“That’s one very creative story. I’ve got to hand it to you. I’m not sure how long it took you to come up with that whopper, but it was a good one. There’s just one problem. There’s a hole in your story. You forget that I was living happily and healthy in Florida all my life. I never once woke up in a white fur suit, and I never once suffered from an unexplained terminal illness. I think the truth is Adam bit me to turn me into a bear so I’d be forced to stay here with him.”
“No, that’s not it, and you can feel the truth in your bones, Joy. Because you had grown up in Florida, away from our polar magic, your shifter side was never awakened. Had you been born here and lived here for any amount of time, then moved to Florida, you would have ended up with the same illness as your mom and Adam.
“Think about how sure in your mind you were that you were meant to move to Alaska, to begin with. Don’t you think it’s curious that all it took was one infomercial, and you became obsessed with the whole idea of packing everything up and moving? It’s because you were meant to be here. You were being called home. Don’t you see now why Adam didn’t want you to come here with him?
“He wanted to save you from all of this. He never wanted your polar bear to awaken. He knew how devastated you’d be. Everything he has said and done is the complete opposite of what you’ve accused him of. You have to see that.”
It was hard for her to believe anything that Aurora or Adam said, considering the fact that he had bitten her and transferred his venom to her.
“And this bite he gave me?”
Aurora examined the bite. “I know you don’t believe me and don’t want to hear this, but this bite wasn’t what caused you to shift. It was part of the mating ritual, but it appears that he withdrew before the mating was completed.”
“Why? Isn’t that what this was all about?”
“No. He knows you are fated to be his one and only mate. But he will not complete the mating unless you are willing. He’s a good man, Joy. One of the very best when it comes to morals and strength.”
“This … it’s all too much to absorb,” she said, looking through the photographs again. She wanted to break down and cry, wondering if what Aurora had told her about her mother was true, but she couldn’t. Not here. Not now.
Their meeting was suddenly interrupted by a cacophony of shouting. The two council members who had previously accompanied Aurora charged into the main lodge were rambling about something.
“He’s back!” the man shouted, the terror in his voice palpable.
“Who’s back?” Joy asked, nervously shifting her gaze from the men to Aurora.
“Malcolm,” the man panted.
The other man glanced at Joy. “And it looks like Adam is ready to take him on.”
An icy fist clenched Joy’s heart. As angry as she’d been, she suddenly worried about him. As crazy as it seemed, Aurora’s story did make a certain amount of sense. And the photographs of her dad and birth mother in Alaska were as real as anything.
“Is Malcolm alone?” Aurora asked.
“He has his shabby little band of followers along. Our protectors will make short work of them. It’s Malcolm I’m worried about,” the man replied. “There’s no telling what he’s willing to do to kill Joy and anyone who gets in his way.”
Without hesitating, Joy ran for the door. She was determined to do whatever she could to help Adam. Aurora and the council members shot past her, shifting as they sped up the hill.
Joy had no idea how they’d done it, and after her previous experience, she had no desire to relive that incredible pain. But to save Adam, she would endure it ... if she only knew how.
Atop the hill, a man evenly matched in size to Adam was slowly pacing back and forth. “So, you’re the one who killed Donovan. Not that I give a shit about cat shifters, but I did pay him a lot of money to do a job. The way I see it, you destroyed my property.”
“And he died quickly, just like you will,” Adam replied.
“You made a big mistake bringing that bitch up here and activating her dormant bear. Now I’m going to have to kill her for sure. But don’t worry, you can watch while I fuck her first and then finish you both off.”
Unaware of how to shift, Joy could only stand helplessly at the foot of the hill. But she could hear every word. As disgusting as Malcolm was, his words corroborated everything Aurora had told her.
Clenching his fists, Adam tensed his body and rapidly shifted into his huge menacing bear. Malcolm followed suit. His bear was thinner and covered in scars from a life of fighting. The two faced off, sizing each other up. With a roar, Malcolm lunged forward. Adam dodged the move but not before Malcolm’s paw caught Adam’s hind leg and sent him sprawling.
Both bears quickly scrambled for an advantage, swiping at each other with their long claws. Adam’s claws connected with Malcolm’s face, and his white fur was soon turning red with the first fresh blood shed in the battle.
Adam glanced down the slope and spotted Joy. The sight of her made him more determined than ever to defend his mate. His ferocious roar thundered through the settlement as he pounced on Malcolm.
Adam’s jaw clamped down on Malcolm’s neck, sinking his fangs in and ripping them away along with the shredded blood vessels. Malcolm’s blood flowed freely as he staggered and raced down the hill. Screaming at the gory sight, Joy tried to move out of the way, but Malcolm collapsed at her feet. His last living act was to swipe his claws across Joy’s thigh.
Malcolm was dead. But now Joy lay there, bleeding badly.
Adam and Aurora shifted into their human forms and raced to her side. He wrapped his shirt around her wounded leg and tried to stem the bleeding.