Chapter 26

Beck proved that he had no problem making love while Lydia was on her period. Twice. After agreeing to a handfasting ceremony, things got hot on the sofa, then again when they retired to the bedroom. Granted, she had to stop in the middle of their make-out session to remove her tampon. Talk about a buzzkill. Beck didn't let it bother him, and in turn, her. As he said, it was a fact of life. During her post-coital buzz, he convinced her he was healed enough to begin the search for Amara. When they woke, they got their asses in gear before the sun was up. Beck filed the flight plan for the Cessna while Lydia made breakfast. After they ate, they made sure the house was cleaned and that they had all their belongings. Since it was too early to stop for supplies in Valdez, they planned to drop off the Cessna in Seward, go shopping, then get in the helo and head back toward the Chugach Mountains.

Jon had taken one of the rental cars the night before and parked it inside the warehouse. Lydia arranged for the second SUV to be picked up from the marina since she and Beck didn't need two vehicles. Once they arrived in Seward, Beck left the Cessna in its regular spot by the dock, then sent Caleb a text. Since Lydia's original rental was still in the parking lot, they headed that direction.

With his hand on her back, Beck led Lydia to the SUV. They were a few feet away when Beck froze. "Heather." It wasn't a question of whether the female walking toward them was Beck's ex. Heather took a step back.

"What are you doing here?" Beck growled.

"I…" She took another step back.

Lydia wasn't about to chase the female through a parking lot. She held her hand behind her back and called on her dagger. "Beck, unlock the car." Her mate did so without question, and Lydia drew the weapon forward, waiving it so Heather couldn't miss it. "Get in the vehicle."

"You can't kidnap me."

"Why not? I hear it's all the rage these days. Get in the car. I won't tell you again." Heather gasped when the blade turned to ice, and she scrambled into the backseat. Lydia pushed in behind her and turned sideways to face the female.

Heather leaned against her door, mimicking Lydia's pose. "What do you want?"

"Information. But here isn't the best place for this conversation. Let's take this somewhere a little more private in case things get… messy."

Heather put her hand over the driver's seat. "Sawyer, please."

Lydia growled as she eyed Beck's ex. The female was pretty with long dark hair she wore in a braid. Lydia didn't detect any makeup, but she wasn't wearing any either. Camping out in the wilderness wasn't conducive to fixing one's face. Heather was smart enough to pull her hand back and place it on her lap.

"Where to, Sugar?"

"Your home is close." And it was the only place Lydia knew of locally where they could have privacy.

Beck was quiet as he drove the short distance to his house. He pulled into the driveway and shut the motor off. When he opened Heather's door, she didn't move, so Lydia poked her with the tip of the blade. Heather bolted out, but Beck grabbed her arm in case she tried to run. When they got to the porch, he unlocked the door, holding it open for the females. Lydia followed Heather in, flipping on the lights. While Heather's back was turned, Lydia returned the weapon to her arm. An ice dagger was handy for threatening bears, but it was also fucking cold. Heather walked around the table, putting it between her and Lydia. Lydia removed her parka, placing it over one of the chairs, then went to the cabinet where coffee supplies were. She set the machine to brew a full pot. When she turned, Beck and Heather were in a standoff.

Since her mate wasn't talking, Lydia asked, "What do you know of Amara's disappearance?"

Heather continued staring at Beck, and Lydia was close to throttling the female. "Heather, either you tell us what you know, or we'll take you out to the Chugachs. We know of some previously used caves with chains and cuffs." Heather snapped her attention to Lydia, her hands clenched at her side. Lydia crossed her arms over her chest and leaned her butt against the counter. "Well?"

Claws extended from Heather's fingertips. Beck growled at his ex, but Lydia wasn't intimidated. Within seconds, she held a sai in her hand and had it pointed at the female. "I've had about enough of she-bears for one lifetime. Sit your ass down and start talking."

"You think you can hurt me?" Heather sneered. When the blade turned to ice, Heather jumped back, tripping over her feet.

"One chance, Heather. You have one shot at telling the truth about what you and Boyd have been up to." At Boyd's name, Heather's face paled. "That's right. We know about your clandestine meetings in Sterling. We also know that Chloe and your dad were conspiring against Amara. What we want to know is if you and Boyd were working with or against them." Lydia wiggled the sai. "And I'll know if you're lying."

"Yeah, okay. Fuck." Heather scooted back until she was pressed against the wall. "A couple of months ago, I overheard my father on the phone. He wasn't expecting me to stop by. He and whoever he was talking to were planning on taking over Amara's territory. I didn't realize he was talking to one of Beck's sisters until he said, ‘I don't want Sagan Adventures. I want cash.' They argued, and before he could figure out that I was eavesdropping, I snuck out. I was going to call and warn Sawyer, but I didn't know which sister was involved, so I called Boyd." Heather snuck a glance at Beck before continuing.

"I know you hated Boyd after he brought in Valerie, but your sisters didn't. You know the way things work in our world whether you like them or not. Was Boyd a dick for helping overthrow Amara? Yes, but he loves his daughters. He thought they loved him enough to stay in BC. At least Chloe. With Delaney next in line, she was sure to leave the territory. As much as Boyd wants power, he wants to be loved more. Anyway, I got in touch with him and convinced him to call Chloe and Delaney to feel them out.

"It only took two calls, one to each of them. Delaney told him all about how well the business was doing and how happy she was in Seward. Chloe, on the other hand, ranted the whole time about always being second place. Then she asked if he wanted to make some money. When he asked how, she said by getting rid of Amara. He mistook her meaning and told her he might know someone strong enough to challenge her. Chloe laughed at him and called him a fool. Said she wanted Amara gone permanently. Boyd played along and asked how much it was worth to her. She offered him the company, same as she did my father. Then he mentioned Delaney being next in line for the throne, and Chloe said Delaney wouldn't be a problem seeing as how she was pregnant."

"Of course Chloe fucking lied about not knowing," Beck muttered.

The coffee machine beeped, but Lydia didn't move toward it. Beck did the honors and poured three cups. He fixed Lydia's the way she liked it and placed it on the table beside her. He took Heather a cup, and when she saw it was still black, she sighed and took a sip anyway. Lydia swapped the sai for the cup and let the hot mug warm her hands.

Heather thumped her head against the wall. "Boyd might be a lot of things, but a baby killer he isn't, especially his own grandchild. He told her he'd think about it and call her back. We needed a way to find out what she and my father were planning, so Tate – that's one of Valerie's sons – and I paid a visit one day. Tate's good with electronics, so while I kept my father preoccupied, Tate slipped some listening devices around Orson's house."

"How did Chloe get involved with Orson?" Beck asked. Heather hesitated, looking at Lydia. "She knows you and I dated," he told his ex.

"And are you two together?" Heather asked Beck.

"Yes. We're mated."

"Fully? You gave her the Ursina bond?" When Heather's eyes went to Lydia's shoulder, Lydia pulled the neck of her shirt over far enough for the mating mark to be visible.

"I see." Heather's shoulders slumped. "When we were in high school, Chloe was at my house a lot. She didn't have to study to make good grades, but I did. Whenever I was working on a report or doing homework, she'd hang out with Orson. They bonded over some stupid reality show. Later, when you and I got together, I'd come home and find her there. She always said she was waiting around to hang out with me, but now I'm not so sure if they didn't have something going on."

Beck took a sip of coffee then admitted, "I doubt it. She was in love with you."

"What? No, we were friends."

"To you, but to her, you were the love of her life."

"That's not… Oh, goddess." Heather stared at her coffee. When she looked back up, there were tears in her eyes.

"Back to Boyd. What happened there and with the listening devices?" Lydia asked.

Heather wiped the wetness off her face with one hand. "Chloe must have gotten tired of waiting for her father to agree, since she offered Orson a quarter of a million to get rid of Amara, but he said he wouldn't do it for less than half a million. He said since she'd offered him the business, she could sell it if she didn't have that kind of money. After that, she told him to update his travel documents, and she would get back to him when she was ready to make a move. In the meantime, Boyd did some odd jobs to make money so he could get to Sterling."

"Why Sterling?" Lydia asked.

"He didn't want Chloe to see him in Seward. I came with him, planning to warn Delaney. Chloe might have been my best friend, but I was close with Delaney too, and there's no way I could sit back and let Chloe kill her, especially since she's pregnant. Tate rented the house and car for Boyd in his mother's name since Boyd's credit is shit. Tate remained in BC listening in on my father's calls, then he would relay messages to us."

"Why would Tate help Boyd when his mother kicked Boyd to the curb?"

"Because he's a good male. Most of the ones in our pack are. Males tend to stick together since they're lower in hierarchy." Heather cut her eyes to Beck but looked away quickly. Lydia wondered if the female regretted not coming to Alaska with him. "Besides, Chloe wasn't merely plotting to overthrow her mother. She was going to kill Delaney too. Boyd went to see Delaney, but you already know that. He warned her about Orson and Chloe, but she didn't believe him. As much as we tried to get ahead of them, my father got to Amara first, and then Chloe disappeared. Delaney contacted Boyd after she sent you to look for Amara. That was the right call since you took care of them both."

"How do you know that?" Lydia asked.

"Boyd received a message. At first, he thought it was from Tate, but Tate assured him he didn't send it. Delaney mentioned early on that Beck knew Boyd was in Sterling, so Tate had him search the house for listening devices, which he found. That meant someone had the same type of expertise with technology as Tate. Anyway, the message said the baby bear would no longer be eating porridge, and that her accomplice would never bother the Black Canary again."

Beck hummed. "That explains why the two of you left the house to talk."

Heather gasped. "And how do you know that?"

"You found the bugs, but you missed the cameras we installed outside."

Scrubbing a hand down her face, Heather sighed. "That tracks. Are we done here? I was on my way to offer my condolences to Delaney before heading to Anchorage."

Lydia set her cup down and picked up the sai. "I would say I'm sorry for killing your father, but I'm not. It was him or me. Since you're leaving, what are Boyd's plans?"

Heather eyed the weapon and swallowed hard. "With Chloe and my father dead, I'm not needed here any longer. Boyd's only in Sterling until the money runs out unless Delaney offers to help him."

Lydia changed the sai from ice to metal, and twirled it a few times. "Maybe Delaney should hire him as a bodyguard until we find Amara."

"You think she's still alive?"

"I do." Beck took his empty cup to the sink, then stepped behind Lydia, wrapping his arms around her waist. Heather downed the rest of her coffee and pushed away from the wall.

"I'm happy for you both, and I wish you luck finding the Empress. If you have no more questions, I have a plane to catch."

"We'll drive you back," Lydia offered.

"No thanks. I'll call for a ride."

Beck kept his arms around Lydia as he moved them out of the way. Heather darted past with her eyes on the weapon. She opened the door, but before she walked out, she looked at Lydia and raised her chin. "You've got a good one."

"The best."

Heather inclined her head, then she was gone.

Beck turned Lydia in his arms and kissed her hard. When he pulled away, he said, "Let's go find my mother so we can get on with our lives."

After emptying the coffee pot, they got in the rental and stopped at the store before making their way to where the helo was waiting. Beck parked in one of Sagan's reserved spots with him waving at several workers. He and Lydia hauled their gear to the bird, and instead of the portable wheels like she had back at the warehouse, Beck used a towing frame to get the craft out of the hangar and onto the tarmac. With Seward being a busy port town, he called the flight tower. They didn't have to wait long for clearance, and then they were off. The view from the sky was breathtaking, and it was only less awe-inspiring than the male sitting next to her. It would have made more sense for Lydia to remain at the rental, allowing Beck to search in his fur, but after being apart for two weeks, she hadn't offered, and Beck hadn't mentioned it. While tromping through snow again wasn't on her list of things she wanted to do, she'd endure it if it meant being with her mate.

Following the coordinates Carleigh sent through originally, Beck flew over the same path Dooley had taken when he followed Amara's tracks in case she had returned to the cave. When he didn't see new tracks or any animals, Beck set down on the opposite side of the water than where she'd gone in. It was the only spot wide and flat enough to land.

When he cut the motor, Beck stared out the window and whispered, "Where are you, and why haven't you returned?"