[Bears of Grizzly Ridge 01.0] His to Protect

by Elena Aitken

  “What are you doing here?” It didn’t occur to Harper to be scared. After all, she was in the Den; Kade was only a few feet away in the kitchen. He’d be there in an instant if she needed anything. Besides, it was Trent they were talking about.

  “I came to see you.”

  “How did you know I was here?”

  His smile, the one she once thought was handsome and welcoming, made her want to stab him with something sharp, or better yet, blunt and rusty. “If you’re trying to hide,” he said, his voice filled with cocky self-assurance, “you should tell your friend to be a little more careful about what she publishes. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that you were her traveling companion to an out-of-the-way Montana retreat.”

  Harper shook her head. She should have known better about what Nina was writing. But there was no time to worry about it. She refused to focus on details she couldn’t change at the moment.

  “Who’s Kevin?” She shook her head, trying to make sense of his presence and what he’d said.

  Trent laughed again, the sound worse than before. He waved away her question. “It doesn’t matter.”

  She was pretty sure it did matter. A great deal. But she kept her mouth shut and waited to hear what he had to say.

  “I understand you’re having a bit of legal trouble,” Trent said. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  Harper stuffed her hand underneath her to keep from hitting him. “I’m sure you are.”

  The man she’d once shared a life with leaned in and Harper had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from shuddering.

  “It’s only going to get worse,” he said. “That is, if you don’t cooperate with me.”

  She should yell for Kade. She should get up and walk into the kitchen herself. But something told her she needed to stick around and hear what he had to say. It couldn’t hurt at this point. “What are you talking about?”

  Trent pulled out a piece of paper; it looked like a contract of some sort. “Sign this.”

  Harper shook her head. “No way am I signing something without reading it. Do I look stupid?”

  His laugh was gross and Harper could taste bile in her mouth. “No. But you do look like a woman who is going down for embezzlement. And if you don’t sign this paper relinquishing me from any wrongdoing, things will get a lot worse for you.”

  Of course. It wasn’t surprising that he’d try to pull something like this. Not really. Nothing about Trent surprised her anymore.

  When she didn’t answer right away, he flapped the paper in her face. “Sign.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not signing that.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I had nothing to do with anything. You and Blake planned everything. You were behind the embezzlement, not me. And my lawyer is going to prove it.”

  “No, he’s not.” The cold tone and smug look on Trent’s face caused Harper’s breath to hitch in her throat. She held her breath, determined not to let him see the effect he had on her. “He won’t be able to prove a thing,” Trent continued. “Because I have a new story, complete with photographic evidence.”

  “What story could that be?” Even as she asked the question, Harper’s stomach sank.

  “To sum it up for you,” he said with another smirk that she itched to smack off his face. “Basically, it was your plan all along to steal money from the agency in order to build an elaborate love nest in the mountains where you could engage in kinky sex with your lover.”

  Harper’s blood ran cold. What was he talking about? Love nest? Kinky sex? But there was one phrase in particular that stuck in her head. Photographic evidence.

  “It was you,” she said. “At the window.”

  He held an iPad in front of her, pushed a button and the screen came to life with a photo of her and Axel in bed together. He flicked the screen. It was the next picture that took her breath away. Her head was thrown back, her face a mask of divine pleasure. She couldn’t see Axel’s face because he was bent to her neck...biting her. Mating her.

  She ripped the iPad away from him and had to work hard to swallow back the rage that built inside her. How dare Trent invade her privacy in such a way? How dare he capture such an intimate moment? And worse, try to exploit it.

  She could feel something inside her churn, threaten to explode as she flicked through the pictures. “You had no right.”

  “That one’s my favorite.” He ignored her to reach over and point at the photo Harper couldn’t stop staring at. “Although it’s particularly disgusting. Really, Harper. I didn’t take you as the type for a little kink.”

  Rage boiled within her. “You would have no idea what type I am,” she said through clenched teeth.

  Trent shrugged and picked up the paper again. “Oh, and don’t bother deleting them,” he said. “We have copies on Blake’s laptop.”

  “Blake?” Of course he’d be there, too. The idea that Trent had not only infiltrated her happiness at the Ridge, but also brought his lover with him to assist in ruining her, only added to the insult.

  “Of course.” Trent wiggled his eyebrows.

  How had she ever considered this man a friend? A partner? The idea made her sick. She didn’t know him at all. Which was demonstrated by his coldness as he continued to speak.

  “And if you don’t sign, the whole story, including the pictures, is going to be sent to the Times.”

  She shook her head. The rage within her swelled, and the urge to attack the man in front of her continued to grow stronger. She couldn’t explain it. She’d never been an aggressive person. Sure, she got angry from time to time, but this felt almost…animal.

  No.

  She couldn’t think of that right now. She shook her head, a motion Trent took to be directed toward him.

  “Don’t bother denying it,” he said. “This is happening. And it will happen all over the front page of the Times tomorrow morning if you don’t sign this paper. Now.”

  Harper stared at the paper. At Trent. Back to the paper.

  Would he really do it?

  Yes.

  There was no doubt in her mind that he’d do exactly as he threatened. Surely her lawyer could find something to exonerate her. But would it come in time? She couldn’t wait. She couldn’t risk it. Because it wasn’t only her ass on the line. She glanced around the room. Everything was at stake. For her and Axel.

  For Grizzly Ridge.

  She didn’t have a choice. She took the pen from Trent, but her hand shook so badly she dropped it.

  He picked it up and thrust it at her again. “Sign.”

  If she did this, she would most certainly go to jail for something she didn’t do. For crimes Trent committed and set her up for. He’d get away scot-free. But if she didn’t sign, Axel and his brothers would be dragged into a messy legal battle. The damage to their reputation and that of Grizzly Ridge would be irreparable. They’d lose everything. Because of her. She couldn’t let that happen. She wouldn’t let it happen.

  Her hand shook so violently, she needed to use her left hand to support it. “Okay,” she whispered. “I’ll sign.”

  Trent grinned with victory, a sight so repulsive that the rage built inside her once again. But when he thrust the paper in front of her, she swallowed the urge to react violently.

  Harper squeezed her eyes for a moment and said a silent apology to Axel for what she was about to do. Her heart physically hurt as she felt it breaking, knowing she could never be with the man she loved, the one she’d finally found. She opened her eyes and poised the pen over the line. The tip was about to touch the paper when the front door crashed open and a roar rocked the room.

  With a solid paw to the door, it crashed open and Axel reared up on his hind legs, voicing his displeasure with a roar that filled the space. The reaction of the sleazy reporter, Kevin, would have been almost comical if he hadn’t been sitting much too close to Axel’s mate, threatening her. He may not have been a physical threat, but without a doubt he was one. And no one threatened h
is mate.

  No one.

  Axel roared again; the man fell off the couch and scrambled backward across the floor, searching for escape. There would be no escape for the weasel if he could help it.

  Axel’s bear lumbered forward, advancing on the man who he was fully prepared to tear limb from limb if it meant Harper would be safe. Something had stopped him in his search out in the woods and he’d just known on some level that Harper needed him. He’d never run so fast, crashing through the trees and brush in a wild panic to get to her. He was only mildly aware of Luke chasing him, trying to keep up but totally unable to match Axel’s frantic pace. Fueled by the need to protect his mate, he couldn’t be stopped.

  Kevin held his hands up in a vain effort to protect himself and screamed something incoherent but Axel just snorted and bared his teeth; his advance continued.

  “No.” Harper’s voice stopped him in his tracks. Axel turned his large head toward her. She stepped toward him, tentatively at first, but then more confidently. “Don’t hurt him,” she said.

  Axel growled in response. That wasn’t an option. He was definitely going to hurt this man.

  Harper touched his snout. She stroked his fur and stared into his eyes. “Don’t, Axel,” she whispered. “Trent’s not worth it.”

  Trent?

  He growled in protest and flicked his gaze back to the man who now stared at them incredulously. The man who was Harper’s ex? Of course. He’d known his instincts were right about the man from the beginning. He was no good.

  “I don’t have a choice,” she said. “I have to sign it.”

  Sign what? He didn’t know what she was talking about. But Axel didn’t need to know the details. Whatever it was Trent was trying to get her to sign was obviously upsetting her. And if it was upsetting her, there was no way in hell she was going to sign anything. That was all he needed to know. Over her shoulder, he saw a piece of paper on the couch. With a lunge and a swipe, his claws shredded the paper, and the couch cushion. He landed on all fours and turned back in the man’s direction with another growl. He still had unfinished business to take care of.

  Trent, apparently smart enough to see the giant grizzly was once again focused on him, resumed his backward retreat and crawled into the swinging kitchen door, which at that moment opened, revealing Kade, covered in flour. “What the—oh shit.”

  Axel watched his little brother shake his head, swallow his laughter and then reach down to grab Trent by the scruff of the neck and haul him to his feet. “Not a good idea to piss off a bear,” he said, barely containing his laughter.

  Trent’s head swung back and forth between them. “What the hell is going on here?” His voice shook.

  “I think I could ask you the same thing.” Kade looked at Harper. “Was this reporter threatening you? Dammit, I knew I shouldn’t have—”

  “He’s not a reporter,” Harper said. “I don’t know what he told you, but it was lies. It’s always lies with Trent.”

  “Trent?”

  Harper nodded sharply. “Yes. He’s my ex.”

  Kade gripped Trent tighter by the collar and gave him an extra shake. “Did he hurt you? I’ll—”

  “It’s fine,” Harper said. “I’m fine.”

  She wasn’t fine. Axel’s growl rumbled low in his throat. That’s why he’d come. He’d sensed her distress. He wasn’t even sure how, just that he had.

  Kade picked up on Axel’s building hostility and directed his questioning back to Trent. “What do you want? What were you doing to her?”

  “Nothing.”

  Even captured, the little weasel was being an insolent prick. Axel took two steps toward him and he cowered in response. “Fine.” Trent gave in. “I was trying to get her to sign a—”

  “A statement admitting that I was responsible for everything he’d done to my company. He was blackmailing me.” Harper moved to the couch and picked up the iPad lying there. Axel knew without looking exactly what was on the screen. Trent had been the noise outside the window of his cabin, which meant he’d seen everything. His rage renewed, he reared up on his hind legs and let out a deafening roar. There was no doubt in Axel’s mind that he’d kill the man if Harper wasn’t standing there. He’d taken the most intimate act of their lives, and was using it against them. That was inexcusable.

  Harper stilled him with a simple look and gestured toward Trent with her head. The man had pissed his pants. Good. It was a small victory, but if he couldn’t do what he really wanted to the man, Axel would take what he could get.

  “He says he has copies,” Harper said.

  “Is that true?” Kade, still holding Trent by the neck, shook the man like a rag doll. “Where are the copies?”

  “They’re gone.” They all turned to see Luke in the doorway, holding Bruce—whom Axel suspected wasn’t Bruce at all—in a very similar manner as his friend. He dragged the photographer, if that’s who he really was, into the Den. When he saw Axel, he tried to turn and run, but Luke held him fast. “I found this asshole trying to sneak out the window. Turns out it’s not a very soft landing when you land on a laptop.” In his spare hand, Luke held up the shattered machine.

  “Blake,” Harper said, confirming Axel’s suspicions. “Of course.”

  “Blake, is that…the pictures…dammit.” Trent looked as if he might cry.

  “Those are the only copies of the pictures?” Harper asked him.

  Trent nodded and Axel could see by the defeat in his eyes it was the truth.

  Axel could feel his bear weakening. It was too much to demand such physical exertion for so long, and now that the adrenaline was wearing off, he’d need to make his exit soon or risk having to come up with an even more complicated explanation. Despite the fact that Harper was walking straight toward the man who’d just been threatening her, he knew she could handle herself. Especially now that she was surrounded by bears and she was finally aware of her own shifter blood.

  With one final snarl in Trent’s direction that had him cowering in fear once again, Axel turned and lumbered past Luke and out the front door.

  Chapter Twelve

  “I still can’t believe I missed everything.” Nina was curled up on a chair across from where Harper sat wrapped in Axel’s arms. He hadn’t left her side since he returned from shifting. She knew it must have taken a lot out of him to be in his bear for so long, but she also knew she couldn’t fully comprehend it. There was still so much she didn’t know. So much she needed to learn. And she would, in time.

  “You should be glad you missed it all.” Harper still wasn’t sure how much to tell Nina, but she’d let the guys handle the explanations to all their guests, who had all thought it was very exciting, but not enough to fight their jet leg, and had retreated to their rooms. The brothers had kept their explanation as close to the truth as possible, leaving out the crucial detail that Axel was the bear who’d come into the Den.

  “I still can’t believe it…” Nina practically jumped from her seat. “A bear? Right here? Like, in this room?”

  They all nodded.

  “And the reporters were actually Trent and Blake?” Nina shook her head. “No wonder they were avoiding me. I would have outed them right away.”

  “Obviously.” Harper smiled and snuggled back into Axel’s chest.

  “They must have been freaking out! But what great timing to get Trent to back down on his blackmail.” Nina sank back into the chair. “Can you imagine what a great story that would make?”

  “No.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Forget about it.”

  All three brothers spoke at once. It was Axel who spoke up again. “What we mean,” he said, “is it probably wouldn’t be good for business if word got out that there was a bear in the Den. After all, if guests thought the main lodge wasn’t safe, I can’t imagine we’d get many bookings. As it is, we offered the New Yorkers a free night because of it.”

  “True.” Nina nodded thoughtfully. “Still. I can’t be
lieve I missed it.”

  Harper smiled kindly. She hated lying to her friend, but it was easier than trying to explain the truth. At least for the time being. And she’d been honest about everything else. Including how she’d handled Trent all on her own.

  After Axel had made his exit, she’d felt stronger than ever, buoyed up by some newfound strength and possibly the support of the Jackson brothers around her. Either way, she’d confronted Trent and told him in no uncertain terms that if he didn’t take his lover and his false story all the way back down the mountain, she was personally going to make their life a living hell.

  A point that was backed up by an impeccably timed phone call from her lawyer. John told her his private investigator had found the young man, Clark Rosswell, that Harper had told him about, and he was more than happy to talk about everything he knew. Which, judging from Trent’s face when Harper relayed the message, was quite a bit. As they spoke, Clark was making a statement to the police about everything he knew regarding Trent and Blake’s plans to embezzle from their company. Never underestimate the anger of a spurned lover.

  The Jackson brothers had released Trent and Blake into the custody of the local sheriff, an old friend of theirs who promised to return them to the proper authorities in California, after a night or two in local lockup, of course. And the whole mess was cleaned up and back to normal by the time Nina and the New Yorkers returned from their trail ride. Harper still couldn’t believe it was all over.

  “Still,” Nina said. “I’m sorry I missed it all. It would have been something to see.”

  Harper twisted her head to smile at Axel. “It certainly was,” she said before he kissed her.

  “You two are so damn cute.” Nina smiled. “It’s about time you had someone who so clearly worships you.”

  “I’d do anything for her.” Axel stared directly into her eyes when he said it. “Anything,” he repeated.

  “Speaking of anything,” Luke said. “How did you get here so fast? We were out in the woods,” he said to Nina in explanation. “And all of a sudden, he turned and started running back toward the Den.” He left out the part about the fact that Axel was running as a bear. “I mean, you’ve always been fast,” Luke continued. “But you’re not that fast. I’ve always been able to beat you before.”