Forbidden Alpha Bear

by Samantha Leal

  She rubbed her temples, a headache brewing deep behind her eyes. She balled herself up even tighter and willed for some internal peace.

  After her and Ryder had run through the shadows of Bridge Hollow, to get her safely back to the hotel, he had kissed her at the door of her room and made sure she was inside and settled. She had longed for him after he had closed the door and said goodbye, and she had found it almost impossible to sleep. When she had finally drifted off, it had been close to 1am, and now, when she checked the clock on her cellphone, she could see that it wasn’t even 3:30am.

  She had barely slept, and she felt exhausted.

  Her phone was still silent and there had been no missed calls or messages from Sean. She wondered if he knew that she had connected with Ryder and if he was on to her. What if she was putting herself in an even more vulnerable position by forming an alliance with Ryder and the shifter bears? What if Sean was now out for her blood?

  The fact that she didn’t know who he was or what she had gotten herself mixed up in was the most worrying. She felt as if Ryder had been straight up with her and had told her everything there was to know from his side, but with Sean, she didn’t have a clue what he wanted or what his motives were.

  For the bears not to trust him in the town, then he must have been up to no good.

  And then, there was the question of what else were the bears and the town of Bridge Hollow hiding?

  Ryder had told her that some of them had an idea of what may be happening, and yet, when she asked him, he had told her that she had already taken in too much information to process.

  Her head was spinning, and she was starting to feel like a fish out of water. She had taken this job thinking it was going to be a defining moment in her career, and now, she was caught up in a war between magical creatures and a potentially deadly secret agency.

  She had to laugh as the words flicked through her mind.

  This is totally insane! You must be losing it, Pam!

  She threw her cellphone across the room and it landed on the carpet close to the door of the bathroom. She had never wanted to be at home more in her life, and she wished that she could wake up from this and it be a crazy dream…

  But if she did that… Ryder would cease to exist.

  A little smile flickered across her lips. When she thought of him, she knew how she felt. He excited her and grounded her at the same time, and she loved the thought of seeing him again.

  When they had kissed and touched, it had been more than fireworks. It had been a life changing energy exchange and now, she felt bonded to him deeply.

  She heard a little beep and a light shone out from under her cellphone. Her heart pounded and nerves began to rise. She had been feeling so worked up and distressed, and out of nowhere, her phone had gone off, and she knew before she even got out of bed and crossed the room to pick it up that it was him.

  R: Are you okay?

  She smiled.

  Ryder somehow knew she was upset, and he had immediately gotten in touch with her. She held the phone up to her lips and smiled. How could she ever doubt him? Everything he had told her was clearly true.

  She looked at the message again and couldn’t believe the connection they had. She started to type her reply.

  P: How did you know I was up?

  She pressed send, and within an instant, he had written back.

  R: I told you I would know… I can feel you all the time…

  P: I like that, it makes me feel safe.

  R: Good, because you are safe. I don’t want you to worry about everything we talked about earlier.

  P: Did you speak to the pack?

  R: Yes. They’re going to need a little more convincing, but I know I can get them on our side.

  Our…

  She smiled at that too, and the way he said he could feel her all the time. She was losing her mind over this guy… She was going to have to seriously check herself.

  R: We shouldn’t talk about this any further on the phone…

  P: Where are you?

  R: I’m at the bar, I decided to stay here tonight, so I can be close by…

  Pamela grinned. The thought of him only being a block away was the most comforting. If anything happened to her, he could be there within minutes.

  P: Well, I hope you sleep…

  R: You too…

  She placed the phone down on the bed next to her and sank back down into the softness of the pillows. It was reassuring that he had gotten in touch with her again, but she still didn’t know what the hell she was supposed to do about all of this. Now that she was alone, everything seemed to be stacked against her.

  She knew she was going to have to question Sean, or at least try to find out who she was even working for, now that Ryder had told her that it was in no way the government. And she also needed to solve the mystery of the die-offs, of the strange weather, and of the disappearance of the two hunters.

  She rolled over and pulled the cover around her, so she was tucked in tight. She really was in a big old mess. And now, she had to wake up the next day and potentially act as if nothing had happened, have breakfast with Sean and then continue working. She just hoped that Ryder would get in touch with her again before then and offer some guidance.

  She closed her eyes and prayed for a restful night. Her body and mind were exhausted, and she knew that if she didn’t sleep, she may as well get the first train home the second the sun rose… but she also knew that she was in too deep to walk away.

  Something strange was happening, and she was determined to find out what exactly was the truth.

  9.

  The following morning, she was up and down for breakfast as soon as the hotel restaurant opened. She had showered and gotten fully ready, tied her hair into a neat little high ponytail and was ready to head out in search of answers.

  She still hadn’t heard from Sean, and for all she knew, he may not even still be in town.

  She sipped her coffee and nibbled on fresh melon and pastries while the buzz of the hotel got louder around her. Since she had arrived and it was getting closer to the weekend, she could already see that it was busier in town than it had been on the day she arrived. She saw more people carrying skis and more visiting the tiny old museum on Main Street, which was clearly filled with plenty of information on the legends of Bridge Hollow to get all the tourists talking and excited.

  Her mind wandered to Ryder and what he had told her the night before. The place on her chest still pulsated with heat and she knew that even though his claims were outlandish and completely crazy, they were also completely true.

  She had been touched by magic, and now she was a different person.

  She had been claimed, and even though the thought still frightened her, it was also very exciting.

  She finished her coffee and rose to her feet before she slipped out of the restaurant and out the main door of the hotel. She scanned the parking lot for signs of Sean’s rental car, and then around the side of the hotel, but she couldn’t see it anywhere.

  She had been in a daze when she had returned to the hotel with Ryder the previous evening, but she was sure that she didn’t see it there. It was as if Sean had just vanished off the face of the earth.

  She gripped her backpack tightly and wandered across town to the park in the center and sat down on the bench. She wanted to get in touch with Ryder, but at the same time, she didn’t want to overstep any boundaries.

  Once again, as if he had read her mind, her phone starting to ring.

  “Hello?” she said as she held it up to her ear.

  “Hey,” Ryder’s deep, gruff voice came from the other end and set her heart alight.

  She smiled and leaned back.

  “Hi,” she said, and she was sure he would be able to hear the grin in her voice.

  “Where are you?” he asked, taking her by surprise.

  She had been expecting some kind of catch up chat, for him to maybe ask her how she had slept, but he was stra
ight down to business.

  “I’m actually in the park,” she said. “Why, where are you?”

  “Can you come to the bar?” he said. “I’ll make you breakfast.”

  “Of course, I can, but I’ve eaten… maybe just a nice iced OJ would be enough?”

  “Okay, babe,” he said. “See you soon.”

  She smiled as she ended the call and had to take a moment. No one had ever called her babe, and it was making her stomach do summersaults.

  She liked it…

  She liked being his babe.

  Shifter’s Bliss looked quiet and completely shut down as she approached it from the park and slowly made her way to the door. She had only been there a lot later in the day, and there would already be the thump of music and the scent of beer and cigarettes drifting out to meet her on the pavement. She remembered the first night she wandered in there and how she had seen the bikers. So much had happened since then, it felt like a million years ago.

  She waited outside for a moment and tried to listen. She trusted Ryder completely, but she had an ominous feeling. It had been the way his voice wasn’t as kind as usual, almost as if he were anxious, and she felt that she may be about to walk into a ton of trouble. But surely, he wouldn’t do that to her? He had basically told her that his purpose in life now was to keep her safe, and she knew he could feel her when she was in danger or feeling troubled.

  Before she got the chance to reach for the handle, the latch turned, and the door crept opened. Ryder came into view and when she caught sight of his incredible eyes and the huge, bulging muscles, she felt herself lose her breath all over again.

  Wow.

  He really was something else.

  “Hey,” she smiled.

  He reached for her hand and slipped his palm around hers; his heat was intense and his grip was strong, and she glided through the doors of Shifter’s Bliss without a second thought.

  Ryder closed the door behind them and then he turned to her and smiled.

  “Are you okay?” he said as he reached up and rested his big, heavy hands on her shoulders.

  “Yes,” she smiled. “Very tired, but I’m okay.”

  “Did you sleep?”

  She nodded and shrugged.

  “I did but not as well as normal.” She looked into his eyes and the gold was returning. Every time the light caught them, they seemed to take on an extra zing of magic.

  “My aunt may have something to help with that,” he said as he turned and began to walk into the center of the room, toward the long wooden bar. “She’s very into her holistic therapies. Crystals and oils, all of those kind of things.”

  “Oh really?” Pamela asked with interest. “I’ve always wondered about that… I’d love to learn more about it.”

  Ryder smiled, turned his head toward her, and kept his eyes on her as he stepped up behind the bar and reached for a fresh glass. She sat down on one of the high stools opposite him and watched him work. He cracked some ice into the glass, squeezed in some fresh lemon and then untwisted the cap off a bottle of orange juice and filled it to the top. He slid it across to her and placed his hands on the bar so wide it was almost like he could take up the full length of it.

  “I can guarantee you, right now, that’ll be the best OJ you’ve ever tasted,” he said with a cheeky grin.

  “Let me guess,” Pamela said as she picked a straw out of one of the holders on the bar top and dunked it in her drink and began to swirl around the ice, “another Bridge Hollow secret?”

  Ryder winked at her and gave her a warm smile.

  “Isn’t everything around here?”

  She laughed and then she dipped her head to taste it. The flavors and coldness hit her all at once, and she sipped strongly, taking it all in. It was like a party in her mouth, and it was so smooth and delicious she didn’t stop for air until it was all gone.

  “Wow,” she said as she sat back, breathless. “You are right.”

  Ryder clicked his teeth and winked again, and then he reached for the bottle and began to fill her glass up for the second time, all the way to the top.

  “It’s from one of the ranches just a little further down the mountain,” he said. “The people who own the place travel out to a family orange grove on the coast, twice a year, and pick an absolute ton to have shipped back. They make two batches a year, and then it’s gone. I always make sure I’m top of the list for my order, and I never serve it in here. It’s just too good.”

  He looked excited as he was speaking, and it was completely endearing. Pamela watched the glint in his eyes, and the way he spoke with such passion. He was a man who valued the simple things in life, and that was something she had never found before. The men in the city that she had met or had heard about her friends dating all seemed to be so concerned with appearance and material things. They all wanted the best cars, the most exotic holidays, and the top jobs. They were driven by money and thought success came in the form of an expensive watch on their wrist or a fat bank account.

  Ryder and the people she had met in Bridge Hollow were completely different. They lived in a beautiful national park, they loved the land and they took care of each other. And here was Ryder, a great big, burly shifter bear, sitting in a bar early in the morning, raving to Pamela about some orange juice. It touched her deep inside and pulled her to him even more.

  She was trying with all her might to keep her wits about her and hammer it home that he was surely going to be trouble, but she couldn’t help but fall for him more and more, each time they were together.

  He cocked his head to the side and smiled at her again.

  “What are you thinking about?” he asked.

  She smiled and shook her head.

  “I would love to tell you,” she whispered, “but there are so many secrets here in this town, I think it’s about time I had one of my own.”

  Ryder laughed, and then he poured himself a glass of juice and downed it in one.

  He slammed his hands back down on the bar and leaned in closer to her across the wooden top.

  “Okay,” he said. “I have my reasons for asking you to come here so early, apart from me wanting to see you… obviously.”

  “Sounds ominous,” she said, sitting up straight, crossing her leg over her knee and folding her hands patiently in her lap.

  She had heard the tone of his voice when he had called her and she had felt like something was off, now he was about to lower the boom.

  “I told you I spoke to the pack last night,” he said.

  Pamela nodded.

  “And again, this morning, at first light.” He kept his eyes fixed on hers and her heart was beginning to pound hard in her chest.

  “They are still being wary, and not only that, but we have the problem of the wolves.”

  Pamela swallowed nervously and urged him with her eyes to continue.

  “The pack want to meet you,” he said. “I told them I would try and get you here and they could see that you were trustworthy.”

  “Woah,” she said as she got to her feet and held up her hands. “So, this is some kind of ambush?”

  She glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

  “I knew I never should have trusted you,” she said. “My mother always told me never to trust a man, and I never had… Not once. And then, you waltzed into my life with your tales of animal magic and your smooth-talking ways, and suddenly, I’m feeling as if I have lost my mind. I’m such an idiot.”

  “No, no,” Ryder said quickly as he raced out from behind the bar and took hold of her by the shoulders. “Please don’t get the wrong idea, this isn’t an ambush.”

  She furrowed her brow and looked away from him and down at the floor. Her head was in such a mess. She had Ryder telling her that she was in danger, and that she couldn’t trust Sean… and now, he had led her to the bar and was springing on her that the very people he was saying wanted to harm her, were now wanting to come and mee
t her.

  “We shifter bears have to be careful,” he said. “I told them about us… they know you’re special to me and that I’ve found something with you.”

  Pamela reluctantly dragged her gaze back up to meet his golden eyes.

  “They say they don’t trust the man… Sean… and that you could help us.”

  He was speaking faster and faster, as if he were afraid that she was about to lose her patience and storm out of there.

  “I want them to trust you, I know that I do, and once they do too, then all will be well. It won’t just be down to me to protect you, you’ll have the backing of the whole pack… and then, if things get nasty with the wolves, they won’t come for you.”

  “Get nasty with the wolves?” she asked with a raised brow.

  Ryder breathed in deeply and sighed.

  “So many things have been happening here, no one knows who they can trust or who is to blame for what is going on. Tensions have been so high, bears have been fighting with other bears, wolf on wolf… and now, our inter-pack feuds have become even stronger. We need to unite, otherwise we won’t beat this thing… whatever it is…”

  He trailed off and Pamela was sure she could see a tear in his eye.

  “I’ve never been afraid for this place like I am now… but there are dark forces here,” he said. “And you may be the only person who can help us get ahead of the game.”

  “Oh really,” she asked as she crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at him. “And how exactly do you think I can do that?”

  Ryder reached up and touched the side of her face. He brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear and smiled at her.

  “Whoever hired you knows about this,” he said. “Someone is nosing around here and knows more than we do… And we need to find out who. And why.”