Read Bear the Burden: McMahon Clan 3 (Fated Mates Book 6) Online
Authors: Rochelle Paige
Tags: #dirty talking hero, #werewolf romance, #bear shifter romance, #wolf shifter romance, #alpha male romance
Bear the Burden: McMahon Clan 3 (Fated Mates Book 6)
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Rochelle Paige
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© 2015 Rochelle Paige Popovic
All rights reserved.
Edited by Monica Black
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used factiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons or living or dead, events or locales are entirely coincidental.
The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/ Use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owner.
Dedication
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This book is brought to you in part by Netflix and Gossip Girl. I’m addicted and my oldest son has restricted my access to writing hours only.
Selene
G
rowing up as the daughter of a coven’s high priestess meant you were raised knowing there was one particular path you were supposed to follow: treading along the same steps your mother took before you to ensure you’d be ready to assume her place one day. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be prepared to step into her shoes, but the expectation was there just the same. I felt the weight of it on my shoulders every day. My fear of failing the coven, failing my mother, was something I’d lived with for almost as far back as I could remember. It was also the one thing I’d never shared with anyone else. Speaking about it would only create doubt over my abilities amongst my fellow coveners.
It wasn’t that I was unhappy in the coven—quite the opposite, actually, since I’d flourished under their care. They were the only family I’d ever known other than my mom. She’d been kicked out of her home by her adoptive parents as a teenager when she started to dabble in witchcraft. The magic had always been strong in her, and she’d felt the pull toward witchcraft long before she even knew it existed outside of books and movies.
My mom had always possessed strong psychic powers and a heightened intuition. It was something she must have inherited from her biological parents, but she’d never been able to trace them to discover her roots. Her lineage remained a mystery, but the gifts they’d passed along were what made her an effective high priestess. Her sensitive understanding allowed her to guide the coven while maintaining our spiritual integrity. With her in charge, none of the coveners felt the pull toward the darker side of magic. She was responsible for our wellbeing and preserving harmony within the group. These were daunting tasks in a world where witches were often discriminated against by other supernatural beings. Even more so now since the coven was divided over what to do with the information about a threat to a prominent shifter family that had unexpectedly fallen into our hands. One who was known to avoid witches like the plague.
“It’s decided,” my mom said firmly, her tone allowing no room for argument. “We cannot ignore this news. If dark practitioners are involved, we must intervene. It is our duty.”
Our coven’s maiden, my mother’s second, moved from the other side of the circle to stand in front of my mother, resting her hands on my mom’s shoulders as she lowered her head in a sign of respect. “And so it will be.”
When she stepped to the side and walked past my mom, I turned to face her next. “Exactly as it should.”
I kissed her cheek before stepping outside the circle and walking to the tree line behind us. While I leaned against an old oak, each member of the coven, in order of their rank, took their turn and vocalized their support for her decision to intercede. A begrudging acceptance was evident when a few spoke, but they weren’t about to go up against my mom in front of everyone. It was possible they’d try to argue their case with her in private later, but highly doubtful when the maiden and I both fully supported her decision.
My eyes turned toward the sky, drawn by the sliver of moon still visible. Our meeting had begun at the start of the lunar eclipse, my mom calling us together at the last minute. We only had one topic to cover, but it was a lengthy discussion that took up nearly half the eclipse. Staring up at the moon as it disappeared from sight, I felt more than heard my mom’s approach from behind me.
“It’s late,” she chided.
“I’ve always enjoyed the night. It used to worry me when I was younger, the idea of being attracted to the darkness.”
“It’s the moon which draws you,” she corrected. “It’s always been the moon for you, even when you were but a baby in my belly. I named you after the Goddess of the Moon for a reason.”
“Hmm,” I hummed, well aware of how I got my name.
“You surprised me tonight,” she sighed. “I expected more resistance from you.”
I didn’t shift my gaze toward her, afraid to see disappointment in her eyes. Sometimes I felt like I never did what she expected—even at times like this when I did what I would have thought she wanted me to do. “You sound upset that I agreed with you.”
She moved closer, until our arms were resting against each other. “You’re at peace with the decision?”
“There’s no reason for me to be at anything but peace since it’s the right thing to do. How could you even doubt it when you’re the one who taught me the difference between right and wrong?”
She reached for my hand and squeezed it tightly. “I might have taught you everything you know, but you still have a mind of your own. And as much as I hate to admit it, the decision wasn’t an easy one.”
I finally turned to look at her, surprised by her admission. “Are you second-guessing yourself?”
“I’m not sure how to explain what I’m feeling. In my head, I know it’s the right thing to do. But in my heart, I have this inexplicable feeling of dread.”
I was feeling unsettled as well. Something about the lunar eclipse being on the same night our coven decided to reach out to a bear shifter clan was making me uneasy. They were both rare occurrences, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was an omen about how it would all turn out in the end. Knowing my mom was also feeling uncertain did nothing to calm my nerves.
Camden
M
y gaze swept across my dad’s living room and I couldn’t help but be amazed by how much my family had changed over the last year and a half. Annora, the sister I never knew existed, along with her wolf shifter mate, Parker, and my adorable baby niece, Kyla, were snuggled together on the couch. While Kyla climbed all over their laps, I noticed Annora’s hand drift to her stomach. I was pretty sure I knew why they’d surprised us with this visit. A pregnancy would certainly explain why my little sister was glowing.
There must have been something in the McMahon clan water lately because Alasdair was standing by the fireplace with his mate, Finley, another wolf, and his hand was rubbing the swell of her belly where their baby rested. At the pace the babies were coming, it wasn’t going to be long before the kids outnumbered the adults. Oddly enough, it was something I looked forward to—which was crazy considering I’d never even thought about being an uncle before Annora got pregnant with Kyla.
And then there was Braden’s recent claiming of Tahlia, a lioness shifter, who was also an agent for the shifter council my dad reluctantly served on. Our family now consisted of bears, wolves, and lions. For a clan who had limited their interactions with other species, our family seemed to have moved beyond our inherent distrust of outsiders with a swiftness beyond the speed of light.
Yet, even with all my family surrounding me, I still felt lonely. I was the last of the McMahons to find his fated mate. At that thought, my gaze drifted to my dad, and my heart clenched at the tightness of his jaw. I wasn’t the only one who felt alone, but I wished I were. Carrick McMahon was many things—a great dad, an amazing grandfather, a solid leader of his clan, and a respected member of the shifter council. The one thing he would never be was mated. He’d never have what Annora, Alasdair, and Braden had with their mates, what I hoped to have when I found my own.
He’d been quieter since Tahlia shot and killed Annora’s mom last month. We’d all tried to give him the space he needed to grieve, not so much the loss of the woman, but the loss of what she could have been if she had been a different kind of woman. It wasn’t the bullet from Tahlia’s gun that took away the possibility for him, but the reprehensible actions of the woman fate had chosen for him.
His chances for a happy mating had been gone for a long time, something he’d come to terms with once he learned about Annora’s childhood. A knowledge only reinforced when we learned of her involvement in what her chosen mate had planned for our family, including the attempted kidnapping of Annora and Kyla. But her death brought a finality he was struggling with.
It didn’t help that we still had unfinished business with her chosen mate. We hadn’t been able to track down Annora’s stepdad yet. My dad used all his council connections, but the trail had gone cold since there was dark magic involved. Tahlia’s agent friend, Damien, was also on it. As a dragon shifter, he had unparalleled access to the witches, but he hadn’t been able to come up with the name of the coven helping to hide the man from our search.
The last four weeks had been a waiting game, and it was both a blessing and a curse. Since both my brothers had mates to protect, it was my turn to step up and help our dad with the search. I was the youngest of the three of us, and although it was only by minutes, it never mattered to my brothers. They had always tried to protect me like I was the baby of the family. Now that it was my turn to keep them safe, I was nervous about what to expect when we finally got a lead. I’d never been tapped to help him with anything council related before, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d end up finding my mate along the way just as my brothers had.
Tahlia sidled up next to me and placed a hand on my shoulder, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Damien texted.” Her voice was whisper soft, low enough that I was the only one who heard her. “He’s going to be here in ten minutes and wants to meet with you, me, and Carrick.”
My eyes darted over to Braden. He’d grabbed Kyla from Parker’s lap and was swinging her in the air, his focus completely on our niece. He hadn’t noticed Tahlia talking to me, but he’d be pissed if we took the meeting with Damien and didn’t include him. I hoped she wasn’t whispering on his account. He was territorial about his mate, especially around the dragon shifter.
“What about Braden?”
“And Braden, too, of course. Damien didn’t ask for him, but I’m not stupid enough to think I could hide this meeting from him.” Raising my eyebrow at her, I crossed my arms and waited for her to realize what she’d said and who she was talking to. “Geesh! Not that I’m trying to hide anything from your brother, or that I even want to. Now, stop being a smartass and quietly head to your dad’s office. Until we hear what Damien has to say, I don’t want to freak everyone out and ruin all the family bonding.”
I chuckled at how uncomfortable she sounded. Tahlia was still adjusting to life in the McMahon Clan, since it was worlds apart from her childhood with her pride. “Better a smartass than a dumbass.”
“You better not be giving my mate a hard time,” Braden warned as he joined us.
“Who, me?” I asked as innocently as I could manage. “Would I ever do something like that?”