Gray Back Bad Bear(41)

Matt’s teeth sank into her shoulder. Burning, blinding pain consumed her for a moment as he clamped down and cut into muscle, and then he released her, and the ache lessened. Cleaning her gently with river water, he told her, “You’re mine now, Willa, and I’m yours. I’ll protect you from now until the end of my life. I don’t have much, but you can have all of it. All of me.”

She relaxed back against him as happiness flooded her veins. I don’t have much. He had more than enough for her.

Matt kissed her earlobe and opened his mouth to say something more, but someone whooped and splashed into the water right beside them.

Jason popped up near Willa and grinned. “Hey Gray Back Badass.”

She washed the tears from her cheeks. “More like Gray Back Bad Bear.”

“Please,” he muttered, kicking away with a splash. “All Gray Backs are bad bears. Wear that title with pride.”

Matt laughed from behind her and splashed Jason. Clinton swung from the rope swing and tucked his body into a ball. His canon ball wave dumped over them. When he came up for air, he said, “Hey, remember that time this girl no bigger than a kid turned into a monster bear and kicked all of our asses?”

“I told you,” Creed said from where he was sitting on the beach. “C team.”

“Not C team anymore,” Clinton argued. “Everyone will be jealous. If Willa is part of our crew, we have a dominant badass chick to add to our already substantial awesomeness.”

“Who can cook gumbo,” Jason added with a teasing smile.

The boys seemed happy, excited even, but she’d only been a bear for half a day and had just tried to kill and eat one of their own, like a psychopath. Sarcastically, Willa muttered, “You’re all so lucky.”

“We are,” Easton said from the trees. He was leaning heavily on a towering spruce, his eyes averted.

If she didn’t have her new bear hearing, she would’ve missed his soft admission.

“Better get a towel on if you don’t want everyone to see you naked,” Creed called from the shore where he held up what looked like a cartoon turtle beach towel.

“Hate to break it to you, but everyone has already seen me naked. No use in hiding my teeny ta-tas now.”

“Yes, our crew has, but unless you want the other crews to see you, I’d suggest you hurry scurry. I’ve called our friends and they live close.”

Matt grinned and kissed her, then swam her to the bank and carried her out of the water.

“What friends?” Willa asked.

“You’ll see,” Matt whispered against her ear.

Creed settled the towel around her shoulders and sighed. He gripped her shoulders and slowly pressed his forehead against hers. “Welcome to my crew.”

Clinton, dripping wet with a grin on his face, did the same and pressed his forehead to hers. “Welcome to the Gray Backs.”

Jason followed. “Welcome to the new A team, Gray Back Badass.”

Matt kissed her forehead for a long time. “Welcome home…” His smile lifted his lips, then faded. “Mate.”

She gripped his wrists and squeezed her eyes tightly closed, absorbing the hope she’d thought she’d lost. Maybe she wasn’t broken after all. Maybe she could be a better version of herself here, if she worked hard enough.

She turned to Easton, who hadn’t moved from his place by the trees. From the way he was hunched over in pain, he likely couldn’t move well. Approaching slowly, she hoped he didn’t hate her.

“You said you were sorry for hurting me,” he murmured as she squared up in front of him.

“I am.”

He looked up at her, green eyes full of remorse and sadness. “It’s I who am sorry, Willa. I didn’t realize it was wrong. I liked that you were nice to me, and I didn’t want you to go away. My selfishness hurt you. I’m sorrier than you’ll ever know.”

Willa tried to smile, but she was too emotional. “Welcome me home then, and I’ll think about forgiving you someday.”

Tenderly, Easton, her maker, stood straight and cupped her face. Leaning his forehead against hers, he whispered, “I welcome you home, Second.” He eased back and angled his head at a crowd of people traveling up the bank of the river. “Now go on. You have more people to meet.”

Baffled at the large number of people gathering by Matt, she padded toward them. A blond-haired woman stood at the front, tears rimming her eyes. “Is it true?” she asked Matt thickly. “Have you found her?”

Matt nodded and pulled Willa against his side. “Cassie, this is my mate, Willa. Willa, this is my sister, Cassie.”

The woman pulled them both in close. She was crying, shoulders shaking with quiet sobs. “I always hoped he’d find you.”