by Elle Thorne
Now all three had their own peak.
And each brother had picked his own without a squabble.
Too bad all things that were meant to be didn’t happen quite so seamlessly.
He rolled his window down, inhaling, letting his bear savor the scent of home.
It hadn’t always been home to the del Cruz brothers. They’d been teens when they were dropped off on Mae Forester’s door step.
Mae had stridden outside, took one look at the raggedy, underdressed, underfed, and definitely unkempt boys and she’d done the one thing Lance hadn’t expected.
She opened her arms and wrapped them in a hug.
“Welcome home,” she’d said.
And home it was.
Bear Canyon Valley.
Mae had become their aunt, though more like a foster mother. The beautiful, widowed brunette had opened her heart and home.
To many, it seemed as her home was always teeming with shifters—kids and adults, orphaned, injured, starving, you name it.
Lance breathed in deeply again. God, he’d missed the scent of this place. No other place on earth smelled like Bear Canyon Valley.
Home.
Cross was probably already home. He joined the Shifter Council Compliance Unit before Lance did.
Shifter Council Compliance Unit. SCCU for short. Those who were a part of the unit were called Enforcers. And they weren’t loved by all.
Especially not the wrongdoers.
If the Shifter Council convened and determined an individual had done wrong or needed to be punished, the Enforcers were brought in to do the punishing.
Yeah, Lance went in a little after Cross did, four years ago.
Okay, okay truth was, after his big brother left Bear Canyon, Lance couldn’t stay.
It wasn’t because he and Cross were all that close. Nah, it was more like, he didn’t want to miss out on all the fun he knew Cross would be having.
Fun.
Hardly.
A life of killing and capturing rovers, murderous shifters, and douche bags.
When he first signed up, Lance didn’t understand the terms of being an Enforcer.
Four years of service.
One year off.
Paid.
Who the hell could resist that? It was a gift.
Only he was wrong. The time off was going to be very necessary. A man—or a shifter couldn’t go through this much time of tracking, hunting, and sometimes killing, without losing a piece of his soul day in, day out.
So, without a doubt, this year’s hiatus would be very welcome.
Another deep breath.
A left turn.
The road curved to the right.
Bear Canyon Valley, the sign read.
He should have veered to the left, taken the seldom traveled road up to the mountains, then turned right toward Devil’s Horn.
But he didn’t.
He couldn’t
He wouldn’t feel right going home without stopping by Mae’s house for at least a quick hello.
And maybe she had some of that apple pie he’d missed lying around.
He glanced at the clock on the dash. Yeah, she’d be home by now. Lance turned off the main road, drove a few miles down, then pulled into the driveway.
His stomach grumbled in anticipation. Whatever she had on the stove, he knew it’d be good. And he was damned hungry.
Lance leapt from the truck, his nose picking up the scent of pot roast, vegetables, and—
He took another deep breath while snatching plenty of real estate with long strides.
—apple pie.
He froze, a grin stretched across his face, the inside door was open, nothing but the screen door stood between him and what was cooking inside.
A large form appeared before at the door. Lance braced, ready to kick the door in on top of the mountain of a guy on the other side.
“Lance?” the silhouette asked.
Lance paused, pushing back his instinct to defend himself and inflict harm.
“Doc?”
Jake ‘Doc’ Evans was the valley’s doctor, who doubled as a shifter doctor. Lance remembered Doc. He and his wife used to live in the valley with their daughter Astra—actually, she was Doc’s stepdaughter. Then Lance remembered the day Doc’s wife was killed. Not long after that, he’d moved away.
Seems now he was back. Or visiting.
Doc pulled the door open. “Come on in.” He extended his hand. “Man, haven’t seen you in years. Heard you were with the SCCU.”
Lance nodded. It wasn’t common to discuss working in that field. Most Enforcers kept their work on the down low. Kept the enemy count down.
“Good to see you.” He shook Doc’s hand. “Mae around?” He made a point of sniffing. “It smells like she is.”
Doc laughed. “She went upstairs to change. Gravy splashed on her top.” He pointed to the table.
Casserole dishes covered with foil, a pie plate, and an assortment of containers sat next to an oversized basket.
“We were just heading over to Astra and Kane’s.”
Astra. Doc’s daughter. “Kane?” Who was that? And then it clicked for Lance. The way he said we were just heading over. We. “I missed something. We?”
“Well damn, it didn’t occur to me she hadn’t told you. I’m guessing maybe you two haven’t talked in the last few months?”
Lance shook his head, guilt setting in. “I’ve been out of touch. Assignment and stuff.”
Not that out of touch, he reprimanded himself. Sure the assignment put him out of contact, but he’d been back for a while.
Doc shifted weight from one foot to the next. “Well, so Mae…”
That’s when Lance picked it up. The bond. They’d couplebonded, the way shifters do when they mate, bonding for life, forever.
“I’m sorry.” Lance felt dense. “I should’ve noticed.” He really should have picked up the aura. “Congratulations.”
“It’s no problem. I’m sure your job keeps you busy.”
That and I still find it hard to talk to anyone in Bear Canyon Valley.
It still reminded him of her.
Reminders he didn’t need.
It’s not like he didn’t already have enough reminders. The sky on a stunning spring morning brought to mind her eyes.
The glimpse of a head with blond hair the same shade as hers made him do a double take, looking for her, missing her, needing her.
Every blond head that reminded him of her, wasn’t her. It was some other woman. A woman who could never measure up to the woman he knew was the only one for him.
A warm summer’s breeze would remind him of her breath, hot and seeking when she took him into her mouth, her tongue tracing the rim of his cock.
Lance clenched his teeth together. He had to get her out of his mind. Out of his system.
I think I came to the wrong place to do that.
No, he could do it. He could avoid her. He would do it. He’d hole up in his cabin on Devil’s Horn. He had more than enough provisions in the back of his truck to last him a long, long time. He wouldn’t have to come off the mountain.
Maybe he’d see Cross. He’d missed his brother, though they didn’t get along.
Okay, that’s not exactly accurate.
Cross’s bear and Lance’s bear didn’t get along, making it difficult to hang out.
That sums it up.
Hard to visit with someone when you’ve got an angry grizzly bellowing in your head.
“Lance!” Mae threw her arms around him.
Lance hugged her tightly, inhaling the scent of her. Mae’s scent was like coming home, like warm apple pie, hot cocoa, stories by the fireside.
Mae’s scent was balm to an orphaned, homeless bear cub of a shifter.
“Aunt Mae.” His lips curled into a smile.
“How’s my favorite nephew?” She leaned back, holding him at arm’s length. “I swear, Lance. Who would have thought you’d be such a handsome man? I bet
the ladies in the city can’t get enough of you.”
He shrugged.
Ladies. Yeah, right.
He avoided all females. He’d had and lost the best thing—the only thing—he’d ever wanted.
“You two get caught up?” Mae slipped away from Lance and into Doc’s arms.
“Sure did. Congratulations.” Lance was genuinely happy Mae had someone now. He’d watched her living a lonely existence, even though her life was full of the shifters she’d given a home. And Doc had always seemed a good one.
“Looks like you two are heading out. I only stopped by to say hi. Don’t mean to hold you up.”
“Just going to Kane and Astra’s. You remember Astra?” Mae didn’t wait for him to answer. “Why don’t you join us? Have you eaten? Are you hungry?” She speared him with a barrage of questions.
Lance laughed. “No. I’m fine.” Then his damned stomach had to go off and rumble in protest.
Mae laughed.
A smile crept to Doc’s face. “You sure? You’d be welcome.”
“I’ve got supplies in the truck. I’m good.”
“Nonsense.” Mae stomped her foot. “You’re going with us. If you can’t stay long, at least stick around long enough to make a plate to take with you.”
“Astra’s been practicing with new recipes. She’ll love having another guinea pig to practice on.”
“Looks like you have enough food right here.”
“Everybody’s bringing something.”
Lance froze. The smile vanished from his face. “Everybody…”
“Yeah, Teague, Kelsey, Tanner, and Marti.” Doc looked at Mae. “That’s everyone isn’t it?”
“As far as I know. Unless they got a hold of Cross and Ariadne.”
Ariadne?
Seems I need to talk to my brother. He didn’t tell me he was involved.
Mae was appraising him with a knowing eye. “Still?”
She knew about Lance’s and Cross’s bears.
Hell, when they were little, their bears had taken over and damned near killed each other in a fight.
He gave her a nod. Still.
“I’ve never seen anything like that, not to this degree—and not with siblings.”
Chapter Three
Mac pulled up in front of Cross’s cabin at the top of Crag’s Peak on the Bear Canyon Mountain Range. She opened the Jeep’s door.
Buck stood next to the front porch. His ears twitched when she called his name. Walking toward Mac, Buck’s tail flicked wildly.
He wasn’t a dog, and it wasn’t like a dog wagging his tail, but there was something about the way the little deer did it that made her think he was glad to see her.
“Hey, there.” She leaned down, touching his soft fur. “You’re doing well.” He was. The little deer was flourishing.
“Mac!” Ariadne flew out the cabin’s front door, took the few stairs in one leap and wrapped her arms around Mac. “Good to see you.”
“Stir crazy? Missing people? What gives?” Mac laughed.
“No. Just…” A blush crept to Ariadne’s cheeks. “Will it sound crazy if I say you’re the closest thing to a sister—to family—except for Cross?” Sadness crossed her face.
Mac knew the story. The same thugs trying to kill Ariadne had killed her father, leaving her without family.
“No, it’s not crazy at all. You’ve become like a sister to me.”
And she had.
Mac didn’t have siblings. She had a mother who traveled the globe with her millionaire husband, spending tons of money on procedures and products, forever trying to look like she was decades younger.
It’s not like Mom wants a constant reminder she has a daughter the same age as she’s trying to appear.
And Mac had a father too, somewhere in one of the federal prisons that doubled as a country club. But he’d never really been her father. He’d cut out of her life before Mac could walk.
“Totally like a sister,” she hugged Ariadne with a tight squeeze.
“What am I missing out on?” Cross laughed as he approached.
Mac’s heart skipped a beat, like it did every time she saw Cross. He reminded her of Lance way too much. On the outside, anyway.
Lance was far more intense, and far more dangerous. Rebellious, too. A maverick. She was surprised he hadn’t ended up in front of the Shifter Council with charges brought against him for his reckless ways.
But no, he’d gone and followed his brother’s footsteps, joining the Compliance Unit, sent out to take care of those who were breaking shifter law and code.
And he’d left her behind.
After he’d couplebonded with her.
After he’d marked her as his for life.
After he’d given her the ability to heal quickly like a shifter.
Except she wasn’t a shifter.
She was marked as his mate. Forever.
Or so she thought. Until she found out about the witch doctor.
Maybe the joke’s on me. He’s back in the valley and I can feel him.
The witch doctor said I wouldn’t be able to.
Does that mean I’m still bonded to him? That he’s still bonded to me?
Bonded to the man I hate. Just fucking great.
Maybe it was time to pay that damned snake oil salesman of a witch doctor a visit.
At the very least, I’m due a refund.
Or maybe it was supposed to be like vaccinations—you needed a booster every so often.
Either way, I spent $500 to be free of him and I’m not.
“Mac?” Ariadne’s hand was on Mac’s shoulder, a concerned look in her eyes.
“Yeah.”
“Are you okay? You look like you were a million miles away.”
I wish.
Her body pulsed. God, did she ever wish.
They talked Mac into it. God knows, when the last thing Mac wanted to do was be around people, somehow Ariadne and Cross talked her into going to Astra and Kane’s for dinner.
“You can’t be a hermit forever,” Ariadne told Mac.
Wanna bet? I can give it a good run for its money.
But she didn’t want to disappoint Ariadne. And though Ariadne said she’d become close to the other shifters’ mates in the valley, Mac could tell she was closer to her.
She plastered a smile on her face as she stood behind Cross and Ariadne in front of Astra and Kane’s cabin at the top of one of the mountains that hugged Bear Canyon Valley.
Mac had met Astra and Kane, though she couldn’t say she’d hung out with them much.
Can’t say I’ve done that with anyone.
True. Since she and Lance split up, she’d dedicated her time to the Bear Canyon Wildlife Reserve. She spent more time traveling the region seeing to injured wildlife and rehabilitation than she did in her modest little cottage.
Assistants covered the clinic and the reserve while she traveled. More often than not, these days, it seemed Mac was being called to places outside the region. Even outside the state.
Twice she’d actually visited South America to help with a case. She had a passion for helping wildlife and a passion for getting away from the valley and the reminders of her time with Lance.
The front door opened. Astra, with her stunning glowing eyes and spun gold hair squealed with delight.
“You made it! And you’ve brought Mac!” She hugged Ariadne then hugged Mac.
Mac yielded to the hug, though she wasn’t really the huggy type.
“Sure you have enough food?” Cross laughed. “I brought my appetite and my bear’s appetite, too.”
“No worries.” Astra opened the door wider. “Mae and Doc are on their way over. And you know how much Mae cooks.”
Mac knew, too. She’d gotten to know Mae well, since Mae had raised Lance and his brothers. It was only natural; Mae was a part of her relationship with Lance.
A surge of guilt traveled through Mac. She’d avoided Mae—a lot. It was simply too difficult to be around a cons
tant reminder of Lance.
Plus, after their breakup, then Lance moving away to work with the Compliance Unit, Mae had stopped in often to check on her, to see if there was a chance they’d get back together, insisting that Mac and Lance were fated mates, and all that other garbage.
If we were so damned fated, he wouldn’t have walked out on me. Especially not after couplebonding.
Especially that—it had ruined her ability to think of another man.
Ever.
Mac kept the smile plastered to her face, though she wanted to grimace at the idea of seeing Mae and thinking of Lance.
As if he ever leaves my mind for long, anyway.
Inside the cabin, a small cabin at that, though Kane had already begun to build an addition onto the back, the brothers Teague and Tanner—also taken in by Mae for a time during their younger years, were there with their mates, Kelsey and Marti. Missing was Marti’s son, Dominic, a young polar bear shifter.
Mac enjoyed the spirited little tyke’s sense of humor. “Where’s Dom?”
“Sleepover,” Marti said with a smile.
“Date night,” Tanner added, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Marti gave him a playful smack on the arm. “Quit that.”
Mae and Doc were noticeably absent.
“Let’s start. We’ve got appetizers,” Astra said with a singsong in her voice, clearly excited.
“Astra’s been practicing with puff pastries,” Kane expanded.
They sampled Astra’s crab puffs—damned good, as far as Mac was concerned; she’d be Astra’s guinea pig any day of the week.
The buzzing sensation she knew was Lance’s connection to her hadn’t waned all day, but now…
Holy buckets! The buzzing turned to an electrical charge coursing its way through her body.
No. Hell no. Say it isn’t so.
A knock sounded on the door.
It is so.
She didn’t need anyone to tell her Lance was outside the door.
Sweat broke out on her forehead and her upper lip. Not the sexy kind that was tiny drops, she knew it was the ugly kind of I just worked out like an MMA fighter kind.
Fuck.
She grabbed a napkin and dabbed.
Quit this. Quit this now.
As if chastising and scolding herself would yield the results she wanted.
