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Chapter Two

Barrett

This wasn’t the type of job I normally took. But these weren’t usual circumstances.

“Looking dapper, man,” my partner Bellamy said as he clapped me on the shoulder. His expression changed from encouragement to concern when my body tensed on contact. “Sure you’re good with this assignment? We can switch roles if the ceremony will be too much for you.”

“No. I want to do this,” I growled as I tightened the knot on my tie, leaning into the discomfort. It wasn’t just that I had no idea how I’d pull this job off dressed like this, but I hadn’t worn a suit since I buried my mate.

Renee had been gone three years, and nothing had filled the emptiness. Especially now that our daughter Natalie had begged to do a semester of astronaut school. She had a long way to go before she could actually launch into space, but this was a unique program that gave her access to an experience that was usually only reserved for the military or NASA.

All that was left of the two most important ladies in my life were the unfinished science experiments I hadn’t had the heart to break down and put away. If I wasn’t surrounded by half-built spaceships and mystery potions, I’d have to admit that I was actually alone for the first time in my life.

That the school bus wouldn’t be dropping Natalie off in a few hours. That Renee wasn’t coming back.

My jobs didn’t usually make me feel feelings. But this one was different. Sawtooth Security, the firm I’d ran with a small team of highly trained specialists, had had their eye on Gideon Silverclaw for years, watching him gobble up pack land and displace his own kind without any plausible explanation. There was no way I could let him claim this woman too. Tegan Reynolds had made some shocking accusations in her text message, and if her evidence was solid, we could finally nail this guy.

Not to mention the money from this job would pay for Natalie’s astronaut school. She’d wanted to go so badly, and for her to get into one of the competitive collegiate programs, she needed to have this kind of experience. As much as I wanted to keep her close, I had to let her fly. In this case, literally.

This job would keep her flying.

“Are you sure? Haven’t seen you like this since…” Bellamy shook his head. He didn’t need to finish the sentence. He’d been with me through the good, the bad, and the ugly, and I was proud to call him a friend. “Let’s just go do the damn thing.”

A black van with darkened windows and fake plates waited for us in front of my cabin. Bellamy drove. I needed to get my head back in the game before we got to the mating ceremony. I glanced at my phone, and there was a message from Natalie.

Just what I needed to get out of my head.

Natalie : I have my first test today and I’m nervous.

Me : Did you study?

Natalie: All night long.

Me: Get some rest. You’re gonna do great.

Natalie: What if I don’t?

Me: Then you’ll know where you need to improve.

Natalie: But I want to get it right the first time.

Me: They don’t expect you to be perfect.

But I knew where she got it from. My job had no margin for error, and she’d seen me beating myself up for not being able to save her mother.

Natalie: I want to be though.

Me: Do your best. I’ve got to go to work. Love you. I’ll check in with you tonight to see how things went.

I slipped my phone into my suit jacket pocket and quickly surveyed the scene. There were cars and production vehicles everywhere. Tegan Reynolds, my client, was a contestant on the reality show Moonlight Mates . I binge-watched to get familiar with the major players.

Silverclaw I knew all too well, but to pull this off I needed to know the host of the show, the other contestants, and especially the beautiful woman who’d hired me.

Not that I should be thinking of her that way, but she was stunning. With pink hair and bright amber eyes.

“Looks pretty chill so far,” Bellamy said. “But remember Silverclaw’s guys are here too, and we’re outnumbered. Get in and get out before anyone realizes it was you.”

“I’ll be quick.” I nodded to him before I got out of the van.

At least, I planned to be quick. Bellamy’s assessment seemed correct. A catering truck was unloading the food for the celebration, and a DJ was setting up for a party. People milled around the area where the ceremony would take place. I couldn’t tell if they were invited guests or people associated with the show.

A few mouths gaped as I walked past, but no one had the nerve to try to stop me. It was a good thing this place was crawling with Silverclaw’s guys. I never wanted to associate myself with his crew, but today I could be thankful that they’d give me the cover they needed.

As a bear shifter, I was bigger than those wolves. Humans wouldn’t know the difference. But a shifter would know one of these things wasn’t like the other.

It meant I had to nail this.

The further I got, the less anyone paid attention to me. Guests laughed, hugged, and were already taking part in the wine that seemed to be flowing freely. I took a glass from one of the passing trays to help blend in, but I wouldn’t touch a sip of the stuff.

I moved past the ceremony area, the dinner tables, and dance floor, and found a cluster of yurts that I recognized from the show.

Only one had a pulse. Wardrobe racks and equipment had been left outside, and women moved in and out. Frantic energy surrounded it.

That had to be where Tegan was.

We’d only spoken briefly—enough for her to tell me what had happened. Gideon Silverclaw was going through a lot of trouble to keep her quiet. I hadn’t told her my plan, only that I would solve the problem. She didn’t like that, and I didn’t blame her. This situation didn’t have even an inch for error. But the situation had to stay fluid, as I told her, until I had a chance to assess the situation in person. I liked rules, but I knew when to break them too.

My research quickly found her being quite outspoken about her former employer, Wild Adventures, owned by Gideon Silverclaw—who was now forcing her into marriage.

Why? There were a thousand other ways he could keep her quiet that were much less effort. He could’ve paid her off, or killed her…

My bear growled. It wasn’t like him to feel protective of my clients, but this case felt different.

Once I made sure Tegan was safe, we’d figure out Silverclaw’s MO. And I’d make sure she understood how important it would be to keep her mouth shut. To let Sawtooth Securitye take the lead on this case. She was human, and shifter politics didn’t play by the rules she was used to.

Gideon Silverclaw was a bad dude. He’d been making promises to acquire pack land and then breaking them as soon as the contract was signed. His lawyers were slick, and shifters were losing their homes. Their heritage. My clan had been duped by Silverclaw Enterprises, and damn if this case wasn’t personal.

It has nothing to do with Tegan Reynolds.

Keep telling yourself that . My bear snickered.

I wouldn’t let anyone lay a paw on her.

Something inside me rumbled as I watched the yurt. My bear was in my head. Maybe he was just trying to distract me from thinking about where I was. A mating ceremony.

A quick phone call and some pictures couldn’t have sent me into overdrive about a woman I’d never met. One that might be more trouble than she was worth with Silverclaw in the mix.

It had been three years since Renee died. If things were the other way around, I’d want her to be happy.

Yeah, this ceremony was getting to me.

But right now, I had a job to do, and it didn’t matter what I was feeling.

An engine revved in the distance. Bellamy wasn’t known for his patience, but he was a hawk-eyed bear, and he could be sending me a warning.

I had to act, now.

Once the ladies moved away from the entrance to the yurt, I stepped in the doorway as quietly as I could. Being stealthy wasn’t easy for someone who shifted into a five-hundred pound grizzly bear.

Tegan stood in front of the mirror in her wedding dress. She was gorgeous. Production had spared no expense on the white lace gown that hugged her ample curves and draped softly over her legs. Her pink hair had been curled in an old-fashioned style so she looked like she’d been ripped from one of those hot rod pinup calendars.

My heart was pounding, and not only because of what I was about to do. There was commotion outside of the tent, and I let a growl slip out. She gasped, turning to find me.

“Can I help you? Are you looking for Gideon’s tent?” Tegan asked. She must have thought I was lost. How adorable and dangerous that she was so trusting. She probably thought I was one of his goons.

She was definitely human if she couldn’t tell the difference between him and me.

I had to make my move. I stepped toward her, still undecided if I should tell her what I was about to do or just do the damn thing and apologize later. I had about three seconds to decide.

“Tegan, we’re ready for you,” an unexpected voice said. A woman with a headset and a tablet in her hand stood smiling in the doorway.

I growled again, louder this time.

Shut up, bear . This job was damn near impossible to pull off, and he hadn’t come up with any better plan.

The ladies wore matching expressions of concern.

“Excuse me,” I said, brushing past the production assistant. Fuck. I just totally blew my chance to get her out of there. I hesitated. And why, because it had been far too long since I’d been so close to a beautiful woman? Piss poor excuse. I had to make this work, and it wasn’t gonna be any easier from here on out.

Not only could I not let this delectable, adorable woman marry that asshole Silverclaw, but I needed to get paid for this job. I needed that reality check to remember what had brought me here.

The yurt wasn’t soundproof, so I stayed close, listening, planning, anticipating the next opportunity. Having another chance to pull this off was a luxury, and I needed to make it count.

The camera crew appeared, and there was a good sized entourage with them that included the woman I recognized as the host of the show.

They were about to bring Tegan to the altar. I was too late.

No. Don’t you dare give up on her, my bear rumbled.

“Tegan, it’s the moment we waited for all season long. I’m so excited you get to experience this,” the show host said. “Want to tell us what’s on your mind?”

“Gideon Silverclaw is a thief, and I hope you’re broadcasting this live.”

Feisty , my bear said as the entourage gasped. Nice.

“We’re not, because you’ve earned your reputation as a live wire.” The host’s tone was strained. “Once again, I’ll remind you that you knew what you were getting yourself into when you accepted a spot as a contestant on this show.”

“You changed the rules without telling me.” Tegan wasn’t backing down. My bear liked that a lot. But he didn’t miss the note of panic in her voice. “I didn’t consent to this.”

“Your mate is waiting for you.”

I headed toward the altar before any of them noticed me hanging around the yurt. I wouldn’t have another chance to get her alone, so I needed to come up with my next plan immediately.

A group of women in bridesmaid dresses and men in suits much like mine waited at the end of the aisle, and organ music started to play. The ceremony was formal, traditional, and from what I’d seen of Tegan, not even close to what she’d choose for her own mating ceremony.

You could give her better , my bear said.

I am , I reminded him. I’m getting her the fuck out of here.

Jump in with them. Hook your arm and offer it to one of those women. You don’t have time to think this through.

My bear was stubborn, aggressive, and not often wrong. And while he was right that time was running out, I couldn’t afford to call unwanted attention to myself if a bridesmaid didn’t play nice and blew my cover.

Instead, I slipped into a chair in the back row, ignoring my bear’s groan.

Gideon stood at the altar, wearing a big old wolf smirk on his obnoxious face, and his boys flanked him.

He was too full of himself in this moment to sense me. Good.

The music changed to the traditional wedding waltz.

Tegan started down the aisle. She was alone, no one was giving her away. Her nervousness resonated in my bones, pure dread that I could actually taste, with her wide, unblinking eyes and pinched expression—anger, but more than that, utter defeat.

She thought I’d failed her.

No . My bear was about to burst out of my skin to make sure she never felt like that again.

Again, he wasn’t wrong…but we had a job to do.

Only a few more steps and she’d be at that altar with Silverclaw. I’d never be able to get her away without taking down his entire crew. I was a skilled fighter, but this wasn’t even close to fair.

I came up behind her, ignoring the gasps of the guests as I scooped her into my arms and made a fucking run for it.

Tegan screamed. Of course she did. The only time she’d ever seen me was when I showed up unannounced in her dressing room. My picture wasn’t on my website because I needed to keep a low profile for jobs like this.

“This is better than what you were about to get yourself into,” I muttered as I covered her mouth. She kicked, wiggled, and flailed, and it shouldn’t have been a turn on, but fuck, it was.

My bear loved this.

I ignored him, instead tightening my grip on the chaotic, lacy whirlwind of a woman with my other arm and did my best to haul ass to the van. Bellamy better be waiting in the spot we’d agreed on.

Even a second of hesitation would cause this entire thing to unravel. Silverclaw’s crew had shifted, and other beasts were turning furry all around us, joining the cause, hot on my trail.

The van door was open, and I had to get there first. I leaped into the air, practically doing a somersault to get us inside before we had an unwelcome wolf on board.

Bellamy was burning rubber before I had a chance to shut the door.