by Sky Winters
Before he could answer those questions to himself, Hunter was horrified by the sight of Bronson’s body, morphing and contorting. He grew dense, more muscular, and black tufts of fur began to sprout all over his body. Soon, he was standing on all fours, and he unleashed a blood-curdling howl that made the mountain lions flinch in their tracks.
Before him, where Bronson had been, was the black wolf that had saved him from the mountain lions before. What the hell was going on?
Suddenly, one of the mountain lions made a lunge for Hunter, and Bronson intercepted it, grabbing the mountain lion by the neck in his sharp fangs. A high-pitched yelp brought Hunter’s attention to the other mountain lions, who had pounced onto Bronson’s back. The wolf was clearly in pain, and Hunter looked around frantically for anything he could use to help Bronson. He slipped his hand into Bronson’s jean pockets and his hands wrapped around something cold and metallic.
Hunter pulled it out and examined it briefly. It was a knife made of silver. Without a second thought, he unleashed the blade and ran around Bronson, ignoring the danger he was in as he stabbed one of the mountain lions hard in the back. It growled and unleashed its grip on Bronson. It turned to face Hunter, fear and rage in its cold yellow eyes. It tried to lunge at him, but Hunter evaded and stabbed it again. It fell to the ground in a strange looking heap of morphing colors and swirls, until all that was laying on the ground was the body of a middle-aged man.
Hunter was too shocked to notice that Bronson had regained the upper hand in the fight, and was shaking one of the mountain lions vigorously as the other retreated back into the woods. It would be returning to its den alone this time. When Bronson dropped the mountain lion, it was already morphing into its human form; a dead middle-aged woman this time.
“Are you okay?” Bronson asked Hunter.
He nodded, shaken, and Bronson placed a strong hand on his shoulder. “All right then. Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter 20
Bronson and Hunter walked through the darkening forest until they came upon Bronson’s quarters. It was a house he had built himself in the middle of nowhere. He had built in a vaguely Japanese style, with huge walls that opened out into the forest and a roof that was barely a roof at all. In fact, only a few rooms were roofed, and Bronson led Hunter to one of them.
“Bronson?” Hunter said quietly. His face was pale and his hand gripped Bronson’s shoulder tightly. “I feel strange.”
“Lay down,” he said, furrowing his eyebrows. Had Hunter been hurt?
Hunter did as he was told. Bronson felt his forehead for a fever and quickly disappeared into the kitchen to make him something to drink. It was an herbal remedy that one of the healers had taught him, and he returned to the bedroom.
“Drink this.”
As Hunter downed the beverage, Bronson’s eyes wandered down his lean chest to his stomach. It looked swollen under his shirt, and Bronson felt a surge of fear. Something was definitely wrong.
“Close your eyes,” Bronson said gently. “Try to sleep. I’m going to get you comfortable.”
“Okay,” Hunter whispered, closing his eyes.
Bronson took the opportunity to lift Hunter’s shirt, terrified of what he might find beneath it. To his surprise, Hunter’s stomach was swollen and purple, a condition Bronson had seen before long ago.
Hunter was pregnant.
It took everything he had not to howl out loud in victory. Hunter had been through quite the ordeal, and waking him up would be cruel. But he couldn’t wait to tell everybody the news.
In the morning, Hunter walked groggily into the kitchen, where Bronson was sitting at the table. He had howled late the night before to summon Agun, and the elder was sitting by his side.
“I guess I have a lot of explaining to do,” Bronson said, offering Hunter a seat.
“Can I have something to eat?” Hunter asked, looking expectantly at Bronson. Agun laughed in delight.
“Expectant mothers,” he said, shaking his head. “Always the same.”
Hunter’s eyebrows drew in confusion, and Bronson encouraged him to sit down gently.
“Of course. Why don’t I do some talking while I cook?”
“Sure,” Hunter said, reaching down to stroke his stomach without even seeming to realize he was doing it.
“You saw the mountain lions…they attacked you. Twice now. And you saw me protect you. Twice now.”
“I saw you turn into a wolf,” Hunter said accusingly. “I’m not crazy.”
Agun chuckled again.
“No… I mean yes, you did. You’re not crazy. I just…well…you’ve probably heard the stories about wolf shifters living here, right?”
“Yeah, but everyone thinks that’s crazy.”
“It’s not. We’re here to protect the people of Dire from the mountain lion shifters, the group that tried to kill you. The group that killed Tyler. That killed my family, my friends, and all the women in my pack. They want Dire for themselves, and the only way to keep that from happening is if I mate with an Omega. Someone who can carry my child and resume the power of the wolf shifter pack. The others are out searching for her now, but with one howl I can summon them back. I will summon them tonight, and they will meet you.”
“Meet me? Why?”
“Everyone thought it would be a female hybrid… but we were wrong.”
Hunter shook his head. “Why would they want to meet me?”
“Because, Hunter…” Bronson smiled. “You’re carrying my child. You are our salvation.”
Chapter 21
As tempting as it was to refuse the truth, Hunter had to trust his instincts. He had always known there was something strange and mysterious about Bronson, and the town of Dire in general. And especially about the circumstances surrounding Tyler’s death.
It would be easy to walk away. To say he had bedded a crazy man with PTSD from an animal attack and let that be the end of it.
Only, that wouldn’t be fair to the child he was carrying, the being he was fated to give birth to. The heir or heiress of Bronson’s Alpha power. Bronson had been explaining everything to him for the past few days, and even though it was a lot to take in, Hunter was starting to understand.
He had known ever since the day he’d come to Dire that he was meant to do something. He didn’t know what it was, or how he would figure it out, but now that he had met Bronson, what seemed crazy to other people made perfect sense to Hunter. And the only thing that really made sense was that he was going to give birth to an amazing child.
“Come here, Hunter, let me introduce you to the pack,” Bronson said, leading Hunter to the group of men sitting around the campfire.
Hunter had met a lot of people since he’d become pregnant, as they’d returned gradually to Dire, and all of them had stared at him with shock and awe. They had been looking for the Omega themselves, in all the wrong places. And the Alpha had sorted the mess out himself. It truly was a miracle. Or so they’d been telling him.
That night, Bronson invited Hunter into his home for the second time.
“Let me take care of you,” he whispered, his masculine voice reverberating in Hunter’s ear. “At least until the baby’s born. You’ll be safe with me.”
“I know,” Hunter said, bringing Bronson’s hand to his swollen stomach. “We both will.”
Bound to His Bear
Chapter 1
“Lance, you’re going to be late for pictures! The drama department wants you in one last group photo with everyone in their graduation gowns!”
“Be right there,” Lance said, his deep blue eyes reluctantly flickering from his best friend Orion to Jenny, a friend he’d made in the Drama Club. She barely seemed to hear him as she rushed off to corral the rest of the members.
“Hard to believe it’s all over,” Orion said, as if reading Lance’s mind. But then, ever since they were kids, he’d always seemed to be able to do that.
Lance let out a sigh. “Yeah.”
“You should g
o get your picture taken,” Orion said, his caramel colored eyes shining as he nudged Lance. They were lounging in the grass together, watching all the commotion as their peers walked around, an equal mixture of giddy and dazed.
But Lance didn’t budge. If he left, Orion would be alone. He wasn’t the kind of guy to make a lot of friends and join in the group activities. Everybody was bustling around, happy as clams, talking to their peers, but the dark and mysterious Orion had nobody to talk to but Lance. And while he seemed to prefer it that way, Lance felt like it was wrong to just leave him alone on the lawn of their high school, probably abandoning him to fall victim to the many burdened love confessions of girls who’d been too shy until now to tell him how they felt knowing they would see him during class or be harshly judged by their peers for liking the “bad boy.”
“Come with me,” Lance said, pushing himself to his feet. He offered his hand down to Orion. He didn’t like the idea of girls throwing themselves at his friend while he was vulnerable.
Orion hesitated for a moment before taking it firmly, enveloping Lance’s hand in his strong palm. It was clear that Orion was made of good stock, or depending on who you talked to, bad stock. The kind of men who were fighters, sometimes killers. There were rumors all over school about the terrifying biker gang Orion’s father was a part of. Most people were afraid to get too close to him, but Lance had always shrugged off all the gossip.
“It won’t be that long until all this is over,” Lance promised. “Besides, I have to go to the Drama department anyway. I wanted to keep the prop you helped me make.”
Orion pursed his lips, seemingly embarrassed at the reminder that at one time, he had succumbed to helping out a dweeby club he had no interest in. But Lance knew that he had secretly relished being of use to the community of students who feared him.
“Finally!” Jenny exclaimed when they walked through the door. She grabbed Lance by the arm, pulling him toward the group, then caught sight of Orion behind him and balked.
She got over it quickly—by now probably used to the fact that Orion was often hanging out with Lance—and continued steering Lance toward the group. He glanced back at Orion, relieved to see that he had found his place among the shadows, leaning his back against the wall with his hands in his pockets. Instead of his face showing any sign of hurt feelings because of Jenny’s reaction, he was grinning, probably making fun of them all in his own quiet way for how seriously they were discussing what poses to assume for the picture.
“All right!” Jenny exclaimed once she was finally satisfied. “Let’s do this!”
Unfortunately, she couldn’t find anywhere to prop up her camera, which resulted in several more minutes of chatter.
“Jesus,” Orion finally said, his commanding voice cutting through the commotion without even being raised. He walked up to them. “I can take the picture.”
Lance couldn’t keep the grin off his face as Jenny’s cheeks turned bright red and she reluctantly handed her camera to Orion, as if she was unsure whether or not he might run off with it. But she obviously had too much tact to say so to his face, and returned to her position.
“Thanks,” she said curtly.
“Anything to get the hell out of here faster.” Orion lifted the camera to his eye. “Say cheese.”
After three quiet flashes and a significant decrease in excited, nervous energy, the pictures were taken and Jenny’s camera safely recovered.
The others gradually filed out of the room, anxious to visit other rooms in the school that were meaningful to them. Orion didn’t have anywhere else to go, and Lance lingered behind with him.
“Well that was interesting,” Orion said, a touch of sarcasm in his voice.
Lance grinned warmly at him and put his hand on his shoulder. “Come on, I have to get the prop.”
The room was much quieter now, and both of them seemed more relaxed being alone together than in the middle of a group. It was comfortable, almost intimate, as they searched the boxes for the wooden bear cub that Orion had carved and painted for a play. It had taken Lance’s breath away when Orion presented him with it.
“I couldn’t let you use that stupid teddy bear they used last year,” he had said awkwardly. “It’s disrespectful to bears.”
In fact, bears were one of the most deeply revered animals in the town where they grew up. Many men and women had totems of bears out in their yards, and local lore often told of the men and women who grew up and transformed into bears, only to stand guard and protect the town from evil. Not that Lance had ever heard of a real person being a bear shifter.
“Am I going to see you again?” Orion asked suddenly, breaking into Lance’s reverie.
“Of course,” Lance said, hurt and surprised by the thought that graduation might actually be the end of their friendship. He moved closer to Orion and reached out to hold him by both shoulders. “I can’t imagine my life without you.”
Orion’s deep brown eyes searched Lance’s, and suddenly, their lips were gently brushing. Lance’s grip on Orion’s shoulders tightened as their mouths began to explore each other. Suddenly, it all made sense. Why Lance had such an incredible friendship with Orion despite everyone else giving him a wide berth. This. He’d been waiting for this.
Lance had never felt anything as good as Orion’s body against his, never felt anything as incredible as those soft, warm lips exploring his own. But as suddenly as it began, it ended, and Orion pulled away.
Lance felt his cheeks redden. Orion held his gaze for a moment, his face an unreadable mask, and then Orion went back to looking through one of the big boxes.
“Found it,” he said, pulling the wooden bear from inside. He handed it to Lance and walked away, without saying another word, leaving Lance alone to catch his breath and wonder what the hell had just happened.
Chapter 2
“Are you done packing?”
“Almost, Mom,” Lance called downstairs.
His heart panged painfully in his chest. He didn’t want to leave his mother yet. His father had died when Lance was young, leaving the two of them to fend for themselves. Without Lance, his mother would be completely alone. But she had worked so hard to send him to college, and beamed with pride every time they talked about it. Her son was going to go to the city and make a name for himself. And she was responsible for that.
Lance stared out the window of his bedroom. He could see across town, to the dark, derelict area where Orion and his brutish family lived. He’d been there a few times with Orion, although mostly they hung out elsewhere, but he was terrified to go there alone. Anybody who wasn’t invited was terrorized without mercy. But he hadn’t seen Orion since they’d kissed. He’d waited all summer long, sending texts and leaving a few voicemails that all went unanswered.
“Dinner’s ready when you are.”
Lance moved his duffel bag beside the door. It was stuffed full to the brim. He had always prided himself on being a minimalist, so it was surprising to discover how many things he couldn’t bear to part with when leaving on this new adventure.
“Coming.”
As he made his way to the table, Lance couldn’t help but wonder what Orion would be eating for dinner. He had made it a habit of coming over to Lance’s house for dinner at least once a week. Lance’s mom loved him, and he suspected that Orion was craving someone maternal in his life. The men he spent most of his time with were definitely not what anyone would call soft. In fact, they were a hyper-masculine gang of bikers led by Orion’s father.
Lance sat down glumly, realizing that it was probably because of his gruff biker father that Orion had cut ties with Lance. The last thing a man like that would want to hear was that his only son, his pride and joy, was a queer. No way that would fly.
What had he been thinking, kissing Orion like that? Just because it had seemed like a good idea in the moment didn’t mean it wouldn’t have lasting repercussions. And with someone like Orion, he was lucky he hadn’t gotten his ass kicked. The guy w
as gentle in his own private way, sure, but he could also be violent and unpredictable.
Maybe it was better that Lance hadn’t heard from him again. If he did, it might mean trouble.
“What’s the matter, dear?” Lance’s mom asked, setting a bowl of steaming soup down in front of him.
“Nothing, Ma,” he said, trying to muster up a smile.
He would just have to forget that he had ever had any feelings for Orion, of any type at all. He was leaving the state in the morning, and he wouldn’t be back for a long, long time. It’s not like he’d ever see Orion again anyway.
Chapter 3
Lance hung up the phone numbly. It had been ten years since he’d been back to his hometown in Washington. When he’d come out to his mother his second year in college, their relationship had been strained, and he’d been living in Portland, Oregon. But all that was about to change.
“Your mother is in the hospital,” the doctor had said on the phone. “She’s been getting over a virus and she needs someone to take care of her. She can’t afford a live-in caregiver like she needs.”
Apparently, as Lance had excelled through school and made his way to a top firm in Portland, his mother’s health had been declining, and she hadn’t told him. It made sense, since they rarely talked these days, but still it was a shock to find out that, seemingly so suddenly, she couldn’t live without him.
What kind of son was he? He packed up his car with the essentials quickly, as if getting home faster might ease his guilt. On the way out of the city he called his friend Curtis, asking him to find someone to lease out the apartment for him. He was his mother’s lifeline now. No matter how difficult things had been between them, he was going to take care of her now.
“You’re listening to 101.3, Oregon’s favorite radio station. Here’s ‘Goodbye Oregon.’”
A maudlin country tune that Lance had grown up listening to back in Washington with his mother began playing on the radio, and suddenly he found himself in tears. Not only was he leaving his life of independence behind, he was also going home to a woman who had very mixed feelings for her own son, all because of something as inconsequential as his sexual preference.
