Page 79 of My Unbearable Mate

“Explain it to me,” Sage said. Edgar had come to stand behind her, rumbling and ready to unleash some chaos.

“Where’s the locket?” I asked. The crowd around us gasped once again.

“Everyone thinks you stole it,” Sage said. “That you’re using it as some kind of ransom, and that’s why you’ve been missing in action. I think they might be right, since you showed up here with bears we’ve never met before. Are you in trouble, Clover? Again? Are you expecting us to get you out of it?”

“I didn’t steal anything. See, turns out, Nana was using the locket as a ploy to get Bellamy and I back together. Pretty good plan to pretend it was missing, since it worked. But then, the locket really went missing. And that’s when things started to change around here. When I felt like I no longer belonged in this pack. When your mate was all the sudden ready to fight anyone who looks at him sideways. This isn’t about Bellamy. This is about you trying to keep control of your own destiny.”

She shook her head and scoffed. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You found out that Nana was sick, and you were scared to death that I’d find out that I had magic,” I said. “You were there when Mom took it away from me. I always thought she’d taken yours too, but it turns out, it came from my father. Not our mom. You didn’t really understand what was going on at the time, but you were sworn to secrecy. There was a reason for that, and you probably still don’t know the whole story. Until now. And because you’ve always done what everyone’s expected, that secret was safe. But if Bellamy was back in the picture, mated to a bear with magic, then Edgar would no longer be alpha.”

“This is ridiculous,” Edgar huffed.

“And it’s why Edgar made the last-ditch attempt to keep me away from Bellamy. But you both know how it is when you find your mate. Nothing will keep you apart, and you’ll do anything to protect them.” My heart was beating so hard I thought it would break a rib. “So you slipped into Nana’s house when she went down to Granger Falls looking for me.”

“That’s preposterous.” Sage scoffed.

I shook my head. “You might have gotten away with it, but the Lynwood clan?—”

“Who the fuck is the Lynwood clan?” Edgar growled.

“They’re a clan who lost their power when Nana took the locket from them. Her magic was stolen. She’s been fooling everyone all this time,” I said. “Meet Alba and Anders Lynwood.”

“We tried to reason with her,” Alba said. “But as you know, Shirley Crowley is a strong-willed bear. She created a beautiful thing here, but she’s not who she claims to be.”

Sage’s mouth fell open, mirroring the expressions of the bears around her. “And we’re supposed to take the word of complete strangers over our own family?”

“They’re my family,” I said. “Anders is my dad. Which makes Alba my other grandmother.”

The Lynwoods looked so proud, so certain, and honestly, it was the only thing keeping me going.

“This is ridiculous.” Sage shook her head.

“It’s not, and I wonder, is this the first time you’ve heard this? Because let’s go back to you sneaking into Nana’s house. You knew if I got my hands on that locket your mate would no longer be alpha. The only way you had a chance to keep your status is if the locket actually went missing. So you took it. Funny how you knew more details about it than I did, when I was supposed to be looking for it.” I gave her a moment to protest, but she didn’t. “I’d like to give it back to Nana. I’m not sure it will be enough to save her, but I’d really love her blessing to bring the clans back together.”

“I would love to help you with this, Clover. But not only is this story batshit crazy, I don’t know where the locket is.”

“I think I do.” My lips curled into a grin. “Wanna help me find it?”

My sister cocked a brow. “Now? In the middle of our feast?”

“Can you think of a better time? Everyone’s already here. We can celebrate.” I didn’t wait for her blessing. I prayed to any deity willing to listen that these visions were right. My magic was as untamed as I was, and trusting it was terrifying. But Bellamy, Alba, and Anders believed in me.

My body shook as I turned the knob on Sage’s front door. We didn’t bother locking things—stranger danger wasn’t an issue with bear clans.

“Clover!” Sage was right behind me. “This is too much.”

Her house was immaculate, a magic feat of its own with two littles. I marched through the living room and straight to the primary bedroom.

I lifted the mattress on Sage’s side of the bed. “I’ll be damned.”

Sage gasped. “How did that get there?”

“You put it there, knowing no one would ever have the balls to accuse the alpha’s mate of a crime.” I scooped up the locket and let it dangle from my finger, unprepared for the power that jolted through me on contact. “Nana used this talisman to destroy one clan. I won’t let you do it to another.”

Chapter

Thirty-Four

---