Nikos stared down at the valley spread out below. It was gorgeous from their vantage point atop the mountain. One of the mountains, as the name didn’t give away that it was a whole range surrounding what had to be the greenest landscape he’d ever seen. A river snaked through the center, the waters cutting off the verdant landscape.
From where they stood, they could see the picturesque village, which was even more gorgeous from a distance, and they could also see the hills and mountainsides dotted with cabins.
“How many live here?” Nikos asked Cotton.
Everything had been beautiful, but nothing as special as their mate. Cotton smiled. “At the last census, it was nearing two thousand, but with the soldiers and folks like you, it’s grown considerable in the last years.”
Nikos allowed his gaze to roam over the shifter. Cotton didn’t seem to acknowledge their bond in any way. It was if he was completely unaware.
Or he was doing a fine job of hiding how he felt.
Nikos didn’t think it was the latter, not when that pale skin pinkened so easily. Heat flooded his veins at the thought of seeing his handprint on the omega’s bottom.
“What’s over there?” Ari asked, pointing between two of the smaller mountains.
Nikos looked in that direction and saw a glimpse of black, charred earth.
“The people who attacked you,” Cotton said. “They attacked this area as well.” He looked up at the dome. “This protected us. The bombs that were sent only killed the werewolves outside our lands—which supposedly were the target anyway. We would’ve been collateral damage.”
“There are werewolves?” Ari asked.
“Not anymore,” Cotton answered. “The local infestation had gotten bad, so bad we couldn’t leave the dome for a time without the threat of attack. Their numbers were so large,” Cotton paused. “It was bad. I’m sorry to see the scorched earth, but at least we don’t have to worry about the werewolves anymore.”
“Is the military aware of this place?” Ari asked.
“From what the alpha says, no,” Cotton said. “But with the whole Project Zed thing… I worry.”
“What do you worry about?” Nikos asked.
Cotton shrugged. “I mean, I’m glad you were saved. I’m glad they all were… but if the soldiers keep going after Project Zed, how much longer before Project Zed pokes back?” He drew in a deep breath. “The dome saved us once. Hopefully it will again if the need arises.” Cotton stared over at the blackened area. “I know it’s the right thing to do. To save others.”
“But not if it endangers you all,” Ari said.
Cotton turned to him and gave a wry smile. “It’s selfish of me, I know.”
“No, self-preservation isn’t selfish. You have every right to consider the safety of the people here,” Ari said.
“And what do you know about self-preservation?” Nikos asked under his breath to Ari. Ari only glared back.
Cotton grinned slightly and inhaled. “Well, that was the end of the tour I’d planned. Was there anything else you wanted to see? Or any questions?”
“I have a question,” Nikos said. “Will you have dinner with us tonight?”
Cotton smiled. “Sure.”
“At the inn?” Ari asked Nikos.
Nikos nodded.
“My father’s one of the cooks. They have the best food,” Cotton said with a grin.
“Or we could try that new restaurant you pointed out on the tour, the one you said you hadn’t tried yet?” Ari asked.
Nikos grinned to himself, knowing the reasoning behind his brother bear’s question. He didn’t want a potentially nosy father looking over their shoulders.
“Either’s fine with me,” Cotton said with a shrug.
Nikos met Ari’s stare before they both said “the new place” in unison.
Cotton chuckled. “Okay. How about I show you back to the inn and then go home to wash up and change? That place looks a bit fancy.”
“Don’t get too fancy,” Nikos said as they all began to walk down the hill. “We came with not much more than the clothes on our backs.”
“Would you rather not go?” Cotton asked. “Although, nothing I have is very fancy. I work at the mine, so most of my stuff is covered in dirt.”
“The mine?” Ari asked as they continued to descend.
“Yeah, there’s a silver mine on the other side of one of the mountains. It’s the source of most the den’s money. I work there part time, going through the leftover bits of rock to ensure no silver was missed.”
“And they pay you for your work?” Nikos asked.
“They do. I only wish I had more hours,” Cotton said. “My only other option is to work at the fishery, and I have no desire to smell like rotten fish.”
“Those are your only options?” Ari asked.
“For an omega? The mine, the fishery, or working as a servant—those are the pretty much it.”
“What if you could do anything you wished?” Nikos asked.
Cotton frowned, thoughtful. “I don’t know. I hadn’t really thought about it.”
“We were told the alpha has need of an architect,” Ari said. “So he has plans to build. I would assume there would be construction, plumbing, and electrical tradesmen needed.”
“Those would be jobs for a beta,” Cotton said.
“Is everything so locked into classes?” Ari asked.
Cotton smiled. “Things are much better for us since the new alpha took over. We used to have nothing. Now we have housing and the younger omegas are going to school. Progress takes time, my father says.”
“You didn’t go to school?” Nikos asked, suddenly angry. Now he was seeing the darker side of Bear Mountain and he didn’t like it at all. How could they treat their own like that?
“No.”
“Can you read and write? Do basic math?” Ari asked.
“Math, yes. I mean, basic addition and subtraction. Reading, I’m a little weaker in, but Dillon’s been teaching me some. I can read the new newspaper now—I read it every morning to my father.”
Nikos noticed Cotton’s scent changed at the mention of the man. He looked up from the path and stared at the side of Cotton’s face. “Who’s Dillon?”
A broad smile crossed Cotton’s lips. “A very good friend.”
“From that smile, I’d guess he’s more than that,” Nikos said, prodding a little.
Cotton turned to Nikos, his eyes aglow. “Maybe a little more.”
Jealousy slammed into Nikos from nowhere. It wasn’t an emotion he was familiar with. He’d never experienced it with his brother bear, but then a mate was something different.
Something new and fresh… a path they’d never walked.
He fought back the jealousy, realizing it was coming from his animal spirit. The bear within was ready to do battle and take what was his.
Yet was Cotton truly theirs?
Nikos was curious… why did Cotton not seem to realize what he was to them? Why did he have a man he was obviously enamored by—and have no qualms talking about a loved one? It didn’t make sense. He glanced over his shoulder and met Ari’s stare.
Ari wore a worried expression that matched the way Nikos felt.
The rest of the trip down the mountain and through the village was spent in mostly silence, with the occasional question about the area. Once they’d arrived back at the inn and Cotton had left them to get ready, they were finally alone.
“Does he not see?” Ari asked, anger burning in his eyes.
Nikos knew exactly what his brother bear spoke of. “I don’t think he does.”
“How could that be? I immediately scented him as ours,” Ari spat.
“The fact he brought up feelings for someone else shows he doesn’t realize what he is to us. Perhaps his desire for another man clouds who we are to him?”
“Or are we wrong?”
Nikos shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t think so, but it’s not like we’ve found a mate before.”
Ari let out a low roar, swinging his fists out before him to punch the air in irritation.
“I expected so much more when we found our mate,” Nikos said, his voice low. He’d always envisioned some cosmic draw bringing them all together. At least, that’s how it had been described to him by his own fathers when they’d first met.
Tales of wanton lusts and need so great it nearly swallowed them whole had been told. As the years passed, his fathers had fallen deeper and deeper in love with one another. A smile came to his lips as he thought of the old trio, still as much in love today as they were years before. Luckily, they lived in his native Greece, far, far away from Project Zed and their soldiers.
At least, he hoped.
“Then we tell him,” Ari said. “The attack the other night showed us how fleeting life can be. I won’t waste one minute more.”
“And if he doesn’t believe us?”
Ari met his stare. “We make him see.”