Shifter Nation- East Coast Bears Collection

by Meg Ripley

  “So, you did as you were told and unleashed these bugs into our park?” Knox accused.

  “No, sir. All the ticks in this box have remained there. I haven’t released a single one, except for the one that Ramon and I killed to confirm that they were carrying the virus.”

  “Which leads me to the microscope,” I said placing the slide with my blood sample under it. “This is my blood, extracted from the tick that Min pulled off my shoulder.”

  Knox and Trent took turns looking into the microscope.

  “Shit, it’s just like when you tested that rogue shifter’s blood,” Trent agreed.

  “Now this slide shows what was extracted from a fresh tick.” I replaced the first slide with the new one.

  “It’s the virus…” Knox’s voice was filled with concern. He looked from the microscope to Ramon. “And you have it. Does this mean you are going to die? Can we get it from you?”

  “I don’t know. But Min and I have decided to work long and hard to find an antidote.” I nodded and so did Min.

  “But what does this all have to do with Cassidy?” Knox turned to the cell. Cassidy was looking around frantically at them.

  “She’s the one who gave me the ticks in the first place. She works with the government, too,” Min said, glaring at Cassidy with her arms crossed.

  “What the hell is she talking about? I’ve never seen her a day in my life. Who are you, anyway?”

  “Oh, don’t play dumb now!” Min spat, starting toward the cell bars, but Trent stopped her.

  “You gave all the proof we needed to confirm that these ticks hold a deadly virus that can kill us, but nothing that links Cassidy other than your words. You must forgive me for being a more than a little cautious. We don’t know you, but we know her. I must consider her innocent until you provide proof otherwise.”

  Min looked to me for help. I shrugged; I had no idea how she was going to prove that it was Cassidy who gave her the ticks and the file. Something seemed to dawn on Min and she whipped out her cellphone.

  “If I can prove she is lying about not knowing who I am, is catching her in a lie enough to make you believe me?” Min asked as she scrolled through her phone, trying to find something.

  “Hmmm…I suppose. Lying is hugely against our clan code,” Knox nodded.

  Min handed him her phone. “She called me when I first arrived in Acadia to make sure I got to the inn safely. She said she would call me for an update with my progress, but she never did.”

  Knox pulled out his phone and checked the numbers aloud. “That’s your number, Cassidy. I thought you didn’t know her?” His look turned to a glare quickly.

  “Are you sure? You should check them again!” Cassidy seemed panicked at this point.

  “I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt, but now you have lied to me. You will tell me the truth. Now!” Knox ordered. I could feel his Alpha authority ringing through the room, rippling through me, and I could tell from Trent’s wince that he could feel it, too.

  “Fine! It’s true!” Cassidy admitted, sitting slowly on the floor of her cell. “I’m helping the government eradicate bear shifters. When they found out about our existence, they tried to scout me since I’ve been here in Acadia for the least amount of time. At first, I refused, but they told me I could either go down with everyone, or help them take you all down. If I helped, I would be spared as long as I aided them with experiments. So, I agreed. My first job was to set up phone and computer taps on all staff devices, which I did. Anything that you have texted, called, or emailed about is known by the government. Their goal is to rid the world of shifters without exposing them to the public and causing a panic. So, this was their attempt at genetic warfare. The rogue shifters that attacked Hannah were from the first trial. They were captured by the government and promised that the ticks would administer a drug that would increase their abilities. They agreed to partake in the experiment and the ticks were placed directly on them. They were placed here for testing where they got into trouble with you and you killed their leader, Shawn. You asked me and Hank to take care of Shawn’s body and I was able to kill the tick before it could move on to the next host. The rogue shifter who killed Danielle Peterson was our second test. I was able to infect him while he was visiting for the full moon. And I see that tick found Ramon, here, during the autopsy.” Cassidy was smiling deviously now. “I may not have gotten all of you, but I got one of you. Once the government finds out that you know of their plans, they’ll take care of you. They’ll know something is wrong if they stop getting updates from me.”

  “You betrayed the whole clan just so you can become one of their guinea pigs? How do you know they won’t just kill you too?” Trent asked, banging on the bars.

  “I don’t know, but if you all found out, I would be dead, if I didn’t help them I would be dead. This is the only way I had a chance, but no matter what I chose, I could die. What’s the big difference anyway?” she shouted back.

  “The difference is that we would have died together—as a clan! And we would have fought to the very end!” Knox roared, his anger blazing through his words and his chest rose and fell. He was very clearly livid. We all fell silent, looking down at the ground. He was right. I stole a glance at Cassidy, and even she couldn’t make eye contact with anyone.

  “Tell us everything you know about the virus and the ticks,” Knox ordered.

  “The virus was created to alter our genetic makeup and make us feral. The more times we shift while we are infected, the harder it becomes to shift back to our human states. The ticks only jump to find new hosts when their shifter host dies, so that’s how Ramon got infected. The ticks were engineered to identify shifters based on the taste of their blood; they can identify a DNA strand in shifters that is not present in humans. If they determine the blood is human, they abandon the host to find a shifter. The human is left with a tick bite, but no deadly symptoms. This is how they are trying to keep the virus contained to just shifters.”

  “Genius…” I said aloud without realizing. Everyone’s eyes fell on me. “Sorry, but you have to admit that’s pretty cool. They really pulled out all the stops.” I obviously wasn’t happy about dying from this virus, but I found it fascinating how much thought they put into their plan to kill us off.

  “And it would have worked, had Min here not screwed everything up.” Cassidy rolled her eyes.

  “Looks like you’re the one who screwed up,” Min scowled.

  Knox started barking out orders. “Trent, stay here and watch Cassidy. Ramon, Min, go start on that antidote. If you need anything, and I mean anything, call me immediately. And Min?”

  “Yes?”

  “There will come a point in time where Ramon will no longer be able to speak or think like himself if you both don’t find the antidote in time. He’ll begin to shift at random times and he may or may not shift back. If this happens, call Trent and I immediately—and run. We will come and get him, and he’ll be moved to a cell here where he can’t hurt anyone.”

  “If that happens, could I move the lab here. I want to stay with him.” Min was looking at me worriedly.

  “That shouldn’t be a problem,” Trent nodded.

  “Alright, everyone, get to it.” Knox slapped me on my arm and gave me a reassuring squeeze before he turned to leave, and I started to pick up my things and follow after him.

  The sooner I got started on the antidote, the sooner I could recover.

  9

  Min

  I turned to leave right behind Ramon.

  “Hey Min, can I talk to you for a second?” Trent asked, watching Ramon exit the building.

  “Sure, what’s up?” I asked. I recognized him as one of the guys at the bar who had urged Ramon to talk to me.

  “So…when are you going to tell him?” Trent’s arms were crossed over his chest.

  “Tell who what? If you guys still think I’m hiding something, I’m not. I told Knox everything I know.” I felt immediately offended that Tr
ent still didn’t trust me, even when his Alpha had accepted the truth.

  Trent burst out laughing.

  “What is so funny?” I glared. Now he’s making fun of me? What the hell is wrong with this guy?

  “I believe you, okay? I wasn’t talking about this situation. I was talking about that one.” Trent pointed his finger at my belly.

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Now look who’s playing dumb.”

  “I really have no idea what you’re trying to get at.”

  “The baby, Min.”

  I gasped, and for a split second, my heart stopped beating.

  “H-how do you know? I…I haven’t told anyone yet.” A slight panic started to build inside me; with all that had happened today, taking the test seemed like a distant dream.

  “Your pheromones. They’re intensely strong in the beginning to let us shifters know that our mates are with child. They become faint after the first month and then spike again when the baby is close to being delivered so that we can prepare to bring it into this world,” Trent informed me.

  “If that’s the case, then why hasn’t Ramon noticed?” I questioned. If all shifters could detect it, did that mean Knox knew, too? And even Cassidy? I looked over at her and she was still on the floor, her eyes to the ground.

  “With all the symptoms he’s experiencing from the virus, his body is probably under too much stress. If he starts to recover, though, he will notice.”

  “And if he doesn’t get better?” I choked on my words, feeling tears well up in my eyes.

  “If I were going to die, I would be honored to know that I had a child entering this world to carry out my legacy.” Trent nodded and placed a hand on my shoulder. I smiled, but my heart wasn’t in the moment when I walked away. My mind was elsewhere.

  Could he have passed the virus along to the baby, too?

  * * *

  When I got outside, Ramon was there waiting for me, holding his microscope and other supplies.

  “What took you so long?” Ramon asked as I walked alongside him.

  “Trent just wanted to firm up a plan in case you…you know…”

  “Try to kill you or something?” Ramon looked defeated and my heart fell to my stomach. I wasn’t afraid that he would hurt me, even if he went rogue; I would be there for him every step of the way, no matter what.

  “Ramon…”

  “Let’s just get to working on the antidote. Not just for my sake, but for the sake of the clan. Just in case someone else could be infected.”

  I stopped walking and took a deep breath.

  “Like your child.” I winced, preparing myself for the worst. Ramon stopped dead in his tracks and everything in his arms tumbled to the ground.

  “Ramon?” I ran up to him, examining his body to make sure he was okay. His eyes were wide, and his mouth was open.

  “What did you just say?”

  I looked him directly in the eyes. “I’m pregnant.” I grew teary, but I didn’t want to break our eye contact; I wanted him to know I was serious. His mouth widened into a grin, and before I knew it, he grabbed me by the waist and lifted me into the air, laughing.

  “You’re pregnant? I’m going to be a dad?” He lowered me to the ground and held me in his arms. I could see tears welling in his eyes, too, and I nodded, smiling up at him. He bent down, holding me tightly against him and kissed me as tears cascaded down my cheeks, and in that moment, I knew.

  I knew he was happy.

  And I was going to keep this baby, no matter what.

  “Wait…the virus…” Ramon’s eyes were panicked through his tears.

  “I don’t know if the virus can be transmitted that way, but we can’t take any chances.”

  “Now, more than ever, we need to do this—not just for me and the clan, but for our child. We will come up with an antidote. But I need you to promise me something.”

  “Anything.”

  “If I die or become rabid before we find the antidote, you’ll continue to test for it without me.”

  “Yeah,” I nodded, fighting a new wave of tears, “I promise.”

  I didn’t want to think of life without Ramon. In merely two weeks, he’d managed to capture my heart completely. I realized I hadn’t known true love before I met him; he had blessed me with a new life, and now, the life of a child.

  How could I raise a child without him or her knowing his love; instant and unconditional, and felt for someone who hadn’t even been born yet?

  It reminded me of my father. And in that moment, I vowed that I would do everything I could to make sure our child would know Ramon’s love firsthand. I would make it happen, somehow.

  * * *

  A week went by and we still hadn’t found an antidote for the virus. We worked around the clock and took naps when one or both of us were tired. Knox had us under constant supervision, worried that Ramon would lose consciousness and go rogue at any moment. He came by occasionally to check on us himself, but he mostly had Trent watching over us while he kept an eye on Cassidy.

  There were a few scares. There were times where we’d have to stop working because a part of Ramon’s body would shift, and towards the end of the week, Trent and I grew worried as he began to growl in his sleep.

  “I’m not sure how much longer he’s going to be able to hold this back. I can tell he’s fighting it, but the virus will take over completely at some point,” Trent admitted as we watched Ramon snarling and twisting in his sleep; his symptoms always seemed to be the worst at night.

  “We’ll just have to be on guard. The second he fully shifts or stops responding to us, we’ll have to take him in.” My heart ached with every word that escaped my lips. I didn’t want Ramon behind bars, but I knew once the infection progressed to the point where we would have to secure him, he wouldn’t be ‘Ramon’ anymore. He would just be his bear, rabid and ferocious.

  The next day only made me more afraid.

  Ramon and I were extracting some fresh samples of the virus from a new tick for our next round of testing. Ramon was holding the scalpel, ready to make an incision into the tick’s belly, when his hand began to shake. At first, it was a slight tremble, but it quickly advanced into a violent vibration.

  “Ramon?” I looked up at him and he was just staring at the tick, shaking uncontrollably. “Ramon! Are you okay?”

  He didn’t answer me, but his eyes met mine, and they were pitch black. His pupils had fully dilated, and a low rumble began emanating from his chest, growing to a terrifying growl seconds later.

  “Min, back away.” I could hear Trent’s voice, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Ramon. He was looking at me, but his eyes went through me. “Min, you’re going to want to start back up…Now!”

  In the blink of an eye, Ramon was gone, and a bear stood where he once did; growling, snarling and towering over me. I screamed and immediately scampered back.

  Suddenly, another bear came from the side and tackled the one in front of me, pinning it to the ground. I watched as Ramon’s bear struggled against Trent’s, but Trent’s bear was much larger and just had to lay on top of Ramon’s to overpower him.

  I watched the bear below Trent’s submit, and Trent’s bear rose, holding his paw against the smaller bear’s back.

  Slowly, before our eyes, Ramon appeared again, unconscious; Trent used that as a cue to return to his human form as well.

  “It’s time, Min.”

  I could feel my chin quivering as I nodded. I knew he meant it was time to have Ramon locked up, and tears trickled down my cheeks.

  “I don’t know if he’ll still be himself when he comes to, so I think you should be prepared for that.” Trent’s voice was grim; I could tell he felt my pain. I was losing a mate, but he was losing a good friend.

  I was suddenly overwhelmed.

  “Do you think if I talk to him, he can hear me? Or understand me?” I choked through my tears, holding back a sob.

  “Who’s to say? It’s worth a s
hot. Just let me get him in cuffs, just in case he experiences another setback.” Trent seemed very tentative to handcuff Ramon. He was hesitant, but his sense of duty seemed to overpower any other thoughts as the he restrained his friend.

  I walked over to them slowly and knelt down by Ramon’s head. I reached out my shaking hand to touch his hair, terrified that he’d glare at me with those eyes again. But, he didn’t stir as I stroked his sweat drenched head. I touched his forehead and his fever was worse than ever. A sob finally escaped me, and Trent padded over to console me, rubbing my back.

  “Ramon…I don’t know if you can hear me, but I want you to know—I need you to know—I love you! And I will keep working on this antidote day and night until it clicks. I will not let you die…but you have to fight, too, okay, baby? I know you can’t promise me, but I need you to fight this until the very last second. If not for me, for our child.”

  I was not much of a crier; in fact, I couldn’t remember the last time I cried. But in that moment, I was sure I sobbed more than I ever had in my life. I wanted Ramon to survive; I needed him to.

  “Alright, I’m going to take him to the holding cell. I know you said that you’d want to work on the antidote at the lodge if he’s locked up, and I want you to know that’s still okay. Behind bars, he can’t harm you; they’re specifically designed to withstand bear strength, so there’s no way he could escape and hurt you. Either way, I will be there to make sure of it. So, if you’d like to go there, you’re still welcome to.” Trent rested a hand on my shoulder and gave me a reassuring look.

  I tried to wipe my face and nodded. “You go on ahead. I’ll take my car; I remember the way.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you soon. Try not to take too long or I’ll worry you ran for the hills or something.” Trent smiled, but I couldn’t find it in me to return the gesture. I appreciated his effort, but all I could think about was never being able to talk to Ramon again, never hearing his adorable Spanish phrases and smart-ass jokes.