CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The next morning, Ezra took Thea out to breakfast at a quaint little bakery that was seeing a brisk business. She recognized some of the people from the night before, and many stopped to wish them well. Thea realized the cake they’d eaten last night must have come from here when she noticed another just like it in the display case. She complimented the woman behind the counter and found out that the bakery was run by three human sisters who had all found mates among the bear shifters of Grizzly Cove, one of whom was the owner and chef from the restaurant. When a celebration was called for, someone popped down the road to the bakery and picked up a cake.
Thea was very pleasantly surprised that the folks of this town had gone so far out of their way for her and Ezra. They’d turned what had been a regular dinner into a party when they’d heard about the new mating, and Thea had been incredibly touched by the gesture. Everyone had made her first evening in Grizzly Cove memorable in the best possible way.
Except maybe for the tiny run-in with the Alpha’s witch mate. That was something that still needed to be resolved, but Ezra’s explanation about the strega sisters and what they had done for the town had impressed Thea. Now, if she and this Alpha female could just come to some kind of understanding… Then, everything in this new town would be darn near close to perfect.
After breakfast, they walked over to the town hall, where, apparently, Ezra had set up the meeting the Alpha had requested the night before. He must’ve called while Thea had been getting dressed because they were ushered into a conference room where Trevor, Beth, John and a few others were already waiting for them. It looked like the meeting had been going on for a while before they got there, and Thea immediately noticed the Alpha’s mate, sitting at his side, looking a little contrite.
Had they been discussing Thea and her somewhat disturbing past? She got the sinking feeling that maybe they had. Still, nothing was said of it while the rest of the group said hello, and Thea and Ezra took the seats reserved for them at the big conference table. Ezra picked up the carafe of coffee on the table and poured two paper cups full, one for each of them, before things settled down.
What followed was a detailed debrief on what had happened in South Dakota from the time Ezra had run into Thea on the road, until they’d left to come here. Ezra handled most of the report but seemed glad to have Thea talk about some of their shared experiences. He also coached her through her description of the final confrontation with Sarella from her point of view. The rest sat and listened, mostly, though they asked for more detail on certain points.
They were particularly interested in Thea’s knowledge of Sarella. She gave them the details as best she could without revealing too much about her feelings on the matter—or so she hoped. The people around the table were very professional and had been asking astute questions with no hint of emotion. Thea tried to be the same, even though it was pretty clear all the men, at least, had military backgrounds.
They’d probably heard and seen worse in their careers than Thea had been through, which made it somewhat easier to reveal how she knew what she did about Sarella. The other woman present, though… John’s mate, Urse… She wasn’t a combat veteran. She wasn’t even a shifter. Thea found it impossible to look at Urse while she went into detail about Sarella and how Thea had first met her while being held prisoner by Bolivar.
Luckily, after the questions about Sarella were through, Ezra took up the narrative again. He told them about the local Alpha and making the job offer. He detailed the Alpha werewolf’s remorse over being duped by Sarella and talked about some of the things Chase had told him about the woman and the garage that Thea hadn’t known. He also mentioned the three bear shifter brothers, who seemed to be known to a few of the men in the room.
They took a quick break in the meeting after Ezra and Thea finished up their report. A few guys headed out to pick up snack trays that someone said had been delivered to the front desk. A few more walked around and stretched or made pit stops. Thea got up and walked toward the row of windows that looked out onto the cove. It really was pretty here.
“I hope you can forgive me.” Urse’s voice came from Thea’s side.
How had the witch snuck up on her? And where was Ezra? Thea spotted him off to one side, talking with two other men. Well, then. She was on her own, but she could handle this. Right?
“For what?” Thea decided to try to play this cool.
“For zapping you last night. I didn’t intend to, you know. It was just a little magical probe I sometimes use to try to get a quick read on new people. It’s harmless. You just have some natural barriers that are a bit stronger than the average bear’s. And I never would have attempted any magic around you had I known…” Urse trailed off, looking away as if mortified. “I’m really sorry.”
“I haven’t had the greatest experiences with mages,” Thea said, feeling her way through this conversation. She thought Urse sounded very genuine and very contrite. Thea would accept the apology, but not pity. Thea’s bear half snorted at the idea of being pitied by anyone. She was strong now. Not a bear needing anyone’s pity.
Urse’s gaze slid toward her mate and then back again to Thea. “John mentioned some of the problems you’ve had. I want you to know, just as there are good and bad people, there are good and bad magic users. My sister and I… Our entire line, really, has been sworn to the Light for generations.” Thea remained quiet, wondering if she could really trust this woman. This mage. “We’ve made our home here. Found our mates here. And we’ll do anything and everything in our power to protect those we love and keep this town free of evil.” Urse seemed to straighten her spine. “I check out new people, and I’m not sorry for it, but I am sorry if it caused you discomfort. If you stay, in time perhaps, you’ll come to find that not all mages are bad.”
Hmph. The Alpha female was asserting her authority a little. Well, good for her. Thea’s inner bear respected the woman more for the uncompromising stance.
“You have every right to defend and protect your home and your mate,” Thea responded with absolute conviction. “I accept your apology and want you to know that I’ve been trying to put my past experiences behind me. I hope I’ve learned enough to keep an open mind, but like I said, my recent experiences with mages has been all bad.”
“Maybe we can change that for you,” Urse said with a smile. It looked like they were past the first hurdle and perhaps on their way to better understanding. Thea was glad.
John came over at that point and put his arm casually around his mate’s waist. “Thea, I understand your parents live on the West Coast,” he said in a friendly tone.
“Sacramento,” she replied, wondering what might come next.
“You should invite them up here to see the town. Bears are always welcome, and Ezra tells me they haven’t had a chance to really get to know him yet.” John frowned a bit. “In the spirit of family harmony, you should probably fix that as soon as possible.”
“My parents aren’t…” How could she explain this without sounding disloyal? “I mean, you’re all very dominant bears, and my folks…aren’t. Part of the reason I left home was because, after what happened, I didn’t really fit in with them anymore.”
John nodded sagely. “You had a trial by fire. You’ll find many of my men have had similar experiences. It changes you, and your bear. What didn’t kill you made you stronger,” he said quietly. “But they’re still your parents. They love you, and it’s important for their inner peace to see that you’re happy and well mated. Invite them up. I promise, none of my bears will push them around. That’s not how we are here. We’re a family, not like some wolf Pack where they’re constantly testing the pecking order. We’re bears.” He shrugged, as if that said it all.
And perhaps, it did.
Thea called her parents and invited them up to visit right after the meeting. By the afternoon of the following day, her mom and dad were driving through town on their way to the hotel. Ezra had reserved a room for them—at the other end of the sprawling building from his and Thea’s room, at her request—and insisted on paying for it.
She realized Ezra was a little nervous about seeing her parents again and was trying hard to make a good impression. The last time he’d seen them was when they’d come to collect her from Lake Tahoe after he’d rescued her from Bolivar’s basement torture chamber. She’d been very weak, but she remembered the way he’d held her and stayed with her, almost seeming like he hadn’t wanted to give her up, even to her family.
He had, in the end, but she knew his concern for her welfare had made a big impression on her mother. Her father was quieter about it, but she sensed from his occasional comments that her dad had been very impressed by Ezra’s strength and character. She’d told them about their mating by phone, of course, and both her father and mother had spent some time speaking with Ezra, but seeing them in person was different.
She hoped they would all get along and that their inner bears didn’t make things difficult. Ezra was such a strong Alpha presence—as were most of the other bears Thea had met since arriving in town—that she was a little afraid of her parents’ reactions. Bears weren’t like some other shifters. They usually preferred to gather only in small family units. The young struck out on their own early and usually only went back for the occasional visit.
Thea’s situation was a little different since her abduction and rescue. She’d left her parents’ home as a rather meek woman, for a bear shifter. She’d been more docile than most bears, and that was probably why she’d fallen prey to the human trafficking ring. She’d been naïve and easily duped, and she’d paid for that in Bolivar’s basement of horrors over and over.
The end result of her survival was that she was a very different woman now. And a very different bear. She wasn’t sure her old self would have been able to handle a mate like Ezra, but this newer, stronger version was a perfect match—as he was for her. Perhaps, had they met before her ordeal, they would have been merely two ships passing in the night, neither one really noticing the other. She would never be sure, but it didn’t really matter. She was who she was now, shaped by her experiences, as Ezra had been shaped by a lifetime of his own choices and circumstances. They were perfect for each other now, and that’s what really counted.
She hoped her parents would see that and accept him—and her—the way they were now. She could never go back to being that meek little bear she’d been when she’d left home. Her parents knew that—had known that—from the moment she’d started to recover, in the safety of her childhood home.
While she couldn’t wait to see them and give them big hugs and kisses, she was also apprehensive. She had grown in ways she wasn’t sure her parents would ever be ready to understand.
As it turned out, all her worries were for naught. When her folks pulled up in front of the hotel, Thea and Ezra were there to guide them in. While her father parked the car, Thea’s mother hopped out of the passenger seat, and she and her mom rushed toward each other, meeting in a big hug laced with happy tears.
She was peripherally aware of Ezra greeting her dad sometime later, but her mother’s arms felt too good around her to leave easily. She shouldn’t have worried. No matter what changes she or her bear had been through, her mother was still her mom. That would never change.
And when her dad came closer and wrapped his arms around her from behind, enveloping her in parental love, Thea’s strong, independent Alpha bear basked in her parents’ love. Thea might be Alpha now where everyone and everything else was concerned, but she would always be her parents’ little girl.
Happy tears filled her eyes as she looked up to see Ezra watching them with a suspicious brightness in his own eyes. The big softy. He might be her mighty Alpha mate, but he clearly understood what was going on before his eyes. Thea mouthed the words that filled her heart, sending them to Ezra and her family at the same time…
“I love you.”