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  “You need a hospital,” Alanna said, kissing Nathan’s cheek. But he turned his head quickly and she met his mouth instead.

  “We’ll take care of him,” Connor, said nodding. When he looked in the direction of the trunk now hidden under a table and out of the way of the chaos, Alanna gasped.

  “Alex!” She ran and slid on her knees. Alex was stirring, curled up in the trunk as Eric helped her pull the trunk out. Alex managed to open his eyes and cast her a soft smile. His shaggy, dark hair was bloody and matted, stuck to his face. He was too pale and he was bruised and beaten-up. He needed a hospital as much as Nathan. But he was alive. That was all Alanna could think as she helped her brother climb out of his tiny cage.

  “Hey, sis,” Alex whispered, once they had him sitting in a chair. “Told you to save yourself.”

  “Yeah, well.” She shrugged. “I don’t listen.”

  “Neither do I,” Nathan rasped. He winced, leaning heavily on a table. “Sorry. I never will.”

  Alanna felt tears behind her eyes and she kissed his cheek. “I guess I can get used to that. My brilliant mate.”

  The dining hall had been demolished. There were dead bears everywhere. Her brother was hurt and her mate was still bleeding. But when Nathan kissed her and whispered his love in her ear, Alanna felt a kind of peace she’d never felt before.

  “Everything’s going to be alright now,” he said. And this time, she believed it.

  Epilogue

  Alanna

  Two months later...

  “Did you see the piece in Colorado Weekly?” Connor was grinning. It was the first time in a couple of weeks that Nathan had seen him looking so relaxed as he sat at the kitchen island, scarfing down French toast.

  “I saw it!” Alanna said. She sat down across from him and Cody patted her on the shoulder, setting a plate full of pancakes in front of her with a coffee before she even had to ask. “Thank goodness, right? I know you were worried about the bookings slowing down after…”

  “Well, we had to make so many cancellations,” he sighed and Nathan nodded along.

  It had been hard going after the Dining Hall Brawl, as Eric had taken to calling it. The official story was that wild bears had destroyed the place and only the shifters who worked at the lodge or had been guests at the time knew the truth. The humans didn’t hold it against the lodge, as shocked as they had been when Connor was forced to visit each guest’s room individually, doling out a painful amount in refunds and incentives for them to come back someday. Then they’d had to shut down while the dining hall was renovated and that had taken three weeks.

  “I gotta admit, I’m going to miss the lodge being closed,” Nathan said, leaning on the counter. “Gave me some time to relax.”

  He had been laid up for a week with his injuries and was told he was lucky not to have been killed with the way Rawley’s claws had ripped through him. But he was a strong shifter and he had healed well, even if the cold weather made his side ache just a little now, reminding him of the fight. It had been worth it all in the end.

  “Relax, huh?” Alanna winked at her mate and plowed through her pancakes and sausage, eyeing the coffee warily.

  “I did relax,” he said, but the way he grinned, she knew they were thinking the same thing.

  It hadn’t all been “relaxing.” At one point, they’d broken the bed.

  “Wow, you finished those pancakes already.” Cody laughed and she blushed. “Do you want some more?”

  She felt like a glutton but she knew something that Nathan and his brothers didn’t know and nodded mutely. “Sure thing!” Cody said.

  “Can I have some milk too, please?” she asked and Cody shot her a thumbs up.

  Nathan stared at her and Alanna bit back her smile. She hoped he wouldn’t guess before she told him, but he could be more intuitive than he seemed.

  “Alanna,” Nathan murmured. He nodded at her still full cup of coffee. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing,” she said, shrugging and batting her eyes.

  “Do we need to talk later?” he said quietly enough that Connor and Cody wouldn’t hear.

  “After breakfast,” she said. But she couldn’t contain her smile.

  “Huh.” Eric strode into the kitchen, frowning at his phone. He seemed a little edgy and Nathan nudged him, raising an eyebrow in question. “It’s nothing really,” he said with a shrug. “Do you remember Tamara?”

  “Do we remember Tamara?” Connor blurted out, his coffee sloshing slightly. “The love of your life? The one that got away? I think we all remember Tamara.”

  “She’s not the love of my life,” Eric grumbled, but Alanna didn’t miss the way he looked down at his shoes when he said it. She couldn’t help but think there was a story there and it made her curious.

  “But she was the one that got away?” Cody said, and for Cody, it sounded gentle. “I always felt like you were in love with her.”

  “Well, anyway,” he said, rolling his eyes. “She emailed me out of the blue and I haven’t heard from her in years. She’s asking about a room. Sounds kinda…. she sounds kinda freaked out. Hope everything’s okay. Be nice to see her again, though.”

  “I bet it will,” Nathan said nudging him.

  “Shut up,” Eric looked around as if searching for a change of subject, finally settling back on Alanna. “Alanna, how are you doing? Settling in okay at Nathan’s place? Even when he’s human, he lives like a bear.”

  “Yeah, thank goodness for the maid service,” Alanna said, laughing.

  “What’re you gonna tell me after breakfast?” Nathan said.

  He was like a dog with a bone and Alanna sighed, sure that the news was going to break before she finished her second round of pancakes whether she liked it or not.

  She had been scared when she had first discovered she was pregnant. Her period had run late and she’d dutifully run down to the drugstore on the lodge’s promenade and bought a test. Back in Nathan’s penthouse residence where she was living now, she’d hidden away in the bathroom. When the test had come up positive, she’d cried, uncertain if she was happy or scared. But then she found herself smiling.

  Nathan was practically vibrating in his seat and Alanna tried to contain herself as she chowed down on her second plate of pancakes. Bear shifter women got notoriously hungry while pregnant. It made it difficult to hide that kind of news.

  “Just tell me now,” Nathan said.

  “Nathan,” Alanna said warningly. He could be very impatient, she had discovered. But she liked that about him. It made him seem boyish.

  “Alanna…” He was mimicking her, but his smile was so bright, she couldn’t even be annoyed.

  “Alright, I’m pregnant!” Alanna said, throwing up her hands.

  “Holy shit!”

  Alanna heard Alex behind her and she spun around only to be swallowed up in a hug. He had taken a job at the lodge in Cody’s kitchen, finding himself talented at following instructions when it came to cooking. Alanna had imagined that Alex who, like her, had never settled anywhere for more than a couple months, wouldn’t want to settle at Black Bear Lake. But all she saw was a happy younger brother who got along with her mate and his family. Whenever she thought about where she was now and what she had in her life, Alanna got choked up.

  “You’re gonna be an uncle,” Alanna said, laughing as she hugged her brother.

  The Strausses were all high fiving Nathan who looked as proud as a peacock. Their eyes met and he mouthed, I love you.

  “You too,” Alanna said, over her brother’s shoulder.

  She was home.

  Eric

  Blurb

  * * *

  Lydia is the only bear shifter I’ve ever loved. She’s the only woman I’ve ever wanted, and her betrayal still stings.

  * * *

  She left me without as much as a goodbye. I didn’t think I could forgive her for crushing my heart, for not saying anything before she left. And I definitely didn’t think I’d see he
r again, much less at the Black Bear Lake Lodge.

  * * *

  Lydia isn’t innocent. Those gorgeous eyes are hiding a secret. She has an agenda, or else she wouldn’t be back. I need to find out what it is, and if it has anything to do with my past. The part of my past that I’d rather forget. Lydia might be here on a mission, but I know her heart is pure.

  * * *

  What we had… was real. What I see in her eyes… is real. Her return will either heal my heart or lead to my ultimate destruction. Well, what’s it going to be?

  * * *

  ***

  13

  Eric

  “It’s cold out there!” The guest, still shivering and laughing as he stood in front of Eric and dusted snow off his parka, was not a bear shifter. That was fine, but it was something Eric always inwardly noted with guests. The Black Bear Lake Lodge was so popular with bear shifters who came traveling from all over the world to ski and snowboard or just sip hot toddies before going on runs in the thick woods up the mountain, that human guests were just this side of unusual. As the lodge’s concierge, Eric had a slightly different way of interacting with them. There was an understanding with other bear shifters and a shorthand. Human guests were just a little pickier and harder to please.

  In Eric’s experience, they were also giant dorks.

  Eric smiled widely at the guest and said, “It sure is. I hope the powder was good?”

  “Oh yeah! Great snowboarding! Ha ha!” The human’s family appeared - three daughters and a harried looking wife, and they whirled away from the front desk and into the newly renovated dining hall as it filled up for lunch. Lunch was Cody’s job.

  There were four Strauss brothers and they all ran the Black Bear Lake Lodge together, having bought it out in equal shares after finding themselves to be young and energetic bear shifters with too much money on their hands. Connor was the oldest and the alpha of their little sleuth. He ran the place as administrator. Eric was the youngest and served as concierge, handling all the guests’ requests and demands, even some that seemed ridiculous. Cody was the chef and ran the kitchen with an iron fist, and Nathan was the handyman (though he usually ended up filling more roles than that).

  Nathan had lately been a hard bear shifter to find around the lodge, having met his mate, Alanna, who was pregnant with his cub now. They were still in their honeymoon period and their happiness made everything around the lodge seem brighter.

  The thick of winter was hitting the ski lodge and with it, the busiest season. Families were making their ski trips just before Christmas and the snow was hitting the mountain hard. The lodge was solidly booked and that was good news, considering that some recent shenanigans with a troublesome shifter named Rawley who had gone after Alanna had just shut the entire lodge down for a few weeks following a brawl that had demolished the dining hall. They had only just gotten it up and running again and business was finally clicking along like usual.

  “Hey, is your friend showing up today?” Eric’s older brother, Connor, the alpha of their sleuth, asked as he walked up and leaned on the front desk, casually taking a peppermint from the bowl that Eric kept there. “Lydia, right?”

  Eric raised an eyebrow at his brother. Connor knew exactly who Lydia was. It would have been strange if he hadn’t. She had been Eric’s best friend as a kid and right up through his adolescence until she abruptly ran away. He had been closer to her than to his own brothers as a teenager, if he was honest with himself. There was no way Connor wouldn’t know her name.

  “Yeah,” Eric said, tapping his pen on the calendar. “Lydia. Haven’t seen her in… I don’t know. Five years? She stopped through when we were just opening up the lodge, but we didn’t really talk then. She seemed kind of weird when she texted me though. Hope she’s alright.”

  “I was always kinda surprised you guys never ended up together.” Connor sucked on his peppermint and looked down on his younger brother. Connor had a couple inches on Eric and though Eric worked out regularly and was no slouch in the muscle department, his brother was the biggest and broadest of the four Strauss boys. Yet Eric wasn’t even a little bit intimidated by the alpha (or, that’s what he told himself) and he only narrowed his eyes as Connor tried to goad him.

  “So was I,” Eric said, casually shrugging. “But you remember how Mom and Dad were about it. They didn’t like her sleuth, they thought she was trouble, and bla bla bla. She took that personally. It was hard enough just to be friends. On that note…” He checked his watch and grimaced. It was time for lunch and he had not been looking forward to it. “I have to go break up with a girl.”

  “Ah,” Connor nodded, leaning against the desk. Erik was surprised as Connor was usually bustling about the lodge. He always seemed endlessly busy as the administrator in charge of everything down to the snow boot rentals and the ticket taking at the gondola, especially lately as he’d had to work doubly hard to get the lodge back on track with all the renovations.

  Perhaps that was why Connor seemed a little more relaxed, Eric thought. Things were finally back to normal.

  “Are you breaking up with her because Lydia’s coming-” Connor started.

  “No,” Eric snapped, cutting Connor off. He heaved a sigh and resisted the urge to punch his brother in the arm since his brother would only punch back harder. “It’s just not right. Doesn’t feel right.” He shrugged. “She’s not the one and I don’t want to waste her time.”

  “That’s very smart of you,” Connor said, grabbing another peppermint. “How many times did you guys bang before you decided that?”

  “Ugh, shut up.” Eric couldn’t help himself and punched Connor in the shoulder, refusing to so much as wince when Connor punched him back twice as hard. “I’m going to lunch.” He motioned for Lee Ann, one of the associates who worked the front desk to take over for him and made his way to one of the private dining rooms off the dining hall where Michelle had agreed to eat with him.

  Eric had been dating Michelle for only three weeks. But in that time they’d gone on several dates and spent a good deal of time together. Which was how Eric knew that it was never going to work. Michelle was wildly attractive with her glossy blonde hair and high cheekbones and pouty mouth. She was both a bear shifter and a witch, which had impressed Eric upon meeting her one night in the lodge’s lounge. But there was no spark for him. Things didn’t feel right and as much as Eric felt too soft to admit it, he wanted a mate. He wanted that true love feeling and Michelle wasn’t it. At worst, Michelle gave him an unsettled feeling he couldn’t explain. But it didn’t seem fair to use that as a reason to break up with a girl.

  He jogged his leg under the table and ordered himself a good bourbon neat instead of lunch. He hated the idea of breaking things off with anyone. He’d done it a few times and he always felt like a huge asshole afterwards.

  I wonder if Lydia will get here soon…

  He felt even more like an asshole, already thinking about another girl while he waited to break up with Michelle. Yet he couldn’t think of the last time he’d been more excited to see anyone as he was to see Lydia. Besides which, it wasn’t as if he was breaking up with Michelle because of Lyda. Nothing romantic was ever going to happen with Lydia, that much had been made clear a long time ago. But she was his oldest friend.

  “Eric?” Michelle’s voice rang like a bell. Eric looked up and sighed wistfully. If anyone looked like the perfect woman, it was her. She was wearing a faux fur snow hat that softened her pale skin and rosy cheeks and a cashmere sweater set that hugged her curves. She looked like any man’s fantasy of a sexy snow bunny and Eric cleared his throat.

  “Hey, Michelle,” Eric said, standing for a moment. He unbuttoned his jacket and buttoned it right up again, not sure what to do with his hands. Michelle frowned, questioning, and leaned over to peck him on the lips.

  It helped that the kiss made him feel nothing. There was nothing real here to salvage.

  “You drinking your lunch?” Michelle said, nodding at his
bourbon as she took a seat and removed her fur hat.

  “I just needed something to take the edge off,” Eric said. He loosened his tie and saw that Michelle’s gaze followed his every movement. She squinted. She always seemed especially observant. He’d like that about her. But his stomach twisted. He had to get this over with before she figured it out first and got upset. “There’s something I need to talk to you about,” he said slowly.

  Michelle’s eyes narrowed. There was a hard look to them. Sometimes he thought it was a little cold. Her light blue eyes seemed icy and flat. But he figured he’d only thought that because he’d decided he wasn’t in love with her.

  “I hate this shit,” he muttered. “It’s awful. So I want to get it over with. I don’t think this is working out. I’m really sorry about it. I just don’t… I don’t feel…”

  “You’re breaking up with me?” Michelle didn’t sound upset. In fact, her voice was oddly monotone as she narrowed her eyes. “Eric. That’s...disappointing.”

  A shiver ran up Eric’s spine. There was something about the way she said it. It was just off somehow.

  “I really thought we had something special here,” Michelle said. “Haven’t we had fun-”

  “Yeah!” Eric nodded. “Definitely. I wanted to give it some time, you know? And we did have fun but I just don’t think we… I don’t feel that thing.”

  “What thing?” Michelle said sharply.

  “Whatever it is you’re supposed to feel,” Eric said simply.

  “I think you’re making a mistake,” Michelle said. She smiled at him and Eric cringed. That was probably a bad response to a smile. But it made him feel better about the break-up. “I think we should give this a little more time-”