by Jules Tyler
“Well, gorgeous, you’re well worth the effort. I’m surprised no one else has tried.”
Cheeks blazing pink, Jasmine said shyly, “I wasn’t exactly a steady boyfriend kind of gal. In my youth, I did what I needed to keep my bear sated, much to my mother’s dismay. With the exception of however the twins happened, I actually haven’t been with a man in almost five years.”
“Why are you blushing? It’s not like I’m a saint either, sweets. None of us are ever proud of the things we do while we’re young, but life happens and we make mistakes. Sometimes there are benefits to those mistakes, like learning lessons, and other times there are consequences.”
“Why are you so understanding?” Jasmine asked as she wrapped her lips around a giant bite of waffle.
“I guess I just see the bigger picture in life.”
“Wow, how prophetic of you,” Jasmine teased. “So what are you hiding behind your back there?”
Tyson smiled sheepishly at her, pulling the flowers from behind his back. “Well, I picked you some wild flowers to go with your breakfast, but clearly that backfired.”
“Oh, they’re so pretty. Do you have a vase to put them in?”
“I think I’ve got a mason jar around here somewhere that’ll work.”
She clapped her hands together. “That’ll be perfect. Here, let me help you look.”
“No,” he growled at her. “You go sit down and eat. I can find the jar.”
Raising an eyebrow at him, Jasmine settled back in her chair. “If it weren’t for the delicious food you put in front of me, and these cubbies making me so hungry I can’t see straight, I wouldn’t be letting you boss me around like that.”
“That sounds like a challenge,” he drawled. He could feel his eyes glowing with arousal as he stalked forward towards her.
“So what if it is?” she taunted. Tyson noticed that while her brown eye flashed gold, the other eye glowed silver. It got his mind spinning with what could cause such a beautiful and unique phenomenon.
“Careful what you wish for, love,” he murmured before turning his attention back to looking for the mason jar.
She was acting differently, but he had to admit, it was definitely a nice change of pace. Maybe this would be easier than he thought.
“We were interrupted during our conversation yesterday,” she remarked after a few minutes.
Finally finding the mason jar in its hiding place above the stove, Tyson plucked it from the cupboard and filled it halfway with water before dropping the flowers into it. Setting the jar in front of Jasmine, he took in her simple beauty. She didn’t have any makeup on yet, her hair was pulled up in a cute messy thing on top of her head, and she was wearing a matching tank top and shorts set that was so purple, it was almost black. He hoped she’d walk around like this all the time.
“You know, I think you’re right. I told you my favorite color, so now why don’t you tell me yours?”
“Honestly? My favorite color is white. Lame, huh?”
“I don’t think that’s lame at all. If you don’t mind me asking, why is it white? Is that why you have the white strand in your hair? I only ask because it’s so different from anything anyone else does,” Tyson inquired as he helped her off of the stool and guided her to one of the couches in his living area.
Once she was settled onto the emerald suede couch, Jasmine looked up at him nervously. Obviously he struck nerve. He should apologize.
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to pry. If it’s something you’re not comfortable in answering, we can move on to the next question, if you want.” He sat down on the opposite end of the couch from her as he spoke.
“No, it’s just that I’ve kept those kinds of details secret for so long it’s harder to just talk about them. I think I can trust you though so I’m going to tell you everything. But you have to promise not to tell anyone. Those who need to know will know in time, but I’ve managed to keep myself safe this long because people were too oblivious to notice the obvious details.”
He canted his head in confusion. “What do you mean? This sounds much more complicated than a favorite color.”
She smiled sadly.. “Yeah, you’re right, it’s a lot more complicated than that. You have to promise though. Can you do that?”
Whatever it was, it was clearly important. He and his wolf both knew they would do everything for her, and if that had to start with keeping secrets for her, he would.
“I can do whatever you need me to. I promise to keep your secrets safe always, Jasmine.” He looked at her steadily, letting her see the promise in his eyes as he waited for her to continue.
“So you’ve noticed my hair, and I’m sure you’ve noticed my eyes are different from others as well. None of this is by choice, but instead by something much bigger than that. I’m not your typical shifter. My bear isn’t just one type of bear—she’s brown but she’s also white. She’s not just a grizzly. She’s also a spirit bear. I’m a Gemini twin, so my sister and I are almost exactly identical in every physical aspect and yet, we are opposites as well. So when it comes to being a twin, one of us should have been the grizzly and the other should have been the Kermode. But, when you’re a Gemini twin, things get... stickier. Our shared DNA split into two beings. We are each two halves of two bears rather than two separate bears.”
Tyson’s brow furrowed as he thought about what she said. “Wait, I remember hearing stories about this. Sometimes Gemini twins whose parents are two separate animals or breeds will give the appearance of both. It’s called… Damn, it starts with a C. What was that word?”
Jasmine nodded in acknowledgement. “It’s called a chimera, and it’s an extremely rare mutation, especially amongst shifters. When Jennifer and I were young, someone approached my parents about buying one of us. They offered my parents a lot of money, but my parents turned down the offer. One night, someone broke into our home and tried to kidnap Jennifer. Of course, with a big bad papa bear shifter in the house, they weren’t able to get very far. After that, everything changed. Where Jennifer and I had been allowed to shift freely and often, we were instead taught how to control our bears and go longer between shifts than Jesse did. We could only shift in a secure location.
“My parents moved from our home in Washington into the middle of nowhere in Montana. The town we lived in was a small shifter settlement where we were going to be safer. But, still, we had to keep the secret. My parents didn’t want to risk anyone finding out what we really were. We both wore contacts and had to dye the white in our hair. In fact, until I came up here, I always wore the contacts. Lucky for me, I didn’t have to keep up the hair do the last couple of years because the random stripe was in style.”
“But as an adult, why do you still have to stay in hiding? I don’t get it.”
“The world is a cruel place to people who are different, Tyson. As shifters, we’ve all learned that first hand. But when it comes to being different, I hit the trifecta. Gemini twin, Chimera, and shifter all wrapped up in one person. A woman with child bearing potential no less,” Jasmine explained, gesturing towards her swollen stomach for effect.
“You don’t think…” Tyson whispered, realization hitting him like a brick wall.
Jasmine nodded. “I do.”
“That hunter… you think he wants the babies? Do you think that’s why he was tracking you?” Tyson asked, feeling the rage building up inside.
She reached out and pulled his hand to her own. “The more that I think about it, the more I’m beginning to think I was never safe. Somewhere along the lines, whoever tried to buy us as children found us again and waited in the shadows for the right time to strike. I think they want my babies and since obviously I won’t sell them, they want to take them from me.”
“Why do you think they’ll take them from you instead of observing from afar?” Tyson knew the idea was farfetched, but he didn’t know what else to say to ease her fears.
“I told Kaylene that I ran for Silver Creek the day I received
a pair of tungsten cuffs and a picture of my bed with a note that said, I’m coming for what’s mine and taking it back. With force, if necessary. I think they’re waiting for me to have these babies and then they’ll rip them from my arms. I have to stay on the move. I’ll have the babies here, and then I’ll have to take them and run after a few months. It’s why I don’t want to get involved—because I don’t want you to have to run too. This life isn’t meant for a new pairing,” she said, emotion filling her voice with every word she spoke.
“Do you think that whoever it is that’s trying to take these babies from you, is the one you got you pregnant?”
Jasmine frowned and nodded at him. “I think that’s exactly what happened.
Together they sat in silence. He knew it was pointless to try and argue with her because her maternal instincts were on overdrive, and the hormones filling her body weren’t helping right now. She was an overwhelmed mama bear just looking to keep herself and her cubs safe. Instead, he let the rage from what happened to his mate fill him up until he felt his wolf close enough that he could rely on its guidance. How would he protect his mate? He was only one man. He needed a pack… and he had one.
“We need to tell Jesse.”
Chapter 14
Panic washed over Jasmine, and she struggled to get to her feet. “No, no, we can’t go telling Jesse. The fewer people who know about this, the better. If you can’t keep my secret, Tyson, I’m going to have to leave before these babies get here, and I really don’t want to do that.”
“The purpose of a family is to protect their own, Jaz. If they don’t know, then they can’t be on alert for danger.”
Jasmine shook her head furiously at Tyson. “No, Tyson, I can’t risk them getting hurt over this. I can’t risk you, either, but I still told you. Maybe I shouldn’t have.”
Trust mate. He knows best.
Crazy bear didn’t know what she was talking about.
Clearly, they were at a stalemate. How did they fix this? Part of Jasmine wished she’d never told him about the hunter, but she couldn’t take it back now. Silence passed between them, with Tyson’s eyes flickering the way they would if his animal was near the surface.
He was the first to break the silence. “I think you need to know Stella’s story.”
“Stella’s story?” She furrowed her brow as she looked at him.
“Yes, Stella’s story. I assume Jesse never told you about how we met her?”
She shook her head. “No. Since she’s Brady’s mate, I assumed you guys had met her through him.”
“Well, in a way, yes. Why don’t you go get dressed and I’ll take you to talk to them? Stella isn’t shy about sharing what happened to her, but it isn’t my story to tell.”
“Are you sure this isn’t just a trick to get us to stop arguing?” Jasmine raised an eyebrow at him in suspicion.
“I’m positive. Now, get dressed so we can go talk to her.”
She pivoted on her heel and headed for her bedroom, glad for the distraction. She didn’t want to fight with Tyson—she’d simply wanted to confide in him. Sometimes carrying secrets was a burden. At least with sharing them, she could feel like she wasn’t so alone in this. Almost as though to remind her she wasn’t alone, Jasmine felt the babies kicking in tandem against her belly. It was strange. Now that she knew there were twins growing inside of her, she couldn’t understand how she ever thought there was less than two in there. Running her hands over her swollen belly, she sighed. All of this was turning out to be a lot harder than she thought it would be.
Once in her room, it took her a few minutes to pull on her maternity shorts and a tank top before quickly plaiting her hair down her back in a single braid. Simple—that was what she was going for today. Sliding on her flip flops, she headed back out to meet Tyson. Stepping into the living area, she locked gazes with him where he was waiting for her on the couch. His eyes flashed again like they had earlier, but this time she didn’t see frustration in his eyes. Instead she saw something different. Something seductive and inviting. The look he was giving her as he raked his eyes over her body almost melted her panties. Jasmine couldn’t remember a time anyone ever looked at her the way Tyson was right now.
Clearing her throat to break the tension, Jasmine said, “So, are we ready to go?”
Tyson blinked a couple of times as though he was clearing his thoughts and smiled at her. “I’m ready if you are.”
“Well then, looks like we’d better get a move on.”
They walked outside and got into the golf cart. After he was certain she was secure, he guided the machine back toward the path that led towards the lodge. The longer Jasmine spent here, the more she felt that it was a quick ride to the lodge rather than a long path to get there. When they pulled up in front of the building and parked, Jasmine caught notice of a dark-haired man exiting the lodge.
“Hey there, Tyson!” The man called, jogging up to them as Tyson helped her step out of the cart.
“Hey,” Tyson replied politely.
Jasmine snaked her hand around Tyson’s proffered arm. Something was familiar about the stranger and it made her uneasy. He reminded her of some of the guys who would wander into the club in New Orleans when she was singing. Blinking, Jasmine could see an image in her mind of a man’s face that looked a lot like this stranger. It made her even more wary of him.
“I was just looking for Brady, but his mother doesn’t know where he is. I was going to ask him if he knew of any good hiking trails around here. You don’t by chance, do you?” The man asked Tyson, talking to him as though they were old friends.
“Go to the resort entrance and take a right, then go about a mile and a half down the road. On your right, you’ll see a bridge. If you cross it, there’s a trail that goes up towards the summit as far as you can climb. The view is nice, so you’d probably like it,” Tyson replied coolly. Jasmine was beginning to wonder if the stranger rubbed him wrong the same way he did her.
“Sounds great. I’ll have to head that way after I pack up my hiking pack,” the man said almost a little too enthusiastically. “I’m sorry, ma’am, where are my manners? My name is Dane Rivers. Who’s this gorgeous broad on your arm, Tyson?”
“My wife,” Tyson replied without missing a beat.
“Wow, you’re a lucky man. Keep her close! I’ll see you around. I’d better get going now if I want to get a full day in on that trail. Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
As Dane walked away, Jasmine frowned, leaning over to whisper in Tyson’s ear. “Do you know him well?? There’s something about him.”
“I just met him the other day, so not well. And yeah, I know, I felt it too. Let’s get you inside. Stella’s usually out by the hot springs this time of day, sunbathing,” he replied as he led her inside.
“Care to tell me why you told Dane that I’m your wife?” Jasmine asked, trying to keep the amusement from her tone.
“Oh, you caught that, did ya?” He glanced at her, eyes glinting with amusement as he tried to keep an innocent expression on his face. “I just didn’t like the way he was looking at you. Typically, if you tell a guy like him that the girl he’s eyeballing is already off the market, they walk away from the chase.”
“Ah, I see. Are you sure that’s all it was?”
“Do you really need to know the answer to that?” Tyson raised an eyebrow at her before leading her through the door to the hot springs.
“You’ve got a point.”
“Hey there, my bitches!” Stella exclaimed from her seat on the far side of the spring.
“Hey there! Morning sickness subside yet?” Tyson asked curiously as he pulled a seat along behind him toward Stella.
Stella beamed up at them. “Thankfully! That shit was getting old”
Once the chair was situated next to Stella, he offered it to Jasmine, and she eased herself down onto it.
“So what brings you to my side of the pool?” Stella asked, lowering her sunglasses to look at the two of them.
>
Tyson leaned forward against the back of Jasmine’s chair. “Actually, I was going to ask you a favor.”
Stella grinned mischievously up at him. “And what might that be? My favors come with a price, usually of the snack variety, ya know.”
Jasmine liked the way that Stella was thinking.
“I may or may not have access to a box filled with peanut butter Oreos and nacho cheese Doritos. And I may or may not be willing to part with them in exchange for said favor.”
Stella sat up abruptly in her chair. “You have my attention.”
“Everyone has their price.” He chuckled. “I think Jasmine could benefit from hearing your story.”
“My story? Why my story?”
“Because you’re one of the most inspiring people I know. You, of all people, know how to overcome the shittiest of situations, and I feel like it could help Jasmine.”
Stella’s eyes drifted to Jasmine’s swollen stomach and then back up to Tyson’s face. Jasmine watched as the two seemed to have a silent conversation before Stella finally nodded.
“Okay, I’ll tell her, but you have to go away. Girl talk is girl talk, and we don’t need any of your stinky testosterone ruining our fun,” Stella said, making a shooing motion at him.
Jasmine could sense the hesitation rolling off of Tyson, so she looked up at him and smiled shyly. “I’ll be okay, Tyson. Go ahead. I’ll send Mama Ally to find you when I’m ready to go back to the cabin.”
Tyson lingered a moment more before to head back into the lodge. Once he was out of sight, Stella turned her attention to Jasmine.
“So what has Tyson told you about Brady and I?”
“He hasn’t told me anything actually. We were talking about me, and he told me he wanted me to know your story but felt like you needed to be the one to tell it.”
“Hmm.” Stella mused over that for a moment. “Alright, I’ll tell you everything. It’s not as ominous as it sounds but it was definitely a different part of my life that I’d rather leave behind me. Let’s start from the beginning so you can understand everything.
