Page 32 of Hunny and the Bear (Bearly Yours #1)

Thirty Two

I f Hunny hadn’t been on the verge of vomiting after all the chaos of this morning, she definitely was now as the putrid stench of wolf filled her lungs. She’d only glimpsed Jason for a second— two at most —before Tank tugged her behind him, his menacing growl filling the clinic’s lobby.

She’d never wanted to see Jason again, let alone on the heels of such a harrowing experience for her and Tank. She was completely on edge and still feeling shaky; the last thing she needed was this.

God, why did they have to run into him? Couldn’t she just catch a break once in her damned life?! She knew Jason would come here this morning to collect Natasha’s body, but she’d also thought he’d stop at the main portion of the den house and speak with Murphy first. Wasn’t he meant to be escorted anyway?Not just waltz in like he owned the place.

“Answer me, Hunny,” Jason demanded, a harsh bite to his voice accompanied by a wave of dominance that had her flinching, her throat itching with the need to obey. It had been so long since another shifter had used their power over her to force her obedience that she’d forgotten just how oppressive it was.

Tank had never tried to use her submissive nature against her or to coerce her into something she didn’t want. He’d only ever exerted his dominance to help her, to act as a shield or to protect her and hold her up in times of need, such as this morning. Even Murphy hadn’t wielded his dominance over her when he’d demanded she answer him about Nessa the other day. He’d been considerate even while irritated.

But Jason hadn’t even batted an eye to overthrow her will. “You’re having multiple pups?” he demanded again.

She opened her mouth as he compelled her to answer. Her knees weakened as Jason’s dominance oozed over her like quicksand, threatening to take her under. She always preached that being a submissive didn’t make her weak, but right now, it was hard to feel otherwise. Now, she felt like a puppet dangling from a string, awaiting its master’s call.

“Back the fuck off,” Tank snarled, his hold on Hunny’s wrist tightening. She focused on the feel of his skin touching hers, breathing hard through her nose as she tried to resist Jason’s Alpha compulsion. “And that little dominance display you’re emitting? End it now, or I’ll rip you apart and make sure you meet your mate sooner than later.”

Jason ignored him, adding more waves of dominance to his power. Hunny whimpered, but right before her knees buckled, Tank’s own dominance swelled around them, so powerful it was almost unbearable. It wrapped around her, growing and growing. Suddenly, the pressure from Jason popped like a balloon, and Hunny sucked in a deep breath of air, sagging into Tank’s back in relief.

“I … Forgive me, it’s been a rough few days,” Jason stated angrily, and that was when she risked a peek over Tank’s shoulder.

Hunny blinked in surprise when her eyes truly took in Jason for the first time since he’d rejected her. His short, light brown hair was a mess, like he’d run his hands through it a thousand times over the last day. His vivid blue eyes were hollow. Even his clothing was a wrinkled mess, and his skin was pale, dark circles under his eyes giving away how hard he’d taken the separation from Natasha, even if emotionally he hadn’t.

Part of her had been worried that seeing him again, even though she didn’t love him or want him back, would cause some old emotion to well up inside her. Some echo of the mating bond wanting to be formed. Instead, all she felt was pity, and a healthy dose of fury that he’d tried to control her.

Dead mate or not, who the hell did Jason think he was?

“I don’t give a fuck what kind of day you’ve had.” Another fierce growl followed Tank’s words. “If you, Ben, or that female you’re with, try anything like that with my mate again, it’s over for you all.”

Hunny felt more than heard another presence beside her, turning her head just in time to spot Tabitha standing stiffly on Tank’s left side, sending a menacing look at the wolf trio as she silently backed up her son.

“Is that what happened to my sister?” the other male shifter asked angrily, drawing Hunny’s attention. He looked about as good as Jason did, if not worse, with a slim nose and high cheekbones that matched Natasha’s. “You rip her apart?”

The she-wolf looked between the group of them, swallowing thickly. “I-I don’t think this is the time for this discussion, Ben. We promised Murphy we’d behave—”

“You can collect your friend,” Tabitha interrupted firmly, her tone brooking no argument. “But you’ll do so when Murphy arrives and not a moment sooner. You weren’t even supposed to be here without him and another bear escorting you.”

Jason scoffed, sending Tabitha the same cold look he’d given Hunny the night he rejected her. Like she was a fly that needed swatting. “I don’t take orders from anyone.”

Tank stiffened, and then he released his grip on Hunny’s wrist, squaring his shoulders. Every muscle coiled with tension, and he moved towards the wolves with deadly intent. Jason unleashed his own furious growl, pushing past Ben and moving right toward her mate with a dangerous, maniacal glint in his eyes that terrified her.

He looked like he wanted Tank to attack him.

All of Tank’s warnings about the Moon Rose pack came rushing back to the forefront of her mind, and the very thought of her mate brawling with Jason caused a shiver of dread to race down her spine. “Henry, don’t—”

Suddenly, the door to the clinic burst open, and Murphy’s scent spilled into the lobby a second before the male did. Marcus and Dante followed closely behind him, each male radiating a dark energy that screamed to not fuck with them.

“What’s going on in here?” Murphy asked coolly. “You were supposed to meet with my enforcers at a specific location on the edge of bear territory. But you didn’t show up, Jason, and now I find you here, harassing my brother and his pregnant mate.”

Hunny released a relieved breath, grabbing Tank’s arm and yanking him back to her side. For a second, he didn’t budge, but he must have sensed her desperation, because when she tugged again, he let her lead him backward. He repositioned himself until he was standing protectively in front of both Hunny and Tabitha.

Jason scoffed. “I don’t trust your clan, so no, I was never going to do as you instructed and risk an ambush. One of you killed Natasha, and until you deliver me the bear responsible, you’re all my enemy.”

The she-wolf looked away from her group, her eyes finding Dante for a second before skittering away again.

Murphy raised a brow. “That’s a heavy accusation and a bold threat to make when it’s just the three of you here.”

Jason smirked. “Who says it’s just the three of us?”

Tank stilled, and Hunny’s heart skipped a beat, half expecting a slew of wolves to burst into the room past Murphy and the twins.

“We came alone,” the female muttered, looking toward the twins again. Ben snarled something at her from under his breath, and she flinched before looking down at the ground once more, hunching her shoulders inward.

“I want Natasha returned to me. Now,” Jason ordered with a furious jerk of his head toward Hunny. “And I want to talk with the mother of my pups. I’m entitled to this.”

“The fuck you are,” Hunny spat, pushing past her mate and giving Jason a snarl of her own. Her heart was beating hard, the ghostly remnants of his dominance still slithering over her skin, but she ignored it, instead choosing to focus on the sweet heat from Tank’s own dominance as it cradled around her protectively like an invisible force field. “You have nothing to discuss with me.”

“Easy, darlin’,” Tank murmured, wrapping an arm over her shoulder and pulling her back against him. He kept his eyes focused on Jason, a sinister curl to his upper lip, practically daring the other male to set him off again.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her racing heart. Tank was right. Losing her shit on Jason wouldn’t help the situation at hand, and after she’d glimpsed that crazy look in his eyes, did she really want to anger him? No, she sure as hell didn’t. She wanted him to collect his horrible mate and leave forever.

“The hell I don’t,” Jason argued, crossing his arms over his chest. “My mate is dead, and now those pups are the future of my pack—”

“You are insane,” Hunny interrupted hotly, her body vibrating with rage. “My kits are nothing to you. Do you understand? Not your future, not part of your pack, because Henry is the father of my kits, you arrogant prick. You have no say and no rights to our—”she pointed between herself and Tank“—children.”

Tank leaned in, his lips brushing over the crown of her head. “I fucking love you, little rabbit,” he whispered, so low that only she could hear it. If she wasn’t so furious, she might have blushed. But right now?

She just wanted to punch something. Preferably, someone .

She also wanted to run far away from the oppression his very being brought back into her life. The feeling of inferiority and repulsion he instilled in her very being. How had she never noticed before just how terrible he was?

Jason’s face turned an unflattering shade of red, his eyes skittering wildly around the room before settling on her once more. He took a step toward her. “I have rights, you little—”

“Knock it off,” Ben snapped, grabbing Jason’s shoulder and holding him back. “This isn’t the time or the place. Angela, grab his other arm.”

Murphy cleared his throat, moving further into the room with the twins at his back. Stepping between Tank and Jason, he rounded on the wolf, bumping against Jason’s chest.

“Jason, my offer to help you discover what happened to your mate has expired. Dante,” Murphy called, waiting for the male to acknowledge him. When he did, he nodded toward the wolves. “Take Angela to the morgue with Tabitha. Secure Natasha’s body and bring it out here for her mate and brother to collect.” When Dante nodded, and Angela quickly made her way to his side, Murphy continued, staring blankly at Jason. “You’ll receive an escort from my territory as soon as your mate is in your care.”

“This isn’t over,” Jason spat, getting in Murphy’s face. “I won’t rest until I handle whoever took my mate from me. I’m owed my vengeance.”

“If you step one foot into this territory after today, I’ll consider it an act of war,” Murphy warned, refusing to move an inch. “And if you refuse to take that seriously, then you’ll pay in blood.”

Jason’s chest rose and fell heavily, his nostrils flaring as if he were fighting the urge to attack Murphy regardless, consequences be damned. Hunny waited with bated breath, clinging to Tank’s side as tension filled the air, almost as palpable as his display of dominance had been. Just when she thought the wolf Alpha would attack, Dante and Angela came back into the room, carrying a body bag between them.

“Dante, Marcus. Escort our guests outside. Make sure they find their way back home,” Murphy ordered.

After what felt like forever, but couldn’t have been longer than a few minutes at most, Jason and his wolves left with the twins trailing after them. As soon as the doors to the clinic closed, Hunny let out a relieved breath, sagging into her mate. “Thank God that’s over with,” she muttered.

Murphy turned toward them with a shake of his head and a resigned look on his face. “Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s it. Not until we can figure out what happened to Natasha.”

“Any leads?” Tank asked gruffly, kissing the top of Hunny’s head again.

“Not a damned one. Zeke’s looking into the scent blocker; specifically, where a shifter can acquire it in our region, and we’ll go from there.”

Hunny wrinkled her nose. “I feel like I need a hot shower to clean off this entire day.”

Murphy raised a brow, looking between the two of them as if truly seeing them for the first time. “I’m sorry. I should have asked how you were feeling before anything else. The kits are good? You’re all fine?”

“Yes.” Hunny sent him a small smile. Then, just to provoke him, she added, “Turns out your brother is just too good at giving my vagina a pound—”

“That’s enough of that,” Murphy cut in dryly. Grimacing, he took a step away from them. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear anything past ‘yes’ and go talk to Mom and see if Angela disclosed any information while she was collecting the body.”

Tank released his hold on Hunny as Murphy walked toward the morgue, crouching down and picking up the books that had fallen to the floor at some point during Jason’s visit .

“Fuck,” Tank grunted, stacking them before picking them up.

“What’s wrong?”

“Bent the damned cover,” he said with a put-out sigh. He sent her a pointed look. “You still think Jason doesn’t give a damn about you?”

Begrudgingly, Hunny shook her head. Then she crowded back into her mate’s space, wrapping her arms around his waist and holding him close. She rubbed her nose against his chest, relaxing as his scent filled her lungs. “I think he’s a freaking psycho. I still don’t think he wants me, though, but I didn’t like the way he acted so entitled to our kits.”

Cupping the nape of her neck, Tank breathed her in. “You set him straight, darlin’, and that’s all that matters. But on the off chance he comes back and tries to play parent, I’ll do the honors of putting him in his place.”

Hunny shivered, unease piercing her chest at the thought of seeing Jason again, of him ever trying to come close to her babies again. “You promise?”

Tank chuckled darkly. “Abso- fucking -lutely, baby.”