Pacific Northwest Werebears - Complete (20 page)
Read Pacific Northwest Werebears - Complete Online
Authors: Moxie North
Bear with Me
By Moxie North
Table of Contents
The amber liquid swirled around the edges of the glass as Conner Rochon stared into his eighth or maybe ninth glass of scotch. Sitting in the corner of the dark bar he took a moment to glance up at the usual suspects. Drunks, troublemakers, and an assortment of women who loved them. Every few weeks Conner hit this bar, The Chinook, located about forty miles from his house. It had a number of advantages.
One, nobody knew him and nobody cared to. He was a big man and usually looked pretty pissed off by the time he came in. Not a soul there would have engaged him unless they were a moron or had a death wish. The bartender recognized him, but only offered a chin lift when he came in. No other dialogue had occurred beyond what drink he was ordering and how much the tab was.
Second, there was a somewhat seedy motel in the same parking lot. This allowed Conner to drink himself into oblivion and blur out the sounds of his bear’s non-stop yammering in his head.
And finally, his family wouldn’t even begin to think of finding him here. He could wallow in self-pity until he was ready to go home. Nobody would start looking for him for at least a few days.
His family thought he was out wandering the woods. Letting his bear out to enjoy nature, run free, and the like. Conner let them think that, it kept them happy. He couldn’t explain to his family, all of whom were shifters like him, that he didn’t let his bear out. In fact, the only time his bear took over was when he ran with his brothers, Cage and Wyatt.
Conner’s family, including his mom, Connie, and his dad, Edward, were bears. Brown and black bears to be exact. His oldest brother Cage was a Kodiak bear, as was fitting for a future Alpha. His brother Wyatt was a grizzly like him. Although his brother’s bear was bigger than his, and rubbed his nose in it whether in human or bear form.
Not that Conner was as small as his brothers teased him about. They liked to call him runt and in their world he was. Just over six-feet two-inches tall and thickly muscled, his brothers towered over him by a number of inches.
They even tormented him about his name. His mother was determined she was having a girl and was naming her after herself like her mother had done. When she didn’t get her Constance, she named her last boy Conner. Smaller than his brothers, he even looked different. He was the only blond in the family. His bear was lighter furred too, almost a blond red color when he shifted. Again, setting him apart.
His family loved being shifters. They all had accepted and bonded with their bears the moment the fates matched them at birth. They were always together, of one mind. As cubs, they would spontaneously shift which required keeping the children at home away from prying eyes. Just past the toddler years when they started talking, once you could explain the dynamic to a child better, they would stop shifting. Like the bears were giving them time to grow into themselves, get comfortable being human.
Conner’s mom told him he stopped shifting well before he spoke. They weren’t concerned, they thought he just had figured it out early. And he had, sort of. He knew there was another soul in his body and being the greedy last child that he was, wanted that body to himself. So he pushed his bear back as far as he could. Silenced him for lack of a better term. His bear was quiet for the most part, didn’t fight him too often. Usually when there was danger of some sort and he had to get his attention would he remind Conner he was there.
Conner remembered watching his brothers during their first willing transformation in their adolescence, usually a precursor to puberty. His brothers looked like they had come alive that first time. He’d had a solid year of his bear’s insistent demands, he’d gone from not hearing him at all to constantly finding ways to drown him out. At that age, loud music was his only option. Unlike now, where alcohol was his first choice.
Conner had dreaded it, his bear had grown increasingly noisy in his head, and his first shift was a fight, his bear forcing his way out. Making him become the thing he’d hid from everyone including himself. Conner never really forgave him for that. For some reason he felt he’d lost some major battle that day. After that, he’d reined the animal in and they both suffered for it.
He never knew what his animal wanted and Conner felt his bear’s agitation. Not only at his inability to go out and just be a bear, but also that Conner would shove him back in his mind, not listening to what he had to say. But Conner didn’t want to hear him, the bear was just loud and he didn’t speak roar, so he ignored him. Or like tonight, drowned him out.
Drinking himself into a stupor and then crawling into the motel room next door to sleep it off was the only quiet Conner ever got.
He hid it, his disconnect with his bear. Sure his brothers and parents would never understand, he pretended that he was just like them. Content in his situation, at peace and happy with his bear.
Normally Conner kept his distance from his family. They all ran a lumber company, Rochon Enterprises. His father had passed the company on to his sons a number of years ago to enjoy his retirement. Before that, his grandfather and great uncles ran the company. Conner liked the woods, liked to see things growing. It was the only thing that gave him any comfort. It was the only time his bear was truly quiet, when Conner was working.
Cage and Wyatt were in charge of the business side, the cutting, clearing and milling of the timber. Conner was all about the replanting. His crew would head through a clear-cut left by his brothers, nothing but stumps and culled logs that didn’t make the grade, and give it a second chance.
Once an area was cleared, he and his team replanted. Native species and two trees for every one they harvested. Conner was lucky that he got to see those barren landscapes come to life again and grow back into healthy forests.
Most people only saw these areas in the early stages of re-growth. With bear shifters living longer than humans, Conner got a front row seat to see nature reclaim what they took. At forty-five, Conner knew he looked like he was in his late twenties, although anyone looking at his eyes would see just how many years he had actually seen.
It was a small consolation, and one of the few highlights in his life. Lately, his melancholy had reached epic proportions.
“Fuck, me,” he growled into his glass, taking another swig. The whiskey burned down his throat. He motioned to the waitress as she was making her rounds.
“Need another, sugar,” she asked, comically rubbing her fire engine red lips together.
“Yup, and probably another after that,” he said with a surly tone, tossing her a twenty on her tray.
“Whatever you say,” she said turning away.
“Whatever I say, that’s right. I say, not anyone else. Not some bossy bear, not some pushy brothers,” he mumbled into his glass. Luckily, the noise in the bar was too loud for anyone to hear his low bitch session.
He knew he was bitching, he had accepted that about himself. He was a whiny bitch because he couldn’t cope with his bear and had zero life plans ahead of him.
Both of his brothers had recently found their mates. The One for them for eternity, fated to be their true loves. And if that wasn’t enough, they were both human! Conner had taken some solace in the idea that the odds of them ever having to deal with mates were slim to none since shifters weren’t that common. Definitely not common in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest. On the Olympic peninsula where they lived, there were no other shifters that Conner knew about.
They knew a few families close by. As in California and Canada, but not actually close. He was sure they were out there, but it wasn’t something one advertised. Secrecy was ingrained in their DNA. Keeping it secret kept them safe.
Now his family had two new additions in the form of humans for his brothers. They knew the secret now, but it was kind of hard to hide that from someone you were sleeping with and potentially having kids with.
Try explaining to your spouse why your kid turns into a bear cub not long after birth and then, poof back into a baby for no apparent reason. Might cause some problems in the communications department.
Conner could hear his bear growling, but it was far off. His bear hated when he drank. Nothing he’d like better than for Conner to be home, sober with a mate of his own.
Fat chance, he thought.
Conner never found humans that attractive. Well, they were attractive, at least the ones he’d bothered to sleep with. But he never really liked them, it wasn’t fair that they only had one voice in their heads. Minus anyone dealing with a mental issue of course. He was kind, courteous; always made sure they had a good time. But deep down his dislike of them caused him to hate himself even more. Part of him wondered if he was just jealous of their sense of self. One person in your head was probably pretty nice.
“Fuck!” He slammed his glass down. He had to maintain some kind of calm. He’d never been thrown out of this joint, and he didn’t want tonight to be the first. His bear was quieter, but Conner wanted him silent.
Another drink slid across the table to him by the waitress who didn’t wait for a response. She turned and made her way to a group of rowdy drunks. Even alone, hunched over a table, Conner radiated anger and danger. The vibe was enough to keep most of the other patrons on the other side of the bar.
Thinking about his soon to be sisters-in-law, Conner admitted he liked them both. They were both sweet, funny, and made his brothers happy. He wanted to see them settled, start families and live the dream. Conner never had that dream for himself, so he was jealous. He actually hoped this would keep his mother happy and distracted enough to give him another decade or two before hassling him about a mate and kids.
Realizing his bear was finally quiet, Conner slugged back the rest of his drink and stumbled to the door and out into the crisp summer air. Summer in Washington still had cool nights, but he didn’t feel it. Seeing room six across the lot, he made it to the door and got the key in the lock and slammed the door shut as he entered and fell sideways across the bed.
The first light of a rare sun-filled day peeked through a break in the curtains, hitting Conner smack in the face. He’d forgotten to pull the blackout shades when he’d stumbled in last night. Now he was getting a rude wake up call.
He rolled over away from the offending light and felt the pounding in his head. Shifter metabolism or not, he’d drank more than his fair share last night. His bear only gave him a quiet chuff in his head to announce his displeasure.
“Piss off,” Conner growled back out loud. Damn he hated talking to himself. He usually only did it when he was alone, but it still annoyed him. It made him feel like he was crazy, and maybe he was. He was probably the only person in his family that ever wondered if there was such a thing as a bear-ectomy.
Knowing he’d have to get moving, he rolled off the bed and hit the floor with a thump. Goddamn, he felt like shit, he thought.
Getting up to hit the bathroom he cranked the shower on cold, stripped down, and stepped in swearing a blue streak as he did. If there was one thing he was good at, it was self-punishment.
Letting the icy water pour over him he thought about his day. He needed to slap on a happy face. Charm his sisters-in-law, if he saw them. If he didn’t, his brothers would kick his ass, jointly or take turns doing so. He really did like them, Sophie was an amazing cook and her English accent always had him laughing. Jinger was so stinking sweet, she was always screwing up words from a head injury she’d sustained a few months back.
Both of his brothers’ women had been injured in the last few months by one person. Conner’s foul mood and hangover increased as he thought of the asshole targeting his family.
They had been experiencing mysterious breakdowns in equipment. Delays that were more annoying than dangerous. Figuring it was an environmental group, Cage had Conner seek out his contacts at the local groups to see if anyone would claim responsibility for the problems. Conner actually talked to most of the groups, they wanted to be heard and keeping lines of communication open with the timber industry was the only way they had an in. They wanted people to stop cutting down trees, and the industry was unwilling to comply. It was a battle that had been going on for years.
No one came forward regarding the problems. Deciding they really were accidents or a lone agent there wasn’t much they could do about it. Then Sophie got hurt when a hose broke and hit her. She spent a night in the hospital and luckily recovered. Thinking that was the worst that could have happened, the brothers called in the police. No leads came up until Wyatt’s mate Jinger took his truck one night and the brakes failed.
Poor Jinger was left in a coma which almost drove his brother insane. She spent weeks recovering and although she was getting better every day, there was still a chance the side effects would linger. The second Wyatt found Jinger as his mate, she was family. That meant she was Conner’s responsibility as well. And no matter how disgruntled he was with his life, no one hurt his family.
They got their first break when someone had the balls to spray paint the side of Wyatt’s house. The person’s message indicated that they knew the Rochon families were shifters and that’s why they were targets.
Turning off the shower, Conner toweled off and threw his clothes back on knowing he’d have to change at home. He needed to check in with his brothers and see what was on the schedule.
Walking out into the bright sunlight, he headed towards his Jeep. His brothers drove huge trucks around, they were big guys, he figured they needed the space. His ride was an army green 1979 CJ-7, rugged, no frills, big tires, and could take the rough logging roads they cut into the forests.
Pulling out and hitting the highway, Conner let his brain turn off as he enjoyed the trees passing by. His bear was still quiet and his pounding head appreciated it.
Turning into the lot of their base camp, he parked in front of the work trailer marked ‘Office’. Jumping out, he headed in and stopped short as he saw his brother Cage sitting at his desk, with his soon to be wife Sophie in his lap. He was feeding her what appeared to be donut holes.
“Oh, sorry man, didn’t know you were, uh, occupied,” Conner threw out, turning to leave.
“No, Conner don’t leave!” Sophie squealed jumping out of Cage’s lap. Cage didn’t even attempt to keep her seated as he never denied his mate anything.
Conner prepared himself for the huge hug he knew was coming. Sophie launched herself into his arms and gave him a smacking kiss on his cheek.
“Morning, Sophie,” he murmured squeezing her back. He really did like her, and boy could she cook.
“Have you ever had a donut hole?”
“Yes, I’ve had donut holes,” he answered, shaking his head at his brother who was smiling indulgently at his soon to be wife.
“They are bloody brilliant! I could eat them all day! Jinger dropped them off on her way to work. Who would have thought of cooking the middle of a donut? You Americans are crafty, that’s for sure,” she giggled, retaking her seat on Cage’s lap.
Cage without a word resumed feeding her donut holes.
Conner raised his eyebrow at him and received a “What? She likes them, and whatever the mother of my cub wants, she gets,” Cage answered, placing a growling kiss on her neck. Sophie squealed in response but didn’t stop chewing.
They had announced the pregnancy last week, which had the boys’ mother in a tizzy as the wedding was two months away and she was worried at the rate Sophie was going, she wouldn’t fit into her wedding dress. Conner wasn’t about to guess if it was the growing cub or the penchant for donut holes that was the concern.
Conner knew Sophie was pregnant the minute she walked through the door at dinner last week. Wyatt and he exchanged glances and Cage had shaken his head, warning them not to spoil the surprise. She smelled pregnant and it was unmistakable. Her natural scent mixed with shifter DNA had changed her on a level only other shifters would notice.
They let Sophie make the grand announcement and even his parents played along, although his mother was fighting happy tears the entire time trying to not give it away. She told Sophie she had allergies.
The family was overjoyed. Conner couldn’t even be grumpy about it. He was happy for his brother, he even was happy for his parents. His personal feelings towards the cub were unclear, he would wait until he met the little monster before he formed an opinion.
Watching his brother and soon to be sister had a tiny microscopic part of Conner craving his own little family. He quickly squashed it when he remembered this was not the life he wanted. He didn’t want his bear picking a mate and forcing him to bite her to bond with her for life. He also didn’t want his decisions dictated by a large furry, bossy animal that liked to rub his butt on trees.
“Well I would give her what she wanted too, I heard pregnant women will scratch your eyes out,” he scoffed, dropping into the seat across from Cage.
“Smart man,” Sophie replied turning her open mouth to Cage to accept another donut hole.
“Anything new I need to know about,” Conner asked.
“Nope, quiet on the home front. Wyatt is still keeping a close eye on Jinger now that she is back to work. Her doctors have cleared her, no more appointments. She’s still losing words, but she has decided it makes her quirky,” he offered with a chuckle.
“Yeah, it is pretty funny. Yesterday she got mad because she couldn’t find her keys to the turkey to get back to work after lunch. Running around yelling that she couldn’t start the turkey without them. That’s funny shit,” Conner laughed.
“Oh, you guys are so mean, and I was the one that found the poor woman’s keys to the
truck,
thank you very much,” Sophie sniffed.
“Well, that’s because you are sweet and kind and make us better men. We are lucky to have you and Jinger in the family,” Cage said, giving her another noisy kiss on her neck.
Conner shook his head at them both, they seemed happy.
“So, what’s on the schedule?” Conner broke into their canoodling.
“New cut needs another week before you can head in to start surveying. Dax is coming in tonight from California. Hopefully he can recognize someone’s scent so we can start hunting down this fucker that’s out for us,” Cage growled.
This caused a giggle from Sophie.
“Baby, it wasn’t that kind of growl,” Cage replied exasperated. Clearly his mate was enjoying her spot on his lap.
“Still liked it,” she said saucily, shooting a smile and wink at Conner.
Conner cringed at the intimacy of his brother’s current situation. He wasn’t comfortable around mates, not that he’d had any experience before. But they seemed very touchy-feely. And when they started cuddling his bear started complaining.
“Well I’m happy to do the airport run, got nothin’ better to do,” Conner said, standing and heading to the door. Thinking of having a cougar so close to his family made his skin crawl. But the Rochon family had played nice with the Hayes family, a cougar clan for many a decade. The Hayes family had been experiencing their own sabotage problems up until recently and were more than happy to offer a hand to catch the bastard since it seemed to be adding up to the same person.
“Later,” he called as he hit the door and went out into the now drizzling overcast day. Don’t like the weather? Just wait a few minutes.
