by Meg Ripley
“Your fault for getting caught,” Knox snickered. “Okay, so you had her, but you lost her due to the interruption. Do you think she’d give it another try?”
“I highly doubt it after the whole shifter thing. You should have seen her face. She wouldn’t even let me touch her when she found out I was one, too.” My gaze fell to the dirt; I didn’t want to remember the look in Blanca’s eyes when she pulled away from me. “How did you handle it? When Hannah found out?”
I looked up at Knox, searching for some kind of direction from my Alpha, my friend. I knew if anyone could help me, Knox would know what to do.
“Hannah was different, Trent. She saw me shift and confronted me about it; you know how she is. Blanca seems to put up a tough front, but learning this information shook her world. She found out the guy she was making out with moments ago can turn into a bear at will. That’s not an easy thing to take in, especially when it was thrown in her face like that. I think you should give her some time. Let her process things. If she was going to tell the FBI about us, she would have done it already and Acadia would be swarming with agents. But we’re not, which means she probably hasn’t said shit. Let her come to you. And if the kiss was as intense as you think it was, I’m sure she thought it was, too. Just wait for her.”
Knox’s words seemed sincere and they resonated with me. Maybe he was right. This wasn’t just a fling now; I needed things for us to work out, more than just for satisfying my inner bear’s carnal needs.
This had to work for the sake of the clan.
“Alright, I’ll wait. But, what if she never comes?”
“You’d better hope she does. This is our only way out right now until I think of something else. I’m lucky you two started to hit it off; otherwise, we’d have nothing to go on. I’ll try to think of another solution in the meantime in case this doesn’t pan out, but Trent, you know how you’re always joking about being happy that Hannah came around for me because I needed someone? Well, you do, too. And this could be your turn. She could really be the one and I’d love to see you just as happy as I am.”
Knox smiled and I could feel a love one can only feel from their Alpha. It was almost fatherly, coming from someone who watches over and protects you, who wants the best for you. I felt a tinge of heartache when I remembered Officer Davidson, the man who almost took my mom and I in all those years ago. I felt the same kind of love from him, and then he was gone.
Nodding at Knox, I returned his smile. He seemed to always know exactly what to say or do when faced with a sticky situation. He was a great Alpha, and in that moment, I was thankful to be in Acadia.
“Now, let’s get these weeds taken care of! The sooner we finish, the sooner we’ll be done,” Knox said, adding more gusto to his hacking.
Having a night off sounded great, and who knew? Maybe she would come by that night.
I certainly hoped so.
Chapter 11 – Blanca
I felt so much better after an hour-long, full-body Swedish massage at the hotel; it was just what I needed to help cope with the stress of it all.
Bear shifters? How could creatures like that even exist? How did they come to be? Not to mention Trent is one. Great choice, Blanca!
I shook my head at my thoughts as I opened the door to my room. I still wasn’t sure what I was going to do with the news, but after the massage, I decided it was time to get back to work. I needed to go visit Knox to get more information about Acadia, but I was stalling. Surely, Trent had told him I knew their secret by then.
I honestly just wanted to go back to being ignorant about bear shifters and pretend they didn’t exist.
Maybe that’s what I should do for now. Act like I don’t know their secret. I honestly feel like that’s the only way I could handle a talk with Knox. Hopefully, Trent won’t be there…I’m just not ready to face him yet. I sighed. Why does everything have to be so complicated?
I just needed Knox to answer some general questions about Acadia for the paperwork, and then I could return to the comfort of my room. Hey, it’s a start. With that realization, I grabbed my suitcase and pulled out a pair of black dress pants and a white blouse; there was something about the contrast and uniformity that made me feel powerful, and I could have certainly used an extra boost that day.
When I was ready to go, I called the taxi company, figuring they would arrive at the hotel soon after I made my way downstairs. And I was right. By the time I got to the lobby and outside, the taxi pulled up two minutes later.
****
When I arrived at Acadia, Knox was not at the entrance.
That’s weird. He’s usually here, but he hasn’t been the past two times.
He’d told me where his office was located back when we were examining the bodies, so I decided to head there to see if I could find him.
It was a short walk, maybe ten minutes from the gate, but when I got to Knox’s office, there wasn’t a car outside.
Is he not here either? Maybe I should knock or something, just to check.
I banged on the door.
“Mr. Bernard? It’s Agent Gianni. Are you in there?” I yelled, looking through the windows. I was sure I saw a light on.
“Oh, come in!” I heard a female voice call out to me and I was immediately confused.
His secretary, maybe? Whoever she was, she probably knew Knox’s whereabouts.
I entered the office to see walls covered with papers, a filing cabinet and a desk with a computer. A woman with light brown hair and hazel eyes peeked out from behind the machine; if her complexion hadn’t been so fair, I would have thought she was Sophia. She smiled and motioned for me to come closer.
“Are you Mr. Bernard’s secretary?” I asked, still not sure of who she was.
The woman erupted in laughter. “Ha, he wishes! I’m Hannah Grant, Knox’s girlfriend.”
“Oh, I’m sorry! I’m Blanca Gianni. I’m an FBI agent who was assigned to investigate the serial murders that took place here.” I stretched my hand across the desk to shake hers and she returned the gesture.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m glad you guys were able to catch the culprit!”
“Possible culprit. We’re waiting for blood samples to confirm,” I corrected.
Does Knox tell his girlfriend everything?
“Gotcha. Well, is there something I can help you with?” Hannah asked as she returned to her typing.
“Um, yes, actually. Do you happen to know where Mr. Bernard is at the moment? I have some questions about Acadia for the paperwork and I’m assuming he’s probably the best person to ask.” I held up the forms.
“And you would be correct about that. He actually went with Trent to clear some weeds on the trail. It’s a pretty tough job that usually takes them all day. It’s only 3pm, so I would imagine they’ll be at it for at least a few more hours.”
“Oh, well, okay then…” I wasn’t sure what to do. “Maybe I’ll just try again tomorrow.”
I began to turn away and her voice stopped me.
“Hey, are you okay, Ms. Gianni? You seem like you have a lot on your mind or something.”
She was right. I did have a lot on my mind. In fact, she might just be the person to talk to, but I would have to play it cool.
Bring it up vaguely to see if she has a reaction that signals she knows what you’re talking about. If she’s confused, let it go and walk away.
I took a deep breath and turned around; I wanted to make sure I could read her facial expression.
“Um, yeah. Trent told me something about the suspect—and himself—yesterday. Something that makes them…change. Would you happen to know anything about that?” I tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, but I heard my voice tremble a bit. I was nervous. I didn’t want to give too much away, in case she had no idea that her boyfriend could turn into a goddamn bear at any moment.
I watched Hannah’s eyes grow wide. She walked to the door and locked it, and I immediately went on guard.
Why is she lo
cking the door?
Hannah walked back to the desk but didn’t return to her seat. She stared at me, almost as if she was looking through me, and then finally spoke.
“Yes, Ms. Gianni. I know about bear shifters,” she said finally, making direct eye contact with me. “How did you find out?”
“The suspect changed in front of me while I was interrogating him, so Trent told me about everyone here. Why did you lock the door?” I asked, my eyes moving from hers, back to the exit. “Are you a bear shifter, too?”
“Oh, no. I’m sorry, I just didn’t want us to have to worry about someone interrupting us and I thought you might feel better talking if it was more private. If it makes you uncomfortable, I can open it for you.” Hannah looked very apologetic and moved closer to the door.
“That’s okay. You’re right, I think I’d feel more comfortable knowing that we won’t be interrupted. Thinking about it now, you’re the only person I can talk to about this…” I looked down and started twiddling my fingers.
“I know the feeling; I’ve had to keep it a secret for the past few months myself. None of the other shifters have human girlfriends. It kind of sucks; I feel like an outsider most of the time.”
“How did you find out?” I glanced up and Hannah was moving back towards the desk, motioning for me to sit in the chair in front of her. I sat, while she perched herself on the corner of Knox’s workstation.
“I heard from a local, who was deemed crazy, that something freaky was happening in the park during the full moon. Being a reporter and all, I just had to see for myself. I happened to be close by and watched when Knox shifted.” Hannah shrugged, but her demeanor didn’t seem as nonchalant; I could tell this secret had been wearing on her. “But I felt something with Knox, and after some time, I warmed up to the whole bear thing. It took me a while, but I was able to see past it so I could be with him. Things happened so fast with us, and before I knew it, I was in love.”
It looked like talking about all of this was taking a huge load off her shoulders; seemed like she needed this conversation just as much as I did.
“So, what are you going to do now that you know?” Hannah asked in a worried tone. “You aren’t going to tell the FBI, are you?”
“I don’t know, honestly. It’s my duty to tell them, but I know it would be wrong of me to do so. Who knows what they would do with this kind of knowledge. They could be just as alarmed as I was when I first found out and try to eliminate all shifters or destroy Acadia. I don’t want that to happen. Acadia is such a beautiful place and everyone I have met here is so nice. And Trent…” I stopped.
What about him? I was still so unsure of my feelings. We only kissed, but in that one moment, I had been willing to give up everything for him. And I have never felt that with anyone before. It had to count for something, right?
“Do you like him? I heard you guys didn’t start off on the right foot.”
“We didn’t. He obviously has a problem with women in authority, but he warmed up to me eventually. Then, he picked me up from the hotel the other day and things just…clicked. I felt like a googly-eyed teenager all over again.” I blushed, thinking back to our hot and heavy moment in the car.
“It was like that for me as well. I was here doing a story on Acadia and Knox swept me off my feet before I even knew it was coming.” Hannah chuckled.
“I like him, but I just don’t know if I can deal with the whole…shifter thing.” I admitted, looking up at Hannah. Her expression held nothing but understanding.
“I know what you mean; I needed some time to get there, too. I had Knox shift in front of me a bunch of times until it seemed as normal as it could. It’s still quite magical for me to experience, and I’m not frightened by it anymore. In time, we moved to hanging out while he was in bear form. I would stroke his fur and lay with him sometimes. Getting to know his bear as well as his human side really helped me become more comfortable with everything. But you have to understand, even though the animal is a part of them, it’s not the main part. They are not bears who play human, they’re people just like us who, for some reason, can turn into bears for as short or as long as they wish. Some shifters choose not to change form at all except for during the full moon. So, I don’t want you to think that if, say, you wanted to be with Trent, you would have to deal with him being a bear all the time. It would only be every once in a while. And if you wanted,” Hannah grabbed my hand and smiled at me, “I could help ease you into the whole thing.”
She really made me feel comfortable for some reason. I had just met her only moments ago, but I felt perfectly safe being locked in a room with her and having her hold my hand. Her presence was so soothing, and she made me feel like I could possibly do this.
No. I can do this.
“Yeah, I think I’ll keep our little secret here from the FBI. And I’d love to get in touch with Trent to tell him about my decision…and to see where things stand between us. In fact…” I checked the time. My watch said 5:30pm. “They should be getting back soon, right?”
I looked up at Hannah and she was smiling. I could have sworn I saw tears pooling in her eyes as well.
“I’m sorry, I’m just so happy. Thank you so much for doing this for us—for the clan. I’m sure it will mean a lot to Knox, and Trent, even if things don’t work out between you two. I really hope they do, though. Trent needs someone. And I think you’d be perfect for him.”
“You really think so?” I could feel myself tearing up a little, too. She didn’t know this, but I think I needed someone myself. I’ve spent years focused on my work and trying to establish myself among the ranks. I long abandoned the thought of relationships or even just enjoying time with someone. That’s why the moment in the car felt so nice. It had been so long since I allowed myself to be with someone like that, and I was ready to see where this could go.
“I do.” Hannah nodded and at that moment, her phone rang. She wiped her eyes quickly and answered. “Hey, honey, how’s it going? Uh huh…okay, I’ll see you soon then!”
She hung up the phone and gave me a huge smile.
“They’re on their way back now!”
“What should I do?” I gave Hannah a slightly panicked look. I thought I’d have a little more time before I saw Trent.
“Maybe you could head over to Trent’s cabin and meet him there? I can give you directions; your walk over will give you some time to put your thoughts together.”
“That would be perfect.”
Hannah started jotting some notes down. “And I’ll tell Knox you had some questions for him, but that you’ll be back tomorrow. I’m sure he won’t mind. I’ll keep him occupied,” Hannah handed me the directions and winked.
“Thank you so much. For everything,” I said, hoping my eyes showed her how grateful I was for the talk and for her help.
“You’re welcome. Now go, before they see you!” Hannah shooed me away, giggling. I ran to the door, unlocked it, and headed out into the wilderness, hoping I could reach Trent’s cabin unnoticed.
Chapter 12 – Trent
I hiked back to my cabin, wiping the sweat from my forehead with a bandana I had tucked in my pocket. My shirt was drenched, and I needed a shower—badly. As I got closer to the cabin, I noticed someone sitting on the front steps. The individual was looking at the ground, so I couldn’t see his or her face at first, but as I got closer, I could see that it was a woman fiddling with her hands.
And there was only one person I knew with that nervous habit.
Shit! I reek and I’m covered in sweat… I looked around quickly and jumped behind a tree, taking a whiff of my shirt and coughing at the stench. Ugh, gross!
It wasn’t like I had another clean shirt on me that I could just change into, so I decided taking it off was probably the best option. I pulled its hem over my head and rubbed it all over my chest and neck, trying hard to scrub the stench and sweat from my body. I took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the tree, continuing to approach my cabin.
A branch crunched under my boot as I approached Blanca and she snapped her head up, looking directly at me. She seemed startled at first, but her eyes lowered to my chest, I could see a blush spread across her cheeks.
“Hello, Ms. Gianni. Were you waiting for me?”
Of course, she was waiting for you, dipshit. Why else would she be here?
“Um, yes, I was. I, uh…I’m ready to talk…if you are, that is…” She was looking down at her hands again.
“Sure. I might have to take a shower first, if that’s okay?” She glanced back up at me and her eyes widened a bit as she nodded, appearing even more red than before.
“Why don’t you come inside? It’s getting a little chilly out here.” I stepped up to my door and turned the lock, allowing her to step inside first. I watched her look around my cabin and I saw a smile spread across her lips.
“Wow, this is really nice. Not quite what I expected, honestly.”
“What did you expect?”
“I just thought it’d be more like a frat house. All sporty, you know?” She shrugged.
“Well, I can’t take any credit for the decorating. The cabin was fully furnished when I started working at Acadia.”
I really liked my cabin, which had been designed to match the environment outside, decked out in earth tones. The front door opened to the living room, which had a wide window to the left, covered by beige curtains. The walls had a stained-oak finish and there was a small cherrywood dining table by the window with two chairs. In one corner of the room sat an overstuffed recliner, and on the other side, there was a fireplace with a matching couch facing it.
The cabins didn’t have televisions because they were designed for people who enjoyed the outdoors and wanted to be away; I never liked watching TV, anyway.
