AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Luther stared down at his hand for a moment before looking briefly to Espie, who nodded. Her mate clasped hands with her brother, who offered his apologies in a way that actually sounded sincere.
“You were just doing what was best for your clan,” Luther told him, although he didn’t sound or look to be as comfortable being in Miguel’s company as Espie would have liked. No matter. That would all come with time, and this was a good start.
When they broke apart, Luther stuffed his hands into his pockets and said, “I’m rarely accepted by bear clans. I’ve moved around a lot, and bears don’t like strangers in their territory. They tend not to trust those who aren’t affiliated with anybody.”
“No clan, no one to hold you responsible for your action,” Miguel offered, to which Luther nodded. While Espie would have loved to just throw herself in the middle and take charge of their conversation, she held back. She knew they needed to settle their differences on their own.
“That’s it exactly,” Luther said. “A few lone bears gave the rest of us a bad name.” Luther took a few steps away from the house. “Violet is at Genica’s. I thought it best to leave her with someone who is more capable of caring for her until I can move around a little better. You pack a mean punch, alpha. I gotta give you that much.”
“Yeah, but you took it,” Miguel pointed out. “Not everybody could.”
“Do you guys want to come in?” he asked, giving Espie a kiss on her cheek as she came to stand at his side.
“Sure,” Miguel agreed.
While Luther grabbed Miguel a beer, Espie made herself comfortable on the couch. Miguel preferred to stand, apparently, and soon got straight to the point. “It appears Vesper has led us on a wild goose chase. From everything that Espie and Maria were able to dig up, it seems like he’s been demolishing small towns like Angel Fire all over the country in the name of environmental activism. But it you ask me, he seems like he’s just a straight-up psychopath.”
Luther smirked. “You won’t get any argument from me.”
“But whether he is or isn’t, it wasn’t fair of me or the clan to look for ways to pin the blame on you,” Miguel added after taking a sip of his beer. He held up the bottle for a moment as if appraising Luther’s choice, then sighed. “We should have looked harder. We relied on our prejudices about lone shifters, and that clouded our judgment. For that, I’m sorry.”
“Hey, it’s okay, man. I—”
“And as for yesterday,” Miguel continued, a little louder this time. “I shouldn’t have… It was a rash move. I’m not the kind of guy who throws a punch before asking a question. So, I’m sorry for that, too, especially with knowing now that you have a cub.”
To that, Luther merely gave a curt nod, not so readily willing to forgive her brother for that part—or so it would seem. Espie swallowed her desire to object, and just took a deep breath. Time would heal all things. It had to become her new mantra if she was going to stay sane in all this.
“Now, we need to talk about what we’re going to do about Vesper,” Luther started, but Miguel cut him off with a wave of his hand. Espie’s breath caught in her throat. This was the moment she had been waiting for since she realized she was falling in love—hard-- with Luther: it was an invitation to officially join their lives together.
“We won’t be doing anything just yet,” her big brother insisted. “At least, not until you join the clan. It’s the only way that the others will be even remotely on board with you and I working together.”
Luther straightened, and Espie’s inner grizzly stilled, sensing the discomfort in her mate.
“But how—”
“The alpha can initiate anyone he wants into the clan,” Miguel explained. “I’m here to formally offer you a position in our family for as long as you want it. And since you’re my sister’s fated mate, I suspect that’ll be for a long time.” He paused, lips spreading into a small smile. “And after all she’s told me about you, we’d be proud to have you.”
“I can’t do anything without my daughter.” Espie’s core tightened with desire at the fierceness in Luther’s tone. She never would have thought an overly protective mate was something she would find desirable, but hearing him talk about his daughter was positively swoon-worthy.
“She would of course be welcome, too. Many cubs, human and bear, are members of our clan,” Miguel assured him. “No one treats them any differently. Violet will grow up with a huge family who will protect her to the death, if need be.”
Espie noted the way Luther blinked rapidly, falling back against the couch as though the weight of the world had finally been lifted off his shoulders. Maybe it had. Unable to help herself, she snuggled in closer and wrapped her arms around him, head nuzzling under his chin. He stroked her back softly, slowly, and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“Do you need time to consider my offer?” Miguel asked, clearly amused with the display.
Luther shook his head. “Not even for a second.”
Miguel’s grin blossomed, and the sight warmed Espie’s heart—but not more than the words that followed.
“Welcome to the clan…brother.”
