Chapter Thirty-One
So many nights I dreamed about freedom while I lay in bed in my sad little apartment, what it would be like to always express myself as Synamon Honey, but I never thought it would be like this.
How was I to know I’d have the top ranked account on Only Bears, be offered a starring role and a producer credit on what was shaping up to be the hottest new show of the season, and be shopping for a new house in the cutest, most welcoming shifter community I’d ever visited with my smoking hot mate?
Oh, and the maker of my signature “Bad Decisions” lipstick reached out to me for a collab on my very own makeup line.
“We have to head out now.” I’d popped onto Only Bears for a quick, early live before heading to the courtroom.
We’d stayed in Boise overnight, and honestly, I couldn’t wait to head back to Granger Falls.
“But if I’ve learned anything from this wild and crazy ride, it’s this, and listen closely—it's our responsibility to create the world we want to live in. We don’t make excuses here—we make our dreams come true.
I’ll be back with an update as soon as I have one for you. ”
I blew them a kiss and signed off. In my old life, it would’ve been ridiculous to go live before the most important day of my life, but the Only Bears community had absolutely floored me with their support.
All the media coverage had blown the platform up, which was great for all the performers.
But the part that amazed me the most was how many shifters had joined simply to support my cause.
The money they gave me would help me make this cause so much bigger than I ever dreamed.
It wasn’t about saving one pack anymore.
It was about every pack. I didn’t need a stodgy city hall job to make a change. I just needed to be myself.
Brad grinned as I smoothed my skirt. “Those lawyers aren’t gonna know what hit them.”
“Good.” One last check in the mirror and I was ready to go.
Even though I’d fully outed myself and regularly went live without my stage makeup, this would be the first time anyone in my old life would see me in my life beyond Ellie.
I’d chosen a blonde long shag wig, a white blazer, black shell, and a skinny houndstooth skirt for today.
Tasteful makeup, bold jewelry, and impossibly high heels.
If Julia Sugarbaker and Dolly Parton had a love child, this would be the result.
Getting into Brad’s truck with that outfit was more challenging than I’d anticipated. Brad was there to steady me.
“You’re quiet,” Brad said. “Nervous?”
“A little.” I turned my gaze from the window to my mate and instantly felt better. “Just realizing this was never really home. Just a place I kept my secrets and rage.”
He nodded, curling his hand tighter on the steering wheel. It was adorable how he always wanted to fix things that happened before we met. He was a defender, a guard in every sense of the word. I might not be his client anymore, but I’d always feel safe in the arms of this bear.
“You’re gonna knock them dead in there,” he said. “No one’s better than using the law for good than you.”
“I couldn’t have done any of this without you.” I reached over and squeezed his thigh. I’d have to be careful, or we’d never make it to court. “You’re the one who made me feel brave enough to be seen.”
“You would’ve figured it out on your own,” he rumbled. “But you’ll never have to again.”
There was a swarm of reporters in front of the courthouse. Jen and Nick greeted us as soon as we got out of the truck.
“I can’t wait to watch you annihilate these bastards,” Jen said as she hugged me.
“Not too long before you do the same.” Today was a civil trial against Kevin’s company. In a couple weeks, we’d be back here to get justice for Jen in the criminal suit.
“Ellie.” Nick cleared his throat and shoved his hands into his pockets. “It’s okay that I still call you that, right? Can’t quite wrap my head around your new identity yet.”
I nodded. “I’m still me.”
“I owe you an apology. That day you came to the house, I was so angry I couldn’t see straight. Scared I’d never see my wife again. I was trying to hold it together for the kids and something inside me just snapped. You didn’t deserve that. You’re family, and--”
“Sometimes family makes mistakes.” I reached out and squeezed his hand. “But now I can tell you your reaction made us think you weren’t being honest.”
His mouth dropped.
“Now you know how I felt. Listen, we both love Jen. That doesn’t change. Never will. But if anything ever happens to her, you’ll know I’ll go to the ends of the earth to find her.”
“Same,” he said. As I slipped my hand into Brad’s and headed to the courthouse, I wasn’t sure if Nick and I had reconciled or low-key threatened each other.
“Synamon!” one of the reporters called out. “Think we’ll see any surprises today?”
I shook my head. “The law is the law. That’s the beauty of it. When used correctly, it protects the truth. Nothing’s changed about this case—facts are facts, rules are rules. Bottom line, no one deserves to lose everything simply so someone else can make a profit.”
I’d worked in this sterile building a million times, but today was the first time I realized why I’d love going to trial so much. This is where I had power.
There were a cluster of familiar people in front of the courtroom—my old boss and a few others with corner offices.
“Hello, Eleanor,” my boss said, dry as ever. “It seems like you weren’t notified that you’re no longer needed today.”
Numbness flowed through my body, followed by red hot rage.
“What?” I shook my head, like it would help me process this curveball.
Now I knew exactly why the reporter had asked that question.
I’d been set up. “Why wouldn’t you have made sure I got that message?
All those reporters are out there. You knew I was coming.
The email you used to fire me still works. ”
“They wanted to make a fool out of you,” Brad growled and tightened his grip on my hand.
The look of sheer terror on my very human former boss’s face was priceless.
“You never saw her for who she really is. Only as someone you can manipulate and profit from. You think you’re above the law as much as the people she’s about to testify against.” Brad paused and took a step forward.
My old boss was gonna have to change his pants when my mate was done with him.
“Which begs the question, why wouldn’t you want the strongest asset you have on the stand? ”
“There’s no way my replacement would be ready to testify on such short notice,” I added when there was no answer.
“They might know the law, but they’ll never be able to speak to the nuance of this case.
What actually happened. So I’ll clarify Brad’s question, since you seem to think I’m a liability—why do you want to lose this case? ”
“Eleanor, this is completely out of—”
“Just as I thought.” I didn’t need to hear the rest. “It’s my name on the subpoena. I’ll be the one with my hand on that Bible swearing to tell the actual truth.”
With that, I entered the courtroom.
“That was so hot,” Brad whispered in my ear as we sat on the hard wooden bench.
“The defense calls the next witness.” And with that, it was showtime.
“Please state your name,” the defender prompted.
“Eleanor Lindsay Carmichael,” I said clearly, loudly, proudly, as I placed my hand on that leather-bound tome, so there was no mistaking that they’d messed with the wrong bitch.
As I answered the questions, I realized why I always loved the courtroom. This had been my very first chance to perform. All eyes on me.
The testimony was a breeze. The defender tried multiple times to trip me up, get me to contradict myself—but I had them backpedaling because I knew the case better than they did.
I didn’t need access to the documents to recite the exact info that would burn Kevin’s company to a pile of smoldering ash.
My only regret was that Kevin was sitting in an orange jumpsuit in a jail cell instead of at the defendant’s desk and I couldn’t watch him unravel.
Once my testimony was complete, we left. I had an alert set up to tell me when the verdict came in, and we were off to the most important thing we had planned for that day.
Ellie stopped bad guys in their tracks.
Synamon rose like a phoenix from the ashes and created the world she wanted.
It was always sobering to pull up in front of my parents' house—a modest, proud double-wide with flowers by the door and a tired pick-up truck in the driveway.
“Ellie.” My mom gaped as we came up the walk. ”We were so worried about you. Jen insisted you were okay, but then we lost touch with her and saw you on the news—”
I hugged her before she could go any further. This wasn’t the first time we’d been in touch, but today’s surprise visit was the first time I’d seen her since Kevin had broken into my apartment in the bear head. “I'm great. It’s good to see you too.”
I needed this hug more than I ever let myself realize.
“I wish you told me you were coming. Bringing company. I would’ve had something ready.”
“Mom, you don’t have to do anything.”
Her gaze raked over Brad. “Who’s this?”
“He’s my mate.”
“Oh.” Mom’s eyes widened with astonishment, then she pulled him in for a hug. “Welcome. I can’t wait to meet you.”
“I’m Brad. I’ve heard amazing things about you,” he said, giving her a smile that melted my heart.
“I’m Jody. Your father’s in the other room.” Her expression sobered. “In his chair.”
I braced myself to walk into the living room.
Dad was a shell of a man he was before they lost the house, a living, breathing ghost. He’d tried his hardest to recover from the loss, but life just kept hitting back.
Finally, he’d accepted his fate. And that was the part that broke my heart. That drove me forward every single day.
MacGyver blared from the TV, and he didn’t hear me come into the room. I kissed him on the top of the head and laughed when he jumped.
“Hey, honey.” His entire being lit up when he realized it was me. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at work?”
“They fired me.”
“But you have that new job. The one where you get to dance.”
I’d left out a lot of details when explaining Only Bears to him, sticking to the ones he needed to know. Life might have kicked Dad in the teeth way more times than would ever be considered fair, but at heart, he was still a protective bear who wanted the best for his daughter.
“I don’t have to be in an office all day.” I’d have time to explain the rest later. Hopefully, a lot of time in the near future. “I have something for you and mom.”
“Oh?” He sat up a little straighter. “You didn’t have to do that. We’re just happy to have you here.”
“I know I didn’t have to do anything.” My hand shook as I reached into my bag and pulled out the envelope. “My new job came with a signing bonus. A big one.”
“Congratulations, honey,” my mom exclaimed.
I handed the envelope to Dad. “There’s a place in Granger Falls. Big shifter community. This would be enough for you to build a little place there. And there’s a lot open right next to--” I slapped my hand onto my mouth. “I didn’t introduce you to Brad yet.”
“Her mate,” my mom added.
Brad shook my dad’s hand. “Looking forward to getting to know you, sir.”
“Welcome to the family,” Dad beamed at him.
“I didn’t finish. There’s a place next to where Brad and I are building. We’d love to have you next door.”
Dad’s mouth dropped.
“Ellie, it’s too much,” Mom said.
“No, it’s not enough.” Emotion pricked my eyes. “It’s the least I can do to make up for all the years you’ve had without a true community.”
Mom and Dad looked at each other, and I saw something in their eyes I hadn’t seen for far too long. Hope.
“Like I said, strong shifter community. Mostly wolves--”
“But we could use more bears,” Brad interjected. “Especially wise elders with impeccable taste in music who can teach the next generation.”
Mom gasped. “Wait, are you pregnant?”
“No,” I said, probably too quickly for her liking. “Maybe someday. When that day comes, I want my kids to have the same magical childhood you gave me.”
Dad rose from his chair, so much smaller than he seemed when I was a kid. “Ellie, you were always magical. You just had to get comfortable letting the rest of the world see it.”
That declaration nearly took me out at the knees. I’d spent so much time angry about what happened to my parents, that I’d let myself wither and die too. And the worst part was they saw it. They knew.
No more. Never again.
Brad gently nudged my dad’s arm. “Looks like the two of us already have a lot in common.”
“We both love the same incredible woman,” Dad said. “If the two of you can stay a while, maybe I could pull out a box of VHS tapes and see what this guy knows about movies.”
“Oh yeah.” Now it was Brad’s turn to beam. “I’ve heard about these horror movie nights.”
“Find the goriest one in the bunch.” I laughed. My heart was absolutely full. These two would be double trouble together and I was all in. “But only if it means you’ll take the check for the house. I can put you in touch with the builder. They’ll make it however you want.”
“Yes, we will.” Dad took my hands in his. “As long as you promise me you’ll keep sharing that magic with the world.”
“I promise.” I pulled him in for a hug. “Magic is just the beginning.”
* * *
Thank you so much for reading!