Chapter 14

Beck had reservations about dragging his mate into the wilderness, but he wouldn't disrespect her by insisting she remain behind. He knew too well what it felt like to be considered less than, and he would never give Lydia the impression he thought she wasn't tough enough to handle whatever life threw her way. She had trained from a young age. She had been through a battle for her Clan. Lydia was tough, and he would do everything in his power to keep her safe. If he could only do something about her nightmares. She'd woken both mornings with a start, and Beck did what he could to ease her out of them.

The night before, they finally got around to making love in front of the fire, but not before Carleigh called with better coordinates. No, not better. More accurate. Better would have been closer to Valdez, not farther away. Beck didn't know the terrain where they were headed, so renting a snowmobile was out. Not until they got a lay of the land, and that meant walking. If only he could have flown the helo, they'd be able to cover more ground.

While in town, he bought snowshoes and goggles, insulated pants and waterproof jackets for both of them, a paper map, and provisions needed to remain in the snow-covered area for a week. Beck prayed to the goddess it wouldn't take them that long to find whoever had called, whether it was Chloe or Amara. After loading two large backpacks, they took a car back to the marina. The storm had blown through quickly, and even though there were flurries in the air, he could get them closer to the area to be searched. If he could have traveled directly to the bay, it would have taken about ten minutes, but there was a land mass in the way, so he sailed around it, instructing Lydia as he did, then dropping anchor after half an hour.

Getting to land was a pain in the ass. They removed their clothes down to their underwear and stored them in one of the packs. Even though he could shift with his on, they would still be wet if he did so in the water. He climbed down onto the float, and Lydia passed him one of the packs. Beck held onto the wing strut with one hand and flung the bag to dry land with the other. After tossing the second pack, he helped Lydia down from the cabin. Beck slid into the icy bay and shifted. He then paddled next to the float, and Lydia climbed onto his back.

"Holy fucking hell." Lydia straddled his body and leaned forward, tucking her feet onto his back. With his mate secure, Beck paddled toward land. He used his long claws to pull himself out of the water, then stopped by the bag containing their clothes. Lydia slid to the ground, her teeth chattering. Beck shifted to his skin, and pulled out their clothes along with a towel to dry her feet and legs. Only when she was bundled in her parka, beanie, and gloves did Beck get dressed. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back, trying to impart as much heat as possible.

When Lydia assured him that she was as warm as she was going to get, they donned their goggles and set out. Since cell phone coverage was spotty at best, Beck had circled the coordinates on the paper map. It was slow-going over the deep snow, with neither of them having worn snowshoes before, but they got the hang of it. Through the cold, snow, and ice, his mate was a trooper. Even when she had to squat to pee, not once did she complain.

"How the hell did whoever called end up in the mountains?" Lydia asked as they stopped after a couple of hours. She shoved her goggles up and rubbed her eyes.

"I was wondering that. If it was before the snowstorm, they could have used a helicopter."

"Lucky them."

"We can turn back, Sugar. I know you're tough, but this is more than even I bargained for."

Lydia took a sip of water from their canteen. "No. I'm fine." She tucked the container away, then tugged her eye protection into place. "Let's go."

As they continued, Beck checked the map often to ensure they were headed the most direct route while traversing the rugged terrain. In truth, it was to give Lydia a break to hydrate and munch on protein bars.

She wadded up a wrapper. "You know—"

"Shhh." Beck held his right hand over hers and pointed with the left. When she caught sight of the wolf, Lydia whispered as she lowered her arm, and her bracelet turned into a short sword.

"Whoa, Sugar. He's not going to get close to us. Watch." The animal stopped, turned to stare at them, then trotted off. Lydia kept her eyes trained on the grey wolf as it trekked across the snow.

"Even if you and I weren't something other than human, he wouldn't have attacked."

Lydia returned the sword to her wrist. "Is there a guidebook? I'm all about learning new things, especially when those things are lessons on how not to get eaten in the wild." Beck took the wrapper from her hand, grinning. "It's not funny, Bear." He leaned forward and pecked her lips. "Don't think kisses will get you out of everything."

"No?" Beck tugged her closer and really kissed her. She huffed against his mouth, but soon, she opened for him, and their tongues melded sensually. When they came up for air, he was no longer smiling. He momentarily forgot how turned on he got, and now his dick was hard.

"That's cheating," she whispered, pressing her thigh against his erection.

"Not when I'm the one suffering." Beck stepped around her and stuffed the wrapper into her backpack, slung it on his shoulder, and inclined his head. "Shall we continue?"

Lydia arched a brow. "With the trek or that?" She pointed at his crotch.

"Now who isn't playing fair?"

Lydia winked, pulled her goggles down, and shuffled off. Beck blew out a breath and followed. Damn, his mate was something.

Over the next few miles, he shifted several times and ran ahead, scouting the area. Beck took them around tall peaks when lower ground was possible, even if it meant extra time. It was going on four when he found a place to stop for the night. They were nearing the halfway point to their destination, but they would run out of daylight soon. As tired as Beck was, his mate had to be exhausted. While he set up their tent, Lydia unpacked sandwiches and chips. Since the tent was barely large enough for them to sleep in, Beck spread the waterproof blanket over the snowy ground, and they sat to eat their dinner while watching the sun sink below the mountain tops.

"Wow. I've seen some spectacular sunsets, but that's breathtaking."

Even better than the show nature blessed them with was his mate. She hadn't bothered with makeup that morning, and she was more striking without it. Her natural beauty was a gift, one Beck would thank the goddess for every day. Not that he was shallow. Beck was more concerned with a female's inner beauty, and unlike Heather, Lydia had that in spades. He appreciated her kind heart, her loyalty to her Clan, and her determination to help him find his mother.

"Let's get some sleep," Beck suggested. They packed their dinner wrappings in a zip-lock bag, which Beck shoved back in the pack. He then shook out the blanket and rolled it up to use as a pillow. He ushered Lydia into the tent. It was a tight fit with them and their bags, but they made it work. Lydia removed her parka and boots, and was about to slide into the sleeping bag clothed, but Beck stopped her. "I know it's cold outside, but our body heat is going to keep us toasty tonight."

"You just want me naked," she joked as she removed her thermal-lined hiking pants.

"You caught me." Beck winked, knowing she'd see him with her shifter sight. He did want to sleep skin-to-skin, but he wasn't wrong about not needing clothes to keep them comfortable. Once they were both inside the two-person bag, he zipped it, then pulled his mate into his arms.

"Thank you for being here."

Lydia rubbed her fingertips across his chest. "I know I'm more of a hindrance than help, but I couldn't stand the thought of you being out here alone while I sat back at the rental."

There was that kind heart again, and Beck fell a little more for his mate. It wouldn't take long until he was completely in love with her. That was one of the reasons Beck admired Dooley's relationship with Kennedy. The couple was head-over-heels for one another, and Beck wanted that for himself. He had no idea if Lydia was falling too, but he would do everything he could to ensure she did.

"You aren't a hindrance." Lydia snorted, and Beck smiled. "Okay, we might be going slower than I would be alone, but if you weren't here, I wouldn't be snuggled next to my mate. And now we'll have a quest to tell our kids about. Our daughter will be regaling her mate with that time her parents went on a wild adventure in the Alaskan mountains."

"You'd want a daughter?"

"If she's like her mother, then absolutely." Beck kissed Lydia's hair. "The difference between our daughter and the females in my pack will be how we raise her. She'll be surrounded by family who appreciates all genders, and our son will never have to worry about being less than."

Lydia's voice was soft when she asked, "One of each, huh?"

"At least. Then again, I'm not the one who has to carry them. If you only want one, I'll be happy with that, male or female. Hell, if they identify as nonbinary, I'll love them just the same. We have centuries ahead of us, so maybe you'll want kids eventually." Truth be told, Beck wanted as many kids as she would give him. He wanted to be the kind of father his was. Corbin Beckett loved with his whole heart and would drop everything if Beck needed him.

Lydia raised up on her elbow, her blue eyes sparkling in the dark enclosure. "I do want them, but not anytime soon. I'd like for us to get to know each other better, travel while looking for shifters to be on the council, and figure out where we're going to make our home."

"How long were your parents mated before you came along?"

Lydia snorted, burying her face against Beck's chest. He thought it was adorable. When he goosed her side, Lydia squirmed. "Well, my parents also mated in November, and by the end of December, Mom was pregnant with me. Things were different back then. My dad's generation had all but given up hope on finding mates. Full-blooded females were mostly extinct, so when they did find their mates in either half-bloods or humans, they wasted no time in starting the next generation. That's why I have a bunch of cousins and friends close to my age."

"I'm glad you have them, and I can't wait to meet them all. You mentioned your parents moving to New York. Is that somewhere you're considering?"

"Not really. I was thinking about West Virginia since I can work from anywhere. I know Bas wants me there so he'll have a Clanmate close by. Cailín, Tabitha, and Anthony are always busy with cases. Luna and Solara spend half their time in New Orleans, and Carleigh's busy with H3, and I rarely see any of them. Connor has Alyssa now, and they're busy doing science stuff."

"What's West Virginia like?"

"It's beautiful. It has all four seasons, so if we were to move there, you'd get snow in winter. Bas and Dakota bought a lodge up in the mountains, and the view is gorgeous."

"Then maybe that's where we'll end up. We can at least take a look around when we visit."

Lydia yawned and slid back down. "You're the best mate ever."

Beck kissed her hair again before closing his eyes. He hadn't done anything to warrant that praise, not yet. But he would. He would always put her first and never let her forget how special she was.

The next day was as tedious as the day before, until Lydia stumbled to a stop. "Look, reindeer."

"Those are caribou."

"How can you tell the difference?" She pulled off her gloves, found her phone, and took a photo.

"Reindeer are smaller. They're also domesticated."

"Like pets?" Lydia shot a video before stowing her phone and putting her gloves back on.

"No. They're used to pull loads, and they're farmed for their milk and hides."

"And their meat. Let's not forget that." Lydia huffed. "I know, I'm a hypocrite."

"But a cute one," Beck joked.

When they neared the spot on the map close to where the call came from, Beck pointed at Lydia's wrist. "Now's the time for your weapons. I'm going to shift and take a closer look."

Lydia removed her gloves before calling forth her blades. This time, she chose sai. He didn't ask why. She twirled them, one blade pointing forward, with the other blade tucked against her forearm. Beck dropped the packs close to her feet, then let the change take over. His Bear chuffed at their mate, and she winked. The first time his Bear did it, Lydia asked if it was mad. Beck explained it was his beast's way of telling her to be on guard.

Beck used his Bear's keen senses as he closed in on the coordinates. He smelled the helicopter before he saw it. Remaining still, he sniffed the air. The scent of fuel overpowered anything else. Beck made his way to where the Sagan Adventure helo sat, covered in snow with a puddle of gas on the ground beneath. Shifting to his skin, Beck checked the inside of the craft for signs of a struggle or any clue as to why Chloe would have flown to the middle of nowhere. The pilot's door was open, and on the floor was her sat phone. He climbed in and looked in the back. Seeing nothing, he sniffed. Chloe's scent was faint, and another one mixed with it. This one was male.

"What the fuck is going on?" Beck would use the sat phone to call Lydia and tell her what he found. As he climbed down, the crunch of snow caught his ear too late. A sharp pain ripped through his side, and he spun around, trying to shift as he did, but the blade piercing his side prevented it. "Motherfucker." Beck fell to his knees, and he grabbed at the hilt. If he could get it out, maybe it wouldn't kill him, but his fingers wouldn't close around it. The bastard responsible stood several feet away. Beck lilted to the side, landing with a soft thud on the cold ground. Lydia.

Beck? Bear?

The blade must have been coated with poison and was racing through his veins if he was hearing his mate's voice in his head.

Lydia. I'm… s-sorry.

Blackness closed in, and the last thing he heard was Lydia yelling, No! You hang on. I'm coming for you.