To Trust A Bear

by Hartley, Emilia

  Callie dressed and folded herself into her bed. A part of her, perhaps the beast’s voice, wished Morgan would show up and curl against her body. It was a foolish desire, one that remained unfulfilled despite her restlessness all night.

  Chapter Ten

  Callie pressed the phone to her ear. Her stomach was a tight knot. It had her bent double and struggling to breathe. She’d never defied her father before. Aimee had backed her up, ready to stand by Callie’s decision at the drop of a hat. Apparently, everyone had been waiting for Callie to wake up.

  She’d been living in a haze for a reason.

  Callie had trusted her father blindly. He was the most powerful shifter she’d ever met. How could he be wrong? Now that she stood against him, she was terrified.

  “Callisto!” His voice was deep yet rang with joy. “Is it time for me to book the tickets back home? Three seats, right?”

  “Ah, no.” Her breath turned to glass. It dragged along her throat and left it burning.

  “What’s wrong?” The joy left. It wasn’t replaced by concern, but a low and rumbling warning. “Do you need assistance?”

  “Dad, I can’t. I can’t do this.” She struggled to find the words, to speak them aloud.

  Before her, the door cracked open. Morgan appeared. He made a locking motion over his lips and pressed his back against the door. His presence was a sign of solidarity, a prop that helped her stand up on her own. The hatred she once felt toward him sagged as she reached for his extended hand and gripped it tight.

  “I’m not going to force Emmy to have her baby at the Den. I don’t think it’s right to steal children.”

  “Honey,” her father drawled. “We aren’t stealing. Shifters can’t raise children on their own. Cubs are just too much for two people. It takes a village to get it right.”

  “Dad. The Den is outdated. If we could change it, allow families to come and make homes, then maybe things would be better. As it is, we’re no better than a cult.” She tried to make him see reason, but the moment the words left her mouth, she realized he already knew. “It’s about control. Isn’t it? You do all these things to maintain control over the Den. If it got any bigger, if other shifters stayed, then you wouldn’t be the alpha bear anymore.”

  There was silence on the other end. It’d never been about the safety of bear shifters. Her father had been a man afraid to lose the power he’d amassed. Callie felt drained. Everything she’d ever known was revealed to be a thin cardboard copy, knocked over by a small wind.

  She didn’t know what was real anymore.

  She sucked in a sharp breath. It no longer cut inside her. Her gaze rose to Morgan’s as she spoke the next few words. “Did you lie about Morgan, too?”

  Her father growled. She could hear the subtle crack of plastic when he gripped the cell phone a little too hard.

  “Answer me, Dad. Did you lie to keep me from leaving?”

  Morgan’s eyes were wide. Then, they narrowed at the phone, filling with fire. His grip on her tightened and his breath quickened.

  “So, that’s it?” Her father avoided answering her question. “You’re rebelling against the Den? Do you really think you can get away with it?”

  Callie hung her head. She was the daughter of the strongest shifter she knew. “I’m not getting away with anything. I’m leaving. This is goodbye.”

  She pressed the disconnect button with trembling fingers. Morgan dropped to his knees in front of her. He looked up, trying to get her attention. She held onto him with both hands. The cord had been cut and she could almost feel it blowing in the wind. Everything she once knew was gone.

  All she had was Morgan’s hands in hers. Even kneeling on the floor, he was a massive man. His chest blocked the door behind him. His head was nearly level with hers. She rubbed the callouses and scars on his knuckles and wondered how many noses they had broken. Probably Orion’s, more than a few times.

  “I know you could lie to me when I ask you this, but I would appreciate honesty. Especially now that I’ve done the very last thing I ever thought I would do.” She sucked in a haggard breath, trying to summon the courage to look Morgan in the eye. She knew that the moment she did, she’d believe anything that came out of his mouth. The worst part was that she wanted to. She wanted to forget everything that stood between them.

  Callie couldn’t figure out if it was because she didn’t want to be alone in a time like this, or if Morgan was truly right. He claimed they’d always been a mated pair. Callie had no way of knowing the truth. All she could do was ask him the question she should have asked nine years ago.

  “Did you cheat on me with human women?”

  Morgan reeled back, eyes wide. This, apparently, was news to him. Slowly, he seemed to sink into himself, searching through his memories for something.

  “Boomer was…not the best influence on me.”

  Callie held her breath, waiting for the worst. She’d wanted honesty, but not if he’d actually cheated on her.

  “He went to human towns a lot. He liked to flirt with the human women. They threw themselves all over him. I went to keep my cousin out of trouble. More than once, I picked him up off the floor and dragged him back to the car to drive him home.

  “But, listen to me, Callie. I never once touched any of those women. The whole time I was there, I knew I had my fated mate waiting for me back at the Den. I would pass the hours away dreaming of the places we would go together, the things we would do together. Thinking of you made picking up after Boomer easier.”

  Her father’s words were still embedded so deep inside her that she didn’t know how to let them go. She wanted to accept Morgan’s words as truth, but they couldn’t find room in her heart. Confusion still pulled her in every direction.

  His hands ran up her legs. The thick layer of denim between them frustrated her. She wanted his rough hands on her, finding their way to places they once knew. The need hit her so hard and so fast that she shot up to her feet.

  Morgan called out to her, but Callie was already through the door and on her way outside. This was it, the end of the life she once knew. There were no tickets back to the Den waiting for her. She would never walk the streets of her home town again.

  It was gone.

  She knew it was all for the right reasons, but it was still terrifying.

  ***

  Morgan followed his mate. He didn’t grab her or try to stop her. Instead, he prowled behind to catch her whenever she fell. What she’d just done had been a feat of bravery. No one stood up to Richard Stone.

  He remembered the day Richard had pulled him aside. The bear shifter had been bigger than him back then, towered over him as he told Morgan to pack everything he owned and leave town. Richard Stone had used the power in his voice to force Morgan to follow his command.

  No matter how much Morgan wanted to fight and stay for his mate, Richard’s daughter, the command had bent Morgan to his will. He’d packed all he owned and left town with his cousin. Two others had followed, keeping them from being alone.

  He hadn’t been able to stand up to Richard when it mattered the most. He’d been weak and malleable. His mate was so much stronger than him, so it didn’t surprise him when Callie didn’t fall. She didn’t fold. Instead, she found herself. She stopped in the kitchen, gripping the counter while she squared her shoulders.

  “This is going to be my last night on earth, so we might as well throw a party.”

  “Now you’re just being dramatic,” Aimee chimed in.

  Callie’s eyes cut toward her friend. “How did you do it? Living there all those years when you knew that wasn’t where you belonged?”

  Confusion rippled through Aimee’s eyes. A heartbeat passed. “Where I was never defined who I was.”

  Aimee’s words hung in the air. Morgan could see that Callie struggled with them. Despite her close friendship with the otter shifter, the two women couldn’t have been more different. Aimee only had herself, while Callie had stood with the help of eve
ryone around her. Now that the Den was gone, Callie had lost herself.

  Morgan would be there while his mate explored herself. He would hold her up and support her in everything she did, as long as she would let him. The way she’d stormed out of the bedroom earlier didn’t convince him that anything had changed between them.

  At least now he knew. Richard had lied to his daughter and created the fissure between them. Time, he reminded himself, would help her trust him again. He would do everything he could to show her the man he’d become.

  “Do you really think he’s going to come after us?” Aimee ripped the head off a stalk of broccoli for effect.

  Callie swallowed. “I don’t think he’s going to let this lie. He’s not used to defiance.”

  Morgan also doubted that Richard would let his daughter go so easily. If the man had lied nine years ago to keep her nearby, he would go to further lengths to get her back. Morgan had to be prepared when that time came.

  His bear was restless. It felt empty-handed. Sure, Callie had made the decision to leave the Den, but that didn’t mean she would stay with them. Morgan had not won back the heart of his mate. He didn’t even know when Richard would send reinforcements. Both he and his bear were caught in a limbo, drifting without purpose.

  When he looked to Callie, she still avoided his gaze. The scars of lies once told wouldn’t disappear immediately. Callie would have to struggle with them for a while. Morgan wanted to go find Orion. Dom was far too level headed. Morgan wanted to let himself feed into the anxious energy that buzzed around the youngest shifter just so that his own might bleed away.

  Yet, he didn’t move. He didn’t dare leave Callie’s sight.

  “You want a party? Let’s have one.” He turned to Dom. “Call Reid. Tell him to pick up more supplies in town.”

  Dom snorted, but did as Morgan commanded. Reid would complain, but Callie’s rebellion meant they needed to discuss what would happen next. There was no way Richard would leave them alone. He was going to try to get his daughter back and every bear needed to be warned of what had begun.

  This wasn’t just a battle, but the coming of a war. Morgan’s beast raged. It was ready to protect their mate. She’d impressed the beast. His mate was strong and capable. She was a warrior in her own right. He wouldn’t let her forget that.

  Morgan closed the space between them, cupped the back of her head, and laid a kiss on her forehead. To his surprise, Callie didn’t pull away. She did give him a strange look. It was somewhere between annoyance and disbelief. There would be time to heal her wounds later.

  For now, they would celebrate what they had, the small steps they were all taking.

  Chapter Eleven

  Morgan was impressed. Orion had kept his restless hands busy by stringing twinkling lights from tree to tree around their usual haunt. What had once been a summer beach was now a winter grove. There was probably a prank hidden in it, but Morgan didn’t seek it out.

  Callie walked beside him, her arms heavy with cases of beer. She kept looking around the group. He wondered if she was trying to find her place or wondering if she even belonged here. Morgan’s first instinct was to keep her close, but he couldn’t force Callie to do anything she didn’t want.

  That meant if Callie left, Morgan would follow. Most of his life had been spent alongside the other bears. His cousin had a kid on the way, a new face he wanted to welcome into this world. Would Callie stay long enough to meet Boomer and Emmy’s child? Or, would she leave them the first chance she had?

  He was about to ask when a small explosion shook the site. Everyone dropped what they were doing and ran. Beer bottles smashed, and cans bounced along the ground. They skidded into the grove to find Aimee clutching her stomach and wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

  “What happ—” Morgan’s words died when Dom turned to face him. “You have no eyebrows.”

  Not only were his eyebrows nearly gone, but his beard had been singed. Small embers fell away from a face lined with irritation. All the while, Aimee cackled with delight. The otter shifter didn’t seem to be alarmed by the small explosion at all.

  “Aimee,” Callie said with a warning in her voice.

  Aimee raised her hands in defense, still giving in to fits of giggles. “Okay, I’ll admit that I added too much lighter fluid. To be fair, the food won’t taste like it because I’m sure we burned it off.” Aimee hesitated. “Well, the turkey won’t taste like lighter fluid. It’s going into the fryer.”

  While Morgan tried to hide his smile, Callie sighed in defeat. He leaned close to his mate to whisper to her.

  “Is she always like this? How did she not burn the Den down years ago?”

  Callie responded with a spark in her eyes. “Why do you think they wouldn’t let her have a restaurant?”

  Aimee cried out. “I can hear you!”

  Both Callie and Morgan retreated to pick up what they’d dropped at the time of the explosion. Morgan gathered dented cans of beer into his arms while Callie plucked shards of sticky glass off the ground. It was a mess, one that made Morgan think the Den might be glad to be rid of Aimee.

  Callie, on the other hand, was the heiress. With each step, each retrieved can, Morgan’s senses stretched taut. His stomach was twisted in a tight knot while he strained to hear any incoming sounds. He didn’t want to be caught off guard. In Callie’s mind, no matter the lies, he’d already failed her once.

  He’d failed to convince her of the truth.

  Morgan wasn’t going to fail his mate again.

  ***

  Callie couldn’t help but steal glances at Morgan all night. His words had wiped away years of anger and regret, even if she didn’t know who was telling the truth. The urge to believe him, the man who could still be her mate, overpowered the years she spent believing her father.

  Everything that had happened with her father in the past hours helped her see each time he’d tried to control her. How she managed to break away from him was beyond her. What Callie did know was that it started with these shifters. This small family and their tight knit love helped her.

  She didn’t want to leave them, but she knew if her father was going to come after her, she would have to. There was no way she could risk Emmy and her child. Reid had a mate, too. How long until they tried to start a family? She looked to Orion, who gripped his plate a little too tight even though he smiled at his friends. Would the war she brought to their doorstep push him over the edge?

  Callie couldn’t stay with them forever.

  The thought brought her attention back to Morgan. She knew, without a doubt, that he would follow her anywhere she asked. That was what mates did for one another. But, she didn’t know how to ask him to leave the people he loved.

  Callie dug herself into holes left and right. Sure, she’d spent her life living in one, but the minute she stepped out of it, she found herself right in another. Had her rebellion brought her higher? Or, was she only digging herself deeper and deeper?

  There was one thing she wanted before she left. Her body ached for it. Nine years without the touch of one’s mate was too long.

  Callie didn’t know when she’d let herself believe they were mates. It had taken over her mind, sunk deep into her and became a conviction she would never let go. Morgan was her one and only.

  She would know the touch of his body before she left them. Just one last time.

  Chapter Twelve

  The beer cans had been emptied and smashed. Each bear-man took a turn crushing their cans. Boomer crushed his against his forehead, earning him an eye-roll from his mate. Morgan and Orion attempted to perfect a high-five crush but dropped their cans before they could crush them.

  The night was going well. Callie had even met his gaze over the fire a few times, sending chills up his spine. He never thought of himself as a romantic, but when she was near, he wanted to try. In his head, he was planning paths swathed with rose petals. He was already considering begging Dom for a candlelit dinner because he kne
w he wouldn’t be able to cook one without burning the cabin down.

  None of them heard them coming, not until the first pop sound. Their heads snapped up in unison. Reid leapt to his feet. Morgan jumped up after him, ready to brave the flames that separated him from his mate.

  Then they saw the dart that stuck in Reid’s leg.

  Drugs didn’t work on shifters. It was a universally known fact. Their bodies processed the chemicals too fast. Still, Reid stared down at the small vial with astonishment before his body collapsed. Addison screamed.

  Orion’s form rippled. His beast was trying to rip its way out. Morgan jumped for his friend and clamped a hand on his shoulder. The beast settled back beneath the surface. Though the moment he spared for his friend had lost him precious moments.

  Two more darts pierced the air. One struck him in the neck. Another hit Dom. Morgan swatted the dart in his neck away, but it was already too late. The drug had entered his system. He could feel it fill him, like concrete encasing his bones.

  He didn’t need proof to know who was behind this. The Den had arrived already.

  The sound of feet slapping the ground surrounded them. A voice cried out as a body was flung upside down. The intruder swung by a rope around his ankle, and Orion chuckled, telling Morgan that was a trap meant for one of his friends.

  Morgan swung his body toward Callie, forcing it to cooperate despite the drug taking over his system. She stood beside him, and he let out a breath. Just as he relaxed, she was pulled away from him.

  She screamed, face warping with rage as a man dragged her away. Morgan’s bear roared. It tried to claw its way forward, but the drug formed a wall. The beast pounded its massive paws against the barrier, but nothing broke it. Each passing second tightened his muscles. His body felt like stone. Morgan was forced to watch as Richard Stone dragged Callie away.

  Orion and Boomer howled. Their anger echoed through the clearing. Two more pop sounds cut through the sound. Morgan couldn’t see, but he heard the two fighting right up until the drug took them.