Page 31 of Having the Bear's Baby

Liam, however, had had enough of it. It was crazy continuing a grudge this long.

“I wonder what he’s plotting now,” said Liam. “I don’t suppose we’ve heard the last of him.”

“No, I think this could be the calm before the storm,” Alex agreed.

“Maybe it’s time to teach him a lesson,” growled Liam. “This latest threat is just a step too far.” His bear inside grumbled in agreement.

“I’ll see if I can find out what they’re up to,” Alex replied.

“Thanks, man,” said Liam.

He’d just hung up when he heard Emma scream his name. “Liam! Where are you?” she cried.

His blood ran cold. The thought that she could be in danger sent sharp spears of dread stabbing through him to his very core.

Spurred on by fear, he ran around the side of the cabin as fast as he could and found Emma pale and shaken, standing in the middle of the yard. He searched the area with his eyes, looking for the danger.

“What’s going on?” he asked. He couldn’t see anything that could have rattled her. But her eyes were wide with fear as she sent him a look that wrenched his heart.

She waved the piece of paper at him. “Look,” she said, her voice constricted. “Look at this! Someone’s been in the cabin. This was in my bag!”

He took the letter from her and read it. The bear inside him wanted to break free. He was going to rip someone apart for this.

He managed to control the shift while he dialed Alex back up. “I’ve got a problem,” he growled into the phone.

“What’s up?” Alex sounded worried.

“Someone’s been here,” he said. “Emma had a threatening letter shoved into her bag.” He could barely get the words out. His eyes darted around the yard, and his arm wrapped protectively around Emma’s shoulders.

“Fuck,” exclaimed Alex. “Are you sure they were there? Could it have been in her bag before you left?”

Liam realized that Alex could be right. His primal instincts had taken over at the thought of Emma in danger, and he wasn’t thinking clearly. He’d been in bear form enough around the cabin. Surely he would have scented someone if they’d been here?

“You could be right,” he said. “I’ll have a check around and call you back if I need you.”

He hung up the call. “Could this have been in your bag since before we arrived?”

“I don’t know,” Emma admitted. “I wouldn’t have thought so, but I guess I haven’t used my bag since I’ve been here. It was only because I put my phone in there without thinking that I found it just now. Maybe someone could have put it there before we left.”

“Let me have that a minute,” he said, taking the note from her unresisting fingers. He brought it up to his nose and sniffed. The scent was faint, and it wasn’t anyone he recognized. “I’m going to shift and have a sniff around,” he told her.

She nodded mutely, taking back the letter. She still looked pale.

He stripped his clothes off and released his inner bear. The world came alive with scents. He raised his nose and sniffed the letter again. He had a hold of the smell now. He would certainly recognize it again.

He tracked around the perimeter of the cabin as Emma stuck close by his side. He was careful and thorough. He checked every window and every door, but there wasn’t even the faintest trace of a scent.

Then they went inside. His nose picked up everything. The smell of the perfume Emma wore, the traces of mud on their shoes from their last hike, the heady aroma from the bedroom. But there was no trace of the scent from the letter. The only other person who had been in the cabin for a long time was the old lady who sometimes came up to clean and air the place out.

He shifted back into human form. “I can’t find anything,” he said. “It must have been put there before we left.”

“How is that possible?” she asked. “We’ve been together the whole time.”

It was true. How had someone gotten past him to plant it?

Annoyed, he went to find his clothes. He looked out across the amazing view as he dressed. He was glad that this secret place in the woods hadn’t been violated, but he was still worried about what the threat meant for them. He needed to keep Emma safe. He didn’t know what he’d do if anything happened to her.

He shot off a quick message to Alex, letting him know they were okay. Then, he sat alone on the bench at the end of the yard. He could see the lake from here, its sparkling surface shimmering in the late afternoon sun. He would’ve loved to go there now with Emma and dive into the sparkling water.

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