Page 51 of My Unbearable Mate

He was right. And I only had moments to figure out what that looked like for me. I always thought I was in control, but in reality, I’d been played like a marionette doll.

“I don’t understand why Nana would have me look for the locket if it meant I’d find out the truth,” I said. “Or why she would’ve sent me to you.”

“She may have overestimated her own magic,” Bellamy suggested. “The power’s gone to her head, and having you go fetch the thing that gives her control over you…and me…is a pretty big flex. Or she’s trying to finish off the Lynwood clan, once and for all, and she knew this would be the way to provoke them.”

My heartbeat intensified as our village came into view. “Or provoke me. But still, why? Had she never sent me looking for the locket, everything would’ve been business as usual.”

Bellamy pulled to the side of the road, and a cloud of dust rose around us as he parked the truck. “Maybe it’s better than whatever would have happened if you didn’t find out this way.”

He came around to my side of the truck and opened the door. I’d been too shell-shocked to move. My legs had turned to jelly, and the gravel crunching under our feet was the only thing that broke the tense silence.

We didn’t have a plan. Bellamy might have had one, but my thoughts and emotions had tied themselves together into a knot I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to loosen. The emotion I was least familiar with was fear. I’d been privileged enough to think I always had a safety net, but now that I realized it was made of spider’s silk, I had no idea what would happen once I fell through it.

That’s not new, my bear reminded me. That feeling is the exact reason you rejected this gorgeous bear in the first place.

If I’d accepted his claim, would I have found my power that much sooner?

Heads turned and our friends and families stared at us as we walked down the road that led to the heart of our little village. Bellamy reached for my hand and squeezed it. The bear was on a mission, and I knew exactly where we were headed.

I blew out a breath as we stepped onto Nana’s front porch. It was the house I’d grown up in, and where I’d learned about clan history and our magical lessons.

Lies.

It felt weird to knock on the door. Normally, I’d walk right in. But nothing was normal right now.

“Clover,” my sister Sage exclaimed as she opened the door. “What are you doing here?”

“Why wouldn’t I be here?” I asked. “Where’s Nana?”

“She’s with the elders. Weekly ritual.” She might as well have punctuated it with a duh.

“Good.” I stepped closer, expecting her to move aside and let me in, but she didn’t. “We need to talk.”

“Yeah, we do.” Her gaze was focused squarely on the bear beside me. “Good to see you, Bellamy.”

“Good to see you too.” But I could feel he was on edge. “What time will that meeting be over?”

She shrugged. “It starts at noon and ends when they’re finished.”

I took advantage of her distraction to hook my arm into hers and get into the house. Bellamy followed, closing the door and standing in front of it like a barrier.

Sage’s brows raised. “Why are you two acting like this is some sort of ambush? And since when do you even like each other?”

“We can talk about that later.” I eyed Bellamy, who’d crossed his arms and rumbled. His body looked massive in my Nana’s tiny and cluttered cottage. “Are we the only ones here?”

“Yeah. The kids are at school. What in the world is going on?”

There was no way she was this oblivious, and she usually didn’t hang out at Nana’s house in the middle of the day by herself. “That’s what I want you to tell me.”

“Everyone was worried sick about you when you didn’t come home. The rumors were pretty wild, which is a stretch, considering you were the subject. Like how do you still manage to top yourself? It’s a talent. Some people thought this guy was holding you hostage.” She motioned toward Bellamy. “That he was working with a rival clan that was trying to destroy us. Some bears thought he stole the locket.”

“What did they say about that rival clan?” Bellamy asked calmly, like my sister hadn’t just accused him of theft and treason. I had to hand it to him, because her allegation had my blood boiling.

Her eyes widened. “Why don’t you tell me? You’re the one who disappeared without a trace.”

This wasn’t like my sister. Sage was the golden bear, the clan darling, the one who made good decisions on a regular basis. She had the mate, the two kids, the gorgeous cottage on the lake, and the perfect body. I’d called the she-shed in my Nana’s backyard home while I’d saved up to open that spa that was perpetually out of reach. She didn’t usually call me out for being a card-carrying member of the hot mess express. My big sister usually was the one to bail me out of my bullshit.

“I want to know about that clan too,” I answered before Bellamy had a chance to say anything. “What did they say?”

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