Page 32 of Hunny and the Bear

Sobering, Murphy cleared his throat. “What nest did you grow up in?”

“Elder Creek.” Hunny shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her knuckles turning white from the grip she kept on her knees. “Just outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma.”

“You’re a long way from home. What made you leave?”

“My parents died,” Hunny admitted reluctantly, feeling guilty Tank was finding out so much about her now instead of days ago. Should she have talked to him in depth about all of this beforehand? It had never come up, and he rarely pushed for any answers. He knew she was a lone shifter, but she hadn’t exactly specified all the details. Considering how protective he’d become, she knew he’d get pissed when he found out everything.

Murphy stared at her, almost like he could sense there was more to the story. She grimaced. “My old Buck … he wanted to mate with me shortly after they passed away. I didn’t feel safe there after rejecting him, so I left shortly before my eighteenth birthday.”

“That rat bastard,” Tank snarled. “I’ll fucking gut the prick—”

“Enough, Tank,” Murphy warned. “Another outburst, brother, and you’ll need to wait out front.”

Hunny winced, guilt hitting her anew. “It’s my fault. I should have told him before now.” She looked back at her surly bear shifter apologetically. Tank’s eyes found hers, and he relaxed marginally, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Turning back to Murphy, Hunny added, “I haven’t joined another nest or anything since. And I rarely stay anywhere for more than a year, at most.”

Murphy cocked his head to the side. “Why not?”

“No place has ever felt like home.”Until now.

The Alpha stared at her pensively, like he was weighing her words. “When my brother found you in the woods, a she-wolf had attacked you. I’d like for you to tell me what happened there.”

Taking a deep breath, Hunny did just that, giving him a brief rundown of her time in Montana, Jason … everything. When she finished, he didn’t seem shocked, so she could only assume his mother, and maybe even Tank, had informed him of a few things.

It didn’t bother her if they had. They were only looking out for the safety of their clan. She also knew that Tank wouldn’t tell his brother anything if he didn’t feel it was absolutely necessary.

“I’ll be frank, Hunny,” the Alpha announced suddenly. “I don’t give a shit about your mated status, or why you were rejected. Jason is a piece of work. You were lucky to escape him.”

Hadn’t Tank said something very similar only a few days ago? Just what kind of wolf pack was Jason running?

“You’re not the first one to tell me that.” She shivered as a chill went down her spine. “I’m assuming you were about to throw a ‘but’ in there somewhere, though,” she added helpfully, nerves clawing at her gut.

“I don’t trust lone shifters,” Murphy disclosed bluntly. “A few bad experiences in the past have left me jaded, and that’s not including the reputation your kind possesses. Most lone shifters are kicked out of their packs, clans, or nests because they’ve done something criminally wrong. While it’s not unheard of for a shifter to willingly leave their homes, it is unlikely.”

She didn’t feel offended by his assessment—it was par for the course at this point. “I’m not lying about why I left, if that’s what you’re hinting at.”

Murphy stared at her intently for one long moment. “I’m willing to let you stay in our territory on a trial basis.”

Hunny sighed in relief, feeling like she’d just passed an exam she’d forgotten to study for.

Murphy’s gaze shifted from her to Tank. “You need to give us a minute, brother.” As soon as Tank began to argue, the Alpha held up his hand, silencing him. “The rest of this conversationisn’t for you. I’ve tolerated enough of your outbursts. This’ll only be a minute.”

Tank walked up to the desk then, standing right beside Hunny. Dropping his hand onto her shoulder, he waited until she looked up at him before he asked, “You good, darlin’?”

She was tempted to beg him to stay, but in the end, she nodded her head, sending him a reassuring smile she didn’t feel. “I’ll be fine.”

Grunting, Tank sent a hostile glare to his brother before storming toward the door.

“I want to be honest with you, Hunny,” Murphy began as soon as Tank closed the door behind him, leaving the two of them alone. “I don’t like the idea of a lone shifter staying in my territory. I hate it, actually. If you want to join our clan, that’s one thing, and I’d only consider it after a thorough investigation into your background. But right now, you’re an unknown element. I don’t like those.”

Her heart clenched, and her mouth dried from panic. “Then why agree to let me stay at all?”

Murphy pointed to the door. “Because of Tank. I haven’t seen my brother act like this since he was a teenager.”

Her brow furrowed in confusion. “Like what?”

“Alive,”Murphy confided passionately, running a hand through his hair as he released a shaky breath. “It fucking guts me to say it, but my brother hasn’t been living. Not for a long time. He’s been a shell of his former self since Cassandra died when we were younger. And I never thought I’d see the brother I knew again. But he’s changed in the last week. Since meeting you.”

Cassandra. That had to be Tank’s true mate. She had a pretty name.

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