Page 35 of Fennick’s Fortune (Sentinels of Apollo #2)

“JoAnna, I’m sorry that your sister is upset.

I’m Fennick. This is my girlfriend, Akiva.

I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I’m not your sister’s baby daddy.

She’s four months pregnant. We haven’t had sex in six months, and the last time we spoke was right before she left to visit you.

I have no idea who the father is. I suggest you help her acknowledge it isn’t me, so that she can tell the actual father. Every kid should know his or her dad.”

I figured I was wasting my breath, but I had to say it. Those at tables around us were avidly listening. Christ, it would be all over town by morning. JoAnna held a sobbing Monika against her shoulder as she examined me, then Akiva, and then the others. Finally, she exhaled deeply.

“I suspected she might be confused and projecting her feelings onto you. It’s happened before. I’ll take her home and get her in to see her therapist and doctor. She’s probably off her medication. Sorry for any trouble.”

Monika was so far into her sobfest that she didn’t register what her sister had said. We watched as JoAnna coaxed her sister to leave.

“Come on, sissy. Let’s go home. We can figure this out there. We’ll face the father together once we have everything in place and have proof. Let’s go do that.”

Like magic, Monika stopped crying and gave us a smug smile. “You’ll see,” she said before walking off. Her sister was right behind her.

The tension eased as they exited the bar. The tables around us grew disinterested again. “Whew, you’re so damn lucky,” Nico whispered.

“Tell me about it,” I replied.

“I feel sorry for her. She’s clearly struggling with a mental illness, and I think she believes what she’s saying. She’s convinced herself that you’re the father. Don’t think the fight is over. Let’s pray her sister can get her to the doctor and they can help her,” Cerys observed.

I peeked at Akiva. She was sitting there in concentration, based on her facial expression. That worried me. “Akiva, you’re thinking. Talk to me. You know it’s not true.”

She gasped. “First of all, yes, I believe you and that it was never more, and she knew it. And she can’t get pregnant with your baby. I’m worried about what it’ll do to her mentally when she’s forced to accept the truth. I have a bad feeling about this.”

“I’m right there with you,” Cerys agreed.

Akiva leaned her head over onto my shoulder.

The mood was subdued. I didn’t know what to say to get us back to having a good time.

I was about to suggest we call it a night when four burly men came rushing to our table.

Their faces were twisted into looks of disbelief.

When they got to us, their gazes zeroed in on Akiva and didn’t move.

She met their stares, yet I felt the tension in her body.

“What the hell has gotten into you four?” Brax asked gruffly.

“Who is she?” Cooper asked.

“Where did she come from?” Calvin asked.

“Are there more like her?” Colter questioned.

“What’s your relationship to her?” Chance finished.

“I’d like to suggest we move this conversation to someplace private ,” Royal stressed.

His tone seemed to shake the Bhaers out of whatever trance or haze they were in. They shifted their eyes around the bar. Thankfully, no one was paying attention at the moment.

“The office in back,” Cooper grunted, and then the four turned and walked off. Knowing we’d better talk, or they’d keep pressing, we rose to follow them. Plus, we counted them as friends.

The walk back to the office wasn’t far. The noise was significantly less when Chance shut the door behind us. They were standing around the room. We indicated the chairs for Akiva and Cerys. We remained standing or leaning against a wall.

“It’s good to see you guys. I hoped we’d get a chance to talk to you tonight.

I wanted to introduce you to Akiva. She’s new to Needles.

Akiva, these are the Bhaers I told you about.

This is Calvin, Colter, Chance, and Cooper.

” I pointed to each man as I named him. Their eyes were back to feasting on her.

Akiva smiled and nodded. “It’s very nice to meet you. I don’t often get to meet other bears. And then to find there are five here in Needles is a shock.”

They murmured hellos. Wanting to get to the bottom of their behavior, I prompted them to explain. “You asked several questions out there. What the hell was that about?”

“We’re sorry, but we weren’t expecting to catch her scent. Female bears are rare,” Cooper stated.

“You’re new to Needles. Where did you come from?” Calvin asked his original question

“I’m most recently from the Utah area. I’ve lived all over the northwestern US,” she told him.

“Are there others with you? More bears? More females?” Colter asked on the heels of her answering Calvin.

“No, the group I was traveling with that brought me here are shifters, but none are bears,” she said.

I saw the Bhaers’ shoulders slump. I knew what it was like to yearn for a mate and despair of ever finding one.

“How do you know this bunch? Are you family friends?” Cooper asked.

“Are you staying in Needles or visiting?” Chance threw out.

“We’re not family friends. I caught the scent of a bunch of shifters out in Joshua Tree.

We went to see if they knew about the Knights of Pytho and encouraged them to move closer to where there are other shifters.

They hadn’t heard the complete story. We convinced them to give Needles a chance.

They’re searching for jobs and homes at the moment.

They’re divided up between our houses. There are over a dozen others,” I explained.

As they absorbed what we’d told them, the all-important question was asked again, only this time it came from Cooper. “What’s her relationship to you? We can smell you on her, but not…” he halted.

“I’ve asked Akiva to be my mate.”

“But you haven’t completed the mate bond by giving her a claw marking.

Until that’s completed, the claim isn’t complete.

She should be allowed to get to know all of us.

Maybe once she does, she can decide which of us she wants to spend the rest of her life with.

It seems if she’s free, that means she’s unsure of what she wants, meaning there’s a chance she’s meant for one of us,” Colter stated.

Akiva rose and moved to stand next to me. I placed her slightly behind me. Her hand was on my back. I felt it shake. I fought to remain calm as I explained further.

“She’s mine. We’ve been taking our time so she could get used to the idea and Needles. She’s not used to our ways. I didn’t want her to be overwhelmed.”

“What the hell does that mean? Not used to our ways? She’s a female shifter.

She knows how this works. If her bear has risen and indicated she will accept your bear as her mate, you mark her, and it’s done.

If her bear had done so, you would’ve marked her.

You’ve had sex with her, but that’s it,” Cooper stated bluntly. He moved a couple of steps closer.

My hackles went up. I’d tried to ignore that my mate was in a closed room with four other bears, more than willing and capable of fighting me for her.

If they killed me, and Nova indicated willingness to be with one of their bears, she would be claimed.

The thought of that happening infuriated me.

The other Sentinels wouldn’t be able to help me unless the Bhaers tried to challenge me more than one at a time.

If not, they had to stand back and allow the challenges to play out.

“Everyone needs to take a deep breath and think. You’re our friends. We can attest that Akiva is with Fennick because she wants to be. Yes, the final step of the claim isn’t complete, but it will be in a matter of days,” Brax interjected.

“It doesn’t matter. If he wants her, he must accept our challenges and fight for her, or step away and let our bears call to hers,” Calvin argued.

“When and where do you want to do this?” I asked, knowing I had to accept. I refused to walk away and allow one of them to have her.

“No,” Akiva moaned. Her hands were fisted in the back of my shirt. She was now shaking.

“Guys, will one of you take Akiva home and stay with her? It would be best if she stayed with Cerys, if that’s alright,” I asked my friends.

There were several murmurs of agreement. I swore I heard both women gasp.

“We’ll resolve it now. We’ll go into the woods behind here to a spot on our land where we won’t be disturbed. We’ll meet you there in twenty minutes. You know the place I mean. Where we’ve met before,” Cooper outlined.

“No, you can’t do this! I’m with Fen. My bear has chosen. We’re just waiting for the best time,” Akiva cried. Panic edged her voice.

Ripper rose fast and furious. He connected with Nova, and she was reflecting Akiva’s fear.

And just like that, my mind was in hers.

I was seeing another scene from her childhood.

She was shivering and cowering under an outdoor picnic table.

Her father and two men, whom I didn’t know but guessed were his breeding business partners, were shouting at each other.

There was a woman curled up in a ball on the ground.

Suddenly, the three men transformed, and their bears began attacking each other.

It was loud and ferocious. Akiva was screaming.

Abruptly, I was back in my body. Ripper was raging to be released.

I heard a keening wail behind me. Whipping around, I found Akiva had backed up to the wall. Her eyes were haunted, and she had her hands up, shaking her head.

“No, no, don’t. Stop!” she screamed.

“What the hell?” Coop asked gruffly.

“She’s caught in another memory. Get them the fuck back,” I snapped.