by Lisa Lace
She was vicious and she would continue to protect herself for the tragedies to come.
He would have to remain aloof or she would run from him. As committed and loyal as she was to her father and their pack, she was scared to death of love and committing to him. She had proven that throughout the night.
“I can’t. I need to get home. My brother is staying with me and will be worried.”
“You’re a terrible liar.” He licked at the side of her neck, his fingers rubbing softly along her arm.
“You’re right. I want us to remain business partners and nothing else until I figure things out with my pack. My desires can’t overshadow my responsibilities. This isn’t just about me, but about hundreds of others that look to my family to do what’s right.”
“You don’t think I am part of what’s right?” He released her as she pulled from him and got out of the bed. Alec turned onto his back, his hands lifting his head as he watched her closely.
His body reared to life again at the sight of her naked and walking around his bedroom. She belonged there. She was his whether she realized it or not. They sat on the edge of the same fight they had ten years ago, but he was older and more willing to relent now. His mentor had taught him many things over the last few years. One was to pick your battles. This wasn’t one he needed to win right now.
Patience was a virtue.
She would need him, physically if nothing else. Now that he had marked her, the bear inside of her would seek its mate with harsh aggression. He didn’t need to push her, she would push herself back into his bed. He would fuck her every night she showed up until her heart followed her need. Then he would have her. Time was the missing element.
“All right. I’m here if you need me. Be careful.” He stretched and tugged at the covers, rolling over and smiling against his pillow as he heard the soft huff come from her. She didn’t say another word, but he knew he had her where he wanted her. He waited to hear the front door close before passing out.
No one would be stupid enough to wake a resting bear.
*
“You got laid. Dear God, don’t tell me it was the black widow that tried to put you in the hospital recently.” Jared poured a cup of coffee before walking to the small breakfast nook where Alec was.
“Ok, I won’t tell you. She’s everything I remember. I feel like the world is slowly setting itself right.” Alec stretched and got up, walking into the kitchen and pulling various items from the refrigerator to cook breakfast.
“You’re fucking insane.” Jared chuckled.
“I don’t care what I am. Best sex of my life. I’d risk everything for that or her anytime. I love it.”
“You love her?”
Alec glanced over his shoulder, not sure how much he wanted Jared to know about him. He needed to trust someone and making friends with his Beta would be natural, but he didn’t trust anyone.
“I’ve proven myself over and over, Alec. I’m here for you. Good, bad or indifferent. I hated the fucker before you. I’ll fight to keep you where you are. If you don’t want to talk about the girl, just say so, but stop looking at me like you don’t know what to say.” Jared shook his head, the look on his face something close to disgust.
“You’re right. If you fuck me over, I’ll just kill you.” Alec shrugged and cracked a few eggs into a bowl.
“This is true. You want me to get out of here so you can eat?” Jared took a long drink of his coffee and waited.
“No. I need you to look into something for me.” Alec picked up a fork and started to whip the contents in the bowl.
“Anything. What’s up?”
“I’m signing the papers on Varetec later this week with Sonya. I need to see who else is out to buy it. I know without a doubt that someone is going to step up and try to take not only the company but the pack as well. I’m interested to see if it’s going to be the same dead man or if I’m going to have to take several lives.”
“I see.” Jared ran his hand over his five o’clock shadow and tapped his fingers on the table. “I suppose someone from the human world would want to take over the company. Victor was an icon. It’s not just us that will be looking for a way to turn a profit.”
“Agreed. Find out who we’re up against. I want a list by tomorrow at the latest. I need to start knocking people out of the line in the most gentlemanly fashion as possible.”
“And after that?” Jared smirked.
“We take a few lives. I’m not interested in leaving any threat where she’s concerned. I want the company and the pack on lock down. Get it done.” Alec turned his attention back to his breakfast, his thoughts shifting back to the night before with his woman beneath him.
Her willingness to let him take her from behind was a sign that she was moving toward wanting a traditional relationship with him. Her actions screamed far louder than her words. She contradicted herself, but she was in a battle. Her body would continue to clash with her strong, independent mind until one side won. The one thing that would tip the scales toward his plans was winning her heart.
He was going to focus by taking care of the things she loved ��� her father, her company and her people.
“Yeah, I love her.” Alec moved to the stove to start cooking as the front door bell sounded. He put it down and growled as Jared got up.
“I’ll get it.”
“Check the security camera to see who it is. I have more threats than guests.” Alec rubbed his chest and rolled his shoulders. He needed to get dressed but wasn’t in the mood to do anything conforming to the norm.
He glanced over his shoulder at the sound of Drago as the older man and Jared walked back toward the kitchen.
“Interesting. Yeah, Alec will want to know about this.” Jared nodded toward Alec. “Hey. Drago says they’ve heard rumblings of a rather aggressive brown bear Alpha heading this way to sniff things out in relation to Victor’s pack.”
“Do we know when this guy will be here, how many people he’s bringing and who he is in the bigger picture?” Alec moved the skillet off the stove and left his breakfast untouched as he walked toward the other two men.
“No, but we need to bring this up to Victor or the leadership of his pack.” Drago leaned against the counter.
“I thought brown bears and black bears didn’t consort together.” Alec tilted his head to the side, wanting to test the old goat and push a little at the same time.
“We don’t consort, but Victor has been a good rival, as you’ve put it. We stay in our domain and he keeps to his. I think this would start a war for us if we didn’t share information we’ve picked up on this new threat.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they already knew.” Jared picked up his cup and walked toward the sink as he shrugged.
“I’ll talk to someone in his pack today. Any information on this guy? No one answered me.” Alec pressed his fists to the kitchen counter as concern for Sonya washed over him.
“We know nothing, but I’ll have someone look into it,” Drago responded before slipping his hands into his pants pockets.
“I’ll investigate. I’ll head out now unless you need something else, Sir?” Jared turned to Alec.
“No. Get on this and get back to both of us fast.” Alec turned his attention back to Drago, wishing the advisor would leave, but sensing there was more to be discussed. “What else?”
“We need to discuss your mating.”
“That’s none of your business.”
“You’re the leader of our family, Alec. Your choice and unwillingness to settle down is very much our issue and our business as members of your pack.”
“I’m tired and I have a shit ton of stuff to work through today. Say what you came to say and get out, Drago.” Alec narrowed his eyes. His bear was not liking the direction of the conversation at all.
“You need to start looking for a black bear to mate with.”
“Not happening.”
“There are whispers that you have somethi
ng going on with Victor’s daughter. The intermingling is going to happen, I agree, but it cannot be a declaration from you. You are a pure blood or the gods would not have chosen you to lead us. You cannot taint that.”
“I’ll do what I like and I’ll say this once more before I tear someone’s fucking head from their shoulders. I’ll choose my mate based on what my bear decides. Back off or he’s going to unleash hell on all of you. I’m the Alpha. Do you want the job? Come and get it.”
Chapter 13
Three Days Later
Sonya had been avoiding Alec for the last three days. Her body drove her toward the edge of insanity, encouraging her to run to him. Her mind was the issue. He was too strong, too direct, and too right for her. If she gave in to him that would be the end, forever.
Sonya sat at the kitchen table, still in her pajamas, her hair a mess. All she could think about was Alec, which caused her to push him farther away. In the midst of all that she had going on, he shouldn’t be the thing taking most of her emotional and mental energy.
Her father didn’t have much longer, and with his death the rest of the world would turn and notice. His illness had been kept concealed from the media, but not well enough.
Alec had texted her after their night of passion with a warning about the Gareth’s though he didn’t name them specifically. She thanked him and told him she would look into it. No reason to, really. Parik would bring her all of the information she needed to make a few decisions, but other than simply waiting for them, her hands were tied.
Alec could take care of the situation, but at what cost? It was inappropriate to involve him. He was probably fending off a civil war within his people as it was.
They had to know about her and certainly had discussed Varetec. She pressed her fingers to her lips as the front door to the house opened. She needed more information on the brown bear and black bear history. Something heavy sat between them.
If there was any chance of a future between her and Alec, she needed to know what they were up against.
“Sonya?” Parik called from the foyer, the sound of his voice bringing her comfort.
“In here. Just thinking about getting up and making breakfast.”
The large dark-skinned man walked in and stopped at the edge of the kitchen. He was in his typical attire of jeans and a polo shirt, his body much too big to pull off a suit.
“Just thinking about it? Martha had breakfast made three hours ago. You’re going to make some poor bear a horrible wife.” He snorted and walked into the kitchen.
“Me making breakfast isn’t even the beginning of it. How about the facts that I hate cuddling, I refuse to share the closet or the bathroom and having kids is out?”
“Yep. Forever alone. You sound like Cade.” Parik walked back in with a cup of coffee in one hand and the coffee pot in the other. “Need a refill?”
She lifted her mug and watched him. His presence made her feel like her father was in the room as well. The two men had been inseparable for most of her life.
“How is my brother? I haven’t seen him in a while. Seems like every time I do, all we end up doing is fighting.” She blew the hot steam off the top of the dark liquid.
“He’s good. Cade just needs time to fight his own demons. He’s not sure at all if he’s the man your father would want him to be. He’s the only son of the Alpha and doesn’t have a bone in his body that screams leader.” Parik pulled out a chair and sat down, leaning back and smiling. “You, on the other hand..”
“I am not interested in spitting in the face of tradition.” She lifted a hand to wave him off. She didn’t want to offend him, but starting down the same well-worn path only to end up with no resolution and a few more hours lost was a waste of time.
“You need to visit your father today. I just came from there and he’s having a hard time lifting his hand from the bed.” Parik picked up his coffee, avoiding her gaze. Sonya caught the sadness in them before he had a chance to look away. She had seen her father every day, but Parik must have missed her visits as they crossed paths.
“I’m going after I stop by the office. Dr. Phillips called this morning and told me to start getting our affairs in order. I need to meet with our lawyer today and finalize Daddy’s will.” She let out a long painful sigh and ran her fingers over the dark blue cloth on the table in front of her.
“Have you been in the safe?”
“No.” She glanced up at the older man. “I can’t force myself to do it. Did Mom and Dad beat compliance into me as a kid? I swear, I just sit there in front of the damn thing and pray it will open on its own so I don’t have to break the rules my father set up long ago. We were told time and time again not to get into that safe.”
“You? Compliant? Never. You’re rebellious just like the rest of us, but you understand and uphold respect. You have a respect for your father that surpasses anything I’ve ever seen. Victor couldn’t be prouder of that quality.” Parik ran his fingers through his thick brown hair. “You need to get into the safe. It holds answers, Sonya. You’ll need them as you move forward.”
“I guess so, but that’s easier said than done. I can’t imagine what’s in the safe that I don’t already know. Alec is Dad’s plan. I get it.”
“Yes, but Alec is far more special than either of you realizes.”
“How so?”
“As the Alpha of the black bears, he has a slim chance of bringing his people to unite with us and save us from what’s headed our way.”
“We don’t need saving. You and I can do this.”
“Hold on. Let me finish and then you can get upset.” He paused, setting his coffee down and leaning forward as he pinned her with his gaze. “He can force his people to do anything. That’s the power of the Alpha.”
“Great. I’m not interested in forcing an old boyfriend into submission to become our Alpha. I’m looking for the right person to step up. He has to want this.”
“And Victor believes that because you are included in the deal, he will want to rule both groups. He can force his people, but not ours.”
“Neither group will ever go for this, Parik. What was my father thinking?”
A loud laugh left the handsome man across the table from her, his action softening the tension. “Read the contents in the safe. You need to understand all the pieces of the puzzle. I’m off to the hospital and then to Varetec this afternoon. I’ll be around if you need me.”
“Did you stop by just to see me?”
“Yep. I’ll be doing that a lot more now that your father isn’t able to do it. My number one responsibility is to protect you and Cade. I would do it without being told.” He stood and walked around the table. Sonya stood and gave her father’s best friend a long hug before releasing him. “Be careful.”
“You too,” she mumbled as he turned to go. She needed to get dressed and head into the office. Varetec was her top priority until she and Alec entered into their agreement later in the week. If she could simply get rid of the desire to forget everything and rush to him, she would be good.
A growl left her lips at the memory of how it felt to have him pressed to her again. Pleasure.
Why couldn’t life be simple?
*
The drive to the office was quick and traffic-free. As Sonya parked and walked into the large building, the receptionist glanced up.
“Morning, Miss Valsek. We’re all thinking about you and your father. Any updates?” Kinsey, a young brown bear female with thick curly hair stood and smiled.
“Nothing’s changed, unfortunately. Hold my calls and alert me if anyone shows up for me. I want to limit my time here today so I can get to the hospital. Got it?” Sonya stopped in front of the desk and slid her hand along the cold marble.
“Absolutely. There shouldn’t be any interruptions. There is nothing on the calendar for today.”
“Thanks.” Sonya turned and walked to the elevator, nodding appropriately as various people spoke to her. She made it to the top floor
and walked into her large office, shutting the door and dropping her bags in an empty chair near her desk.
The office across the hall belonged to her father and would have to be cleaned out, but that could wait. She didn’t have the emotional strength to do it just yet.
She moved to her desk and reached over to hit the blinking red button on her office phone. Alec’s voice filled up space around her. She shivered and stifled a groan. This wasn’t good. His voice alone brought her to her knees. Seeing him was going to be torture.
“Sonya. It’s Alec. I have the final drafts of the papers ready and will deliver them myself to your office, or your home, on Thursday unless you direct me otherwise. I’m busy until then with a few things in order to close the deal for us. If you need me, you know where to find me.”
She sat down, leaning back and pressing play again as she closed her eyes. She had it bad. Really bad and it wouldn’t be long until she broke down and just owned up to the fact that he was the one.
“How fucking scary is that?”
No one had lorded over her in all of her life but her father. She could trust him with her heart and well-being, but Alec? Alec was a hothead, an ass at times and fiercely passionate, not to mention jealous. She was the kind of woman that gave nothing or everything. If she gave him her all, what would she get back in return?
She pressed pause on the machine, not wanting to hear any more. He had too much power over her already. It was only going to get worse.
Giving herself a few more minutes to collect her thoughts, she sat up and turned, pulling various files from her desk drawer. She needed to work up figures for the split and fully understand everything that Alec was proposing before she met with him.
Her father had mentioned that the black bears had an advisory council that worked alongside the Alpha to make pack decisions, but the brown bears didn’t have anything of the sort. Victor didn’t believe in democracy and she wasn’t sure where she stood on it.
Having someone to kick ideas and decisions around with would be great. Her and her father had been doing it forever together, but he wouldn’t be around much longer.
