“She could have come here tonight,” Hal said.
“I didn’t want to push the whole Clan thing too much. She is a rival, until she wears my ring and bears my cubs.”
“No one would have minded.”
“I hope not. I have invited Freyja and her father to the party afterwards.”
“Then let’s get going,” Jamie said.
“Hello, Jamie. Kayleigh and the lovely Antonia.”
The group around him grew as Sam came over with Brad and Abi. Here they all were, mated, with the Ritual over, meaning they would all experience the long life of their mate. It all felt so good, so right. But there was a part of him that was uneasy. He wanted to feel Freyja in his arms, to dance with her, to laugh with her. Surrounded by the other happy faces, he felt alone again and he didn’t like it.
“Let’s go, they’ll be here soon.”
No one was driving tonight, so they all made their way along the lanes festooned with flowers to his house. Behind them, the Beltane Fires burned as they would until morning. When they were dying embers, the ash would be collected and spread on the fields and in the forest as a sign of rebirth and renewal. It was all part of an ancient ceremony.
Scents filled his nose. The aromas of wood smoke and Jasmine mingled with cooking meat, which grew stronger, making his mouth water. He was starving, but he wouldn’t eat until she was here.
“Help yourself. I will meet up with you later.”
He walked around to the front of the house; Joel, Ethan and the rest of his men were leaning against the wall, drinking. “Here he is, the next man to be tied down.”
“You might laugh, but it will come to you all soon enough.”
“Never,” shouted Kris.
“You cannot outrun fate my friend, even on that bike of yours.” He laughed along with them until he saw Eirik’s truck approaching. “Excuse me.”
“Henpecked already,” Joel laughed.
“No need to keep my lady waiting,” Will said and waved to them as he moved off to greet his mate. It would be all he could do to keep his hands off her this evening. They had spent so many hours apart while he arranged everything, but he knew it was worth it and he wanted to share this night with her.
“Will?”
The look on her father’s face sent an ice-cold dagger into his heart. Something was wrong. She wasn’t here; he couldn’t feel her presence. “Where is Freyja?” His voice sounded from far away, the bear was already clawing to be set free. He had to hold himself together, there were too many people here. People who had come for a party, not to be introduced to a bear. Not everyone in Bear Creek knew their secret.
“She went to meet you.”
“Will,” Eirik said, stepping out of his truck. “She got a note; it said you were going to meet her in the meadow.”
Will knew exactly what meadow, and in a heartbeat, he was running, behind the house and out of view. There he let the bear have his way. It was only after a mile of frantic running did he slow down and pace himself and realise he was not alone.
Five bears, bears he knew so well, were with him. His crew, the men he had forged a new life with, were there with him. Then two strange bears: he could only guess they were Stuart and Eirik. Willing to do anything in their power to rescue their clan member. And yes, this was going to be a rescue. Carson was about to try one last time to ruin their lives. For only he would do something like this on a night like tonight, when everyone else would be preoccupied with drink and dance.
The air burned in his lungs as he climbed higher and higher through dense forest. The meadow wasn’t too far, but something bothered him. He couldn’t feel her presence. If she was that close, he should have been able to sense her, to smell her. But he couldn’t. So when he burst out of the forest onto the wide-open plateau, he was not surprised to find it empty.
He stood for a few seconds while, one by one, the others burst out of the trees. Eirik was the first to transform back to his human form. He stood looking around, a look of anger on his face. “Can anyone scent her?”
Will changed next. “I know where he will take her. It's not far.”
Head down, he turned and followed a track, soon picking up their trail. Carson was still in human form, carrying Freyja by the look of how much his footprints sunk into the dirt. The bears followed.
The path grew harder to follow and Will began to despair, his head filled with terrible thoughts of what Carson might be doing to Freyja. Then, when he had nearly given up hope, he felt her presence. Stopping, he took a moment to locate her, shifting his big bear body one way and the other until he knew exactly where she was. Then he took off at a run, covering the ground quickly, needing to find her to make sure she was safe. And to kill Carson.
He swallowed those thoughts. He could not be reckless in this; he wanted a happy life with Freyja, and being a wanted man would not be conducive to that.
They came across the cave mouth almost by accident. It was well concealed, but there were scuff marks where Carson had dragged his feet with fatigue. He must be exhausted, too exhausted to hurt Freyja, Will prayed.
Stopping, he indicated for the others to wait while he entered the cave to assess the situation. What he would do if Freyja was harmed he didn’t know, but he needed to be the one to do this. It was his mate and his cousin. But just as he entered the cave, something big and clumsy ran into him.
“Carson,” he roared, his breath hot and angry.
Carson roared at Will and then took in all the other bears. He hadn’t been expecting that. Will took advantage and rammed into Carson, hitting him squarely on the shoulder. Carson hit the floor but was up on his feet in no time.
The two bears faced each other, while his biker bears made a ring around them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Eirik and Stuart change back to their human form and creep into the cave. All he had to do was keep Carson busy, or knock him unconscious.
He also wanted to make him suffer for this final betrayal. And it would be final. Carson would live, but he would think twice about ever returning to Bear Creek.
Will flicked his paw across Carson’s face the next time he charged, slicing his skin. Blood seeped out of the wound and Carson grunted in pain. They faced each other again, circling each other slowly. This time Will attacked and managed to feign a strike and then bite Carson on the leg, making him limp.
Carson had become soft over the years, whereas Will often sparred with his friends. This edge soon became apparent as Will slowly wore Carson down until a mixture of tiredness and small injuries took their toll. So that when Eirik appeared, carrying Freyja, Will was ready to inflict his finishing blow.
A head shot. One strong, curled up, paw straight under Carson’s chin. As he flailed around, Will bit his shoulder, making him bleed profusely. Carson roared with pain, and Will shattered the air with his cry of victory.
His bikers got between the two warring bears, separating them, as Carson lay unconscious on the ground. He knew the look in their eyes. They would take care of this business; he didn’t ask and he didn't want to know what they would do with him. He only knew that they were not murderers, but Carson would be left in no uncertainty. He would never return to Bear Creek.
In Eirik’s arms a tearful Freyja watched as Will turned from bear to man. She reached out her arms and went to him, his strong arms encircling her and holding her close. Eirik relinquished her and stood next to Stuart, watching Carson being taken away.
Will could not read Eirik's thoughts but his expression spoke of revenge. That would one day be served cold, if Carson ever came within his sight. But Will turned his thoughts from that; he only wanted to be near Freyja and to comfort her.
But Freyja was a bear and bears don’t stay down for long.
Chapter Twenty – Freyja
“I am going to rip his head off,” she said.
Will held her close to him. “No, you are not. He is no longer our concern.”
“Until I know he will never come near us
again, he is my concern.”
“Freyja. Let someone else deal with it.” He turned to her father. “I will take care of her.”
“I know, Will.” Stuart turned away, leaving them alone.
“Come with me. Back to the meadow.”
Freyja fought the need to turn into her bear and scratch her claws down Carson’s face. “OK,” she answered sullenly.
He carried her there, even though she could have walked. She let him have this feeling that he was protecting her, keeping her safe. Yet she hated feeling useless and in need of protection.
Will set her down on a stone, she knew it well; they had carved their names in it with a sharp twig. The names were now worn away, but their love was engraved on this meadow, deep into the earth and in the surrounding trees.
“My timing is terrible. I know.” Here he bent down on one knee and produced a ring. “But will you marry me, Freyja?”
She hadn’t expected this. Not now. “Will. I … yes.”
His face broke into the widest grin she had ever seen. “Here.” He placed the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly. Because he knew every curve of her body, every expression on her face. As she knew him. The ten years apart disappeared; their days would be filled with happiness and laughter. And bear cubs. His cubs. Carson had not had time to spoil her, and she knew no other man would ever try to take her from her biker bear.
“There is a party going on in Bear Creek. Would you do me the honour of being my date?”
“Of course,” she said. “I’ll race you.”
With that, she kissed him briefly on the cheek. Then the air shimmered and her bear appeared, running across the mountain meadow. Behind her, a large male bear gave chase. It could have been a scene from their past. However, this was most definitely their present, and they were rushing towards their perfect future.
The End
Bound To Her Bear
Eirik and Drew have both seen the heartache caused when your bonded mate dies. Haunted by these experiences in their own ways, both have shied away from finding their true mate.
Eirik carries the shame of his father's actions, while Drew has to live with her heartbroken dad. Seeing his downward spiral into despair at the loss of his mate, she knows she could never put herself through the same pain. Better to be alone than to be left bereft of the love of your life.
However, when they meet by chance and discover a mutual attraction, they decide that maybe a little uncomplicated fun might not be so bad.
But every bear has a mate. What will happen to their relationship when fate steps in and true mates are finally revealed?
Chapter One - Eirik
Eirik walked out of the meeting with the council and stood looking longingly at the mountains surrounding Bear Bluff. He had so much to do, so many of his father’s old papers to go over. He hated that so much scrutiny had been put onto the affairs of the man who’d raised him. However, after his father had signed the sacred lands of Bear Bluff over to a bear from Bear Creek, his judgement had been called into question.
Even though everything had been resolved and there had been no foundation in fact to the claim on the land. It had left the council shaken and his father’s memory tarnished.
“You, my old friend, need to let your fur down,” a voice said behind him. A well-meaning arm went around his shoulders and led him towards the trail, which wound its way up into the mountains.
“I have so much to do, Ben,” Eirik answered wistfully.
“Doctor’s orders,” Ben grinned wickedly at Eirik. “Seriously, if anyone thinks you are shirking off, then I will tell them I prescribed it. You look too stressed out to work. Take a break, come run with me.” He looked at his watch. “I don’t have a patient for another hour. It will do us both good.”
“What, you have to get away from all the women in Bear Bluff trying to come on to you?”
“If you had this face, you wouldn’t laugh. I cannot exactly tell all the human women that I am waiting for my true mate. I think that would make them worse. Think they could somehow tame me into loving them.”
Eirik laughed. “Don’t expect me to feel sorry for you, Ben.”
“At least I’ve made you laugh, Eirik. You have been so caught up in this business with your father, you have forgotten that there is more to life.”
“I’m afraid I don’t have the same problem as you. No women chase me. I don’t have your boyish charm and good looks.”
“I didn’t mean females. I meant the mountain. She will be our mistress for the next hour.”
“You missed your calling in life, Ben. You should have been an actor with all that drama.”
“I already have women falling at my feet. I don’t need any more.”
Eirik stood for a moment and breathed in the scent of the heather on the lower slopes. He loved this time of year. Summer was just giving away to autumn, the leaves would soon begin to turn, and he would miss it all if he didn’t leave Bear Bluff.
“OK. I have to put these papers away first.”
“I’ll come with you,” said Ben.
“I can manage; it’s not as though I am going to get mugged for them.”
“Ahh, but you will. By your conscience. You will go into your office, place the papers on your desk, and then think that you should just look them over before going out. Before you know it, dusk will fall and you will think you should go and visit your mom.”
Eirik laughed again and shook his head. “I was wrong; you should be a mind reader instead. Come on.”
Chapter Two - Drew
She watched the two men walk away laughing. It had been a long time since she had felt any happiness. Her life was a series of dramas linked together. If it wasn’t her job, it was the washing machine breaking down or some other disaster. And threaded through all this, was the constant worry about her father and his drinking.
Slipping out from behind the library, where she had hidden from the doctor and Eirik, she ran across to the track leading up onto the mountain. There really wasn’t time in her hectic day to let herself run free, but she owed it to herself. Or more precisely, if she didn’t allow herself some freedom, she would go insane.
As she climbed the first part of the trail, she breathed in the freedom of this moment. Ever since her mom had died, her dad had been so consumed with loss that he had hit the bottle and never found the bottom. She gingerly touched her eyebrow, feeling the slight swelling and soreness there. Her father’s temper, brought on by grief, got the better of him all the time. It had gotten him fired, meaning he had more time to mourn his mate and more time to drink.
She had to stop thinking about it. This was her time, and she wouldn’t taint it with thoughts of her dad, who was now snoring loudly, passed out drunk. Turning round the bend that took her out of view of the town below her, she went on a little further, holding her bear in check. It scraped at her mind, wanting to be released from the cage she had to keep it in.
Drew always had to be in control, always had to be the grown-up. With her mom’s passing, she had been catapulted into the role of carer, sole provider, and often nurse. She cleaned and cooked, trying to keep the house up together, for no other reason than it was what her mom had done all her life. And Drew missed her, more than words could ever express. Her heart ached for the chance to be held by her again, to feel loved and secure. It was why she always forgave her dad. If she missed her mom that much, how could her dad bear the loss of his true mate?
That was one thing she had no intention of finding out. She had enough on her plate right now, so she never actively looked for her mate. And he never looked for her. It was already obvious that none of the bears in Bear Bluff were her soul mate, and not many visitors came here. And she liked it that way. There was no more of her to go around; she spread herself thin enough already.
Turning, she looked to see if there was anyone else nearby. Occasionally, hikers came up this way, and she couldn’t let a stranger find out about her secret. She stopped and li
stened, her human senses not as good as her bear’s, but she was satisfied there was no one to see her almost magical transformation. Just to make sure, she disappeared beneath a tree to give herself maximum seclusion.
Closing her eyes, she imagined her bear, struggling to control the change. Her bear, so frantic to be released, took a run at the edges of her mind and sailed right out into the open. She hated when the change happened so fast: it left her feeling odd, like her body wasn’t quite put together right. Or that her head was on backwards. Sitting down, she tried to gather herself together. What a funny sight she must look, a bear with her head between her paws.
Finally able to stand and walk in a straight line, she moved out from the trees and began the rest of the climb up the hill, aiming to follow the lower edge of the trees before turning to climb high up into the wild mountain. She stopped. There was someone else coming. Damn. It was Eirik and the doctor. With a great breath she leaped onto a boulder and then down into a small valley, hoping she would be able to stay out of sight. She might have been able to outrun them, but she would prefer to be on her own and amble along, enjoying the peace. These two, on the other hand, were fit and would no doubt run up the mountain in a testosterone-fuelled race. She only hoped they would be too preoccupied with outdoing each other to see her.
Standing silently, wisps of their conversation came to her on the air. Come on, hurry up, she thought. They were checking for anyone around, luckily their human noses would not be able to scent her. She was safe for now. The two men, now satisfied they were alone, were about to go into the small wood. But before they could, the doctor’s pager began to buzz.
“Sorry, Eirik. Have to go. A bear is about to be born and I have to help deliver it. One of the best parts of my job, seeing another of our kind being born into our clan.”
“I’ll come back down with you,” said Eirik.
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