Before the elevator arrived with Freyja, Carson could be seen coming towards them. He stopped briefly, and if Will could lip-read he was sure he was telling someone to call security. Then he strode on, trying to look confident, but Will remembered the slight tic he had by his eye when he was nervous. It was twitching away; Carson was under pressure. If only he knew how bad it was about to get.
“Will. Tut-tut, I thought we were going to be civilised about this. Instead, you have brought your thugs with you. Your father would have been ashamed.”
“On the contrary, Carson. I think for the first time in ten years my father might actually be proud of me.”
The elevator dinged behind them, the door opening to reveal Malcolm and Stuart side by side. Will never took his eyes off Carson’s face. The tic got steadily worse. He hadn’t expected this at all. He had probably relied on the clans not communicating. Now, faced with both chiefs, he knew the game was up. But he probably had no idea about the DNA proof, which Will had tucked inside his leather jacket.
“Oh, this is turning out to be quite a party. Shall we go to the conference room?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps every employee might be interested to hear what we have to say. It’s in all their interests to know there is about to be a change of ownership at Frasier Corporation,” Malcolm said.
Carson laughed, although it was a very nervous laugh. “Are you threatening me, Malcolm? I hadn’t expected that from you.”
“We all know what you told Will, how you took the company from him.”
“Will signed it over freely.”
Stuart spoke next. “Because of what you told him. But now you are saying that you are the son of my brother, Wayne McCormac.”
“Oh, so you want me to choose? Frasier Corporation or Garrow’s Creek. Hmm. Well, I have become a little bored running this place. And although I hate to leave it in such incapable hands, I guess that it’s time Will took control. I think I’ll have enough on my hands when building starts on Garrow’s Creek.”
“So you are going to hand the corporation back without a fight?” Will said.
Carson looked at the six biker bears and the defeat in his eyes said it all. He really thought he was going to get to keep everything. “How can I stand up to all six of you? I never expected you to come here and threaten me, Will. That is not how you want your employees to see you.”
“I am not threatening you, Carson. But I am glad you are being so cooperative.”
“May I interrupt, Will?” Malcolm said coming up to stand directly in front of Will.
“Certainly,” Will said, but he was unsure what Malcolm wanted.
Will’s expression spooked Carson, who looked increasingly nervous. “I’m honoured that the great Clan Chief of Bear Creek would come to see me. What can I do for you, Malcolm, or have you come to cheat me out of my birthright too.”
“You are delusional, Carson. For that reason, I have had a contract drawn up. You will sign here to say that you will hand back all property not yours by birthright.”
“I don’t think that is such a good idea.”
“Why not, you've just admitted that you cheated Will out of his father’s empire. Sign here and we will leave you alone to negotiate with Bear Bluff. That business is of no concern of mine. I only want Bear Creek business to be settled.”
Carson narrowed his eyes, looking down at the contract. “Isn’t my word enough?”
“No, Carson. It is not. Sign, and we will be out of your hair. I will of course expect you to hand over all documents pertaining to Frasier Corporation before you leave.” Malcolm looked up into Carson’s eyes, staring him down. In the presence of his chief, he seemed to quake, become a small bear cub again. Will had thought the title of Chief was only a name, but it seemed it went deeper than that.
“I am not willing to sign anything.”
“Carson, this is not a request. But you can make this easier on yourself. You have betrayed your clan, brought shame on your name. Sign the document.” The words were a hidden threat, but not of violence, something much deeper, more primal.
“You can have this damn business, but I have the deeds to Garrow’s Creek and they are mine by birthright. Wayne McCormac knew he was my father; why else would he leave the land to me? I don’t know what you have been told, but I am not going to hand those over.”
Malcolm's voice was low when he said, “Let it go, Carson. We have the DNA tests to show you are not from Bear Bluff, but we both know that. I can see it on your eyes and you can feel it in the very air around you. I will exile you, Carson. Do you know what that means?”
“I don’t care; Bear Creek is not my home. I am from Bear Bluff. Wayne McCormac was my father. He mated with my mother in the form of a beast.”
“If I exile you, there is no coming back; you will be an outcast for the rest of your life.”
“I don’t belong there, I never did.”
“Yes, you did, Carson. Your uncle gave you a home, somewhere to live and thrive.”
“He did it out of pity, nothing more. I was never good enough.”
“Sign.” Malcolm thrust the pen into Carson’s hand. “You have no right to anything, so do the right thing for once in your life.” Malcolm’s eyes flashed and the air crackled; he reached out for Carson’s hand and put the pen in it.
By this time, Carson was trembling and the office had begun fill up with curious people. But no one had seen what had passed between Carson and his Clan Chief. In fact, Malcolm now stood smiling convivially at everyone watching. No one here would have a clue about what just happened.
“Thank you, Carson. Now, I think you know that I’m going to ask you to get the deeds now. Stuart here has promised me this will go no further if you turn the land over to its rightful owner. I think you will agree that, all things considered, you have escaped quite lightly. Isn’t that so, Will?”
“Indeed,” said Will, feeling slightly cheated. He would have preferred Carson to be exiled. That way he would never bother anyone else in Bear Creek; he would be friendless and alone. Then he remembered that there had been a reason his father had adopted Carson. And he should extend at least some forgiveness to the man who tried to ruin him. But not today, he wasn't that big a man.
Chapter Eighteen – Freyja
“Is it only me that feels that went too easily?” she said when he dropped her home.
“He didn’t have anywhere to run to, did he? Not with Malcolm doing his mind tricks.”
“Did you know he could do that?”
“Nope. Can your father?”
“Not that I know. Here he is. I think I might ask him.”
“Not now, there is something I want to ask him first.”
“Really? Should I be worried?”
“I hope you will be happy.”
“Oh. Oh! Well I’m going to go inside and leave you two alone.” She kissed Will on the cheek and disappeared inside the house. Standing back from the window, she watched the exchange between Will and her father. It looked amicable enough. Now they were shaking hands, her father smiling broadly and then patting Will on the back.
Then Will got on his bike and drove off, leaving her to wait impatiently at the door for her father to come in.
“So?” she asked breathlessly.
“You are asking if I said yes to him marrying you?”
“Yes. Did you?”
“Daughter. He has helped save our Clan from ruin. There is no better man for you.”
“So you said yes?”
“Of course.” She flung herself at her father; he hugged her tightly and then said, “I would have said yes anyway, I can see how happy you are around him. You deserve to be happy and I believe he deserves you. I have agreed for you to be married in Bear Creek and we will have a ceremony here afterwards. Of course, he wants you to go to their Beltane Rites tomorrow, but I wish you to celebrate with us. You can go there afterwards. Malcolm said he has arranged a big party.”
“Yes, he wants to open up
the house he grew up in and fill it with happiness again. Will you come?”
“Malcolm has asked me to attend. Says it is time the clans mixed together.”
“Sounds as though you and Malcolm have a lot in common.”
“Of course. We both hold the weight of our people on our shoulders and it weighs heavily, as one day you will see. But having Will at your side should make it more bearable.”
“But not for a long time, Dad. There’s still life in you, and I want to enjoy Will and our cubs for a long while before I have that responsibility.”
“Cubs. Can I expect to have one running about the place soon?”
“Soon. I hope. Oh, I don’t know. But I hope, maybe...” She stroked her stomach. “I get this feeling...”
“I love you, Freyja, and I wish you every happiness.”
“Thanks, Dad. Now I have to work out what I’m going to wear to Will’s party.”
***
She opened the note one more time and read it, a thrill coursing through her body. Will wanted to meet her up in the high meadow before they went down to join the party. The note had been left only an hour ago, and she could imagine him waiting there for her in the moonlight. She guessed he had snuck away from the Beltane Rites early; after all, he hadn’t needed to participate, she had the same long life as he did. Only those who married mortals took part, passing their life source over so that their mate could live a long life too.
Picking up her phone, she was about to ring him, when she thought better of it. It was a romantic gesture, so why spoil it? Perhaps they would make love in the meadow where they used to spend so many days watching the clouds pass overhead. Maybe that was where he would propose to her and she would now accept.
Then they would go down to join the party at his house and share their news. She had gone over there this morning to check if there was anything she could do to help. He had ushered her out, saying it was all under control. He had looked happy and relaxed, wanting to surprise her with what he had done with the house in such a short time.
“Let him have his fun,” she said, going downstairs. She had changed after the Beltane Rites, putting on fresh clothes that did not smell of the bonfires.
Her father was waiting with Eirik; they were preparing to go over to Bear Creek. “Are you sure you don’t want a lift?”
“No thank you, Eirik. I am going over the mountain. Will said he will meet me in the meadow and then we will come down to the house.”
“It would seem strange to go to such trouble as to have a party and then not be there for his guests.”
“We won't be more than an hour. I expect he just needs to let off some steam; it has been a fraught few days.”
“Enjoy letting off steam, Freyja.” Eirik grinned at her.
“I will, thank you, Eirik. It is good to see you both looking so happy.”
“It was good to feel the earth beneath my feet again at Garrow’s Creek and know it is safe. I went there in the dark last night, my bear was eager to mark our territory afresh.”
“I am so pleased you are healthy again.” She kissed her father, holding him close and feeling the happiness vibrating through him.
“I wonder what Carson is doing with himself tonight. It must be lonely knowing the rest of your clan is celebrating and you are not welcome,” Eirik said.
“It is his own fault. No doubt he is licking his wounds. Now let us go and join in the celebrations over at Bear Creek. I am interested to see how they behave.”
“Dad, they are not from another world.”
“It feels like it sometimes. Different traditions and different rules.”
“It is time we were all closer. Now, I will see you both later.” She practically ran out of the house and up the street. There she turned off onto a forest track and headed up a slight incline before cutting into the woods. Eager to get to Will, she plunged into the trees, going higher to make sure she was a safe distance away from the town before she changed. Her bear was as impatient to get to her mate as the human Freyja was. She hit the ground running and took off at high speed up towards the meadow where they used to meet.
The way was etched in her brain; although she hadn’t met him there for years, she still liked it go there and relive those days. Now, it felt as though their past and the future was about to collide in the present. This would be a wonderful place for them to reunite and put everything behind them and look to the future together.
It was a long climb. She slowed, a headlong gallop not easy to maintain when you had to scramble over rocks. Yet the adrenaline coursing through her body drove her on until her heartbeat echoed in her ears. She was so nearly there. Only the northern pass to cross and then she would be through and out onto the slopes that were a no man’s land between Bear Creek and Bear Bluff.
Too late, she heard the sound. Something hard hit her and the world went dark. Was it a falling rock? She had to try to fight the deathly sickness that threatened to consume her as her head thumped in pain. She fought and fought but finally the dark succeeded in claiming her, and her body was still.
***
Something was cold and unforgiving around her neck. She couldn’t move except to glance from side to side in the dim light. In the corner of the room, she could see a figure, hunched over. The whites of his eyes, reflected in the small lamp’s light, were fixed on her. Her insides chilled and her stomach lurched, the bump on her head making her feel nauseous. That paled in comparison to the sense of dread brought upon her from the man in front of her.
“What are you doing?” she croaked.
“I am making sure that my life is not the only one ruined.”
“Don’t do something you’ll regret. Let me go, Carson. Let me go and walk away from this with your life.”
“My life is all I have. Thanks to Will, all else is gone.”
“It is not Will’s fault you lied and cheated. I know he would have always looked after you once his father passed.”
“Oh, and I should be grateful to be once more looked after by my mother’s family. I should be grateful that they took me from her? Made me live a lie for so many years when I knew I didn’t fit in.”
He was up on his feet and pacing towards her. She shrank back, but the collar gave her nowhere to go. “Carson, think about what you are doing. Please let me go.”
“Do you know where you are?”
“No,” she croaked, her eyes working its way around the dim room.
“It’s where they kept my mom while she carried me. They chained her up like an animal.”
“I’m sorry, Carson, but what does that have to do with me or Will?”
“I want him to suffer.”
“He already has.”
“Not enough. Now he has his inheritance back, he is throwing a party in that house. Throwing it in my face, more like.”
“That is not true.”
“Whatever, it doesn’t matter. Of course, you will take his side. So I thought, why not have a little party of my own. He won’t miss his mate; he’s too busy drinking with his biker friends. You do know he’s a drunk, don’t you?”
“Not any more.”
“We’ll see, shall we? Will he be sober enough to miss his little princess before I have my very wicked way with her?” Carson bent down over Freyja and his hand cupped her breast. “So round, so ripe for the plucking. You know I wanted to take your virginity, preferably with Will watching. But now I’ll just settle for taking you any way I want.”
“Carson, you’re sick.”
“That’s what they said about my mom. That’s why they chained her up, so she couldn't turn into a bear. They wanted her to give birth to me in her human form, although she hated it. Why couldn't they have just left us alone? Damn Peter Frasier for keeping us apart.”
Freyja’s mind raced through all the ways she could get out of this. It mainly came down to her turning into a bear and fighting her way out. Yet it was beginning to dawn on her exactly why Carson had brought her here
to this place. It wasn’t to relive past memories or the wrongs he thought had been done by Will’s family. It was because the chain around her neck would stop her changing, she understood now. It was too tight, and if she couldn’t slip out of it, when she returned to this world as a bear it would choke her. She leaned forward to pull against it, but it was securely fastened to the wall.
“That’s right. You are trapped in your human form too. You can’t struggle against the chains that hold you; they won’t budge. I tested them to make sure they weren’t rotted. They were just like new.” He ran his finger along the soft skin of her neck, following the curve of the metal choker. “You are going to submit to me, Freyja of Bear Bluff, and then he will never look at you the same way. If you carry his child, he will always wonder if it is his or his poor deranged cousin’s. It’s not quite what I had in mind when I set out to have you, but it will have to do, I suppose.”
Chapter Nineteen – Will
The Beltane Rites had been something that he had avoided for years. Along with weddings, they were the one thing to make him feel melancholy. It was never much fun watching two people who had found their true mate being happy, when your heart was broken into a million pieces. Now his heart was whole and he wanted to celebrate that. Now he couldn't wait to see Freyja at the party, but first he wanted to say hello to his old friends.
“It’s so good to see you here, Hal,” Will said.
“I always come to these, Will. I believe it is you who has been missed.”
“I didn't know, I thought you stayed up in that cabin of yours, until you met Fiona, of course.” Will kissed Fiona on the back of the hand. “A wolf, very exotic.”
“Hands off, Will,” Hal joked.
“Nice to meet you finally, Will.” Fiona smiled at him, and he was stunned by the paleness of her hair and skin.
“When we get back to the house, I want you all to meet Freyja. Next year she will be here. I plan to marry her as soon as I can.”
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