Alpha’s Claim (Bad Boy Bears #1)

Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

D arius

She lets out a sob–whether it’s emotional or a physical release, I can’t be sure.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” I hold her tight, continuing to kiss her everywhere my lips can reach. “I’m sorry I hurt you. I never want to hurt you again. Never.”

“I know, it’s okay. I’m okay.” She sounds teary, so I pull out and swing her up into my arms to carry her to bed.

I’m relieved once I can see her face. She doesn’t appear to be in pain–she looks like she’s in ecstasy. My incredible, beautiful mate.

“Do you believe I love you?” I ask. “I want you to know–it’s not just the pheromones. You are my fated mate, but it’s so much more for me. I think you’re incredible, Paloma. You’re braver than any warrior and smart as hell. And you’re kind and loyal. The sacrifices you made for your sister are–” My eyes get hot thinking of how I abandoned my brothers and Bad Bear Mountain while I told myself I was doing it all for them .

Paloma reaches for my face as I settle us onto the bed facing each other. “Are you thinking about Teddy?”

“I was thinking about all my brothers. What a fool I’ve been. I told myself I had to leave and build a fortune to save them all, but all I was doing was running from my bear.”

“The bear that I love.” She strokes my bearded jaw.

“You love my bear?” I’m fishing for her approval. Fate, it’s shocking how vulnerable I feel right now. Paloma might not love me. She doesn’t have bear pheromones to tell her I’m the male for her. But she did allow me to mark her. That must mean something.

“I love you ,” she says firmly, lifting her soft lips to press against mine. “ And your bear. Because you are one and the same.”

“You saved me,” I realize. “I was half a male, with a completely unexpressed side I was in denial about. And you set me free. All this time, I thought I was saving you, but I had it backward. Just like I told myself I was saving my brothers by moving to New York.”

“No,” Paloma laughs, but there’s a haunted quality to her expression. “You definitely saved me. God, I was literally enslaved. If you hadn’t come along, I would be some asshole’s sex slave in addition to Thom’s stock trader slave right now.” She shudders.

My bear surfaces with rage, and I let him growl out loud.

Paloma is unafraid. Her eyes crinkle as she presses another kiss to my lips. “There he is,” she purrs.

We both sober, remembering what she’s been through. “I can’t believe Thom knew about shifters and wanted to hunt them.”

I frown. “Yes, there’s a secret society of ultra-wealthy around the world who traffic shifters–more often juveniles about to transition. They call themselves Venatores.”

“Right. Latin for hunter. Thom told me when you were passed out.”

“Yes. They named themselves after the trained hunters in ancient Rome who participated in public spectacles called venationes . These spectacles involved hunting and killing wild animals in arenas and were a major form of entertainment. I guess to these modern-day Venatores, a shifter–a human wild animal–is a better opponent.”

“Disgusting.” Rage flares in Paloma’s gaze, fierce and protective. “Those men are twisted. Morally reprehensible. They need to be brought down.”

“Yes. That’s the focus of the shifter ops team you met.”

“And for fuck’s sake, hunting juveniles who just transitioned? That’s just sick.”

“I agree.”

“Maybe I can help. I know many of Thom’s cronies.”

“That would be helpful. I’m sure they will thoroughly investigate all leads you can provide or that they can dig up now that they know Thom was a part of it.”

Paloma blinks at me, her gaze clouding even more. “Am I going to be wanted for murder now?”

“No.” I tuck a section of hair behind her ear. “Absolutely not. The ops team stayed to clean up. I imagine they staged an explosion or a plane crash or something to cover it all up.”

“Oh!” Paloma laughs. “I just realized that’s why they lit off fireworks when we landed at Lockepoint. It was to cover the sound of gunfire! So smart.”

“Yes.” I lightly trace around wounds I made in Paloma’s neck. “How much do you hate me right now for this? ”

She laughs. “I might hate you tomorrow, but right now, I feel incredible.”

I relax a little. “The serum may have some drugging properties to humans–I’m not sure. I’ll ask Matthias. We should have him keep an eye on those puncture wounds to make sure they don’t get infected although my saliva speeds healing and prevents infection.”

“Okay.” Paloma’s lids droop, and her head falls into the pillow.

I believe we’ve both been up for twenty-four hours straight, except for when I was drugged, but it feels like there’s so much we still need to discuss. “There’s something I didn’t tell you.”

Paloma leans her head up on one hand, looking sleepy. “What is it?”

“Bears mate for life. Marking you is more than a human marriage. There’s no divorcing me. No getting rid of me. But I don’t want you to feel caged in after everything you’ve been through.”

Paloma gazes at me with those big brown eyes. “Are you saying I’m stuck with you now?”

I nod.

“I’m going to have a giant, growly bear protector for the rest of my life?”

“That’s right, princess. We don’t have to stay here, though. I’ll go wherever you and Wren want to live. I can work from anywhere, despite what I told myself for the last fifteen years.”

“And he comes with seven giant bear brothers and a mom who is hibernating?”

I see the twinkle in her eye, and I’m able to exhale. “Exactly.”

“Oh, darn.” Her lips quirk, and she leans forward to kiss my lips. “That sounds perfectly horrible, but I’ll probably adjust.”

I stroke my hand over her hip. “Are you sure, love? I know we just met, and humans normally court for much longer.”

“I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life,” she murmurs, scooting her pillow closer and nestling right up against my chest. “But now I need to hibernate for a minute,” she mumbles sleepily.

My bear rumbles softly, content at last. My mate is here in my arms, exactly where she’s supposed to be. I may have kidnapped Rapunzel from her tower, but now she’s content to stay.

I press a reverent kiss to her forehead. “Sleep, little dove,” I murmur, even though her breath is already deep and even.

Paloma

“Wake up.”

“One thing you should know,” I mumble. “I am not really a morning person.” Years of Thom making me work early and overtime trading hours had me longing to sleep in.

“Good to know.” Darius kisses my shoulder. He cut his hair back to Wall Street standards, which is sexy as hell. Actually, he rocks every length of hair and beard I’ve seen on him.

“Sleep all you want, princess. Just so you know, I’ve gotten word that Teddy and Lana invited us over for a big pancake breakfast.”

My eyes pop open. “Never mind, I’m awake. I love pancakes. ”

Darius’ chest rumbles with a laugh. “Wren told them they were your favorite. She and Everest made a Bananas Foster sauce on the side.”

“I’m up, I’m up.” I throw off the covers and dash to the bathroom.

“Take your time. I’ll get you some coffee.”

I exit the bedroom a few minutes later, all dressed in comfy GoddessWear yoga pants and a spaghetti strap top, with one of Darius’ flannel shirts thrown over it for warmth. Darius greets me with a hot mug of coffee and a kiss.

“Mmmm, I could get used to this.” I rub his stubbled chin. He was clean-shaven a minute ago, but now his jaw is covered in wiry golden hairs. “Viking beard kisses are the best.”

“It’s my bear,” Darius mutters. “He’s making his presence known.”

“Hello, bear. Thanks again for saving our skin.”

Darius leans down and lets his head fall. We stand forehead to forehead, communing for a moment. We’ve been through so much the past few days. So much adventure, and we survived. It’s still sinking in that we’re together and safe.

Something whinnies and snorts outside our door. It’s a familiar sound–like a horses’ chuff.

“What’s that?” I crane my head.

“That is my brothers’ welcome gift to you.” He nudges me to the door. “They got some friends of ours to smuggle her out of Lockepoint.”

I set down my coffee on a side table and step outside. Waiting in the clearing in front of the cabin is my horse, Starlight. “Oh, baby, here you are.” I take her halter and kiss her nose. She nickers softly, greeting me.

Darius steps out, and she tosses her head, snorting and shying away .

“Shhhh, it’s okay.” I stroke her sides and let her back away from Darius.

“She smells my bear.” He keeps his distance.

“She’ll get used to you. I didn’t like you at first, either.” I make a face at him, and he grins.

Axel and the triplets stand at the edge of the woods. I lead Starlight over to them. Her ears prick but she lets me walk right up to them.

“Thank you all so much.” I pull each of them into a hug. They have to bend down to reach me, but they might as well get used to doing it. I’m not going to grow any taller, and I have a feeling we’ll be hugging a lot.

We’re family now.

“She looks good. Who brushed her?”

The triplets all point at Axel.

“She doesn’t mind me so much,” he says and proves it by taking her halter and running his hands down her mane. “I cleaned out my other garage to make a stable for her.”

“We can build a stable here,” Darius offers.

“Does that mean…” Bern says, and Canyon finishes his sentence, “are you staying?”

I raise my brows at Darius.

“Up to you.” He reaches for my hand. “If you’re willing, I’m ready to come home.”

I smile. “I’m willing. I’m more than willing. This place felt like home to me the moment I got here.”

“Whooohooo,” Hutch whoops, and when Starlight steps nervously, we all shush him.

“Yay,” the other two triplets whisper. One of them uses the smallest possible motion to pump his fist in the air.

We walk up to Lana and Teddy’s incredible Architecture Digest-worthy cabin, complete with an entire wall of windows that looks out into the woods .

Wren comes to the porch to give me another strangle-hug. “Pancake-time!”

She looks fresh and happy and alive–so different from the way she looked at Thom’s or at boarding school. It’s like something in her woke up when Thom died. Or maybe it was when she got here. It’s hard to believe she’s so comfortable when she just spent the last couple of days and nights with complete strangers.

“Sorry I slept so long. Have you been okay up here?” The big sister in me still needs to tend to her, even though she’s clearly thriving.

“We love having her!” Lana arrives from the kitchen and gives me a welcoming hug.

“Yes, I love it here,” Wren says. “I think we should stay.”

I laugh and glance up at Darius, who continues to flank me, taking his job as my guardian bear-mate all too seriously. “That’s exactly what we were thinking.”

“Oh good!” She bounces on her feet. “Because I already told them you couldn’t live here without Starlight, and they went and got her.”

“You were responsible for that?” My face feels like it might split in two from smiling so big. It’s almost hard to hold this much happiness.

To feel everything could be so perfect.

“Yep.” Wren’s gaze wanders to the door, like she’s looking for one or all of the triplets.

At that moment, the door bangs open and Canyon, Bern, Hutch and Axel all spill in.

“Pancakes, pancakes, pancakes!” All three triplets chant. Even in Lana and Teddy’s giant house, their presence fills the space.

“Settle down,” Matthias commands. He’s sitting on the couch, reading a book. He doesn’t even have to look up, and the triplets calm.

I notice Wren has an extra spark of energy when she sashays to the kitchen. “They’re ready–come and sit down!”

Teddy emerges from the kitchen with a platter of pancakes heaped higher than his head. The triplets break into cheers.

Darius and I follow them to the giant dining room and take a seat. A moment later, a shadow falls over me. In the window looms a huge light brown bear.

Everest.

He’s on hind legs with his paws resting on the window. His black nose smears the glass.

Teddy sets the pancakes down and motions to the bear. “Get down.”

The bear angles his head to the side. Even though he’s huge, his little round ears are adorable.

“Aww, he’s hungry.” Wren sets down a platter of different flavored syrups and a saucepot of the bananas foster topping she made because it’s my favorite. She drops into a seat beside me.

“You can’t come in,” Teddy lectures Everest. “No bear forms in the house.”

“Everest,” Matthias states quietly.

Everest drops out of sight. I’m not sure when I’m going to get used to seeing a giant bear just hanging out inside a house. Or on a rugby field.

“Will I ever meet him in human form?” I murmur.

Darius stretches his arm over the back of my chair. “He’s shy. We’re opposites. I never let my bear out. He stays in bear form all the time.”

“He needs to get used to being a man,” Teddy says with an unhappy look at Matthias who’s seated at the head of the table.

Matthias nods. “We’re working on it.”

“We’re trying to set the ‘no bear forms in the house’ rule now before the baby comes,” Lana whispers to us. She rubs her round belly, biting her lip. She looks a little guilty, watching Everest lumber off into the woods.

“Good rule,” Darius says, stacking pancakes onto my and Wren’s plates. “It would’ve kept Teddy and me from destroying our bunk beds three times.”

“Us too,” Hutch says around a mouthful of food.

Axel elbows him. “Don’t talk with your mouth full.”

“Remember that one Christmas–” Bern starts, and Canyon laughs, interrupting to say, “We thought we’d catch Santa coming down the chimney–”

“And we tore apart the mortar holding the stones,” Hutch ends the story. The triplets and Axel crack up with laughter. Even Matthias chuckles.

Hutch sobers. “It destroyed the structural integrity of the cabin, and we had to move.”

“Yeah, good times,” Canyon says, and the other triplets elbow him.

Teddy rubs a hand over his face. “No wonder our mother is hibernating.”

I sneak a glance at Darius, but he’s smiling, his face clear. He’s no longer triggered by the stories of him and his brother’s out-of-control bears.

After breakfast, Darius and I go on a hike. Wren and triplets troop along behind us, carrying picnic baskets full of pancakes. After a few minutes, they split off to find Everest.

Darius and I wander hand in hand on a worn trail. The forest is peaceful, with birds chirping and fluttering from tree to tree. There’s a smoky edge to the chilly air. Winter is coming. Thanksgiving is almost here.

I have a lot to be thankful for. My family is safe. Wren, Starlight, and I will have the freedom we’ve always longed for, plus all the love and support of our newfound family. This morning’s breakfast was a taste of the gentle chaos of being around so many boisterous bears, and I soaked it in. Wren did too. She’s already made herself at home.

Plus, it’s nice to know, if anyone threatens us, the bears could make mincemeat of our enemies.

“So you’re good with this?” Darius breaks the silence. “Staying on Bad Bear Mountain?”

“I was just thinking this place is paradise. Fresh air, gorgeous views. A sexy Viking in my bed.” I tilt my head. “What about you? Will you miss New York?”

He blows out a breath. I think part of him is coming to terms with how much he loves his family and his home. How much he belongs here. “Not really. My employees mostly work remotely. I could let the lease on my office and penthouse go tomorrow. I wouldn’t even have stuff to pack.”

“It was never really your home,” I say.

“No.”

I keep silent for a few paces, letting that sink in. “There’s nothing to keep us from visiting.”

“Yeah, I’d like that. I do have some friends I’d like you to meet. Sully, the guy who helped us get to the safe house, is one of them. But I think the mountain is where we belong.”

I smile, but then have a thought. “What about Lockepoint?”

“I have people looking into it. Thom’s estate is tied up with creditors. And from what Kylie can tell from her hacking, a lot of his wealth was gifted to a few private companies dedicated to conservation. ”

“Like…conservation efforts to save the earth?”

His expression turns grim. “We think they might really be shell corporations for the Venatores.”

A chill runs through me. The Venatores are still out there. Still a threat.

“You and Wren are safe here,” Darius says.

“I know. Thank you.” This is probably the safest place in the world for us.

“We’ll keep digging. But when it comes to Lockepoint… I don't know if you and Wren will get any inheritance.”

I shrug. “That’s okay. We don't need his blood money. I can make my own.” I squeeze his hand. “I’m still waiting for an official invite to work at Mountain Top Investments.”

Darius goes still. “You’d do that? Come work with me?”

I face him. “Of course. I like trading. I just don’t want to be anyone’s slave.”

“Then consider this your official offer. How’s fifty percent ownership sound?”

“Perfect.” I let him take me into his arms and dip me for a kiss.

“I love you, little dove,” he murmurs just before he claims my mouth.

“I love you, my Viking bear.” I kiss him back.

Don’t worry, it’s not quite over! Read on for a special epilogue about Lana’s baby shower, starring Lana, Paloma, Wren, plus some out of town guests from Taos. And, of course, the Bad Boy Bears.