Chapter 27

Beck wished with his whole heart that Lydia had remained behind or at least gone to stay with Dooley and Kennedy. Not because he didn't want to be with her, but because she'd already spent an unthinkable amount of time walking through the snow, and part of that was on her own. If she weren't with him, he would be able to shift and run without having to turn back for her. But his mate wanted to be with him, so that's where she was. He would give her anything her heart desired, and she desired his company.

It had been nine days since Dooley followed Amara's tracks. A week and a half of his mother wandering around in her fur while staving off the effects of wolfsbane as well as other animals. He thanked the goddess there hadn't been another snowstorm, or he'd never find her tracks. It was going to be hard enough figuring out which way she went once she got in the water as the fjord coastline was more than twenty miles long. If she crossed and got out on the other side, she could have continued through the mountains or traveled in either direction and swam back across at some point. Then again, she could have swum long enough to clean the blood off her fur and climbed out close to where she went into the water. There were too many possibilities, and Beck's brain hurt trying to calculate them all.

Lydia was going to use a drone while Beck shifted and did a cursory search. He offered to come back every half hour, but Lydia promised him she would be fine if he took longer. She had supplies, her sat phone, and weapons. He kissed his mate, pressed his forehead to hers, breathing in her scent, then got out and took to his fur.

Prints of all shapes and sizes dotted the snow. A few were bear prints, but he couldn't be sure they were Amara's. Beck made a mental note of the direction each had traveled as he made his way north along the water's edge. When he didn't find any tracks that went back into the water, he retraced his own path back to the helo to check in with his mate. When he reached her, he shifted and climbed aboard.

"Any luck?" Lydia asked.

"Maybe. After I eat a sandwich, I'm going to swim across to the other side where she went in and head north in case she wasn't in the water long."

"I didn't see any animals other than a few wolves. Most of the prints I saw were too small to be a bear, but I didn't send the drone out for long to save the battery."

"I'll be back in time to make camp," Beck promised.

"I'll handle that. I'm an old pro at it at this point."

Beck slid his hand behind Lydia's hair and caressed her nape. "And I hate that. Not that it isn't a good skill to have but that you had to do it alone."

Lydia closed her eyes. "It wasn't so bad."

Beck knew she was lying. She had told him all about her days alone after he'd been stabbed. What she left out was whether or not she'd had nightmares. Beck didn't mention them, afraid of what she'd say.

He released her neck and climbed in the back where the cooler was. Traveling in the helo made it possible to bring more food.

"What do you think of a January first handfasting?" she asked.

"I think it's the perfect way to start the new year."

"I think so too. We can have it at my parents' house, if that's okay with you. That way my mom doesn't have to worry about going anywhere while pregnant or with a new baby if Gio's here by then."

Beck climbed back into the pilot's chair with his food and water. "That's perfect, Sugar."

"Good. While you're on your next walkabout, I'm going to call Luna and ask if she knows anyone who can perform the ceremony."

"You could ask Kennedy for a copy of their vows. I don't remember all the words, but I do know they were beautiful."

"I'll do that. I can compare them to the examples I pulled off the internet before we left."

Beck waited until he swallowed his bite of ham and cheese sandwich to ask, "When did you have time to do that?"

Lydia's cheeks pinkened. "While you were in the shower this morning." She was too damn much, and he loved that about her.

"When we set up camp, you can read some of them to me."

Beck finished his snack, kissed his mate again, and set back out. He couldn't search as far as he had earlier since he was losing daylight. If he'd been alone, he would have gone all night, but Beck hadn't expected this to be a quick search and rescue. If he were honest, he didn't expect to find his mother before the end of the year. If she were able, she'd have already returned to Seward and kicked ass.

By the time he needed to turn back, Beck hadn't noticed any bear prints on the opposite side of the fjord. That didn't mean there weren't any farther north, but he needed to get back to Lydia. When he arrived at the helo, it was empty, and Beck's heart skipped several beats. He opened his shifter senses, and when he caught humming on the air, he let out the breath he'd been holding.

Beck let out a whistle, alerting her he was close by.

"Is that you, My Bear?"

Beck laughed. He couldn't help it. He never imagined having someone else's voice in his head, but now that he knew they could communicate silently, he was going to abuse the hell out of it.

"Sure is, Sugar. You need anything from the helo?"

"Just your fine ass."

Beck laughed again. He was immensely in love with his sassy mate and couldn't wait to show her how much.

They were on day eight, and Lydia was over it. When the drone didn't prove helpful, Lydia flew the helo on small circuits, careful not to use much fuel. The days were long, spending most of her time waiting in the bird while Beck scouted on the ground, but the nights were everything and made up for the worst of it. They cuddled in their tent, made love, talked about any and everything, and decided on the vows for their ceremony. Lydia had spoken to Kennedy who recited hers and Dooley's vows. Luna offered to officiate since she had a license to perform marriage ceremonies for pagans who didn't want a religious one. She also asked if she could incorporate Kennedy's words to those Luna had used before, and Lydia agreed.

Between the two of them, they had searched around eight hundred miles in a one-hundred-mile radius by crisscrossing and doubling back. Her mate was worn out. She was over that too. He needed to rest more than the few hours' sleep they got each night, but he was determined to continue until their end-of-the-year deadline.

"I'm leaving my pack. I want to do so knowing I gave everything I have in finding my Empress."

Lydia didn't complain after his declaration. She got it. He might be switching camps, but he would be loyal to his current one until the last minute. He had been gone several hours, and Lydia was ready to stretch her legs. When he moved the helo the day before, he landed away from the deep snow and close to a river. Lydia was thankful to walk on her feet instead of snowshoes. It was around two in the afternoon, and although the temperature was hovering in the low thirties, the sun was warm, so she left her parka in the helo.

She had gotten used to the various animals that lived in the area. Instead of running back to the safety of the aircraft, she took photos. She even got a video of two Dall rams fighting. It was brutal and beautiful at the same time. Something on the river caught her attention, and Lydia moved toward it for a closer look. There were two otters floating on the slow current, and Lydia pulled her phone out of her pocket to get a shot. She turned her back to get a selfie with the playful creatures in the background, but she wasn't alone. Lydia returned her phone to her pocket while keeping an eye on the polar bear less than twenty feet away. It was likely a female since it was smaller than Beck's animal. It was still an apex predator. Lydia released her swords and took a fighting stance.

The bear didn't like that, and chuffed its disapproval. When it took a few steps toward Lydia, she allowed the metal to change to ice. She didn't know if that worked on the wild bears, but she wasn't taking any chances. The animal chopped its jaw and growled.

"Amara, no!" Beck yelled before shifting and running full out toward the female. Beck's mother shifted to her skin, and Beck slid to a stop a few feet away. Lydia was used to those in her Clan retaining their young appearance, so the female before her was a shock. Amara's long, gray hair was braided, and her skin was wrinkled. If she were human, Lydia would put her somewhere in her mid- to late sixties.

"What are you doing out here?" Amara asked. There was no hug. No words of affection. No happiness coming from the female.

"Looking for you." Beck left off the duh, but it was implied by his exasperated tone.

"Did you ever think I might not want to be found?"

"Yes, but it's safe for you to return."

"I'll return when I'm ready. Instead of searching for me, you need to find that fucker Orson. I got in some good swipes, but I was too weak from whatever he had on the cuffs to kill him."

"How'd you get out of your cuffs?"

Amara jutted her chin. "Pretended I was dead. Sure, he could hear my heartbeat, but I slowed it to the point of barely noticeable. He got close, and I attacked."

"You'll be happy to know he's already been taken care of. I'm curious as to why you allowed him into your house. I wasn't aware you and he were… chatty."

"Not that I owe you an explanation, but he convinced me Boyd was conspiring against me again. With our history, I had no reason to doubt him."

"Your history?"

"This line of questioning is getting old. You dated his daughter, so we talked on occasion." Amara turned her attention to Lydia, scowling. "Who the fuck are you, and what are you doing with an ice sword around my son?"

Lydia moved closer, and Beck held out his hand. Lydia returned one sword to her wrist, keeping the remaining one pointed at the ground. She didn't trust the Empress, even if she was Beck's mother.

"Amara, this—"

"Empress. I am your Empress, or have you forgotten yourself?"

"My apologies, Empress. This is my mate, Lydia Stone."

"Mate?" Amara sniffed the air. "I don't know what she is, but she's not a bear, so you'll take her back to whatever hole you dug her out of."

Lydia tightened her grip on the hilt. "Beck is my fated mate, and there will be no giving me back."

Amara scoffed. "Fated mates are bullshit."

"Maybe to someone like you, but in my Clan, I assure you they are real." Lydia put herself between son and mother.

"Someone like me? You mean a Queen who has ruled for over a century?"

"I mean an ungrateful bi— beast who has no compassion for what your son has been through these last few weeks. Unlike your daughter, who plotted to kill you as well as her sister, your son put aside his own life to search for you and Chloe. He was stabbed with a poisoned dagger and chained in a cave. If I hadn't found him when I did, he would be dead. Still, he demanded we search for you instead of starting our life together. You might be the norm in your culture, but in mine, you suck at being Queen. Maybe Chloe would have been a better leader."

"Chloe? That cub couldn't find her ass with a map."

"That right there proves my point. It was Chloe who plotted against you and her sister. Who allowed Beck to be stabbed and chained to die in that cave. Who planned to sell Sagan Adventures and give the money to Orson when he took you out."

"Delaney would never allow that to happen."

"If she were dead, she wouldn't be able to stop it."

"Delaney is stronger than Chloe. And smarter."

"Delaney is also pregnant, therefore weaker. But that's neither here nor there since Chloe is also dead. Beck did what he set out to do, so his job is done."

Amara's eyes widened. "Chloe… She's dead?"

"She is, and her body is with Orson's in a cave in the Chugachs if you care. Like Beck said, it's safe for you to return to Seward, or you can hide out here and let Delaney lead the pack."

For the first time since seeing the female, Amara's sneer fell away. She looked over at the river, but Lydia doubted she was seeing the otters or the water. Her child was dead, even if she'd been plotting against her mother. Lydia handed the sword to her mate, took out her phone, and snapped a photo of the female.

"What did you do that for?" Amara took a step toward Lydia, but Beck pointed the weapon at her.

"Stop right there."

Amara sneered. "You wouldn't hurt me. I'm your Queen."

Beck inclined his head toward Lydia. "And she's my mate. That trumps any loyalty I ever had to you. I, Sawyer Beckett, renounce the Sagan pack."

"You ungrateful bastard. After all I've done for you." Amara spit on the ground. The female acted like some backwoods vagrant.

Lydia patted Beck's chest before taking the sword back. "Let's go, My Bear." She wiggled the phone in her free hand. "I have proof of life to show Delaney. You did your job, and now you're free."

"You'll regret this." Amara's hands were fisted at her side.

"The only thing I regret is wasting the last eight days out here looking for you when I could have been with my new family. Goodbye, Amara."

Lydia didn't trust the female not to come after them, so she let Beck lead her to the helo while keeping her eye on Amara. The hatred Amara directed at Lydia was unnerving, but Lydia didn't let it show. She glared right back. It wasn't until they were standing beside the aircraft that she returned the sword to her wrist. She waited until they were seated to say, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Beck flipped the switches to get the motor started.

"That you had to grow up with her for a mother. I cannot wait to get back to Atlanta. Even nine months pregnant, Sophia Stone is going to smother you with love and affection."

"Then let's get going." Beck's smile was sad, and Lydia couldn't imagine having a parent disregard their child the way Amara did him. She reached out and gave his arm a squeeze, then settled in for the flight back to Seward. Lydia stared out at the snow-covered mountains. They were something to behold, but she prayed she didn't see them again anytime soon.