Boarlander Cursed Bear (Boarlander Bears Book 5) (14 page)

“How am I this big already?” Willa groused, resting a plate of loaded fries covered in what smelled like pickle juice onto the swell of her stomach.

Alyssa slurped down the rest of her Long Island Iced Tea. “Not big, just carrying multiples.”

“This is all your fault,” Willa said, pointing an accusing french fry at her mate, Matt.

Matt looked proud as hell as he reclined back on two legs of his chair in Sammy’s bar. “What can I say? My sperm is potent.”

“I want a second opinion,” Willa said around a giant bite, twitching her dyed red hair out of the way. “I swear I’m carrying a litter of bears, a dozen at least.”

“Just two,” Matt said. “I’ll try to put more in you next time.”

“Next time?” Willa asked. “Fuck no, you’re never getting near my snake-hole again.”

Matt shook his head at Jason and Creed’s snickering. “She says this every day, and then every night she’s back in those sexy glasses and granny panties beggin’ for the D.”

A french fry splatted on his face, and Alyssa snorted a laugh. God, she loved Willa. The spunky Almost Alpha of the Gray Backs had been coaching her through some of the confusing bear stuff. Since Beaston had Turned Willa against her will, she had a good idea of what Alyssa had been going through and some great, if sometimes unhelpful, advice on how to keep Clinton’s attention in the bedroom. One included eating copious amounts of green and orange M&M’s for boob growth and horniness.

“Where’s Clinton?” Harrison asked. He was leaning against the wall, sipping a beer and watching the television behind the bar. “The vote is going to be announced any minute.”

Indeed, everyone from Damon’s mountains was crammed into Sammy’s Bar, and even the Keller family of the Breck Crew, but Clinton had been MIA all day. Alyssa was getting worried. “I don’t know. He swore he would be here.”

“He’ll be here,” Beaston murmured from where he was patting Weston’s little back against his shoulder. His little raven boy was dressed in a onesie that made him look like a cute little worm, compliments of Willa. Aviana was sipping a screwdriver and smiling tenderly at her boys. Beaston’s eyes blazed that unsettling green, but he looked calm enough.

If Beaston said it, Clinton would be here in time, but as Alyssa looked around the bar at the crews all murmuring nervously, she couldn’t help but wonder if Clinton would show up after the vote announcement.

When the door flung open, Clinton stood there, chest heaving, a look of panic on his face. He searched the room until he locked eyes on her.

Huffing a sigh of relief, she wound through the crowd and rested her forehead against his chest as he hugged her tightly. “Where have you been?”

“Picking them up.” Clinton moved out of the way and gripped her shoulder, angling her toward the opening door.

A couple of familiar faces appeared, and a shocked noise wrenched out of Alyssa’s throat. “Mom? Dad?”

Their faces brightened, and Mom reached for her, hugged her up tight.

“What are you guys doing here?”

“We wanted to be here for the vote results. It’s a big day for you and Clinton. No matter what happens, we’ll be here for whatever support you need.”

Alyssa hugged her dad and did her best to keep her tears inside. It meant so danged much that they were here. That Clinton had arranged this. She’d missed her parents since she’d moved to the Boarland Mobile Park.

“Quiet in the bar!” Kong yelled. He whistled a shrill sound that hunched all the shifters shoulders and had half of them cussing him out. “Sorry! It’s on!”

He pushed the volume button on the television behind the bar with a yard stick as everyone surged forward.

Alyssa blew out a nervous breath. This was it. If this didn’t go well, she and Clinton were still illegally paired, and she would have no shot at taking his last name or registering with the Boarlanders. So much work and rallying had gone into this moment that now felt surreal. As Clinton gripped her one hand, and her parents gripped the other, Alyssa bit her lip and sent up a silent prayer that the humans had done the right thing. She and the others had all voted, but there weren’t that many of them. Not enough to sway a national vote. This one rested on the human’s ability to be tolerant.

The news anchor droned on, building it up, and Alyssa looked up at Clinton. His eyes were steady on her. “It’s okay,” he murmured. “Even if they vote no, I’m still yours, and you’re still mine. Always, okay?”

“Yeah.”

“And the vote is…”

“I can’t even watch.” Alyssa squeezed her parents’ and Clinton’s hands and ducked her head, closed her eyes tight.
Please, please, please.

The bar erupted in cheering, and she was jostled about. “Did it pass?”

Clinton was yelling, and his smile big.

“Did it pass?” she asked louder as Mom hugged her shoulders.

“Baby, they voted yes to reinstating the rights.” Mom was crying hard, and even Dad was wiping his eyes. “You have your rights back. You all do.”

Alyssa’s face crumpled, and she let off a sob because she’d been so scared of more rallies and riots and prejudice, but the humans had come through for them. They’d come through! Proof there were more good people than bad in the world.

The bar went eerily quiet, and Denison Beck got on the microphone. “Y’all know tonight is huge for us. For our families, for our future.” He lifted a glass of beer. “For Damon’s mountains. But tonight isn’t just about the vote.”

Alyssa looked around, shocked that everyone had gone so quiet. She’d expected the cheering to last much longer.

Denison grinned at her. At her? “Beaston already told us we would win tonight.”

“What?” She frowned at the expectant faces of her friends. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

“Because this is a surprise party for you, Alyssa,” Denison said. “Turn around.”

Alyssa turned to Clinton, but he wasn’t standing where he had been. He’d dropped to one knee, and he had a sparkling diamond ring offered up to her.

Alyssa covered her mouth to stifle her sobbing.

“I didn’t Turn you right, and I’ll always regret that, but I wanted to do this right. I wanted to propose to you like you deserve.” Clinton ghosted a grin at her dad. “I asked your dad for your hand in marriage, and he and your mom wanted to be here for your big day. My family, too.”

Clinton’s voice broke, and he jerked his head toward an older man and woman near the wall. They were surrounded by four giant men with sandy blond hair like Clinton’s. His mom had her hands clasped in front of her mouth and tears streaming down her cheeks, and she waved at Alyssa and pressed her hand to her chest, like she was trying to keep her heart in there.

“We’re legal to do what we want now,” Clinton said, his eyes so raw, so adoring. “You can have whatever kind of wedding you want. Whatever makes you happy. I just want you for always. Bound to me, my mate, my wife, all of it. I’ve loved you since I was a kid. You were the steady good in my life, even when I thought I would never see you again.” He blew out a shaking breath. “Alyssa?”

“Yes! Yes, yes, yes,” she cried out, dropping down to hug him.

“Wait, woman!”

“I said yes. Yes.”

Clinton settled her back on her feet as everyone was laughing and cheering and clapping around them. “Let me ask you!”

“Yes.”

He chuckled and tried to give her a serious look that failed when his smile peeked through. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes!” Her hands were shaking so bad Clinton had to hold her hand steady to put the big ol’ rock on the finger he’d turned green with his cheap promise ring so many years ago.

The bar erupted with cheering that rattled the walls and shook the floor beneath her feet. Her bear was still new and so overwhelmed right now. Clinton stood and hugged her, lifted her off the ground, and kissed her. She couldn’t breathe with all this emotion roiling through her. She tried to control herself by laying little pecking kisses over his cheeks.

“Hey,” Clinton murmured, easing back. “It’s okay.”

“I’m gonna Change.” Her chest was constricting with the long snarl of her bear.

“No.” He shook his head and smiled at her. “Look at me. Stay with me.”

She dragged air in and nodded over and over as the crowd jostled them. And when she felt in control and smelled less like fur, Clinton set her down and handed her to Audrey, who was bawling even harder than Alyssa was.

And as she was passed from friend to friend for hugs and congratulations, Denison and Brighton Beck hit the first chord of a song and filled the bar with music. Kong and Layla were working hard behind the bar, and every single person in here donned happy smiles.

Her eyes locked on Clinton through the crowd as he talked with his family, and she made her way toward him. Toward her future.

The shifters of Damon’s mountains were cheering and clapping behind her, where they would always be. They would always have her back and wouldn’t let her fall. And Clinton would always be there, strong for her when she was weak, and she swore on everything she would be that for him, too, because after all he had gone through and sacrificed, he deserved to be okay.

Shifters had their rights back, and the future was bright, not only for her and Clinton, but for the children here. The ones who hid tiny owlets, ravens, bear cubs, and dragons inside of them.

And someday she would get to tell her and Clinton’s cubs about their fight to find each other again and their journey to carve out this beautiful existence among these incredible people. These amazing people who had somehow transcended friendship and become family.

She stopped in front of Clinton and inhaled deeply. He smelled of happiness, and she’d never scented that on him before. Not like this.

“I have to tell you something,” he said, pulling her waist to him.

She twisted her engagement ring around her finger and canted her head, mesmerized by that smile on his lips, the one she lived and breathed for. Slowly, she slid her arms over his shoulders and looked up into those blazing silver eyes. “Tell me.”

The smile dipped slightly from his lips, but lingered in the corners. “I love you.”

And there it was—her dandelion.

She wanted to cry and scream and celebrate. He’d been so brave with his admission, and now infinite joy filled the rest of the hole she’d been carrying in her middle.

Alyssa hugged him and nuzzled his face the way her bear told her to. “I love you, too, Clinton. More than anything. You’re mine. My mate. My love.” She smiled as he hugged her tighter, and she whispered softly against his ear, “You were always mine, and now look what you’ve given me.”

She rested her cheek against his as they looked out over the shifters and humans celebrating the vote, celebrating their commitment to each other. Tagan, Creed, Harrison, Kong, Damon and Cody Keller stood near the bar, the alphas watching their people and talking to each other through happy smiles. Kids chased each other through the crowd, laughing freely. Alyssa’s family and Clinton’s family were hugging and talking with animated, happy faces. Willa was dancing on the bar in a plaid skirt and her black crop top with the cartoon worm. She was rubbing her round belly and waggling her eyebrows at Matt. Cora Keller and Beck were up there with her, too, dancing like a hundred pounds had been lifted off their shoulders with the results of the vote. On the dance floor, Beaston was swaying from side-to-side with Aviana and Weston. They were in the middle of a dozen other Ashe Crew, Gray Back Crew, Boarlander Crew, and Breck Crew couples. The Beck Brothers’ were slaying a country song, and this was it. This was a moment that made a thousand lifetimes.

Alyssa smiled up at her mate. He wasn’t Crazy Clinton anymore. He was just…Clinton.

He’d given her friends and family, filled her hollow places, and loved her even when she didn’t know who she was. He’d given her a crew she would do anything for and the beautiful sound of laughter that filled Sammy’s Bar.

He’d given her the animal in her middle, and 1010, and a safe haven.

But most importantly, Clinton had fought to stay whole until they could find each other again. He’d given her his whole heart.

Alyssa didn’t want to remember her past anymore. It didn’t matter
how
she and Clinton found their happily ever after among the shifters in Damon’s mountains.

It only mattered that they had.

Harper Keller, the dragon-blooded granddaughter of Damon, will get her story in a brand new series from T. S. Joyce

Bloodrunner Dragon

Coming May 2016