Alpha’s Claim (Bad Boy Bears #1)

Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

P aloma

A tapping sound wakes me. I crack my eyes open and squint against the brightness. The blurred shapes sharpen and become a set of green curtains framing a window filled with cheerful sunlight.

There’s a faint pain in my head, and my chest aches, but other than that, I feel okay. I move my limbs and everything seems to be working.

I sit up. I’m in a big bed that fills a tiny room. The walls are brown logs, and the floor is made of rough hewn pine wood planks stained a honey brown. I push back the heavy plaid blanket covering me and notice the green sheet set matches the curtains, the fabric patterned with tiny brown bears.

The only other furniture is a small bedside table and lamp, and there’s also an IV with a bag full of clear liquid. A small bandage in the crook of my right elbow tells me that someone put a needle in me at one point.

There’s no sign of Darius or anyone else. I’m in a log cabin that smells of pine and smoke, and someone’s been playing doctor.

I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m going to escape. Voices murmur behind the big closed door, so I swing my feet off the bed in the direction of the window.

I have to pause and close my eyes against a wave of dizziness. Have I been drugged? Or am I just weak from the medicine?

As soon as I can, I push up from the bed. I’m in nothing but a faded flannel shirt. It’s half buttoned and so large that when I stand up straight, it falls to mid thigh.

Tap, tap, tap, something goes at the window. I pad barefoot to see the shining dark head of a raven pop up and peck at the thick glass with its black beak. It turns its head and lets out a squawk, then flies off in a flurry of wings.

Weird.

The cabin window offers a view of a tufted meadow lined with rows of pine trees. Beyond the snowy boughs is a rolling mountain vista, magnificent under a clear, blue sky.

It’s breathtaking. And horrifying. How did I get here? How long have I been passed out?

A small draft comes in from the cracks around the window. I shiver and take a step back but not before a huge shadow falls across me. I can’t be sure of what I’m seeing until a huge furry head ducks down, and the creature stares at me with beady black eyes.

I shriek and back away from the window. I’ve never seen a bear outside of a zoo, and here it is, staring like it’s thinking about smashing a paw through the window, so it can eat me.

The door behind me bursts open. “Paloma?” It’s Darius.

I stagger to him, and he scoops me up. “What is it? What’s wrong? ”

“Oh!” I try to catch my breath, feeling foolish for screaming bloody murder. “There was a bear.” I point. “Looking in the window.” The bear’s gone from the window, but I see it lumbering across the snowy field. It’s massive. I had no idea bears could get that big.

“It’s okay,” Darius soothes me. “He’s probably more afraid of you than you are of him.”

He?

“You can put me down. I was just startled, that’s all.”

Darius seems reluctant to set me back down on the rough-hewn wooden floor of the little cabin, but he does. I watch as the bear reaches the end of the field and rises to hind paws. A small, dark shape swoops down. The raven lands on its shoulder.

What? Why does this feel like I’m in a fairy tale? I went from Rapunzel to Snow White.

The two creatures disappear into the trees.

“Wh-where are we?” I turn back to Darius. He’s clean shaven now, and out of the tuxedo ensemble that made me swoon. Now he’s drool-worthy in the complete opposite vibe: a thick flannel shirt and a faded pair of jeans. His feet are bare. The light blue and tan plaid matches the shirt I’m wearing.

“New Mexico. Bad Bear Mountain.”

My mind spins, trying to assimilate it all. The last thing I remember is standing with him in the kitchen at a beachfront safe house in Rhode Island. Now we’re two thousand miles away on…did he say… Bad Bear Mountain?

“ Why? ” I splutter at the same moment I remember that bad bear was also the safe word he gave me.

This must be his home.

“You passed out, and I had to get you medical care.”

“In New Mexico ? ”

“Medical care with someone I trust.”

“Right. Your brother.” It’s all coming back to me. He’d said his brother could prescribe something for me.

“Yes.”

“Did he…did he find the right prescription?”

Darius’ expression is troubled. “I’m going to let him tell you what he found.”

I blink. “No, you tell me. What is it?”

“Come here.” Darius takes my hand and leads me out of the tiny bedroom and into the living room of the cabin.

A wood fire burns in the grate, making the room cozy. At the kitchen table sits a man, wearing a crisp white button-down shirt and black-framed glasses. He stands when we emerge, and I realize he’s even taller than Darius. Other than their height, though, I see no resemblance. They are obviously not full brothers if they’re biologically related. His skin is dark brown, and he’s more slender than Darius.

“Paloma.” The man has a voice as deep as my Viking’s. “I’m glad to see you’re awake.”

“This is my brother, Matthias.” Darius ushers me forward with a reassuring hand at my lower back.

I extend my palm and shake Matthias’ hand. “Thank you for caring for me.”

“Of course. Are you feeling more like yourself?”

“I feel a bit weak and dizzy,” I admit. “Were you able to match my medication?”

“Yes, about that.” He wears the same troubled expression Darius had.

“What is it?” I look from one tall man to the other. The way the hairs prickle on my arm tells me something is very wrong.

Maybe my condition is fatal–worse than Thom made it seem. Maybe that’s why he wanted to breed me–to ensure he had someone to carry on my work when I’m gone.

My stomach twists and a wave of nausea rolls through me. When I sway on my feet, Darius loops an arm around my waist, his large palm settling on my hip to steady me.

“Paloma, I don’t believe you’re sick at all.” Matthias adjusts his glasses. “I found a large quantity of anticoagulant in your system, along with several chemical compounds that could cause dizziness and extreme fatigue.”

“Anticoagulant? That wouldn’t make sense for hemophilia.”

“No, it wouldn’t.” Darius sounds grim.

I stare at him, not understanding.

“Paloma, I don’t think the medication your doctor administered was to treat any disease,” Matthias says. “I believe it was poison intended to make you dependent.”

“But the hemophilia?”

Matthias shakes his head. “You don’t have hemophilia. I gave you a dose of a medicine I compound here that promotes rapid healing. It will help the effects of the poison wear off quickly, and then time will tell. I suspect you will return to perfect health.”

I consider myself strong. I’ve had to be for Wren. I don’t ever waste time crying or feeling sorry for myself. But my vision goes wavy with tears of rage at this fresh betrayal.

“I…I’m not sick? I never was sick?” The little cabin is suddenly too hot and stuffy for me.

I lose a hot tear down my cheek before I can blink it back.

Darius bands his thick forearm around my waist, holding me up from behind.

I push him off, though. I’m too mad for anyone to touch me right now. “I need–” I look around desperately .

Darius studies me with concern. “What do you need, princess? Whatever it is, it’s yours.”

I’m so tired of feeling trapped. “I need to get out–to go for a walk.”

“Of course. Let’s find you some pants.” Darius reaches for my hand, then wisely lets it drop to his side as he heads back to the bedroom. I follow.

“I would suggest rest, food, and fluids, but fresh air makes sense, too,” Matthias says mildly to our backs.

In the bedroom, Darius pulls open drawers, making grumbling noises as he roots through the clothes.

“Is this Matthias’ house?”

Darius pulls out a long pair of sweatpants. “No. It’s the spare cabin.”

“It’s your cabin, brother,” Matthias calls from the living room. Apparently, sound carries despite the thick log walls.

Darius gives an irritated shake of his head. “This isn’t my home,” he calls back. He holds out the sweatpants. “These will be way too long, but there’s a drawstring to keep the waist up. We can walk over to Teddy’s, so you can borrow something of Lana’s.”

I yank on the sweatpants, still itchy as hell to get outside. “Who’s Lana?” I demand, as if Darius is the bad guy, keeping secrets from me.

I know he’s not. I know I can trust him, but after finding out Thom has been poisoning me for years, I feel the need to arm myself with agency, information, and independence. The time for playing captured maiden is over. I’m the marauding warrior now, and I’m going after Thom Thompson for everything he’s done to me.

“My sister-in-law.”

“So Teddy’s your brother.”

“Yeah. ”

“You have two brothers?”

“Seven.”

I look up from knotting the drawstring in surprise. “Wow. Your poor parents. I’ll bet it was rowdy around here when you were young.”

“Just a mom. She adopted all eight of us. And yeah–rowdy is an understatement.”

I’m already calming down just hearing about Darius’ family. Just from his steadying presence in the room.

He hands me two thick pairs of woolen socks. “I’m not sure my hiking boots are going to stay on your feet, but we can try.”

I sit on the bed and pull on both pairs of socks, then stuff my feet in the giant boots he set at my feet. My foot comes out the moment I take a step. “Screw it,” I say, and march out in the doubled up wool socks. They will keep my feet warm and protected. If I don’t get outside, I’m going to burst.

Darius trails me out the front cabin door and drapes a huge puffy coat around my shoulders. I tug it on as I march off the wooden porch. I stop once I’m in the woods, stop to gaze up at the towering pine trees. The air smells crisp and clean. Heavenly.

A chill bites my cheeks, but even that feels good. I’m not trapped. Darius isn’t holding me prisoner. I’m in the woods under a cool blue sky.

“I need to get to Wren.”

“I’m working on it, princess. I’ve called in favors from everyone I know, and so have my brothers. The best hackers in the world are digging into Thom and all his companies. They’ll find where she is in Ireland, and we’ll get to her before he does.”

My body relaxes. I trust Darius to do all he can to find her. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” He peers at me. “How are you feeling?”

“Better, now that I’m not being poisoned. Que cabrón . I can’t believe that pendejo .”

“We’ll make him pay.” Darius sounds grim and determined. I’m with him, but I need a moment to savor my freedom.

I turn and take Darius’ hand. “Show me around?”

My Viking flashes a devastating smile. “My pleasure.” He leads me on a trail that curves down and meets another footpath. His boots crunch fallen leaves. Birds flutter to and fro as if unafraid of us. It’s so different from Lockepoint. From the East coast.

“Are there a lot of bears in these woods?” I ask. I’m glad we’re staying on a well-worn trail.

“Uh…” Darius seems caught off-guard. “A fair amount.”

“Really?” my reply comes out a squeak. “Are they all as big as the one I saw?”

“That one is the biggest,” he assures me. Which isn’t reassuring at all. “Let’s keep walking,” he says like he’s trying to change the subject.

I narrow my eyes at him but let him lead me further.

A chorus of shouts burst out. There’s something happening in the field beyond a belt of pine trees. I quicken my steps to find out what’s going on, but Darius seems reluctant to follow.

“Incoming!” someone shouts.

I step out onto the field just as a blurred shape darts past me. A tall, shirtless guy in a kilt runs full tilt into the forest, turning at the last minute to catch a big white ball. He crash lands onto a bush, but holds up the ball. “Got it!”

“Watch where you’re going,” Darius snarls. He inserts himself between me and the ball player, quicker than I can blink.

“Sorry, Darius,” the guy calls, throwing a curious look my way as he trots back on the field to join the other players.

There are four of them, all tall and broad-shouldered, and incredibly muscular. The shirtless one, the guy who crashed into the bush, has a chest that’s a jaw-dropping maze of muscles.

The players line up facing each other, two on two. Three of the four wear kilts. One has a poofy white pirate shirt and a red kilt, another has a poofy black pirate shirt that matches his black kilt. A third has a red kilt and no shirt. The fourth is dressed more normally, in a black t-shirt that shows off the tattoos covering his arms from the wrist up.

At some unseen signal, the shirtless one tosses the ball behind him to his teammate in jeans. The kilt-wearing opponents charge forward, but get blocked by the shirtless guy, who tackles them hard enough to slam them into the ground.

I wince, but they all spring to their feet.

“Canyon, what the hell?” shouts the one in the black kilt. “We’ve told you a thousand times. No tackling in rugby.”

“There is tackling. But we’re supposed to tackle him.” The one in the white shirt points to the tattooed player, who has strolled up to a nearby tree. He punts the ball through two forked branches, then pulls out a blunt from his pocket and lights it.

“Awww, Axel. No smoking ‘til the end of the game, you promised,” the three kilted players chorus. The three of them all have sandy brown hair and pale, freckled skin and appear the same age. They’re all the same height and build, too. They don’t look identical, but there’s a close resemblance.

The player near us blows out a cloud of skunky-smoke. He’s leaner than the other three and handsome as a movie star. His long black hair is pulled back into a ponytail. His t-shirt proudly proclaims that Triumph motorcycles are the best in the world.

“Hey, Darius,” he greets us. “Hey, Darius’ lady.”

“Axel,” Darius puts his arm around my waist. “This is Paloma.”

“Nice to meet you,” I say.

Axel offers me the blunt, and I decline with a wave of a hand.

The three kilted players crowd around. They’re all so tall, I feel like I’ve shrunk. “Hey, aren’t you going to introduce us?”

“Paloma, these are the triplets. Hutch,” Darius points to the one in the white shirt, “and Bern.” He points to the one in the black shirt.

“What about me?” The shirtless one pushes between the other two. Up close, his chest is even more amazing. Sweat runs down the grooves of his muscles and darkens the light hair at his temples.

“Put on a shirt, and I’ll think about it,” Darius growls.

“Canyon.” The shirtless one puts a hand to his chest. “Mi’lady.” The triplets all bow.

I stifle a laugh. They’re all so huge and adorable.

Darius squeezes me closer. He’s being all possessive, but I don’t hate it. “These are my stupid brothers.”

“Oh,” I make a mental note. The triplets and Axel all seem younger than Darius and Matthias.

“How many of us has she met?” Bern asks.

“Five. She met Matthias back at the cabin. ”

“Has she met Teddy?” Canyon asks.

Darius stiffens at the mention of his twin. “Not yet.”

Hutch says, “That just leaves–”

Branches snap behind us, and I turn to see the bear from this morning pushing through the bushes. Darius doesn’t seem worried, but I clutch at him. The bear rises to hind legs and offers Axel the rugby ball. Axel calmly accepts it. He’s got the blunt sticking out of the corner of his mouth. I get that not much fazes him, but no one else is freaking out at the fact a giant bear is standing right next to us. And it apparently knows how to play catch.

Just me.

“Holy shit,” I breathe.

“It’s okay,” says Hutch. “It’s just–”

Bern elbows him in the gut, and he doubles over.

“Just a random bear–” Bern assures me.

“Our pet bear,” Canyon says at the same time.

“Uh yeah, our pet ,” Hutch adds, rubbing the spot where Bern elbowed him. “He escaped from the zoo.”

The bear cocks its head at them. It looks faintly disapproving. Then it drops to all fours and lumbers away. It moves silently, and remarkably fast for such a giant animal.

I shudder, and Darius covers my shoulder with his huge hand. The weight is comforting. He dips his head and murmurs, “Welcome to Bad Bear Mountain.”

Darius

“Your brothers are sweet,” Paloma tells me. We’re back at the cabin, and I’m making us salmon on the grill. I was going to walk up to Teddy’s, but her stomach started to growl, and I was happy to cut our walk short and put off meeting my twin.

Now we’re blissfully alone. Matthias has gone to his shift at the hospital, and I managed to communicate to the triplets that Paloma and I needed some space. Axel wandered off, probably to work on one of his perpetual projects–either a car or a motorcycle. And I told Hutch and Bern to keep Everest busy. Two bear sightings in one day is enough. If he wants to meet Paloma, he needs to show up in human form.

“They can be,” I grunt. “But mostly they’re assholes. Especially my twin.”

Paloma’s head pops up. “You have a twin?”

“Yeah, Teddy.”

“Does he look like you?”

I nod. “Identical.”

“When do I get to meet him?” Paloma’s sitting at the picnic table, her head propped on her hands. She’s got a healthy color to her cheeks and looks more alive and relaxed than I’ve seen her.

“Hopefully never.”

She chuckles like I’m joking, but I’m not. Teddy’s home on the mountain, but Matthias said Lana’s pregnancy is making him grouchier than usual.

I hope he lies low. Whenever we meet, we fight. Combining his bad mood with the way I’m amped up to protect Paloma would lead to World War III.

I keep checking my phone.

Paloma looks up when it buzzes as a text comes through. “Any word about Wren’s location?”

“Not yet, but my associate, Kylie, is working on it. Her mate–husband–owns the top infosecurity company, and she’s one of the best hackers in the world. If anyone can find Wren, it’s her.”

“What did she say?”

“She’s working on hacking the school’s computers to link up to Wren’s school-issued laptop.”

The tension returns to Paloma’s face, and I would do anything to wipe it away.

“The clock is ticking. What if he’s already pulled her from the trip? Or–”

“Don’t go there,” I say firmly. “We will find her.”

“I should call him. Promise to turn myself in–just to buy us more time.”

“No,” I growl. “No way. That would give him the chance to make demands we aren’t willing to meet.”

“ We ?” Paloma searches my face.

My chest tightens. I can’t be part of a we . Not when my bear is so destructive. I would end up harming Paloma, like I hurt our biological mom–and she was a bear. She healed. If I hurt Paloma I would never forgive myself. I’d rather die.

But there’s no way I’m going to let her feel like she’s alone in this, either.

“Yes, we . I’m in this with you, princess. We will see this through together.”

And then I will have to let you go.

My bear nearly breaks free at that. I have to turn away to hide my glowing eyes from her. Breathe deeply and clench my fists to keep him down. He’s been clawing to get out ever since we got here.

Bringing Paloma here, to the mountain, makes my bear think he’s going to claim her. Mark her as my fated mate. The only reason I’ve held him off, I suspect, is because he recognizes Paloma needs to heal. Still, the need to mark her is growing by the minute .

As if what’s going on with Thompson and finding Wren wasn’t complicated enough.

I serve up the salmon and pause to watch her take the first few bites. I fucking love feeding her. It soothes my bear.

She wriggles in her seat. “It’s delicious. Thank you.”

“Better than tuna mac and cheese, at least.”

Her soft laugh does strange things to my chest.

I check the potatoes I have roasting in aluminum foil. They’re almost done. The wind picks up, chapping Paloma’s cheeks.

“We can go inside, if you’re cold,” I offer, settling onto the picnic bench opposite her

She wipes her lips on a napkin. “I enjoy being outside.” After years of captivity, going where she wants must feel glorious.

For a moment, I feel guilty. I’ve been keeping my bear captive, locked down. No wonder he’s straining to break free.

Then I remember what he’s done, the mayhem that drove both my mothers away. Caging him is the only option.

Paloma and I are almost done with our meal when I catch a scent that makes me stiffen. I shoot out of my seat so quickly, Paloma drops her fork.

“Darius? What–”

“Brother!” an angry shout cuts her off. Twenty feet off, in the forest, a tall pine shudders and falls, crashing to the ground. In a flash, I’m standing between Paloma and the treeline.

A bear-growl rockets from my throat.

My twin strides out, lightning flashing in his eyes. His bear is out of control.

“What the fuck are you doing?” He points from me to Paloma .

“Theodore.” I shove my bear back down. I am the civilized one. I keep my bear on lock in a city packed with humans. I won’t let him goad me into my animal nature.

I raise both hands, keeping my voice at a reasonable volume. “Calm down.”

“My mate is pregnant, and you brought danger to the mountain,” he spits. “Now you’re going to answer to me.”

“I had no choice, Teddy. You know that.”

“You don’t even have the decency to say you’ll come home for Thanksgiving, but the moment you want to show off to some Manhattan socialite –”

I charge before I even know what I’m doing. I’m still in human form, but civility just blew up. My bear wants blood for him speaking about Paloma like she’s nothing. I tackle Teddy to the ground and take a swing at his face.

“Darius!” Paloma screams when I crack him in the jaw.

Teddy log rolls his way on top and punches me in the ribs. “You won’t be happy until you destroy our mountain,” he roars.

I block his punch to my face.

“This is our home, and you’re not welcome if you can’t respect it. I have a cub to protect now.” He punches my ribs, right and left.

I could give a shit about the mountain right now. “You think your mate is more important than mine?” I shoot my feet in the air to toss Teddy off as I back roll to my feet. “ Do you ?” I snarl.

“Darius, stop!” Paloma shouts. She’s right beside me, which further enrages my bear. He doesn’t want Teddy’s fists anywhere near her.

“ Is she your mate?” Teddy comes at me, swinging. I dodge and jab him in the kidney. “You haven’t marked her. She doesn’t even know what you are. ”

My bear roars at the idea of marking her. He’s already so close to the surface, I lose even more control.

“I can’t.” I don’t know if I’m telling my bear or Teddy. All I know is I have to keep a lid on the bear or Paloma will get hurt.

“What does he mean, what you are ?”

My bear rips free. I feel the change happening.

“Go,” I grit out. “Run.”

Paloma gasps, her face blanching as she gets a good look at my face. I know what she’s seeing–my wild bear, my glowing eyes.

“Let her see it.” Teddy wipes the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, bouncing on the balls of his feet, boxer-style.

“No!” I roar. I have to get away from her. I can’t hurt my beautiful mate.

“See what, Darius?” Paloma shrieks. She’s angry, but I’m not sure why. Maybe she’s afraid.

I’m afraid too. Afraid for her. Afraid of what she’ll think of me when she finds out what I am.

“Go now!” I roar and fall to all fours, my spine bowing as I fight my bear.

“He won’t hurt you.” Teddy holds up a hand at Paloma, who hasn’t moved. He keeps his gaze on me, poised for my attack.

This fucking asshole. He made me shift and scare Paloma. I need to regain control, but first…I’m going to make him pay.

My bear gains the upper hand, and I lose the struggle. The air crackles as I change.

“Finally,” Teddy snarls.

I rise to my full eight-foot height and roar at Teddy. One warning before I rip him to shreds.