Bear's Baby (Bear Lake Protectors) Read online

  Chapter Eight

  When Jean-Paul awoke this time, he could smell the wolves right away. They were right outside the door, and they weren’t going away. His human senses weren't as good as the bear senses, but there was no way he could ignore them, given that they were basically scratching at the door.

  He didn’t move a muscle, trying to figure out what the best way to deal with the situation was going to be. Jenna Mae was still sleeping beside him, but he could tell that Cameron was awake in his crib. The baby would need to be fed soon, which would mean that Jenna Mae would soon be awake and wondering what the scratching was at the door.

  He was furious about the fact that wolf shifters would come so close. This was his territory, and they shouldn’t be here.

  But worse, he had no idea why they were here. As far as he was concerned, the wolves and the bears currently had no big issues that would cause wolves to circle his cabin. He knew there would always be little squabbles, but this seemed completely uncalled for.

  Very carefully, as to not awake Jenna Mae or alert Cameron, he rose up from the bed. He was debating on whether he would have to transform, or whether he could get rid of them himself.

  As soon as he got near the door, they fled. They must have heard him, and they knew that they were no match for him.

  Jean-Paul wanted to open the door, and if Jenna Mae weren’t there, he would tear them to pieces without even thinking. They were on his territory, and they were threatening him.

  The fact that they had fled told him they had been listening, and perhaps hoping that Jenna Mae was alone.

  And if they were hoping that Jenna Mae was alone, it was likely that they were looking for her.

  He needed to know why.

  They had such a marvelous night, and he didn’t want to spoil it. But he had a feeling that Jenna Mae was not all she said she was. There were parts of her story that she had hidden because he thought she was traumatized. Trauma, he realized, wasn’t the only reason that she had hidden the rest of her story.

  Jenna Mae rolled over as he walked back to bed and smiled at him sleepily.

  “Hello,” she said.

  “Hello,” he said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Did you sleep well?”

  “I did,” she replied with a yawn and reached out to him. “Come back to bed.”

  He wanted to, more than anything, but he held firm.

  “Jenna Mae,” he said. “There is something we need to talk about.”

  She froze.

  “What is it?” she asked. “What happened? Did I do something wrong?”

  “I just want to talk to you,” he said, trying to make his throne as unthreatening as possible. He knew that she had probably had a bad experience in the past being spoken to like this. He didn’t intend to wound or yell at her. He just needed to know the truth. “About James.”

  “About James?” she asked. “What about him?”

  “Was he…” Jean-Paul knew he had to choose his words carefully. If she didn’t know what James was, then he would be at fault if he revealed it to her. “What was he?”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, sitting up and looking over at Cameron. “Is Cameron ok? Can I have him?”

  “Yes, of course,” Jean-Paul said, getting up and handing her the baby. “Please understand that everything is alright. I’m not angry. I’m just trying to keep you safe.”

  “Keep me safe from what?” she asked.

  He took a deep breath.

  “There are wolves in the area,” he said.

  He could tell right away from her face that she didn’t just think of wild animals. She knew exactly what he was talking about when he spoke of wolves.

  Jenna Mae knew about shifters, he surmised.

  “Was James a wolf?” Jean-Paul answered.

  She nodded.

  He tried not to react because he knew she was already frightened. However, he felt like his entire world was crashing down with her answer.

  “And Cameron is James’s son?” he asked.

  Jenna Mae nodded again.

  “I see,” he replied.

  She must not have known the rules, he thought. Judging by the fear on her face, he thought she must only be aware of one rule, and that was the fact that humans weren’t supposed to know about shifters.

  However, there were many other rules, and they had just broken one of them.

  Once a woman mated with one type of shifter, no other shifters were supposed to be with her. It was one of the biggest rules, and yet they had slept together and enjoyed it.

  He couldn’t reconcile this with the fact that he was sure this was his mate. But how could it be his mate if she had already been with another shifter, and had a son with him?

  This couldn’t be the way the universe intended it to be.

  There was something else that was nagging at his mind. If there were wolves circling her, she wasn’t just a human who had mated with a normal wolf. Normal wolves wouldn’t be able to send a whole pack after her.

  His stomach sank farther as he thought through that.

  “Was James…” Jean-Paul asked. “An important wolf shifter?”

  She nodded her head again.

  “Is he the Alpha?” Jean-Paul asked, fearfully. He knew James the wolf Alpha, but he hadn’t made the connection until now.

  “Yes,” she said in a small voice and he put his head in his hands for a moment.

  Everything that she had said made sense. James was a horrible Alpha and a violent person. He seemed to be full of anger whenever the Alphas had to talk to each other. It didn’t often happen because the shifters didn’t get along. But whenever they did, it always ended with them snarling at each other.

  James’s human life was a secret, just like all their human lives. The way they lived among the human population was kept under wraps so that they couldn’t disrupt each other’s lives and reveal each other to humans.

  The idea that James had been living a human life abusing this poor girl made Jean-Paul see red.

  “How do you know about shifters?” she asked as she rocked Cameron. “You're not supposed to know.”

  “Good,” he said. “That is the answer you are supposed to give. Humans aren’t supposed to know. You fell in love with him, and he couldn’t keep it a secret. I understand; it happens.”

  She turned pale.

  “Are you a wolf shifter?” she asked him, quietly.

  “No,” he assured her. “I’m not a wolf shifter.”

  “Oh,” she said. “So how do you know about shifters then?”

  “I am a shifter,” he said, at last. “I’m a bear shifter.”

  “Oh,” she said, trying to process this news. “Oh. So you’ve heard of James?”

  “I’ve met him,” Jean-Paul said. “Occasionally, we’ve had to meet each other, when issues between our species have gotten out of control, and we’ve tried to quash them from the top.”

  “From the top?” Jenna Mae asked. “Are you…”

  “Yes,” he admitted. “I’m the Bear Alpha.”

  He would have said more but suddenly there was a roar from outside. He recognized it as the wolf howl and the fact that they were calling out to him.

  He had enough. They were standing outside his door and he would stand for it no longer.

  “Stay here,” he said to Jenna Mae. “Stay here and do not come outside.”

  She drew Cameron closer and nodded.

  Jean-Paul got up, tearing off his shirt and heading towards the door. He forced his transformation right away, barely feeling it when the fur overtook his skin. He was in bear form before he even walked out the door.

  The wolves were standing outside, and he recognized James’s wolf form right away. James was a larger wolf than the rest of them, and there were several standing there.

  He knew that they probably intended to kill him. But he had no intention of letting them get to Jenna Mae without a fight.

  She was his now. She was his mate, and he was going
to protect her, no matter what.

  Jean-Paul let out a loud roar, standing up on his hind legs.

  The wolves didn’t move, standing their ground and roaring as well. They were baring their teeth, and James stepped forward, letting out a bark and then another. He was tense, and Jean-Paul knew that he intended to fight to the death as well. Even if James didn’t care about Jenna Mae, Cameron was his son and heir. He would want access to that child.

  Jean-Paul took a step forward, threatening him. It wouldn’t be a very fair fight because Jean-Paul was significantly stronger than the wolves. However, they kept advancing on him as well, until they were within swiping distance of each other.

  Jean-Paul let out another roar, threatening them again, but James didn’t seem to care. The wolf tensed his legs, then barked and leaped.

  The moment he launched himself into the air, Jean-Paul knew that he had to kill him. He couldn’t let James anywhere near Jenna Mae ever again.

  There would be many consequences for killing the wolf Alpha, and Jean-Paul intended to answer for them when the time came. At the moment, though, all he was focused on was his rage.

  His large paw connected with James’s body and the wolf alpha went flying backward.

  The others howled at the fact that their Alpha was down and sprang into action. Wolves tended to fight a bit differently than the other species. When their Alpha claimed a fight for his own, they had to step back and let him until he could no longer defend himself. James’s body was limp on the ground, and they saw that as their invitation to fight.

  Jean-Paul threw his paws to each of them, but they were quicker than he anticipated. He felt a bite on his arm as sharp wolf teeth sunk in and he roared in pain. Wolf shifters tended to have venom in their fangs, and it burned as it pushed its way into his veins.

  One of his powerful legs received the same sting, and Jean-Paul flung himself forward, nearly crushing the wolf below him with his weight.

  In the chaos, he managed to count the fact that there were five wolves, plus James. He didn’t recognize any of them in wolf form, except for James, but he had no doubt that they were from James’s protection detail. The Alpha wolf always had thugs with him, even if he didn’t let them attack most of the time. James was a control freak, and his treatment of Jenna Mae made complete sense given what Jean-Paul knew of him.

  As far as Jean-Paul was concerned, James didn’t deserve to see Jenna Mae or Cameron ever again.

  James’s body stirred as Jean-Paul continued to fight off the wolves, who seemed to be immortal. The alpha rose on shaky legs, then caught sight of the bear and growled, approaching again.

  “No!” Both of them heard Jenna Mae by the door, and it momentarily distracted them. She had Cameron in her arms, and she looked broken-hearted by the fight. “Please don’t hurt each other. Just...please…”

  She wasn’t making much sense, and she was blubbering. Cameron had started to cry, and Jean-Paul cursed the fact that she had come outside. Now James could confirm that she was there, and Jean-Paul knew that he had no choice.

  The great bear roared again and took a step, gathering all his energy. And then in one final blow, he slammed down on the Alpha Wolf’s body, stepping in front of Jenna Mae and claiming her as his own.

  Silence fell over the field, and the wolves froze, staring at their crushed Alpha.

  James was dead; there was no second guessing it. His blood spilled out onto the ground, and his body wasn’t moving.

  Jean-Paul turned to the other wolves and let out one final roar.

  They tucked their tails and ran off yelping.

  Only when he was completely sure that they were not coming back did he turn to Jenna Mae. She was pale and trembling at the door, her gaze switching between her ex-lover’s body and Jean-Paul’s bear form. Without a word, she turned and disappeared into the cabin.

  Jean-Paul forced his transformation back to human and immediately followed her into the cabin. As far as he was concerned, she was safe now. There wasn’t a thing in the world that could hurt her.

  Jenna Mae’s face, though, said that his confidence wasn’t what she needed. She was sitting on the bed, her head drooped and her shoulders shaking.

  “Jenna Mae…” Jean-Paul said as he approached her. She pulled back, looking up at him with wide eyes. A moment passed between them and then another. “He would have killed you.”

  “I know that,” she said. “I know that if he got past you, that would have been the end of me, and possibly the end of Cameron. I just... What am I going to tell Cameron when he gets older? He’ll have questions and his father…”

  “Was he a good father?” Jean-Paul asked.

  “No,” Jenna Mae said, wiping the tears from her face. “But...I would have liked Cameron to have that choice. To understand. I don’t...he’s half-wolf, Jean-Paul. I don’t know how to parent that.”

  “You should have told me that from the beginning,” Jean-Paul said, and she shook her head.

  “I couldn’t have.”

  “You should have,” he said. “What if James had gotten by me? What if things had been different? You did not tell the truth about who you were. Your child is an heir to the throne. Technically, now he is the Alpha.”

  “No,” Jenna Mae said. “I do not want that for him.”

  “You may not have a choice,” Jean-Paul said, and she clenched her jaw.

  “Well, you certainly removed most of that choice,” she answered. “I have no idea what I’m supposed to do. How did they even find me?”

  “I suspect,” Jean-Paul said, “that James traced the car.”

  “How?” she said. “We removed him from the accounts, insurance took him off everything, we…”

  “I wouldn’t put it past someone like that to have a tracker in the car,” Jean-Paul said. “He wanted to keep you captured. He probably knew exactly where you were when you crashed.”

  “No,” Jenna Mae said, putting her hands on her face. “No, it can’t be this way. How did this happen? How…”

  “Is there anything else you haven’t told me?” he asked, and it came out harsher than expected.

  “What else could I have kept from you?” she said. “I didn’t lie to you because I wanted to wound you; please stop acting like that.”

  “Excuse me?” he asked. “ How can I keep you safe if you don’t—”

  “Keep me safe?” she raised her voice. “That’s what James used to say. He used to say that I was his and it was his job to keep me safe. Look how he did that. I don’t want that. I don’t want another James.”

  “How can you even say I’m like that?” he asked. “I am nothing like that garbage.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked. “Because you just took a life with no remorse and then you walk in here and act like I have to listen to your rules.”

  “Jenna Mae—”

  “Stop,” she said, tears in her eyes. “Stop.”

  He took a deep breath and then rose from the place he had been sitting.

  “As you wish,” he said. “Would you rather I leave the cabin?”

  “It’s your cabin,” she answered. “If anyone should leave, it’s me.”

  “Jenna Mae, don’t be ridiculous,” he answered. “Think of Cameron.”

  “Where will you go?”

  “These are my woods,” he said. “And this is my territory. Anyone who comes near me is going to suffer the same fate as your ex-lover.”

  She said nothing to that, huddling over her baby.

  Jean-Paul headed out of the cabin, making sure to lock the door behind him which he had carefully replaced the night before.

  Once he was outside, his expression changed. Whether or not Jenna Mae was going to be alright was only one concern on his mind. It seemed everything was crashing together at this moment, and he, for the first time in a long time, had no idea what he was going to do.

  He had mated with her, and he shouldn’t have. There were going to be repercussions for that. He had killed another Alpha
, and there were going to be consequences that he might not be able to survive, even if it was in self-defense. He had transformed in front of a human, and there was a child that wasn’t his in his territory. That child would be the next wolf Alpha is they accepted him the succession, and that would mean he would be taken from Jenna Mae.

  James’s body was still outside, his blood seeping in a puddle through the leaves.

  Jean-Paul knew that he might buy them some time if he buried it. A day or two would likely pass before the wolves came back, and in that time, he could pack up Jenna Mae and run.

  However, he knew that it wouldn’t work for long, and if it did, he would forever be looking over his shoulder, wondering when the verdict would come.

  He was Alpha, and he needed to face this head-on.

  Rumors spread quickly in his kingdom, and the wolves would no doubt be alerting the rest of their pack. He needed to tell the bears before the wolves got to them.

  It was easy enough, although his hands shook when he pulled out his phone. Not wanting to discuss things in detail, he sent a text to a few close friends on the Council. He didn’t want to talk to all of them just yet, but he felt that those closest to him had to know.

  He also included Remy in the message. Whether or not he trusted Remy didn’t matter. Remy was the Beta, and he had to be prepared.

  James, Alpha Wolf, is dead by my hand in self-defense. We must have a meeting at once. The lake, 2 days’ time, sunrise.

  Normally, official business was in a cave, but he didn’t want this to be quite official.

  As soon as he sent the message, he turned off his phone. He knew that there would be many messages with questions sent in return, and he didn’t want to deal with them at the moment.

  He needed to figure out a way to keep Jenna Mae and Cameron as safe as possible as the rumors spread. He also needed to have answers when the Council asked, as they no doubt would, about the fact that this girl was living with him.

  He bent down to scoop up the broken wolf’s body, unable to resist the urge to whisper to him as he did.

  “May you rot in hell,” he said, to James’s limp ear. “You can never harm her now; she is safe.”