“Cold in my arm,” said Sam.
“It’ll feel a little strange for a while,” said Bear.
“Hey, Sam, you like cars?” asked Liam.
“Yes.”
“Maybe your mom can bring you down to the garage that I own and you can work on one with me,” said Liam.
“Yeah,” said Sam.
“What were you going to tell him about his dad?” asked Bear.
“Oh, that’s right. He was really good at math at school. He won the spelling contest when he was ten. He was good at sports and…”
Suddenly Liam broke down.
“No crying,” said Sam.
A tear slid down Hannah’s face. She’d only known his brother for a couple of hours, but Liam had brought him back to life in a few short sentences. For seven years she’d wondered what had happened to him, never guessing his life had ended when a drunk driver had driven on the wrong side of the road, pushing him off his motorbike and down into a ravine where he’d lay dead for three days before a hiker found him. He’d been a sweet guy and no one deserved to end their life like that.
“It’s okay, Liam, just get it all out,” said Bear. “Sometimes that’s all you need to do is to let go.”
****
Bear took Sam’s vital signs. He’d transfused Liam’s blood into him three days ago and so far so good. They’d been no change in Sam’s behavior, but if Bear’s instincts were right, he knew the final stage would be helping Sam shift. After that, he was guessing, and hoping, a new boy would emerge. He didn’t want to deceive Hannah in any way. He wanted to tell her what he planned to do and what it would mean for Sam.
“You mean you’ll turn him into a bear?”
“He’ll do that himself.” Bear had told her.
“What if he can’t turn back?”
“That’s what I’m going to be there for and I’m having Aiden and Christopher on hand too. And even Liam said he’d be there. For us it’s very important to have a blood relative present when you make your first shift. It’s sort of a coming of age. We’re going to help him become the bear that’s inside him. He’ll run with us and he’ll feel how good it is.”
“But he’s my baby.”
“I know, but if this works he’ll be better. He’ll be normal and won’t be bullied anymore.”
“And you don’t think being half a bear shouts come bully me?”
“You know what I mean.”
She’d nodded but told him she couldn’t be there when it happened. However, now that they were all ready, he glanced over and saw her standing by the edge of the trees. It was going to be rough, the first shift always was, and he hoped she wouldn’t stop them when she heard her son cry out as all shifters did the first time they made their transformation.
Bear looked over and saw that Liam had kept his word. He was heading their way.
He patted Sam on the head. “This is a big day for you. And your dad’s somewhere watching and would be proud of you,” said Liam.
“You understand what’s going to happen?” asked Bear kneeling in front of him.
Sam nodded his head. Bear had taken Sam’s clothes and placed a towel around him. He only hoped no one was around to see four naked guys with a kid in the middle of the woods. Back on their planet such a site would be an everyday occurrence.
“You’re going to free the bear that’s inside you,” said Aiden.
Aiden said he wanted to see the transformation so he knew what to expect when Bridget had to make her first shift.
“Okay, Sam, just take a deep breath and try and relax all your muscles.”
“Scared,” said Sam.
“It’s okay, we’re all scared when we do this,” said Christopher.
Liam grabbed Sam’s hand. “Imagine yourself as a big strong bear running through those trees.”
Sam shook his head.
“You can do it, really you can,” said Bear.
“Close your eyes, Sammy,” said Liam.
Sam closed his eyes as Liam got on the ground and spoke with him.
“Your father was a great bear and you will be too. Relax, and just think of running, freeing what’s inside you.”
Sam began to shake. Bear bit his lip. Sam’s journey was about to begin.
Chapter Sixteen
Hannah hugged a tree, putting her forehead on its trunk at hearing her little boy scream and cry. Bear had warned her he’d be in some discomfort when he shifted because his bones and muscles had to get use to the new form. He assured her after that it would be painless and become second nature to him.
Sam cried out again. “Momma, Momma.”
He had to get through this. She trusted Bear enough to know he was right, that maybe because Sam wasn’t all human that had caused his problem. There was a rustle in the bushes and as she glanced over to the left she saw four bears with a little one in tow.
She hadn’t quite expected to see it. Her lower lip dropped and quivered. The little bear was Sam. He’d done it. She burst into tears. That was her son. How could she have ever guessed that’s what he was? The bears began running and Sam was just about keeping up with them.
Aiden and Christopher had to be the black bears, Bear the Kodiak, and Liam and Sam grizzlies. She swallowed the lump in her throat, suddenly feeling sick. If she wasn’t seeing it with her own eyes she’d never have believed it.
****
Bear carried Sam up to his bed. Both the shifting and the running had worn him out.
Hannah removed his shoes as Bear placed him on the bed.
“Are you sure he’s okay?”
“He’s perfect, blood pressure was good, and his heartrate too. Let him sleep this off for a few hours.”
“Did he appear any different to you?”
“It was hard to say because I think he was confused, but he did so well shifting back. He’s a pro already.”
Hannah nodded. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “It was brave of you too. It couldn’t have been easy.”
She sat down, Bear slide up beside her. “I’m worn out. I came here thinking I’d find his father and…”
He could only imagine what was going through her mind. She began crying and he held her, feeling her heartbeat, absorbing her sobs into his own body.
“Momma.”
Bear turned around and Hannah looked up.
“Why are you crying?”
Sam had spoken a normal, complete sentence.
“Hi, Sam, how you doing?”
“I’m feeling fine. The running made me tired. Do I have to do that every day now?”
Bear reached out and got hold of his hand. “Not if you don’t want to. It’s entirely up to you. And if you want someone to go running with you know I’m only a phone call away.”
“I still don’t know why Momma’s crying.” He sat next to Hannah.
“I’m crying because I’m so happy. Sam, it’s so good to hear you talk like…”
“I’ve always spoken like this, but you didn’t hear me. Bear and the others heard me. Bear, can we teach Mom how to talk with her head?”
“Sam, your mom’s not like you, you understand that, don’t you? You get that from your dad.”
“And Uncle Liam.”
“Yeah, your Uncle Liam.”
Bear smiled. He had this feeling everything was going to be okay for Sam.
****
Hannah woke up to the sound of someone walking outside on the gravel at the back of the café. She pulled back the covers, put her legs over the side of the bed, and walked over to the window to see a small grizzly bear kicking a soccer ball against one of the garbage cans. She’d only seen her son as a bear once but had gotten a good look at him and knew this bear wasn’t a wild animal but Sam. In the distance she could hear the garbage truck making its way toward the café on its Thursday morning pick up. Sam was either going to get himself killed or someone was going to call animal control. He’d either be put in a wildlife holding center or rehomed someplace. She had t
o get to him before anyone saw him.
She grabbed her dressing gown and went outside, hoping she could deal with him in his bear form. She opened the door. “Sam, Bear told you, you are not to do this just anywhere, not indoors and not where people can see you and even hurt you.”
He looked at her and then got back to kicking the ball.
“Sam, do I have to call Bear and tell him you’ve disobeyed him?”
Hannah knew what Bear thought about him mattered a lot to Sam. The two had grown close, so this would be like letting down his best friend. Well, at least she hoped that’s how Sam would look at it.
She tried not to look, still tried not to believe what her son was and what he could now do as he gradually transformed from bear back to young boy. He stood naked, so she quickly went inside and got her raincoat and wrapped it around him. She pulled him inside just as the garbage truck pulled up.
“You are never to do that, do you hear what I’m telling you?”
“It’s fun. I’m a bear and none of the other kids are. I’m the son of a grizzly bear and I can do what I want when I want. I can hurt them if they make fun of me.”
Hannah tugged on his arm, almost shaking him. She’d never done that before, never lost her temper with him. Never spanked him, although she’d wanted to on many occasions, but right now she didn’t like the boy he’d turned into.
The whole bear thing wasn’t going to work. He was either going to get himself killed or he’d hurt some other kid and she’d never live with herself.
There was only one thing to do. Leave town and never look back.
Chapter Seventeen
Bear pulled up to the Starlight Café, not seeing the sign in the front window until he was at the door.
For Sale.
What the fuck was going on here?
He burst through the door like he would do if he’d been called in to a medical emergency.
Several people looked up at him, including the waitress Hannah had recently hired.
“Where’s Hannah?” he asked her.
“Out in the kitchen.”
Bear marched back there, so angry he felt like he was going to shift, stand up on his hind legs, and roar. Why hadn’t she told him she was selling the business? In the pit of his stomach, he guessed that she was leaving town and that his world would be torn apart.
She was checking on a delivery of fish when he arrived in the kitchen.
“Just what the hell’s going on?” he asked.
The chef looked at him and then at Hannah.
“Bear, let’s go someplace so we can talk,” said Hannah, getting hold of his arm.
He followed her outside. He grabbed her arm and spun her around, feeling hurt and pain that she’d chosen not to tell him about her decision.
“I hope this is just a career change and that you’re not thinking of leaving town too.”
She looked at the ground. A gesture that told him his worst fears were true.
“I can’t stay here because of Sam.”
“Because of Sam?”
“I accept what he is. I accept what you are. Your secret’s safe with me, but I can’t live this life. I’m buying a cabin in Idaho. I’m going to work at home and Sam can shift and change without anyone seeing him. Are you aware he did that right out here in public the other day? It’s for his own good. I have to keep my son safe.”
She should have called him, should have told him and he would have handled the situation. Hurt washed over him again. Maybe what they had was just about the sex after all. She hadn’t trusted him enough to confide in him and ask for his advice and help.
“I’ll have a word with him,” he said.
She shook her head. “He won’t listen even to you. I’m scared he’ll hurt the other kids who bully him. This is for the best, Bear. We don’t belong here and we can’t be part of your group. I guess Liam’s right.”
“He talks out of his ass. You are part of our group. You’re the mother of one of our shifters, so that makes you family. And what about us, Hannah? I thought we had something special going on?"
“We do, Bear, we do, but it couldn’t possibly work. You can come see us as often as you want, but I have to do this. This is my mistake from eight years ago. Sam’s getting better, but I still have to keep a watchful eye on him.”
“And we can do it together.”
“Bear, you’ll regret it. We’re fundamentally different and one day you’ll want to marry and have babies with a shifter, not someone who’ll produce someone like Sam.”
A tear ran down her cheek. He knew in his heart that she was wrong. That she knew she was wrong. She turned and walked away.
Hannah was his perfect mate. He wasn’t giving up without a fight. Bear never gave up without a fight.
****
Liam was the last person Hannah expected to see sitting at a table later that night. He was the one and only customer, and she wondered if Bear had sent him along. Although knowing the stubborn guy that he was she very much doubted he did anything he didn’t want to.
She passed him a menu, but he shook his head and wouldn’t take it.
“I think we need to talk,” he said.
“Really what about?”
“I think you know.”
“Sam?”
“That and I hear you’re leaving Kalispell. Sort of selfish of you, don’t you think?”
“Like you care if a human sticks around.”
“Whatever I think about you has nothing to do with what I think about Sam. He’s my brother’s son and the only relative I have left in this world, so yeah, I’d say that’s fucking selfish to take him away from me when we’ve only just found one another.”
She had to admit he had a point.
“I’ll give you a forwarding address and you’re welcome to come see him whenever you want.”
“I want him in this town where I can watch over him. I know Danny would want that. I want to take him to our monthly star grazing get togethers. I want to shift and run with him. Danny was all I had. Our parents were killed when we crashed here and after I lost him all I felt was pain and emptiness. Now I have Sam, and if you take him away you’ll be pushing a knife into my heart.”
She did know how he felt. She’d been lonely and on her own since she’d split from home and never looked back. Her mom had passed away thinking that she still hated her and that had never been the case. However, she had one priority and that was her son. All decisions she made were based on whether it was good for him. Leaving town was perfect for Sam’s welfare.
“I’m sorry, but I’ve made up my mind,” she said.
“And what about Bear? That guy’s crazy about you. He loves Sam. He’ll make a damn fine father to him and a husband to you. No human could take better care of you and that’s a fact.”
She bit her lip. She couldn’t deny that. Bear would be a perfect protector. “He needs one of his own kind. Isn’t that what you preach?”
He turned red and looked down at the table. “Guess you’ve made up that stubborn human mind of yours, but there’s one thing I’d like you to have whatever you decide.” He pulled out a sheet of paper. “Danny was a great artist. I found this in his stuff after he died. I never knew who this person was, but now I know who he sketched before his accident.”
Hannah looked at it. It was her. No doubt about it. It was exactly how she’d looked the night they’d met. The way she’d worn her hair tied back to the sweater and jeans she’d worn.
She tried to get rid of the lump in her throat.
“I think it was more than a one night stand to Danny. I’m guessing had he not been killed shortly after he met you, he would have coming looking for you.”
He stood. Hannah was speechless.
“Uncle Liam.”
Hannah looked up to see Sam running over to his uncle.
“Hey, buddy, what you been up to?”
“I had homework and it was tough.”
Hannah’s heart swelled with pride.
The way he spoke, the normal conversation he held with everyone now.
“I’m not good at stuff like your dad was, but I’m more than willing to take a look at it for you, you know see if I can help in any way.”
“Can you come fishing with Bear and me?”
“Don’t think so, Sam. Your mom says you’re moving.”
She hadn’t told Sam yet. He looked at her.
“You’ll like where we’re going,” she added quickly.
He glared at her.
“I hate you!” Before she could say anything, he’d run out of the front door of the café.
“You stay here. I’ll go get him,” said Liam.
****
Bear had called everyone they knew and asked them to meet by the parking lot of the café the following morning. He’d come straight over to the café as soon as Liam called him the night before. Liam had chased after Sam, but the little guy was quick. He’d almost caught up to him in the nearby words, but then he’d seen him shift and take off at record speed. So far there’d been no further sightings of him.
“Okay, everyone. We’re looking for Sam. Liam said he’d shifted, but he might have shifted back by now. If you find him don’t scare him but call me on my phone, okay? Let’s find him quickly because he’s new to shifting. He doesn’t know the danger that’s out there from hunters and such.”
Aiden, who worked for wildlife control, was also out looking for him accompanied by Christopher, Dane, and Trent. Nick Pearson had also rounded up a bunch of wolf shifters and was scouring the area to the north.
Bear walked over to where Hannah sat and put his arms around her. She looked up at him. She hadn’t slept all night and bags hung under her eyes. The whites of her eyes were red where she’d cried.
“This is all my fault,” she said.
Bear got on his knees and pulled her into close. “No, you were right. You were doing what you thought best for your son. No one can blame you for that. Even I shouldn’t have been so hard on you. This is new to you and it’s scary.”
“He said he hated me.”
“He didn’t mean it. All kids say things like that.”
“Sam doesn’t. He’s always been a loving little boy.”
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