“I don’t get that part, either.”
Steven struggled against his captors, then let out a laugh. “Why? Because it was fucking fun. But shit. I’d have had more fun if you two assholes hadn’t shown up. She’s smokin’ hot, that mate of yours.”
Rick hadn’t planned it, but it felt good to punch the guy. Steven fell back and would’ve gone to the ground if Jacob hadn’t kept him upright. Rick shook his hand out, but was sure that any amount of pain, even if he’d broken his hand, was worth the slug he’d given the werewolf. Funny thing was, it was the only time he could remember getting to hit a werewolf without ending up with a pack of biting dogs at his heels.
“Feel better?”
He grinned at Jacob. “Yep. How about I give it another one?”
He had his arm back, ready to punch Steven again, when Gunner snagged his arm in midair.
“How about we go and find our mate? I want to know why she was in that pasture to begin with. Let them handle this asshole.” Gunner turned his arm loose, then nodded at Jacob and Jayden and sprinted away. He stopped after going a few feet. “Are you coming, bro, or not?”
“I am.” Rick wanted to have another go at the lousy werewolf that had cost him livestock and almost his mate. Instead, he fell into step next to his brother, shifting back into his bear form.
They ran side by side back to the place where they’d left Mallory, but she was already gone. He put his nose to the ground, picked up her scent, then started running again. She was headed away from their home, toward the main road leading back into Shatland.
With every step he took, he relived the argument by the mutilated cow and her calf. When would he learn to hold his temper? He’d been torn up about the cattle and had taken it out on her.
He ground his teeth together as the wind whipped over his fur. What would his life be without her? He hated to even think that it might happen. And Gunner? Hell, if she left, he’d never forgive him.
If she gave him the chance, he’d spend the rest of his life making it up to her. That and he’d learn to keep his big mouth shut.
He glanced at Gunner, saw the tension in his muscles, the worry in his amber eyes. How had Gunner kept from tearing into him when he’d fucked things up? He didn’t deserve either a good brother or a good mate. But if he got the chance, he’d try his best to make them proud of him.
He almost collapsed in utter relief when they caught up to her a quarter of a mile away from the main road. Although they hadn’t had time to talk about it, Rick stayed in his bear form, glancing at his brother every so often to see if he was ready to change back. Gunner kept running, his huge paws throwing up dirt as he loped in front of her, then swung his body around.
She let out a small cry, spun around, and tried to run in the opposite direction. Taking his cue from his brother, Rick darted past her, blocking her way. Her eyes were wide and her hair was in tangles.
“Leave me alone!” She darted to the left and straight into Gunner’s human arms.
He’d shifted just in time to catch her, then tossed her over his shoulder. Rick shifted, too, and kept to his brother’s heels.
“Calm down, Mallory. We only want to talk to you.”
“Put me down, damn you. I saw what you are. Let me go.” Her body rocked on top of Gunner’s. “I saw you. I saw all of you.” The fear and anger in her eyes grabbed him, daring him to lie to her. “And the wolves that ran past me. They’re all werewolves and you’re both bears.”
“Mallory, I told you what we are.”
“No. I mean, yes. But did you really think I’d believe you?” She let out a groan that was as close to a growl as a human could make.
“That’s right. Now you know the truth.” Rick paced closer as she continued to beat her fists against Gunner. “You saw what we are and I’m sorry we didn’t tell you before now. At least, not in the right way. We’re what we are, but you know
who
we are, too. Remember that.”
She paused, flattening her palms against Gunner’s back so she could lift her head. “Let me go.”
Love, unforgiving and all-encompassing, tore through him. Her tone was filled with sorrow and pain, pain that wracked him with guilt when he thought of how he’d treated her. If she didn’t accept them and left, then he’d blame himself. If he’d been less of a grouch, if he’d shown her more love, then maybe she could’ve looked past their alter-identities. He’d been so hell-bent on finding the rogue werewolf first, that he’d lost track of what was really important. If she stayed, that would all be in the past.
“Give us a chance to explain.” Her sad expression stabbed into him. “Please.”
She blinked, obviously surprised that he would add that word. “Will you hurt me?”
It felt as though she’d stabbed him in the gut. “Baby, we’d never hurt you. We’d rather die first.”
She blinked again, once more thrown by what he’d said. Another sharp pain hit him. To have his mate look at him that way, to think that she even had to wonder if they’d hurt her, cut him to the core.
“Put me down.”
“Put her down, Gunner.”
She landed on her feet, a bit wobbly. Or had she, for a moment at least, thought to run?
“Are you planning on carrying me to a cave?”
He smiled, thankful that she still had her sense of humor. “Nope. At least, not until wintertime.”
* * * *
Their moods as they walked back to the house kept them from talking about anything except the rogue werewolf. They filled her in on what had happened and how the werewolves had caught the killer. She asked more questions about the werewolves and what would happen next with the killer, but none of her questions were about them or the werebears inside them.
They didn’t ask her why she’d been in the field or why she’d run for the main road. They didn’t have to.
It all seemed so matter-of-fact, so
normal
like three friends out for a stroll. Until they came closer to the house. Then she had no choice but to speak.
“I know you won’t hurt me.”
“Good. We never would in any way.” Gunner took a step closer to her, but she moved back. It was too soon to have his touch and the wonderful sensation that was back overtake her thoughts.
The men she loved were werebears. Nothing could’ve prepared her for that. Her mind still couldn’t get that wrapped around it.
“Come inside, baby. We need to talk.”
She laughed, an edge to the sound. “We need to talk? Ya think? I heard you talking to Jacob and then I saw you. All of you.”
Rick held the front door open. “Mallory. Please.”
She couldn’t have said no to him then. Not with the yearning she saw in his eyes. Once she’d passed by him, however, the fear that had caused her to run came rushing back. She darted up the stairs and dashed to her bedroom.
Logic had gone out the window when she’d seen a man change into a wolf. Not thinking, she scurried to the other side of the huge bedroom.
They’d had sex in that bedroom and she’d been so happy. Now that time seemed so long ago. Since then, her perception of the world had gotten thrown out like an antiquated notion from the past. The men she’d come to love—still loved—had turned out to be creatures from the pages of a fantasy book. She should’ve seen the signs that they were different earlier, but she’d gotten involved too fast. Her heart hadn’t given her mind time to catch up. And then when Gunner had told her, how else should she have reacted except to think he was kidding? That he was just trying to break the tension between her and Rick?
Even accepting what she’d seen as true didn’t prepare her for Rick putting a key in the door and turning the lock. What was he doing? She raced to the door, then backed up as Rick got in her way.
Rick tugged a dresser open, then tossed jeans and a shirt to Gunner before grabbing clothes for himself.
Her eyes darted to the window. Could she escape that way? Did she even want to? Part of her screamed for her to flee. Another part, the part of her that had longed to fall in love, to find a man who would share that love, told her to stay.
Why couldn’t they have been normal men? And yet, if they were, would she still love them with every ounce of her being?
“We need to talk.”
“You already said that. And we will. But are you locking me up for good, Rick? Like a prisoner?”
“Of course not.” Gunner glanced at the door, then shrugged. “At least, not for good. We just need you to give us time to talk. We wouldn’t want you to run away before we’re finished.”
“And you need to keep me in this room to do that?” Her nerves jumped, her adrenaline powering up. “Unlock that door right now.” She had to get out. “You can’t keep me against my will.”
“We aren’t. Not really. I promise. All we ask is that you listen to us.” Gunner jogged to the side, nixing her second attempt to get by them. “Please, baby, just listen. When we’re finished, if you want to leave, then you can.”
Rick plopped into the nearby arm chair, then put his head in his hands. He groaned, then lifted his head.
“Mallory, we want you. Not for a few days, but forever. You’re our mate.”
“So you show me that by slinging me over a shoulder and hauling me back to a place that I ran from? Is that what you thought would make me want to stay?”
“No. Shit. I don’t know. You didn’t give us much time to think first.” He threw up his hands then slumped in the chair.
She stayed away from Gunner. If she let either of them touch her, she wouldn’t be able to think straight. Half of the time, she was angry that they’d talked her into coming back. But the other half, she was thrilled, excited, and turned on that they had.
She’d always wanted a man, men, who would take charge, the kind of men who were macho and commanding, even to the point of being primal. It looked as though she’d gotten her wish.
“Tell me everything. No holding back anymore. If you don’t, then one way or another, I will leave and this time it’ll be for good.”
Gunner closed his eyes, frowning to put lines where there were none before. “We’ll tell you everything.”
“I’m waiting.” She crossed her arms like a mother ready to listen to her disobedient sons’ excuses.
“We’re werebears. Men who can change into bears anytime we want. We have an inner beast inside us. It’s not a physical thing, but more of an emotional, primal entity that resides within us. When our bears are rising to the surface, ready to shift from human to bear, our eyes change from the color they are to ones filled with amber. When we’re in our bear bodies, our eyes glow with that amber.”
“Oh, my God. I saw amber in the eyes of those people in Shatland. And their teeth, your teeth, can really change into fangs? I don’t know why I’m asking. I saw you.” Would saying those same words over and over make her believe?
“That’s right.”
“So the whole town is filled with werebears?”
“With werebears, faeries, vampires, and more,” added Gunner.
Her mind threatened to shut down. Faeries? Vampires?
“And you want me as your…mate?”
“We love you.”
It was a plain and simple declaration that sent her heart racing.
Rick paced toward her, but she wasn’t ready yet to be held. Not that she didn’t want to. Her body screamed at her to wrap her arms and legs around them. It screamed at her to tell them that she loved them, too. But if she wanted to think straight, she had to stay apart from them.
“Tell us you don’t feel the attraction.”
She opened her mouth to deny it, but even before she could speak, he cut her off.
“You can’t, can you? Go on. Tell us you don’t feel it.”
She couldn’t. As much as she tried, she couldn’t. If she wanted them to tell her the truth, then how could she lie?
Gunner didn’t try to get close, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t see the yearning in his eyes. “We call it the connection. Shifters and their intended mates recognize each other when the connection brings them together. You felt it. We know you did. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have come together that fast. Tell us you know what we’re talking about.”
The connection swept over her again and it was stronger than ever. How could she turn her back on them? She loved them. She had no doubt about that. But did that mean she could live with them knowing what they were?
“I didn’t understand it, but that’s part of it, isn’t it? It grabs hold of you, of your needs buried deep inside you, and doesn’t ever let go, does it? Thinking logically about what you’re doing, who you’re doing it with, flies out the window.”
“That’s as good an explanation as any I’ve ever heard.” Gunner shoved his hands into his pockets, probably to keep from reaching for her. “It’s an invisible bond that will never fade away and will never die. We’re your men, baby, whether or not you accept us, whether or not you decide to stay. We’ll never love another woman.”
She’d longed to hear those words for so many years. And yet, now that she had, they hurt as well as thrilled her.
“Why didn’t you tell me before?”
Rick motioned for Gunner to hold back. “That was my fault. Gunner wanted to tell you earlier, but I wouldn’t let him. Although he ended up telling you anyway.”
“Not that you believed me. I would’ve shifted to prove it, but then that damn call came and we had to leave.”
Rick’s jaw worked as though he had to chew his words before he could speak them. “I wanted it to be just right with enough time for us to answer all your questions and for you to take it in. Part of that was hoping that we could break it to you easy, but a big part of it was that I was just plain scared.”
“Scared? Of what?” She wanted to understand, needed to understand. If she couldn’t, then that left no option but to leave.
Rick tucked his head, almost like he was embarrassed. “I was afraid we’d frighten you off. Other werebears have had their intended mates do the same and they never recovered. Damn it all, Mallory. I was too afraid that we’d lose you, so I kept putting it off, hoping that would give you more time to fall in love with us as men before you had to know about our animals. Looks like I might’ve been wrong about holding back. We might end up losing you anyway.”