Page 113 of Bear Facts

Shane at the moment was wearing Freya’s crown of flowers—specially made for her by Misty, a talented florist—and dancing like the goof he was with his brother. Xav had joined them, his body undulating as he tried to keep up with the bears. Freya noted Lindsay watching him, though she pretended to be absorbed in laughing conversation with Cassidy and Iona.

Keira had ventured out, shyly observing the dancing. Kyle and Matt frolicked near her. It was difficult to tell whether Keira watched over the cubs, or they watched over her. Neal nonchalantly lingered nearby, but neither he nor Keira looked at each other.

Freya had drifted from the Shifters cavorting—there was no other word for it—to stand contentedly and watch her new family.

She knew Rolf was behind her without turning. He’d gained enough confidence to emerge for her mating ceremonies, though she saw he was carefully avoiding any beer thrust at him. He didn’t trust himself yet.

“I am so happy for you, sis.” Rolf slid his arms around her from behind, and Freya leaned against her strong brother, as she’d done so many times in her life. “Shane is exactly who you need.” Rolf’s voice quieted. “I’m sorry I deserted you, Freya. I went looking for something I couldn’t have, I guess.”

Freya turned, breaking his hold. “Do not make it your fault. You couldn’t have foreseen what that asshole was going to do to you. We weren’t in the best situation. Getting by pretty well, yes, but it couldn’t last. We’d have had to find a new way to live sometime.”

“I know, but I could have been more careful about it.” Rolf let out a sigh, his eyes haunted. “I didn’t mean to drag you into all this, make you leave a job you liked.”

“Doesn’t matter anymore,” Freya said. “The work was good, but it wasn’t enough. I was pretending it was, but it couldn’t last, and I knew that. I don’t think either of us could go back to that life now.”

Rolf let out a laugh. “After I’ve gone feral, nearly killing my own sister and her mate while doing it? I don’t think I could calmly catch my bus, sit down at my desk with over-brewed coffee, and stare at code ever again. I’m going to take Dylan up on his offer. The guy terrifies me, and he’s Feline, but I’m more afraid of what I’d do left on my own. The feral never really leaves us, I think.” He shuddered.

Freya laid a hand on his shoulder. They’d been through so much, the two of them. Her heart wrenched at the thought of them going their separate ways, but she also knew this was right. They needed their own lives, as entwined as they would always be.

“Plus this weird thing about us being Guards,” Freya said. “I think you’re right. Dylan can teach you about that, maybe figure out how to use it without making you crazy. Then you can come back and teach me.”

“You were always saner than me,” Rolf admitted. “More level-headed.”

“Uh-oh.” Freya widened her eyes. “If that’s true, we’re in trouble.”

Rolf chuckled, the warm sound Freya had missed. “I mean that you’ll probably be all right. You have all these Shifters who love you and want to support you. And you have Shane.” Rolf took her hands and squeezed them. “You were meant to be.”

Keira, in her feral state, had seen the mate bond between Shane and Freya. Freya hadn’t quite believed her at first, but now she realized the mate bond had been there all along, waiting for Freya and Shane to acknowledge it.

The warmth in Freya’s heart, the soothing heat that had wrapped around her when she’d first encountered Shane had signaled it like solar flares, but Freya had been too worried about Rolf and her own life to acknowledge it.

Her wolf had known. It gave a smug little growl now as Freya’s gaze went to Shane.

At the moment, Shane had one arm around Brody, the other around Xav, as the three of them kicked, Rockettes style, to the thumping music.

She loved him so much.

“Of course, Dylan doesn’t scare me nearly as much as he does.” Rolf’s mutter pulled Freya’s attention back from Shane.

Rolf’s eyes were on the form of the man called Tiger, the huge Shifter with black and orange hair. He’d disappeared after he’d burst into the compound to save them all, but returned with Dylan for the mating ceremony. Tiger had arrived with his pretty human mate, Carly, as well as his beautiful daughter and his daughter’s tall mate, who was the nephew of the Austin Shiftertown’s leader. Tiger also carried a cub with tiger-striped hair and golden eyes.

That cub was on Tiger’s shoulders as he made his way to Freya and Rolf. The little boy, Seth, stared wordlessly down at the two, wisdom in his very young eyes.

“Thank you for coming, Tiger,” Freya ventured, uncertain what else to say to him.

Tiger gave her a nod then stared at her the unnerving way he had. Carly had told Freya, as she’d given Freya a hug after the first mating ceremony, that Tiger was a big sweetie, but Freya still didn’t know quite how to take him.

The tension was broken by the arrival of Kyle and Matt, one a wolf cub, the other running as a human boy in a sweatshirt and little jeans.

“Can Seth play with us?” Matt demanded as they neared Tiger. “We’ll take care of him. Promise.” Kyle yipped in agreement.

Tiger considered the two, then leaned his large bulk down to very gently stroke Kyle’ head. Kyle wriggled in delight. “All right,” Tiger said.

He lowered Seth with the same gentleness. Seth regarded Kyle and Matt soberly for a moment, then he instantly shifted to the most adorable tiger cub Freya had ever seen. He shook himself out of his clothes, yowled in excitement, and bounded off into the crowd. Kyle and Matt, who also shifted, scampered closely after him.

Tiger watched his son for a moment before returning his intense gaze to Freya.

“Your cubs will come soon,” he said, his voice a deep rumble.

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