytime soon?” Lara asked dryly.
“You can go ahead and offer my grandmother all the suggestions you want to get him force fed more vegetables, but I think we’ll keep him unharmed for a while. Grandma likes him, and he’s kind of amusing.”
Lara pulled Alex to his feet, gesturing with a hand as the chairs were pulled out of the way and the music started, and the two of them danced.
She rested her head against his chest, sighing contentedly. “I love you, Alex Borealis. Thanks for stepping into my world.”
“I love you, Lara Lazuli. Thanks for trusting this grumpy bear with your heart.”
“Always and forever.”
Which was, Alex realized, exactly the way it was supposed to be. “My fated mate.”
Epilogue
Amber sat next to her friends, laughing at one of their jokes before sliding off the bench and accepting the invitation from another wolf for a dance.
The entire evening she’d wondered exactly how to go about what she needed to do. It seemed an appropriate moment—a celebration where two very different individuals were showcasing their ability to join together and make their lives even better.
Watching her friend Kaylee fall in love and become mated to James had been a bit of a miracle in Amber’s books. Not because she didn’t think Kaylee deserved such happiness, but because being up close and personal watching someone fall in love hadn’t been a big part of Amber’s past experiences.
Her world had been very small, with her brother her only real family for the past couple years. When he’d gone missing, she’d been devastated. Being accepted into the Borealis family the way she had was so meaningful.
And now she stared with deep emotion as grumbly Alex teased his mate until Lara effortlessly flipped him to the ground. She stood with one four-inch heel pressed against his sternum, baring her teeth until he held up his hands in mock surrender and begged for mercy—
Something warm and fuzzy that could only be called joy rumbled around in Amber’s chest.
A hand rested on her shoulder briefly. “You okay?”
Amber stared into Cooper’s piercing blue eyes, the silver-tipped highlights in his hair reflecting the colours dancing off the disco ball in the corner of the room. Was she okay? She would be doing fantastic if she could get up the courage to tell a certain someone that she was feeling all sorts of very non-coworker-y emotions for him.
Although, was he really a coworker when he was her boss?
She fought a sigh and instead pasted on a big smile. “It’s a fantastic party. I’m so happy for your brother. Brothers—” She twisted to include James in her comment as he twirled past, Kaylee on his arm. The two of them were spinning faster than was probably safe in the crowded space.
Cooper settled in the chair beside her, his gaze on the dance floor. “They’ve been very fortunate. It’s been a good year.”
The music thumped on, and Amber pressed her heels against the ground to keep from tapping in time. Then she reconsidered because this was potentially the perfect opportunity for her to take a stand.
To somehow let Cooper Borealis know that, while she was only human, and yes, his secretary, surely there was some way they could work around those technical difficulties because he really was the most attractive man she’d ever seen in her life.
But more than that, he did something to her heart. Inside, where that connection to family and friends longed to be filled. Cooper’s gentleness called to her, and while it might not be the easiest relationship to figure out, she thought it would be worth it.
Amber took a deep breath, screwed up her courage, and then turned to blurt out, “Would you like to dance?”
She was talking to empty air.
Silently—impossibly silent considering the size of the man—he’d risen from her side and was already a dozen paces across the room. His broad shoulders swayed slowly, the lazy animal flair of his bear showing up in his human stride.
Sexy man. Annoying, frustrating, irritating, sexy man.
Every time she worked up the courage to say something, it wa
s as if his radar pinged and he disappeared. It wasn’t right.
It was frustrating as hell.
Amber Myawayan folded her arms over her chest and examined the room more thoroughly. There were wolves and bears and cougars and bobcats, some in their shifted forms and some dressed to the teeth as humans. All of them celebrating. All of them enjoying life to the fullest.
Now on the far side of the gymnasium, shoulders pressed against the wall, Cooper stared into space. Frustration in his expression, his shoulders drooped. The farthest thing from a man filled with delight and happiness.
He was happy for his brothers, but the same way she felt a missing piece inside while watching her friends find lovers to share their days and nights with, Cooper had to be hurting. Had to be lonely.
That was when Amber came to the sudden and wonderful realization that she didn’t need to be afraid anymore. If this was meant to be, then there was plenty of opportunity for her to turn the tables on her gallant bear.
Plenty of people who would help her as well…
After two years in the north, she’d learned that, as well. Maybe it wasn’t the way things were done in the human world, but she was obviously working with different dynamics when it came to shifters, and especially polar bear shifters.
Amber rose to her feet, straightened her skirt, and stepped carefully across the gymnasium floor to where another powerhouse sat.
Grandma Laureen was out on the dance floor with Alex, so Amber slid into the empty seat beside the family patriarch, turning to him as nonchalantly as possible. Her heart pounded even as she offered a shy smile.
Grandfather Giles raised a brow, his grin slowly widening as he examined her face. “Hello, Amber. You look as if there’s something on your mind.”
It was her last chance to turn back, to pretend as if this wasn’t why she’d made her way over here, but she wanted Cooper far too much to lie. Human or not, job complications or not, they both deserved to be happy. They both deserved to see if being together would help them find that happiness.
She gathered her courage then boldly answered. “There’s something I would very much like your help with.”
I hope you enjoyed Lara and Alex’s story. Get ready for book 3 where Grandfather Giles continues to interfere…I mean, to guide Cooper and Amber toward their HEA in The Bear’s Forever Mate!
Cooper Borealis’s plans for the far-in-the-future seduction of his tempting, complicated, human secretary are falling apart. Logic and loopholes seem to be no match against his meddlesome family. Also, Amber has spent the past two years falling in love with the big, growly polar bear, so when the mating fever calls, she’s more than willing to answer.
* * *
But when their mating bond is unexpectedly blocked, Amber and Cooper find themselves in a race against time through the wilderness. They have one final chance to prove they’re a perfect fit or lose their forever.
If you’re looking for another completed series to try, the TAKHINI SHIFTERS are snarky, light-hearted stories that will satisfy your need for a paranormal fix. Start with COPPER KING which features another feisty bear couple!
Sweet, shy Lillie is in Sin City for a final fling, and billionaire grizzly Jim Halcyon is pleased to oblige. Only when Lady Luck gets involved with these two bear shifters, lust and ambition clash.
If this is one of the first Vivian Arend books you’ve read, check out my Newbies Guide to Viv’s Paranormal Romances!
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About the Author
With over 2 million books sold, Vivian Arend is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over 50 contemporary and paranormal romance books, including the Six Pack Ranch and Granite Lake Wolves.
Her books are all standalone reads with no cliffhangers. They’re humorous yet emotional, with sexy-times and happily-ever-afters. Vivian pretty much thinks she’s got the best job in the world, and she’s looking forward to giving readers more HEAs. She lives in B.C. Canada with her husband of many years and a fluffy attack Shih-tzu named Luna who ignores everyone except when treats are deployed.
www.vivianarend.com
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The Bear’s Fated Mate
Copyright © 2019 by Arend Publishing Inc.
ISBN: 9781941456750
Edited by Anne Scott
Cover Design © Damonza
Proofed by Angie Ramey, Linda Levy, & Manuela Velasco
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations.
First electronic publication: November 2019
www.vivianarend.com
