Page 25 of Guard Bear (Return To Fate Mountain #5)

Chapter

Twenty-Three

The cold morning air burned Andre's lungs as he swept his rifle scope across the ridge line.

Five-fifteen AM on Friday, and his world had narrowed to this moment.

The weight of the weapon felt familiar in his hands, an extension of his body after three years with Portland PD.

But this was different. This was personal.

His bear prowled beneath his skin. The animal wanted to hunt, to tear apart anyone who threatened his mate. Andre forced it down, maintaining control.

"Northwest sector clear." Rollo's voice crackled through his earpiece, steady as granite.

"Eastern approach quiet." That was Rafe, somewhere in the tree line below.

"Nothing moving on the access road." Magnus, watching the main approach.

Andre keyed his radio. "Northeast sector clear."

The waiting was worse than any action he'd faced in Portland. Each minute stretched like an hour, every shadow a potential threat. His muscles cramped from holding position, but he didn't move. Couldn't move. Not when Joy was down there in the ranch house, vulnerable despite all their preparations.

Three days since they'd discovered Prescott's plan. Three days of quiet phone calls and careful preparations. Three days of pretending everything was normal while they prepared for war.

The sun crept higher, painting the mountains gold. Time to rotate positions. Andre eased back from his overlook, joints protesting the movement. The forest floor was soft beneath his boots, pine needles muffling his steps as he worked his way down toward the ranch house.

The command center had taken over Leland's office. Andre ducked through the doorway to find Heath Reynolds bent over a topographical map spread across the scarred oak desk.

Tyler sat at a folding table, three laptops arranged in front of him. His fingers flew across the keyboards, monitoring camera feeds and communication channels. The harsh light from the screens painted shadows beneath his eyes.

"Anything?" Andre asked.

"Radio chatter picked up around three AM," Tyler said without looking up. "Professional stuff. Encrypted, but the patterns match military contractors."

Heath straightened from the map. "They're out there. Question is when they move."

The office door opened. Ash Bright entered first, his firefighter's build filling the doorframe. Behind him came Theo Keenan with Serena at his side, then Max Bock and Henry Kincaid. Each face carried the same expression. Controlled rage. Shared violation.

"Thanks for coming," Heath said simply.

"They burned my wife’s orchard." Ash's voice was flat. "Took her apprentice. You think I'd be anywhere else?"

"They tried to destroy the academy," Serena said, holding Theo’s hand. "Tried to frame my mate for attempted murder."

"Poisoned our water." Max's jaw clenched. "Tried to bankrupt us with contamination."

Henry just nodded. The quiet forest ranger didn't need words. They'd attacked the nature center and threatened the forest he loved.

"Positions," Heath said, turning to the map. "Ash, your firefighters know the eastern terrain from wildfire training. That's yours. Theo and Henry, S&R and forest rangers take the northern approach. Serena, we need medical stations here, here, and here."

Serena leaned over the map, her paramedic training evident in how quickly she assessed the positions. "I'll need supply caches at each point. If this goes bad, we won't have time to run back to main medical."

"Whatever you need," Heath promised.

Andre watched them transform from victims into an army. The previous violations had isolated each of them, made them feel alone. Now they stood together, united by shared loss and determination.

The Bear Patrol veterans claimed their sectors with the current officers. Rollo took overall tactical command with Gunnar, his decades of experience invaluable. Gage would coordinate communications with Tyler. Damien Fellows handled surveillance with Rafe. Knox managed supply lines with Gabriel.

"Andre," Heath called. "Need you on the northeast approach tonight. That's their most likely avenue according to Prescott's old maps."

Andre nodded, already visualizing the position. High ground, good sight lines, multiple escape routes if things went wrong. His bear approved.

The morning dissolved into preparation. Weapons cleaned and checked. Ammunition distributed. Radio frequencies assigned. Medical supplies cached. Through it all, Andre's awareness tracked to one person.

He found Joy at dawn on Saturday, kneeling beside the emergency nuc boxes she'd set up for her surviving bees.

The insects circled in confused loops, homeless but alive.

She wore jeans and a faded t-shirt, her hair pulled back in a simple ponytail.

Beautiful in her grief. Fierce in her determination.

"Hey," he said softly.

She looked up, and her eyes flashed gold. Her mountain lion was so close to the surface he could practically see it pushing against her skin. "They're settling in. Some of them, anyway. Maybe two thousand made it."

Two thousand out of over a million bees. Andre's hands ached with the need to touch her, to verify she was real and whole and here. He gave in to the impulse, his palm finding her cheek. She leaned into the touch, eyes closing briefly.

"After this is over," he started.

"I know." She covered his hand with hers. "After we defend my family’s legacy.”

The promise hung in the morning air between them.

They'd claim each other properly when the threat was gone.

Make official what their animals already knew.

But the waiting made Andre's teeth ache with the need to bite.

The mate bond pulled at him constantly, a physical pain that no amount of patrolling could ease.

"I should check the other positions," he said reluctantly.

Joy stood, brushing dirt from her knees. "Be careful."

"Always."

On Sunday afternoon, Andre watched through his scope as non-combatant family members began their carefully planned evacuations. Cars left for "shopping trips.” Daisy took baby Rose to a "playdate" with Laney and baby Sophia in town.

Everything had to appear normal. Just another Sunday dinner with the extended family. He watched Joy emerge from the main house, moving to the grill with a wire brush.

The radio crackled. "Vehicle approaching main gate," Rafe reported. "It's Cyrus."

More family arrived as afternoon stretched toward evening.

Leland helped Sylvia set out food. Maria arranged flowers on the tables.

Everything a perfect picture of a family Sunday dinner.

Except for the weapons hidden within easy reach.

The defenders in concealed positions. The trap waiting to spring.

Andre’s radio earpiece carried the quiet check-ins of other positions.

"Position one secure."

"Position two, all quiet."

"Position three, nothing moving."

Serena's voice joined the rotation, calm and professional. "Medical stations operational. Triage ready if needed."

The land itself seemed to hold its breath.

No cricket song, no owl calls. Even the wind had stilled.

Andre's muscles cramped from holding still, but he didn't move.

His bear pushed against his control, wanting to patrol, to hunt, to act.

He breathed through it, maintaining discipline.

They had one shot at this. Prescott and Webb couldn't know they were ready.

"All positions, check in," Rollo's voice cut through the static.

"Movement, southeast quadrant." Damien's voice cut through Andre's earpiece like a blade.

Andre swung his scope south. There. Three black SUVs approaching at careful speed, too clean for ranch vehicles. His bear surged against his control. The enemy. Finally here.

"Maintain positions," Heath ordered. "Let them look."

The vehicles stopped just outside visual range of the house. Doors opened. Men emerged, dressed in tactical black despite the afternoon heat. Andre counted eight, but there would be more. This was reconnaissance, not the main assault.

They moved with military precision, spreading out to survey the property. Through his scope, Andre tracked the apparent leader. Tall, lean build. Webb himself, come to scout the battlefield.

"Easy," Heath murmured over the radio. "Let them think they're clever."

The team moved in a careful circuit, checking sight lines, counting visible defenders. They saw what they expected to see. A few family members around the house. Maybe one or two ranch hands. Nothing they couldn't handle.

They didn't see the positions hidden in the tree line. The firefighters dug in along the eastern approach. The S&R scattered through the northern forests. The Bear Patrol veterans and officers watched every move through scopes and binoculars.

After twenty minutes, Webb's team completed their circuit. They loaded back into the vehicles. The SUVs reversed down the access road, heading back the way they'd come.

"They're calling it in," Tyler's voice crackled through the radio. "Intercepted their transmission. 'Minimal visible security. Family gathering confirmed. Proceeding with full package.'"

More vehicles at the staging area. The real assault forming. Andre's chest tightened. This was it.

He keyed his radio for final check-in. "All positions ready?"

The confirmations came in, each voice steady despite what they faced.

The sun hung low now, painting everything in shades of gold and shadow.

Through his scope, Andre watched Webb's full convoy beginning its approach.

Six vehicles this time. Military surplus trucks behind the SUVs.

Twenty-plus mercenaries, armed and ready for what they thought would be an easy victory.

Andre's finger rested beside the trigger guard. His breathing slowed, controlled and steady. His bear strained against the leash of his human control, ready to explode into violence when Heath gave the word.

The land that had rejected Samuel Prescott fifty years ago prepared to reject his grandson. This earth had been watered with Kincaid sweat and tears for generations. It wouldn't be sold. Wouldn't be stolen. Wouldn't be taken by force.

One heartbeat from war. Everything they loved balanced on this moment.

The convoy rolled closer, confident in their superior numbers and firepower.

They had no idea what they were driving into.

They had no idea what a community united could do.

They had no idea that the land itself would fight back.

Andre waited, rifle steady, bear ready, mate protected.

One heartbeat from war.