Chapter Three

Isaiah watched every move she made closely. He had no idea in the world what to expect. Silent communication with his father had proved no one really knew.

His father was the leader of the Arthur pack. He had been since his own father died unexpectedly five years ago, way too young. To the best of his knowledge, it had been decades since the last time a human was clawed by a bear, forcing the change.

Isaiah gritted his teeth as he pondered the implications again. Yesterday morning, this unsuspecting woman halfway on his lap still led an innocent life that included no knowledge of bear shifters, or any other shifter, for that matter. And now, one day later, she was about to learn everything there was to know about the existence of the Ursidae shifters.

And soon after she learned things she should have spent her entire life oblivious to, she would become a member of the pack herself.

Isaiah wanted to punch a hole in the wall for what that fucker did to her. He knew his dad already had dozens of people out searching for Jack Tarben. He also knew from spotty communication with his father while dealing with Heather that Jack had gone rogue from his pack the day before after a disagreement. The Tarbens were equally stressed about Jack’s actions, and they too had dozens of men out searching for him.

None of that information would change anything, however. The scratch was undeniable. Blood was drawn. Heather would not be able to prevent the inevitable shift.

With shaky hands, he watched as she pushed the ten digits for her parents’ home and then held the receiver to her ear.

He took short, shallow breaths as her chest rose and fell. Her pheromones filled the entire house. She was also aroused, which did nothing to dampen his need for her.

Guilt ate at the corners of his mind. He shouldn’t be lusting after this injured woman who was about to go through something he couldn’t even describe. He shouldn’t be touching her. He should let his mother handle things. He should leave his parents’ home immediately and have his aunt and sister come help her through the transition.

But he would do none of those things. Because he knew in his heart she was his. And there was no way he would leave her side. Not now. Not ever. Especially not to let her shift for the first time in someone else’s presence.

No. Not a chance in hell.

His parents and brother could glare at him all they wanted. They could shout into his head the entire day and night, too. He wouldn’t leave her. In fact, he fully intended to take her from this house to his own as soon as she finished her call.

“Isaiah… What the hell are you plotting, son?”

It wasn’t surprising his father could sense Isaiah’s rambling thoughts. Heather was sucking the life out of him in a way that was keeping him from properly blocking his family members from hearing his thoughts.

“Back off. All of you. It’s too late. If I thought there was another way, don’t you think I would choose door number two?”

His mother poked her nose in from somewhere deeper in the house. “We’re just trying to help, Isaiah. You should let me help her. She’s going to be so confused.”

“She’s mine, mom. She’s my mate. I can already feel the binding drawing me to claim her. I won’t leave her. I can’t. You have to understand.”

Rosanne sighed into his head. “I do. God help me, I do.”

“I think you should consider taking her to your place,” his father added.

“Already planning on it. As soon as she gets off the phone.” He watched her staring at him while she waited for her parents to pick up the phone.

His father spoke again. “I’ve communicated with the Arcadian Council. There have been a few accidental conversions in our lifetime. None with malicious intent like this, but the results should be the same.”

“And?”

Bernard, as the pack leader, had the ability to communicate telepathically with far more shifters than his own family members. He could reach out to the leader of the Tarben pack and also the Arcadian Council. Isaiah didn’t envy him the ability. It was both a blessing and a curse. His head would be constantly filled with rambling politics. “The shift from a scratch would leave her without a pack technically. The scratch itself won’t bind her to the Tarbens. It will force her to shift, but there was no transfer of Jack’s fluids to her, so she won’t automatically become a member of their pack.”

“That’s a small relief. Not that it would matter since I intend to bind her to me at the first opportunity.”

His father sighed. “Please don’t be hasty, Isaiah. Make sure you allow her free will.”

“Trust me. It won’t be an issue. I can see her fighting the draw as strongly as I am even in her human form.”

His mother spoke again. “That’s irrational, Isaiah. Humans aren’t capable of experiencing the need to bind with a bear shifter.”

“You don’t know that. Just because it hasn’t happened to your knowledge, doesn’t mean it isn’t possible. Besides, maybe she’s already succumbing to some parts of the change. That would explain her reaction to me.”

What he knew was how strongly he affected her. Her pheromones filled his nose. As did her arousal. Her body came alive when he touched her. If he had let his fingers stray another inch closer to her pussy, he had no doubt she would have come.

His cock was so stiff, it threatened a revolt.

Finally, Heather spoke. “Mom… Yeah, I’m fine. Just a sprained ankle.” She held Isaiah’s gaze. “I know, Mom. It was a dumb move… You’re right. I shouldn’t hike alone.”

Isaiah couldn’t keep himself from smiling slightly. He had to agree with her mom on that point.

“I’m at a cabin in the mountains. Well, it’s not really a cabin.” She glanced around, smirking. “More like a rural mansion.”

Isaiah chuckled as she made her observation.

Heather’s eyes went wide.

What? Does she think I have no sense of humor?

“Anyway, I don’t have cell service here, so you won’t be able to reach me. It’s pretty spotty even in town until I switch to a local carrier… I will, Mom… Yeah… In a few days…” She rolled her eyes. “Okay, what did you need to tell me about Clara?”

Isaiah smiled at her and then tuned her out while she listened to her mom. His brain was running full speed. One thought hovering in the back of his mind made him nervous. Why on earth had he reacted so strongly to her scent from the moment the park warden popped the lock on her car door and opened it? If he was honest, he had known even then she was his.

But that made no sense. What did it mean? Did it mean Fate was ahead of herself and had already plotted Heather would be scratched and forced into the change?

That was the most asinine idea he’d ever had. Fate didn’t operate that way. She didn’t interfere in bear lives to such a great extent. Did She?

His people knew about other shifters. They had dealings over the years, especially with wolves. The wolves’ lives were, without a doubt, controlled by a power greater than themselves. They occasionally selected a mate of their own free will, but often Fate arranged the meeting for them.

Bears didn’t function under the same rigidity. They met someone, fell in love, and then bound themselves to their mate. The process was simple. It had nothing specifically to do with sex or penetration. It was all in the bite and the secretions that transferred from one bear to the other in his or her saliva.

Either partner could bind the other in such a way. The result was the same. Often both partners liked to sink their teeth into the other as a show of their mutual commitment to the binding, but it wasn’t necessary. It didn’t even have to be consensual, unfortunately.

Was there a power controlling these actions? Isaiah never would have believed it…until today.

Heather Simmons was his. He’d known it since that morning. He’d run like he was on fire to find her as quickly as possible. When he first saw her, she took his breath away. He’d known definitively at that moment. Even before she lifted her gaze to meet his.

Her small frame made him ache to reach for her, grab her off the ground, and haul her into his embrace. But Jack had been stalking her, and Isaiah had no choice but to deal with the threat first.

Was there any chance in hell that Isaiah had subconsciously willed Jack to scratch Heather? Or perhaps Isaiah hadn’t been forceful enough to prevent the attack?

He shook the notion from his head. He would drive himself mad otherwise.

But the truth was, without Jack’s interference, without him reaching out to rip through Heather’s jacket, shirt, and skin with his claw, Isaiah would not be sitting on his parents’ couch holding the woman who would be his mate for life.

There weren’t other alternatives. Shifters were forbidden from intentionally changing a human. Not even someone they felt drawn to mate with. It was unheard of. Against Arcadian law.

If Jack hadn’t sunk his claws into Heather’s arm, she would already be down the mountain, moving on with her life.

And Isaiah would have been left to suffer through the weird pull to claim her alone. The penalty for biting a human was severe. Although until today, there had been no incidences of a shifter intentionally changing a human for a very long time.

“Isaiah?” Her soft voice yanked him out of his head. Her face was cocked to one side, and her eyes were narrowed. “Where were you?”

“Thinking.” He noticed the phone in her lap and nodded toward it. “Everything good?”

“Yeah. My mom is pissed. She thinks I shouldn’t have been hiking alone.”

He lifted a brow. “She’s right, you know.”

She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “Not you too. I don’t even know a single person in Canada, let along Alberta. I just got here two days ago, and I intend to make the most of the next two weeks before I start my job.”

He set his hand on her shoulder and stroked a lock of her hair. Touching her like this was both necessary and intense. He couldn’t stop himself, but every time he made contact with any part of her skin, hair, or even her clothes, his cock stiffened. “What’s the job?”

She nodded. “I’m a glaciologist. I’ll be working for the government, studying the effects of the increasing recession of the Athabasca Glacier. I wanted some time to explore the area first.” She glanced down at her ankle. “Looks like I just ruined my own vacation.” She moaned as if she’d just that moment realized the implications of her injured ankle.

He had news for her. She would be back on her feet in no time. How long? He had no way of knowing for sure how soon she would undergo the change or how long it would take. He didn’t even know what was entailed. Would it hurt? There were apparently few examples to draw upon for information.

“You never know,” he stated. “Maybe it’s not as bad as it seems.” Her ankle was swollen and hot to the touch. It was probably worse than it seemed, but what she didn’t know was that shifters healed easily and quickly. As soon as she made the first transformation to bear form, she would undoubtedly be healed.

He lowered his gaze to her ankle, realizing he still held the now wet towel over it. As he jerked the terrycloth away and set it on the floor, he noticed her ankle was more swollen than it had been before.

She wiggled her toes and flinched. “Maybe it’s worse.” She tugged on the front of her shirt next. “Is it hot in here?”

He jerked his gaze back to hers and then set the back of his hand against her forehead. She had a fever. “Dad, you think she would have a fever?” he asked silently.

“Yes. Though I’m surprised it would happen this quickly.”

“It’s happening. I’m going to get her out of here.”

His father stepped back into the room, his mother right behind him. They looked concerned, their gazes on Heather.

“I’m going to take her to my place,” Isaiah announced for her benefit.

His mother chewed on her lower lip and then released it. “You think that’s the best idea?”

Isaiah lifted Heather’s legs off his lap and held them as he wiggled out from under her and then set them back on the couch. Although it was painful to release her, he knew he would have more opportunities to hold her as soon as he got her to his house. “It’s the only idea, Mom.”

She nodded.

Heather cleared her throat. “We’re going somewhere else?” Her face paled further as she tipped her head back. “Why?”

“It gets hectic around here. My house will be quieter. You can rest. Heal. Get back on your feet,” he stated.

She sat frozen, licking her lips.

He knew she had a thousand concerns. In fact, he couldn’t wait until he could hear each and every one of them clearly in his head. It would be so much easier than trying to guess her thoughts. But for now, he needed to get her out of this house. He had no idea what sort of timeframe they had before she would experience the change and all that it entailed.

Rosanne held out a bag Isaiah hadn’t realized she carried into the living room. “Some clothes. They’ll be too big but better than nothing.”

Isaiah took the bag and swung it over his shoulder. “Where’s Wyatt?”

“He’s out back,” his father said.

Isaiah glanced down at Heather’s backpack. “Do you have the key to your motel in there?”

“Yes.”

“How about if I have my brother go pick up your things? That way you’ll have your own clothes to wear.”

She hesitated and then nodded. “Okay. I think most of my stuff is all inside the suitcases anyway.” She sat up straighter, swinging her legs over the side of the couch. “Really, this isn’t necessary. I can just go to a doctor and then back to my motel. You don’t have to put yourself out for me. I’ll be fine.”

He could sense her unease, and he couldn’t blame her. He’d only managed to convince her to stay with him a few minutes ago, and already he was altering that plan. He’d led her to believe she would stay here in his parents’ home, and now he tweaked the proposal a bit. Any sane woman would be nervous about going to a stranger’s house to convalesce alone with him.

She placed her foot on the floor and put slight pressure on it.

He let her for the sake of proving his point. She needed help.

She winced, and her shoulders fell. And then she reached down and extracted her key from a side pocket. She set it on the seat next to her. Her hesitation was obvious as she tucked her shoe in the backpack.

Isaiah’s mother picked up on it, too. She cleared her throat. “Isaiah’s right. His house is quieter. You’ll be able to sleep peacefully there. You must be exhausted. I’ll stop by later. Or maybe send Joselyn to make sure you’re doing okay.”

“Okay. If you’re sure.” She turned to face Isaiah. “I don’t want to put you out.”

“Positive.” He turned toward his dad, mentally giving a victory fist pump. “Can I borrow your car?”

“Of course. I’ll pick it up later.”

“Oh, crap, my car,” Heather said. “It’s at the base of the path. You think it will get towed?”

Isaiah’s father spoke again. “I’ll move it or Wyatt can.”

“Thanks,” Heather whispered. “You are all so kind.” She pulled the car key from her bag and set it with the motel key.

Isaiah hoisted her backpack over the same arm as the bag of clothes his mother handed him. He then bent down, tucked an arm under Heather’s knees, and lifted her into his arms.

Instantly his heart beat faster, though at the same time part of him calmed. She belonged in his arms. Holding her felt right. Perfect. Fated?

He headed for the front door. “Okay, we’ll get going. Let me know when Wyatt thinks he can get to my place with her things.”

His father nodded. “Be careful.” He stepped around Isaiah and opened the front door. And then he spoke silently into Isaiah’s head again. “The council is concerned. They’re meeting right now.”

“Concerned about what?”

“The implications of a human finding out about us.”

“She won’t be human for long.”

“Yes, but that opens a whole slew of possibilities.”

Isaiah stepped through the doorway, half hearing his mother speak softly to Heather who responded in kind. “Like what, Dad? Are they afraid she’ll tell someone?”

“Precisely.”

“Well, she won’t have the opportunity for the time being. And we’ll cross that bridge after she shifts.”

His father sounded worried as he continued to communicate. “I’ll express that to the council. But do me a favor. Don’t leave your house. Not for any reason. I’ll use that as an excuse to buy you some time, but son…”

Isaiah turned around before stepping down from the porch and faced his father. “What?”

“I don’t like the vibe I’m getting from the Arcadians. This is totally unprecedented. Causing a human to change is forbidden. I’m not sure what they may decide.”

“Decide? About what? I didn’t do this. Jack Tarben did. They can take up their issues with him.”

His father shook his head. “I’m not worried about anyone laying blame on you, but they may insist you turn her over.”

Isaiah spun around and hurried down the stairs, realizing Heather would be wondering why he was standing on the porch in silence, staring at his father. “That’s fucked up,” he communicated as he headed for his dad’s truck. “They can go to hell. She’s not leaving my sight. They can take her away over my dead body.”

“Isaiah?” Heather’s voice was soft.

“It’s okay, baby,” he murmured close to her face. What else was he supposed to say?

She would understand everything soon enough.