He spent a few moments cleaning himself. Primping and pruning while Scarlett and I stood there watching. I looked down at the pile of clothes and thought I could maybe do something with the material. A couple of minutes later, Scarlett helped me fashion a sarong of sorts with Major’s dress shirt and by the time we were done, Major had shifted back.
“I’m sorry that had to happen,” he said, genuinely upset.
“Did we have a choice?” Scarlett asked.
He shook his head, tucking the black pieces behind his ears again. “No. We didn’t.”
“So what happens now?” I asked while he dressed in his remaining clothes.
Major took a while to answer and I started to worry. “I’ll call in a crew to clean this up. But then we need to sit down and make a plan.”
“A plan?” I asked.
“We’ve been encountering more and more of these fanatic groups all over the world. With the Internet, social media, and just about everyone having a cell phone, it’s been harder and harder to hide. The ISC has been entertaining a proposal to come out to the humans.”
Scarlett and I gawked at him. “Come out?” she asked. “Tell them we exist? But that would destroy us.”
“It can’t work,” I agreed as a thousand scenarios twisted through my mind.
Major nodded with each of our arguments. “I hear you. I do. But it might be time.” He looked around the room at the four dead humans. “Something’s got to give. And soon.”
I didn’t know what to say. Scarlett’s mouth hung open while she pondered what had just been presented to us. “I can’t even think anymore,” she whispered, sinking into my side.
I kissed the top of her head. “Let’s go back to the hotel. At first light, we’ll head home.”
“Sounds good,” she said.
“And what about you?” I asked, turning to Major.
He smiled, full teeth gleaming like a naughty cat. “Well, I’m coming back with you.”
“You are?” I said.
“Yes. I think I need to call in some more ISC representatives to start having these conversations with the shifters in this part of the world.”
“Wonderful,” I groaned.
Major simply laughed and slapped me on the shoulder. “Come on you two. Let’s go back to the hotel and celebrate your mating.”
We both blanched at his accusation, which only made him laugh more. He walked passed us back through the entrance he and I had found. I couldn’t form any words, but assumed, by the easy way Major was acting, our pairing wasn’t as big of a deal as we thought it might be.
Perhaps that would help us when we talked to Peter and Brandt tomorrow. But for now, I was just happy that the night was over and I had my mate back under my arm.
Tomorrow we could deal with everything else.
Brandt, my uncle, Brennan, and I sat around the kitchen table inside of the clan’s house waiting for someone to speak. We hadn’t arrived until the early afternoon, but my uncle had already talked to Emma and Brandt before we’d returned. We didn’t even have a chance to explain what had happened last night and why we still had Major tagging along.
They didn’t want to hear it. They just wanted to address our mating.
“Were you going to tell me,” Brandt asked his brother.
“Of course,” he said. “I just…I wasn’t sure what was happening.”
This time he smiled. “It’s pretty amazing, right?”
I had to love the alpha grizzly for saying that. He understood how important finding a mate felt and I was thankful he could see beyond everything else and support us.
“Well, I did some research,” my uncle said. “And I believe that I will be able to give you my blessing.” I squeezed Brennan’s hand under the table. “It would appear that cross-shifter matings are not as uncommon as we thought.”
“Really?” Brennan and I asked together.
Peter shook his head. “It’s not that common in this country, but there are areas in the world where our kind are limited and so they can only interact with other shifters.”
“So what happens if they have a child?” Brandt asked.
A child? Jesus Christ we haven’t even been together a week. I kicked Brennan’s brother under the table. He shot me a look but I saw the smile in the corner of his mouth.
Peter, in his elder way with a low timbre and slow words, said, “It will be wolf or grizzly. It’s up to nature to decide.”
A mother to a wolf pup. Or a grizzly cub. Could I even imagine that? Looking up at Brennan, I noticed how he beamed. It would seem the idea of being a father appealed to him. It would definitely have to be something that we’d need to discuss. And discuss soon.
“Now, let’s talk about living arrangements,” my uncle continued.
“What do you mean?” I asked. Living arrangements…I hadn’t even thought about that.
“Brennan will live in your home with the pack,” Brandt said.
“What?” Brennan asked, obviously taken aback. “But I just bought a cabin and I thought—”
“And we’re going to need that for clan business the next few months,” Brandt cut in.
Turning to my alpha, I tried to understand his reasoning. “Uncle, how do you think the pack is going to react with a grizzly living in our park?”
“They will understand.”
“Really?” I asked with a huff. “I mean the young boys will love having him around but what about the elders and the older males?”
“They will understand,” he repeated more sternly. Meaning he wouldn’t give him a choice.
Brennan gazed down at me and shrugged. “Looks like we get to spend more time together.”
His smile warmed my heart and I reached up to kiss him. Everything had moved so fast between us, but yet it felt like our lives were only just beginning. We kissed lightly, several times, unable to stop touching each other until Brandt cleared his throat.
That got Brennan’s attention and a thought crossed his features. “So who’s going to stay in my cabin?”
“I am,” Major said as he entered the kitchen with Bo and Derrick on his tail. His British accent seemed so out of place in here. “And thank you for allowing me to do so.”
“You’re staying?” I asked.
He pulled out a stool at the kitchen island and took a seat. Bo and Derrick stayed standing. “For a while, yes. I must discuss the ISC’s proposal to come out with the alphas in this room and in the surrounding states. We can no longer ignore the possibility of this happening, but I would like to do some research first.”
“Research?” Brennan asked.
Major nodded and jerked his chin toward Bo. “He’s going to help me gauge the…potential reactions of the local humans. And he,” Major pointed to Derrick, “is going to help me track down any more videos that come out of Alaska, as well as help with a social media strategy.”
“Are there more videos?” Brennan questioned.
“Maybe. Maybe not. We’ll see.”
Major’s nonchalant attitude surprised me. But I supposed the fact that he was staying here meant that we’d have a lot more time to work together and learn about this rare white tiger shifter.
Emma bustled into the kitchen, bouncing on her toes and holding her hands together in front of her. “Are you all finished?” she asked. When Brandt nodded, she rushed over to me and threw her arms across my shoulders. “I’m so excited that you’re a part of our family now!” She kissed my cheek and squeezed me hard enough to cause pain. I suspected she was a strong grizzly.
With a laugh, I tried to hug her back. “Thanks, Emma. It’s good to be a part of it.” My eyes traveled to Brennan’s and his beautiful smile said it all. We were meant to be together.
“So, you all have to come outside with me now,” Emma said.
“Why?” Bo groaned.
“Shut it, Bo. I have a surprise for everyone.”
From the look on Brandt’s face, he already knew what was happening. Come to think of it
, my uncle looked a little suspicious too.
“Do you know what this is about?” I asked him.
Before he could answer, Emma pulled me from my chair and started dragging me out of the kitchen. “He can’t tell you. Come on everyone,” she shouted over my head. “You too, tiger.”
I reached back for Brennan and found his hand. The moment our skin touched, I felt a wave of comfort wash over me. My mate would be by my side. During the good, the bad, and through whatever Emma had planned for us.
She led the group out the front door and onto the large deck that would take us down to the driveway. But we stopped on top and I almost cried when I saw the scene in front of me. My entire Tik’a pack stood in the drive and clapped when Brennan and I stepped forward. He hugged me tight as the group circled up and invited us to join them.
“What is this?” I whispered to Emma.
“A blessing ceremony,” she beamed. “They want to officially invite Brandt into their home.”
“Wow,” he said beside me, voice trembling with emotion.
Fedosina, one of the pack’s female elders, motioned us forward. She had a way about her that allowed her to see things no one else did. She also had a way of making sure anything that happened within the pack, happened only with her blessing. The fact that she was here, and leading this ceremony, spoke volumes to how much she welcomed the idea of me mating with a bear.
When we walked down the steps, hand in hand, my pack started singing. In our native Dena’ina language they chanted. I recognized the words and it brought another round of tears to my eyes.
“What are they saying,” Brennan whispered in my ear.
With a smile, I did my best to interpret as fast as I could. “They are telling us to love beyond our fear. Go forth and send your animal spirit where it will thrive. Go to your dwelling and enter the days of your life together.” My voice hitched on those last few words, so Brennan squeezed me harder. All of that worrying about how our families would react seemed to be for nothing. Perhaps it was because of the bigger issues at hand right now, but regardless, it felt wonderful to have this kind of support.
We passed Seth, who wasn’t smiling as much as the others. I raised my brows, my way of asking if he was all right, and he gave me a wink. Thankful for him and everyone else, we stopped in front of Fedosina just before getting to Brennan’s truck.
She smiled up at both of us and reached for our clasped hands. Pulling a handwoven scarf off of her shoulders, she wrapped it around us while chanting to herself. She repeated many of the blessings from before, but added one more—now there is no more loneliness.
I translated for Brandt and he sucked in a breath. No more loneliness. I think that hit home especially for him and especially for his bear that had finally been released. He’d opened his heart to me and I to him. We would have good days and bad in front of us, but no matter what happened, we would always have each other.
“I love you,” he breathed into my ear.
“I love you, too.” I said just as Fedosina finished wrapping the scarf around us, symbolizing that we were now one.
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OTHER BOOKS BY MEREDITH CLARKE
Second Chance Shifters
Standalone Second Chance Romances with a shifter twist
Loyal to the Bear
Her Bear for Life
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The Write Bear
The Steel Bear
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Part Two: Seduced (available now)
Part Three: Taken (available now)
Part Four: Chosen (available now)
Series Bundle (available now)
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Ab
out Meredith Clarke
Meredith Clarke likes long walks in the trees and drinking sangria. Yeah for real. Like Edward
Sparkly Cullen style. She writes alpha male yet cuddly characters and the hot women that love them.
Open a book or two, eat a s’more, and cuddle up with the men of Meredith Clarke.
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A
bout Ashlee Sinn
Ashlee Sinn fancies all creatures of the paranormal persuasion, especially those who like to bite. Her steamy romances tend to feature swoon-worthy heroes and kick-ass heroines. Whether its vampires, shifters, or demons, the women who keep them in line have a special place in her heart. And in her chaotic head.
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Releasing the Bear: BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance (The Callaghan Clan Book 2) Page 9
