A Bear of a Reputation (7 page)

The Summit meant that members from all of the shifter clans in the area were returning home in droves. It was great for the Greyelf tourist trade, but it usually meant that tensions ran high, and there were always some “misunderstandings” between the clans. I understood why the idea of having her son outside the walls of White Oaks at night would be worrisome.

“Any other kids MIA?” Lukas asked.

“Bryan Fulton and Danny Pogue,” Marilee said. “The three of them are as thick as thieves. I’m worried about what trouble they could be up to.”

Lukas nodded. “I have an idea.” He looked at me. “Can you stay here with Marilee? I shouldn’t be long.”

I pursed my lips. I wanted to go with him, but I could tell that he wanted me to sit tight. “Fine,” I said. “Are you going to talk to the sheriff?”

Lukas was already headed toward the rear of the building. “I’m most certainly not going to talk to the sheriff,” he said. Then he was gone.

I sighed and glanced at Marilee. Her look was openly questioning.

“So, are you going to tell me what you’re doing here, Maren?”

I was wondering that myself.

There was coffee set out in the small kitchen of the lodge, and I sipped mine gratefully. I finally felt like my head was starting to clear from my earlier wine binge. Now that it was, I was starting to wonder if I was really going to go through with Lukas’s proposition.

“You and Lukas always were inseparable,” Marilee said as she sat down across from me. “I always thought there was something going on between you, but then I’d hear of another one of Lukas’s conquests.”

“You and me both,” I said, trying to keep the jealousy out of my voice. “We were just friends.”

“I saw how you looked at him,” Marilee said. “After his first phase, I think every girl here in White Oaks was after him, but he was always so aloof. Then there was all the trouble that he seemed to be in on a regular basis. It was like he wanted to be sure he didn’t look like an attractive mate.”

“Mate” was such a strange word to me. It belonged to a different world than mine, but yet I seemed to be willing to step into it. I wasn’t sure that I was ready for it, no matter what I said. “Seems like that whole mating thing happens pretty early for shifters, but I don’t really know anything more than that,” I said. That was the truth, but I was also leaving the door wide open for her to tell me more.

“It cuts down on all the drama, in my opinion,” Marilee said. “As soon as you’ve gone through your first phase, you’re considered of mating age.”

“Oh,” I said. “How do you know who your mate is?”

I could tell that Marilee was thinking about her response. That was common when talking about shifter customs. They’d give you the tiniest smidgeon of information and then clam up. “It’s complicated,” she finally said, “but still makes a lot more sense than human mating rituals.”

I wanted to roll my eyes. How hard was it to answer a simple question? I had to admit that I was as intrigued by the shifter community as my father was, but I wasn’t as driven to find out all the answers, at least until now. Lukas was offering me a way to do that: unprecedented access to the inside workings of a shifter community during a Summit, which only happened once every five years.

“I heard someone say that you were dating Billy Miller,” Marilee said.

I inwardly cringed. I wished that Lukas and I had strategized a bit more about how we were going to introduce this idea of me being his mate, given all the other factors affecting it. I had to choose my words carefully so that I didn’t have to contradict anything I said later.

“We’ve hung out a few times,” I said. “But like you said, relationship dynamics can be complicated.”

“Like when old flames roll back into town?” She was digging for information, too.

“Lukas and I have a lot to catch up on,” I said neutrally. I thought about the way he’d kissed me, and I felt heat rise in my cheeks. I couldn’t help but wonder if those things might include some other more pleasurable things.

“If Lukas really does think that he’s got a shot at keeping the alpha claim, it’s important that he chooses the right mate,” Marilee said evenly. “Most of the clan thinks that Sheriff Monroe is the better choice. They want Lukas to rescind his claim.”

“What do you think?” I said. I felt a flash of anger at the not-so-subtle insinuation that Lukas’s choice for a mate shouldn’t be me.

“I don’t know yet,” she said. She sipped her coffee. “What I remember about Lukas was he had a horrible temper, and he didn’t make friends easily. But when he wanted to get something done, it always got done. He had natural leadership qualities, and kids followed him, even if it was straight into trouble.”

I chuckled. “Yes, they did. What was funny to me was how often they kept coming back, even after the first time.”

“Lukas had that way of making you believe that what you were doing was going to make a difference,” Marilee said with a shake of her head. “Luckily, I didn’t buy into that more than once before I was mated. But I saw how he could do it. He was meant to be a leader.”

I hadn’t ever thought about it that way. I was beginning to think that if Lukas was serious about staking his alpha claim, maybe he’d succeed after all.

“But like I said, it’s important that he chooses the right mate,” Marilee said. “I heard the council already has someone in mind.”

“What?” I realized that my voice squeaked almost a full octave higher than it should have. “That seems pretty quick.”

“Markus was supposed to take a mate this fall. Whether it’s the sheriff or Lukas that takes over, the council has already mandated their mate. The council isn’t going to let this kind of succession problem come up again,” Marilee said. Then she grimaced. I realized that it was because she realized that she had said too much.

I wondered if Lukas knew that he already had a predetermined mate. I struggled to process this information. I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or cry. I was saved from that decision when I heard the sound of adolescent voices coming from the other room.

Marilee jumped to her feet and rushed out of the room. I followed more slowly. As I entered the lobby, I saw Marilee had her arms wrapped around a boy who stood just a few inches shorter than her. He had a grimace on this face. Lukas stood off to the side, shaking his head. He pointed toward the doors. “Let’s all go outside and have a chat.”

The other two boys looked terrified. Marilee looked at Lukas over her son’s shoulder. “Thank God. Where were they?”

“The sheriff is probably still outside,” Lukas said. “I can tell you both at the same time.”

I tried to catch his glance, but he was pushing the reluctant group of boys forward. I followed behind them. By the time I arrived outside in the parking lot, I saw that a small crowd had gathered. The three boys were wrapped in their mothers’ arms. The sheriff looked chagrined.

Lukas strode to him. He cocked his thumb toward them. “They were in the bunker over off Baker Street.”

“We checked there,” the sheriff said with a frown.

“My guess is that your officer didn’t know there is a small access panel in the back corner that opens to a hidden pantry. It’s where I used to hide the liquor I stole from Ms. Parsons’s store.” Lukas shrugged with a small grin as he looked at the boys. “Times haven’t changed that much.”

I heard the surprised gasps of the crowd, and then I saw Marilee grab Cody’s chin and turn his mouth up to her nose. “You’ve been drinking!”

I hid a smile behind my hand. I knew that I shouldn’t be amused, but it was heartening to see that shifter kids weren’t any different than regular kids. They got in trouble for the same stupid things.

“It’s not a big deal,” Cody said.

Marilee grabbed his arm. “You’re grounded. Forever.” She looked at Lukas. “Thanks, Lukas.”

Lukas nodded. “Happy to help.”

The crowd around us began to disperse as the boys were dragged away, one by one, by their outraged mothers. The sheriff watched them. His expression was unreadable. “Finding a few kids is hardly a reason to make you alpha.” The only reason I heard the snide comment was because I had moved closer to Lukas.

“The size of the problem doesn’t matter,” Lukas said. His voice held a note of a growl that told me he was just holding on to his temper. “People just need to know that they can trust me to take care of things. That’s what matters.”

“I’ve been doing that for ten years,” Sheriff Monroe said. “You’re out of your league here. Why don’t you go back to your cushy city job and leave these matters to the experts?”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Lukas said. “If you have a problem with that, take it up with the council.”

“I intend to,” the sheriff said. The two men seemed to circle each other, but neither one stepped back.

“C’mon, Maren. I’ll take you home.” Billy appeared at my side. “It’s on my way.”

“She’s riding with me.” Lukas hadn’t even turned in my direction. He was still locked in his stare down with the sheriff.

I saw Billy open his mouth to say something else, and I felt the electric charge in the air. I needed to diffuse the situation. “Thanks, Billy. It’s okay. I don’t mind. Lukas can take me.”

I saw the sheriff’s eyes move to me then. It was as if he saw me for the first time. There was a glint in his eyes as he looked me up and down. A small grin flashed across his face. “You should get that girl home, then, Lukas. You know the rules about civilians on White Oaks property after dark anyway.”

Great. More rules. But it didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize what the sheriff was really thinking. If the council had already determined the next alpha’s mate, Lukas was causing problems for himself if he appeared to be attached to anyone else. That was good for the sheriff.

Lukas whipped around, and then I felt his hand under my elbow as he guided me back toward his truck. I was inside the cab again, and we were on the road outside White Oaks before I caught my breath.

We rode in silence for several minutes.

“I’m going to the council tomorrow to tell them that I am taking the alpha claim,” Lukas finally said.

I felt my heart beat faster at his words. “Marilee told me that they have a mate picked out for the alpha. So your little plan to get information or have someone on the inside isn’t going to work. I can’t help you.”

The truck slid to a stop again. Lukas turned toward me. “I couldn’t care less what the council says. When I’m alpha, I will choose my mate. I’ll choose you, and they’ll deal with it.”

I felt slightly dizzy at his declaration. I just wished that there were actual emotions behind it. “You could lose the alpha claim altogether if you do that, Lukas. I know it’s important to you to find out what happened to your brother, but you have to be smart about this. Think about what you are saying.”

“I know exactly what I’m doing, Maren,” he said softly. “You have to trust me. Will you help me or not?”

I struggled with the rush of emotions I felt. I wanted to say no. I wanted him to leave me alone. I didn’t want to have to deal with everything I felt for him. I wanted to crawl back into my little hidey hole and forget that he ever existed in my life. But I saw the look of naked vulnerability on his face. I took a gulp of air.

“You are crazy, but okay.”

He reached out and stroked my cheek. “Thank you.” Then he started the truck moving again. We rode in silence the rest of the way to my house, both of us wrapped up in our thoughts.

He insisted on walking me to my door, even though I protested. As I started to step inside, he caught my hand. I didn’t want to look at him, but I felt his fingers kneading strong circles into my palm. It caused a flash of pleasure to run up my arm.

Even as I turned, he brought my palm to his lips, and his warm breath sent a shock of shivers through my core. He settled his lips against my skin, and then I felt the dart of his tongue as he moved it in a slow circular pattern.

He was barely touching me, yet it was the most erotic sensation I could recall feeling in years. I couldn’t move but was instead mesmerized by the sensations that crawled through my body and the intensity of his stare as he watched my expression. I felt my breath start to catch as he continued to gently tease the skin, and then he nipped it. I gasped.

“There are other ways that I can show my gratitude,” Lukas said. There was a low growl in his voice. “I haven’t forgotten a single thing about that night, Maren. Your skin. The way that you tasted. The sounds that you made when you climaxed. I think about it all the time. I’ll respect your boundaries, but just remember that all’s you have to do is ask, and I’d be happy to do more.”

And just like that, he broke the spell. I had to remember that this was a business deal. Of course, he’d be interested in the fringe benefits. Because he was a man and a jackass. I yanked my hand away from him. “This is strictly business, Lukas. Whatever that was that happened was a long time ago. I’ll help you, but it stays platonic. I don’t want anything else from you but the story. That’s all I care about.”

His mouth tightened. “Of course. The story. An all-out exploitation of the bear-shifter community.”

I shrugged. “That’s what you agreed to. If you want my help, those are still my terms.”

Lukas looked me up and down, but this time I didn’t see passion there. I saw disgust. “Maybe you have changed more than I thought,” he said. “I’m meeting with the council at ten. You need to be there. I’ll pick you up at nine.” Then he turned on his heel and made his way back to his truck.

I pushed myself into the house before he could see the tears that shone in my eyes. I let my back fall against the door, and then I slid to the ground. I brushed my tears away. He wasn’t worth it. There was no way I was letting the issue get cloudy. I couldn’t let myself fall in love with him again. I didn’t think I’d make it back out if he broke my heart again. And because it was Lukas Kasper, it was inevitable that he would.