Page 28 of Hunny and the Bear (Bearly Yours #1)

Twenty Eight

A s much as Hunny wanted to hide in bed, tucked away from even the thought of Natasha’s untimely demise, she got dressed after her bath, ignoring Tank’s grumbling as she headed for the stairs. Murphy was out hunting down the killer right now, but she knew he’d be back soon to discuss everything with Tank and Jasper. And when he did, she wanted to be there.

Right before she could grab onto the railing to descend, Tank grasped her wrist, his thumb sliding over her pulse point. “I don’t know if I like the thought of you coming down there and dealing with all this,” he admitted. He scratched at his chin with his free hand, eyes meeting hers. “It can’t be good for the kits that you got sick like that. You should be resting.”

Hunny tilted her head to the side, sending her mate a soft look as she placed a hand on her belly. She loved how much he took her needs into consideration, and despite the attention he had shown her over the last few weeks, it still felt wild to her that someone cared about her enough to do so.

“They’re fine, Henry. But I already feel pathetic enough for getting so sick. Someone could have barged in after Jasper earlier and attacked, and I’d have been too busy puking everywhere to help him. I don’t want to be useless. I don’t want to crawl into bed.”

Okay, yes, she did —a nap sounded phenomenal—but he didn’t have to know that. The first glimpse her mate caught of her fatigue, he’d have her dressed in one of his T-shirts and tucked under a mountain of blankets in bed.

Tank eyed her like she’d just told him the sun was green. “Taking care of our kits isn’t being useless.”

Our kits. Hunny preened at the acknowledgement, tugging Tank to her. Pushing up to her tiptoes, she gave him a light, lingering kiss. “I only mean that if there’s a way I can help, then I want to do just that.”

Tank palmed her nape, holding her in place as he kissed her again. He wasn’t chaste as she’d been. He sunk his tongue past her lips, devouring her until her knees went weak. The arm he wrapped around her waist was the only thing holding her up when he eventually moved his mouth from hers, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead before hugging her to him.

“You constantly amaze me, darlin’,” Tank murmured, his chin resting on the top of her head as he held her a little more tightly. “If you want to go downstairs, we will. But if it gets to be too much when Murphy shows up, I’m bringing you right back up here and putting you to bed.”

“But—”

“No buts,” he argued, cutting her off. “My job as your male, as your mate, is to look after you. You come first, always.”

Hunny kissed his chest through his T-shirt. “Fine.” Without warning, Tank grabbed the backs of her thighs and lifted her up, waiting until she wrapped her limbs around his torso before heading downstairs. Despite the stress of the day, she snorted. “You know I can walk, right? Puking my brains out doesn’t make me an invalid.”

“No, but I don’t want you getting dizzy. You need to hydrate and eat something before you move around too much.”

The thought of eating anything had her grimacing into his shirt, but she didn’t argue, knowing he wouldn’t hear a word of it. Instead, she snuggled into his chest, relishing in his warmth and delicious scent as it wafted around her. Luckily, she couldn’t smell any trace of blood or death anymore, otherwise Tank would have to march right back up those stairs to the bathroom.

As soon as they hit the landing, Jasper jumped up from the couch, the TV remote clasped firmly in his hand. He shot Tank a narrow-eyed look before smiling at Hunny. “Feeling better?”

Tank grumbled under his breath and then cut in before Hunny could even answer. “Did you get rid of it ?”

“The—” Jasper cleared his throat. “Yup. Put it outside and sprayed some odor neutralizing spray around the place afterward. It’s practically as good as new in here now.”

Ah, so that’s why she couldn’t smell anything.

Grunting, Tank walked past his younger brother and into the kitchen, keeping a palm on Hunny’s ass as he poured her a glass of water and then began making her a quick meal. She was half tempted to wriggle out of his hold and go sit down on a barstool while he made her some food, but she’d been through a lot the past few hours, and if he wasn’t going to complain about her practically being Velcroed to him, she wouldn’t either.

All too soon, he’d whipped up a small salad, placing the bowl onto the kitchen island before dropping her gently onto a stool. She set her now half-empty glass of water onto the countertop, eyeing the food warily. Surprisingly, she didn’t feel sick anymore. In fact, she was more than a little hungry, snatching up a fork and digging in while Jasper entered the room.

The two males spoke more in depth about the meeting while she ate. It sounded like it went about as terrible as she’d expected, but when Tank mentioned Nessa and Murphy verbally accosting one another, she perked up, more than interested in hearing more.

Unfortunately, Tank didn’t get a chance to elaborate further.

She’d just finished her salad when she heard movement outside, followed by the pounding of footsteps on the front porch. Based on Jasper’s and Tank’s relaxed postures, she could only assume it was Murphy.

Less than a minute later, the bear clan Alpha stepped into the house, followed by three males she vaguely remembered seeing after the dead rabbit incident last week. Each of the new males was tall and muscular. They were almost as large as Tank and his brothers, with wide torsos and thick legs, which she was beginning to suspect was standard for male bear shifters.

Murphy and the new males filed into the kitchen, spreading around the island. The Alpha gave her a firm once-over before sending her a small nod, silently asking if she was alright. Hunny gave him a thumbs-up. He relaxed marginally, running a hand down his face.

“Marcus, Colter, Zeke,” Murphy began, pointing each male out to Hunny. “This is our newest addition, and Tank’s mate, Hunny.” They’d barely waved at each other in acknowledgement before he continued. “We couldn’t find whoever killed Natasha.”

There was a brief moment of tense silence that cut through the room like a knife before Tank exhaled roughly. “Did you at least glean anything from the scent? What kind of supernatural are we dealing with?”

Murphy pursed his lips, shooting the male he’d called Marcus a long glance. “There wasn’t a scent.”

“What?” Hunny exclaimed, leaning forward in her seat until her chest touched the edge of the kitchen island. “Natasha just died. There’s no way her killer’s scent disappeared that quickly.”

Especially with their enhanced senses. It would take hours, days even, before that scent could evaporate completely. Maybe if the weather was bad, but … She cocked her head to the side, glancing out the kitchen window. The sun was just setting, but there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

“Be that as it may,” Murphy argued, “there’s no scent other than the she-wolf’s, and she didn’t do this to herself.”

Jasper rolled his eyes. “Well, fucking obviously.”

“Watch it,” Murphy snapped, his body stiffening until the younger bear apologized quickly. When he did, Murphy continued, “Marcus is our best tracker, and even he couldn’t pick up on anything.”

Hunny’s eyes wandered over to Marcus. When she’d spotted him last time, another, almost identical male had been with him. Was Marcus a twin? Why wasn’t that guy here now?

“So what are you thinking?” Tank asked. “The killer used scent blockers?”

The drug? Hunny’s brows shot up to her hairline. Scent blockers weren’t commonly used among shifters, most considered them unnatural, but it would be perfect for someone trying to remain hidden.

“Had to be. Natasha’s scent was faint even at the scene of her murder, and as soon as we got a mile from your property, it disappeared altogether.” Marcus shrugged. “My guess is that her killer kept her and themselves drugged with it, waited until we were gone, got her close enough, and then killed her when her scent began to reappear.”

“Christ.” Tank eyed Jasper. “And you didn’t hear anything? Not a scream or a whimper?”

“Not a damn thing,” Jasper clarified, sounding far more serious than he had a few minutes earlier. “Hunny and I were watching one of those human shows, the ones with the housewives with the Botoxed faces, and just talking. I heard someone approach the house, and then there was a thud at the door. You all know the rest.”

Zeke shuddered. “Yeah, we saw the head outside. Gruesome shit.”

Expecting bile to rise in her throat at the mention of Natasha’s head, Hunny was relieved when all she mustered was a mild grimace of disgust.

“I called Jason,” Murphy added. “He didn’t answer, but his Beta, Ben, did. Apparently, Jason felt Natasha’s death a few minutes before they reached their territory. He isn’t handling it well.”

“I don’t buy it,” Colter stated with a firm shake of his head. He glanced at each person in the room before explaining. “We all saw Jason at the meeting. His concern for Natasha was minimal at best, and it seemed fake. He only focused on her after Ben brought her up. And now the Alpha’s suddenly distraught that his mate is dead?” He scoffed.

“I don’t think Jason loved Natasha,” Hunny replied, biting her lower lip when everyone turned their attention to her. She’d never been someone who enjoyed the limelight, especially considering the topic revolved around her ex’s dead mate. “When he rejected me in favor of her, he told me it was because she was a strong, smart choice as his Alpha female. He didn’t mention anything about caring for her. So maybe he didn’t.”

She could still remember how easily he’d discarded her after weeks of them being together. He’d used her, made her think he cared for her, and then tossed her aside easily. And she had been his true mate. Why would he care any more for Natasha than he had Hunny?

“So you agree with me,” Colter inferred, smirking at the others. “I knew I was right.”

Hunny shook her head. “I didn’t say that. You’re forgetting the fact that they were still a mated pair,” she added. “Just because he didn’t care about her emotionally doesn’t mean her death didn’t cause him grief. It would have snapped their bond in half. I’ve heard it’s one of the most painful things a shifter can endure.”

And one day, either she or Tank would have to live with that kind of agony and decide whether they could handle the separation. Her pulse spiked, and her mouth dried, anxiety swirling in her gut at the mere thought of never being with her mate again.

As if he could read her thoughts, Tank slid his hand over hers, intertwining their fingers and squeezing in reassurance. Immediately, she felt better, releasing a small breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.

“Is Jason accusing one of us of killing her?” Tank asked. “Doesn’t help that we threatened to do just that if we found her lurking around.”

Oh, shit. That didn’t sound good at all.

“I wouldn’t blame him if he did,” Murphy muttered, leaning back against the counter by the stove. He crossed his arms over his chest, staring blankly ahead. “His pack was adamant they’d scented her at our border, and now she’s dead in our territory. This is justifiable grounds for war. But to answer your question, no. He was losing his shit in the background of the call, and Ben told me now wasn’t a good time to talk. He’s supposed to get in touch with me in the next few hours.”

“Do you think Jason planned this?” Marcus asked curiously.

“Somebody did,” Tank replied roughly. “I refuse to believe it was a coincidence that Natasha’s body was delivered to our door right after the meeting. Someone was sending Hunny a message.”

“More like a ‘you’re welcome,’” Jasper joked. “We can’t forget that Natasha tried to kill Hunny. Maybe the killer thought this was an act of service.”

Hunny’s mouth dried. “That implies I know the killer.” She held up a hand before anyone could say anything. “I know Jason’s a shitty person, but I can’t imagine why he’d do this, especially since he now knows I’m mated. What would be the point?”

“You didn’t see him at the meeting, though,” Colter remarked. “He looked at Tank like he wanted to kill him. Maybe he wants you back.”

Hunny recoiled at that thought. Ew. That’s a hard pass.

“To be fair, he looked at everyone like that,” Zeke pointed out, scratching the stubble on his chin. “Jason’s a twisted individual, and while he didn’t want to mate Hunny, that doesn’t mean he wants someone else to mate her, either. Regardless, Natasha’s been missing for days, according to him, and Tank and Hunny just mated last night. Do we really think he kidnapped his own mate, hid her in bear territory without any of us knowing, and planned to kill her on the off chance Hunny was claimed? And all after she tried to kill Hunny? That’s a stretch to assume.”

Hunny pointed right at Zeke. “Exactly.” Finally, someone else understood where she was coming from. “And it’s not like Jason even knew for sure I was staying with your clan before then, right? He’d only have known from Natasha that she chased me into your territory. For all he knew, I was states away by now.”

“That’s true. We can’t rule anything out at this point though.” Tank looked at Murphy. “We also need to consider that someone might have planned to kill Natasha while Jason was at that meeting. If he’d felt her death while he was with us, he would have lashed out. Her death could be a setup for him as well as for us.”

“To pit us against each other?” Murphy’s brows furrowed. “That’s an interesting thought.”

Jasper nodded. “And it means we’ll need to look at our own enemies as well as those of the Moon Rose pack. See if someone other than Jason could be responsible for this.”

“That makes more sense to me,” Hunny chimed in, though she knew Tank wouldn’t agree.

Just as she suspected, Tank growled lowly. “No one throws a goddamn head onto our porch if it’s not personal, darlin’. We’ll do our due diligence, look into other possibilities, but my money’s on Jason.”

And with that, the males departed, leaving Tank and Hunny alone.