The Bear's Fake Bride

by Amy Star

  “What sort of plan is that? How do you think you can solve decades of strife and blood shed just because you don’t want our son to face it,” she asked skeptically.

  “I can and I will. I don't want this for him. I'm training the warriors with more grueling regiments than ever before. They are the strongest and most skilled champions our tribe has ever seen. When our enemies come to attack us, we'll defeat them once and for all. We are going to end this. We didn't seek the war that's coming, but we'll be the victors. I'll not allow any other outcome,” he answered, so sure, that she couldn't help but believe him.

  “But everything has been so quiet. They have abandoned their plans to attack us and I know you, you'll not attack them without provocation,” she said, trying to process what he was saying.

  “Well, that's something I may need to apologize to you about. You see, I didn't want to worry you, especially towards the end of your pregnancy. Our patrols are routinely coming across their scouts in our area. There have even been a few skirmishes. None of our tribe have been seriously wounded, but these are all the warning signs that they are, in fact, plotting a large scale attack against us,” he explained, looking a bit guilty that he had kept the information from her for so long.

  “I don't know whether to be angry with you or to hug you. Thank you for not giving me that worry while I was with child, but please don't keep such things from me. I need to know the dangers we face so that I can keep Benji safe from them,” she said as she looked down at their son.

  “I promise you I'll not keep that sort of information from you in the future, but I don't want you to worry about keeping the baby safe. You just worry about raising him to be as caring and loving as you are. I'll keep you both safe,” he vowed.

  “We have a deal. You said once I had the baby you would train me to fight to protect him. I'm holding you to that promise,” she said fiercely.

  “Now, now…there's no need for that. My warriors will have this all settled before any of them come close to you or the child. We cannot have you running off into the line of fire when there's no need. You just focus on keeping him happy and healthy and I'll do the rest,” he said dismissively, kissing her gently on top of the head when he finished speaking as though the conversation was over.

  “It isn't an option,” she growled. “If you'll not train me like you promised, I'll begin to train myself again. I'll do it with the baby strapped to my back if I have to. I refuse to be passive. I'll not be a waiting victim for them, unable to protect my child. It was bad enough when I could do nothing more than stand off to the side while you battled Bertram to the death, but I accepted that because there was nothing more that I could have done. Now, there's something more I can do. I can learn to fight. I'm not asking you to send me to the battle lines. I'm only asking that you prepare me for all possibilities.

  "I love you more than life itself, Luke, but I love our son more. There are few things I would ever go against your wishes on, because you know how it pains me to know that I've added worry to your already burdened mind. Still, for his safety, there's absolutely nothing I wouldn't do. You must realize that,” she threatened, her eyes fiery and fierce, reminding him just why it was that he loved her so deeply. Still, her plans infuriated him and he couldn't entirely keep his anger in check.

  “How will you train? I know now that you sneaked around, watching me train the warriors. You'll not be nearly as stealthy with the baby attached to you. I'll know in a second that you're there. It just will not work and you know that,” he said, with an edge in his voice that she couldn't miss.

  “You're not the only warrior in our tribe. If you'll not train me, I'm sure there are others who would see reason,” she said, unblinking as she glared at him.

  His fury was instant and undeniable, though she couldn't understand what about her words had spurred such rage in him. “I'm sure that there would be no shortage of warriors willing to teach you anything you asked. I know each of my trainees is at least half in love with you. I don't blame them, either. You're a very hard creature not to fall in love with, even if you have a tendency to do infuriatingly dangerous things without once thinking of yourself or your safety, but you listen to me now. If you dare to have one of them train you, I don't care who it is, I'll challenge him to battle and I'll be the victor. I'll not have you sneaking off to meet anyone, no matter what the purpose and you should know better than to even hint at it. My inner bear instincts are too strong to allow it.

  "You're my mate and you belong with me. I wouldn't want to, but I would kill any man who agreed to teach you because I would know in my soul that it was because he loves you, that all he really wants is the chance to touch you and be near you; to steal you away from me. I know you would probably be safer if one of them did take you away from me. At least then you and Benji would be far from all of this and safe, but I cannot allow it to happen. I need you both with me too much. Even for your own good, I cannot allow you to leave me,” he ranted, looking as wild as she'd ever seen him in his human form.

  Then and only then did she realize how worried he had been for months about the coming threat, all the while working to make sure she had no worries or fears at all. It made her fall in love with him all over again, no matter how irate he was or whom he threatened to kill to keep her.

  She knew his love for her and their son was too deep for him to even consider the thought that something might happen to either of them. That was why he didn't want to train her to fight. If he did, it was admitting he and his men might fail to protect her and Benji and that she might be put in the perilous situation he feared most.

  The wave of understanding didn't negate her own inner instincts, telling her that learning to fight was inevitable, but it did give her a better understanding of his reasons. It wasn't that he deemed her too weak or feminine. It was that the very thought of having failed to keep their enemies from her would drive him nearly mad. She could tell from his ramblings about her leaving with another warrior he had played every possible course of events over in his head in an attempt to anticipate any threat they might face, and he was consumed by those that he couldn't prevent; those that gave him no control to protect her.

  Wordlessly, she laid the baby beside her on the bed and wrapped both arms around her mate, who tensed up and looked at her as if he suspected that she'd gone quite mad. It only took him a fraction of a second though to wrap his strong arms tightly around her and crush her to his chest, breathing in the sweet scent of her.

  “Darling,” she began slowly, "try to understand. The way your instincts are screaming to you that you must keep me as far as you can from all that has to do with the fighting is the same way that mine are urging me to prepare myself to protect our family. It's not that I've any doubt in your ability to protect us. I know you're the fiercest warrior of them all and I know that you would lay down your own life for me or Benji, but that doesn't stop the need in me to be able to protect him. I love you just as much as you love me and I want to be able to keep you and Benji safe just as you can keep us safe. Can you imagine the feeling you would have if you were not trained to protect those that you love?”

  “I had not even considered that,” he said slowly, staring down at her as though he wasn't entirely sure that she was real, safe there in his arms. “It's not that I don't want you to fight for our son and I don't want you to be helpless, but I cannot bear to even think of the things that could happen that would make it necessary for you to fight. It'd mean I had left you alone. It'd mean I failed and I cannot even consider failure. It cannot be an option if we are to win.”

  “You'll not fail us. You never could. I love you and I believe in you. Don't even consider doubting that,” she said, holding him even tighter.

  “Then why do you insist on learning to fight?” he asked, looking truly anguished.

  “I've faith that you'll not fail us, but others could. What if there's a moment where it's you and I against those who would harm us and the baby? What if that ha
ppens and I hold you back instead of helping you? What if I'm the reason you get hurt?” she asked, looking as pained as he did. The baby, for his part, continued to sleep soundly as they both bared their souls.

  “Is that really what you're worried about?” he asked in shock before he started to laugh deeply as the relief washed over him.

  “Yes, but I really don't see what's all that funny,” she said, a bit annoyed to be laughed at when she was sharing her honest emotions.

  “You and I have been so concerned with keeping our family safe that we have never stopped to think about just how the other one felt until just this moment. If you still want to learn to fight, I'll train you. I'll make sure you don't have to fear a future where you have to stand by and watch me fall while defending our family,” he vowed, his expression suddenly serious.

  “And I promise I'll never go looking for a battle. I'll use the skills you show me only as a last resort to keep you and our son safe,” she promised in return, feeling her own wave of relief.

  “Then we have an agreement,” he said with a predatory smile.

  “Yes, we do,” she answered, keeping her guard up. She knew by the expression on his face that he was up to something.

  “Then perhaps we should seal it with a kiss,” he said as he leaned in and kissed her passionately, with a lingering heat that left them both wanting more. Still, there were too many threats for them to leave the baby alone while they made love, though they both desperately needed it.

  “Perhaps,” she suggested as she tried to catch her breath, "Mali should come and stay with us while you train me.”

  “To what end?” he asked, looking suspicious.

  “Well,” she said, her playful tone restored, "then she could be close at hand with Benji to raise an alarm should danger come and you and I could focus on my training.”

  “Sound thinking,” he said passively.

  “And,” she added with a wink, "perhaps she could be with him while we undertake other physical pursuits.” To emphasize her point, she ran her hand lightly over his penis, causing him to jump at the sensation, even through the fabric of his pants.

  “Yes, I think that would be very responsible,” he said, doing all that he could to keep from taking her then and there.

  “I'll have one of the warriors send word to her and escort her safely here. I believe you should prepare yourself,” he added mischievously, "for the most physically exerting night of your life.” To show her just a taste of his plans, he dipped his hand under her nightgown and caressed her breast, sending chills of desire across her skin.

  “Tell them to hurry. The sooner we start my 'training' the better,” she said, but the gaze in her eyes left no doubt that what she was truly anxious for was to lay with him again, to feel him inside of her once more.

  “Trust me,” he said with total seriousness, “he will be swift, on pain of death.” And with that, he swept out of the room, leaving her alone with the sleeping baby and her anticipation.

  *

  As Kalia waited for her sister to arrive, she buzzed around the house, keeping herself busy with preparations. They'd never had an overnight guest in their home. The tent had been too small for it and their lives, since they moved into the cottage, had been too hectic to lend themselves to house guests. Still, there was plenty of room for her to arrange a cot in the baby’s room that would make Mali very comfortable. It did take her a bit of time to decide which pillows and blankets would suit it best and she flitted about, trying to decide if she should move more furniture into the room for her to ensure her comfort.

  In the end, she merely cleared out some of the drawers in the baby’s room for her sister to use and moved in a small table and chair so that Mali could have a bit of room to use the space as her own. She'd wondered if perhaps it was unfair to make her stay with the baby, but that was the help Kalia needed most and she simply put her faith in Mali’s desire to keep her nephew safe.

  Mali arrived within a few hours and looked much happier to have been summoned than Kalia thought that she would be. Her sister seemed eager to help, which meant the world to both Kalia and Luke. The moment she entered the cabin, she swept Benji up in her arms and held him as Kalia walked her around and showed her what her accommodations would be. She was a little afraid of some push back about them. After all, her sister had always been a self-involved child.

  “I brought in this mattress and this table and chair for your use,” Kalia said as the entered the room, preparing herself for the storm of one of Mali’s fits.

  “Oh, this is perfect! Thank you, Sister,” was her reply as she took in the details of what was to be her room while she was with them.

  “You’re sure? We could get you another chair or perhaps some more pillows if you thought they would make you more comfortable here,” Kalia offered, a bit in shock by her sister’s reaction. Her high maintenance little sister would've demanded a room of her own. She would've demanded to have her own space, not embraced helping to care for her nephew.

  “No, this will be perfect. Besides, I'm not here for a visit. I'm here to help you keep this little one safe,” she said as she placed a kiss on the head of the baby boy in her arms.

  “I'm glad to hear you feel that way,” she said, unable to resist the urge to give her little sister a big hug. “I'm so happy to have you here. It means so much to us to have you here. It'll make me feel so much better knowing that Benji has his aunt here to watch over him.”

  “I'm honored you asked. I know you're used to me being a bit immature, but I've grown since you left for your new life. I've really embraced my role as the eldest child in the home. I've matured while helping Mother and the boys. I'm ready for this,” she said confidently. She held the boy close to her and looked at him in an adoring way that made Kalia feel even more connected to her sister.

  “Well, I can take Benji while you get settled in,” she said as she reached for the baby.

  “Oh no, my nephew and I need to get better acquainted. Leave him here with me and go start your training. I'm proud you've decided to learn to fight to protect your family. You've always been different, in some ways stronger than the rest of us. This will be hard, I know, but it'll be so worth it. You're remarkable,” she said, using her free arm to hug her sister tight.

  Kalia could feel tears threatening to fall, but she did her best to hold them back. After all, it'd do her no good to become a sobbing fool right after her sister called her strong. When her sister released her, she was relieved to see she was also on the verge of tears.

  “Now look at us, living together again for only a few moments and we are already in tears,” she teased, earning her a giggle from Mali.

  “At least there are no bruises or broken bones,” Mali laughed.

  She wasn't wrong. They'd often roughhoused as children. Their bear strength had made their sisterly spats a bit more dangerous than the average sibling spat. One particularly tough battle had left half the furniture in their shared room destroyed and each of them with their own scars to remember the day.

  “Alright, well then, I'm going to go find Luke and start my training. Remember, all you have to do is call out if you sense anything out of the ordinary and we'll be here in a moment. You don't need to fight or engage anyone. You just need to call us and Luke and I'll come running,” she said seriously.

  “Oh, I've no delusions of valor. I'll call for help. Believe me, if anyone happens to get through all the guards I saw when I was coming in, I'll gladly call for you and Luke. I'll tell you, though, if something keeps you from coming, I'll lay down my life for this little boy. He's our future,” she said gently nuzzling the baby.

  “Thank you so much for doing this for us. You'll never know how much it helps us and it means the world to both Luke and I that you love Benji so much,” she said, leaving the room to allow niece and nephew to bond a bit and to allow Mali to get settled in her room and her new life.

  She wasn't sure where Luke was, but it took her only a moment
to catch his scent in the air. She followed the scent from their clearing and into the woods surrounding them. It felt wonderful to move around with such freedom again. She pushed the fact that it was being made possible by dozens of warriors patrolling and creating lines of defense to keep their enemies at bay. Instead of thinking of that, she focused on the wind upon her face and the ground beneath her feet, savoring the scent of nature as she walked deeper in to the woods.

  Had she not been so dialed in to her surroundings, Luke’s sneak attack would've caught her completely off guard. But in that moment, she was so connected to all that surrounded her that she felt the minute shaking of the ground as he moved toward her, heard his catlike footsteps despite all his attempts at stealth, and smelled the very danger in the air.

  He rushed at her in an attempt to gauge her ability to defend herself. He had suspected he would catch her completely off guard. He had considered she might make a delayed attempt to deflect him. What he didn't anticipate was her grabbing his arm and flipping him over, pinning him to the ground.

  “Easy, Kalia! It's just me,” he said, gasping for air as her arm crushed down on his windpipe. Her eyes widened in shock and she released him, looking as shocked as he was at her reaction.

  “I'm so sorry, Luke!! I just sensed someone coming at me and my instincts took over. I cannot believe I did that to you. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that to you,” she said before realization he had attacked her first. “Wait,” she said. “You attacked me. Why on earth did you do that? Did you not know it was me? You told me to come and meet you after I got Mali settled. You should've been expecting me.” The confused expression on her face was absolutely adorable to him. He wanted nothing more than to laugh aloud, but he was fairly sure that he would find himself pinned back to the ground if he did.