Hidden, Clan of the Werebear (7 page)

Damon frowned. “I’ll keep Shauna busy tonight and I promise not to lay a hand on Elaina. I half expect that you will favor her above all of the others if you’re ever able to ease your mind.”

“So are you saying that you don’t also desire to mate with her?”

“I’m not saying that at all, but you can trust that I won’t try to mate with her while you’re gone. Besides, I’ll be with Shauna tonight.”

Cullen nodded and gathered a few belongings from his hut. Elaina was in a deep sleep with one arm thrown across the bed, revealing a shapely leg and rounded behind just like he liked in a woman. Klesa, the mother of his son, was much thinner and too bony for his liking, but she’d proved to be a good breeder. She was human and not used to the food choices living in their primitive village, which might account for her thin frame. Cullen worried that Klesa had gotten sickly in the last year, which was troubling as her existence is imperative for the upbringing of their cubs.

This might be modern times when it comes to the civilized world, but they’d always lived a simpler life as did their ancestors. It was too hard to be a shifter and live amongst the humans. He hadn’t heard of a shifter that was able to make that transition. Most who’d tried always came back. It was hard to conceal a secret that big.

Cullen pushed clothing into a bag that he carried, leaving by way of the hidden trail. The moon was quite full tonight and Cullen fell against a tree, his eyes large as his body shook and trembled. Soon his back arched with a cracking of bones as he shifted. He took the bag between his teeth and ran on all fours toward the Bear Claw Pub.

When he reached the fork in the trail, he heightened his senses considerably since he would travel through the werewolve’s territory. He heard the high-pitched howls, and for once would rather forgo a confrontation. It was many seasons ago when the war began between the werebears and werewolves. Too many for Cullen to remember. Back then the Clan of the Werebear were of their strongest numbers. For the most part, they had lived peacefully amongst the other shifters until that day when a werebear, Rosa, was lost in the forest. She had gotten lost and shifted into human form, meeting a man with flowing black hair. They had fallen in love and lived together in a cabin near the mountains, until the clan found them together. Rosa was forced to return to the clan when they discovered that she had fallen in love with a werewolf. She returned to the clan, but she was beside herself with grief over losing her lover and climbed to the top of the north ridge. Her broken body was found at the bottom with the very werewolf she had fallen in love with kneeling over the body. The clan reacted by capturing the werewolf and executing him the next day, but it was revealed later that he was the Alpha of his pack. Battle lines were drawn, and a war was declared that still existed today.

The Clan of the Werebear drew up a set of rules of conduct for all werebears. It was forbidden for a bear to mate with another breed of shifter, regardless of type. They were also forbidden to mate with a human, or create offspring from such unions. The penalty is death for the bear, the human, and the offspring, which is why Cullen knew that they’d have to send the boys and their mother away. The only way he could be sure that they wouldn’t be found out was if Cullen sent them to live amongst the humans. That is one place that the clan wouldn’t go.

Cullen and Damon had moved their village from the north to central Alaska where there were treaties in place, and he thought at the time they were far enough out of the clan’s reach, but they hadn’t made it two years before the clan showed up and made demands.

Each spring the clan did inspections to be sure that only werebears existed in the villages and they’d reduced the numbers considerably. Cullen had been more concerned of late. With all of the men now gone, would he or Damon be forced to leave next? And what about the females of the village? No, Cullen would die before he’d allow the clan to take another person from their fold. Cullen wouldn’t go down without a fight.

Cullen kept up his pace and soon the lights of the pub came into view. Outside, two men were posted by the backdoor, which was puzzling. Cullen had never known Marla to have guards posted. He wasn’t sure what he’d be walking into tonight, but one thing was for certain. He wasn’t about to leave without answers.

Cullen shifted in the darkness and donned his clothing that he had carried with him. He then made his way to the front door where a burly man stood, his barrel-like chest displayed beneath his v-neck tunic. Cullen gazed up at the man with one brow cocked. “Is the pub open for business tonight?”

The man’s lips twitched upward, taking in Cullen’s scent. He moved aside with a nod, but remained silent. Cullen strode to the bar where two fox shifters moved aside to make room for him. As he sat, he motioned the bartender over. “I’d like a shot of whiskey.”

“Sure thing. I haven’t seen you in here in awhile, Cullen,” the bartender said.

Cullen didn’t really have time for small talk tonight, so he responded with, “Nope.” He knew that Sean would like to have pried more information out of him, but this time Cullen was here on business.

The shot glass was set down and Sean smiled. “How’s Damon these days?”

“Why do you ask?”

Sean shrugged. “Just asking.”

“What’s up with the guards posted outside the pub? Expecting trouble?”

Sean poured Cullen another whiskey after Cullen downed the first one. “Someone snatched a young werebear a few days back. It’s put everyone on edge. Marla doesn’t care for trouble. She’s trying to figure out what might have happened to the girl.”

“Female? How young are we talking here?”

“Eighteen. According to her protector, she’s not able to really protect herself. It seems she hasn’t been trained properly.”

That brought a smile to Cullen’s lips. “Not to worry. I’m sure someone will show her the ropes.”

Sean laughed, and then his face hardened. He leaned in closer and spoke much lower. “It’s not laughing matter. Marla is taking the kidnapping seriously.”

“What makes her so sure that she was kidnapped at all? She might have just run off.”

“Yes, but it seems hard to do when she was locked in her room.”

“Who’d lock her in a room? That seems barbaric. Of course, if I had a charge that age, I’d never let her near this place since it’s filled with shifters.”

The two fox shifters now glared at Cullen. “Don’t look at us. We just got here tonight. Plus, it’s not too easy to kidnap a bear shifter. They’re way too big to deal with when they shift,” one said.

“Of course, in human form I’d be game,” the other said. “I heard tell she was in the midst of her mating fever. They don’t get too choosy when they’re in the heat of the moment.”

Cullen elbowed the fox off his barstool. “Sorry,” he said with a smile.

The other fox got up, grabbing his drink, and they both left for a table in the far corner, safely out of the reach of Cullen.

“Don’t listen to those two fools. They should know better than to wrangle with a bear shifter.”

Marla walked toward Cullen, hugging him tight. He stared down her cleavage, as expected, but just enough for her to think he was interested in romping in her big bed upstairs. Of course, the last time he was here, she had him take her up against the wall of the back door. Cullen had no idea what Marla did before she came to town, but he suspected it was the world’s oldest profession.

He pulled away. “So, you’ve had some trouble here?”

Marla gave her black hair a careful pat, tucking in a few loose strands that had escaped her barrettes. She had high cheekbones that protruded more that they had a year ago and wrinkles were now visible near her eyes. Although older than Cullen, he didn’t mind rutting with her. He rather enjoyed her vast experience on how to please a man or shifter. “I thought I told you, Sean—”

 “So why was the girl locked in a room upstairs? That seems so unlike you.”

Marla led Cullen to a far table where there wasn’t anyone nearby. She sat and motioned to the other chair for Cullen to join her.

“I was trying to help the girl, really I was, but he insisted on locking her up.”

“Who did?”

Marla took Cullen’s hand in hers. “I like you, Cullen, but there are things that are better left unsaid. I’ve been sworn to secrecy. I can’t reveal the name of my friend.”

Cullen stoked his razor stubble face. “I can’t see you allowing anyone to mistreat a mere girl, a werebear at that.”

Marla folded her arms. “He meant no harm. He really has tried to protect her from the world, but you just can’t shelter a werebear like that. She needed to learn how to fight like other bears, but he wouldn’t allow her to even shift. He had this idea that she was in danger.”

“In danger from whom?”

“The clan,” she whispered and for good reason. Cullen knew it wasn’t wise to speak about the Clan of the Werebear publicly, or at all. They seemed to have ears in even the most secure of places.

Cullen finally whispered back, “I don’t understand. How could a girl be in danger from the clan? Is she someone of great importance?”

“I don’t know the answer to that question, my muscular one. All I know is that my friend has gone overboard trying to protect the girl. I think he’s the reason she left. I can’t say that I blame the girl for running off the first chance she got. If I was locked away like a dog, I’d run, too.”

“There has to be another reason that he locked her up like that.”

“Well...” Marla fidgeted with her fingernails, biting down on her pinky one. “She has the fever, that one. And she has it really bad.”

“Are you talking about the mating fever?”

“Yes, and now it’s too late for her.”

“Too late how?” Cullen had to know.

“I’m not sure how she found her way out of the pub. Someone had to have unlocked her door, with any luck it was a friend, not a foe.”

“Did she have any friends here that might have done that?”

“I have a few ideas, but I can’t be sure.”

“If she had stayed here any longer, one of the shifters would have mated with her for sure. She’d be too much of a temptation for any of them.”

“True. She’s eighteen and a shifter. Perhaps she’s even found a mate by now, one who would protect her.”

“So you don’t think she was kidnapped, then?”

“No, I strongly suspect that she just ran off with the help of a friend. I hope the girl is okay.”

“Did she have any friends here?” Cullen pressed.

“I really can’t tell you for certain, since I can’t be positive.”

“And the girl’s name is?”

“I-I can’t tell you. He’ll be angry and I don’t need to have something else to worry about now.”

“So why post the guards outside the pub?”

“Well, I wanted to pacify the protector, but word has trickled back here that the clan is on the move again. They’ll be doing their inspections, which is very bothersome since the werewolf pack is so near. I just hope we won’t have war at our doors. I’ve barred all werewolves from the pub until I’m sure they’re gone.”

“I’m sure that won’t happen since they’re fighting to the north, or that’s what they told me during their last inspection. They’re trying to squash the rogue wolf packs there.”

“I just hope that they leave the nearby pack alone. They’ve been quite helpful to me in the past. They delivered meat to my door just last winter that helped me make it through the winter.”

“So this girl wasn’t raised by you, then?”

“No, I just can’t tell you the name of her protector.”

“Is he only her protector, or something else?” Cullen hinted.

“No, he found her when she was but a cub and raised her.”

Cullen clenched and unclenched his hands. He had much to ponder on the way home. He pressed one time more, and asked. “Can you tell me the girl’s name at least? Just in case I run into her in the wild?”

“Please, Cullen. I can’t. I’ve sworn that I’d never reveal either of their names.”

Cullen stood and stretched. “I see. And is he still here now?”

“No, he left to search for the girl. In his own way, he does love her like a daughter. He just took that responsibility too seriously. I can’t reveal their names. Shifters aren’t known for their forgiveness.”

Cullen nodded and left via the back door. The guards out there totally ignored him, which either meant they were shifters and could smell the bear in him, or they really could care less and this job was like any other.

Cullen could smell them, though; they were werebears, as was he. He couldn’t stick around to figure out why Marla hired werebears as guards anyway. Doesn’t she realize that the clan could just as easily press them into servitude as part of the clan’s army?

Marla’s wrong about shifters not known to forgive. Cullen felt it easy to forgive the lies Elaina told him. Marla never raised her as she said, but another shifter did. That much Marla had let slip. Did it really matter what shifter had raised Elaina, one that saw fit to lock her up? The thought of Elaina locked in a dark room angered Cullen. He made a promise to himself at this moment that he’d protect her at any cost. Elaina’s so-called protector was no more than a bully.

Chapter Ten

Elaina ran fast. She tried to shift into her bear form, but she couldn’t seem to. Two ferocious bears came into view and Elaina screamed and screamed. She stood there as they ran toward her with teeth bared and claws raised, until...

A voice ripped Elaina from her dream state. “Wake up, Elaina.”

Elaina stared up at the dark shape above her. She touched his face and sighed, “Cullen.”

His body tightened. “No, it’s Damon. Cullen isn’t back yet.”

“Where did he go?”

“He’s on a scouting trip. We can’t ever be so complacent to think that our village is safe, not with the variety of shifters that live in this region.”

“What about the Clan of the Werebear?”

“What do you know about the clan, Elaina?”

“I’ve been taught that they are dangerous, and that they might be searching for me.”

“Why, Elaina? Why would the clan be searching for you?”

“I-I don’t know. It’s just what my protector has always told me.”