Complete Bear Creek and Bear Bluff Box Sets: Including brand new exclusive book Best Man Bear

by Harmony Raines

  She couldn’t meet his eyes, and she knew the instant he read her thoughts. He laughed again. She was going to have to kill him; if he wouldn’t help her, she would simply wring his damn neck. Anything would be better than having to put up with his self-satisfied face.

  “He doesn’t know, does he? Your big, bad daddy doesn’t know you’re here.” More whiskey.

  “I’m his heir, I don’t need his permission.”

  “You’re his little girl. I think he would be very interested to know his little girl goes around prostituting herself.”

  “He wouldn’t believe you.” Her temper was rising now, partly with anger, and partly because she knew she had unwittingly given him the upper hand. She needed to learn to think things through better.

  Not that she hadn’t spent the last week thinking this through. Thinking of ways around it and always coming back to the same place. If they stood any chance of regaining their lands, she had to get Will to help her.

  “He’ll believe me if I put you in my truck and take you back over there half naked.”

  “You wouldn’t dare...” And then her voice broke. “Listen, Will. I’m sorry. I made a mistake. I think you of all people know that I’m not the only one to mess things up.” She hadn’t meant it to come over so bitchy.

  “Oh, so we’re going to rake over all that, are we...”

  “No,” she said, taking a deep, shuddering breath. “No. I just thought that if I offered you something you valued, you might have helped me. I guess I was wrong.”

  “About what?”

  She shook her head, confused.

  “Do you think I don’t know what you’re worth? To me.” His voice was low, tinged with emotion so deep she knew she would drown in it if she ever glimpsed it fully.

  “It’s been a long time. I wasn’t sure if you’d filled the ... void.”

  “Void. Abyss, black hole...”

  “I get it,” she said confused. He always confused her. Ten years ago he had turned her down, said it wasn't right for them to be together even though they were fated mates. But then, on the rare occasions they came face to face it was as if it was taboo, forbidden in some way. Yet the thing he wanted more than life itself, it was there in his sweet smile and his soft, dark eyes.

  “So now we’ve got that out of the way. The next question is, were you wrong about me helping you?”

  “Will you? Will you sign our ancient grounds back over to my clan?”

  “Freyja. I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Frasier Corporation has acquired the deeds to the lands. They are planning on tearing it up and building on it.”

  “What?”

  “How can you not know?”

  “Because ... I don’t.”

  “Well, perhaps if you spent less time drinking and hanging out with your greasy biker buddies, you might know when the whole world is going to pot.”

  “Hey, hang on a minute. This has nothing to do with my biker friends. In fact, it has nothing to do with me. I’m not the one who got careless and allowed someone to gain ownership of the most important part of my territory.” He raised an annoying eyebrow at her. She so hated it when he was right.

  The fight went out of her; all she could picture was her father, once proud, pacing around like a caged bear. His face haggard, the weight dropping off him, and the worst thing by far, he seemed unable to change. He hadn’t managed to conquer his bear in weeks; it eluded him, as if it had deserted him along with all of his hope.

  “I’m not sure how it happened. My father won’t talk about it. Won’t point the finger of blame, instead he’s taken it on himself.” She ran her hand over her eyes, brushing away unshed tears. “I’m scared, Will.”

  In that moment, they were like two childhood friends once more. High on the top of Druid Peak, Freyja having lost her footing, and Will telling her to reach for him. In that moment, when her hand had grasped his, she should have known they were true mates. But they didn’t. The realisation had come much later.

  “Come here, Freyja,” he said, putting his arm around her and guiding her to the sofa. “Let’s sit down, I’ll put some coffee on and you can tell me all about it.”

  “No. I should go. If my father found out I’d come to you for help, it might be the final shock to send him to an early grave.”

  “He doesn’t have to know. I’ll get you home safely, and he’ll be none the wiser.”

  “Why would you help me, Will? I’ve been so awful to you.”

  “You know why, Freyja.” He sat her down, and went to the kitchen, busying himself with putting coffee on. She was sure it was to give himself something to do, something that put distance between them.

  “I thought you inherited the corporation from your father.”

  He hesitated before answering. “I did.”

  “So why don’t you know about this? Why can’t you stop it?”

  He placed two mugs out and carefully measured the coffee. “Carson runs the corporation.”

  “Then go in there and tell him to give it back to us,” she demanded, angry that he seemed unwilling to step in and help her. She had to remind herself that she had no real right to ask anything of him. But that didn’t stop her. He knew how much it meant to her and her clan.

  He poured hot water into the mugs and stirred them, concentrating on the spoon as it circled round and round until she thought he had hypnotised himself. It was a couple of minutes before he spoke. “It has nothing to do with me, Freyja. I handed the corporation over to Carson.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s complicated ... and private. I had my reasons, that’s all you need to know.”

  “I had no idea. I mean, I know you spend most of your time messing around with your biker gang. But I assumed you left Carson in charge. Not that he was in charge. More that you delegated the work to him. I never thought you would hand it over to him. Is that what your father wanted?”

  He laughed a hollow sound. “I don't know anything about my father. But I have my reasons. And Carson has Frasier Corporation.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I know.”

  “Is there nothing you can do?”

  “Freyja. I walked away from that life years ago.”

  “There are a lot of things you walked away from years ago.”

  “That’s not fair. I did what I thought was right.”

  “How could I forget?” How could he possibly think she could forget something that wrenched her heart in two? The same heart that had stayed broken in two ever since that day they denied their fates.

  “We don’t always get to choose what we want to do.” He brought her coffee to her and sat down, shrugging off the serious Will. “Anyway. Leather suits me much better, don’t you think? Wearing a suit every day would be so confining.”

  “Don’t make light of this, Will.”

  “What else am I supposed to do, Freyja? Carson holds all the cards. He controls the corporation, and so I guess he controls your clan’s lands. Without knowing how he got hold of them, there’s nothing we can do. And even if we did, I don’t see what difference it would make. If he gained them legally, then it’s up to him what he does with them.”

  “I’ll tell you what you can do. You can get yourself over there first thing tomorrow morning and grab back your birthright, so that you can give mine back to me. I already told you, Will, I’ll do anything. If you want me to be your wife, I’ll marry you, damn the consequences. You want me to be your mistress, I’ll do it. Hell, if you want me to be your cleaner, I’ll do that too.”

  “A tempting offer, but your dad would disown you.”

  “I’d much rather he disowned me than died of a broken heart.”

  Chapter Three – Will

  “Listen, Freyja, this isn’t me. I left that life behind, and I don’t want to go raking up the past.”

  “You mean you’re scared.”

  “No,” he said, but she had hit a nerve. He ha
d left all that behind; now he made his own fortune. To the outside world, they looked like any other gang of no-hope bikers, but his gang worked hard, and smart. He sat on his own personal fortune. Living a life he loved. The thought of going back to the world his brother had taken from him held no joy. Not even for Freyja’s sake.

  But looking at her face, seeing the pain and sadness there—and knowing that he could take that away—struck him in the pit of his stomach.

  She had no idea how betrayed he had been. He had given the corporation to Carson because it was rightfully his. He had given up Freyja because he was no good for her, his bloodline contaminated. A contamination that would spell doom for her clan if it ever materialised. Now it seemed pointless: he had sacrificed his future with Freyja for nothing. Her clan was under threat all the same.

  In reality, he should go and kick Carson’s scrawny butt for him. Grab back the corporation, and give the land back to Freyja. But he didn’t have the right, Carson had made that so clear on the night his world had come crashing down. But it was Freyja...

  “Come on. Let’s get you home.”

  Her lip trembled. “That’s it? You won’t help me.” Her anger was like acid. “You are just going to let that brother of yours take my clan’s land and rape it?”

  “Freyja. What am I supposed to do, go into his office and demand he hand it over? You don’t even know how he got it. If it was legally, then what?”

  “He couldn't have got it legally. And no matter what, he shouldn’t build on it. It’s not right. You know it and I’m damn sure he knows it.”

  “I’m sure he does.”

  “And you’re going to just let him. Because to do anything would be to upset your quiet little life here. And we wouldn’t want that, would we? I mean, not even your true mate was allowed to do that.”

  “It was the right decision.”

  “Do you still think that?”

  Her blunt question was one he had asked himself thousands of times a day. It was on repeat in his mind through everything he did. Leaving him with an emptiness that would only end if he claimed her.

  But he couldn’t show her his weakness. Not now, she had enough to deal with. At the time, he had persuaded her it was the right thing to do. Her father would never have agreed to them marrying. The clans had been rivals for centuries. Under different circumstances, maybe their mating might have ended the old animosity.

  However, the decision had been taken out of his hands. He had done the right thing.

  “Yes. Now more than ever.” He had to be strong. This was a decision that he could never change, no matter how much he wanted to. Seeing the hurt on her face was enough to drive the knife deeper into his heart, so deep he should be dead. The pain she experienced by his hand lived there. It always would.

  And she would never know. He could never face the way she would look at him if she knew the truth about him. He would have to leave and he couldn’t do that. The pain of having her so close, but out of his reach, was much better than the pain of never feeling her presence.

  “You’re a jerk. I don’t know what I ever saw in you. Why I would ever think you would help me?” She got up, and was out of the door before he could speak. Perhaps that was for the best; he had nothing left to say. Nothing that would heal old wounds or new.

  Chapter Four – Freyja

  The tears came now. But soon they would be lost amongst her soft fur. Taking the steps two at a time, not pausing in case he caught up with her and stopped her, she ran.

  Once outside, she tore across the open driveway and had transformed into her bear before she hit the trees. Headlong she ran, putting distance between her and her broken heart. Her heart that she left with him every time she saw him. How could he be so cruel? When she had realised she was his true mate she couldn’t contain her joy, and neither could he. She was sure of it. But then the next day it had gone. He told her he had simply woken up to reality.

  She knew what reality he meant. Explaining it all to their parents would have been hard. The bear clans had been rivals for as long as anyone could remember. No one knew why. It just was. Perhaps long ago it had been over hunting rights, now it was everything. They had long talked about changing that. In the long summer days when they had spent secretive hours playing in the forest and fishing in the rivers. In the end, he had settled for continuing the old enmity, saying his father would disown and disinherit him.

  Yet now he had told her that when his father had passed only a couple of months later, he had turned his back on his birthright. And handed it to his younger brother. Still, he had not come to claim her.

  She had no idea what had happened or how estranged they were. Going to see Will tonight had been in the hope he could sway Carson into doing the right thing. But Will had completely renounced that side of himself. All the money, all the power. All the things he had given her up for.

  Shaking her head, she ran faster, blind to where she was going. It didn’t matter. She no longer cared. Her world was falling apart. The two men she should always have been able to count on were useless. She would have to take matters into her own hands.

  ***

  Five times she had changed her clothes. Her mind, however, had remained resolute. If no one else would help her, then she would go and see Carson herself. There must be some way to change his mind.

  Resolutely, she shut the warning voice in her head inside a box and buried it six feet under the ground. He wouldn’t ask for that. Carson knew she was his brother’s mate; he would never stoop so low as to ask her to sleep with him in return for the Garrow lands. He just wouldn't.

  Eventually she opted for understated and demure. If she set the tone right, it would never enter his mind to proposition her like that.

  “OK. That will have to do.” She applied light makeup, although she took care to erase the rings under her eyes caused by a sleepless night. Tossing and turning, she had tried not to think of how wonderful it would have been if Will had taken her up on her offer. His hands on her body, his mouth covering hers. Then he would move lower and taste her intimately, making her come, while she cried out his name.

  She coughed nervously and straightened her skirt. The last thing she needed was for Carson to think he aroused her. She needed to get rid of all those feelings—they were useless; Will would never be hers. To obliterate them completely, she allowed herself to access the deep well of anger his rejection filled. Every time one of the other females in town met her mate, settled down to a blissful marriage and houseful of cubs, it was topped up a little more.

  So when her phone rang, and she answered it, the last voice she needed to hear was Will’s.

  “What do you want?”

  “A ride.”

  “Stop messing around.” She hung up.

  It rang again. She left it to go to voicemail. Grabbing her purse and her keys, she went out to her car. Freyja carefully avoided her father and any questions her outfit might dredge up. She normally went around in jeans and a shirt, dressing up for dinner if they were having guests over. But casual was her trademark.

  Quickly pulling out of the garage, she headed out of town. Her phone rang again. And again. “Damn,” she cursed. Looking down, she saw he had left her three messages already. Carefully, she pulled the car over to the side of the road. She picked up her phone and dialled voicemail, listening to his voice.

  "Come on, Freyja, pick the damn phone up. This is important. I've been thinking about what you said, and I want to help.” She hit delete, and moved on to the next one.

  “Freyja. You know you need my help.” Delete.

  “Are you telling me I put this damn suit on for nothing?” That got her attention.

  She sat and waited for him to ring again. He didn’t. She was such a fool. After five long minutes, she hit dial and called him.

  “How did you get my number?”

  “And hello to you too, Freyja.”

  “I’m serious.”

  “Everything is available for a
price.”

  “Obviously. So you and Carson are cut from the same cloth.”

  He was silent. For a second she thought she’d lost him. “No. We’re not.” The sadness in his voice was palpable, even down the phone.

  “Are you OK?” she asked, unable to bear him being in any pain. This stupid fated mates thing made her want to comfort him, to soothe his injuries. It was a shame he didn’t feel the same way about her.

  “Yes. I’m standing here like some city worker in a suit when I should be in my cool leather jacket shooting some pool. Why wouldn’t I be alright?”

  “Does that mean you’re going to see Carson?” She hardly dared ask him, and her breathing stopped while she waited for a reply.

  “Yes. I guess it does. Look, I can’t promise anything, and there is every reason to believe I will make this worse. But if you want me to try, then I will.”

  “I do.” The words lingered between them, the meaning attached to another part of their lives. The part where they should be married and settled down having cubs. “I do want you to go and see him. It can’t be any worse.”

  “Pick me up at Parson’s Bridge.”

  “When?”

  “I’ve been waiting here for twenty minutes. If you’d picked your phone up the first time I’d already be in your car rather than standing here looking like a door-to-door salesman.”

  “Full of charm.” She smiled at the thought of him.

  “I have a suit on. Don’t expect it to turn me into Prince Charming.”

  “I never did. I know miracles don’t happen, remember.” She hung up and drove to Parson’s Bridge before he could give her some smart-ass comment. It was a five-minute detour, during which she went through every imaginable emotion possible. Hope, betrayal and love featured more prominently than any other. When she saw him standing waiting for her, like some upper-class hitchhiker, she still wasn't sure which one fitted him.

  She laughed; he twirled around, making her heart leap with hope, the overriding feeling he drew from her. Hope for the future, hope that one day he would accept her and hope that he would never change. He made her laugh like no other person on this planet could.