Waking up slowly, Smokey inhaled the mingled scents of his mates, savoring them. It had been a long night—longer than he expected—but Theo was adamant about giving their bears time to meet and get to know each other. Checking in on his bear, he found him curled around his mates, protecting them from any danger. Sighing, he knew it was now his turn to protect Theo and Norm from the danger Oracle warned him about.
“What danger?” Norm’s sleepy voice asked, having heard Smokey’s concern through their mind link.
Glancing at his mate, Smokey answered quietly. “I don’t know…it’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
Lifting his head, Norm looked at Smokey, careful not to disturb Theo. “Why do you think there’s a problem?”
“My bear says so,” Smokey replied. “How come you have a mind link with me when I haven’t bitten you?”
Shrugging a shoulder, Norm said, “I don’t know…I just do. I have one with Theo also.”
“When did that happen? Was it when Theo got pregnant?”
“I discovered it after waking up and finding us locked in Arald’s prison.”
“Did you bite him before then?”
“No…our parents made sure of that.”
Smokey grunted, his bear once more growling at the mention of Norm’s parents. Unsure of why his bear was reacting that way, he decided it was time to find out. “Do both your parents’ bears have the same color fur as yours?”
Shaking his head, Norm said, “Only my mother…my father’s bear is black.”
“What about Theo’s parents?”
“Both black.”
“Are there more black than white-furred bears in your pack?”
“I can’t really say,” Norm answered. “I haven’t been back there for a while. Why all the questions about white versus black fur?”
“When I was at the agency, I came across a report about certain Alphas’ systematic efforts to rid their packs of any bears with white fur, otherwise known as Ghost Bears.”
“Why would they do that?” asked Norm. “According to the books I read, Ghost Bears are revered among other bears.”
“That’s precisely why the Alphas viewed them as a threat,” Smokey explained. “It’s easy for someone to go from honoring to blindly following a Ghost Bear, especially if they think doing so will bring them approval from the gods.”
“I get that, but going back to the report you read, how did the Alphas plan to get rid of Ghost bears in their packs?” asked Norm, frowning.
“By refusing to let two Ghost bears mate,” Smokey said. “Eventually there wouldn’t be any Ghost bears...or so they thought.”
“This scheme was approved by the High Council?” asked Norm, skeptically.
“I don’t know,” Smokey murmured. “It was part of an internal report…the agency was investigating the possibility of rare shifters being used as hostages.”
“Did that ever happen?” asked Norm. “Do you think that’s the danger your bear is worried about? That someone would take Theo and me and use us for…what exactly? We are nobodies in the scheme of things.”
“Don’t ever say that again,” Smokey growled. “You and Theo are everything to me.”
“I feel the same way about you and Theo.” Norm murmured, blushing at his mate’s possessiveness.
Smiling, Smokey reached over Theo and grabbed Norm’s hand, squeezing it. “You don’t have to worry about any trouble cuz together…you and me…we’ll protect Theo and our cub from anyone who tries to harm either of them.”
His eyes welling up at his mate’s show of camaraderie, Norm blinked several times, before finally keeping his tears from falling. Warmth filled his body and calm filled his soul. Somehow, Smokey had discovered his unspoken and hidden fears about keeping Theo safe and now Norm knew he wasn’t alone anymore. His past fears caused by Arald were finally gone, replaced with a calmness he hadn’t felt for a long while. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Norm said, “Our friend Kieran told us everyone was surprised we were Ghost bear shifters.”
“So was I,” Smokey murmured, rubbing his thumb over the back of Norm’s hand. “According to the report, the selective breeding ordered by the Alphas would be successful and, within ten years, there wouldn’t be any Ghost Bears left. And that was thirty years ago.”
“We were born nearly nineteen years ago…” Norm mused.
