It was three days of passionate and pretty much non-stop making love. Conner was in heaven. He learned everything about Lana, physically and mentally, that he could. He could have spent another week locked up in the cabin with her, enjoying her luscious body, but all good things must come to an end. She was the most beautiful person he had ever met—inside and out. Never before could he have imagined being with someone like her. In the past, women only wanted him for his family name. As much as Lana’s name was known and envied—even feared— in the human world, his was in the supernatural communities. His father was the strongest and most powerful Alpha in the United States, and Conner knew he was in line to take over soon.
The knock at the door caused him to jump. His bear growled, wondering who would be pounding on the door. But then Lana opened the door and a woman, who looked much like his mate, only older, stepped into the cabin. She was fiercer looking with colder eyes that held a wisdom, much like his father’s did. This woman knew her shit, and he hadn’t even heard her speak.
She walked in like she owned the place, and her eyes narrowed in on him. He’d gotten up to cook breakfast so he was shirtless. Her eyes traveled over his bare chest, and then she spun and locked onto her daughter with those eyes. He couldn’t see her face, but Lana blushed and beamed.
Couldn’t be bad right?
“Shacking up with the man who killed your stalker, Lana? Really, that is ‘you’re guilty and stupid one-o-one’.”
Lana gasped and looked at him before turning her attention back to her mother. “Mother, shacking up is such a horrible thing to say, and I know how it looks, but it’s not, so really let’s focus on your news. Anything good?”
Conner’s hackles rose. His bear rumbled his unhappiness at what was said and Lana’s emotions rising from nervous to worried and concerned. He didn’t want her worrying about what being with him looked like. Instead of staying quiet, he decided he would stand his ground right away. He had a feeling her mother expected Lana to be with a strong male. Well, he’d show her.
He stepped into the living room and glared at his new in-law. “With all due respect, your daughter and I are not shacking up. She’s my mate and I’m hers. It’s as simple as that. Please don’t insult what we have.”
“Mate?” Her mother asked, then stared him down. She was almost his height which was intimating enough. But Lana wasn’t shitting him when she warned him about her mother.
Damn, the women were tall in the family.
“Yes I’m her mate, and I’m not an ordinary man.” He held out his hand, remembering the manners his mother taught him. “I’m Conner Lawson.”
She took his hand and shook it like any dominant man would have. This woman was the Alpha in Lana’s family. She was strong and fierce, protecting her cub. He couldn’t help but respect her for it. “Lawson? I know that name.”
“You do?” Lana asked, surprised.
“Honey you don’t get as far and deep into the community like I did unless you network. Your father is Graham?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Conner replied.
“You come from a wonderful—” she paused as if trying to say something delicately, “and unique family line.”
Yep, Lana’s mother knew what he was. “Yes we’re werebears.”
She nodded, waving off mention of his other half, and turned back towards her daughter. “I guess now we need to talk.”
They sat on the couch, and she looked at Conner. “Why haven't you contacted your father? He could have had this problem wrapped up even quicker than I could.”
Conner shrugged. “I guess because I don’t want our kind to get under the spotlight. I changed in front of cameras, I assume. That cannot be connected with Graham Lawson. He’d be ruined, and it’d be my fault. I lost control, and it doesn’t need to fall on the rest of my clan. And if I called him, he’d drop what he was doing and fix it for me.”
“I see,” she replied. “Well, to the news first. It’s both good and bad.”
Lana sat on the couch. He sat next to her, grabbing her hand and lacing their fingers together. “Let’s hear it,” she whispered.
“Campbell Marks’s body was not found where you told me it would be.”
“What?” she yelled with wide eyes. “He was bleeding out and not moving.”
“Honey, I don’t know what to say. He was obviously unconscious or something because no one, and I mean no one, has reported him to the police in any way. Not even as a missing person. It’s like he wasn’t there. Another strange thing--there was no blood, no knife, nothing at the scene.”
Conner leaned back, perplexed. He could have sworn Campbell’s heart had stopped beating, but he had snapped into a rage when he saw the man standing over his mate.
“So that means we aren’t going to jail. We’re safe.” Lana smiled, but it faltered at the look on her mother’s face.
“No, it doesn’t mean you’re safe, Lana, it means you need more protection now. There was a break-in at your house. Everything was destroyed, and there was a note on your wall, for heaven’s sake.” Her mother handed her a printed picture:
“You will pay, bitch. I warned you.”
Lana paled, and her body shook. His beast roared. “How is this possible?” he growled, unable to keep his beast in check.
“It makes a little more sense, now that I know who’s involved. You might call your father now, because I think what we are dealing with is more than I can handle. And since my daughter is your mate, I expect you to do whatever you have to, to keep her safe.”
Seemed her mother knew a lot about the supernatural world. He had an idea of what this could be, but he wanted to be sure before he scared the hell out of his mate. His father would be the one to verify it. “You’re right, I’ll call him now.” Conner stood and walked to the room he had been spending all his time in. Lana’s phone was on the bedside table. He picked it up and took a deep breath before dialing his home number.
“Dad, I think we have a real problem. Can I get your help, please?” He told his dad what he had learned.
His dad’s reply: “Get you and your mate to the den now.” End of conversation.