Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
brENT
I stood over Uly as he snuggled with the kids.
The boys were content just being held, and the satisfied smiles warmed my heart.
I glanced up to find Chaim and Benjy watching me.
Neither seemed nervous, like worrying they could be wrong.
Instead Chaim had his arms crossed over his massive chest, and Benjy had his hand on Chaim’s back as he put his head on the big bicep.
“Are we doing this?” Uly asked, sounding frustrated.
“You’re sure this is okay?” I entreated.
“It’s fine,” he huffed. “Just get it over with, but afterward I want an explanation of what the heck is going on.”
“You’ll get it, I promise,” Chaim replied.
“No, not from you. I want it from Brent.”
Very few people would snipe at someone as big as Chaim, but Uly had come into his own and grown an enormous set of balls. I liked that.
“Okay, let’s try it.”
I leaned in and sniffed, drawing his scent into my lungs.
Instantly my brain was screaming that this place, this house was not my home.
The three guys cuddled together in front of me were what I needed to make me happy.
I inhaled again, getting notes of coffee and chocolate from Uly, but then, beneath it, so subtle I had to actually look for it, were wispy scents of wildflowers.
It was like being on a picnic in a large field, sitting with a shadowy figure who entices me so very much.
“Brent?”
His voice was soft, sweet, uncertain. “Uly, you smell… amazing.”
“Yeah, Momma, you smell so good!” Eddie exclaimed, sounding dreamy and dazed.
“Will someone please tell me what’s going on?”
I didn’t want to move. I hadn’t felt this level of bliss in years. From far away I heard Benjy’s voice.
“I’ve got this.”
“Floor is all yours, Benjy,” Chaim replied.
“I want to hear it from Brent,” Uly groused.
“Right now, Brent isn’t able to speak coherently. And it might take a while before he can.”
“Fine!” Uly huffed.f
“I think maybe the best way to explain is to start with the boys. When you woke up and found them curled behind you, did you notice anything different?”
“No, I was too worried about bears being in the house and the kids being alone.”
“Admirable,” Benjy said gently. “But think back to the bears. Focus on them. Were they aggressive?”
“No, they were asleep.”
“Okay. Did they seem at all wary? Nervous?”
“Like I said, they were asleep.”
“Haven’t you wondered why they were in bed with you?”
“Of course I did!”
“It’s because they went through a change that left them a bit freaked and needed the person they felt safe with. They needed you, Uly. Those bears were the boys.”
“Oh, that’s bull….” He must have noticed Eddie staring up at him, all smiles and wide-eyed wonder. “I mean… No, it can’t be.”
“And yet, it is. You saw the evidence with your own eyes when they assumed human form again. Everyone in the town, with the exception of you, is a bear shifter. That’s what we call ourselves.”
He scowled, but stayed where he was. I did notice him tighten his grip on the boys a bit. Meanwhile, I was still mostly zoned out, riding the waves of the scents pouring off Uly.
“I… I can’t deal with this,” he said softly. “It’s too much. Things like this don’t happen. Ever.”
The stress in his voice nearly undid me. He was far too pure to be hurting like this. And what made it worse was it was my fault.
“This is on me, Uly. If I hadn’t invited you here, none of this would be happening.”
“Why did you invite me? Why not Jamie and Deb?”
And that was the question no one had asked yet, and one I hadn’t even considered. I turned my gaze to Chaim, who smiled at me.
“You already know the answer.”
Because he was my mate? How did that even make sense?
“Your bear pines for Uly. It needed him to come home where it could keep watch over him, ensure he was safe. That’s why Benjy and I are rarely apart for more than a few hours.
It took years before talking on the phone or connecting some other way worked.
Before that, we physically couldn’t be. Our bears would get riled up and need to go find their mate. ”
“And it’s also why the boys have imprinted on you,” Benjy added. “You smell similar to what their mother did, and that’s how they view you. In time, they’ll come to understand that you’re not their mother, but as they’re so young, it might be a while.”
And still, Uly sat there silently.
“Uly?”
He tilted his head and looked up at me. His lashes fluttered, his gaze soft and sad. “Yeah?”
“You okay?”
He nodded, but there was no conviction there. “So the only reason anyone cares for me is because I smell like someone they lost?” he asked, his voice nearly broken.
“Absolutely not,” Chaim said, his tone harsh and unforgiving.
“The scent might have opened the door, but it isn’t the only reason.
I mean, we never knew her and just met you and we’re already taken with you too.
You exude sunshine. You’re cute and kind and sweet.
Seeing you with the boys tells us everything we need to know.
You’ve been nothing but patient and caring.
You are perfect for them and for Brent.”
It was telling that Uly didn’t deny being attracted to me.
His chuckle was strained. “You like him, don’t you?”
Chaim’s smile was soft when his gaze drifted to me.
“We’ve always thought of Brent as our own.
Even though we weren’t much older than him, we wanted to protect him, to keep him safe from the bullies.
When we were forced to leave, Benjy had to stop me from taking him with us because he, always the logical one, knew how hard it would be for Brent to be ripped away from his family. ”
“It was harder to be taken from you,” I said. “My dad and I barely tolerated each other on most days before that. Afterward, he and I never really spoke. If you had asked me, I would have gone happily.”
“I know you would have, cub. But we couldn’t drag you into our mess. Especially after the threat to Benjy. I couldn’t risk it. And he left us alone, so I figured you were safe too.” His gaze hardened. “So you know, if he had hurt you, I would have torn him apart.”
And I can’t express how much that meant to me.
ULY
I wish I could say I was paying attention to their discussion, but the truth was I sat there stewing.
First off, I didn’t understand this whole bear thing.
I mean, I guess I couldn’t deny it, especially since I saw the boys change in front of me.
Yet, here we all were, ignoring the conversation completely. Like I was supposed to be okay with it.
“Momma?”
I looked down into Eddie’s heavy-lidded eyes. “What’s up?”
“I’m sleepy,” he said, yawning for effect.
Jack was already dozing on my other arm, so apparently he was exhausted too. Still, when Eddie spoke, he woke up. At least a bit. “Okay, did you want me to put you to bed?”
Eddie shook his head. “Wanna sleep with you. Like we did before.”
When they turned into bears. Real live fucking bears. Those things weren’t possible. People didn’t shift or whatever they’d called it.
Yet you witnessed it with your own eyes.
I tried to tell myself I was tired or confused, but I’d watched as they changed, how they’d gone from being baby bears to little boys.
And they weren’t slavering beasts. They were sweet and danced around me, trying to show off like they did when they weren’t bears.
I wasn’t sure how I felt, but I knew that my attitudes toward the boys wouldn’t change.
They weren’t mine, but they were… if that makes sense.
“How about if we go for a nap together?” I asked them, and their faces brightened.
“Yes, okay,” Eddie said.
“Me too,” Jack echoed.
I stood, needing to have a bit of time to myself. Well, more like with just the kids. “We’re going to go take a nap. The boys are tired and I haven’t slept well.”
“Uly? Are you sure you’re okay?”
I smiled at him, not really feeling it. “Sure. Hunky dory and all that. We’ll be back in an hour or so.”
I turned to direct the boys back to the bedroom when a big hand clamped on my arm. I spun to find Brent there, looking stricken.
“I am sorry about how this all went down,” he vowed.
“If it hadn’t, would you have told me?”
His eyes closed and he shook his head. “Probably not.”
So he wouldn’t have trusted me. “Then I guess we don’t have much to say, do we?”
“There’s a reason,” he whispered. “We try to stay away from humans. The general consensus is that more often than not, they wouldn’t understand, and we fear becoming a science experiment somewhere.
It’s been agreed on for generations that outside of Ursine business we stay as far away from people as we can. ”
“And that’s why you didn’t want me here. Got it.”
I shouldn’t be hurt. Brent’s reasoning was logical and more than a little sound.
Yet, I was. To my core it stung. I took the boys’ hands in mine and we headed to the bedroom.
Once there, the boys asked if they could sleep as bears.
I wanted to say no, but also didn’t want to make them think I hated them.
“Sure, if you want.”
They were giddy. They stripped off their clothes, then both got down on all fours. I don’t know what I was expecting to happen. I figured there would be pain involved, but as their bodies morphed they both seemed ebullient. When the shift was over, the two of them looked up at me expectantly.
“You did so well,” I told them. “Your dad will be proud of you both, just like I am. Now, let’s get to bed.”
They waited for me to get in, and then they got up on the bed and moved around to position themselves.
It dawned on me then, how gentle they were being with me.
Not wanting to cause me pain. And at around fifty pounds, likely more since I was bad at guessing, they could definitely do some damage.
Still, they found a spot they liked and curled behind me.
Eddie’s head was over my legs and Jack’s was over my hip.
I had the urge to move, but the boys were being so careful with me, like it was instinctual and I liked that.
I cared for them. This family. This town. Even knowing what I did, I still felt comfortable here, like I belonged.
Which I didn’t. And never would.
brENT
“So what do we do?” I asked after Uly and the kids left the room. “He knows now.”
Chaim sighed and came to where I stood. He was still massive, and would make a much better leader and protector than me.
“He also cares for you,” he said. “There comes a time when we have to trust those closest to us. Do you think he’d betray you?”
Of course not. Uly was not the type who’d turn his back on those he cared about. “No, he wouldn’t.”
“Then let him in. Cullin said Uly wanted to stay here. To be part of your lives and this town. Would that be so bad?”
“It’s forbidden,” I croaked out, hating that I had to say the words.
“By who?” Chaim demanded, his voice a whip crack. “Are you not the leader here? Is this not your decision to make?”
“But how will the people feel about it? Most have had bad experiences with humans.”
“Then you show them Uly isn’t a typical human. Let them know he’s strong and loyal to those he calls his friends. I swear to you, cub, Uly would move heaven and earth to not hurt anyone. I think he’s had enough of that in his life, and wouldn’t return it.”
My shoulders slumped as I sighed. Of course Chaim was right. Just like he always was. “Why don’t you stay and become the leader?” I asked. “You’ve got a better head on your shoulders than me.”
He wrapped an arm around my neck and pulled me into his chest. That musky odor I recall from days we pumped iron was faint, but still there. It always calmed me and allowed me to think.
“What’s the first rule of lifting?” he asked quietly.
“Never lift alone,” I replied automatically.
“From what I can see, that’s what you’ve been doing for years. Trying to take on everything by yourself. If he stayed, could Uly help you?”
I nodded. “He’s smart and capable.”
“Then tell him that. Offer him a home, cub. Let him know that Bear Mountain will welcome him with open arms. He’s desperate to fit in somewhere, anyone can see that. He wants it to be here, with you and the boys he’s obviously crazy about.”
At that moment, I had the insane urge to check on him. I excused myself and moved to the bedroom. I opened the door as quietly as I could, and two heads lifted up, peering at me. My boys were in bear form, protecting Uly. They loved him, that was easy to see.
“Go to sleep, guys,” I whispered. “We’ll have pizza when you get up.”
They put their heads back down and closed their eyes.
I let my gaze drift over Uly, and my heart thumped a bit harder.
I didn’t want him to leave. I wanted him to stay here with us, forever.
If the people wouldn’t accept him, then we’d go.
Chaim could take over the sleuth and Uly and I would go somewhere and make a family together, and forget about the town.
Wishful thinking, right?