Page 25 of Hunny and the Bear (Bearly Yours #1)

Twenty Five

“ I ’m nervous about today.” Hunny turned off the clippers, running her hand over Tank’s freshly buzzed hair. His beard was relatively the same length, but trimmed and shining from ‘beard oil’ she’d massaged into his facial hair. He’d never heard of it before, but he’d let her do anything to him as long as it kept her hands on his body. “I know I’m not going, but I don’t like the thought of you meeting with Jason, either.”

“It won’t just be me,” Tank replied tenderly, pulling her into his lap and kissing her. “Murphy and a few others will be there.” Not Jasper, though. His younger brother would be in the cabin with Hunny, and awake for fucking once or he’d strangle the little shit.

“I’m not mated to them. I’m mated to you,” she countered, cupping his face. She kissed him again before pushing up from his lap. “You said Jason was a dangerous male. What if he does something stupid?”

“You think he’ll act out once he realizes I’ve mated you?”

Hunny rolled her eyes. “I think you’re overestimating my value to Jason.” She furrowed her brow a second later. “Wait, is that why you didn’t shower after we had sex earlier? So that he’d scent me on you?”

Tank raised a brow at her question, his gaze going immediately to her mating mark. “I want him to know you’re mine.” He’d already ensured her scent covered him after hours of fucking this morning, and with the claiming bite prominently displayed on his neck, that wolf prick would be a fool not to put two and two together. “And I hope he does do something stupid, so I can snap his neck and call it a day.”

Would he regret killing the sperm donor to his mate’s kits? Not for a single second. In fact, he looked forward to doing the honors, if he could get the chance. Murphy would probably protest with that course of action though.

Hunny propped her hands onto her hips as she narrowed her eyes on him. “Isn’t this meeting because he thinks we’re hiding Natasha in bear territory?”

“Or he’s using that as a lie to find out where you are. I’m not convinced the wolf that tracked us in the woods a few days ago didn’t belong to him.”

And he intended to find out today.

Hunny threw her hands up in exasperation. “But that doesn’t make sense. Jason rejected me, mated someone else, and clearly,” she added haughtily, pointing toward the bite on her neck, “I’ve more than gotten over all that.”

“I’m well aware, darlin’.” Tank smirked as he stood to his full height, towering over her.

“My point is this: Jason won’t care enough about me, or our kits, to send someone to hunt me down, and I’m more than okay with that, believe me.” Releasing a long breath, Hunny ran her hands through her hair. “I haven’t wanted to ask, mostly because I’m terrified of your answer, but what exactly has Jason done that makes you hate him so much? You held a grudge with him since before you met me.”

Tank pursed his lips, and as her hand fluttered to her belly, moving in a small circle over her bump, he wasn’t sure he wanted to tell her the truth. He wanted to spare her the gory details of how sick and twisted the father of her kits was. He clenched his teeth to keep from snarling. No, Jason wasn’t the father to Hunny’s kits—Tank was. Even if he didn’t share DNA with a single one, they were his, just as Hunny was.

“The Moon Rose pack is known for their illegal dealings,” he began slowly, choosing his words more carefully than he ever had when it came to that fucker. He didn’t want to upset Hunny with the truth, but he didn’t want to keep it from her either. He planned to approach the subject gently, though.

She swallowed thickly. “What kind of ‘illegal dealings’ are you talking about exactly? Just spit it out, Henry, please.”

“His pack kidnaps humans and sells them to other supernaturals for money, favors, whatever he needs. It’s not always humans, either. Sometimes lone shifters and submissives, too.”

Hunny’s hand pressed down on her belly and she paled, looking like she was close to vomiting. “And you know that for sure?”

Tank shook his head. “No. It’s only speculation, but Murphy’s looked into every shifter community near us since he became Alpha. It isn’t unnoticed that human women go missing near Jason’s pack. Everything fits; we just don’t have the proof. And I’ve met Jason and some of his wolves before. There is something off about them.”

“What do you mean?”

Tank shrugged, clearing his irritated throat. The amount of time he could talk without it hurting improved daily, likely because of his little rabbit and the large quantities of tea she shoved down his throat. Even still, long talks like this wore out his vocal chords. “He feels wrong. Evil. You never felt it?”

“I—” Hunny closed her mouth, looking away from him as she thought. “I don’t think he let me around him enough to see what he was really like, not until that night you found me. And then I just remember thinking how cold, how cruel he really was. How I didn’t know him at all, and I was going to have a stranger’s baby.”

When she rubbed her belly again, Tank slid his hand over hers, his other going to her nape as he kissed the crown of her head. “He might be a sick bastard, but he gave us three precious gifts, darlin’.”

Her fingers intertwined with his, holding on tight. “Just be careful today, alright?”

“I will.”

A few short hours later, Tank stepped onto Murphy’s porch, knocking on the door. His brother answered quickly, narrowing his eyes as he inhaled in surprise. His gaze flickered to Tank’s neck and then back to his face. “You mated Hunny?”

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Tank nodded, unable to keep a possessive smirk from dancing on his lips.

“I wished you’d informed me of your intentions to mate her,” Murphy said stiffly, stepping onto the porch and closing the door behind him. He wore black slacks, a turtleneck sweater, and dress shoes, looking more like the damned mayor than a grizzly. But Tank didn’t say anything—he knew the real reason his brother kept so much of his skin hidden.

“Do you want me to inform you the next time I bend my mate over and—”

“Shut the hell up,” Murphy demanded, clapping Tank on the shoulder. “That’s my sister-in-law you’re talking about.” He grinned before pushing past Tank and moving toward his SUV. “Have you told Mom yet?”

“No.”

Murphy whistled. “She’s going to lose her mind. Her and Jasper took bets on how long it would take you two to mate. Jasper bet three days, Mom bet four weeks.”

“Jasper didn’t say anything when I left him with Hunny earlier.” That little fucker.

Murphy shrugged. “You know he’s a sore loser.”

Stepping over to the passenger side of the SUV, Tank pulled open the door, climbing inside. “I’m surprised you didn’t make a bet,” he said once his brother started the engine, settling into his own seat.

“Who said I didn’t?” Smirking, Murphy drove to the main lodge, where they picked up Zeke, Colter, and Marcus.

“No Dante?” Tank asked Marcus in place of a greeting as the shifters piled into the vehicle.

“Nah. Murphy didn’t want to bring the scrawniest bear to the meeting,” Marcus joked.

Colter, sitting in the back middle seat, leaned forward. “Tank, why do you smell like puss—oh shit, brother!” He practically pressed his face to Tank’s neck, ignoring the warning growl that rumbled from the grizzly’s chest. “You mated your rabbit? Congrats, man!”

The other males in the vehicle issued similar well wishes, each of them praising his good fortune, and Tank didn’t hide the excitement from his features, relaxing in his seat as he told them smugly how Hunny had been the one to approach him about mating.

He still couldn’t believe it, even though he’d woken this morning with their combined scent filling his lungs, her sweet body pressed against him and the bite he’d placed on her staring proudly back at him.

“You dirty little bear,” Zeke teased from behind him. “Letting the lady do all the work in your relationship.”

Tank rolled his eyes, but his usual irritation was difficult to find. Instead, he felt grounded. Happy. It had been a long time since he had felt this way. Had he ever?

“You don’t even look like you want to beat the shit out of anyone,” Marcus commented, clearly impressed by Tank’s swift change in mood. “What did your mate do to you? Suck the frustration out through your di—”

Tank turned around before Marcus could finish his sentence, slamming his fist into the male’s gut. Marcus hunched forward in his seat, grunting in pain.

“Say another word like that about Hunny again, and I’ll rip your fucking head off,” Tank snarled.

“Duly … noted,” Marcus wheezed, his face a bright shade of red as a vein stuck out prominently on his forehead.

“No more talk about my mate,” Tank told the rest of them, turning back in his seat with an angry curl of his upper lip. His brother smirked, shaking his head as he focused on the road ahead.

The car was silent for the rest of the drive. As Murphy parked the SUV in front of the teahouse and Tank climbed out of the vehicle, he heard Zeke mutter from within, “Smart fucking idea that was Marcus, you goddamn idiot.”

“I was just joking,” Marcus hissed back, shoving Zeke’s shoulder. “You know I didn’t mean any disrespect.”

“Hell of a way to show it, fuckface.”

Glowering, Tank walked into the teahouse first, scanning it for any patrons. Murphy had rented the space for a few hours to ensure their privacy, and it looked like Nessa had kept to her end of their arrangement. Murphy and the others piled in behind him, each looking around curiously.

“Nice place,” Murphy commented to no one in particular, almost like he couldn’t fathom humans creating anything that wasn’t completely disgusting.

“Thanks! I just put the finishing touches on the interior this morning.” Nessa came out from around a corner, smiling brightly at their group. Tank nodded his head in greeting while the others released a mixed chorus of ‘hellos.’

Everyone but Murphy. Instead of greeting her, the Alpha crossed his arms in front of his chest, sizing her up like he’d spotted a new enemy.

Quickly, the smile slipped from Nessa’s face, and she stiffened her shoulders, taking equal measure of the male. “Murphy, I take it?”

“Yes,” the Alpha stated coldly. A beat of silence passed between them before he asked reluctantly, “How did you know?”

“You look just like I pictured you from our phone call the other day,” Nessa told him happily. Moving past him and getting behind the counter, she muttered under her breath, “Like a dickhead.”

Colter snorted before covering the noise with a booming cough. “Allergies,” he explained when she turned back around, eyeing him with concern.

“Oh, no. I hate allergies. How about you all have a seat at a table and I’ll bring you some tea while you wait for your associates?”

Zeke, Colter, and Marcus thanked her before doing just that, leaving Tank and Murphy standing at the front counter.

Nessa smiled at Tank, pointedly ignoring his older brother. “How’s Hunny?” Her gaze drifted to his mating mark and widened. “Good, apparently, if she’s biting you like that.”

“She’s good,” Tank confirmed.

Nessa’s lips twitched. “Talkative as ever, I see.”

Tank grunted, and she laughed, shaking her head at him.

“Are you always so loud?” Murphy snapped, glaring right at her as he awaited her answer.

“As opposed to what? Sullen and grumpy? You seem to have that covered for the both of us.” She glared back at him with no small amount of disdain, and despite the tension filling the air, Tank almost laughed. No one ever really went toe-to-toe with Murphy, but leave it to Yapper Number Two to take on the challenge.

“I don’t appreciate your disrespect, hum—Nessa.” The Alpha uttered her name harshly. Tank’s humor fled, and he shifted his body subtly, moving closer to the human in case … well, he wasn’t sure, but usually Murphy behaved better than this.

“And I don’t appreciate your attitude,” Nessa snapped back. She smiled again, but there was nothing comforting in it. “But I enjoy your money, so thank you for renting out my establishment, and don’t forget to tip your server.” She winked. “That’s me.”

“It’s always the same with your kind,” Murphy scoffed. “All you want is money.”

She shook her head, pinning the Alpha with another cold smile. “Well, it makes the world go around. Go take a seat, Murphy.”

Instead of listening to her, the Alpha slammed his hands down on the countertop, leaning toward her menacingly. “I don’t take orders from you.”

Nessa flinched away from him, her face draining of color. Immediately, Murphy dropped his hands, taking a step back as a panicked look crossed his face. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to frighten—”

Just then, the front door opened, and a familiar stench clogged Tank’s nose.

The fucking wolves had finally shown up.