Page 14 of My Unbearable Mate

“When we realized your grandmother was in possession of the locket, we hoped she would do the right thing and give it back. That she would listen to her intuition. But there were other voices, stronger voices, telling her that she had the right to lay claim to something that didn’t belong to her.” Alba shook her head sadly. “She refused, even after we told her that in the wrong hands, the talisman would only manifest misfortune.”

That last bit hit like falling out of a tree for so many reasons, but the biggest one was I felt like I was a walking, talking manifestation of that misfortune. The end of the magical road. There had to be a reason the power chose not to come to me. My eyes stung with all these unprocessed emotions, but there was no way I was going to let these bears know I was feeling some pretty intense feelings. If a tear managed to drop, I’d blame it on the smoke from the fire.

But they were also talking some serious shit about Nana and it just didn’t line up with anything I’d been told about my clan’s history.

There are a lot of secrets and mystery around the clan’s magic… I hated that my bear was right.

Even more, I hated that this was all making too much sense.

But there was another issue.

“You’re talking like this happened so long ago—using words like ancestors—but you’re also making it sound like you were actually there, and this jilted bride is my nana.”

The two bears shared one of those looks that was just getting annoying.

Alba nodded to Anders.

“You need to trust your intuition, Clover.”

I rolled my eyes. I was exhausted, sore, pissed off, and I’d given these bears too much of my patience. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

I prepared myself for yet another cryptic reply when a scream pierced the camp. I jumped and the food flew off my plate, and Anders tensed like he was ready to shift. The heat wasn’t coming from the fire anymore, instead it rolled off the bear beside me.

The clan were still in their human forms, running toward us, screaming something I couldn’t understand.

Then I heard the roar that was responsible for this chaos.

I knew that roar all too well.

Chapter

Seven

It’s Complicated

Bellamy

The light from the stars was our only guide as we headed away from the Stepchild and into the unknown.

“Okay, now that the witchy old lady isn’t with us, you can tell us the truth.” Beau was riding shotgun, staring me down. “Why the hell are we busting our asses at zero dark thirty to find a piece of jewelry?”

“And why do you think she’s lying about it?” Brad added from the back seat.

“She’s clan,” I started but Beau quickly cut me off with a scoff.

“Sorry, boss, you’ve never mentioned your clan before Clover Crowley crashed our meeting. One of the reasons I felt at home here so fast is because you always say you might not be able to choose your clan, but you can choose your team. What we’ve put together feels good because everyone’s here willingly. Shirley and Clover don’t feel like a choice. It’s like you have something to prove.”

I rumbled, but didn’t argue as I stared into the dark and lonely night again. Beau might have said too much, but he wasn’t wrong.

“This is the first I’ve heard of an ancestor named Artemis.” There had been so many stories that the elders used to tell us at our gatherings. They were wild and fantastic and I loved them. They made me feel connected to the earth and my animal in a world that we didn’t rule anymore. “Have either of you heard of her? We should all descend from one ancestor.”

“I don’t know a lot about my clan, so don’t go by me, but no, nothing here,” Beau said. He and his mom had been separated from their clan when he was just a cub, and he’d been concerned he wasn’t bear enough for the job. It was one of the reasons I’d taken him under my wing.

“My clan has strong traditions, and no one’s ever mentioned an Artemis,” Brad said. “My sister wrote a children’s book with all our clan’s legends. I illustrated it. If she existed, I’d know about her.”

“Are you gonna tell us what happened between you and Clover, boss?” Beau asked.

“Wasn’t gonna, if I could help it.” I chuckled sadly then sighed. The more I tried to deny what happened, the more power she had over me. And I couldn’t afford to make bad decisions when it came to this woman. Not now, not ever. “She was my mate.”

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