The Bear's Reluctant Mate (Uncontrollable Shift Book Three) Read online

  Three males pushed forward, the ones who’d participated in the previous alpha challenge that he’d won: Braden, Fredrik, and Saul, all wearing dark looks on their faces. His bear snarled at them as they approached.

  “You can’t take a human female as your mate and remain alpha,” Braden said. He folded his arms over his chest and glared at Cruz.

  Cruz tapped into his bear to give the weight of his beast to the authority of the position. He was alpha for a reason. “There’s nothing in our laws that determine who a male takes as a mate. That she’s human is of no consequence.”

  “It is to us!” Fredrik said, his eyes flashing darkly. “We don’t want a human in our clan.”

  Tomlin growled lowly behind Cruz.

  “It’s not up to you,” Cruz said. “I’m alpha and I’m the law. I rightfully won the position.”

  “We challenge you,” Saul said, taking a menacing step forward.

  “We call a battle for alpha,” Braden said. “If one of us wins, you take your human and disappear. We don’t want humans in our clan.”

  “You don’t speak for the clan,” Cruz’s father shouted as he pushed his way through. “Who a bear chooses as a mate shouldn’t change anything. Cruz is alpha. We should be celebrating, not attempting to oust him.”

  Braden snarled and bared his teeth at Oscar. “When I win, you can leave, too.”

  Cruz glanced at Tomlin.

  “I’ve got your back,” Tomlin said. “They can fight me first. We can declare line of succession.”

  In the clan laws, the alpha’s second could step in and fight on his alpha’s behalf. Any challengers who beat the second, could then fight the alpha. But Cruz wasn’t about to let his brother fight these assholes first when they were coming after Cruz because of Juliette.

  Cruz put his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You’re a good male. But this is my fight. If I don’t stand up for Juliette now, she’ll never be accepted.”

  “Put them down,” Tomlin said, nodding in understanding.

  Cruz roared, a furious sound that echoed through the territory. His bear was pissed. Who were these males to not accept his mate? His bear wanted blood and apologies.

  The clan quieted. In the silence that Cruz let hang for a moment, he stared at each challenger, letting them see that he was deadly serious. “When I win, you’ll apologize to me, the clan, and my mate when she joins us. If you behave in any way other than reverently toward her as alpha female, I will skin you alive and toss you in the lake.” He paused, letting the intention of his words settle on the males. “If you still choose to fight for position, understand that I mean to keep my mate and position by any means necessary.”

  Tomlin stepped off the porch and shouted at the clan to clear a space. As Cruz watched the clan back up, leaving the three males in the center of an open section of the yard, it reminded him of when he’d fought for the position before. He’d wanted to be alpha since he was young, and he’d looked at fighting his way through the males who also wanted the position as stepping stones. But now, as he jerked his shirt over his head and dropped it to the porch, he saw the males for what they’d become – a threat to his mate. He hadn’t even mated her properly yet. But he knew by looking at their faces what their thoughts were toward a human mate. If they didn’t accept Juliette, they could potentially harm her or cause her to dislike being with Cruz, and that was something he wouldn’t allow. She was precious to him, and when they mated, he wanted her to be honored in the clan as alpha female. She would win them over on her own because she was amazing, but he would pave the way for her.

  Brutally.

  He jumped off the porch, landing solidly, and strode to the center of the clearing. He faced the males and cracked his neck.

  “The rules are the same,” Tomlin said, “as any sanctioned fight for alpha. No shifting. When a male is unconscious or taps out, his fight is over. The last male standing is the rightful alpha and can choose to remove the losers from the clan for the duration of their lives, or graciously allow them to remain. Any questions?”

  Saul rolled his shoulders, his eyes narrowing. “No.”

  Braden whipped his shirt off and tossed it to his mate. Cruz was surprised by the smile on Bethany’s face. She didn’t seem worried that her mate would lose the battle again, even though in the previous alpha fight, he’d been the first out. Both of them worked at the club, which made Cruz wonder if Braden had simply been biding his time and looking for an opportunity to challenge. And three against one was better than one on one for certain.

  Not that it mattered to Cruz.

  Fredrik and Braden both stated their understanding of the terms of the battle. Cruz glanced at his brother and nodded sharply, settling into a low stance and drawing on the power of his bear. He wasn’t alpha because he was the nicest male or the best speaker. He’d fought for it. Bled for it.

  These circumstances, while similar to when he’d taken over before, were inherently different. They weren’t just questioning his ability to be alpha, they were suggesting he and his bear had made the wrong choice in Juliette. And that pissed him off more than anything else.

  Tomlin let out a roar to start the fight. Cruz didn’t bother waiting for the others to make the first move. He launched at them, taking two of the three down like bowling pins. The ground shook as he landed on them, their breaths gusting from their mouths with pained wheezes. Swinging his legs around, he took out Saul, whose head cracked loudly on the ground when he landed.

  Cruz rose to his feet, and ensured Saul was out of the fight with a well-placed kick to the side of the head, rendering him unconscious.

  The air moved behind Cruz, and he ducked, narrowly missing Fredrik’s fist. Cruz caught his wrist and pulled the male around to his chest, holding him captive with his arm twisted tightly behind his back. Fredrik dropped to his knees with a grunt and Cruz continued to pull up on his wrist, making the male’s elbow twist at an odd angle.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Cruz saw Braden rise to his feet. He swung Fredrik around, the male’s head catching the blow intended for Cruz. The force of the blow caused Fredrik’s arm to crack loudly, and the male let out a strangled grunt and dropped to the ground, his eyes fluttering as his arm hung limp, bones breaking through the skin.

  Braden’s eyes went wide as he looked at what he’d done to Fredrik, but then he quickly shook himself out of his stupor and rushed toward Cruz. He met him head-on, the two grappling, punching, and cursing. The male landed several good punches to Cruz’s face, splitting his lip and bruising one eye. A rib cracked loudly as Braden’s fist connected repeatedly with his side, and Cruz snarled, dropping to one knee, and pulling Braden over his shoulder to end his assault. The male landed on his back, momentarily stunned, and Cruz wrapped an arm around his throat and squeezed. Braden clawed at Cruz’s arm, his face turning bright red as he struggled to breathe.

  “Stop, please!” Bethany shouted. She took a step forward, but Tomlin stopped her.

  Cruz glared at the female and increased the pressure.

  “If you step into the clearing, you’ll be fighting Cruz,” Tomlin warned, putting a hand on her shoulder. “An alpha fight doesn’t discriminate between males and females.”

  “He’s going to kill him!” she cried out.

  “He should die,” Tomlin said. “He’s a bigot and an asshole. But Cruz won’t kill him for this, you know he won’t. Unlike your male, our alpha is a male of honor.”

  Braden’s struggles weakened until he went limp in Cruz’s hold. He waited to ensure the male was well and truly passed out, and then released him, setting the male on the ground and checking his pulse.

  Blood was streaming down Cruz’s arms, but the deep scratches would heal quickly thanks to his enhanced shifter genes.

  “Anyone else care to test me?” Cruz asked, rising to his feet. He let his gaze scan the crowd, daring anyone to step toward him. His bear rolled under his skin and he let out a furious roar. One by one, the clan members droppe
d to their knees – male, female, and child – and lowered their heads in deference to him. As he’d fought years earlier, he was victorious once more.

  Tomlin joined him by his side and asked, “Exile or remain?”

  Cruz looked at the three unconscious males on the ground. Only Braden was mated, so he caught Bethany’s gaze. “Any reason why I should kick you and your male out?”

  She looked at him fully, her shoulders hunched and her cheeks wet with tears. “No, Alpha. We accept you and your mate.”

  “No one has the right to choose another’s mate or question their choice,” he said loudly. “If you have a problem with my human mate, then you have a problem with me. You can fight me, or you can leave, but I will have my mate respected as alpha female. Any who come against her, come against me. She is to be protected and revered as if she is one of us, because she is.”

  The clan lifted their heads and met his gaze, and he could see that while there was still some wariness, the clan agreed. He expected it would take time for them to come to terms with having a human alpha, but at least everyone now understood how far he’d go to protect her.

  “Take the injured to the healer,” Cruz said. “Under guard.”

  Tomlin nodded and called out the names of a handful of males, who gathered up the combatants and carried them off toward the healer’s home. Cruz dismissed the clan and turned toward the house, his parents joining him. His adrenaline ebbed, and it was tempting to just fall into bed and sleep for a long while, but there was work to be done at the club.

  “I’m going to clean up and head to The Den.”

  “How about a nice steak? Extra rare?” His mother asked.

  “That sounds great, thanks.”

  His father squeezed his shoulder. “I’m proud of you for standing up for yourself and your female. She’s lucky to have you by her side.”

  “I’m the lucky one, Dad,” he said. “Trust me.”

  “Mated males always are,” his mother said with a wink.

  Chapter 10

  Juliette toyed with her favorite pen as she stared at the computer screen. She’d written more in the last twenty-four hours than she had in the previous few days, surpassing her goals. It was only Thursday and she’d finished what she’d planned to write by the end of the week, accomplishing her goal to be work-free for her time at Cruz’s home.

  Closing her computer, she grabbed her pen and headed into the kitchen where she made a sandwich and sat at the counter. She opened the clan book that Cruz had brought for her, turning to the law section. When she’d finished working yesterday, she’d started reading the book and hadn’t been able to stop until well after midnight.

  The history of the alphas was fascinating, from one who’d rescued his mate from a natural bear attack, to another who’d faced a dozen males during a battle for the top position. A lot of the laws were common sense – a clan member was not supposed to try to separate a mated pair; children were to be protected by every clan member; and no one was to shift outside of the territory unless it was in self-defense. She’d been looking specifically for anything in the laws about a human being the alpha female, and there wasn’t. The only time the alpha female was mentioned in the laws related to her being protected by the clan and honored for the position. When the alpha died or stepped down from the position, the female was no longer alpha either.

  She finished reading through the laws, and she kept coming back to the one about the alpha female. She was in a strange position. Not only was she embarking on a new relationship with Cruz, but because of the bracelet and her acceptance of his request to be his mate, by their own laws she was technically the alpha female. Once they were mated, which according to the laws was when they consummated their mating and had little to do with the mating ceremony itself – she would officially be alpha female. She’d never been the boss of anyone before, and shifters were far stronger than her. But Cruz had won his battle as alpha, and females didn’t have to fight for the position.

  It was nearly three in the afternoon when she finished reading through the book, her mind swimming with the clan’s history and laws. What continued to intrude on her studies was Cruz, who never strayed far from her thoughts. Getting to spend time with him on Wednesday hadn’t eased any of the fires of her need to be with him, and had only made her miss him more. She decided that since he’d surprised her with a visit, she was going to surprise him. From their text conversations earlier that day, she knew he was working at the club. Heading to the bathroom, she turned on the shower and tugged her hair free of the band that kept it in a ponytail. While showering and drying her hair, she grew more excited with the prospect of seeing him. He was the most thoughtful man she’d ever met. The tote he’d brought the day before had contained not only the clan’s book, but a little stuffed bear, a jar of blackberry honey which she’d enjoyed on toast for breakfast, a container of the most amazing trail mix she’d ever tasted, and a keychain dangling with a sparkly bear paw. The note inside the tote had said he’d put a copy of his house key on the keychain when she was ready for one.

  After she dressed in her favorite pair of jeans and a fitted tank in dark green, she put on a pair of ankle boots and checked her makeup. After giving herself one final look in the mirror over the sink, she grabbed her makeup bag and headed into the main room to put it with her things. Along with a few changes of clothes and toiletries, she packed her laptop, notebook, and favorite pen. Since she was meeting him a day before their official first date, she’d packed a dress and heels so they could still go out for dinner Friday night. But she didn’t care what they did as long as they were together.

  By the time she reached the club, the sun had set and she was glad the long drive was over. The parking lot was half full, and when she turned off the engine she could hear the thump of music from inside the building. A neon sign on the roof declared the name in bright red letters. She grabbed her keys, wallet, and phone and got out of the car. Her pulse was pounding as she approached the doors of the club. Readying her ID, she pulled the door open and stepped inside.

  A man and a woman were by the doors. The man was sitting on a stool and scowling and the woman was whispering in his ear. They both stared at her for a long moment. She wasn’t sure if he was the bouncer, or if she could just head to the bar to ask for Cruz. She didn’t want to simply barge into his office while he was working.

  “Hi,” she said tentatively.

  “ID?” the man asked, sticking out his hand.

  She handed it to him and he looked at it, flashed it to the woman, and they both growled at Juliette.

  “Is something wrong?” Juliette asked as she took back her card.

  He sneered. “You’re far from home, human. Your kind aren’t welcome here.”

  “Excuse me? This is a bar. Anyone can come in here. Besides, I know your alpha.”

  The woman brayed out a laugh. “Oh, throwing around big words, huh? You know nothing about our kind. Humans aren’t welcome here, period. Get gone or we’ll make you leave.”

  “I know Cruz,” Juliette said. “You’re wrong about me not being welcome here and I know he would be angry to hear you speak to me that way.”

  “You’re a nothing-bit of human,” the man said.

  The woman tsked. “I know what this is about.” She elbowed the man. “She’s the pathetic human that Cruz tried to use for publicity for the bar.”

  “Right, right,” the man said.

  “No,” Juliette said. But deep inside her, doubt began to creep in.

  “It’s true,” the woman said. “The bar is going under. He wanted to use you for some free marketing, and probably a quick fuck, too.”

  Juliette wrapped her hand around her wrist, feeling the weight of the bracelet. Lifting her wrist, she flashed it at them. “This says I’m his mate.”

  “It says you’re a fool who’ll believe any lies you hear.”

  “I want to speak to Cruz,” Juliette said, fighting the tears that stung her eyes.

>   “Take a hint, human,” the man said. “Males don’t mate humans, they fuck them and leave. You’re embarrassing yourself.”

  The woman moved to the door and grasped Juliette’s upper arm, opening the door and shoving her outside. Juliette stumbled and nearly fell, catching herself on a concrete post. The couple’s laughter was slowly dampened as the door to the club closed. For a long moment, she leaned heavily against the post, feeling the rough, cool stone against her skin. She felt utterly humiliated, and no matter how hard she tried to hold them back, a few tears escaped and ran down her cheeks. She’d never felt so low in her life, the couple’s words echoing in her mind.

  Then she frowned.

  Cruz had never mentioned needing to promote the bar. She wasn’t sure how she would’ve been able to help him anyway, but didn’t she believe he was the sort of man who would’ve asked her outright for help if he needed it? He’d given her a book of his people’s history and laws and made a special bracelet for her declaring his intentions. She’d seen that woman’s eyes dart to the bracelet, so she had to know what it meant. If Cruz was trying to use Juliette, he wouldn’t have gone to the trouble to give her his clan’s history and help her learn more about him and his kind.

  Cruz wouldn’t send someone else, especially two strangers, to tell her to take a hike. Which meant there was something else going on with the two at the door, and it wasn’t simply a misunderstanding. She recalled one of the alpha’s stories she’d read, about a man who found his mate in a polar bear shifter. Because she was so different from their clan, she wasn’t accepted at first. She was shunned and ridiculed for the color of her fur, even though she was far deadlier than any of the other bears. The source of the ridicule was a female in the clan who had anticipated the alpha choosing her as his mate. She’d gone out of her way to try to drive his mate away, but the polar bear hadn’t been fooled. She’d gone after the female and brought her before the alpha and asked him to exile the female and ensure she never caused trouble for them again. The alpha had complied, kicking out the female and her entire family from the clan and declaring their lives forfeit if they ever stepped foot inside the territory for the duration of their lives.