Bearing The Long Road Home (Ice Bear Shifters 7) (2 page)

Seth Evans swung his axe with a vengeance, splitting yet another log in two. He tossed the split pieces into a growing pile of firewood, and grabbed another log for the chopping block. He had been at this for two hours already, with no signs of slowing down. The clan needed firewood, and he needed an outlet for his pent up energy and frustration. It was a win-win situation.

Seth worked under the light of a giant spotlight. Even though it was 11 a.m., the sky was pitch black. The depths of winter in Glacier Point brought over two months of complete darkness. The locals liked to joke that the cold was so bad here that even the sun went south for the winter. Today was December 27th. That meant another solid month without daylight.

A loud crack sounded across the otherwise quiet stillness of the snow covered landscape as Seth brought his axe down. Nearby, seven cabins stood, all built in the same style and located equidistant to each other. The Northern Lights Clan lived in those cabins. Thirteen adults and six children. Nineteen of the best people who had ever graced the face of the planet, in Seth’s opinion. And, yet, despite his affection for his clan, Seth still felt restless and frustrated.

He had been part of the Northern Lights Clan for over two years now, and the clan members had been nothing but wonderful to him. They had given him food and shelter after he nearly lost his life when his former clan, the Frozen Claws, were all but wiped out by the Blizzards. Seth missed his old clan members terribly, and he still teared up when he thought of some of his friends who had been killed by the senseless violence of the Blizzards, but at least he wasn’t completely alone in the world. He had managed to find some measure of peace and happiness. For a while, he thought he might even be able to get to the point where the only reminders of his past life were the long, ugly scars across his chest and back.

But his buried feelings of anger and sadness had come surging to the surface again when his friend James, another Frozen Claws survivor who had joined the Northern Lights Clan, found a lifemate and got married. Seth wished only the best for James, and he would never dare to begrudge another bear his happiness. But Seth hadn’t realized how lonely it would feel to suddenly be the only bachelor in a clan full of families. He hadn’t realized how being the only one going home alone at night would dredge up heartache over the friends and family he had lost. Despite living in a beautiful cabin, in the midst of a beautiful group of people, Seth could only concentrate on the ugliness of his past.

Seth swung his axe again, splitting another log and adding it to the pile. He could feel sweat dripping down his back under his layers of thick, winter clothing, but he didn’t slow down his pace. He was nervous about the conversation he was going to have with his alpha tonight, and the intense physical labor of splitting log after log of firewood kept his emotions somewhat in check.

Seth had received the call just last night. A gruff sounding man who identified himself simply as “Bob” had been on the line, and had asked if Seth was still interested in a job as an ice road trucker. Seth had felt his heart starting to pound with excitement. He had filled out an application three weeks ago, but after weeks of no response he had figured the trucking companies weren’t interested in hiring him. Bob had told him that they’d just had several guys quit. The ice-road trucking season was just gearing up, and the companies were desperate to fill the empty spots. Could Seth start next week?

Seth had agreed immediately. He had been craving an adventure, and an excuse to get out of town for a bit. He felt like the county lines around here were closing in on him, trapping him in a place where memories of the Blizzard attack jumped out at him from behind every tree and bush. His clan had been ambushed, and even though Seth knew the Blizzards had been destroyed and were no longer a threat, he still felt himself on high alert. He still couldn’t shake the feeling of paranoia that filled him every time he rounded a blind corner somewhere. Ice road trucking sounded like a great escape. It would do his soul good to spend three months far, far away from here—far away from anyone who had ever heard of the Blizzards.

First, Seth had to get his alpha’s blessing. So, late that afternoon, after changing out of the sweaty clothes that he had worn to chop firewood, Seth made his way to his alpha’s cabin. He knocked on the door, and heard a faint “Come in” from somewhere inside. Seth let himself in, and took a seat on the couch in the empty living room. He could hear muffled exclamations of disgust coming from the master bedroom, and from the snippets of conversation he caught, it sounded like Neal and his lifemate, Christine, were both involved in changing a very messy diaper.

Seth leaned his head back against the couch and closed his eyes. If he left for three months, he would miss seeing Neal’s infant son, Grant, every day. Seth loved the children of the clan, and nothing cheered him up like their innocent little giggles. But even those giggles weren’t enough to chase away the bitter darkness in his heart. Seth needed space. He knew James had taken a weeklong vacation to Montana for similar reasons, but Seth needed more than a week. He wanted a few months, at least, to forget about the trauma of the past.

Neal came out into the living room, wiping his hands with a baby wipe and scrunching up his nose in disgust.

“I don’t understand how it’s possible for such a small human to make such a huge amount of poop,” Neal said. “I mean, seriously, where is he keeping it all in that tiny little body of his?”

Seth laughed. “Well, there’s one reason I can be thankful I don’t have any cubs, I guess.”

Neal smiled. “Of course, Grant is worth it. But, yeah, I’ll be glad when the poopsplosion days are over, that’s for sure.”

Neal tossed the wipe into the trash can. “Thanks for chopping all that firewood, by the way. I can’t believe how much you got done. I think now we’re set on firewood until February.”

“No problem,” Seth said. “I enjoy the physical challenge, although I’m sure my arms are going to be sore tomorrow.”

“So what brings you over?” Neal asked.

Seth took a deep breath. “I’ve had an opportunity come up that I really want to take, but it requires me being gone for three months. I wanted to ask for your permission and blessing before I leave.”

Neal frowned. “You know you don’t have to ask me permission for every little thing. I’m a leader, not a dictator. What’s the opportunity?”

Seth breathed a little sigh of relief. Even after two years, he still had trouble not seeing Neal as the same sort of alpha that the alpha of his old clan had been. The Frozen Claws alpha had ruled with an iron fist, strictly enforcing a long list of rules that were designed to keep his shifters in line. One of those rules had been that a shifter was not allowed to be away from the clan for more than two days unless he or she got explicit permission from the alpha. Neal didn’t have any strict rules like this. Neal wanted to know where his shifters were so that he knew they were safe, but he didn’t try to tell them how to live their lives. Still, asking permission for everything had been a hard habit for Seth to break.

“It’s an ice-road trucking job,” Seth said. “I’d be hauling supplies across frozen ice roads from January to March, and getting paid a ton of money to do it.”

Neal frowned again. “Do you need money?”

“Well, not really. You guys have taken great care of me. But I’d like to contribute to the clan by getting my own job as well.”

“Look, if this is a job you think you’ll enjoy, then, of course, go for it. But don’t feel like you need a paying job to make a contribution to the clan. You do a ton of work around here. I mean, you just spent an entire day chopping firewood for us, for example. Just because it’s not a formal job doesn’t mean it’s not helping the clan.”

“I know,” Seth said. “But I still would like to try my hand at this. It sounds like it would be a fun adventure. And, besides, it would be nice to have a change of scenery for a bit.”

“What, are you tired of looking at my handsome face already?” Neal joked.

Seth laughed, but then his expression turned serious. “It’s just that there are a lot of bad memories around here for me.”

Neal stroked his chin thoughtfully. After several moments of silence, he finally spoke. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, Seth, it’s that you can’t outrun the demons of your past. You have to face them head on if you truly want to move forward with your life. I won’t stop you from taking the job, if it’s what you want to do. But I will tell you that it’s going to take more than a few months of driving around on the ice to come to terms with the heartache you’ve been through.”

Seth respectfully nodded his head at Neal’s words, but he silently disagreed. Maybe he wouldn’t come to terms with it, exactly, but he had a feeling that a three month break from the awful memories would do his heart a world of good. Seth thanked Neal, then got up to head back to his cabin.

He had a suitcase to pack.

Seth booked the next possible flight to Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories of Canada. There were no direct flights from Glacier Point, and the best Seth could do was a three connection trip. It would take twenty-two hours of travel to reach his destination, and his plane left that weekend.

Despite the long sequence of flights in front of him, excitement filled Seth as he boarded the first leg of his flight. Ryker had driven him to the airport on his snowmobile, and sent him off with an enthusiastic “Good luck, buddy.”

Seth had promised to email or call if he was able, but he wasn’t sure what the communication situation would be like in Yellowknife. He knew for sure that once he had started his long, lonely days on the ice roads, communication would be nonexistent. And those long, lonely days were exactly what had attracted Seth to the job. He would have plenty of time to listen to music, relax, and contemplate his plans for the future. As the first of Seth’s three flights left the runway, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. In less than twenty-four hours, he would be far, far away from Glacier Point—and far away from the awful memories it held.

* * *

By the time Seth arrived in Yellowknife, he was ready for a long nap. He hadn’t slept well on the plane, and he had an awful crook in his neck from trying. But it was ten a.m. when he arrived at the series of small buildings that served as a base camp of sorts for the ice road truckers, and he worried that if he went to bed right away he would completely throw off his sleep schedule. So, he went to the building that served as the main office and picked up the stack of paperwork he needed to fill out. He had already sent a bunch of paperwork over for a temporary work permit, but there were still more forms to fill out. The lady manning the office and working as a dispatcher also gave him a thick company handbook. Seth wanted to roll his eyes. Like he was going to bother spending any time reading that. He filled out the paperwork as best he could, and then headed for the room the company had assigned to him. It was small, with barely enough for the small bed it contained. Seth was glad that he had only brought one small duffel bag with him. There was no closet, and nowhere to store any clothes. A small, private bathroom was attached. There was a toilet and a small shower. Seth barely even fit into the shower, but he tested the water and it was hot, so he wasn’t going to complain too much. In fact, he really wasn’t going to complain at all, since the company he would be working for would be providing his lodging for free. Besides, he was hoping to spend most of his time out driving on the ice, not in his room.

Seth glanced at his watch. It was only 1 p.m. The paperwork had felt like it had taken forever, but he had only killed about three hours finishing it. He could barely keep his eyes open, but he fought the feeling and decided to go grab some food. There was a dining hall in the main building, and Seth went to check it out. The options were surprisingly good, offering a wide variety for such a small cafeteria. Seth settled on the meatloaf and mashed potatoes, and took a seat at one of the rickety tables. The place was deserted, and Seth wondered if he was going to be the only one in his training class tomorrow.

Seth already had a commercial driver’s license, although he hadn’t been behind the wheel of a big rig in about five years. He had driven a truck for a few months when he turned eighteen, but had soon tired of the long days on the road. Back then, life was all about hanging out with friends and having a good time. Spending most of his time on the road had conflicted with that, so Seth had quit driving and gotten a job close to home.

Apparently, that limited experience had been enough to let him bypass the normal twelve month training programs for inexperienced drivers. Seth didn’t feel experienced at truck driving, but since he already had a license, the company considered him experienced. He only had to attend a one week training program that gave safety information specific to ice road trucking, and then he could get on the road. Seth could hardly wait. He glanced at his watch. It was only one-thirty. Still way too early to go to bed, but Seth didn’t care anymore. If he woke up really early he would just read until it was time for training. Seth made his way back to his room, kicked off his shoes, and collapsed onto his bed without bothering to change his clothes. He fell asleep before his head had even hit the pillow, succumbing to the exhaustion that a full day of travel had caused.

Seth slept until 5 a.m. the next morning. Disoriented from waking up in a strange room, he looked around in confusion for a few moments before remembering where he was. He glanced at his watch that he had set on the floor next to the bed, and blinked in surprise when he saw the time. He wasn’t sure if he had ever slept that long in his life. Seth sat up slowly and shivered. The temperatures out here were even lower than in Glacier Point, and even in his heated room some of the chill managed to seep in. It was going to be a long, cold winter, but that was okay. The longer the ice stayed, the longer he could keep working here.

At nine a.m., Seth showed up at training, excited to get the process started and finished so he could get on the road. He expected the week in the classroom to drag, but it flew by. He soon found himself at Friday afternoon, graduating from training and being cleared to take on the ice roads. He received a certificate printed out on the office’s cheap printer, congratulating him on officially becoming an ice road trucker, and his trainer took him to see the rig he would be driving. His first load was scheduled to leave the very next morning—the trucking company was in desperate need of drivers, so they were putting everyone to work as soon as possible.

Seth’s assigned truck had been heavily modified and winterized compared to a normal semi-truck. The front of the truck boasted a massive steel plate, which his trainer explained was to help in the case of a collision with a moose.

“But don’t hit one,” the trainer said, laughing. “Even with this big ol’ plate of steel on here, you still don’t want to tangle with a moose. Trust me on that one.”

The way the man said those words made Seth think the trainer must have had a run-in with a moose at some point. But the trainer didn’t offer any further details, and Seth didn’t push him to explain. The trainer explained the heating features of the truck in detail, and made sure Seth knew what to do to keep warm if the truck had a mechanical failure out on the ice. Of course, Seth didn’t mention that all he had to do to survive the bitter cold would be to shift into polar bear form. The trainer frowned at him several times, and Seth tried to act like he was taking the safety briefing on heating seriously. After familiarizing himself with the truck, Seth had to stop by the main office to pick up some paperwork. He got there a few minutes before they closed, and tried to take care of things quickly so that the woman behind the desk could leave on time at the end of her shift.

The woman found two spots Seth had neglected to sign on his paperwork, and so Seth sat on the worn out folding chairs across from the desk and started to quickly write his signature on the missed lines. Just as he was recapping his pen, the bell on the front door jingled as the door opened. Seth’s hand froze in midair as an unmistakable scent hit his nose: shifter. He hadn’t seen any other shifters around the base camp, and he wasn’t entirely sure whether there were any clans around here. He hadn’t noticed anything that would indicate a shifter presence, but, then again, he hadn’t ventured anywhere beyond the camp, and he had only been here a week.

Seth slowly turned in his chair, and was surprised once again when he realized the shifter was a woman. She was looking down at a huge pile of paperwork in her hands, and hadn’t seemed to notice him yet. She was bundled up pretty well against the cold, but the skin that was visible on her face looked pale. She had furrowed her eyes down in a confused position as she studied the papers. Seth breathed in deeply. She smelled so familiar, but he couldn’t place the scent. Surely, he had never met her before. He had never been to Canada, and the clans from Canada would have no reason to venture as far away as his home in Alaska.

Seth watched the woman’s posture suddenly stiffen, and he knew she had smelled him. Without looking up, she breathed in deeply. Seth found it almost amusing to watch as her nose told her that another shifter was only a few feet away. But any trace of amusement faded from his face when she finally lifted her face and he saw her eyes for the first time.

His heart plummeted to his feet, and he fought to maintain his calm as the taste of bile started filling his throat. Her jet black eyes left no doubt in his mind, and explained why she had smelled so familiar. She was a Blizzard.

Seth slowly stood, and handed the paperwork back to the woman at the front desk. He had no idea what the other shifter was doing out here, and rage filled him at the mere sight of a Blizzard. He hoped that there was some explanation as to why she was in this office that didn’t involve her working for the trucking company. He wasn’t sure he could handle seeing a Blizzard constantly for the next few months.

Although he wanted nothing more than to attack her, and make her pay for the damage her clan had done to his, Neal had given strict orders when they took down the Blizzard clan that women and children were not to be harmed. Even twelve hundred miles away, Seth felt a duty to respect his alpha. So he took a deep breath, and walked toward the doorway, leaving plenty of space between him and the Blizzard so he wouldn’t accidentally brush against her. As he passed her, she looked over at him with questioning eyes.

“Hello,” she said, uncertainly.

But Seth wasn’t interested in playing nice. He let out a low growl and then left the office, letting the door slam behind him as he went.