Page 48 of My Unbearable Mate

“This was the plan.” Nana tried her damnedest to pry Mom’s arms free. “You knew this when you chose your mate?—”

The words faded and my tiny body was absorbed back into my mother’s…and now she was standing in front of the entire clan. She was nervous and pissed off. She wanted to run but she didn’t have any place to go.

She didn’t want to mate with this bear. But he was powerful, and he worked closely with Nana.

It all seemed so normal, yet I knew from my mother’s panic flowing through my veins something was very, very wrong.

“Yes, that’s right,” my mother said, and we were in our house. My sister was playing with her dolls on the living room floor, but I was sitting with my mom, with stones in front of me. Candles in the middle of the table. “You can never tell anyone about this. Promise?”

I nodded, and power began flowing between us, I could see it. It was almost like strings of taffy. I desperately wanted a taste, but it was no longer mine.

“No!” I cried.

“You promised,” my mother reminded me.

I wanted to get Sage’s attention, but I couldn’t. That taffy was taking my voice, my power. How did my sister not notice? My mother was taking my magic!

Had she done the same to Sage? She’d always been a good little bear, and she’d married a dreadfully boring son of a powerful bear who worked closely with Nana…

In that moment, I realized I might not have been the one who’d gotten set up. Instead it was Bellamy, who had the pack stolen from him, and I’d played right into everyone’s hands.

Chapter

Twenty-One

Welcome Back

Bellamy

Clover’s eyes blinked open cautiously, like she had no idea where she was. My plan after I’d put the ring on her finger was to kiss her, but she’d fallen unconscious, slumping against my chest.

“Hey,” I said, as calmly as I could. I was mostly sure she’d been under the influence of magic, but there was no way to tell what that magic was doing to her. “Welcome back.”

Her eyes were still blank, and I held her tighter, liking the little sigh that had come out of her too much for my comfort. I might be a protector, but I had a long way to go before I could claim I’d saved this woman.

My claiming skills needed a lot of work.

“I feel like I’m still dreaming.” She looked around, her body tensing in my arms. “When did we get to your truck?”

“I carried you here when you passed out.” We’d been on the sidewalk, and a bear shifter carrying the limp body of his mate didn’t go unnoticed on a busy downtown street. Their horrified expressions mirrored what I felt on the inside. “Wanted to get you someplace safe in case I needed to get you help.”

“I think I’m okay.” But her words were heavily laced with hesitation as she looked down on the ring on her finger. Her fingers spread out as she stared at it, like she was daring it to try her again.

“I tried to get it off, but your hands were locked into fists like you’d turned to stone.”

“It had a message for me.” She touched the moonstone and shuddered. “I don’t know how credible it is.”

“The magic is real.” I had no way to back up that claim, but it felt different from anything Shirley had ever offered. “You went from your lively, vibrant self to dead weight in my arms the minute you put on that ring. Did you feel anything from it before you put it on?”

“Yeah.” Clover narrowed her eyes at me. “You mean, you didn’t?”

I shook my head.

“When those bears captured me, they kept me in one of those tents. I think it might have been where Alba did her healing work, because it was full of crystals. I could feel them, so I remarked how powerful the stones were. And Alba said I couldn’t feel power that I didn’t have.”

Interesting. But why would Clover gain power, now?

She’s always had it, my bear said.

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