1
JABARI
Wintermoon Sheriff Station—The Tourist Island
Iwatch Kade pace the floor, her footsteps sharp with annoyance as I sit in this jail cell, my head pounding with the familiar aftermath of teleportation. The harsh fluorescent lights only intensify the throbbing pain behind my eyes. My bear stirs within me, equally irritated by our predicament.
“What the fuck am I going to do with you?” Kade mutters, running her fingers through her blonde hair.
I wince, the sound of her voice like a hammer against my skull. The teleportation sickness lingers, making my stomach churn and my vision blur at the edges. I have no idea how long I’ve been out, nor do I particularly care.
“You threw a human male out of a tenth-floor hotel window,” Kade says, narrowing her eyes. “You can’t keep doing shit like this.” She huffs, throwing her hands in the air. “Vampires, those restless creatures on the royal island? Fine—I can handle that. But a bear shifter with a petty temper? Absolutely not.”
She stops pacing abruptly, fixing me with an intense stare that would intimidate most supernatural beings. Not me.
“He had it coming,” I manage through the pain, barely able to keep my eyes open. “These entitled humans, I don’t understand why you put up with this, Mother Kade.” The sarcasm drips from my voice, but I’m beyond caring about pleasantries. “We deserve better. And you know it.”
Kade sighs, her shoulders slumping slightly. “That doesn’t matter, Jabari. What we deserve and what we get right now are two different things.” She leans against the bars, lowering her voice. “You’ve been in the mountains for a long time, and the only reason your alpha decided to migrate here is because he found his fated mate and realized the mountains weren’t a good place to raise a family.”
“I wouldn’t mind going back to the mountains,” I mutter, the thought of the crisp, clean mountain air making my bear yearn for our former isolation.
“Oh please, you would never leave your clan,” Kade scoffs.
“I have been living on the tourist island for three months just to get away from my clan. You aren’t getting the hint.” My bear moans inside me, the irritation of recovery from teleportation just amplifying our shared misery. “Will you shut up,” I growl inwardly at my bear, “this hurts me far more than you.”
My bear huffs in response, retreating slightly.
Kade places her hands on her hips, her blue eyes narrowing as she studies me. Understanding slowly dawns on her face.
“Oh, Jabari. Is that what all this is about? Is watching your clan be paired off bothering you?”
The question hits too close to home, piercing through my defenses.
“I am the only clan member without a mate,” I admit, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. “It is fucking agonizing.”
The door to the sheriff station opens with a jingle, and a familiar scent hits the air. Tristian, my cousin from Axel Clan. I hear those judgmental boots clicking against the floor as heapproaches, but I don’t lift my head to greet him. Meanwhile, my bear perks up with excitement at Tristian’s arrival, which only annoys me further.
“I know the feeling,” Tristian says.
His words make me finally lift my head. My cousin stands beside Kade, looking so well put together it’s almost offensive. His hair is perfectly cut, beard meticulously groomed, flannel shirt crisp and clean, jeans fresh, and those damn boots polished to a shine. I know why he looks so content. Happiness. He’s got his fated mate and two cubs—a boy and a girl. A true blessing from Mother Fate because bear shifters don’t make many babies. You’re very lucky to get two.
But Tristian’s mother was more blessed than any bear shifter I know. She had four bear cubs, all boys—something I’ve never seen before. It’s why Axel Clan became one of the most respected Bear Clans in the supernatural community. Growing up, I remember how much my father envied his brother, who was once Alpha of Axel clan. We both lost our fathers in the Great War.
Drex, Tristian’s brother and alpha, wanted Axel and Frost Clan to join as one, but Silas, my brother, refused. And rightfully so. Two bear shifter alphas sharing a space would create a war within itself. But I knew what Drex was trying to do—keep everyone close. Yet despite it all, Frost Clan became reclusive, living in the mountains and limiting contact with humans.
And now, I’m struggling to integrate because I don’t understand the human way.
I look at Tristian’s put-together appearance once more, then down at my own feet, wanting desperately to rip these boots off and burn them. It should be criminal for a bear shifter to wear shoes.
“I practically exhausted my bear trying to avoid Axel Clan,” Tristian explains, leaning against the bars. “Nearly got mymate killed.” He shudders visibly. “And I had to suffer the consequences of Kade’s teleportation.”
Kade looks between us, then sighs deeply. “I know you don’t want to go back home to your clan, but I have no choice.”
I let out a loud groan. Going home is the last thing I want, but I know it’s for the best. Kade isn’t doing this to hurt me; she’s trying to keep the peace.
“Come on, cousin,” Tristian says, “I’ll take you back to Wintermoon.”
“I don’t need an escort,” I mutter through another painful wince.
