Connor lied silently for a while. He loved having her small shape sprawling over him. He listened to her as she slept until the fire burned itself out, then managed to find sleep himself, for a time.
CHAPTER 6
Connor woke to the chill of the cabin air. The fire now dead and the heat dissipated, he braved the cold to start their fire anew. From behind he heard Tess rolling beneath the sheets.
“Morning,” he whispered.
Tess rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.
“Morning,” she replied, “You know, I thought you wanted to come here so you could talk.”
Connor got the fire lit and closed the small cast iron door to the stove. He joined her in the bed and she did her best to warm him by snuggling against him.
“Can’t we just relax a while longer,” he asked. Connor sighed and lied on his back. His arm wrapped around Tess who covered his exposed chest.
“If you have nothing to say, then I’ll talk,” she said, “I probably should have told you sooner but … I can’t shift.”
Connor lifted his head to see her expression. She had to be joking, yet her face read serious.
“How,” Connor wondered as he pushed himself up to his elbows and leaned against the headboard, “Why?”
“I’ve been talking to the resident doctor,” she said, rolling to her side, “he said it’s rare but it sometimes happens to pregnant shifters.”
“So you’re stuck like this until you give birth?” he asked.
“I don’t have a choice. If I force a shift then I might lose the baby,” she said.
Connor was stunned. This must have been incredibly rare because he’d never heard of such a thing before. There was nothing he could do about it but he still cursed under his breath.
“I don’t know what to say,” Connor said in frustration.
“It sucks,” Tess barked, “I’ve wanted to go for run for the last month and it took me this long to gather up the courage to tell you. I thought you would have noticed by now.”
It wasn’t that he didn’t notice, it was more that he was so busy he couldn’t have noticed. Being the leader of the pack was more responsibility than he understood.
“I’m glad you were able to tell me,” he replied, “It’s not so bad.”
“Are you kidding!?” she shouted, “It’s the worst!”
Connor laughed and Tess slapped him on the shoulder for being so cavalier about something she found frustrating.
“I’m glad I made you happy,” she said, scrunching up her face.
Connor squeezed her close in hopes that she’d just forget everything he just said. She eased up but her eyes stared daggers nonetheless.
“Okay, I shared my news,” she said, “are you going to share yours?”
“Where do I begin? We have a bear captive at the den and I have no idea what to do with her. Every time I look at her I just want to sink my teeth into her neck and end it, but she came peacefully. Apparently we have your brother to thank for that,” Connor growled. “His girlfriend just showed up and dumped her into my lap. I couldn’t stand the thought of talking to one of those things.”
Tess held him around the chest and kissed him on the neck.
“Is Alex watching her right now?” she asked.
“Alex isn’t even part of the pack anymore,” Connor replied. He was trying his hardest to stay calm while talking but recent events with Alex just made him upset.
“What?” Tess asked with a look of dread on her face. “How could you have kicked him out of the pack like that? He’s my brother for fuck’s sake.”
“I got in a fight with him. It wasn’t terrible. We didn’t exchange punches or anything. I was pissed off after watching so many of my brothers die; proud warriors willing to give their life for the good of the pack. Here he was, playing nice with our enemy. My blood was boiling and I lost my temper when I talked to him.” Connor clenched his fists without realizing. His body was reacting before his mind. If Alex were here right now he wouldn’t have made it out with just a few angry words. He inhaled deeply and exhaled to calm himself before continuing. “It was his decision, and I wasn’t about to beg him to stay. So, he got on his motorcycle with his girlfriend and they left.”
“You’re going to find him, right?” she asked after a time. It seemed to take her a while to process what she’d heard.
Connor exhaled deeply. He wondered if he should tell her about the hunter that was looking for Alex, but thought it best not to make Tess more upset.
“I’m not sure he’d want me to,” he said, thinking back to the fight. “What should I do?”
“I guess if Alex left on his own terms we’ll have to wait for him to return by himself,” she said in defeat. “What about that bear, couldn’t you try talking to her? Alex is passionate, not stupid. He wouldn’t trust a bear, let alone trust a bear near Cynthia if he wasn’t absolutely sure it was safe.”
“I suppose you’re right. I’m just not sure I can talk to her after what I’d done,” he said after contemplating the thought.
“Of course I’m right, dummy. This is why we make a good team. Look, I’m going to come back with you and we can talk to her together,” Tess stated. “Or maybe I’ll just talk to her alone.”
“No, you should stay here,” he said, “who knows when the bears are going to attack next, especially since we’re weakened and have one of their own.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she said, “I’ve made up my mind.”
Connor wanted to warn her against it, but he knew that when she got an idea in her mind, she would follow through to the end. He rubbed at his forehead with the edge of his hand.
“Fine,” he said, “But if we get in any sort of trouble you have to follow everything that I say without fail, deal?”
“Deal,” she said.
She perked from the bed and started dressing herself. Connor watched her tug on her simple underwear and he could already feel himself getting hard under the covers. He would have run across the entire continent for that sight and he counted himself lucky that he had it right now.
“We should leave as soon as we can,” she said turning around while pulling her bra on. “After we talk to this woman, we’re finding my brother. He has some explaining that he has to do.”
Connor nodded and curled his tongue back into his mouth. He was too entertained by the eyeful he had in front of him. Eventually he began to dress himself as well.
“Trust me,” Connor said, “when I find your brother I’ll make sure he answers all our questions.”
She smiled at him and he wondered how lucky he was to find a girl like Tess. Would he have had the courage to be alpha if it weren’t for her? He didn’t think so.
CHAPTER 7
Tess leapt from the truck and threw her arms around her father as soon as the old yellow truck came to a halt in front of the farmhouse. He wore the thick scar that now streaked down the side of his face with pride.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” she said.
“It would take a lot more than an army of bears to kill your old man,” Marcus laughed. Connor stepped up to the top of the stairs and shook his hand firmly.
“Thanks for covering while I was away,” he said.
“Oh, it’s only been two days or so, don’t mention it.”
Connor and Tess pushed their way into the farmhouse. The smell of freshly burnt food filled the air and Tess gagged, covering her face as best she could.
“What is that smell?” she demanded.
Her father limped his way inside.
“I probably should have said that I was trying to cook earlier and the time got away from me.”
He laughed and Connor went about the house, prying open every window he could find. The smoke and scent eventually started to billow out and everyone was thankful to be able to breathe again.
“Have you decided anything?” the old wolf asked.
Connor sighed and looked to Tess.
“We’ll talk to her,”
Tess said confidently.
Her father nodded and returned outside where he started barking out orders to whoever might be standing around. A few minutes passed.
“Now, let me do the talking,” Tess said, “She’s probably really riled up since you locked her in a cell for the last few days.”
Connor nodded and poked at the overly burnt food that sat on a pan nearby. He plucked a piece out to try it but was met with the taste of char. He immediately spat it back out as Samantha hobbled in.
Tess gestured to the chair nearby at the table. Samantha’s eyes didn’t leave the burnt chicken on the countertop.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t fed her,” Tess asked.
“We fed her!” he replied, “I think.”
Tess grabbed the pan of food while staring angrily at Connor.
“You’re such an idiot sometimes,” she said.
Connor shrugged.
“Leave us alone for a while, will you?” Tess said.
“What if she starts attacking you,” Connor said shaking his head no.
“I think I can handle myself,” she replied sharply.
“Can you?” Connor asked. Tess shot him a look that spelled death and he back down. Alpha or no, Connor had no interest in being on the other side of that gaze for long.
“I’ll just be in the next room then,” he said.
The pair of women watched as he left the room and closed the kitchen door behind him.
As soon as he was out of sight, Samantha tore into the overcooked food. She didn’t care what it tasted like; she just wolfed down any part she could get her hands on.
“I’m sorry about all this,” Tess said, “He’s really nice, usually.”
The girl didn’t acknowledge Tess at all. Her hunger had overcome her sense of modesty. Tess sat silently nearby, waiting for her to finish. The food was gone within minutes and the girl slumped into her chair, satisfied.
“There,” Tess said, “can we chat now?”
“I’m still deciding,” Samantha replied.
“I heard Alex helped you out?” Tess said, “He’s my brother.”
The girl nodded and showed off her leg. The cast that still held it firm was weather beaten but still in good enough condition.
“He did this to me,” she said, “I thought I was going to die. We fell off a cliff and I was lucky to survive. Still, he came back and tied off the wound long enough for one of my pack mates to get me to safety.” She pulled the leather jacket that Alex had given her tighter around her shoulders.
“Alex told us that you knew why the bears were attacking,” Tess said.
“I do,” Samantha replied, “but if I told you would you really care to listen?”
“Of course!” Tess said.
“That’s not the way he saw it,” Samantha nodded her head to the door that Connor exited. “I knew I was coming into enemy territory but the least he could have done is heard me out right away. Instead, I have to deal with starving in a cage for almost four days before he so much as looks at me.”
“Is there anything I can give you to make you more comfortable right now?” Tess asked.
“Water,” she said, crossing her arms.
Tess stood and took a glass from the cabinet and filled it for Samantha. The girl took it quickly and guzzled down. With a satisfied sigh she replaced the glass on the table top.
“Please, help me understand why the bears have started attacking us,” Tess urged.
“You should know, shouldn’t you?” she said, “You’re the ones that started all the fighting.”
“What do you mean?” Tess asked confused.
“It was one of your kind that up and killed his our alpha’s mate. They found her dead by the roadside. Her body covered in wolf bite marks,” she said.
Tess held her hands to her mouth. The thought that any one of the wolves in the pack could have killed someone like that in cold blood made her heart sink.
“There’s no way anyone from this pack did that,” Tess said.
“Doesn’t matter, does it? Our alpha demanded that we wipe them all out. He was such a nice guy before then,” she said.
“It does matter. He wants to kill all the men, women, and children I’ve grown up with. There are lives at stake here.”
“And don’t you think I know that!” Samantha asked in return, “I don’t want to see more of my family fight and die because some wolf can’t keep his mouth shut.”
Tess sat down, stunned and silent. She couldn’t make sense of the situation in her own head no matter how hard she tried. She knew most shifters for a hundred miles and none of them would have killed another shifter unless provoked.
“What can we do to end this?” Tess asked.
Samantha leaned forward at the table.
“There are two ways. Either we keep fighting and dying, or you find the wolf responsible for killing his wife and turn him over,” she said.
Connor walked in.
“I thought I told you to wait outside,” Tess said.
“I was listening through the door,” Connor said nonchalantly as though it were just fine. “How are we supposed to turn over someone when we don’t even know who they are? Surely your leader must see how insane he is to hold us hostage because of one aggressive wolf.”
“Wouldn’t you?” she asked.
She was right, Tess knew it. Connor wasn’t the type to hold a grudge but he would have gone to the ends of the Earth to find the killer if anyone close to him were murdered, especially her.
“I need to speak with him,” Connor said.
Samantha laughed at the notion.
Tess stared at him with her mouth agape. In unison Tess and Samantha spoke.
“Are you kidding? That’s suicide!” Tess said.
“Fat chance,” Samantha added.
Connor held a hand up to silence them both.
“I’m going,” he said, “and you’re going to take me.” He looked Samantha right in the eye and she understood how serious he really was.
“If you’re going, then I’m going too!” Tess said.
“No you’re not,” Connor commanded, “this is too dangerous. I know that you would follow me anywhere but this I can’t allow.”
Tess shot up to her feet; emotion choking her throat and she fought hard to swallow it back down. He was doing something that even he knew to be crazy. But, the fire in his eyes told her that he would see this through to the end.
“Fine,” she gasped.
“I’ll take you back to Cliff Walker den,” he said, “you’ll be much safer there than you would be here.”
Tess fell into Connor’s arms and hugged him close. She didn’t want to see him go. She hadn’t seen this level of determination in him since they first united the packs. She knew he would do everything he could even if it meant giving his own life for the good of the pack, and it worried her.
“We’ll leave first thing in the morning,” Connor said, and turning to Samantha he added, “You can sleep in Alex’s old room for the night.”
“Thank god,” she exhaled, “another night in that cage and I’d have gone crazy.”
Tess showed Samantha upstairs as Tess’s father entered the room. His walking stick stamped against the ground as he eased into the seat at the table.
“Are you sure you want to go through with this?” he asked, clearly Connor wasn’t the only one eavesdropping. Tess rolled her eyes as she climbed the stairs.
“I don’t have a choice,” Connor replied.
“You’ve always got a choice,” he said, “but I think you’ve already made up your mind.”
“I think I can talk some sense into him,” Connor sighed.
The old man stood and leaned heavily on his walking stick.
“I’ve been in the same position you’ve been in now and made more mistakes than I care to talk about. Just make sure this is a mistake you can live with,” he said.
Marcus put a large hand on Connor’s shoulder and gripped it tight.
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“For Tess’s sake,” he added, “And your child’s”
CHAPTER 8
“I’m starving,” Samantha said.
Connor rolled his eyes from the driver’s seat. Tess sat in the middle seat and gripped Connor’s arm close while Samantha sat by the window. They’d been driving for an hour.
“You ate almost all the food at the breakfast table, it’s only been a couple hours,” Tess scolded.
“Were you locked in a cage for four days with nothing more than water and bread?” Samantha said, sarcastically, “Yeah, I thought not. And, I’d think you would want to keep the person providing you with directions happy after doing something so stupid.”
She sort of had a point, and as much as he despised the thought of partnering with bears after all the trouble they’d caused him and his pack, she was his best chance at meeting the alpha bear. Plus, after all the trouble he’d caused her in his rage, wanted to make it right.
“I think I see a truck stop up ahead,” he said.
“I can already taste that greasy burger,” Samantha said, her mouth already watering.
“Just keep it light, alright? I didn’t bring much spending cash for the trip,” Tess added.
“Alright, alright,” Samantha said.
Tess kissed Connor on the cheek, which caused Samantha to gag. When the truck came to a halt in front of the cobbled together diner, Samantha was the first to sprint toward the door.
“Come on!” she shouted before disappearing inside.
“I really can’t believe I’m stuck dealing with that one,” Connor said as he climbed out of the truck. Tess followed close behind.
“It’s only another day,” she said, “and maybe if you keep her happy enough she’ll keep you alive in the den.”
Connor tried not to think of it. Speaking with the alpha bear was intimidating enough. However, he knew that if he could just talk to the man then maybe all their problems would be solved.
They entered hand in hand into the establishment. It was a loud family establishment, a bit unruly but no worse than the girl they’d been travelling with. Large round tables decorated the floor space, all full of families. Booths lined the walls, pressing against bay windows that stared at the parking lot. In fact, Samantha was already finding herself a seat in the back at one of the only empty booths. She waved at them and they pushed through the diner to join their charge.
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