Double Bear Secret: Werebear BBW Menage Romance (Hockey Bear Season Book 2)

by Anya Nowlan

  “Not rushing to give up that title, huh?” Lily asked with a slight roll of her eyes.

  “That’s not a secret,” Crash replied. “She knew that, going in.”

  Lily shrugged nonchalantly.

  “Well, relationships can be complicated. Maybe she just needs time to process things?”

  “I wish she’d process them in less… destructive ways,” Crash replied, choosing his words carefully.

  It felt good to talk to someone about what was bothering him, even in a way that omitted most of the facts. Lily nodded along as she listened, a small furrow between her brows. His gut was telling him she was someone who could be trusted, but he couldn’t be sure of how reliable that feeling was.

  Either way, he wasn’t ready to admit to her he was being blackmailed by a crazy ex-lover who he’d shared with his brother.

  That might be a bit much.

  “Sounds serious,” she mused. “If she’s getting violent or anything like that, maybe you should contact the police?”

  It was an entirely reasonable suggestion, but unfortunately something he couldn’t risk doing. Of course, he couldn’t explain to her why that wasn’t an option.

  “It’s not that bad, really,” he said, trying to downplay it. “Just been on my mind, and skating always gives me clarity.”

  “If it makes you feel any better, my high school boyfriend told everyone I was actually bald after we broke up.”

  “He what?” Crash blurted out, trying to hold back his laughter. “Bald? Wasn’t that kind of an obvious lie or am I missing something?” he asked, shooting a glance at her auburn hair.

  Lily’s shoulders shook as she laughed, the sound making his bear let out a low purr.

  “He tried convincing people I wore a wig. Why he thought that would be particularly embarrassing or hurtful, I don’t know. I personally think I could rock the bald look,” she shrugged, fighting through her giggles. “Other than a couple of classmates yanking my ponytail, it really didn’t have much of an effect on my life.”

  What Alison is threatening to do definitely will have an effect on my life…

  Yet the differing stakes of their stories aside, having Lily share her experience did make him feel somewhat better. Everyone had that crazy ex they wish they’d never dated, his was just a little more extreme than most people’s.

  Looking at Lily, doing her best to understand and help him even when she didn’t have to, at least he knew there were still genuinely nice people in the world. That had to count for something, right?

  Too bad it didn’t get him out of figuring out how to pay his blackmailer fifty-thousand dollars…

  Thirteen

  Connor

  Trying to both get some fresh air and come up with a plan to deal with Alison, Connor slipped away from the living room, where everyone was watching a movie. Not that he wouldn’t have liked seeing Gladiator for the eighth time, but he wasn’t really in a mood to enjoy it.

  So he snuck out onto the back porch instead, sitting on some chairs set up there and staring out at the forest sprawling around him. Usually, he would take this opportunity to let his bear take over and go for a run, but he wasn’t up for that, either.

  Alison’s timing couldn’t have been worse if she had planned it, and Connor didn’t want any of his teammates sensing his anxiety. They were in Shifter Grove to train, and he wasn’t going to distract them from that. It was better that he keep to himself when he was in such a sour mood, so as to not drag everyone else’s spirit down with him.

  The sun was already setting, painting the sky different shades of orange and pink. The air was clear and fresh as he drew it into his lungs. It was a beautiful evening really, if he could just turn off his brain and enjoy it.

  The door behind him suddenly creaked open, making him swivel around. It was Lily, holding a steaming mug of what smelled like herbal tea. She was wrapped in a big, cream sweater, looking like it was wearing her rather than the other way around.

  “Oh, I didn’t know anyone was out here,” she said, skidding to a stop.

  “Didn’t feel like movie night,” he shrugged, trying his best to keep from eating her up with his gaze.

  “Mind if I join you?”

  “Of course not,” he replied, reaching out and dragging another chair next to his. “I can’t in good conscience keep this view all to myself.”

  Smiling at him, she sank into the seat next to him, her fingers wrapped around her mug. Connor thought he had gotten somewhat used to having her around, but he had been wrong. He was still struck by how beautiful she was, her pale skin glowing in the dim light. There was something doll-like about her features that made her look both elegant and cute.

  “So, not a Russell Crowe fan?” she asked, eyes flicking from the sky to him.

  “Actually, I could quote that movie forwards and backwards. But I wasn’t feeling it today. And you? Would you say you were… not entertained?” he asked, arching a brow at her and doing his best Crowe impression.

  “That joke was so bad that it was almost good,” she laughed in response before taking a sip of her tea. “I guess I was feeling a bit cramped. There’s a lot of testosterone in there.”

  “That’s true,” Connor chuckled. “I hope you’re not feeling out of place.”

  “No, it’s not that… It’s kind of unexpected, how much of a team you are, both on and off the ice. I’ve never been a part of something like that before.”

  “There are a lot of great players out there and new teams seem to pop up every day. But it takes more than individual greatness to make it. It’s trust and willingness to work together that makes a team worth paying attention to. Talent is good, but working hard is more important.”

  “You take your career very seriously,” Lily noted, looking up at him.

  “I do. What’s the point of doing something if you’re not going to give it your all? I don’t care for mediocrity, and I have no problem putting in the hours to make sure I’m at my best.”

  It was the way he had always been. His focus was always razor sharp, to the point some would call it excessive. But it was what had gotten him to where he was now, playing for the Predators and aiming for that top spot.

  From the way Lily was nodding along, she seemed to get it.

  “Dedication is hard to come by these days, or maybe it just seems that way to me.”

  “You sound a bit defeated,” he commented, noticing a furrow between her brows.

  “You can say jaded, I’ve heard it before,” she replied with a small smile.

  “Hey, I’m not judging. Crash calls me a cranky pessimist all the time. I don’t think I’m that bad, but I’m not entirely objective, now am I?” he grinned.

  He had thought he wanted to be alone when he left the house, but Lily’s company was definitely preferable to sitting around by himself. She never ceased to surprise him with her honesty, and he couldn’t help but be frank in return.

  “I think we’re always trying to figure ourselves out. As long as you don’t get too stuck in your own head, it’s worthwhile to try and see yourself as others see you.”

  “And how does Lily see Lily? Are you a team player or a lone wolf?”

  “More of a lone wolf,” she nodded to herself. “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. I don’t know how you do it, count on other people to get that puck in the net. Letting go of the reins like that scares me, if I’m completely honest.”

  Connor mulled that over. What she said made sense, to an extent. Counting on someone else to finish what you started took good faith, both in sports and in life. It helped if you had built trust with a person first, but how do you build trust if you don’t start out taking a chance?

  “Sometimes you have to fall and just believe someone will catch you,” he replied, surprised at his own words.

  When did I start sounding like a Hallmark card?

  After everything that had happened with Alison, he hadn’t been sure if he could really feel
that way anymore. Yet talking to Lily had made it clear he wasn’t quite as world-weary as he’d thought. He had let Alison take advantage of him, but at the end of the day, that was on Alison, not on him.

  And with Lily sitting so close, Alison was the last thing he wanted to think about. With a growl building in his throat, he would much rather delve into his thoughts of reaching out and touching her, seeing if her skin was as soft as it looked.

  “That’s very profound, Mr. Rawlins,” she smiled.

  Her lips were pink and lush, and the chilly air around them had brought a flush to her cheeks. There was a sparkle in her eye as she stared back at him, her smile fading when neither of them could look away. The air turned thick as they sat there, the silence hanging between them.

  All Connor wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and pull her close, but he knew he couldn’t do that. That would be crossing a line, and he was in enough trouble as it was. But he knew that if Lily gave him the slightest signal, leaned in even a little bit closer, that reasoning would fly out the window.

  Their knees bumped together when Lily fidgeted in her seat. An innocent, unplanned touch, yet it still only served to fuel the want pounding through his veins. She was always so close, yet so far away at the same time.

  “My tea’s gotten cold,” she muttered, looking away to stare at her mug. “I should get back inside,” she added, hugging herself and rubbing her hands over her arms.

  Connor wanted to ask her to stay, even though he knew it wasn’t the best of ideas, but something else caught his attention at that moment. A rustle of leaves reached his ears, making him draw in a deep breath. There, just barely carried over to him by the wind, was the distinct scent of bear. But not the scent of any bear he’d ever met.

  “What’s wrong?” Lily asked, noticing he was suddenly on edge.

  Connor was already on his feet.

  “Someone’s lurking out there,” he replied, his voice turning into a growl.

  And I’m going to find out who.

  Fourteen

  Crash

  Crash was trying to focus on whatever mayhem was happening on the screen in front of him, but his eyes kept wandering. Connor had snuck off, and Lily, who had been making herself a cup of tea in the kitchen, was also gone. Feeling more jealous than he ought to be, and maybe even somewhat paranoid, he felt the urge to find his brother, just to see he wasn’t making a move on Lily.

  No way is he getting her all to himself.

  With Eddie and Sal on either side of him on the couch, he got up, brushing pieces of popcorn off his jeans.

  “You guys eat like animals,” he commented, throwing a pointed look at the bowls both men had in their laps.

  “Wow, when did you get so fancy?” Sal countered, throwing some pieces of popcorn at Crash as he squeezed past him. “And we are animals, in case you forgot.”

  “Where are you going, anyway?” Eddie asked. “To look for more sophisticated company?” he jeered.

  “Need some fresh air. I think someone forgot to use soap after practice today,” Crash shot back.

  “Whatever,” Sal huffed. “I don’t care where you go, anyway.”

  “Shh,” Aiden hissed from the other side of the couch, eyes glued to the huge flat screen opposite them.

  Crash rolled his eyes at that.

  “The movie isn’t going to end differently than all the other times we’ve seen it,” he scoffed.

  Aiden didn’t even seem to be listening to him. Sal and Eddie quickly went back to chowing down on their popcorn, their interest in where Crash was going forgotten as a tiger appeared on the screen, swiping at the gladiators swinging at each other with massive swords.

  “I still think that tiger was actually a shifter,” Crash heard Sal comment as he left the living room.

  Graham and the coach were also in the room, but they seemed to be preoccupied, with coach behind his laptop and Graham on his phone. Wyatt was missing though, having excused himself to his room as soon as the movie started.

  Picking up Lily’s scent wasn’t difficult. Her smell was already ingrained into his senses, as ridiculous as that was. He and his brother had decided to keep their distance from her, after all, but with even the air they breathed filled with temptation, Crash felt the deck was stacked against them.

  He followed Lily’s trail out onto the back porch, where wouldn’t you know it, her scent was mingled with Connor’s. But as he opened the door and the cool night air spilled into the house, there was something else, a familiar yet strange smell, that made his bear let out a low growl.

  A second later, Lily all but crashed into him, her eyes wide.

  “Oh, thank god it’s you. Something’s going on. Connor smelled something, or someone, and he went into the woods,” she rattled off, pointing towards the tree line. “I told him he shouldn’t go alone if he thinks it’s something dangerous, but he wouldn’t listen.”

  “Smells like bears,” Crash remarked, more to himself than to Lily.

  “Bears? As in plural?” Lily asked, her voice slightly higher than usual. “As in shifters, or as in Yogi Bear?” she quickly added after a second’s thought.

  “Shifters,” Crash replied, already walking towards the trees, a roar building in his chest.

  “Friendly shifters?” Lily asked, her face scrunching up in a way that told him she knew the answer was going to be a ‘no’.

  “We announced our arrival to the local Alpha,” Crash explained, sniffing the air as Lily trailed after him, heading towards the forest. “That means all the shifters living around here know we’re staying in this house, and that we aren’t here to cause trouble. For someone to come sneaking around here…” he trailed off.

  Not only was that suspicious, it was rude. The whole team were guests in Shifter Grove, and this was not how shifters treated guests. So if he excluded the possibility of these bears being Shifter Grove natives, that meant they could be just passing through.

  And that, in turn, meant he had no idea what these shifters’ intentions were. If they didn’t belong to the local clan, they didn’t have to abide by local rules.

  Or at least that’s how some of the shifter world’s drifters tended to feel.

  “Stay here,” he said firmly to Lily, turning to look at her.

  “You can’t expect me to just…” she started to protest, but Connor placed a hand on her shoulder.

  “I have no doubts you are a bad-ass, capable woman. But in this case, I’m going to have to insist. Unless you have a gun hidden in there somewhere,” he said with an arched brow, letting his gaze snake around her curves. “And even that wouldn’t do you any good against a full-grown bear. Need a shotgun for that.”

  Lily pursed her lips, looking none too pleased at being sidelined.

  “I don’t,” she admitted, sounding markedly unhappy about that.

  “Great. Then you can go back inside while I track down my brother and see what he’s gotten himself into this time,” Crash replied, before stepping into the woods.

  My turn to pull his ass out of the fire, for once.

  Connor’s trail was easy to pick up. Eyes quickly adjusting to the dark, Crash kept his body low as he followed in his brother’s footsteps. The soft ground muted his own steps as he crept along, worrying the air with his nose.

  It wasn’t long until he spotted a familiar figure half-hiding behind a tree. Connor turned around to look at him, gesturing for Crash to come closer.

  “What’s up?” Crash whispered.

  “Two bears. They backed away when they knew I had spotted them, but they’re still close by,” Connor explained tensely.

  “What are the odds they just happened to pass by the house?”

  “Definitely felt like they were lurking around to me. Their scent fans out all over here,” Connor said, gesturing in a half-circle. “Like they were watching the house.”

  Crash’s brow furrowed. These shifters had to have realized the house was filled with bears. What would they possibly hope
to achieve by spying on them? They had to know that if they planned on breaking in, they would quickly get their asses kicked.

  A flash of brown fur made that train of thought derail, as his primal side took over. From the way Connor’s mouth curled up into a snarl, he could tell his brother was in the same boat. With their unwanted visitors already in bear form, Crash and Connor were at somewhat of a disadvantage at the moment.

  As the scent of unknown bears got stronger, and the crackle of twigs and the rustle of leaves grew louder, the brothers sank down on all fours. Crash could feel his whole body realigning, his muscles bunching to accommodate his new form. The sensations washing over him were familiar, as he relaxed into the changes rippling all through his frame.

  His bear was excited to finally run loose. Teeth snapping together, Crash was aware his mouth had stretched out into a muzzle, as his heady paws dug into the dirt. This form was just as comfortable for him as his human one, his animal instincts quickly kicking in.

  There he and Connor stood, two hulking grizzlies, their black eyes meeting for a moment before they stared out into the dark woods looking for signs of the other bears. Crash pushed his huge body into movement when he caught a glimpse of someone dashing between the pine trees.

  Where do you think you’re going? he thought, rushing after the grizzly.

  Connor was right on his tail as they chased the animal down. The other bear they had smelled seemed to have disappeared, probably having gotten a head start already while the brothers had been focused on his friend.

  The trees whooshed by in a blur of dark green and black as Crash picked up speed, determined to find out what this mysterious shifter was after. Whoever he was, he was fast. But not as fast as Crash and Connor.

  Growling to himself, Crash was quickly gaining on the stranger, when he heard shouts from behind him. The voices were familiar, and he could single out one of them more easily than the other.