For Bear Or For Worse (Pure Blood 1)

by Meredith Clarke

  “Come and sit down, Avery, I have some things I need to explain to you.”

  How had he known I was there? Not one of them had looked up. I didn't know they knew that I was standing there the whole time. Cole had a smile on his face even though he still did not look up at me.

  Michael got up from the couch and took the other two men with him into another room. I went over to the loveseat opposite of Cole. When I sat down I said, “Is this about why your eyes turned amber?”

  He nodded and let out a long sigh. “I'm not part of the same world that you are, Avery. I'm not fully human like you are.”

  Holy shit. Tears welled up in my eyes and I just nodded, trying to understand.

  “I'm part human and part animal, hence the different colored eyes. I belong to a secret society of people just like me. We live in packs throughout the world and humans don't know we exist. They aren't supposed to know for obvious reasons. They wouldn't understand, and if they did know a war could ensue between species.”

  “How is this possible?” I whispered.

  He smiled warmly at me. “Certain people just evolve beyond being human. After a while our species started recognizing others like themselves and we all formed a society. Of course, it was meant to be a secret from humans. Years passed and it was agreed through the society that we would only procreate with others of our kind. By doing so we guaranteed that our evolution would continue creating a species with distinct shifter abilities.”

  “Shifter...that's what you are?”

  “Yes, sweetheart.”

  “I had no idea.”

  He laughed, “No, you wouldn't. Our society is much larger than humans could ever understand. There are so many of us and there are many different types of shifters out there.”

  “So…you shift into the form of an animal?” I could barely even comprehend what Cole was saying to me. I wasn't even confident that I wasn't still dreaming. Or would this be a nightmare?

  “Yes, that's right. I have the ability to shift into the form of a black bear at will.”

  “A black bear?” I was having a hard time breathing at that point, and I wondered if I was at risk of passing out. A black bear? The man I had slept with twice was part animal? It just wasn't possible, right? What the hell?

  “A bear,” I said again. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I was sure it had to be a joke, a cruel sick joke. I didn't get it, though, it didn't seem funny to me at all. Why was he doing this to me? I didn't believe him for a minute, it just wasn't possible. How could it be that there were 'shifters' roaming around the world and no one knew about them? Other people would have found out about this. Last time I checked I was not in Twilight and there were no sparkly vampires or hot shape shifting Native Americans. My mind felt like it was going to explode. He was trying to trick me, I just knew it. He was getting even for me flirting with that guy at the bar.

  “Look, I can't do this.” I got up from the couch.

  He looked up at me in surprise, “What? What do you mean?”

  I left him sitting there on the couch as I headed back to the bedroom. He followed me into the bedroom as I started grabbing my clothes. I dressed as quickly as I could, furious with him.

  “Avery, I know this is a lot to take in, but please don't leave.”

  “You actually think I’d believe you? Give me a break. I'm not the fool you think I am.”

  I made my way for the bedroom door and he blocked my way.

  “Get out of my way.”

  “Avery, please just listen to me.”

  “Get out of my way!” I yelled.

  I felt the air in the room shift to a colder temperature. He clenched his jaw and reluctantly moved aside.. Storming out of his apartment, I quickly felt his presence behind me. Anger rushed through me.

  “Will you get away from me?”

  “Not until you listen to reason.”

  “Reason?” I let out a frustrated laugh. “Oh is that what you were selling me upstairs?”

  I had reached the elevator in time and I was able to jump and hit the close button before he had a chance to step inside. I watched with small satisfaction as the door sided shut in front of his face. Serves him right I thought. I crossed my arms over my chest and let out an angry sigh as I watched the numbers change As soon as the door opened I sprinted out of the elevator and headed out of his building. Once outside I looked up and down the sidewalk, baffled as to what to do with myself. I decided to head down the alleyway to get back onto the main street to catch a cab. As I turned down the alley I spotted Zoey walking towards the building and I gasped. Oh shit. That was not good. Really really not good. What were the chances that Zoey would come to see Cole at that exact moment?

  I stopped dead in my tracks and tried to duck back inside the lobby so that she wouldn't see me. I would let Cole deal with all that crazy. I was too late, however, as Zoey looked right at me and to my surprise she let our a very animalistic growl. Did she really just growl at me?.

  I felt the temperature around me change, like it had when I stormed out on Cole. I heard a distinct rip of clothing as Zoey cried out. Right before my eyes I watched in shock as Zoey shifted out of her form and into that of a black bear. Not just any black bear. A very angry black bear. Oh my God! Did that just happen! Zoey was a bear. Zoey was a shifter just like Cole. I really am living in Twilight except for wolves and sparkly vampires, there are very large bears. So many thoughts went through my head at the same time. I couldn't move, I could barely even breathe. I felt my heart pick up speed and I swore that if it started to beat any faster I would sure have a heart attack. There was nothing that I could do, I was completely frozen in fear.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Cole

  Avery was quicker than I realized as she tore out of the building ahead of me. I had made it down to the lobby to see her race out of the building. When she slammed the door behind her I caught a scent in the air that made my instincts kick in. Zoey 's perfume. Zoey was close, really close, and it would be a bad thing right then if Zoey bumped into Avery. I raced out of the building and let the distinct scent of Avery guide me. I spotted Avery down the alleyway and ran towards her. I suddenly heard a loud growl and I knew that Zoey had shifted and that she was pissed. I reached Avery and realized that she was frozen in fear.

  Touching her back, I calmly said, “Avery, I need you to get behind me.” She didn't budge, she didn't even say a word. She just stood there like stone. I gently grabbed her around her waist and heard her squeak. She was absolutely terrified of Zoey. I couldn't blame her, it wasn't everyday that you saw a woman turn into a bear right before your eyes. I just hoped there weren’t any security cameras nearby, or we could be on the nightly news.

  I moved Avery back a bit and made sure she was behind me. She still just stood there, eyes wide, mouth hanging open.

  I turned back to Zoey as I felt my eyes shift colors. “Zoey, shift back now!” I yelled in a commanding tone. I was still her Alpha, and she needed to obey me. She was a stubborn girl, however, and she stood her ground, growling at me. She had one of those deep guttural growls that could make a human wet themselves in seconds. It just got the bear inside me all riled up.

  I had no other choice but to shift also. I would be no match for Zoey in my human form, and she was less likely to back down as well. All it takes is for me to think about it and I find myself shifting into the form of a bear. I let my instincts take over my body. There is no pain, not like you see in the werewolf movies. We are a superior species; it does not cause us pain to shift forms.

  I moved towards Zoey and stared directly into her eyes and let out a commanding snarl. I didn't want to fight her because I knew I would end up killing her. I did not like her stubbornness, but that didn't mean I wanted her dead. I was the Alpha and she needed to respect that, or I would put her down. She took a swat at me with her large paws and I growled deep in my belly and stood up on my hind legs. She stopped short with her swat and stood still. I was overpowering her wit
h my will and slowly breaking her. She let out one low growl at me before she scooted backwards and lowered her eyes. I waited there, standing before her at my full height until she finally turned from us and retreated.

  I watched her go and when I feel that Avery was safe once again I shifted back into my human form. I turned back to Avery and found her on the ground. She must have passed out when I shifted. The poor thing has no idea how to handle my life. What was I really doing to her? I sprang to her and kneeled down.

  “Avery?” I ran my fingers through her hair. “Can you hear me baby?”

  She was staring up wide-eyed even though she wasn't responsive at all. I needed to get her out of here and make sure she was safe. I scooped her up into my arms and brought her back into my building.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Avery

  I woke up drenched in sweat and grateful to find that I was still in Cole 's bed. Breathing deeply, I was relieved that it had all been just a dream. A terrible, horrific, mind-numbing dream. But at least it was over, and I could go about enjoying the rest of the night with Cole.

  It had been so real, so raw, that it was hard to believe that it actually had been a dream. I shuddered at the thought of Cole shifting right before my eyes. Zoey, God, she had wanted to kill me, I had seen it in those ink-black bear eyes she had. I had never been more terrified in my life. I could remember every detail like it had just happened.

  I felt Cole 's hand on my back rubbing me. It felt so nice and comforting. I moved my head to the side of the bed that he was sitting on and I saw him looking down at me. I smiled and closed my eyes once again. His warm hand felt so good against me. He ran his hands through my hair and I looked up at him again.

  “Hi there sweetheart, are you alright?”

  I nodded, “I am now. I had the craziest dream, though. I'm glad I finally woke up from it.”

  He smiled at me sadly, “I'm sorry Avery, it wasn't a dream. What you remember was very real.”

  Shocked, I shuddered again and he continued to rub my back. I shut my eyes. Oh God, it had all been real, all of it. Zoey shifting right before me and Cole...my own Cole had faced her. It was all a little too much to bear...no pun intended. How could I live like this? Could Cole and I really have a future this way? It seemed impossible. I didn't even want to open my eyes again and face it.

  I heard someone enter the bedroom but I remained lying there with my eyes closed. I heard Michael's voice as he filled Cole in on Zoey. It appeared as if Cole had sent Michael out with two guys named Trent and Ryan to seek her out. They wanted to find out where Zoey went to.

  “Any word on her yet? You know we can't let her go back to the sleuth and spill her guts. If Zoey tells the rest of the sleuth about Avery, they will come for her. I will not let them kill her..”

  Kill her? Why would they want to kill me? I opened my eyes once again and Cole smiled down at me. He had never stopped rubbing my back for a minute. I was shaking like a leaf and I couldn't stop myself. Things were out of control, and it appeared as if my life was in danger. Could Cole really protect me against his sleuth? Was Zoey really so angry at us that she would tell on him and risk getting me killed? I guess the fact that she tried to kill me herself would answer that question easily.

  “Trent and Ryan have been tracking Zoey the best that they can. The problem is she is much faster than they are, and she had a head start obviously before we went after her.”

  “Ya, I was afraid of that. The best thing that I can do for Avery right now is be by her side. That way I know she is safe.”

  “I'm scared, Cole,” I whispered.

  He looked down at me and smiled sadly once again, “I know Avery, I'm sorry. I can feel you shaking. But I want you to know that I will protect you no matter what.”

  “I just don't understand all this. Why is it so terrible for you to be with me? Terrible enough that they would kill me? It doesn't make sense, and it seems so strict. Why can't you be with a human, Cole? Is this the first time something like this has ever happened?”

  Cole looked down at me, frowning, “No, it's not. I used to have a different beta before Michael, and his name was Evan.” He took a deep breath before he told me the story.

  “Evan was my beta and he fell for a human once. It got ugly when the sleuth found out. The elders of the sleuth sent some of the younger cubs to kill the girl and then they brought Evan in. Evan was devastated to find out that his girl was dead. When they brought him in he wouldn't go down without a fight and sadly he ended up losing his life.”

  “Cole, I don't want anything to happen to you. The thought of you being killed is too much for me to bear. What if we just went somewhere else? Somewhere that they can't find us.”

  He sighed, “It's just not that easy, Avery. Shifters have been around for so long now. Decades and decades. We have so many connections all over the world that they would just end up finding us eventually. Our only options at this point is to find Zoey and try to reason with her or we will have to take a stand against them.”

  “There is no way that Zoey is going to be reasonable. I literally just saw her today and she told me to stay away from you. She probably feels betrayed, Cole...because she's in love with you.”

  “What?”

  “It's true, she loves you, and seeing us together probably made her livid. I don't see her backing down, she would want her revenge.”

  “Trust me, sweetheart, I have my way of reasoning with Zoey.”

  I wasn't sure that I liked the sound of that, but what real choices did we have at that point? I was so overwhelmed with what was going on that I had a hard time concentrating on all the facts. I didn't like any of it, and the thought of a bunch of elders sending out cubs to kill me didn't settle my nerves at all. I could be killed...we both could be, all because we were falling in love? It seemed so preposterous. Were humans really that low that they would never even consider me worthy of Cole? It was insulting to say the least.

  “So if this is so wrong, then why aren't Trent, Ryan and Michael off telling the elders themselves? Michael was pretty angry when he found out about us.”

  Michael stepped forward and spoke, “We have all been friends for many years. Cole is our Alpha and we will stand by his side no matter what.”

  I sat up and smiled at Michael, loving his loyalty. I couldn’t let more innocent people get involved. It was my problem with Zoey, and no one else’s. Maybe if I spoke with her I could figure this all out. I looked at Cole, “Excuse me, I just need to use the bathroom.”

  “Oh course, darling. Would you like a cup of coffee when you return?”

  “That would be great, thanks.”

  I hurried out of the room and saw my purse sitting on the end table beside the couch. I snatched it up on the way to the bathroom. Once there, I closed the door behind me and walked towards the shower. I dug through my purse for my phone and hoped that I was making the right decision.

  I was sick of waiting around and I was about to take matters into my own hands. I clicked on my phone and called Zoey. I wasn't sure if she would even bother to answer me, but I was giving it a shot anyways. I doubted that she was even going to pick up the phone.

  I was almost rendered speechless when Zoey actually picked up on the other end.

  “Zoey, thank God you picked up. Please come and talk. It's really not what you think.”

  Zoey laughed bitterly, “Oh, I think it's exactly what I think it is. Who the hell do you think you are, Avery? I helped you when you had no friends. That doesn't mean that you are part of my world—in fact, you aren't welcome in my world at all. Cole is mine, he always has been. We are destined to be mates for life. No one will take him away from me, especially not some pathetic human.”

  I could hear the hatred Zoey had for me in her voice. It cut me right through to the heart and instilled a fear that I had never known before. I knew what I had to do. I had to step away, otherwise I would cause a war that I wanted no part in. It broke my heart to say it because I w
as starting to fall madly in love with Cole, but I had to do whatever it took to keep him safe, just like he was trying to keep me safe.

  “Look, Zoey, you can have Cole, okay? Like I said, it's not what you think. I never really liked him in the first place, not the way you do. It was nothing but a fling, it meant nothing to me. It was just a silly one-night stand, nothing more.”

  Zoey snorted, “What kind of idiot do you think I am? Don't try to feed me any more of your bullshit, you are just trying to save your ass now that you know that you have a target on your back. I saw the way you looked at him in the club and how you reacted when I told you that he was mine. He is way more than a one-night stand to you. The funny part is Avery you probably never meant anything to Cole. He could never possibly love someone like you. He is an Alpha and you are nothing.”

  It was pointless trying to talk to her, I was right about that much. She wasn't going to listen to reason, and I doubted that it would be any different coming from Cole. She would never allow us to be together. She would fight to have me killed and then try to claim Cole for herself. I was about to hang up the phone when a pair of strong arms grabbed it from me.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Cole

  I grabbed the phone from Avery’s hands. With heightened senses I was able to hear the entire conversation they had. .

  “Zoey, I command you to return to me now. RETURN NOW ZOEY, those are your orders!” I demanded as much authority as I could through a phone call and hung up the phone.

  Looking at Avery, I shook my head. “What were you thinking?”

  “I don't know, I was just trying to stop it all.”

  “Avery, this is so much bigger than you. We can't hide. The sleuth is everywhere, did you really think you could stop it all by yourself?”