Page 53 of My Unbearable Mate

“No, something isn’t right at all,” Shirley stood in the doorway, her arms crossed, her presence much larger than her human frame.

Clover gasped and covered the ring with her other hand. The movement was futile, because Shirley would pick up on the ring’s power.

“Hey, Nana.” Clover gave an award-worthy performance as she beamed at her grandmother and kissed her cheek. “How was your meeting?”

“Very eventful.” Shirley’s gaze landed squarely on me. “There’s a lot of buzz about Bellamy Laredo being back on clan land for the first time in fifteen years.”

“Nobody’s more surprised about this visit than I am.” I grinned at the old woman, but I knew better than to let my guard down. “What are they saying?”

It would be good to see everyone before we left.

“They’re preparing for a fight,” she said. “Rumor has it you’re here to challenge the alpha.”

“Can’t imagine where that rumor would’ve started.” It was my turn to step closer to Shirley, doing my best to mask the conflicting feelings of disappointment and pure fucking rage.

“Why would anyone want to fight Bellamy?” Clover groaned as she brought her ringed hand to her forehead. “He wasn’t on bad terms with anybody when he left.”

“He was supposed to be clan alpha. They think he’s here for a challenge.” Shirley narrowed her eyes. “Is that my ring?”

“Don’t go near it, Nana,” Sage said quickly. “They did something to it.”

“What could they possibly do to it?” Shirley shook her head and held out her hand. “It’s been ages since I wore that ring. Have you had it this whole time?”

She has no idea what’s been taken, my bear warned. Why is she only looking for this locket when this ring obviously holds tremendous power?

Good question.

“It might not be yours.” Clover pulled her hand closer to her body, not willing to give the ring up. “We found it on the sidewalk in Coeur d’Alene.”

Shirley frowned. “This doesn’t make any sense. What were you doing there?”

“We were looking for someone we thought might help us find your locket.” Clover came over to me and hooked her arm in mine. “Have you ever heard of someone named Anders Lynwood?”

Shirley shook her head and frowned. “No, I haven’t.”

“Are you sure about that?” Clover crossed her arms, and the shine coming off that ring was blinding. “Because I heard a really juicy rumor that he was meant to claim you.”

The old woman’s lips parted, but only for a second before she schooled her features. “The only bear who I ever had eyes for was your grandfather.”

“That doesn’t mean another bear didn’t have his eyes on you.”

“Men respect powerful women.” Now Shirley’s gaze was squarely on me. “They can’t stay away from them.”

“We think this Anders Lynwood might know where that locket is,” I said. The key to playing with Shirley was to remember that she made the rules to this game. “But this guy is like a ghost. He has a habit of coming and going without a trace.”

“I thought you were the best in the business,” she said quietly. I almost believed she didn’t have any connection to Anders.

“Sawtooth Security has a great track record because we ask questions instead of letting leads become dead ends.” I wouldn’t let her rattle me. “Did you tell your alpha you asked for my help?”

“Didn’t see any reason to.”

I nodded. “This misunderstanding could be easily fixed if you’d tell him why I was here. I could do the same, but things could get a little complicated.”

Sage chuckled grimly. “Do you even know who our alpha is?”

I shook my head. “Only person who’d been in line after me was my child.”

Clover sighed. “I should’ve told you this before, but we’ve been a little preoccupied. Edgar is our alpha.”

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