Chapter 13

Tabitha hooked them up with bugs, infrared cameras, and a lock-picking kit. She sent instructions on the best place to plant the listening devices as well as how to attach the cameras outside. The only problem Lydia could see was breaking into the house. Anthony taught her how to pick a lock several years back, and she had managed it easily using the tools he had, but Lydia had never done it under pressure. Before leaving, they packed everything, and Lydia checked out of the lodge. There was no need to pay for a place they might not return to.

Beck parked in the same spot Lydia had Sunday night. The plan was for Beck to see if Boyd was there. If so, he would continue around to the front and knock on the door. While confronting the male, Lydia – hopefully – would pick the lock, go in and plant the bugs, then hightail it back to the SUV.

Beck squeezed her neck. "You've got this."

Lydia prayed he was right. They stopped at the edge of the woods and used their shifter senses to check the house. "I don't hear anything."

"Neither do I. I'll take a closer look if you want to set up the cameras." Beck eased his way to the back of the house, checking windows. For a big male, he was light on his feet. Lydia kept her ears open as she attached the cameras to trees close to the house. When they met at the back door, he said, "No one's in there. Let's get this done."

Lydia removed the kit from her pocket and pulled out the two picks she thought she needed. She knelt, putting herself eye level with the knob, and blew out a breath. Her hands shook, and Beck settled his over them. "You've got this," he repeated. When he turned loose, she thought back to Anthony's instructions. She inserted the turning tool first, then used a nifty little wave rake, which she sawed back and forth until the tumblers gave. She twisted the turning tool, and the door was unlocked. Beck kissed her cheek when she stood. She replaced the tools in the pouch and shoved it in her pocket. Beck eased the door open, and they entered upon quiet feet.

Per Carleigh's instructions, Lydia placed the bugs in the parts of the house most used – the living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom, while Beck searched for anything indicating why Boyd was in Sterling. Gravel crunching under tires got their attention, and she headed to the back door with Beck on her heels. He locked the back door, and they ran toward the woods, stopping when they had tree cover. Lydia sent Carleigh a bug emoji followed by a thumbs-up. Now if Boyd would speak aloud to whomever he was working with, the breaking and entering would be worth it.

"I don't understand why we don't kick his ass and torture the information out of him," Lydia said once they were safely back in the vehicle.

"You really think you could torture someone, Sugar?"

"No, but you could."

"I'm a lover, not a fighter. I wouldn't know how to begin extracting information out of someone like Boyd. While I'm larger in bear form, Boyd's a wily son of a bitch, and he'd fight dirty."

Lydia turned in her seat, glaring at her mate. "But that was the plan if he'd been there. You were going to confront him."

Beck grinned and tapped her nose. "I was going to pull a sugar routine on him."

"A what now?"

"You know, like you did with Delaney? I was going to ramble on about inane shit."

Lydia play punched his bicep. "Hey, my shit was not inane. I was singing the praises of Sagan Adventures. Speaking of which, how are you going to get a plane if there are flights already booked?"

"I checked the schedule while you were packing. There's only one booking this afternoon, so I'll call in our flight plan as soon as I get to the harbor. I'll text Delaney after we land, and she can call in one of the other pilots after the fact, if she doesn't figure it out first."

"Won't that piss her off?"

"Yeah, but she tasked me with finding Amara. That's what I'm doing."

"I really don't want to have to smack a pregnant female, but I will if she gives you any more trouble."

Beck chuckled. "I like that you'd defend my honor, Sugar."

"I'd defend more than that. You're my mate, and nobody gets to talk hateful to you while I'm around."

Beck pulled into a fast-food drive-thru, and they ate their lunch on the road. Lydia was glad Beck was driving because she would have been a nervous wreck navigating through the snow. Atlanta might get one or two snowfalls a year, but as far south as it was, there was little accumulation, and most people stayed home since the roads were icy.

They stopped by Beck's house where he packed a few clothes, some toiletries, and a small tent and sleeping bag. He also unplugged the satellite phone charging in the living room. By the time they reached the harbor, there was at least ten inches of snow on the ground, but Beck assured her that was nothing. Lydia removed her gloves and beanie from her pockets and put them on before getting out of the SUV. She was a Goyle and could withstand the cold if she had to, but she wanted to be comfortable while walking to the plane. Beck carried both bags while scanning the area. Lydia also remained alert, but the only ones she knew on sight were Boyd, Delaney, and Chloe.

The sidewalks weren't as crowded as before, but there were plenty of people out. Lydia had to remember they were used to the conditions, and according to Beck, this wasn't much snow. She was thankful he was willing to move with her because Lydia didn't think she'd ever get used to the Alaska weather. West Virginia had colder winters than Atlanta did, but it was nothing like this. Several people spoke to Beck, and those who did weren't shy about staring at Lydia. She smiled at them because why not?

Lydia stowed their bags, removed her gloves, beanie, and parka, securing them as well, then took the co-pilot seat in the cockpit while Beck checked the plane. It was the smaller Cessna, but the controls were the same. When he joined her, Lydia strapped in. She had never been a nervous flyer, and she trusted Beck to get them to Valdez safely. She put on the earphones – or cans, as her Uncle Frey called them – and settled back while Beck got them underway.

She listened as the air terminal gave him clearance, and again, Beck explained what he was doing and why. Lydia absorbed every word. Not that she would ever need to pilot a seaplane in harsh conditions, or ever, but she had always enjoyed learning new things. It was one reason she didn't mind going through the archives, even the oldest ones. Seeing where she came from, going back thousands of years, was intriguing.

When Beck asked if she wanted to take the controls, Lydia declined. "I'll just watch you being all sexy."

"Sexy, huh?" His cheeks flushed, and Lydia found it charming. Her big bear of a mate had to know how he affected people, especially women. Instead of embarrassing him further or getting them both hot and bothered, she changed the subject, asking about his homeland. Lydia had traveled to several states as well as some European countries and tropical islands, but she'd never had the opportunity to go to Canada.

"Our home was in the northwest corner of BC. Amara ruled the pack there for almost a hundred years after her mother, Imani, passed the crown to her. My grandmother was Empress for over three-hundred years and had taken over for her own mother. Being shifters, they had to move around so they wouldn't be found out, which you know all about. Our pack has lived in almost all the provinces, but Amara enjoyed being close to the coast. It's one of the reasons she moved us to Alaska."

"In all that time, no one challenged your grandmothers?"

"Never, but unlike Amara, they didn't toss their mates aside. When they chose their males, they completed the Ursina bond. Granted, the females didn't complete the bond until they had at least two female offspring, ensuring there was someone to pass the crown to. Back then, they lived in remote areas of the country where their aging wasn't as much a factor as it is now."

"Why do you think Amara didn't give Boyd the Ursina bond?"

"Because he's a dick? I don't know. My sisters probably do since they're close with Amara, but as her son, she never spoke of personal things with me."

"Did the younger sisters ever feel like they'd be better suited as Queen? I'm assuming Amara has a younger sister. What if she's decided it's her turn?"

"I'm sure they felt that way at some point, but in our family, tradition is a huge part of the culture. They would never challenge their sister. At least they haven't so far. And yes, Amara had a younger sister, but my Aunt Tanya was killed about fifty years ago by some poachers when she was in her shifted form."

The plane dipped as Lydia said, "I'm sorry."

Beck didn't appear worried about the turbulence, even though the snow was getting heavier. "Thank you, but that happened years before I came along, so I never knew her. And she was my mother's only female sibling, making Amara the only option until she decides she's had enough and passes the crown to Delaney."

"And does Chloe agree with the same traditions?"

"As far as I know. She's never indicated otherwise. As loud and confrontational as Delaney can be, Chloe's the opposite. She's this happy, go-with-the-flow female most of the time. Not that I see her outside of work."

"I don't see Locke that often either, but he knows I love him. You need to prepare yourself for my Clan. Cousins are more like siblings, and friends are like cousins. There's not one member of our extended family who won't welcome you with open arms and make you feel like you're one of us."

Before Beck could respond, someone came through the radio alerting him to a change in the weather. Beck thanked him using pilot lingo and conveyed he would land on the sound and sail the rest of the way in.

Lydia trusted Beck. She did, but she also prayed they never flew through snow again. Now she understood why commercial planes were downed during inclement weather. This shit was ridiculous. The small Cessna bounced around like a butterfly in a windstorm. She may have closed her eyes and prayed. She also may have let out a squeak when a strong gust pushed against them.

Once they were safely on the water, she opened her eyes and blew out a breath.

"Piece of cake," Beck assured her.

"If you say so. I think I peed my pants." The water wasn't nearly as rough as the sky, but it was choppy as hell, and this was the first time in her life she wanted to be away from it. She loved the water, whether it was swimming, floating, riding jet skis on the lake, or going out on a Clan member's boat to hang out in the sun for the day. Still, she sucked it up, thankful to be out of the air.

It took much longer to get to Valdez via water, and by the time Beck berthed the plane in a rented slip, Lydia was ready for a hot shower, followed by a hearty meal in front of a roaring fire. Before leaving the lodge in Sterling, Lydia researched vacation rentals in and around Valdez. Since they had no idea how long it would take to find whoever called, they needed a base of operations, and Lydia insisted it be something homier than a basic hotel room. When he complained of the cost, she reminded Beck they had plenty of money, even going so far as to show him her savings and investment accounts. After he picked his jaw off the floor, she then suggested what they could do in front of a fireplace, naked. He didn't argue afterward.

Lydia bundled up while Beck shrugged on his new jacket before shouldering their bags. After asking one of the men working the marina where to wait for a ride, they headed that direction. Beck had a message from Delaney waiting on his cell, but he didn't listen. He wouldn't until they were somewhere private. Their car arrived soon after they got to the waiting spot, and the ride to their rental took less than ten minutes. Lydia retrieved the email from the property manager and entered the code on the front door. It wasn't a large home, but it had all the amenities they needed. Except food. While Beck placed their bags in the bedroom, Lydia opened her phone to see what restaurants offered delivery until she and Beck could get groceries.

"Hey, Bear, what do you feel like for supper?" she called out.

Beck returned to the living room and pressed his front to her back. "I'm not picky." He set his chin on her shoulder, and Lydia scrolled through options.

"Most of these restaurants don't deliver, so I'll have to use the Driving Diner app. How about this Asian Fusion place?"

"Sounds good. Pull up their menu."

Lydia did, and after deciding what they wanted, she placed the order. "We'll need to get groceries tomorrow."

"Instead of buying things that could spoil while we're gone, let's focus on getting items we can take with us. Things like protein bars and trail mix. We'll need matches to start a fire if we can find any dry wood. I can hunt for our main source of food or if we're close enough to water, I can catch fish."

Lydia hadn't thought much on what would happen while they were out searching, but she should have when Beck packed a tent. "We're going primitive?"

"It's not like we'll have a hotel or restaurant in the middle of nowhere, and that's where the coordinates indicate. If all else fails, we can sleep in the Cessna. We'll need to scope out the area before we rent snowmobiles. Once on foot, it's going to be rough going, Sugar. If you want to stay here while I search, I won't blame you. In fact, I'd prefer it."

Lydia's heart melted, but she was determined. If her mother could travel to Egypt alone, Lydia could traipse through the snow with her mate. "Thank you for that, but where you go, I go. We're a team."

Beck's face softened, and then he kissed her. Just when things started to heat up between them, someone knocked on the door.