Page 6 of Omega's Bears

Chapter Four

It turns out thereare only three of them. I knew the Hell’s Bears were a small clan, but I did expect more than three. Some must have died out. I don’t know how to feel about it. If they outnumbered me by a lot, it would be intimidating. But this clan is smaller than the clan of wolves I’m running from. Will they be able to protect me if the wolves track me here?

They line up in front of me. The alpha stands in the middle. He’s taller than the other two, and stands with a sort of easy confidence I associate with Leo and my father. To his left, the man named Ryan is looking away from the rest of us with a scowl on his face and his arms crossed. He still makes me nervous, so I focus instead on the third man, the one I haven’t seen yet.

He’s shorter and slighter than the other two, although his build is still very athletic. His dark hair is a bit wild and tangled, and longer than either of the other men’s, but there’s something attractive about him all the same. Maybe it’s the fact that of the three Hell’s Bears standing in front of me, he’s the only one who’s smiling. He’s the only one who doesn’t seem annoyed or angry that I’m here in their cave.

I watch them carefully, waiting for one of them to say something, but they don’t speak. My nervousness increases. Are they waiting for me to talk first? Am I already being evaluated? How much do they already know about me?

Finally, the alpha breaks the silence. “You said your name was Cami, is that right?”

I nod, too fast, too eager. “Yes.”

“Cami, my name is Jack,” he says. “I’m the alpha of the Hell’s Bears.”

“I know,” I say. “I mean...I could tell you were the alpha.”

Ryan scoffs. I think he might think I’m sucking up or something. The third man, the one who smiled at me, shoots a quick frown his way.

“And you’re a shifter,” Jack continues. “You’re a bear, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Your clan died?”

“That’s right?”

“How did they die?” Ryan interrupts. I can hear the gruff anger in his voice, and I know this is an important question. I’m not sure what, exactly, he’s looking for, or what he’s worried about, but I know immediately, I can’t tell the truth. The Hell’s Bears won’t want anything to do with a pack of rogue wolves who are looking to crossbreed with me. It’s a dangerous fight, and it’s one nobody with any sense would get involved in. I can’t tell them my entire clan died trying to protect me from enemies who are still hunting me. They’d never let me stay.

So, I come up with the best lie I can think of on the spot. “They were sick,” I say. “We didn’t know exactly what it was, but they caught some kind of disease and started to die off. When it happened, those of us who weren’t infected isolated ourselves, but it turned out to be too late for everyone but me. One by one, I watched the rest of my clan die.” I’m impressed with my ability to come up with this lie on the spot. I’m not a good liar, but something about this dire situation must be bringing the skill out in me.

Ryan is significantly less impressed. “She could be infected with whatever it was,” he says to the alpha. “We can’t take her in when she could be getting sick any minute now. She could infect our clan, and then we’d all die out too. It’s too big a risk.”

“You’re judging too quickly,” the third man says. “You always do this. We have to hear the girl out. She isn’t sick now, and for all we know, she’s perfectly fine. What do you want to do, throw her out in the cold just because you’re afraid?”

Ryan rounds on him, a snarl on his lips. “You would put our clan at risk for someone we don’t even know? This isn’t your decision, Luka.”

“But Luka’s opinion matters as much as yours does, Ryan,” Jack says quietly. “Remember, our clan makes important decisions together. Everyone has a right to be heard. That’s what this meeting is all about.” He turns back to me. “Cami, do you have reason to believe you haven’t been infected with whatever killed your clan?”

“Everyone else showed symptoms quickly,” I say. “I haven’t shown any. It’s been weeks.”

“She could be a carrier,” Ryan snaps.

“Then we’ll get her to a doctor and have her checked out,” Luka suggests.

“And who’s paying for that? You?”

“Quiet,” Jack says. “If that’s what we choose to do, we can afford it, and you know that. It’s a good suggestion.”

Ryan looks disgruntled, but he doesn’t argue.

“What brought you up to Alaska?” Luka asks.

“I was looking for you,” I explain. “For the Hell’s Bears, I mean. I’ve heard stories about you.”

“Stories about how we’re dangerous outlaws?” Jack asks.

The honest answer is yes, of course, but I don’t want to get off on the wrong foot here. “To tell you the truth,” I say carefully, “I don’t know very much. But I did know you existed, and I needed a new clan. I needed to find some bear shifters. I didn’t want to be on my own. I thought it would be dangerous for me. So, I rode up here to see if I could track you down, even though I knew it was a long shot. It was the most logical thing I could think of to do.”

---