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THE SECRET BEAR DADDY DENYING FATE
Atlas’s lowered voice sounded in my ear. “I’m not saying you can’t handle looking for Jacob, but you’ve made a very loud statement here today. Do you want to risk searching for Jacob, finding another few supernaturals to fight, and possibly coming back here beat to shit?”Fuck.He made a good point. Mark was hurt. I was…not one hundred percent.Unless I was going to rely on Tuck and his team, which I didn’t want to do, then Atlas was right.It wasn’t that I didn’t trust jack’s people, but just as I’d said before, I wanted to prove a point.I’d shown up here with a rejected House member, a supernatural who was supposed to be extinct, and a mate with powers most bear shifters had no access to.We had something to prove as a whole, just as much as I did as the future Alpha Supreme to Fire and Fluorite.There wouldn’t be a point, at any time, that we could appear weak. Even after multiple fights.“Fine, but we leave again first thing in the morning.” I took a step closer to Mark. “Are you
THE SECRET BEAR DADDY CONVENTIONAL
I couldn’t see one and, honestly, didn’t want to. Not any longer.He was trailing kisses over my chest when I’d come to that realization, and his slow, tender movements suddenly weren’t enough for me.My heart raced and hands shook with the need I was consumed with. The need to touch him…to claim him…to make him mine. Officially.Hell, even my Atlas seemed to be in agreement.I grabbed onto his face and kissed him with ferocity. My legs wrapped around his thighs, and I held him to me while our mouths became a tangle of tongues and teeth.When he pulled back, there were slits in his dark eyes and only a faint appearance of the flames I so often saw there.“Elena.” He spoke the word as a warning, but a warning wasn’t necessary.“I want you, Atlas,” I said confidently. “All of you.”He appraised my face, sweeping his eyes over every inch, then his chest rumbled. “Fucking finally.”His hand wrapped around my neck, tilting my head back as he kissed me again. His tongue owned my mouth while
THE SECRET BEAR DADDY BROKEN
I was officially done with the slow and careful movements. I couldn’t wait any longer for him to be mine in every way.Thankfully, he seemed to be on the same page and thrusted forward, gently holding my head with one hand while the other gripped my hip.His stare seared my soul, and we never once broke eye contact while he began moving more fluidly above me.My inner walls burned from being stretched, but that ache was easily overshadowed by the bond between us growing like a bright light within my chest.Energy swirled inside me, pounding against my ribs and begging to detonate, branding myself to Atlas.Even his normally dark-brown eyes were briefly turning a light, tan color while he peppered light kisses all over my face.As euphoric tensions rose, sending shivers from my chest all the way to the tips of my toes, I held tightly to Atlas and moved my hips in time with his. Every thrust came easier and more passionately than the one before.Tremors shook Atlas’s arms where I held h
THE SECRET BEAR DADDY ODD PLACE
No, it didn’t. Fire and Fluorite was known for its brutality, but that didn’t mean they were all idiots like Ethan had been. I wasn’t even sure how he’d become a leader of a faction, given he hadn’t known when to walk away, but that didn’t matter now.What did matter was that his bears would have already gone back to tell the others what had happened and we needed to know what was being said.“We’ll go see Jack,” I said as I turned off the water and reached for my towel on the hook.Even if he didn’t tell us what I hoped, it didn’t make much of a difference. I just needed him to confirm what I already suspected: The third faction, led by Dylan, would be coming for us.It would also be helpful if jack could fill in other details, but no matter what, once Elena was healed, there wasn’t a fight I didn’t think she could win.Even if it enraged me to see her hurt, I’d known soon after meeting her that there was a superior wolf lying in wait inside her.Soon, all of Fire and Fluorite would
THE SECRET BEAR DADDY PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED
Elena squeezed his little hands. “I’m sure they won’t.”I stood back up, helping Elena at the same time, when Jack approached. “I didn’t expect to see you so soon. Tuck told me what happened.”“Have you heard anything else since?” Elena asked as Sammy went back to his father’s side.Jack shook his head. “But I expect by tonight, we will. If you’re hoping to get back to No Man’s Land with little issue, I’d recommend driving this time and going soon.”Amy shook her head. “He’s right. Night time won’t be our friend for a few days.”I wasn’t sure what the unicorn meant by that, but nobody else seemed to question her statement, so I let it go.“Will Tuck and his crew still follow spread out behind in case we run into more trouble?” I asked, glancing around and not seeing the man in question.“They’re already in place by the border,” Jack answered. “Go north on Tenth Street and you’ll drive right past them. They’ll follow behind.”Elena glanced over at Mark. “Are you sure you want to come?”
THE SECRET BEAR DADDY FAMILIAR MAGIC
The name seemed even more fitting after that little display.The guy who’d just been thrown out finally got up. He was grumbling about something, but when I revved the engine, he at least had the decency to move the fuck out of my way.“That was Myra,” Mark said as we got going again. “The mermaid shifter Tuck mentioned before. Her bite is known to be more severe than her bark.”“Why is she working in No Man’s Land?” Elena glanced back at her half-brother.He shrugged. “Not my business to know.”Elena started looking around now that we were surrounded by more buildings. “Isn’t the circus over here?”Amy pushed forward in her seat and pointed over Elena’s shoulder. “It’s that way. Just before those taller pines. We took the long way into Fire and Fluorite, so we didn’t pass most of these buildings before.”Remembering the instructions Mark had given me previously, I knew that we were getting closer to the warehouse, so I parked in front of the least rundown building of the block.“We’r
THE SECRET BEAR DADDY DESTRUCTION
“Positive.” She nodded at the same time. “Honestly, it was an excellent plan now that I’m seeing all of this, one that would have worked except there was no way to know that you were Elena’s mate or that I’d show up.”“I’ve got something over here,” Mark said from across the room.He was standing over one of the tables and sorting through some papers that had been scattered about. “What is it?” I asked when we joined him.Mark handed me a sheet of paper with just a few confusing sentences on it, then he pointed to certain words. “Shade. Heir. Factions. War. Throne. Spread out, those make no sense, but if you put them together, this Jacob person knows exactly what he’s doing, and I would assume he’s been fucking with things longer than any of us realized if he’s talking about Shade.”“Who is Shade?” I asked as I scanned over the paper again.“He was Dad’s second-in-command,” Mark answered, but the hard set of tension in his face told me not to ask anything else about the guy.I noticed
THE SECRET BEAR DADDY LOGIC
Hell, it might be better that way. A fresh start for everyone.“We need to go,” Atlas said when he finally pulled back, slightly calmer than he’d been before.I glanced around. “Should we destroy any of this?”“We will.” His shoulders relaxed ever-so-slightly. “As soon as we’re outside.”Atlas led the way back into the main part of the warehouse. Amy and Mark were just finishing gathering items from the tables when we joined them, then followed us outside without a word.I shared a look with Amy, nodding in confirmation that things were as okay as they could be. She had seemed to know a lot about Atlas when we’d first found her, so she might have already known about his sister. I’d still want to talk to him about it more later, because he’d been loose with the details before and I hadn’t wanted to pry on such a sensitive subject.We exited the building the same way we’d come in and stood a few yards away when I began to sense energy pulsing from Atlas. His normally ochre skin was dark
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THE SECRET BEAR DADDY CREATING FAMILY
But the pain was magnified by the look Marigold had given her as Elena washed and dressed her for the last time.It was a look of pure, unadulterated trust.That baby loved you. And you just left her.She still had her keys to her mother’s house, and when Elena walked in, the house was silent and dark.It seemed her mother wasn’t home. She was probably out shopping or with one of her friends.Great, your mother’s got a better social life than you do. Now get it together.Her thoughts had changed.Instead of feeling sorry for herself, she would be strong. She would put herself back together and be happy doing it.Back in her room, Elena unpacked her duffel bag and pulled out her laptop.Then she headed to the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee while she updated her resumé.Elena also considered starting a writing blog where she could post fictional stories about men that turned into bears and wolves. But then she remembered the man who had followed her in Costco.She understood what At
THE SECRET BEAR DADDY HURT
Could this man have been one of the council’s goons? Atlas couldn’t picture any shifter he had ever met from Elena’s descriptions.But then, there were bear shifters all over the United States. Who knew what kind of trash Elias or Callum had called in to take care of Atlas?“I don’t want you going out on your own again,” Atlas found himself saying. His voice was harsher, hotter than he had intended.Elena turned from where she stood at the stove and looked at him with raised brows.Her bright eyes were almost cold. He shuddered. Lyra had never looked at him with anything other than warmth in her eyes.“Excuse me?”Her voice was a whisper.Just then, Marigold started fussing, and Lyra came from the kitchen to pick up Atlas’s daughter.“It isn’t safe for you to go out on your own. We don’t know if that guy who followed you was just a creep or if he was connected to something … else.”Atlas ensured that his voice was gentler, but Lyra still looked incredibly angry.“I’m not someone who l
THE SECRET BEAR DADDY THREATS
Elena spent about two hours trying to fit Mari’s car seat into the backseat of the truck.Then she went back into the cabin to wash and dress Marigold, who she put in a fluffy, yellow onesie.She put a white cap on Mari’s head and matching white woolen booties on the infant’s tiny feet.Not that Marigold was that tiny any longer. The baby was growing faster and faster every day … faster than most babies.Elena had a feeling it had something to do with her bear-shifter genes.Marigold was even outgrowing the clothes that Elena had purchased two weeks earlier.“I’ll stop by the baby care store in town,” Elena whispered to Marigold. She stroked the baby’s cheek once and then lifted her into her arms. “And we’ll get you some new threads.”Elena grabbed her bag on the way out, as well as the Maya wrap Atlas had purchased.She settled Marigold safely into the car seat, strapping her in tightly. Then Elena got into the driver’s seat and turned on the beast of a truck.The engine roared to li
THE SECRET BEAR DADDY DELIVERIES
He wanted to growl, his bear trying to break out, but he held his anger down and frowned at them. "I have a human nanny. Elena is my daughter's nanny."They didn't seem to believe him, and he sighed, waving a hand."Serenity died if you have forgotten, and I have a newborn baby that needs attention. Much more attention than I can give her, mind you. So, I hired a nanny.""You're saying that this nanny that is living in your house hasn't joined you in bed? That's what you're saying? You haven't slept with her?" Devlen asked, narrowing his eyes. He wanted him to admit that he'd mated with Elena, but he wasn't going to."No," he lied, shaking his head. "She is just my nanny. She's what Marigold needs right now. I need an extra set of hands around the house."Devlen scoffed and shook his head. He placed his hand on the table, his words coming out harshly. "I don't believe you. You're lying. She isn't just your nanny, and we are all watching. I'd be careful, Atlas, because all eyes are on
THE SECRET BEAR DADDY CROSS ROADS
Atlas reached for her hand, shaking his head. “I don’t want to talk about that.”He pulled her toward him, sealing their lips together. A spark ran down her body. She leaned into it.His hands skated over her back and down, cupping her ass. He pulled her onto his lap, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. The kiss deepened, and she moaned softly against him.He broke the kiss, inhaling against her neck. “You smell so good,” he muttered into her ear.She smiled, feeling his hands sliding up her back. He reached for her bra straps.She leaned back, looking into his eyes. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk?” she asked, seeing frustration in his eyes.He shook his head. “Maybe later. Right now, I just want you.”She felt the love so deep in his words. She kissed him, allowing him to pull her shirt open and undo her bra.The air bit at her bare skin, but he pulled them onto the bed and under the covers. She pressed into the sheets as his fingers scraped at her pants.His lips kissed
THE SECRET BEAR DADDY SURPRISED
Her heart dropped into her stomach, and her breathing, she realized, was shallow, unsteady.Atlasr’s eyes darkened then, and his jaw tightened as he clenched his teeth.“We need to be very careful, Elena.” The warning in his voice was clear. “We need to continue pretending that you’re my nanny and not my mate.”“You really cannot expect me to do that.” The distress in Elena’s voice surprised her. But a dent had been put in her pride.“Yes, you have to,” Atlas said, his voice more serious than Atlas had ever heard it before. “You cannot tell anyone about us. Not even your mother. And I’m not doing this because I want to keep you a secret … far from it. I’m doing this because I want to protect you.”“Maybe we should move?” The idea flashed across Atlas’s mind so suddenly that she hurried to grasp it before it vanished. “Move to another state where we can live freely. Like Alaska.”Atlas shook his head as Marigold started crying.Elena took the baby automatically, cradling the little gir
THE SECRET BEAR DADDY REJECTED BY THE COUNCIL
Devlen, Case, Elias, and Jameson represented the bears of Montana.“Atlas,” Devlen spoke in his growling voice.Atlas inclined his head in a small bow to each of them.The four shifters all wore bear skins.“Thank you for seeing me,” he said. “I am here to plead before the council. I would like to find a human mate. Clearly, Serenity and I were not a match, and this resulted in her death.”“I believe, Atlas, that you’ve mated with a human before coming here to get our approval.”Fear raced through Atlas, crashing into him in great waves and almost knocking him over.But he remained steady, his face impassive.“Not at all, sir,” he said as respectfully as he could. Anger had blended with his fear. “I simply want us to change the old ways of living to save the bear shifters of Hendrick Klaus.”“The reason we do not mate with humans, Atlas,” Elias spoke in a gentler voice, though his face was stern, “is because we are keeping our species pure. Mating and procreating with humans only weak
THE SECRET BEAR DADDY SETTLED
Atlas took a hesitant step toward her.Outside, the wind had picked up. Leaves and thick, rich patches of soil blew around in gusts and spurts.The air had smelled wet and ripe, as though it was about to rain.“I want you. Only you,” Atlas said. His eyes were sincere … sincere enough that Atlas believed him. “More than anything. But I have to ensure that the council approves of our relationship first.”“Why?”Elena settled into the rocking chair next to the baby’s bed.Marigold was still awake but allowed Elena to cradle her. It was as if the baby knew Elena needed to hold her.“Because,” Atlas leaned against the changing table, “the council rarely approves of bears and humans mixing. Socially and … romantically.”“Is it really that big of a deal?” Elena found the strength to ask Timber, who crossed his arms over his chest.“It isn’t to me. But the bear council wants us to keep our bloodlines pure. They believe that mating with humans is physically impossible, and even if it were poss
THE SECRET BEAR DADDY CONVERSATIONS
She gripped her hands into tight fists. Her lips pulled into a straight line, and she inhaled sharply.“If you're not going to be honest with me, then I'm not staying. I told you I wasn't going to watch after your kid day in and day out. I'm the nanny, not the mother."She turned on her heel and marched toward the door. He quickly pulled himself out of bed and reached for her hand, stopping her."Stop!" Elena yelled, but he didn't."Just give me a second to explain," he whispered, making her pause.He knew she wouldn't believe him unless she saw with her own eyes, so he turned them toward the door and walked her out to the backyard.The grass was wet, and it smelled like it had recently rained. He turned toward her on the deck and took a few steps back."Now, you can't say I didn't warn you," he said, watching her look at him confused.He relaxed his muscles and allowed himself to shift into his bear form. His bones moved, and his muscles contracted. And then she screamed.Elena's eye
