Alpha's Second Chance_Shifter Nation_Werebears Of The Everglades

by Meg Ripley

  As soon as I had the thought, I shook it from my mind. Okay, so I was jealous. There was no denying it. That wasn’t the reason I didn’t want her around Aiden, though. Maybe admitting that to her would be enough, I thought. I could just say, “Yes, I know this comes off as a jealous ex-boyfriend thing, and I am jealous, but trust me, he’s bad news.” Maybe I could convince her.

  Without thinking too much more about it, I found myself outside, walking. If I happened to be strolling in the direction of her tent, then okay. It wasn’t like it was close. If I went to her tent, there would have been many miles of ground to cover. But if I ran there…

  I stepped out of the shorts I’d pulled on and shifted back into bear form. When my bones settled and muscles were ready, I leapt into the air, running fast until I was close. I slowed to a walk as I neared the camping area, though; I didn’t need to take calls all day about some bear running around the woods, scaring the campers. I kept my ears open and crouched as I moved in closer.

  I really hadn’t thought this through. If my plan was to talk to her, I should have come in human form. Or at least carried a sack of clothing. Maybe it was better that way.

  Just don’t break the ultimate command, whatever you do.

  I almost rolled my eyes at Mason. There’s no chance of that. Like I would show her my animal form and break the rule that kept all shifters from telling humans of our existence. This one secret, this one universal command, was true of all shifters. Even if sometimes the crocs danced on the line, their way of life would be severely hindered if the world knew the truth about them. It would be for all of us.

  Maybe telling Addie wouldn’t start some massive, riotous outbreak that would ruin all shifter life forever, but why take the chance? Even if I could tell her, I wouldn’t want to; it would scare the shit out of her and she’d think I was a freak. I didn’t really have a chance with her at the time, and it was my own fault, my own family and position that kept me from being with her. I still didn’t want to taint my image in her eyes. It was bad enough she probably hated me for ending things how I did; I didn’t want it to be any worse.

  I froze when their tent unzipped and the three of them stepped out. I didn’t know these friends, but I thought she’d called the blonde Emma. Conner said the other one was Julie, who began to pull a bottle of orange juice from the cooler.

  “We have plenty,” she said.

  “Thank god,” Addie breathed, setting a large bottle of vodka onto the picnic table.

  Emma came over with a few red plastic cups and held them in place as Julie poured.

  “To friends only,” Addie said, raising her cup for a toast.

  Emma sighed. “To friends, and good guys.”

  “Like I said, friends only,” Addie countered.

  Julie rolled her eyes. “It couldn’t have been that bad.”

  “Just be glad you walked away when you did,” Addie mumbled, taking a long sip of her drink. “You were spared his long tale of life as a tour guide. Even Sam wasn’t as arrogant as Aiden. He talked about himself the whole time!”

  “It is quite a feat to be a bigger asshole than Sam,” Emma laughed.

  I had no idea who this ‘Sam’ was. An ex of Addie’s, I assumed, by what they were saying. The jealous spark flickered. Think about what they’re saying, I reminded myself. Calling him an asshole. Obviously, Sam is not on their good side.

  “Why is it always the cute ones?” Julie asked. “You either find a good guy or a good-looking guy, but never both.”

  “That’s not true,” Addie pointed out. She looked off into the distance and sighed.

  Emma groaned. “If you say Owen one more time, I’m going to scream.”

  My heart jumped. What? Had they talked about me? Addie was talking about me? My ears twitched to hear more.

  “Sorry,” Addie muttered.

  “Hey, you know what?” Julie put both hands on Addie’s shoulders and looked her square in the eye. “You took a step. You met up with a guy and you talked to him. You had a date, Addie! A date! And so it didn’t go well. That happens. The point is, you did it. You’re moving on. You’re over Owen. You’re over Sam. Now we just need to find your Mr. Right.”

  “I second that.” Emma held up her drink and they all tapped their cups to hers.

  Addie took a sip and paused. “I just wonder sometimes…”

  “Don’t do that,” Emma said.

  “But the thing is,” Addie continued, “the only reason Owen ended things was to go to school. And, okay, so we were many hours apart, and that would have been hard to manage. I get it. But we’re out of school now. He works here in the park and I live an hour away. That’s not exactly long distance anymore—”

  “To be honest, Ad,” Julie interrupted, “I don’t know if that was the real reason. He might have said that. He might even have thought it at the time, but guys don’t want to be stuck with the same woman forever. Not right out of high school. They like to sleep around and explore, try new things—”

  “And new women,” Emma added.

  “Exactly.” Julie set down her empty cup. “He had oats to sow, and he used that as an excuse to break things off. Any guy who does that isn’t worth it. It was more important to him to date other women than it was to make things work with you. And that’s the truth.”

  I wanted to scream. My claws dug into the earth, tearing grass and breaking twigs. I could have stood up and roared. I could have charged at them and showed my fury. But it was no use.

  You okay, Boss?

  Not now, Ezra.

  I tried to calm down. The last thing I needed was Ezra chirping in my ear.

  I knew, on some level, it wasn’t Julie’s fault. Or Emma’s. They didn’t know me, and they were going by what tabloid magazines and Hollywood told them about men. I’d even guess, based on my friends at the time, that what they said was true in many cases. It just wasn’t true for me.

  I’d had my eyes set on a great school, just a few minutes’ drive from where Addie had been accepted. I knew I wanted to work in the park, and I had an easy in with so many of my clan working in and around the area. I was never going to leave for good. And I didn’t want to. I had my family and clan, I had my career picked out and was excited about it. And most of all, I had a woman I adored, who was everything I could have imagined in a mate.

  I’d also had my eyes on a shiny ring I thought she’d like.

  I had a plan. We’d take a midnight stroll through the park, sneaking into the area closed at night. There was a certain spot I loved. In the middle of one of the rope bridges, if you paused, you could look both directions on either side of you and see over the water to the horizon. I’d tell her that one side was our past, full of joy and happiness, and one side was our future, stretched long ahead of us. Sometime between proposing and our wedding day, I’d sit her down and tell her the truth about me. That was the only time most of us made an exception and told a pure human—when wedding bells were ringing. Or, in the event that a child was created out of wedlock. Obviously, the mother would have to be told that her baby had a 50% chance of becoming shifter. Addie would have understood and accepted me, I just knew it.

  My plan was perfect. I was so excited the day I told my parents about it over dinner, how I was going to talk to Addie’s dad the next day and ask for his permission. Then, my parents dropped the news on me. I hadn’t known about the marriage rules in our clan. Why would I? Other clans were allowed to marry non-shifters. Even within my own clan there were mixed marriages. But in our clan, the Alpha rule stood on some ancient desire for purity or some bullshit. My father felt strongly about it; he didn’t want to upset the ancestors.

  I’d been heartbroken—and angry. I tried to think of ways to get around it. I’d gone as far as packing my bags, planning to leave my family or the area, or the clan altogether, if that’s what it took. But my mother must’ve sensed it in me and came to talk to me, sitting beside the packed duffle bag on my bed.

  We talked for hours,
and by the end of it, I saw my duty. I understood my dad’s reasoning, and though I didn’t agree with any part of it, I felt compelled to go along with it. I wished I could tell Addie the truth, that I hadn’t wanted to sow my wild oats as Julie had suggested. That I missed her every day.

  That I still loved her.

  As I listened, watching Addie and wanting to be close to her, she said something that made me completely unravel. I walked away, heading back to my cabin, her words still ringing in my ears.

  “The truth is,” she’d said to her friends, “I’m not over Owen, and I don’t know if I ever will be. I want to talk to him and see if there’s any chance of us trying to make this work.”

  I hadn’t stayed after that; I didn’t want to hear her friends convince her it was a bad idea. She still had feelings for me. She wanted to get back together. If anyone had been there, they might have expected me to be ecstatic over this.

  But sadness weighed me down. It took a long time to get back home, and when I did, I crawled into bed, still naked, and wiped away a tear. It didn’t matter that she still wanted me. The rules hadn’t changed; there was no way I could be with her.

  The day before, I would have said that was the best news I could have ever heard, but in that moment, it felt like a dagger to the heart. It was easy to want something when it seemed far out of reach. Having her there, knowing what I knew, meant that I’d have to do the hard part. If she did come to talk to me, I had to be the one to send her away. I had to reject her. Again. I had to watch her walk away, knowing we wanted each other more than anything.

  I’d have to break her heart.

  Again.

  8

  Addie

  I woke up determined to do it. Whatever had happened last night, and whatever my friends had to say about it, I was going to talk to Owen. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t at least see. Maybe nothing had changed. Maybe they were right and his reasons hadn’t been as pure as he claimed.

  Whatever the case, I needed to know.

  We got up late after our long, boozy night and it was already afternoon by the time we’d all showered and dressed for the day. We ate lunch around the fire, and that’s when I announced what I’d decided.

  “Before either of you say anything, just know that I’ve thought a lot about this,” I started. “I’m going to talk to him and see what the deal is. Who knows, he might even be seeing someone. After I talk to him, I will move on. I will get closure, and while it certainly won’t be with Aiden, I will get out and date and find someone. Or attempt to.”

  Emma shoved a piece of bread into her mouth and spoke with garbled words. “Go for it.”

  “Really?” I’d expected much lashing back and convincing against.

  “You know, I agree,” Julie said. “If this is what it’ll take, then go for it. Talk to him. Find out what you need to find out. Then say goodbye to him forever.”

  “And if you need to cry, we’ll be here,” Emma added, hugging her arm around my shoulders.

  “Just remember that he didn’t come talk to you. You’re going to him. Again.”

  “I know,” I said. “And I’ve considered that, too. I really have thought about this for days.”

  “I believe it,” Emma mumbled.

  “I’m not making a snap decision and rushing into this.”

  Julie popped a chip into her mouth. “We never said you were, Addie.”

  I huffed. “I just thought you’d be trying to talk me out of it. I had all these arguments planned and everything.”

  Julie raised an eyebrow. “Do you want us to talk you out of it? Because that alone is a sign—”

  “No, no,” I said. “This isn’t like that. I should have talked to him years ago. Seeing him again made me realize that I’m really not over him. And I need to be. You guys are right. And this will help.”

  Emma smiled. “Then I vote 100% yes.”

  “Me, too,” Julie added.

  I let out a long breath. “So, now I just have to go do it. What do you want to do when I get back?”

  “Whatever you want to do,” Emma said.

  “We’ll go for a hike if you need to talk. Or we can go out and get you drunk if it goes badly,” Julie shrugged.

  “And what if it doesn’t go badly?” I chewed on my lip. “There’s only one possible outcome, I know that. And I’m not getting my hopes up, but…”

  “Then bring him back here for us to meet him,” Julie chirped.

  “Okay.” I took several breaths, psyching myself up. “I’m going to talk to him.”

  They both gave me quick hugs, and I hopped in the car, headed for the ranger station nearby. It was the same one we’d called when I found the ibis, so I hoped this was the one he worked out of. The park was so huge and there were so many ranger stations, he could be anywhere.

  I parked and ascended the steps, then approached a woman sitting behind a desk. Her name tag said Rachel.

  “Hi, Rachel,” I smiled. “I’m looking for a certain ranger, and I’m wondering if he’s here.”

  “Sure. What is this in regards to?”

  I had my excuse ready to go. “I found an injured bird a few days back. The ranger said to call or stop by to find out how it was doing.”

  Part lie, part exaggeration, close enough.

  Rachel nodded. “Who you looking for?”

  “Owen Bailey?”

  “And your name, ma’am?” she asked.

  “Adeline Pearson.”

  She scribbled something down, then looked up at me. “I’m afraid he’s not here today, Ms. Pearson.”

  “Oh.” Disappointment washed over me. “Do you expect him in tomorrow?”

  “He’s off for the rest of the week. But let me make a call. I can get you an update on the bird.”

  “Oh, great; thanks.” I forced a smile. I couldn’t very well walk away and say I didn’t care anymore. Even if it was an excuse, I did wonder about the bird. Wouldn’t hurt to stick around to hear something about it.

  Rachel disappeared into another room and came back after several minutes. “Ms. Pearson?”

  “Yes.” I turned from the rack of brochures and walked back over to her desk.

  “I spoke with Owen briefly. He says if you’d like, you can stop by his cabin to talk about the bird, or he can have the vet give you a call if you’d prefer that.”

  “Oh.” His cabin? Hell yes! Yes! I tried to act indecisive. “I’m not really sure where his cabin is.”

  “Well no, he wouldn’t expect you to. That’s why he had me write down directions for you.” She handed me a piece of paper. “It’s just off the park grounds, but it can be a little tricky to find.”

  I took the paper and tucked it carefully into my pocket. “Thanks. We’re old friends, so he probably just thought we could catch up.” I tried to laugh it off.

  She gave me a little smile that seemed to hint that she knew what I was up to. “If you get lost, his number is there on the bottom.”

  “Oh. Great, thanks.”

  I got back into the car and pulled out the paper. I have his address and phone number? This information could be dangerous. As long as I did what I planned to do and just talked to him, it’d be fine. As long as I didn’t save his number to my phone and text him the next time I was drunk, or drive by his house when I was bored or suspicious, it’d be fine.

  I sucked in a few breaths to steady my nerves. Once I convinced myself that I wouldn’t do those sorts of things with this information, I read over the map and drove off.

  I did miss one turn, but I found my way easily enough. I tended to have a good sense of direction just by taking a moment to orient myself if I became confused. When I saw the little cabin sitting there, unassuming, my heart jumped. His Jeep was there; the same red Jeep his parents had bought him for graduation. I’d ridden in it twice: once, the day he got it, and again the following day, when he took me to the park to break up with me.

  Before I even got out of Emma’s car, he stepped out
onto the front porch. Weird that even when he was off, Rachel—whatever her position was—called him. Maybe he loved his job that much. I couldn’t blame him. I would’ve loved to work in a national park, too.

  He waved when he saw me and I raised my hand in return. Now that I was here and was about to talk to him, I wanted to leave. To turn around and keep things as they were. To not hear again that he didn’t want to be with me. But it was too late. I kept walking.

  9

  Addie

  “I heard you wanted to check up on your bird,” Owen said.

  Right. The ibis was why I was there. “Is she doing okay?”

  I reached his porch and we stood facing each other, several feet between us.

  He leaned against the railing. “She’s doing great. She did have a broken leg, but the vet got her fixed up.”

  “Good. I was worried.”

  Silence fell between us for a moment. Since my big cover reason for being there had been resolved, I didn’t know what to say next.

  “Why are you really here, Addie?” he asked after a long while.

  There seemed to be no further reason to try and hide it. “Umm, I guess just to see you again…I don’t know.” I sighed. I wish I could just come right out and say it. I love you Owen. Why aren’t we together? Instead, I lifted one shoulder and gave him a tight smile. “The bird seemed like a good excuse to talk to you.”

  “I didn’t think you’d want to talk to me. Ever again.”

  “Yeah. I could see that.”

  He laughed. “Yet, here you are.”

  “Here I am.” I looked around, appreciating what I could see of the cabin. “Nice place you have here. Feels like it’s part of the park.”

  “But it’s not. Believe me, there was a lot of paperwork to prove it’s not.”

  “Makes sense. I wouldn’t want just anyone to be able to build on park land.”