To Trust A Bear

by Hartley, Emilia

  Silver, Morgan thought. The Den had mixed some sort of chemical with liquid silver. Through the stone sensation, he could feel the burn. It was slow and menacing, unable to work through his bunched muscles.

  He didn’t know how long it would take for the drug to wear off or what kind of condition they’d be in once it left. That gave Richard plenty of time to run back to Alaska with his daughter.

  Morgan refused.

  Gritting his teeth, he commanded his body to work. He dug his fingers into the earth and pushed himself up. His feet dragged along the ground until they found purchase. He struggled but managed to stand. Richard was leaving the clearing with his hand clamped around Callie’s arm.

  The man had taken her from Morgan once. He wouldn’t do it again.

  Morgan trudged forward. A shape blurred past him. His reactions were too slow. He couldn’t tell what was happening.

  “I won’t hesitate to drop you, too.” Richard’s growl echoed in the clearing.

  Addison jerked to a stop in front of Morgan. Richard had spared the women. How chivalrous, Morgan thought with no small amount of venom. Still, he dragged himself forward. Richard could fill him with darts and he still would not stop.

  Richard nodded to Morgan. “Why don’t you help your friend? He seems to be struggling.”

  As soon as Addison turned her back, one of Richard’s men raised a rifle. The dart hit her in the back. Morgan watched her face flash with irritation.

  Morgan had wanted to bring them together, to warn them of the impending war, but it seemed it had already started. He thought they would have more time. They were strong together. Yet, Richard had dropped them all in seconds.

  There was a thump, the dangling shifter probably cut down from Orion’s trap. Callie shrieked. She fought, kicking at the truck while her father tried to force her inside. Rage boiled inside Morgan when the man sank a dart into his daughter’s neck. The side of the truck was ruined from Callie’s fight, but one prick of that poison and she deflated in Richard’s arms.

  Morgan growled, wanting to run for Callie, but Addison collapsed in his arms. He dropped to his knees, unable to carry the woman’s weight with his own. The darts were starting to take over. He couldn’t fight much longer.

  The only person still standing was Emmy. Morgan watched her take in everything that happened around her, hand on her stomach, before turning to glare at Richard. Emmy wouldn’t forget what the man had done.

  No one here would.

  Richard might have started this war, but they were going to finish it.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Callie woke in the back seat of an unfamiliar truck. It smelled like sweat and dirt. A rental, she thought. The floors were neat and clean save for a single duffle bag tucked under the front seat. The bench seat she’d been propped on was narrow. She twisted her wrists, finding them free. Nothing bound her, not even a seat belt.

  The retreat had been hasty. Her father was the only other person in the truck with her, gripping the steering wheel in the seat in front of her. Sure, a shifter could probably survive an accident, but that didn’t mean she wanted to deal with the healing. Slowly, while she kept putting the pieces together, she slid the belt over her chest.

  Her father had arrived amazingly fast. He must have booked the first flight. That, or he had his own plane waiting.

  “You could have let me live my own life,” Callie grumbled. She wiped away the last of the sleep from her eyes, arms refusing to agree with her. The drug made her body ache in ways she’d never known before.

  That was another thing she didn’t know they had. There was a lab at the Den, one that was working to make things that shifters could take. The progress was slow, at least that was what her father had told everyone. Apparently, it was slow because he had them working on other things behind closed doors.

  “This isn’t going to make me listen to a word you have to say.” Callie never felt like this in her life. The sides of her face burned, and her hands curled against her thighs. She wanted to tear the tires from the truck, to thunder through the mountains back to her mate.

  Her father said nothing. She was afraid of what he had left up his sleeve. She twisted, looking for Emmy. It was a small relief when she realized the female shifter wasn’t among them. Her father hadn’t wanted Emmy. He wanted his daughter.

  “I’m so sorry I sent you to speak with them. Those shifters brainwashed you. They made you forget everything that was great about the Den.” Her father’s voice was filled with what sounded like genuine remorse.

  Bile burned Callie’s throat. He either believed his words or was a great actor. Callie didn’t know which was worse.

  She remembered Morgan, studded with tiny darts and still reaching for her. She closed her eyes and wished she was back in his arms. It was amazing how the distance between them felt like pain. There was a bond between them that had always been slack. The moment they’d been thrust together, it had been pulled taut. Now, it hurt like someone was pulling her hair.

  Callie settled for knowing that she’d been injected with the same drug. Her body hurt, but she wasn’t dead. The others would be waking soon, too. Morgan had borne the brunt of the attack. He’d been filled with darts in an effort to keep him down. She could only hope the others knew how to help Morgan.

  He wasn’t dead, she told herself. The bond between them would be a rope in the wind if Morgan was gone. She clutched it and tried to whisper to him, but she knew nothing about mate bonds.

  “You lied to me about Morgan because you didn’t want me to leave home.”

  Home. It was a foreign word in her mouth. In the past few days, it had been replaced by Morgan. The Den had never been her home. It had been a stasis she’d lived in, a bubble that had warped her mind.

  Callie looked up, considering putting her foot through the window and leaping to her freedom. Her father would have another dart readied for her in no time. He wasn’t going to let her go without a fight. What good would that do at this point?

  When she found the rearview mirror, the reflection of her father was strained. His brows knit together, and his lips were tight. Her mind fumbled, trying to put together the pieces. For all the brainwashing her father had done himself, she was still clever and quick. He’d made sure his daughter was smart.

  Perhaps there had been a day when he’d wanted her to take over for him. That day had been lost. Now, Callie worried that she was only returning home to keep up appearances. Maybe, he’d even push her to settle down with another shifter and produce an heir. One that he could start fresh with.

  She wasn’t going to let that happen.

  Nine years without her mate had already been too long.

  “Where’s Aimee?”

  The otter shifter was nowhere to be found. She couldn’t say she was surprised that her father had left Aimee behind, but Callie couldn’t remember seeing her at all. There was a moment, heart clenching, that she worried Aimee had given them up.

  It made sense. Aimee had known where they were. She could have called Richard and told him everything he wanted to know. But, for what? Aimee stood to gain nothing from such an exchange. The Den had never given her friend anything.

  “Your friend disappeared the moment we arrived. Is that really the kind of people you want having your back?”

  Her heart stuttered. She dug her nails into the back of the seat before her. Both Aimee and Emmy had been left standing, she realized. The two women would help the others.

  The only question she had was if they’d help her. Morgan and Aimee would try to help her. Callie didn’t know if she trusted the others to come to her rescue. That meant her life was in her own hands. It was up to Callie to get back to her friend, to her mate.

  Claiming Morgan cleared her mind. It helped her take a deep breath and center herself. He was her one and only. She would taste his lips again, no matter what.

  “It was my fault for thinking you were ready for this kind of work.” Her father shook his head. �
�I should have pushed you to settle down earlier. I thought that if I gave you enough time on your own, that you would forget about him. You were spoiled from the beginning. Weren’t you?”

  “Spoiled?” She knew he wasn’t talking about the things he’d given her. Richard Stone was not a giving man. Callie had to work for everything in her life. He meant spoiled in another way.

  That her thoughts were wrong.

  “I think you have things wrong and you don’t want to admit it because it would make you lose face. Can’t look weak in front of your cult-Pack, can you?”

  Again, she looked to the window. Could she jump out of it in time? Could she outrun her father and whoever he’d brought along? Probably not. Callie would have to wait until they were distracted. There would be another opportunity. She held onto that hope.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Dom’s phone rang. The sound split the tense air. Growls hummed low, from each awake body. Sluggishly, Dom dug his phone out of his pocket and paused to stare at it. Morgan couldn’t take it. Each second felt like a lifetime while Callie was in Richard’s grasp.

  “Who is it?” he snapped at Dom.

  Dom blinked. Once. Twice. “Aimee.”

  They all looked around. Somewhere, they’d lost the otter shifter. It had been chaos that quickly ended in disaster. Morgan had assumed she’d left alongside Callie. Why would she call them?

  Morgan snatched the phone from Dom and held it to his ear. “What do you want?”

  “You could start with something a bit nicer, like thank you for tracking down my beloved, Aimee! Maybe even, I can’t believe how ingenious you are, Aimee! I’m not feeling enough love on your end.”

  Morgan didn’t have the time for her games. He tempered himself just to keep from breaking Dom’s phone, but Aimee didn’t have much longer. She quickly relayed where she was, a gas station on the way to a private tarmac. Richard was flying Callie back to Alaska. While Morgan wondered how Aimee managed to follow them, they didn’t have time to go over the details.

  He looked to his family, not expecting them to help him. Callie’s arrival had shaken their way of life and threatened not only them, but the children to come. He fully expected them to hate his mate. It wouldn’t change how he felt for Callie, because he knew exactly who she was. Yet, when every face in the room turned to him with a fighting spirit in their eyes, Morgan was nearly brought to tears. His heart clenched, and he nodded.

  Boomer turned to his mate and begged her to stay where she was. Emmy looked the massive bear-man in the eye and defied him. She was made of tougher stuff than anyone thought. Addison followed hot on her heels. Morgan was grateful that Callie wouldn’t be alone when he got her back.

  Already, Callie had friends willing to risk their lives for her.

  Orion caught up to Morgan’s side. “How many more of those darts do you think they brought? I know they wasted a lot on you, but that won’t be all they have.”

  There was a hitch in Morgan’s gait. The darts presented an issue. Specially crafted to slow down shifters, the silver-tainted drug would stop all of them.

  “I don’t mind being a pin-cushion,” Orion offered. “If I can get their attention and cause enough trouble that they have to waste the last of their ammunition on me, then you’ll have an opening to get to Callie.”

  Morgan was struck by his friend’s offer. They thought that Boomer had been the reckless one, but Orion kept outpacing their wild friend by miles. Morgan put a hand on Orion’s shoulder and shook his head.

  “That won’t be necessary.” He explained that Richard and his troop wouldn’t fire in public. As long as the shifters stayed out of arms’ reach, they wouldn’t be able to stab them with the darts, either.

  Orion blew a long breath out his nose. “That’s a challenge.”

  Morgan knew that. They all did. What other choice did they have?

  Morgan approached his truck when a female form cut ahead of him. Emmy plucked his keys from his hand and yanked open the door. She claimed the driver’s seat before he could voice any kind of protest.

  “Boomer and I came to an agreement. Either I stay home, or I stay behind the wheel. That means when we get there, your only job is to jump out and grab your mate.”

  This was turning into some kind of mission. Everyone rallied behind Morgan. Even level-headed Dom was fired up. He leapt into the back of the truck and slapped the roof, signaling Emmy to turn over the engine. It roared to life and Morgan joined them.

  The convoy of bear shifters rumbled down the hill. This was only the first fight of many, Morgan thought. They could get Callie back, but the Den would always hate them.

  ***

  Callie had hoped for a busy airport and a public bathroom with a window big enough she could climb through. Instead, her father drove onto an empty tarmac. There was a small plane waiting, just large enough for Richard and his crew. Two people sat on the rolling staircase, lurching to their feet when the trucks rolled onto the scene.

  Every direction Callie looked was wide open. She wouldn’t get far before one of the shooters loaded another dart with her name on it. There was nowhere to hide. Nowhere to run.

  They’d stopped at a gas station earlier. The men had taken turns pissing behind the station. She should have made her escape then. Callie was smart, but she wasn’t particularly brave. She’d waited and waited, searching for an opening. One she felt confident in had never arrived.

  She kicked herself now, dread curdling her stomach as she looked up at the plane. It was over. She was going back to the Den. Callie ducked her head, trying to make the best of the situation. At least her father hadn’t dragged Emmy along. It was only her that he wanted. And she would make his life a living hell every step forward.

  Her door creaked open. She waited for someone to pull her out.

  “Hey!” A familiar voice hissed.

  Callie’s head jerked up. Aimee grinned at her, naked as the day she was born. Quickly, Callie glanced at her father to make sure he hadn’t heard Aimee. The man was busy talking to the pilots, oblivious to what was going on.

  Callie wanted to throw her arms around her best friend’s neck and sink into the sweet feeling of relief. Seeing Aimee filled Callie with hope. It was a flash of brilliance that lit from her scalp to her toes.

  “Did the old man leave the keys in the car?”

  Callie gripped the back of the seat and pulled herself forward. Her stomach sank when she saw nothing in the ignition. As she lowered herself back into her seat, accepting failure, she noticed the glint of metal in the cupholder.

  He had left the keys in the truck.

  She met Aimee’s gaze, grinning. Without another word, Aimee jumped into the driver’s seat. Her best friend jammed the keys into the ignition. Outside the windshield, Richard’s head snapped up. He found Aimee in his seat and shouted. His voice was muffled by the closed doors and windows around them, bringing a smile to Callie’s face.

  She leaned back and shrugged out of her jacket, tossing it into the passenger seat for Aimee to put on later.

  “How did you follow us?” Callie knew this was no time for small talk, but she needed to know.

  Aimee spun the wheel hard and the truck twisted around, tires lifting from the ground before they slammed back onto the ground. Aimee laughed, a sound that was more a release of nervous energy than an expression of glee. Callie felt that, too.

  “The moment I heard the first dart, I jumped into the water and shifted. My otter form was small enough that I was able to hitch a ride in the undercarriage of the truck. Let me tell you that is not a way I ever want to travel again. Do you know how many times I nearly became roadkill?”

  Callie was about to respond when the sound of engines caught her attention. The other truck full of shifters was following them. The truck surged forward. It kept pace with them, appearing alongside them. Callie cried out in warning just before the other truck slammed into them. It shoved them to the left.

  Aimee struggled against the w
heel, using her meager weight to twist it back toward the right. Callie couldn’t believe the lengths her father was willing to go through just to take her home. She was an adult, not a child. If she wanted to leave, she had every right.

  The thought fueled the flames inside her.

  Callie refused to be made into a prisoner by her own family. The Den was the exact opposite of everything she thought it was. How could she work for it if this was how they were going to react to defiance? The answer was that she wouldn’t.

  She climbed into the passenger seat. Just as she settled in and pulled the belt over her chest, another truck roared onto the tarmac. Familiar faces stood in the truck bed, more flannel and plaid bodies packed into the rumbling truck behind it. It was a small army of lumberjacks come to her rescue.

  Aimee hooted and smacked her fist against the steering wheel in excitement. Callie’s heart jumped into her throat. Her happiness was short lived. The truck beside them careened into her door. She heard the crunch of the impact.

  At least she knew her dad wasn’t getting his insurance deposit back.

  Angrily, she rolled down the truck window and reached out. The only thing she could grab was the side mirror. It snapped in her hands. She used it like a bat, smacking the driver of the other truck through the open window.

  His head jerked back, and the truck veered away from them before he turned his glare at her and yanked the steering wheel. The nose of the truck angled toward them. Aimee did her best to turn away, but the truck still caught them. The impact sent them spinning.

  Callie didn’t want to die in a rental truck. There was so much she still had to do.

  Like apologize to her mate.

  Through the cracked windshield, she found Morgan. He watched her and Aimee. She realized Emmy was behind the wheel of the other truck. The woman swung close and the men jumped out of the truck bed.