Bearly Falling

by Ally Summers

  She nodded. “Stay here and make sure I’m carrying your cub. Then you can leave.” She winked.

  My bear growled with satisfaction. She really was the perfect mate. There was nothing he wanted more than to make sure his heir was safe and warm inside her. I wanted to see her belly and breasts swell with a new life.

  “Sienna, I have a board meeting and we can do this in Denver. I think you’ll like my penthouse.” I scratched the back of my head. “On second thought, you might want to redecorate the place.”

  She eyed me. “We need this time together. Hawthorne Global will survive if you’re gone a few days.” She pulled me tighter inside her, clenching my cock with vise-like strength.

  I seized with the power of her movements.

  “Fuck, woman.”

  She giggled. “Is that a yes?”

  I pressed my mouth against hers, kissing her.

  “I’ll call Benjamin back and tell him to let the board know. Oliver can do more for a few days.”

  “Good. Still want those pancakes?”

  I helped her from the desk and we stooped to grab our clothes.

  “I can always eat. I’m a bear, baby.”

  She laughed. “I guess that means a healthy appetite.”

  “Something like that.” I had a lot to teach her about bear shifters. About the clan. About being the dynastess of the clan. But that would all come with time.

  She was smart. She was loving. She was gorgeous. She would lead with compassion and respect. And she would raise our family like no one else could.

  “Grayson?”

  “Yes?”

  “About Celia…” She bit her bottom lip. “What if she gets her magic back? What if she comes after us again?”

  I placed my hands on her shoulders. “Celia will be taken care of.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I didn’t want her to be scared. I didn’t want her to fear for her safety or mine. She had taken on a lot as dynastess—that was always going to come with risk. There would be rival clans. There were always enemies who envied our success. And there were lunatics like Celia who thought they could force magic that didn’t exist.

  “She has been removed,” I explained.

  “You had her killed?” Her eyes widened. I didn’t like the look of disbelief on her face.

  “She’s being punished, Sienna. Ultimately, it is you who decides her fate. I have made sure that until you’re ready to make that decision she is not a threat to this family.”

  “Me? Why me?”

  “She tried to take something from you. As dynastess you decree her punishment.”

  “But she said she’s from a long line of witches. What if more come? What if they’re angry? What if they don’t like what I decide? I’m not qualified to do this.”

  I tried to calm her. “You are qualified. You’re my mate. Take a deep breath and we’ll talk about this.”

  I waited for her breathing to return to normal.

  “Sienna, she broke the law by interfering with the clan. There is no punishment for her coven. She acted alone. If they do try to retaliate there will be a war. I don’t think they want that to happen. We have an agreement with the covens in Promise Lake.”

  “What kind of agreement?” she asked.

  “Let’s discuss over breakfast,” I suggested. “I need you to have lots of energy if we aren’t leaving for a few days.” I winked, placing my hand on her stomach.

  I loved the innocence of the blush on her cheeks. This woman was anything but innocent, but she carried it well.

  “Fine. I’ll make the pancakes, but you have to answer the questions.”

  “Deal,” I agreed.

  Twenty-Four

  Sienna

  I stirred flour and sugar into a bowl on the counter. The kitchen was amazing. It was true the décor needed an update, but the appliances were state-of-the-art. There was more counter space than I could possibly need for a breakfast buffet. I was glad Grayson had decided to open the house again. It was too beautiful to be closed off to the family.

  Grayson sat on a stool, drinking coffee while I prepared the batter.

  I didn’t second-guess my decision to be his mate. I would never regret our bond. My body was his. And his body was mine. But it didn’t mean I didn’t have questions. I had a lot to learn about my new life.

  “I think you should tell me about the arrangement the clan has with the covens,” I started.

  He leaned his broad shoulders forward. I didn’t know if I would ever get used to how I felt when I looked at his beautiful body.

  “Well, I mentioned to you the other night that our shifter line is born from ancient witch magic.”

  “Yes.” I added eggs to the mixture.

  “It was something the covens held over the shifter families. Over the years, our shifter form became stronger. We adapted. We evolved. In the beginning, only shifters could produce shifter offspring in a shifter-to-shifter bond claim, but over generations that was no longer the case. We can mate with humans and still have shifter cubs. The witches realized that we had morphed their magic into our genes in a way that made us no longer dependent on them completely. They started to lose control of the shifters.”

  “Ok.” I stopped stirring and looked at him. “You’re saying they lost their power?”

  “Sort of. They realized they needed to strike a deal. Something that would benefit them so they didn’t lose all power.”

  “Like an insurance policy?”

  He nodded. “Exactly like that. None of us knew how strong the shifter line could become, but we also couldn’t take the chance that at some point we would fight off the magic, or evolve in a way that separated us from the human side. None us wanted to lose that. We needed the witches to ensure we didn’t lose our humanity. They were the insurance policy we needed.”

  “So what was the deal? How did you come together?”

  “It was all the shifters of Promise Lake.”

  My eyes widened. “There are more than bears?”

  He laughed. “Promise Lake is a special place, baby. We are the Ashe Peak Clan, but we are not the only ones here. Our clan is made up of many families. But there are other shifter lines and they each have their own clans or packs. I don’t want to get off track.”

  “Right. Keep going. The witches’ deal. I just have so many questions.”

  “I know. And you’ll have more.”

  I turned the griddle to high while Grayson continued the story.

  “Anyway, all the shifters agreed we wanted the covens to secure the magic. And the covens had no interest in giving up their power over us, even if it was waning. So we proposed a security clause. All shifters vowed to protect and guard the covens at all cost to outside forces in exchange for the protection of our humanity.”

  “What you’re telling me is that Celia is protected by this pact.”

  He shook his head. “No, she lost that privilege when she kidnapped you. She broke the law. She needs to pay.”

  My eyes flashed with understanding. “And only I can do that?”

  “Yes. It carries more weight coming from the dynastess. What you decide will go down as history for the clan.”

  “I don’t know if I want that kind of responsibility. I’m not a judge and a jury.”

  “You have to start thinking like a member of a clan, not like a human who is protected by human law. There is justice that needs to be served. We live in a fair and equal society. Celia knew exactly what she was doing when she tried to destroy our bond. She did everything she could to steal our family from us.”

  The griddle sizzled when I poured the first pancake onto its surface. “If I had drunk the elixir…” I couldn’t face him. “Would she have been successful, Grayson? If you hadn’t stopped her? Would you have cast me aside?”

  “God, Sienna. Why would you even ask me that?”

  I slammed the spatula on the counter. “Because what if I can’t get pregnant and it has nothing to do with magic?
What if it’s just what happens because I’m human? Are you going to reject me if months go by and there is no baby?” My eyes filled with tears.

  He walked around the side of the counter. “I hate that Celia put these doubts in your head. I hate that she scared you. I hate that she attacked us with our baby. But, you didn’t drink the elixir. And you are having my baby.”

  My breath caught in my lungs. “I want that too. I want to have your baby more than anything in this world. But you don’t know if it will happen. No one can know that.”

  He smiled so devilishly I forgot for a second I was scared and worried I might disappoint my mate. That there was a part of our relationship that counted on me producing his heir. All I could see was the hungry smolder in his eyes.

  He rubbed his hand against my stomach. “My baby is inside you.”

  I shook my head. “You can’t know that. It has only been two days. It’s not even possible to know that. I don’t even know if I’m ovulating. I haven’t looked at a calendar. I would have to check the dates. It takes a few days even if I did conceive this weekend. It’s just not possible.” I listed all the reasons I thought Grayson needed for learning more about the actual birds and bees. Clearly, he knew nothing about women’s reproductive cycles.

  He pointed to the tip of his ears. “Shh. I’m listening. I didn’t hear it before. But I do now.”

  “Hear what?” I searched his face for an answer. “What is it?”

  “I can hear the baby’s heartbeat.” His palm pressed flatter into my skin. He dropped to his knees, the side of his head grazing my stomach.

  “No.” I shook my head. “You can’t.”

  “I can. The magic works faster to seal the shifter line. But it will slow soon and you will have a regular human pregnancy.”

  I thought I was going to faint. “I-I can’t be…that’s not…that’s not how it works.”

  He kissed my stomach tenderly, pulling my hips forward.

  “I didn’t know I could want this.” He pushed the fabric of the shirt to the side. He kissed me again. “You’re carrying my child.” He looked up at me.

  I ran my fingers through his hair. The enormity of what had happened descended on me. I was pregnant.

  Twenty-Five

  Grayson

  I looked in my mate’s eyes. I was on my knees in the kitchen. I could hear our future beating a steady rhythm. He was strong. Or maybe it was a she. I had an heir. We had made this baby together. My shifter line and her humanity.

  I sniffed the air, catching a whiff of smoke.

  Sienna looked horrified. “Oh God, the pancakes.” She broke away and flipped them over. “The first batch is burned.”

  “It’s ok.” I rose to meet her. “We can make more. Or I can order breakfast. There’s a diner in Promise Lake.”

  She sighed. “Grayson, I don’t know what to do. I’m pregnant. I’m actually pregnant.”

  I felt pride. Accomplishment. Our bond had been incredibly strong. There was no way she wasn’t going to be pregnant quickly, only she didn’t understand that. She didn’t know how the shifter magic worked. But damn, if I didn’t feel like a stud for knocking her up in twenty-four hours.

  “It’s going to be ok.” I took the batter from her hand. “I promise on my life. It’s going to be ok.”

  “I didn’t expect it to happen so suddenly.”

  Every time we stopped talking I listened for the heartbeat. It was an amazing sound. I wished there was a way for her to hear it too.

  “Do we go back to our lives? I don’t know what to do.” She gripped the counter and I quickly wrapped an arm around her. “Do I work? Do I have to quit? I don’t even know if Bubble Design has a maternity plan.”

  “I’ve got you, Sienna. I always have you.” I turned her gently. “Nothing means more to me than you and our baby. If that means we stay in Promise Lake until the baby arrives, then we do that. I can work from here. If that means you want to go back to the city, we do that. You’re the mama bear now.” I winked. “What do you want?”

  “I want to pretend there’s nothing bad in the world. I want to pretend that the only thing that exists is our bond and our baby. I want to stay here and let you love me. Can we hide out and make pancakes and make love every day?”

  I chuckled. “Yes. We can do that. And anything else you want.”

  “I’m hungry so maybe we should start with the pancakes.”

  I poured a circle on the griddle. “I’ll take care of the pancakes this round. Sit,” I instructed her.

  “And then you’ll take me back to bed?”

  I waggled my eyebrows. “Hell yeah, I will.”

  Just thinking about it made me hard. My cock ached for her. She was gorgeous to me before, but now seeing her with the glow of pregnancy, I didn’t think she could be prettier.

  Sienna was right to be worried. Our lives had forever changed.

  I was no longer a bachelor. I was tied to another soul. Another heart. There was no more room to be selfish.

  She already knew I was hard to handle. I was used to power and control. I devoted my life to Hawthorne Global and and the Ashe Peak Clan. And now I was a different man. A bear who had committed everything he had to this woman. Everything else would come second. That was going to be an adjustment. Maybe Promise Lake was the place to do that. We could get our bearings. Take our time.

  I could rule from here. I could hand over more control to Oliver. It was something to consider while Sienna and I ate breakfast. The pancakes were light and fluffy. I poured generous amounts of honey on the layers.

  “I take it that’s a bear thing,” she teased.

  “Try it.” I drizzled the goo on her plate. I cut into the cake with my fork and took it to her lips. Her mouth parted slightly.

  “Mmm.” She smiled.

  A dab of honey glistened on her bottom lip. I leaned forward, sucking the honey from her lips. Before I knew it, I had scooped her into my lap. The pull to her was undeniable. She kissed me fiercely.

  “I hope you’ve had enough, because I’m about to take you on the kitchen table.”

  She sighed. “You better.”

  Twenty-Six

  Sienna

  I pulled my shoulders back as my hand rested on my stomach. I had to do this. It was my first act as dynastess. But it seemed like it carried more personal significance. I had to find the courage to face my attacker. A woman who was willing to kill my dream. A woman who wanted to steal my mate from me.

  It made me sick to think about Celia with Grayson. I couldn’t imagine her hands on him. I shook the image from my head and stared at the back entrance to the restaurant.

  Grayson rolled down the window from the car. “I think I should go inside with you.”

  “No,” I responded. “I’ve got this. I have to do this.”

  I tapped on the back door. A tall man opened it. Grayson told me that a line of wolves ran his security. I assumed this man was a wolf shifter, but I didn’t have time for questions. I had to confront Celia. She was waiting for my decision.

  The hall was narrow and dark, but the guard escorted me through the tunnel. I knew we were descending farther underground. The people in the restaurant had no idea that underneath them was a shifter prison. It was incredible.

  I imagined most people in Promise Lake had no clue that their neighbors weren’t of the same species.

  We stopped in front of a wide wooden door. “She’s in here?” I asked.

  He nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Would you like me to go inside with you?”

  “She’s human, correct?”

  “She is. No signs of magic, or I suspect she wouldn’t still be in chains.”

  “Then, no. I’ll be fine.”

  Human to human, I wasn’t worried about a Celia in restraints. A fiery, well-powered witch was a different story.

  He stood back and let me inside the room.

  A chill washed over me when I stepped over the threshold. Celia looked different. Her eyes were vacant. The
re were dark circles under them and her skin looked yellowish.

  “Did you come to gloat?” she hissed.

  “No, I came to administer justice.”

  Her eyes darted wildly. “You?”

  “Were you hoping it would be Grayson? That somehow he would be merciful because of your working relationship?” I didn’t want to sound petty, but it was difficult.

  She hung her head. “I don’t know what I thought.”

  I expected my emotions to take over. I expected to feel remorse and guilt when I saw her struggle. But, it was the opposite. At the sight of her I knew what I had to do. As the clan dynastess I had to make the message clear. My ruling would last for the clan’s eternity.

  The laws of the clan had to be respected. And anyone who tried to violate mate laws was an enemy of our clan. I hadn’t been around long, but no one interfered with my mate and me. No one.

  “I’ve made my decision about your sentence.”

  Her head lifted. “This is laughable. You’re human.”

  “As are you.” I stared at her. “By your own doing. And because of that, I will spare your life, Celia. But I am also the dynastess. I am Grayson’s dynastess.” I wanted the words to sink in. “You are banished from Promise Lake. You may no longer be a magical threat to my family, but I don’t want you anywhere near my mate or my children. You will not be allowed inside the borders ever again. And if you do try to cross them with the help of magic or your coven, you will be killed.”

  “You can’t do that. You can’t keep me from my family. I’m from a long line of powerful witches. We gave Grayson his power. The Hawthornes owe us.”

  I walked toward the door. “You were willing to strip my family from me. I think this is a fitting judgement.”

  “They will cloak me. My coven will protect me,” she argued.

  “They too will face consequences. You broke the law. You have to pay for that.”

  “I want to talk to Grayson. Tell him to come here.”