Cullen lifted a tendril of Elaina’s dark hair that curled around his finger. “I was reluctant to be your first, but it can’t be helped now.”
“First,” Damon said. “As in untouched by man or beast?”
Elaina’s heart beat so hard now. She didn’t think being innocent of the matters of the flesh would matter.
“I’d be happy to volunteer to be first,” Damon said with a wink. “I’ll be gentle, unlike that brute of a brother of mine.”
“That’s not going to happen, brother. I saw her first.”
Both men faced each other, their faces equally taut with clenched fists, their fangs exposed enough that Elaina could see them. Were these fools serious? They continued to argue amongst themselves, ignoring Elaina completely like she had no say in the matter.
“She’s mine!” Cullen shouted.
Damon shot back with, “No, she’s ours!”
“I’m standing right here,” Elaina said, pounding her fists at her sides. As the brothers gave her a strange look, she darted back to the village.
Chapter Eight
Elaina was livid and felt more alone than she had in days. She wished that she were anything but a werebear right now. If she wasn’t, the wolf pack would have allowed her to stay. She missed Liam so much that it hurt. He was her best friend and she sadly missed all the good times they had had. He teased her mercilessly at times, but most of her childhood they had frolicked in the forest in shifted forms without Samson’s knowledge.
Almost the opposite of Liam, Cullen seemed like a brute, one who obviously couldn’t make up his mind if he wanted her or not. If only he didn’t make her heart pound so when he glanced her way. If that wasn’t enough, she was convinced that butterflies had inhabited her stomach. She had to quit gazing directly into his eyes, or admiring his muscular body that held the promise of many nights of pleasure.
For her own sanity, she had to focus on the issue at hand. When she calmed down enough, she’d ask Cullen what he knew of the Clan of the Werebear? From the looks of it around here, this certainly wasn’t it. What really happened to most of the men here and why were Cullen and Damon working so hard to repopulate this village? It certainly couldn’t be to defend it, as it would take many years before cubs reached maturity. To be certain, Elaina wanted to see first hand where the cubs were to make an educated guess on what really was happening in this village. It was impossible for two bears to protect them all.
Elaina made her way toward the back of the village, led by the sounds of laughter. Two boys close in age and possibly twins wrestled on the ground as a group of women watched. Shauna was one of them, but also two strikingly beautiful women with blond hair. Most of the stories Elaina had been told were that most female werebears were dark haired.
Shauna strode over and said, “You shouldn’t be here. Leave.” She pushed Elaina back the way she came.
“Are those blondes humans?” Elaina asked. Her eyes were on the two boys again. They jumped and leapt on each other with enthusiasm and looked to be around the age of seven.
“There are no humans here, Newcomer.”
“I was told the redhead was human and had given birth to two cubs, one for Cullen and for Damon.”
“Whoever told you that lies.”
“Damon told me. And are you calling him a liar?”
“Half-breeds are of no matter, and soon, both Cullen and Damon will realize that.” Shauna’s eyes darkened as she pulled out a knife from her frock. “If you mate with Damon, I’ll cut your heart out.”
Elaina took a step back. “I-I wasn’t planning to mate with anyone. It might be better if I left.”
“Great idea, Newcomer, but you might want to do so before nightfall. I can show you the way out of our encampment.”
Elaina wasn’t about to trust the word of Shauna. She’d most likely kill her to assure her place in the village as Damon’s favorite.
Cullen’s nostrils were flaring as he walked toward Elaina. “Come woman, now.”
The children stopped their wrestling and ran to Cullen. “Papa,” one of the boys said as he ran toward Cullen and Elaina.
Shauna knocked the boy over. “Get away from that stranger.”
Elaina was shocked by Shauna’s actions, and Cullen’s eyes narrowed to slits. “You forget your place, Shauna.” He knocked the knife from her hand. “If you ever touch my son again, I’ll rip you to shreds and feed you to the marauding wolves.”
The boy picked himself off the ground and Cullen took ahold of his shoulders. “Are you okay, Peter?”
“Yes, Papa. Can I go hunting with you soon?”
“Yes, but we need to wait a little longer when I can assure that it’s safe.”
Peter’s shoulders drooped. “Oh, okay. I just hope it’s soon. This village is so boring. I long to run in the woods like we used to.”
“Not to worry. We’ll do that very soon again. I promise.”
Peter gazed at Elaina. “Who is this?”
“This is Elaina. She’ll be staying with us in the village for a time.”
“Will you be mating with her soon? I sure would love another brother.”
Elaina’s face reddened. “I’m not here to stay. I’m sure you have more brothers.”
“Just Ethan, but he’s the son of my Uncle Damon.”
Elaina gave Cullen a look, but didn’t say anything. Cullen spent time with the boys, teaching them how to tie knots, until one of the other women called them in to retire for the night. Elaina glanced as the sun set lower on the horizon and couldn’t believe it was nearing nightfall already. What was she going to do now? It was still unclear where she’d sleep tonight.
“Are those other women bears, too, or are they humans?”
“They’re very much werebears, polar bears to be exact. They became separated from their group last winter and we’ve allowed them to stay. They’ll be moving on very soon, though. If they are found here when the scouts come by, we’ll all be in grave danger.”
“Scouts?” Elaina asked confused. “Are you talking about the Clan of the Werebear?”
Cullen’s face froze for a moment, but he then said, “Come. I’ll show you where you will sleep tonight. It’s best we talk in private.”
Elaina followed Cullen into a hut in the center of camp. There was a fire in the center with a bed near the back, covered with fur pelts. He sat and patted a spot next to him. “Please, sit. I promise I won’t bite.”
Elaina wasn’t sure if she should believe him or if she half wished to feel his teeth on her tender skin. “About my question about the clan?” Elaina asked. “Is that who you’re afraid of finding the polar werebears?”
“What do you know of the clan?” he asked, his fingers interlaced, his knuckles white.
“I’ve been told that they have a strict code of conduct. I’m not sure what happens if it’s broken. I just know that something bad will happen.”
“Yes, the clan has strict rules. They rule the territory, for the most part. Each season they do a sweep and any available adult males are made to join their forces if they see fit. They’ve thinned us down to only two males to protect the village.”
“Aren’t polar bears also part of the clan?”
“No, only the grizzly bears are in the clan. Polar bears are their rivals and live in the far north in the artic circle.”
“I see. It makes sense that the polar bears shouldn’t be this far to the south.”
“The polar werebears would only be removed from the village. They’d be taken to the edge of the territory and released.”
“How can you trust that that’s what will happen. Who’s to say they won’t be murdered?”
“That’s why I’ll send them away in a few days.”
“What of the human mother of your children?”
“They’ll eliminate her for sure. I have plans to house her elsewhere, and both Damon’s son and mine as they’re half-breeds. We’ve been trying to produce more males for our bloodline, but this past y
ear none of the other werebears have become pregnant. When I first saw you by the river, I had hoped that you might be the one who might be able to do that for us.”
“You mean, Damon and you?”
“Yes, but if you’re unsure, I understand. Of course, your time is at hand to conceive. I can smell it and you can only mate with one of us. The other will have to wait until the next time you go into the mating fever. If you get pregnant, you won’t have to worry about doing that for a year.”
“I’m not sure what you expect from me. I hadn’t thought about mating with more than one bear. I want a mate, a true mate, who only desires me. I don’t want to share.”
“Where are you from, Elaina?”
Elaina went into a full-on panic. She couldn’t tell him that a wolf had raised her. “Nearer to the mountains than here. A family found me and took me in when I was very young.”
“Human or shifters?”
Elaina rubbed her hand over Cullen’s until his inner beast looked about ready to come out. “Human,” she lied. “Marla raised me. She owns the Bear Claw Pub.”
“Really? I find it surprising you haven’t mated with anyone before, since that bar is full of shifters.”
“She made me lock myself in my room most of the time, but she has a cabin in the mountains, too. That’s where I was raised, for the most part.”
“And she knows what you really are?”
Elaina almost felt bad that the lies left her lips so easily and she added, “Yes, she’s been around shifters for most of her life. My being a werebear wasn’t that much of surprise to her.” Elaina didn’t know if Cullen believed her or not. “Is it true that the clan murders werewolves?”
“What do you know of werewolves?”
“Nothing, but Marla told me they are well-behaved at the pub.”
Cullen removed Elaina’s hand. “Humph. I find that hard to believe, but the clan and the wolves have been battling for years. I wouldn’t trust a wolf if you ever meet one. They’re very cunning and deceitful.”
Elaina yawned. “I see. Well, luckily I’ve never met one.”
Cullen stood and stretched. “Feel free to make yourself comfortable. I need to speak to Damon about the coming nights. You might want to consider who you’d rather mate with.”
Cullen left and Elaina kicked off her footwear and curled into the bed on the far wall.
Chapter Nine
Cullen paced the tiny hut that concealed the hot springs, the same place where he’d first laid his hands on the innocent nymph that was now nestled in his bed. Why is she lying to me? Cullen thought. He could clearly smell the wolf stench on her when she came to the river earlier. He was sure of it.
Damon waltzed in with a grin. “Hello, brother. So is the deed done yet?”
“If you’re asking if I mated with the newcomer, no. She’s beginning to ask too many questions.”
“Like what?”
“About the clan and she met our cubs today. I just wonder who she really is and if wandering into our territory was really such an accident.”
“I don’t believe that, brother. She’s clearly in the midst of the mating fever.”
“Yes, and why would anyone dare let her out of their sight if that’s the case? She told me Marla from the Bear Claw Pub raised her, but there is no way she’d be untouched if that was the case. You know what happens when a shifter gets a whiff of a female during the mating fever.”
“Yes, but neither of us have mounted the beauty yet, so it’s possible that Marla had prevented that from happening.”
“I’ve never known Marla to be caring for a young shifter. She’s certainly never mentioned it before. She’s also not known to leave the pub for long and Elaina claimed that Marla raised her partially in a cabin near the mountains.”
“She might not have mentioned it if she didn’t want anyone to know. So no interesting pillow talk between you two those nights you spent there with Marla?”
“I’ll admit that I’ve mounted Marla, but if anything she kept it only business between us. She certainly doesn’t have any cabin near the mountains. That’s wolf country up there.”
Damon stood with hands at his hips. “What are you worried about, Cullen?”
“What if she’s from the clan? I found her near our sons tonight. I’m sending the polar werebears away tomorrow. Our sons and their mother need to be tucked away somewhere the clan won’t find them. I shouldn’t have shared my intentions with Elaina, but I wasn’t thinking so straight when she started touching my hand.”
“Calm down, brother. I’m sure this can all be explained away.”
“She also smelled like a wolf when she came to the river today. She might be a werewolf sympathizer. I noticed how she looked at me when I mentioned that werewolves killed a werebear not long ago. There’s something she’s hiding and I have to find out what before we’re all in grave danger.”
“Meaning what? That you no longer desire her, Cullen?”
Cullen glared at his brother. “She an innocent, and I prefer a woman with more experience. One who can handle whatever I desire to do.”
“So you don’t trust her, but you’re still planning to mate with her?”
“If she’s truly as innocent as she says, I might be swayed enough to believe that she’s no threat to our way of life. I just can’t get these questions out of my mind.”
Damon nodded. “Then answer them first by going to that shifter pub. I’m sure Marla would be quite happy to see you again. While she’s on the older side, she’s quite lusty for a human.”
“And if I go tonight, you’ll look after the newcomer? And I mean protect her from that viper, Shauna? She pulled a knife on Elaina tonight.”
Damon frowned. “I’ll keep Shauna busy tonight and I promise not to lay a hand on Elaina. I half expect that you will favor her above all of the others if you’re ever able to ease your mind.”
“So are you saying that you don’t also desire to mate with her?”
“I’m not saying that at all, but you can trust that I won’t try to mate with her while you’re gone. Besides, I’ll be with Shauna tonight.”
Cullen nodded and gathered a few belongings from his hut. Elaina was in a deep sleep with one arm thrown across the bed, revealing a shapely leg and rounded behind just like he liked in a woman. Klesa, the mother of his son, was much thinner and too bony for his liking, but she’d proved to be a good breeder. She was human and not used to the food choices living in their primitive village, which might account for her thin frame. Cullen worried that Klesa had gotten sickly in the last year, which was troubling as her existence is imperative for the upbringing of their cubs.
This might be modern times when it comes to the civilized world, but they’d always lived a simpler life as did their ancestors. It was too hard to be a shifter and live amongst the humans. He hadn’t heard of a shifter that was able to make that transition. Most who’d tried always came back. It was hard to conceal a secret that big.
Cullen pushed clothing into a bag that he carried, leaving by way of the hidden trail. The moon was quite full tonight and Cullen fell against a tree, his eyes large as his body shook and trembled. Soon his back arched with a cracking of bones as he shifted. He took the bag between his teeth and ran on all fours toward the Bear Claw Pub.
When he reached the fork in the trail, he heightened his senses considerably since he would travel through the werewolve’s territory. He heard the high-pitched howls, and for once would rather forgo a confrontation. It was many seasons ago when the war began between the werebears and werewolves. Too many for Cullen to remember. Back then the Clan of the Werebear were of their strongest numbers. For the most part, they had lived peacefully amongst the other shifters until that day when a werebear, Rosa, was lost in the forest. She had gotten lost and shifted into human form, meeting a man with flowing black hair. They had fallen in love and lived together in a cabin near the mountains, until the clan found them together. Rosa was forced to return to the clan
when they discovered that she had fallen in love with a werewolf. She returned to the clan, but she was beside herself with grief over losing her lover and climbed to the top of the north ridge. Her broken body was found at the bottom with the very werewolf she had fallen in love with kneeling over the body. The clan reacted by capturing the werewolf and executing him the next day, but it was revealed later that he was the Alpha of his pack. Battle lines were drawn, and a war was declared that still existed today.
The Clan of the Werebear drew up a set of rules of conduct for all werebears. It was forbidden for a bear to mate with another breed of shifter, regardless of type. They were also forbidden to mate with a human, or create offspring from such unions. The penalty is death for the bear, the human, and the offspring, which is why Cullen knew that they’d have to send the boys and their mother away. The only way he could be sure that they wouldn’t be found out was if Cullen sent them to live amongst the humans. That is one place that the clan wouldn’t go.
Cullen and Damon had moved their village from the north to central Alaska where there were treaties in place, and he thought at the time they were far enough out of the clan’s reach, but they hadn’t made it two years before the clan showed up and made demands.
Each spring the clan did inspections to be sure that only werebears existed in the villages and they’d reduced the numbers considerably. Cullen had been more concerned of late. With all of the men now gone, would he or Damon be forced to leave next? And what about the females of the village? No, Cullen would die before he’d allow the clan to take another person from their fold. Cullen wouldn’t go down without a fight.
Cullen kept up his pace and soon the lights of the pub came into view. Outside, two men were posted by the backdoor, which was puzzling. Cullen had never known Marla to have guards posted. He wasn’t sure what he’d be walking into tonight, but one thing was for certain. He wasn’t about to leave without answers.
Cullen shifted in the darkness and donned his clothing that he had carried with him. He then made his way to the front door where a burly man stood, his barrel-like chest displayed beneath his v-neck tunic. Cullen gazed up at the man with one brow cocked. “Is the pub open for business tonight?”
Clan of the Werebear, The Complete Series Page 5
