Ben drove back to his cabin as fast as he could without breaking any laws. He was still having a hard time believing this was real. That Penny really was his, and she loved him.

Last night, when he had gotten home after roaming the woods for hours, he collapsed on his front porch. He would have preferred to stay home and wallow in grief and shame tonight, but he knew Jason was counting on him to be at the wedding. So, he had gotten cleaned up and dressed. He had put on his best front because today was his cousin’s and Christina's day and he wasn’t going to ruin it.

And then he saw Penny at the reception, looking so beautiful. Hope had bloomed in him and he followed her when he saw her running. He couldn’t help himself. And that bitch Mia. His bear growled. She was crazy. A stalker. He shook his head mentally. He didn’t usually get that kind of women; it was mostly Jason or Nathan who attracted that type. He just hoped a few hours in the makeshift holding cell the wolves from Lykos had prepared would knock some sense into her.

Finally, they arrived at his home. He couldn’t wait to get her inside. He carried her up the stairs to the bedroom as she giggled adorably all the way. He laid her down on the bed, stripped her naked, and drank in the sight of her.

When he reached for the condom in the nightstand, she grabbed his hand and shook her head.

“Are you sure?” he asked. He couldn’t bring himself to believe she would want his cubs, knowing about his bloodline.

“Yes. Ben, please, I want to feel all of you.”

They made love slowly, enjoying the feel of each other. Somehow, it felt different this time. He couldn’t describe it. Stronger. More intense. He felt like someone was plucking strings inside him, sending vibrating waves throughout his body. From the way she moved and cried, Penny must have felt it, too.

“Oh, Ben,” Penny sighed as she fell on top of him.

He eased out of her and rolled her to his side. “I love you,” he whispered. It felt good to say it. He wanted to say it over and over again and shout it to anyone who would listen.

“Hmm.” She snuggled against him, burying her face in his side. “Ben, I—what’s wrong.”

He tensed. His bear’s hackles rose. Something was wrong. His enhanced hearing detected sounds outside the house. Feet and paws shuffling.

“Get dressed,” he said to her in a terse voice.

“What?”

“Please, Penny, just do as I say!” he barked. “Get dressed and stay in here. Lock the door.”

His instincts were going haywire. He didn’t know why, but there was a threat out there.

“Ben!” she called as he raced out the door. He didn’t have time to explain but hoped Penny would obey.

As he reached the outside door, it suddenly went quiet. But he could sense their presence, whoever they were.

“Come out, come out, Ben Walker!” a voice called. “We know you’re in there. We’ve got you surrounded.”

He heard the revving of several engines, the cocking of firearms, and grunts and growls.

“We just want to talk. Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. The hard way probably involves a lot of pain for you and your mate.”

“Fuck,” he cursed. His bear was getting restless, sensing the danger they were in. He peeked out the window, so he could see if they were bluffing. They were not. There were two jacked-up trucks, several men with shotguns, and half a dozen full grown bears. They surrounded the front of his house.

“Don’t even thinking of sneaking out the back; we’ve got that covered, too,” the voice said, as if hearing his thoughts. “Just come out. Or we could force our way in.”

Damn. He could maybe fight the bears, but not the men with shotguns before they pumped him full of bullets. Who were these guys, and what did they want?

He cracked the door open. “Fine! I’m coming out.” He didn’t really have a choice.

Ben pushed the door open and stepped outside, squaring his shoulders. He stood on the porch with his eyes staring straight ahead. “You all are trespassing. I suggest you leave now before I call the cops.”

There were guffaws and laughs from the men holding the shotguns. The bears pawed at the earth and snarled at him.

“Trespassing? That’s rich.”

A figure stepped forward, leaving the line of men and bears. He was older but tall and built like a linebacker, with closed-cropped white hair and scars down his face. The scowl he wore cracked into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. With his physique, it was hard to guess his age, though he was probably much older than he looked. But the dominance he displayed was clear. He was the leader of this ragtag band.

The old man stalked closer until he was a few feet away from the porch. He crossed his arms over his massive chest. “Well now, it’s nice to finally meet you face to face, boy.”

“I’m not your boy,” Ben roared.

He laughed. “I’ll call you whatever the hell I want. The name’s Amos Bronson, Alpha of the Bronson clan. And your grandfather.”

Ben wanted to laugh at him but knew deep inside he was telling the truth. “What do you want?”

“What do I want?” Amos roared. “I want what’s owed to me.”

Ben tensed. “I don’t have whatever it is you think is yours.”

“Don’t be stupid, boy. I want you.” Amos craned his neck up at him. “Since you’re not denying I am your grandfather, let me bring you up to speed. I sent my eldest daughter, Sue, to seduce your daddy.”

“So, you’re a bastard who offered up his own daughter to his enemy.”

“Wanna know why?” Amos didn’t wait for him to answer. “Why do you think your bear is so massive? And your daddy’s? It’s because your line is infused with dragon’s blood.” He spat. “I knew I needed that in my clan, too. You were going to be the start of a new generation of Bronson bears who would be the meanest and most dominant in the world. And the fact that your daddy’s a Walker was icing on the cake. It would have been the biggest slap in the face to that clan.”

“Well, my father got to me first,” Ben said. “Too bad for you.”

“It was your bitch mother!” Amos said, the rage barely contained in his voice. “She ruined everything when she ran away with you as soon as you were born. It took us years, but we got her. Too bad she had already tucked you away by that time.”

“You lost, get over it. Why did you come here?”

Amos’ voice grew cold. “You were supposed to fall for the same trick your daddy did, and I was going to make sure your cub didn’t get away. But my granddaughter is too stupid to seal the deal.” Amos nodded to a shadow in the corner, and someone stepped forward. Someone familiar.

“Gramps, I told you,” Mia said in a petulant voice. “I almost had him! If they had taken care of his whore mate, then I could have given you what you wanted.”

“Yeah, well, maybe you’re not a good as you think you are,” someone standing on the far right said.

Ben’s head whipped toward the familiar voice. It was Tyler, the man who had interviewed at the mines a couple of weeks back. Beside him was the other man, the simple one, Rick.

“Howdy, cousin,” Tyler said with a grin. “Never did hear that callback from your HR. But that’s okay, we wasn’t really there for a job, right Rick?” Rick nodded. “We was scoping out the place. We've been going in and out at night for the last couple of days. Not that we could find anything useful.”

So it was them. They were the ones who were in the abandoned cave. That means they were also the ones who had prowled around his cabin.

“We’ve been keeping tabs on you, boy,” Amos said. “Ever since we found out your daddy got you. Been watching your every move since you were a boy. We know everything. About homecoming, about you going to Colorado State, and of course, your sweet little mate.”

“Pretty one, ain’t she?” Tyler leered. “Too bad she scared so easy.”

“What the fuck are you saying? You’ve been following her?” Rage was building inside him.

“We was gonna get rid of her, but she was too smart, that one,” Tyler said.

“Shut up, all of you!” Amos boomed. “No more talking. I’m here to finish this, since my own grandchildren are too stupid to get things done.” Tyler and Mia tried to protest, but he silenced them with one hand. “Let me lay out what’s going to happen,” Amos said, turning to Ben. “You’re going to join us, boy. Leave Blackstone and come with us.”

“Why the hell would I do that?”

Amos’s lips thinned into a smile. “Because I know you’ve got your pretty little mate tucked in there.” He leaned his head back and took a sniff. “Hmm … I can smell her from here. She smells sweet.”

Ben gritted his teeth. “You’d have to go through me first.”

“I could, and I will,” Amos said. “But then what would happen to her when you're not here to protect her? You know there are things worse than death.”

“You bastard!” His bear roared deep inside him, and a growl tore from his throat. “You lay a hand on her—”

“Shut up and listen to your grandfather, boy!” Amos raised a hand and several barrels pointed toward Ben. “I know dragon scales are bullet proof, but what about bears with dragon blood? Care to test it?”

Ben froze. His bear wanted to fight, but he willed it to stay calm. There were too many of them, and those guns would slow him down.

“Ready to join us boy?" Amos sneered. "As long as you do as I say, she’ll be safe.”

Ben gritted his teeth, and his hands curled into fists at his sides. "My father, my cousins, and Hank Lennox will come after you.”

“When? Tomorrow when they’re done partying? I’ll have you and Penny in my territory by morning. And you’ll tell them you’re joining me willingly if you want to keep your precious Penny safe.”

“Why are you doing this? You’ve got an entire clan under you? Why me?”

For a moment, Ben saw something in the old man’s eyes he hadn’t yet seen. A flash of fear. It was quickly replaced by a hard glint. “Don’t you know what’s coming boy? They’re coming for us. They want war. And we need every strong bear to fight them off and keep our own safe.”

“Who? Who are you talking about?”

“Them. The—” Amos eyes grew wide as an ear-splitting screech broke through the air. The trees shook as strong gusts of wind blew over them. Overhead, something very large and gold flew by.

Uncle Hank, Ben thought in relief.

“Fuck!” Amos cursed as he grabbed Mia by the arm and dragged her to him. “You said those fuckers were still busy at their party!”

“They were when I got away from those wolves!” Mia cried. “I swear, Gramps, they were all guzzling champagne like there was no tomorrow!”

“You stupid bitch!” He threw her down on the dirt. “Goddammit!”

Another whoosh of wind. A second dragon flew above them. Ben heard the long huff of breath and knew what was coming. He covered his eyes as the fire rained down. The smell of burning fur and flesh filled the air, along with the sounds of screams and growls. He heard a lion roar and several wolves howl from deep in the winds.

“NO!” Amos screamed. “You’ll pay for this, boy!” An enormous dark brown grizzly tore out from Amos’ skin. It raised its paws in the air and then headed straight for him.

It took only a split second for his own bear to rip out of him. He was much bigger than Amos, of course, and younger, but he wasn’t going to underestimate the old man. Amos was probably nearing 70, but he was a shifter and in good condition. Plus, he had nothing to lose now.

The two bears clashed in a flurry of teeth and claws. Amos managed to get him in his side, his claws leaving a trail of blood down Ben’s rib cage. Ben roared in anger, and though he wanted the old man to suffer for everything he did and what he was planning to do to Penny, he just wanted this to be over even more. He used his paws to bring Amos down to the ground and push his head into the dirt, then sank his teeth into the other bear’s neck. As soon as blood gushed into his mouth, he let go of Amos’ neck and staggered back.

Ben pushed his bear back inside him. It had done enough, and he needed to take his body back. As he lay dying, Amos, too, began to transform back into his human form.

“B-b-boy,” he called in a weakening voice. “They’re coming. They’re ….” His eyes rolled back as the life slowly seeped out of him.

A chill blasted across his arms, causing the hair to stand straight up. What did Amos mean? Who was coming for them?

“Ben!”

He whipped around. Penny was standing by the door, barefoot and dressed in his shirt. Her face was pale and her eyes wide. When she tried to look down, he quickly ran to her, putting himself between her and Amos’ body.

“No, don’t look.”

“Oh, Ben!” She clung to him, wrapping her arms around his torso. “I was so worried!”

“It’s done,” he said, rubbing his hand down her back. “No one will ever hurt you.”

“Ben!”

Nathan jogged up behind them, barely transformed back as grey fur receded into his body. “You all right?”

“Yeah, we’re good.” Ben looked around him. Most of the members of the Bronson clan were incinerated by Matthew’s dragon fire. He was sure a couple escaped, including his cousins. He shuddered at the thought. Amos was a mean bastard, and he did his best to make his grandkids just like him. He wondered what would have happened to him if his mother hadn’t run away with him. Would he have been like them? He turned to Nathan. “How did you know to come?”

“Penny called Kate,” Nathan said. “And Kate told us. Jason and Christina had just left for their honeymoon, and things were winding down.”

“You called for help?”

Penny nodded. “I knew something was wrong. I came down, and when I heard who that … that man was, I ran back upstairs and called Kate.”

He took her into his arms. “My mate is one smart cookie.”

They broke apart and joined Nathan and everyone else as they surveyed the damage. Uncle Hank and Matthew had flown his dad, Luke, Nathan, and Uncle Clark, since that was the fastest way up the mountain to Ben’s cabin. They had also called the Rangers for backup. As Matthew’s fire rained down, the others had flanked the rear to catch those who got away. Meanwhile, Uncle Hank had taken care of the bears guarding the back.

“There’s no one left,” Matthew said. “The Rangers caught the last three.”

“My cousins,” Ben said, the words leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

“What should we do with them?”

“Lock them up. Throw away the key. I don’t care.” Ben squeezed Penny closer to him. "I just never want to see them ever again."

A car pulled into his driveway, one he recognized as Sybil’s. The door flew open, and Laura Walker came running out.

“Ben!” she cried as she threw herself against him. Penny stepped away quietly, giving his mother room. “Oh my God, I thought we were going to lose you.” Laura was shaking as he embraced her.

“I’m here, Mom, I’m here.”

Laura didn’t let go for a full minute until James came and gently pried her away. “I’m sorry, son,” he began. “This never should have happened.”

“It’s not your fault, Dad,” Ben said, then told them everything about his mother and Amos’ plan. Both of them had stunned looks on their faces by the time he finished. “I knew it. I did come from bad blood.”

“No, honey, don’t say that.” Laura came forward and touched Ben’s cheek. “I always wondered why she would just give you up. Then I became your mother, and then Amelia came, and I understood what it was like to have this person who you love more than anything in the world and you’d do anything to protect.”

“She must have loved you so much,” Penny added. “That’s not bad blood, Ben. That’s good. Good through and through, just like you.”

Ben’s throat burned with tears. At what he had lost even though he had been too young to understand. And the mother who must have loved him enough to give her life, so he didn’t have to suffer a childhood that surely would have turned him into a real monster.

“We had her buried in the cemetery in Verona Mills,” James said in a somber tone. “Laura makes sure she has fresh flowers every year on the anniversary of her death.”

“I’ll start visiting,” Ben said.

Laura smiled, even as tears streamed down her cheeks. “This is some night, isn’t it? But I think there’s something more important you have to do.”

Ben frowned. “What?”

“Introduce us to your mate,” Laura said as she looked at Penny, her smile growing even wider.

“Oh. Yeah.” Ben put an arm around Penny and pulled her forward. “Mom, Dad, I’d like you to meet Penny Bennet.” He looked down at Penny, his chest bursting with so much pride he could barely breathe. “My mate.”