The Bear Truth (Biker Bears #1)

Chapter 1

Chapter

One

Ryder Price pondered how fucking bored he was, sitting on his brother’s big sectional couch and staring at his phone. It was only Thursday night, so not usually a hotbed of activity for him, sure, but he was bored to death.

He glanced up, his gaze finding their oldest brother, Warrick, sitting there with his glasses on, working on his laptop.

Conall was watching some streaming thing. Maybe a murder-death-kill show.

Holy crap. Was this what they’d been reduced to?

He slapped his hands on his thighs, then stood. “I’m gonna head to the Hogg.”

He could always find something, or someone, to do at his favorite upscale-ish biker bar.

“On a Thursday?” Warwick arched an eyebrow at him. “Don’t you have something better to do than go to the bar?”

“We’re sitting on our asses and watching TV while I read on my phone. What do you think?”

Conall tilted his head. “I think you’re bored because it’s boring here.”

Warwick looked over the top of his glasses. “Did I ask either one of you to hang out at my house like hooligans?”

“We’re supposed to be having a staff meeting,” he pointed out, even as Conall snorted.

“Do we have staff?” Con asked.

Ryder wasn’t sure they had staff. They were co-owners. They had each other.

Together, they did custom bikes for their business Bespoke Bikes. Anything from modifications for handicapped folks to fancy-assed touring bikes. If it could be done, they were happy to do it, but honestly, there didn’t need to be much more than the three of them in the way of staffing.

“Hey, I provided pizza, didn’t I?” Warrick pointed out.

He and Conall laughed it off and rolled their eyes. Everybody knew the food came out of petty cash.

“Well, do we actually have anything to talk about?” Ryder asked.

“Not really. Nothing’s changed much. We’ve got the bike we’re adjusting for Jim. We’ve got that one touring bike that they want for the superhero movie. It has to be done by the end of the month. And then we just go down the list.” Warrick sounded pleased, and Ryder got it.

It felt good to be in a situation where they didn’t have to worry about jobs. They had a waiting list about two years long, but then again, they were the best in the business. And they had enough contacts who loved their work to never have to advertise if they didn’t want to.

He picked up his root beer and drained the bottle. “Yay. So can I go now?” His feet itched in his Red Wing biker boots, and there was a pressure at the back of his neck telling him he needed to ride.

And he needed to ride to the Hogg. He lifted his nose and sniffed the air, trying to figure out why. What was calling him to that particular space at this point in time?

“You’re okay? You need company?” Conall asked.

He shook his head. “No, I can tell you’re into whatever that is.” He waved at the TV. “I’m just going to go have a beer. I don’t intend to get in any trouble.” At Warrick’s arch look, he continued. “I know tomorrow we have work.”

“Because that always is how you do. My always responsible baby brother.” Warrick winked at him. “Have fun. Tell Quin hey for me. We’re going to play poker this weekend, so I’m going to wait to go out so I don’t lose any extra money.”

“At least you know Quin doesn’t cheat.” The owner of the Hogg was possibly the single most fair wolf in the history of the earth.

“Yeah, but that cat of his? Thiago? He’s either the luckiest bastard who ever lived or, most likely, a cheater.”

Ryder didn’t care one way or the other. He knew better than to gamble with Quin, even if he was basically a good guy.

The wolf brothers had taken down an entire ring of slavers—worthless pieces of shit who stole away little omegas into a life of horrors. Now there was a group of omegas who were thriving, building this amazing community, and adding to the economy and everyone’s quality of life.

If only one of them had been his mate. Ryder wasn’t sure why he was in a find-a-mate space, but he knew in his gut he was. It wasn’t like he was Warrick, who was the oldest and supposed to find his omega mate first, dammit.

But he was feeling an urgency to go out and do the thing, regardless.

So.

He would.

He grabbed his jacket, waving a hand at his brothers as he stepped out of the front room. Warrick’s housekeeper, Leela, smiled as he went out through the kitchen, her apron covered in flour as she made bread things for tomorrow.

She was so damn good to them. Which was why they ordered out at least a few days a week. So she could catch up. They were bears. They ate a lot.

He straddled his vintage Indian bike when he got out to where it was parked outside the garage, then strapped on his helmet. He gunned it, pulling away and heading for the highway. Traffic wasn’t awful, which these days in Denver was a super-nice luxury.

On a bike he could get away with a lot, but he still had to obey the rules of the road, right? And traffic was a mood-killer. Nothing like clogging what should be the open road with slow-moving crappy cars.

The ride took about twenty minutes, and he tried to let his mind quiet, let the roar of the engine and the hum of the road pull him into a meditative state. Something had to stop this damn itch. It was as if his skin was buzzing with something. Stress. Need. Worry.

He had no idea what, and it was driving him nuts.

When he pulled into the Hogg, the neon pig ears glaring out around the words Beers, Bikes, Bites, he sighed, parking his beast of a bike and shaking his head at himself when he pulled off his helmet.

Time for a beer.

Maybe that would make things better.

Colt, who was his favorite bouncer, grinned at him when he sailed through the door. “Ryder! Hey, man. Didn’t expect you until tomorrow.”

He smiled back. “Dude, you know it’s Warrick who comes in to gamble with that shark of a wolf and his kitty.”

“Sure, but it’s Thursday. Slow as molasses in July.”

“Something told me I needed to show. The beer calling, I guess.”

“Ah, the siren call of hops. I understand.” Colt blinked at him, dark eyes gleaming. “Go on in, there’s not hardly anybody here, and Wilder’s working the bar.”

Ryder nodded and grinned. These were his two favorite bar staff, and they both had time to be chatty. He should remember to come in on Thursdays more often.

Wilder looked up as he walked in, inclined his head and smiled. “Hey, man. I don’t see you often on Thursdays. IPA?”

“You know it. I just needed a beer and some company, so I came on in. Slow huh?”

“Deadly, but that’s cool. It happens.” Wilder pulled him a beer with relaxed ease. “Makes a wolf appreciate the busy nights. Plus we get cleaning done.”

Ryder crawled up on a barstool, chuckling. “You working the big poker game tomorrow?”

Wilder pursed his lips and snorted. “God no. No, one of Thiago’s little rescues is.

I think he’s like a pigeon or something, possibly a sparrow.

Or what are those big birds that keep falling over themselves?

Oh yeah, albatross. He could possibly be an albatross shifter.

” Wilder’s eyes went comically wide. “I don’t know, but he’s working it.

It’s the only job he can do without getting murdered, because if he breaks stuff in there, I don’t have to worry about it or clean it up or pay for it. ”

Ryder just sat there for a second and hmphed, because, honestly, what was he going to say?

“So seriously, why a Thursday?” Wilder added.

He snorted, shaking it off. “I had itchy feet.”

“Uh-oh. That either means it’s time for a road trip or something big is coming.” Wilder set his beer in front of him. He and his brothers had a monthly tab at the Hogg, but he would tip out before he left. The bartenders always needed the ready cash.

“Yeah.” He shrugged one shoulder. “Maybe.” It seemed like nothing big had happened in his life in ages. And Rye knew he should be careful what he wished for, but he needed some excitement.

Something new.

The main door opened, and he saw just what he was wishing for when a man walked inside. Ryder’s nostrils flared, scenting distress and worry, but underneath something delicious, spicy, sweet like cinnamon, caught his attention. His whole self, body and soul, sat up and took notice.

“Well now, who is this?”