The Bear's Forbidden Wolf: A Hot Paranormal Fantasy Saga with Witches, Werewolves and Werebears (Weres and Witches of Silver Lake Book 4) (6 page)

“What’s the problem?”

Jackson looked off to the side, trying to find a way to say it without looking stupid, but he failed. “I think she’s my mate.”

Connor laughed. Now that pissed him off. “I take it this is a joke?”

Jackson shot up from his seat and paced. “I wish. As soon as she walked into the house, my body went crazy. I swear her scent was sweeter than this whiskey. I sure as hell did not want to be attracted to her, but my bear kept clawing and scraping to get out. It was insane.”

“You do realize that if you mate, it will alter your genes? And probably not for the better.”

Jackson stilled then relaxed. “Don’t worry. I have no intention of getting anywhere near her again.”

“You might not, but your bear might take over. Rye said he lost all control around Izzy.”

Jackson tossed back his drink then immediately realized it was empty. He sat back down and smacked it on the table. Jackson looked Connor dead in the eye. “So it’s true about what this insane attraction means? Kalan hinted at the same thing a long time ago, but I didn’t want to believe him.”

“Appears so.”

“Fuck me. What can I do?”

“Besides move away from here?” Connor leaned back, but this time his smirk had disappeared.

He wouldn’t leave his Clan, his family, or his job. “Besides that.”

*

As soon as
Jackson left the dinner party, Ainsley let out a breath. While she was happy she could now focus on Shamus, a boatload of worry was settling in. If she and Jackson were mates, it meant she’d live out a lonely life, because the two of them could never be together, even if she wanted to be with him—which she didn’t.

“Tomorrow’s Saturday,” Shamus said. “Do ye have time to go exploring with me?”

That was one question she was happy to answer. “Absolutely.”

He looked over at Kalan. “When do you think you could find out about the apartment?”

“The man who owns the place is Len Berta. His cellular phone store is across the street from the Blooms of Hope flower shop. I imagine if you go into his store and ask, he’d be happy to let you check out the place. To smooth the way, I’ll give him a head’s up in the morning.”

That was easy and nice of him.

“Thanks,” Shamus said, looking happy.

“Ainsley, you want to help clean up?” Blair asked as she pushed back her chair and stood.

“I’d be more than happy to.” Even though Kalan had his claws retracted, she had the sense he was being polite for his mom’s sake.

Mrs. Murdoch held up a hand. “Nonsense. Kalan and I will clean up. I know you girls are tired. Ainsley, it seems like you’ll have a long day of fun tomorrow with Shamus.”

Ainsley genuinely smiled. “I do.” She faced him. “How about I pick you up here around eleven? We can check out the apartment and have some lunch.”

“Sounds good to me. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

With her plans all set with Shamus, Ainsley was anxious to leave. Dread and despair sat heavy in her gut over this whole mate thing. She prayed she was wrong, but her internal sensors were screaming she was not.

Blair hugged everyone goodbye and then walked out with her. They stopped in front of Blair’s car, and she faced Ainsley. “I’m sorry about the way Jackson acted. I don’t know why he was such a pill.”

Tell her
. “That’s okay, I understand.”

“Understand, why he wasn’t civil?” Blair asked.

“Yes, and it wasn’t just that I’m a Changeling.” Okay, that was most of it. A cold wind blew right through her sweater, and she wrapped her arms around her waist for warmth. “How about we head home, and I will tell you everything?”

Blair clasped her shoulder. “Did something happen while I was in the kitchen helping mom with the dessert?”

“Kind of.”

Her roommate shook her head. “I can’t wait to hear this.” She waved and slipped into her car.

Ainsley jogged to the end of the drive and jumped in the Jetta’s driver’s seat. Glad for a few minutes of quiet to think through her dilemma, she took off, arriving home a minute before Blair.

The short drive only increased her agitation and anger. With all she’d endured in her life, why did she end up with a bear shifter? Not that she wanted another Changeling, but if she had to live with this kind of intense yearning for the rest of her life, she might end up like her dad—despondent and then dead.

As soon as Blair entered her apartment, she set down her purse and headed straight for the kitchen. “I can’t wait to hear what happened. You want some wine?”

“Totally.” Hopefully, her admission wouldn’t drive a wedge between them. With Jackson being Blair’s brother, she might have an idea what Ainsley should do.

Blair returned a minute later with two glasses of Merlot and joined Ainsley in the small living room. She sat on the red sofa while Ainsley took the yellow chair across from her.

“Tell me,” Blair said.

Ainsley inhaled deeply. “I need to start by giving you a little background on my father.”

Blair leaned forward. “I didn’t think you remembered much.”

“This isn’t about our time together. My mom told me later how and why my father died.”

Her roommate hissed in a breath. “That must have been a rough conversation.”

“More than rough. I still can’t believe it. Apparently, my father wasn’t aware that when a non-Changeling mated with a Changeling, he would inherit the Changeling’s bad genes, which would change his perspective on things. I’m guessing my mom didn’t know either.”

“How is that even possible?”

“I don’t know. Do you understand how Kalan was able to transfer his ability to shift to his mate? I understand she was human.”

Blair nodded. “She was, and you’re right. I don’t understand how all that works either.”

“Anyway, according to my mom, when I was about five, Dad became depressed. By the time I was eight, he was so distraught with all the evil thoughts pummeling his body that he killed himself.” A sharp pain stabbed her gut, and she crossed her arms.

“I’m so sorry. Were you aware he was unhappy?”

She shook her head. “He was good at putting on a happy face when he was around me. He always told me that I was his light.”

“Aw. So you believe that if you mate with a non-Changeling, that person would end up in despair? Or worse, dead?”

“That’s what I’ve been told.”

Blair leaned back against the sofa and drank her wine. “I’m glad you confided in me, but why tonight?”

Now came the hard part of the conversation. “Because as soon as I walked into your parents’ house, I was so overwhelmed with lust that my pulse started racing, sweat formed on my upper lip, and my inner wolf was clawing for some release.”

Blair’s eyes sparkled. “You found your mate?” Just as quickly she sobered. “Oh, no. Poor Shamus. Does he know this will happen to him?”

“Probably not.” Ainsley swirled her wine in her glass to give her time to think about how to phrase her next sentence. “Yeah, about that; it’s not Shamus.”

Blair stilled. She placed a hand over her heart. “What are you saying? The only available male at dinner was Jackson.”

“I know, but don’t worry. I won’t get near him again. Maybe he isn’t aware that we’ve been paired, though I don’t know how he couldn’t know. If he had those erotic sensations coursing through his body, I’m betting he’ll be in serious denial, never believing he’s been mated to his arch enemy.”

Blair clasped a hand over her mouth. “Not only that, if you can’t be with Jackson, it means you’ll never mate. What will you do?”

“Do? Live my life the way I have been. I can have protected sex with a human without him suffering any consequences, but I’ll never experience deep desire or passionate, unbridled love. He can never be my
everything
.”

Blair polished off her glass. “That would be horrible. What happens if Jackson knows you’re his mate and decides to pursue you?”

“Seriously? You saw his reaction.”

“True.”

Poor Blair was holding her glass so tight, her fingers were losing color. “Listen, I doubt he’ll do anything about it. We can’t be together. Ever.”

Her roommate slumped against the sofa. “Well, fuck.”

“Well said.”

‡

O
n Monday morning,
after reading over the list of ailments for her next patient, Ainsley set out the appropriate needles for the job. This weekend had been bittersweet. While she’d been able to spend two wonderful days with Shamus, she understood that she couldn’t hog all of his time with his family. He’d asked her to join them for Sunday dinner, but Ainsley had made up some lame excuse why she couldn’t go. She felt bad not accepting, but she had no intention of telling Shamus it was because she and Jackson were fated mates—fated never to be, that is.

As much as she had no desire to be with the moody man, her inner wolf had other ideas. It didn’t matter if Jackson hated her or not, her animal still yearned to join with him.

Thinking back to Friday night, the one positive outcome from suffering through the meal was that she’d learned about the one bedroom apartment above the Blooms of Hope flower shop. As soon as Mr. Berta had showed the place to her, she’d fallen in love with it. Kalan’s mate, Elana, had lived there before her. Apparently, someone had ransacked her place looking for some sardonyx that wasn’t there and ended up ruining much of the furniture. Because Elana had moved in with Kalan after that, she graciously offered Ainsley what furniture was left.

Having lived in a furnished apartment with Blair, Ainsley didn’t have any pieces of her own and was delighted to take any hand-me-downs. After work, her new sofa and chairs would arrive, and she’d officially be on her own.

While Ainsley was excited not to be a burden to Blair anymore, she’d miss their late night talks. As much as she was thrilled to start her career and get on with her life, Ainsley was also afraid. Blair’s family was basically off limits now, and making friends had always been hard since she always feared her identity would somehow leak.

Thankfully, the humans in town had no idea that shifters existed, which meant those at work treated her well.

A knock sounded on her workroom door and one of the nurses popped her head in. “Your next patient is here.”

“Send him in.” She’d read his file and was curious to see if she could help.

Ainsley stood to greet the man, but the moment he walked in, her heart jackknifed. He was a Changeling. She’d never met a shifter who could tell if another wolf was a one, but she was able to. Ainsley had heard that only those who came from a long line of Changeling blood could recognize a fellow Changeling. She believed she could detect one because her Wendayan half must have been blended in a unique way with her Changeling half. Her good side enabled her to detect the evil tainting her blood.

The man was tall, rather overweight, and had a limp. Besides having pock marked skin, his hair needed cutting. She painted on a friendly face. “I’m Ms. Chancellor.”

“Ms. Chancellor. Do I detect a hint of a Scottish accent? We had a man from Scotland by the same last name come here recently. Are you any relation to Owen Chancellor?”

Her heart nearly stopped. As much as she didn’t want to be affiliated with the Changelings—here or anywhere—to lie would piss him off. She suspected he already knew the answer. “Yes, he was my brother.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” From the lack of warmth in his eyes, he wasn’t sorry at all. “I heard your brother lost a brave fight to the Alpha of the wolf and bear Clan.”

What was he talking about? “My brother committed suicide and died in a car crash.”

His eyes widened. “That’s what those fucking holier than thou asswipes told you? They’re a bunch of liars.”

Not that Ainsley cared how Owen died, she wasn’t happy Kalan and Jackson saw fit to keep her—as well as Shamus—out of the loop, assuming the Changeling wasn’t lying. In the back of her mind, she had never believed Owen had taken his own life. He was the type to claim the woman was defective, not him. After all, he had believed that all women wanted him. “So he was in a fight and lost?”

The losing part didn’t surprise her. Owen never practiced his fighting skills because he believed he was already too good.