“Do I need to worry about the bears?”
The woman smiled again. “Definitely not. They won’t bother you if you don’t bother them. And if you see one, just carefully walk away. But I doubt you’ll see any.”
“Can you tell Lauren to call me if she needs me? We’re waiting on someone.”
“Of course, miss.”
Twila nodded as the woman went back to her work. There was only one bear she wanted to see right now, and he was in his truck driving halfway across the county. She walked out of the front doors of the lodge and descended a stone staircase onto a path. The trail split into about a dozen different ways, a couple leading around back toward Jasper’s cabin, another to the parking lot, and one to the lake. A few more split off into the woods. She decided that the lake sounded like a safer option and began traipsing down the path toward the open water.
It was only about a twenty minute hike down to the lake’s edge, and when she arrived, she finally understood why the lodge was built overlooking the water. It was majestic. Small ripples washed up onto the pebble filled shore. There was very little sand, mostly smooth rocks underneath her sneakers. She pulled her hoodie a little bit tighter around her neck; there was a cool breeze coming off the water that sent a chill down her spine. She found a rock to sit on and contemplated everything that had happened over the past week. Between her grandmother dying and taking over the business, things had been anything but the normal she was used to. She was moving to Bear Lake, a tiny town in New England that at one point had had hardly anything to offer her. But now she had a job and Jasper. She finally felt like she was a part of something. He had been the piece that had been missing from her for so long. And just being away from him now, it felt like there were cracks growing in her heart. It was physically painful, just from being away from him. She needed him close to her; it was the only way she felt safe.
“Hey there.”
Twila spun around to see a man walking out of the woods only a few feet from her rock. He was in dark jeans and a dark brown jacket. He didn’t look like a hiker but more like he walked out of a catalog. Probably just a tourist, maybe even someone staying at her lodge.
“Hi, are you lost?”
He laughed in a way that made her a little uncomfortable. “I’m not. Are you?”
“I just walked down the trail. Not lost. Just enjoying some alone time.” She hoped he would take the hint and walk back into the woods or follow the trail back up the lodge by himself. She wasn’t in the mood to have a chat with a stranger.
“Do you remember me?”
“I’m sorry?” Now she was feeling unsafe. She got up off of her rock and started to back away from him toward the lodge.
“I said, do you remember me?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m sorry, I don’t. I should be going. My boyfriend’s waiting for me.”
He smiled, but it dripped with venom. “You and I both know he’s not up there. He’s going to check on Ranger Mills, and with good reason. Her truck isn’t working. Sad.”
“What you know about Ranger Mills? What did you do to her truck?”
“I think you should sit down. I have so much to tell you.”
“I’m not staying here. Like I said, my boyfriend is up at the lodge.” She turned on her heel and began to sprint off, but she wasn’t a very good runner. She never had been. He quickly caught up with her and grabbed her by the arm, pushing her down onto the rocks. He stood over her, looking fierce with the light of the sun behind him.
“Now stay there and listen!” he said angrily. “I made your parents listen too. They had to know the truth.”
“My parents? What the hell do you know about my parents?” She tried to sit up, but she was afraid of what he might do to her, so instead, she reached behind her to find more jagged rock. All the smooth stones wouldn’t do enough damage for her to get away. If she could just keep him talking long enough to find a weapon, maybe she could get out of here.
“I knew your mother was too smart for her own good. She figured out my little indiscretion just as quickly as you did. But she wasn’t even here when she figured it out. That wasn’t part of the plan. Once they were dead, I couldn’t have anyone else catching on.”
“I don’t understand! What are you trying to tell me?”
He laughed manically. Something wasn’t right about him. “The money, Twila. Your mother figured out that I was stealing money from your grandmother. And she confronted me, said that she was going to tell Grace. So I ended her. Your father was just a bystander, sad really. You had no idea what was going on. Getting the girl lost in the words was the perfect opportunity to get them away from everyone else.”
Twila’s mouth dropped open. “Britney? You’re the one who got Britney lost in the woods?”
He nodded thoughtfully. “You were so busy with Jasper that you didn’t even notice how many drinks she had. Or the stranger at the bar who was buying them for her—that was me. Just one roofie was all it took. I took her out to the words, and I hid her in my den and then, well, you know the rest.”
“How could you? You ruined our lives!”
He rolled his eyes. “Twila, you’re always so dramatic. Ruined your life? Do you even know who I am?”
Twila shook her head. “I know you’re a killer! I don’t need to know anything else.” She finally located a rock behind her. This one had a sharp edge to do some damage to his shin. She would have to be swift in order for it to go into his skin. She prepared the rock in her hand, but just as she was about to deliver the blow, he continued to talk.
“I’m your uncle. I guess Grace never told you that she had another daughter, Elizabeth. Nobody ever talked about her. We married young.” He looked off over the water, but he was lost in his memories. “She died during childbirth. She was my true mate. They say horrible things can happen to shifters when their mate dies. Nothing happened to me. I just went on existing, without her. This business was supposed to be left to us. When she died, Grace left it to you and your family. It wasn’t fair! They treated me like I didn’t even matter anymore. It wasn’t my fault she died. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, but they all blamed me. But now, you actually have something to blame me for.”
For a moment, she actually felt sorry for him. He was pitiful. “Why come back now?”
“I heard Grace had passed. I needed to collect all the paperwork, cover up the trail. I tried to get Lauren to help me, but she wouldn’t listen. She never listens.”
The boyfriend? Twila’s uncle, or whoever this man claimed to be, was Lauren’s crazy ex-boyfriend? The man who killed her parents was family? So many questions swam around in her head. None of this made sense, but then it all did at the same time. He wanted revenge. Plain and simple. But how far would he go to get it?
10
Jasper
Jasper’s truck was rambling down the dirt road. He was taking a shortcut to the highway that he knew Ranger Mills would be taking to get to the clan. He had his cell phone in his hand, and it started vibrating when he was about halfway there.
“Jasper?”
He looked down at the number. “Mills? Where the hell are you? You always text me before you go into the clan territory. I’m on my way there now. Are you all right?”
“Jasper, you have to listen to me. I think Twila is in trouble. Somebody messed with my truck. I’m fine, but you need to get back to the lodge. Something else is going on here, and you need figure out what it is.”
Jasper hit his brakes, and the tires squealed beneath him, sending up a cloud of dust around his truck. “What do you mean? Why do you think Twila’s in trouble?”
“I don’t know. I just have a bad feeling. I mean, I come and warn you guys about some rogue bear, and suddenly my truck is tampered with? That can’t be a coincidence. Not with how her parents died.”
Jasper shook his head, his bear growling underneath his skin. He was trembling with anxiety trying not to Change right inside the vehicle. He put the truck in revers
e and turned around as quickly as he could, his tires squealing in the dirt. He took off as fast as possible, pushing the gas pedal to its limit. “Thanks for the help, Mills. Are you all right? Someone there to help you out?”
“Yeah, a couple of clan members saw me in trouble and came down to help. I’m fine. You just worry about Twila.”
Jasper hung up the phone and drove as fast as possible to the lodge. As he got closer, he could feel his bear clawing underneath his skin. He couldn’t contain him any longer. He pulled over to the side of the road and got out, but as he started to strip, his bear completely took over, and the Change was upon him. Within seconds, he was a giant bear pacing back and forth in front of his truck, trying to decide which way to go.
He lifted his nose up into the air, and suddenly he could smell her. Fear. It practically burned, it was so strong. But could he really smell her from the lodge? He looked down into the woods and realized he was close to a stream, which meant he was right near the water. Twila didn’t know she was in trouble. She could have easily gone for a walk or been eating lunch outside when something went wrong. He had to get to her and fast.
He tore off through the woods and down a steep hill, charging toward the water. As soon as he got to the lake, he would be able to see if she was down there. Twigs and branches tore at his fur, but he kept pushing on. He almost stumbled at one point, his bear losing its grip on the muddy path, but instead of allowing gravity to overtake him, he simply jumped onto a different ridge and continued down the mountain.
When he got to the water, her fear permeated the air. It surrounded him. About a hundred feet in front of him, he saw her, lying on the ground with a man standing over her, and he knew, in that moment, that he would kill him.
11
Twila
Twila hardly noticed the bear charging at the man from behind him. She just saw a shadow along the shoreline. The man, her uncle, continued to ramble on about Elizabeth and how he loved her and how it was Twila’s fault that all this had happened. She heard the growl and knew instantly that it was time for action. She picked up the rock from behind her and slammed it into the man’s leg. The bear took it as a signal, and as he fell, grabbed the man by the neck and shook him. He clawed at his chest and stood over him, holding him down with a strong paw. He snarled in his face and took a bite out of his arm. Blood trickled down the grey stones and flowed into the water as the man screamed in agony.
“Ahh! Help me!” he screamed. “I can’t shift. I can’t defend myself. This is against the law!” Only with that final phrase did Jasper back off. Even though he wanted to kill the man, he knew that he was right. A shifter couldn’t fight another shifter in human form as a bear. Instead, Jasper went over and stood in front of Twila protectively. If a shifter went after a mate, all bets were off. The law no longer applied. And now that he knew that Twila was Jasper’s mate, this man would have to walk away.
Twila heard yelling from the top of the hill and saw Lauren running at her with the police officer on her heels.
“Twila! Twila, are you okay?”
Twila didn’t even acknowledge Lauren. Instead, she just started yelling at the police officer. “Arrest that man! He tried to kill me. And he just admitted that he killed my parents.”
Lauren’s eyes widened. “Paul? Wait, is this why you called me? You hurt Twila?”
“I was only taking back what was mine.”
“What the hell? I knew you had problems, but this? Why?”
“She and her family ruined my life. They ruined my clan!”
The detective held out his gun, but he didn’t know whether to point at the bear or at the man who was starting to crawl his way back to the woods.
“Get him!” cried Twila. Her uncle started to take off, but his wound was too big, his pain too excruciating. The detective had him in handcuffs in under a minute.
“And the bear?” the officer asked.
“He’s with me. It’s fine.”
“I’m going to take him in for questioning. But we’ll need your statement. I’m guessing this has to do with the missing money as well?”
Twila nodded while Lauren put her arm around her, holding her close. “All of it’s tied together. Everything.”
Lauren and Twila watched the detective pull Paul up the side of the ridge. Jasper continued to pace back and forth in front, a growl rumbling deep from his chest.
After they were out of sight, Lauren turned and looked at Twila. “Are you hurt?”
“No, I’m okay.”
“And the bear? Jasper?”
Twila cocked her head. “Did you know?”
Lauren chewed on her lower lip. “I had an idea. Grace let something slip once. But it wasn’t my place to ask. I’m just so glad you’re okay.”
She hugged Twila, squeezing her against her chest. “I’ll leave you two alone to talk.” She gave a little wave and started to walk up the ridge. Twila turned around and sat on the rocks, Jasper coming up next to her, nuzzling her face. She looked into his deep brown eyes and once again felt safe. “I didn’t know what was going to happen. He wanted revenge, and I had no idea how far he would go. Apparently he’s my uncle.” Jasper’s big brown head cocked back and forth in confusion; clearly, he didn’t know that Twila had an uncle either. “I can’t believe my family hid this from me. I didn’t even know that Elizabeth existed. I don’t understand why they couldn’t have just told me the truth.”
Jasper wandered behind some bushes for a moment, and Twila could hear the cracking of bones and a yell of agony that subsided quickly. Jasper, the man, walked back out only moments later, completely naked, but otherwise unharmed.
“Does that hurt?”
He shrugged. “Not as much as being away from you. I was so worried.” He sat down next to her and cradled her body in his big arms.
“So was I. Thank you for coming back.”
He turned to look at her. “I will always come back. I will always take care of you. I promise you that.”
She snuggled into his warm chest even further. She knew he was telling the truth. She and Jasper were forever.
Epilogue
One Year Later- Twila
Twila stood in front of the mirror admiring herself. Her dark auburn hair was in stark contrast to the white lace that nearly covered her body. Mia stood behind her fixing the train. She was her only friend from Montana that had stayed in touch with her since she had moved to Bear Lake. Mia traveled a lot, so she wasn’t around much since Twila’s parents died, but she had reconnected with her after Gram had passed. She’d come in specifically for the wedding.
“You look amazing!”
Twila took a strand of her dark hair and curled it around her finger. “You don’t think it’s too much? I mean, it is an outdoor wedding.”
Mia shook her head. “Definitely not. It’s exactly the look you should be going for. A rose among the thorns, or whatever they say. Just because you’re outside doesn’t mean you can’t still look beautiful.”
Twila nodded, agreeing. “I mean, with the lake in the background, it’s going to be gorgeous. And at sunset? The most romantic way ever to get married.”
Lauren walked in carrying a bouquet of roses. “Oh my God! You look stunning.”
“Thanks. Are those mine?”
Lauren handed her the flowers. She looked at Mia. “Could we have a minute?”
Mia smiled and left the room quietly.
“I know you feel like your family’s not here today. But after everything you’ve gone through, Twila, and this past year? I feel like you’re the sister I never got to have. This locket is my mother’s, so I thought if you wanted to maybe you could wear it today. Mom says it’s lucky.”
Lauren handed her a silver locket with a small tarnished heart at the base. Twila couldn’t say anything as tears brimmed in her eyes. She simply turned around and held up her hair. Lauren clasped the necklace, and they hugged each other briefly. “I’m so happy you came to Bear Lake.”
Tw
ila smiled warmly. “Me too. Are they ready?”
“I think so. Everyone’s out there waiting. And Jasper looks hot as hell. I can’t wait to be as lucky as you are one day.”
“You will,” Twila said as she squeezed Lauren’s hand. Lauren walked out of the room. Twila looked in the mirror one final time before taking a deep breath and trying to enjoy her last moments of being a single girl. Today, she and her mate would be locked together forever. She’d been dreaming about this evening for months, ever since Jasper had proposed.
After Paul had been arrested, he admitted to everything he had done. He was taken to a special prison that was built for shifters so that he would be able to Change freely and not go completely insane on the inside. The offshore bank accounts were closed, and the money was released to the lodge’s real accounts. Twila and Jasper had been able to run the lodge without any problems and were now not only celebrating their own wedding there, but opening it up to others as well. There would be several shifter-human weddings at the lodge in the coming months. Twila wanted to help others celebrate their future just as much as she was ready to enjoy hers with Jasper. Things hadn’t always been easy—the business had had struggles here and there since Paul—but overall, she couldn’t have been happier with her decision.
As she walked out of the dressing room and into the lobby, she couldn’t believe everything was finally hers. After feeling alone for so long, she finally had the life she always wanted. Two of the staff opened the lodge doors, and she heard a harpist begin to play as she walked down the path toward the lake. She walked alone, without an escort, because there was only one man she needed in her life, and he was waiting at the other end of the aisle.
As she rounded a corner, she could finally see the water and Jasper standing beneath an arbor he had built specially for the day. White roses creeped up the side—her grandmother’s favorite flower. She wanted to look around at what she was sure were smiling guests, but she couldn’t take her eyes off of Jasper in a dark suit with a black tie. When she reached him, he held out his hands, and she placed hers in his. He lifted them to his lips. A simple kiss promised a forever that she couldn’t wait to begin.
A Promise To Bear (Second Chance Shifters 4) Page 5
