“You three,” Malik says with a rumble. “Have you forgotten where we stand?”
“We’re still members of this pack, you can’t deny us that,” Cal says. “And we told you we want to return to the old ways.”
The room fills with chatter and I feel my heartbeat quicken.
“And have you? Returned to the old ways?” Malik asks, condescension dripping from his voice.
I raise my eyebrows. “I didn’t stand up to get approval of our relationship,” I say, crossing my arms, emboldened. “I stood up to tell you, you’re wrong about the bear.”
“Oh?” Malik gets even closer now, his eyes trained on me. It’s like he has picked up on my scent and won't let me go. “What do you know of the bear?”
“She has tried to attack me three times.”
The room is in an uproar now. “And why should we believe you? Aren’t you just a common whore, sharing three men? We despise your kind.”
“My kind?” I scoff. “You know nothing about me.”
“I know enough,” Malik glares.
Callum, River, and East push forward, fists raised, chests out. Ready to fight. “Don’t speak about our woman that way,” East says, his broad shoulders intimidating.
“Or what? You’ll take me down?”
“Why do you hate us so damn much?” River asks, his voice so somber that everyone is forced to take notice of him. He doesn’t rage with his emotions—yet they pierce all the same.
Malik sneers. “I’ve seen how the old ways can destroy a family. I don’t want that for my pack.”
“You can’t dictate who we love,” Callum says.
“Love?” Malik asks. “You think this is love? Showing up at my meeting to parade your new plaything around? You know nothing of love.”
“And neither do you,” River says. “You are alone in a pack that is meant to mate.”
The words must slice straight to Malik’s heart because before our eyes he shifts, moving from man to beast. His wolf form is massive, daunting and huge. His face is filled with fury and his dark brown fur radiates power. Benches are upturned, and children taking cover from their mothers as all the men around us turn to animals—my men included.
My body burns with anger— when I stood, I was just trying to help. I was trying to protect the children of this pack. Malik has no idea what he is up against. My mates would die for me.
Cal, River, and East aren’t shy about taking out their rage. They roll with wolves, teeth bared and howls fill the hall. I don’t even know who is on whose side.
From the corner of my eye, through the window, I see the bear. Why the hell would she return now, of all times?
Malik leaps in the air toward Cal and he bares his teeth at my mate. That, more than anything else in the moment, infuriates me.
“Stop,” I yell. “Listen to me.” I can see it in Malik’s eyes, he’s intent to kill.
Oh, hell no. I’m not going to stand by and watch this pack leader kill one of my mates.
But the fighting just continues. I want this wolf leader to just stop fighting Cal and focus on the bear in the woods. The bear is the real threat—not my mates.
I clench my fists, stomping my feet, desperate for someone to see the grizzly. But instead of getting their attention, I create another earthquake. This time though, it isn’t contained to shaking the earth.
This time the earth splits in two, the building begins to crash around us. No one waits to see what will happen next, everyone seems to sense they are in peril. Women shriek, pulling their children from the hall, toward the forest. I watch families shifting before my eyes, wolves barreling from the building, running as the hall collapses around us.
Callum, River, and East call toward me, begging me to return to them. But right now, my focus is on one thing, and one thing alone—cornering the bear and figuring out what the actual fuck is going on.
The bear watches, and I shift, running after her as a wolf, in a form I’m still growing accustomed to. She caused this, and she will pay.
Before I leave the fiery meeting hall, I look back and my eyes meet Malik’s. If looks could kill, I’d be a goner. He growls at me and I growl right back. No one is keeping me from the battle outside.
I leap toward her in the forest, my paws seeming to light a fire to the forest floor with each leap I take.
I am not backing down, not now. I need to understand why this bear is so intent on hurting me.
Flames flicker around us, the trees aglow and anger pulsing from my fur. Every muscle in my body is on high alert.
When I finally pin her to a stone cave wall, I look up at her, unafraid of this bear. In this moment, I am unafraid of anything.
I shift to human form, wanting to speak my truth—not growl or hiss— I need to ask this bear what she is doing, and why.
“Why are you following me?” I ask, my hands raised, ready to strike.
To my amazement, the bear doesn’t growl or lash out—instead, she bows her head and looks down at me, tears in her eyes.
What I see can’t be real …
“What are you?” I ask, stepping closer to her. My hands shake, my body trembling. Moments ago, I was sure I’d never be scared again and now I feel like this bear sees me exactly as I am. I have the urge to press my hand to her form wanting to feel her but knowing, logically the insanity of this.
But what about the past week hasn’t been insane? Killing Ray and being saved by virgin wolves? From where I’m standing, coming face-to-face with a bear doesn’t seem insane. It seems like the most natural thing in the world.
Either I’m losing my mind, or I am finally finding it.
I am part wolf, part mother, part woman, part… Well, I suppose I am part daughter too. But what is a daughter when you’ve never had parents?
“What?” I ask her, trying to see what she sees, understand what she seems to intrinsically get.
Me.
“What am I?” I ask, realizing my question has suddenly changed.
Her paw reaches toward me, and I stiffen, wanting to memorize this moment for what it is. She presses her paw to my heart, it takes up the entirety of my chest, and she seems to transmit words to my mind, the same way the wolves and I speak.
Darling Remedy, you still don’t know what you are?
I shake my head, tears filling my eyes, her presence overwhelming me.
It is simple. You are enough.
The tears fall down my cheeks, my breath shaky as the sobs escape me.
I’m lost in the woods, have set a forest to burn and the ground to shake. I killed a man and never had a family. I’m a runaway and vagabond and ruined every good thing I’ve ever had. I’m a thief and a cheat and a liar and yet here I am, still standing.
This bear says I am enough and all I want in the word is to believe her.
I want this child within me to know its mother is more than the sum of her past. I want this child to know I am stronger for it.
Why am I here?
The bear smiles serenely as if it knows everything, past and present. And in this moment, I believe that she does.
Because, Remedy, this is your home. But you have three sisters you must find.
And that is when my wolves appear.