Bear Next Door (Midlife Shifters Book 1)

by J. L. Wilder

  She was eager to be back with Brady. She still wanted that more than anything. But she hadn’t realized until this moment how much she valued having something of her own.

  At first, she had tried to follow the sounds, to keep track of what Marty was doing. But it was too painful to guess at. She heard the sound of the refrigerator opening and remembered packing it with plastic containers full of meals that she had prepared with Brady one evening. He had wanted to make sure she had good things to eat even when he couldn’t be around.

  Now she heard the sound of a plastic container opening, of Marty rummaging in a drawer for a utensil.

  He’s going to eat one of Brady’s dinners.

  For some reason, that was what pushed her over the edge. She hugged her knees and began to cry quietly.

  I won’t go back with him. I’ll never go back with him.

  But how was she going to avoid it? He was stronger than she was, and he could force her, if he wanted to. If only she had made it to the phone before he had tossed her in there!

  Her thoughts were interrupted by the familiar sound of the bedroom window scraping open.

  Her heart leapt into her throat.

  Brady.

  She would have known that sound anywhere. Before, it had always been a welcome sound, a signal that her mate was here. Today, she would rather not have heard it.

  Brady might be the only one with a chance at saving me.

  But he didn’t know Marty was here. He was walking into a trap.

  Her heart was beating so hard she thought she might choke. She wanted to scream, to call out to him to run before it was too late. But if she did, she might alert Marty to the fact that he was in the house.

  Please, Brady. Please don’t make too much noise. Please notice him before he notices you.

  “Evelyn?” he called out, dashing her hopes. “Where are you?”

  She jumped to her feet, throwing the coat to one side. “Run, Brady!” she screamed. “Get out of here, quick!”

  She heard the sound of a slamming door. Then Marty spoke. “So, you’re the one who’s been fucking my wife,” he said, his voice low and dangerous.

  “So you’re my mate’s abusive ex-husband,” Brady countered.

  “She’s not your anything, bear,” Marty said, spitting out the word bear as if it was a bitter pill that had been forced upon him. “She’s mine. We’re legally married, even now. I’ve got the paperwork in my bag.”

  “Paperwork?” Brady said disbelievingly. “You think you’re going to show me a couple of papers and I’m just going to walk away from my mate?”

  “It’s not the woman you’re concerned with, is it?” Marty asked.

  “She has a name,” Brady snarled.

  “It’s the baby she’s carrying,” Marty went on as if Brady hadn’t spoken. “You think that’s your baby, don’t you?’

  “It is my baby,” Brady said.

  “You can’t father a child on another man’s wife,” Marty said. “She is mine. Any child of hers is mine, to do whatever I want with.”

  “I’m not going to let you touch my child,” Brady said.

  “I knew that was why you were really here,” Marty said. “I knew that was all you really cared about. She isn’t worth fighting over, is she? Of course not. You want the baby, not the woman. Well, maybe we can work something out.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Brady demanded.

  “I don’t have any need for a bear child,” Marty said. “There’s a reason I never bothered to conceive with her, you know. When I want children, when I get old, I’ll find myself a young wolf to carry them for me. But this child? No, I don’t want a child of two bears.”

  “Then leave,” Brady said. “There’s nothing for you here.”

  Marty chuckled. “Not so fast. Of course, I could claim the child, by shifter law. I’m married to the woman, so her child is mine, regardless of who she fucked to get it.”

  “That is not the law,” Brady snapped.

  “Take it before the shifter council,” Marty suggested. “Explain that you tried to claim another man’s wife. The council doesn’t favor bears over wolves, the way you do here in Chicago. All they’ll see is a slut who had an affair.”

  “Don’t talk about her like that.”

  “Here’s what I’m willing to offer,” Marty said. “I’ll take her away with me now.”

  “Like hell you will.”

  “No, that part isn’t optional. She’s my wife, and she’s going home with me. But I don’t want that baby of hers, not really. If you’ll promise to stay away from her forever, I’ll have the baby sent back to you after it’s born.”

  Evelyn’s heart was in her throat.

  He can’t possibly agree to this!

  Would Brady really be willing to let her go? To let Marty take her away without a fight?

  Maybe that would be for the best. She didn’t want a fight, after all. She didn’t want Brady to be hurt. And though she had never trusted Marty and never would, she believed him when he said that he would turn the baby over to Brady when the time came. There was no reason he should want to keep this baby. Another man’s child, a bear shifter—Marty would hate it. He would have no use for it.

  But she felt as though her heart were splitting in two.

  Could she really go back with Marty and leave Brady behind? And then, could she live through having her baby sent away after she gave birth? She would lose the two things that mattered most to her in the world, and she would be returned to a life she had hated.

  Yes. I can do it.

  And she would do it.

  She would do it to protect Brady, and to protect their child. That was what was most important in all of this. If she could keep them safe by returning to Vegas, it would be worth it.

  Yes. Take the deal, Brady. It’s the best one we’re going to get.

  “No,” Brady said.

  Evelyn’s stomach dropped.

  Marty sounded amused when he spoke. “No? No, you don’t want the baby? Very well. I suppose I can find someone out in Vegas who does.”

  “No!” Evelyn screamed, throwing herself at the inside of the closet door, beating at it with her fists. “Do what he says, Brady! Don’t let him give our baby away!”

  “Evelyn!” Footsteps pounded toward her, but before the closet door could be opened, she heard the sound of a punch. Fist meeting flesh.

  The fight had begun.

  She didn’t want to hear the brutal noises, but she couldn’t turn away. She pressed her ear to the door, desperate for some indication of what might be going on inside, desperate to follow the progress of the fight.

  At first it was grunts and punches. Something fell to the floor—she heard a heavy thud, and tried to place where they were in the apartment, tried to figure out what they might have knocked over, but it was too difficult.

  Something shattered. Breaking glass. Someone howled in pain, but Evelyn couldn’t tell who it was.

  She did know, though, the minute the fight changed. The minute it became a fight between animals instead of men.

  The grunts of brawling humans gave way to snarls and snaps. She heard the sound of clawed feet tearing up her floorboards. Heavy breathing. Growls and barks.

  They’re going to kill each other.

  All she could think about was Brady. Good, kind Brady, who had taken her in and loved her when she had had nowhere else to go. Who had made her feel special and admired for the first time in her life. Who had made her feel worthy of love.

  She wrapped her arms around her small baby bump. That was her baby’s father out there. “It’s all right,” she whispered, stroking the bump, soothing herself with her own words and actions. “It’s okay. He’s going to be okay. We’ll get through this. We’ll be fine.”

  But she couldn’t be sure. It sounded so violent out there. She had no idea what was going to happen, and she was deeply afraid.

  She wished it would end, and yet she was afraid to wish it wo
uld end. She didn’t want to listen to the horrible sounds anymore. She wanted the waiting to be over. But as long as the fight was going on, that meant that Brady was still in it. That he still had a chance to prevail.

  Then, without warning, the noises stopped.

  No one was speaking. She didn’t know what had happened. She hardly dared to breathe. Was anyone even still out there? They wouldn’t have taken the fight outside, would they? This wasn’t a shifter-owned part of town. No one would know how to deal with the sight of a bear and a wolf in the middle of the city. They could get themselves shot.

  The door slammed, sending a jolt of fear through Evelyn.

  Someone is still in the apartment.

  But who was it?

  She didn’t dare to call out, to ask. She was frozen with terror.

  If it was Marty who was still there, what did that mean? Was Brady gone? Had he decided to leave?

  Or had something worse happened?

  She couldn’t think about it. She wouldn’t. He has to be alive. He can’t be dead.

  The footsteps paused in front of the door to the closet Evelyn had been locked in. She scuttled back away from the door, frightened.

  Then she heard a scraping sound. Something heavy was being dragged across the floor.

  She got to her feet, hands up in front of her. If Marty opened that door, she would be ready to fight him. She wouldn’t allow him to take her and her baby back to Vegas, not now that he had revealed his intentions to give the baby away. If—God forbid—Brady had been killed, then Evelyn would have to protect her child herself.

  She would punch him quickly—that would surprise him, maybe buy her a moment or two. She would push past him and run out of the apartment and into the street, where he wouldn’t be able to shift. She would scream. People would see a woman fleeing an angry man. Someone would help her.

  It was her only chance.

  The door opened, and she lashed out—

  A hand caught her by the wrist and stilled her. “Evelyn. Hey, hey.”

  She was panting with fear, but she forced her eyes to focus.

  Brady.

  He was alive.

  He was battered and bloody, and he looked as if he had been through hell, but he was standing in front of her, alive.

  She collapsed into his arms, sobbing with relief.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  BRADY

  He swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bedroom. He set her carefully on the edge of the bed, but when he tried to let go, she clung to him.

  “Hey.” He reached up and brushed the tears from her cheeks. “We’re okay now. We’re safe. He’s gone, okay?”

  She was breathing rapidly, near panic. “I thought—I thought you were dead.”

  “I’m all right. Listen, I’m going to go get you a glass of water, honey, okay? You need to calm down. For the baby’s sake. Then we can talk.”

  She nodded. He squeezed her hands, stood, and hurried to the kitchen.

  Now that the excitement was over, he was aware of the sting of his injuries. The cut Edgar had left on his face was the worst. He touched it gently, wondering whether it would leave a second scar alongside the old one that he had gotten when he had crashed his motorcycle.

  It was strange, but he hoped there would be a scar. The old scar had been a memento of the poor choices he had made in his youth, choices that had almost cost him everything. This new one would mark the day he had finally confronted his den and gotten his life back on track.

  He ran some water into a cup and took it into the bedroom. Evelyn was still breathing too quickly, but she had settled down a bit. He pressed the cup into her hands. “Drink,” he said gently, taking her into his arms and rubbing her back slowly.

  She nodded and took a careful sip from the glass. “What happened to Marty?” she asked.

  “He’s gone,” Brady said. “He won’t be coming back.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  He hesitated, not sure he wanted to tell her the details. “I cut him pretty badly,” he said at last. “I left him with no doubt as to who the stronger of the two of us is. He ran away. He won’t want to face me again.”

  “You can’t be sure,” Evelyn whispered. “What if he comes back?”

  “If he comes back, we won’t be here anyway,” Brady said. “We’re not staying here. You’re not staying here.”

  She didn’t understand. “Did you decide that you agreed with me? That we couldn’t live apart like this, and that we should leave town?”

  “Partly,” Brady said. “I still don’t want to leave town. But you’re right that it’s wrong for us to be apart. Tonight has shown me that better than anything ever could. I won’t leave you at risk ever again, Evelyn. You’re coming home with me tonight.”

  She moved closer to him, setting the drink down on her nightstand and wrapping her arms around him as if she was afraid that he might leave her. “Is that safe?” she asked. “If I go back, the den will know that you and I are still together. They’ll realize you’re the father of my baby as soon as it becomes clear that I’m pregnant. And that’s not something I’m going to be able to hide for very long. I’m already showing. I can cover it up with a bulky sweater, but not for much longer.”

  Brady shook his head. “It won’t matter,” he said. “Steve is gone too.”

  She looked up at him wonderingly. “What are you saying?”

  “When I left your apartment tonight, I thought about what you had said,” he said. “You were right. This is no way to live. We deserve to be able to claim one another. Our baby deserves to be born in a household where both parents are present. And there’s no point in staying in Chicago so our child will have the experience of den life if you’re going to be separated from the den like this. I’ve been putting off confronting Steve, but I couldn’t put it off any longer.”

  “You confronted him,” she breathed. “Did he make you fight again?”

  Brady nodded. “I knew that was the only way we would ever be able to resolve things between us.”

  “You could have been seriously hurt,” she said. “You could have been killed.”

  “But he was already killing us by keeping us apart,” Brady said. “There was only one way for us to get the life we wanted, and that was by removing Steve from power.”

  “What happened?” she asked. “Did he get his accomplices to fight alongside him again?”

  “He did,” Brady said. “But this time, other members of the pack jumped in on my side. It turns out I’m not the only one who was ready for new leadership.”

  “And what happened to him?” Evelyn asked.

  “When he saw that he was beaten, he decided to leave,” Brady said. “He told me that he would never follow my lead. He took Edgar and Brick with him, and they left town. I don’t know what they’ll do now, but they’re not our problem anymore.”

  “Then that means...” She trailed off, gazing at him, and he knew that she was waiting for him to say it.

  He nodded. “I’m the alpha now.”

  She kissed him, careful of the cut on his face. “You’ve waited so long,” she murmured. “You’ve worked so hard for it. You’ve earned it, Brady. It’s yours by birth, but now you’ve earned it too. And the den couldn’t possibly ask for a better leader.”

  He smiled and pulled her down on the bed beside him. “And I couldn’t ask for a better mate,” he said.

  He kissed her again. This time, the kiss seemed to sweep through their whole bodies. He could feel it down to the tips of his fingers and toes, electrifying him with heat and sensation.

  He broke away. “I need you now,” he said raggedly.

  Her pupils were dilated. “Don’t we have to leave?” she asked. “We should go to your place, shouldn’t we?”

  But her body was arching toward him as if he had a magnetic pull on her. He grabbed the nightgown she was wearing and tore it off her, leaving the scraps of fabric hanging loose from her shoulders.

&n
bsp; She let out a noise that was half laugh and half gasp. “You really need to stop tearing up my clothes,” she said.

  “Quickest way to get to you.” He kissed along her collarbone, forming his lips to the shape of it, running his fingers up and down her sides.

  “I’m not going to have anything to wear...”

  “You’re not going to need anything to wear. I’m not letting you out of the house for at least a week.”

  He wondered, as soon as the words had left his mouth, if that might not be the kind of thing Marty had said to her when she had been his. He knew how controlling Marty had been.

  But Evelyn didn’t seem to mind at all. She hummed happily, wrapping her leg around his thigh so that he was lying between her legs, pressed up against her.

  God, he was hard.

  “If we went back to your place,” she murmured, “we could take our time. We could make this last.”

  He nodded. “Do you want to put clothes on?” he asked teasingly, moving his lips from her collarbone to the swell of her breast.

  “Brady—”

  “If you want to put clothes on, tell me. I can stop.” This was almost certainly a lie, but he was enjoying the obvious torment he was causing her. “You can put your clothes back on and we can walk over to my place. It shouldn’t take more than about an hour.” He rolled his hips as he said it, grinding his cock against her, not fucking her yet, but letting her feel how hard he was. How ready. “I don’t mind waiting. If that’s what you want.”

  “Are you trying to drive me insane?” she asked.

  “What if I said I was?”

  “I can’t stand you.”

  “You love me.”

  “You know I do.”

  He pressed inside her, just a bit, just enough to allow them to feel each other fully. She shivered with pleasure, and he felt that shiver from inside of her. “God, Evelyn,” he groaned, forcing himself to be still, not to take her deeper. Not yet. “You are the sexiest woman alive, do you know that?”