“Got a little singed did ya?”
Bear growled at him, then swung his head towards Kenzi then back, growling again.
“Hey buddy, I’ve got a mate. I don’t even see yours, don’t worry,” Cage said softly, his Alpha voice rumbling behind it to reassure the bear.
“Has he been like this the whole time,” Cage asked Mackenzie.
“Yes, I figured he was just waiting to shift back. Then I fell asleep. He’s quite the snuggler in bear form. Human, not so much,” she said with a laugh.
“Well how about you shift now so you can tell me just what went down today,” Cage requested of Conner.
Bear raised his head and swung it side to side in a clear no.
Cage’s eyebrow shot up. “No huh? Is that Conner saying no, or you?” He looked deep into the animal’s eyes.
Whatever he saw got him laughing.
“What’s so funny,” Mackenzie asked, clearly not on the same page as the brothers.
“He can’t shift; his animal has him pushed so far back all he can do is wait him out. I’ve heard about this before. Animals being denied too long, they finally get fed up and take over. Sometimes for hours, sometimes days. I know Conner won’t tell you this, but since he’s not here to tell me not to, I will. Conner and his bear need to work some things out. Things that have been festering for a long time, by my guess.”
This declaration was met with an agreeing rumble from the bear in her lap.
“I’m assuming you, like the rest of us, have never thought of fighting your other half. They are too much a part of us. Conner has been fighting his true self his whole life from the sounds of it. Now it’s time to pay the piper,” Cage explained.
Mackenzie was more than a little confused by all of this. How did one not get along with the other half of their soul?
“How about I take Mackenzie back down the mountain, make sure she’s safe and warm at the cabin. You and Conner come down when you’ve worked things out huh,” Cage asked the animal.
Bear sat up on his haunches and assessed him. Coming to some kind of decision, he leaned his head into Kenzi’s and gave her a push.
“I guess that means it’s my time to go,” she said laughing. She was more than a little concerned that Conner wasn’t in control enough to shift into his human skin. But then she’d never heard of someone’s animal having to stage a coup either.
“I’ll head out and shift. I’ll be just into the wood line so you can shift in private. We’ll head down together,” Cage offered graciously.
Mackenzie nodded, thankful to not strut around naked as a jaybird in front of her mate’s brother. Nudity was a reality, but one still needed a little courtesy in these situations.
Cage stopped and looked at the big bear again. “Conner, I know you can hear me in there. Figure your shit out, that’s an order,” he finished with a growl.
Turning he walked out of the cave leaving Mackenzie with Conner.
“I really hope this helps. I’ve been waiting thirty-eight years to find my mate. I’m tired of waiting. I want to start my life, my family, and I want to do that with you,” she said sadly. She gave bear another head butt as she stood, then left the cave to follow Cage home.
Chapter 12
Darkness fell and Conner’s bear was not budging. He’d tried to shift back too many times to count. Although he considered the possibility that if he shifted to human, his bear wouldn’t shift back to run them down the mountain. But that was a risk he was willing to take.
Instead, they sat in the cold cave. Not that they were cold, the bear was enjoying the cool night air, the smell of the forest, he was in his element. Conner knew that his animal needed this, could feel the peace radiating from him being out in the open.
He’d denied him that. He knew it was shitty. It’s not like his animal knew he was picking a dud at the time.
Conner thought back to all the times his bear had just wanted to run. Feel the wind on his face, splash in the stream, or sharpen his claws on a tree. Out of spite, Conner would go days or weeks before shifting. His animal would start out complaining, then would get quieter as the days went by.
Fuck, he was an asshole, he thought.
But it was his life, he tried to argue. It should be his choice, when and where and with whom. What did his bear know about women? What did his bear know about cougars?
Bear took the opportunity to show him some of the things he saw. In his mind flashed the picture of golden curls whenever Kenzi tilted her head. The warm scent of sunshine when she walked past them. Her laugh when Sophie or Jinger said something funny. The looks she’d throw their way, when Conner was trying to ignore her. His animal saw it all, took all of it in. He saw her, when Conner didn’t.