by Vivian Wood
Gavin, Cam, and Wyatt all groaned in unison when they spotted the beds.
“We are gonna sleep like shit,” Wyatt summarized.
“Like I haven’t already spent the last two weeks missing my California king at home,” Cam agreed.
Gavin tossed his suitcase and sleeping bag on the bed furthest from the door, then stretched.
“At least we’re out of the car,” he said. “Do either of you know where Ma and Pa are staying?”
“Way on the other side of the camp. Most of the Alpha couples are in a single site together, and the rest of the sites are broken up by clan or what part of the country you’re from. No men and women in the same cabin, either,” Cam said.
Wyatt and Gavin both looked at him, brows raised.
“What? Ma gave me the low down yesterday. Said she wanted us to keep out of trouble,” Cam said.
Wyatt dumped his stuff on another of the beds and looked around the room, his distaste evident.
“There had better be some seriously hot women on this trip,” Wyatt sighed.
“Only one way to find out, eh?” Cam suggested, nodding toward the cabin’s front door. “In any event, I’m starving. Maybe we can catch a nice fat deer and wow all the ladies with our impressive hunting skills.”
Gavin could only shake his head and follow his brothers, intent on keeping them in line.
58
Three
Several hours, several deer, and countless ice chests of fish later, the festivities were in full swing. Gavin emerged from the cabin, freshly showered after putting in an hour of gutting and cleaning fish for the fish fry. He thanked his lucky stars he’d grown up at Red Lodge, with his father teaching him how to provide for himself; some of the men at the gathering were downright squeamish about butchering their catches, and the Beran men had been in stitches about it all afternoon.
As Gavin made his way toward the main pavilion, he saw dozens of Berserkers ambling and cavorting in their bear forms, wandering around the camp’s dirt paths. The sight made his chest tight with pleasure, just seeing his people in their natural forms. A rare sight, but something that made him feel proud to be a bear shifter.
He thought of what might happen if a human stumbled into their midst. How panicked they would be, seeing bears of every shape and size, running and growling and tackling one another to the ground. The idea made him laugh out loud.
Gavin was so caught up in his thoughts, his eyes on his feet as he moved, that he didn’t notice Faith until he slammed into her as she stepped out onto the path. His sheer size knocked her to her feet, scattering the contents of the wicker basket she clutched, fruits and vegetables rolling everywhere.
“Oh!” Faith huffed, eyes wide. She wore a simple gray cotton dress, covering her from neck to ankle. Her shiny blonde hair was braided and pinned up, an elegant touch.
“Ah. Sorry about that, Faith,” Gavin said. “Wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“N-no problem,” Faith replied, eyeing him nervously for a moment before looking around at the spilled produce.
“Here, let me give you a hand.” Gavin reached out to help her up, unable to help but notice the way she blanched before she slid her hand into his. He saw her shiver at the contact even as she blushed, as if she were doing something altogether elicit.
“I… uh… I should have been looking, too,” Faith babbled, ripping her hand from his the second she was on her feet. After brushing off her dress, she started picking up the potatoes and corn and plastic-wrapped pints of strawberries and blueberries. Gavin saw that she turned her body at a certain angle, making sure that she wasn’t showing him her backside as she bent to retrieve the items. An oddly modest habit, to be certain.
“No problem,” he said, helping her pick up the last two pints of fruit. He handed them over as she tucked everything back in the basket and covered them with a checkered tablecloth.
Faith looked up at him, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. Her gaze slid away to the dirt path from which she’d appeared, and a line of worry creased her brow.
Gavin frowned, his gaze traveling over to where she was looking.
“Is your brother coming or something?” he asked.
“No. Um. No,” Faith said, changing the subject. “Are you going to the fish fry? I’m taking this stuff over there.”
“Yep. Mind if I walk with you? I don’t want to get you in trouble,” Gavin said.
A flare of anger lit Faith’s eyes for the barest second, and it gave Gavin hope. Perhaps Faith wasn’t as meek as her brother would like, after all. He might control her, but it seemed that some small part of her would not be tamed.
“I’d like that,” she said, to Gavin’s surprise.
“Let me take that basket,” he offered. She handed it over with a quick smile, her head dipping as they started off.
Gavin took the moment to admire the sleek line of her neck, the fine curves of her body under that bland dress. His lips twitched when he realized that no matter how Faith dressed, there was no hiding her femininity.
When they reached the main area, dinner was in full swing. There were tables piled high with freshly fried fish and venison, plus every side dish and dessert imaginable.
“This looks amazing,” Gavin said.
“Yeah, I guess I was a little late bringing the basket,” Faith said as she scoped out the feast.
“I don’t think it will be missed,” Gavin said with a wink. Faith blushed again, but dipped her head in silent agreement. “Why don’t we get a plate and find a table together?”
Faith bit her lip again, looking torn.
“I’d like to, but… I’m worried that my brothers won’t like it.”
“What if we go sit with my parents? Surely no one can object with chaperones like that,” Gavin suggested.
After a long beat, Faith nodded.
“That sounds good,” she said.
“Cool. I’m definitely ready to try some of this venison,” Gavin said, leading her to the buffet line. He piled a plate high with food, anticipating being able to burn it off later on a long moonlit run. He couldn’t miss the fact that Faith hardly put anything on her plate; a piece of roasted fish, some salad without dressing, and a little fruit made her entire meal.
“That’s it?” he asked, curious. Faith blushed like crazy, shifting back and forth on her feet.
“I’m not that hungry,” she said. As she spoke, she looked off behind Gavin. When he turned, he saw her brother watching them both intently.
“Alright,” he said, not wanting to increase her discomfort. “Hey, there’s my Ma. Let me introduce you.”
Without warning, Gavin grabbed Faith’s free hand and tugged her toward the table where his mother and father sat with Gavin’s Aunt Lindsay.
“Don’t worry, they won’t bite,” Gavin told Faith.
Before she could answer, they were at the table. Gavin’s family looked up, curious.
“Guys, this is Faith. Faith, this is my father Josiah, my mother Genny, and my Aunt Lindsay.”
“Faith, nice to meet you!” Gavin’s mother responded instantly. She stood and offered her hand, which Faith took.
“Are you from the Krall clan?” Gavin’s father asked, taking Faith in with his sharp gaze.
“No. My father is Aros Messic,” Faith said.
From the way his father’s brows rose, Gavin could tell that there was a back story there, but he said nothing.
“Well, nice to meet you,” Josiah said.
“Sit, sit!” Aunt Lindsay said, indicating the two empty seats at the end of the picnic table. Gavin took the one next to his father, leaving Faith the seat opposite, next to his mother.
“So, Faith, what do you do?” Gavin’s mother asked.
“I’m a preschool teacher,” Faith said, giving Genny a soft smile.
“Oh, how nice!” Genny beamed, glancing at Gavin. Gavin repressed a sigh; his mother was the eternal matchmaker.
“Gavin’s a social worker,” Aunt Lindsay told Faith
.
Faith glanced at Gavin, interest lighting her expression.
“So you help people for a living, huh?” Faith asked.
“I try, at least,” he replied with a shrug.
“Well, you both work with children,” Genny pointed out.
Gavin nodded and dug into his food, savoring the fried fish and potato salad.
“Faith is quite the storyteller,” Gavin told his family. “I met her yesterday because she was telling a very animated story about… what was it, a goat?”
Faith laughed.
“A pony, I think,” she said. “My mother used to tell me stories about a pony who wanted to eat everything he saw, and it seems to be as popular as ever.”
“Whereabouts are you from, Faith?” Genny asked.
“Centralia, across the river in Illinois,” she answered. “Less than forty-five minutes from here.”
“Do you have a big family?” Lindsay asked.
“Guys, let her eat. Jeez,” Gavin interrupted.
“No, no, it’s okay,” Faith said, her eyes sparkling. “I have fourteen brothers and sisters.”
“Good lord!” Josiah barked. “That’s some kind of kin you’ve got there.”
“It’s never lonely,” Faith agreed.
“Did you get some of this chocolate cake?” Lindsay asked, motioning to the piece on her plate. “It’s German chocolate, incredible.”
“Ah… ummm, I didn’t,” Faith said, her eyes dropping to her plate. She toyed with her fork, pushing around a few pieces of fruit but not actually eating anything.
“Not a chocolate lover?” Lindsay asked.
“We keep a strict diet in our family,” Faith said, lifting a shoulder. Her gaze went up again, searching, and when Gavin looked up he saw that Faith’s brother Jared was watching their table like a hawk. He looked deeply displeased, despite the fact that Faith could hardly be more well-chaperoned.
“Well, I had some of that roasted fish that you have, and it is delicious,” Genny jumped in. “Perfectly done.”
Faith smiled, a soft dimple flashing in her cheek. She took a bite of the fish and nodded in agreement.
“I’m just glad I’m being fed,” Gavin said. “My secret is that I’m a good cook, but I’m lazy. I eat out a lot more than I’d like to admit.”
“I love to cook. Baking, especially,” Faith said. “I bake a lot of bread. I know that carbs are terrible for you, but I can’t seem to help myself.”
“Carbs, schmarbs,” Genny said. “You should eat what makes you happy. I just make sure I go for a nice walk every afternoon, and that keeps me in fighting form.”
Faith looked thoughtful.
“I don’t get out of the house as much as I’d like,” she admitted. “There’s always something going on at home, some fire to put out. I’m the oldest girl, so I’m in high demand.”
Everyone laughed.
“I can only imagine,” Genny said.
“Faith, will you be watching the wrestling and races tomorrow? Maybe you can come watch with us,” Lindsay suggested, giving Gavin a sly look. It appeared that his Aunt was just as much a match maker as his mother.
“I’d like to, but… I’ll have to ask my father,” Faith said, setting down her fork.
Gavin noticed the black look that came across his father’s face, and made a note to ask him about it later.
“Maybe Pa could ask,” Gavin offered, nodding toward his father.
“No! I mean… I don’t think that’s necessary,” Faith said, looking a little stricken at the idea. “I’ll talk to him.”
“You really should. You can meet two of Gavin’s brothers, Cameron and Wyatt. They’re entertaining,” Aunt Lindsay chuckled.
Gavin shot her a quick glare. A sweet, innocent blonde like Faith would be all too tempting to his mischievous brothers. There was no way in hell she was going to become part of their moronic bet.
Across the clearing, Gavin saw that Faith’s brother was beckoning to her with an impatient gesture. Gavin scowled, trying to understand how the man could possibly hold so much sway over the whole family.
“I’d better go. See you tomorrow, maybe?” Faith asked Gavin.
“It’s a date,” he said. Faith blushed and laughed, that dimple flashing again. She said her goodbyes to his family and then went to her brother’s side, soon after vanishing from the pavilion altogether.
“Alright. What’s the deal?” Gavin said, turning to his father.
Josiah shifted in his seat as he watched Faith and a couple of her siblings leave the pavilion. He looked contemplative for a moment, then grimaced.
“Aros Messic is not a good Alpha,” Josiah sighed. “What little I’ve seen of him, mostly through yearly meetings of the Alphas’ Council, has not been pleasant. He’s so straight laced that he makes me look like a liberal, and he’s fanatical in his beliefs.”
“I’m almost hesitant to ask what those beliefs are,” Gavin sighed. “Faith seems pretty afraid of him. Her brother, too.”
“One of Aros’s sons is his right-hand man. Jamie, or Jim…” Josiah said.
“Jared, I think,” Gavin supplied.
“Right, sure. Well, they keep the old ways. And by old, I mean they are still worshipping Odin and Freyr and Thor. I don’t know all the details, but I know that Aros considers modernization to be evil, and rules his children and clan accordingly. He advocates for a return to the old ways, before industrialization.”
Gavin sucked in a breath, his brow furrowing.
“You mean… He’s not just anti-computer, he’s anti-train?” Lindsay asked, mirroring Gavin’s own thoughts almost exactly.
“His whole family lives off the grid. They farm and raise livestock, and only consume what they produce. Frankly, I’m surprised to see the clan here. I can’t imagine that any of the women at this event would give up their whole life to live in rural Illinois, without so much as a telephone,” Josiah said.
“Why anyone would want to do that, I don’t know,” Genny added. “And it’s not like Aros has any great success to point to as evidence of his ways being the best. The whole clan is poorer than dirt. I heard a rumor that his first wife had to give birth in a field once.”
His mother shuddered, tsking.
“Why don’t any of them run away?” Gavin asked.
“It’s like a cult, centered around the Berserker legacy. Aros uses our kind as an example, saying that the Norse gods are every bit as real as you and me. He and his kin have all reared their children up to believe every word he says, and those who disagree are kicked out of the clan.”
Gavin understood that threat all too well. Less than two months ago, the Alphas’ Council had leveled that very threat on any mating-aged Berserker who hadn’t managed to take a mate within twelve months of the decree.
It meant losing any Berserker friends and family, yes. But it also meant being denied access to the many Berserker wilderness preserves and refuges, some of the only places where it was truly safe to run free in bear form. Berserkers with no clan affiliation might have to go as far as South America or British Columbia to find a big enough stretch of land to roam au naturel safely.
“Why hasn’t the Alphas’ Council done anything about him?” Gavin asked, perplexed.
Josiah shrugged, looking a little guilty.
“He’s a pain in the ass, but he has the right to run his clan however he wants. Running him off from the Alphas’ Council would only mean that we have even less idea what he’s cooking up out there in the woods. At least now we can keep an eye on him.”
“He’s a nasty piece of work,” Gavin’s mother chipped in. “I’m surprised that Faith has such a level head, coming from that clan.”
Gavin could feel his mother’s curious gaze, no doubt trying to fit Gavin and Faith together like puzzle pieces.
“Do yourself a favor and steer clear of all the men in her family,” his father said. “Every single one I’ve ever met has been spoiling for a fight, and they don’t pull punches. Sh
e’s a nice enough girl, but…”
“Great, okay,” Gavin cut his father off. “I think I’m going to catch up with Wyatt and Cam.”
Pushing up from the table, he snatched up his half-empty plate and headed off to find his brothers. In the back of his mind, though, he couldn’t stop thinking about Faith’s wide-eyed beauty.
59
Four
Faith Messic lay on her sleeping bag in the darkened bedroom of the cabin she shared with her sisters Debra, Shannon, and Lacey. She stared up at the ceiling, repressing a restless sigh. When her brother Jared found her eating lunch with the Beran family, he’d towed her behind right back to the cabin. Then her father had started in. After dressing her down in front of the whole family, calling her a light-skirt, whatever that was, he’d commanded Faith’s sisters to watch her closely. Lest she lose the remainder of her morals, he’d said.
Faith bit her lip, trying to stay still. She’d played nice all night, eating dinner at the clan’s private pavilion and playing outdated board games with her nieces and nephews until bed time. Ignoring her sisters’ whispered questions and curious gazes, she’d straightened her spine and put a smile on her lips, something she was used to doing.
In truth, Faith had grown very good at pretending to be herself. Her old self, that was. The uneducated, unworldly version of herself that ceased to exist over three years ago, the one she brought back to life each day to please her father and brothers.
Closing her eyes, Faith wondered if she’d made the right decision when she’d convinced her father to let her attend community college and get her early education degree. It was an uphill battle, and once she’d talked her father into it she could hardly back down. Not even when her very first class had taken place in a computer lab, much to her dismay.
Faith pressed her lips together, holding back a giggle when she thought of her wide-eyed younger self. She’d been so sheltered that she’d required an extra semester of classes just to catch up on the history, math, and science principles she’d never learned in home schooling, and tutoring sessions in English composition, computers, and finance.
