Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

A lena sighed as she walked down the quiet street of Misty Vale. She stuck out her tongue absently as she tried to catch what were probably the last snowflakes she would be seeing in a while. Spring was just around the corner in the mountain town. Even though it was a sunny spring morning, and she was trying to enjoy her day, she could feel the tension in the air.

Just like yesterday, and the day before that. And the weeks and months and years before that.

She let out a long sigh.

Despite what she had thought had been some promising developments in the last few months, things only seemed to be getting worse.

As she turned the corner, literally onto "Main Street," she saw her brother Archer standing outside the sports bar he owned that bore his namesake. He and his little family were highlighted by the bright red double doors of the popular establishment behind him. His precocious seven-year-old daughter Abi was with him, her long golden hair waving about as she laughed. Archer's mate Ruby stood beside them, smiling indulgently.

"Hey, sis, over here!" Archer called out with a wave. "Fancy seeing you here!"

Alena skipped a step as she crossed the street to say hello. "You sure are in early," she said, surprise in her voice. "And what is it? Take your family to work day?" she joked.

"Hardly, I just wanted to take care of a few things, and then we were gonna hit the shops a bit, you know," he said.

"We already did!" her little niece said, holding up a stuffed unicorn. "Isn't she cool!"

"Very cool… and magical, just like you!" Alena said.

"Rainbow's way more magical than I am!" Abi cooed.

"I don't know, you're pretty magical, honey," Alena teased.

"Ain't that the truth," Ruby chimed in.

"Yeah, well, we can thank our lucky stars for that," Archer said, pulling Ruby in and giving her a kiss on the cheek, referencing how the little girl, who they suspected had fae blood, had recently more or less saved the day.

From a street or two over, the roar of a motorcycle revving could he heard.

"Seriously? Aren't they afraid they're gonna dump their bikes? There could still be some ice here and there," Ruby said throwing her hands in the air.

"Wouldn't hurt my feelings a bit," Archer said. "They did a great job for us handling security for our Oktoberfest event, but I had kind of assumed we wouldn't be seeing them again ‘til next year's bash."

"If only," Alena added.

"I've been seeing them around Misty Brews a lot."

Archer ran one big hand through his hair. "Yeah, our Forsaken Riders friends are turning into a Forsaken headache." He shook his head as he let out a sigh. "Seems they are cozying up to the Dragons. You would think with tensions as they are, the Dragons would know not to nose in on our business with the bikers."

"Can't you talk to Skater about it? Or is it ‘Blade' or ‘T-Bone'?" Ruby asked wryly. "I forget, with all their tough guy nicknames, but the chapter president or whoever you dealt with for the festival."

"Ha, if only," he scoffed. "His name is Stinger, and I haven't seen him around for a while. If he's here, he certainly hasn't reached out to me. Word on the street is they have a new guy heading things up. Dice, I think his name is. Honestly, it doesn't look good from any angle."

"Dice?" Alena said with a laugh. "What ever happened to ‘David' or ‘Billy'?"

"I'll be sure to ask him if I do meet him," Archer quipped back.

"Still, it is weird. I'm surprised the Dragons would have anything to do with the Riders. You would think they wouldn't want to get any grease on their fancy suits," Alena commented.

"One thing the lizards are good at, sis, it's making money. If there is coin to be made, then they won't mind lowering their rich asses to any level to get their cut."

"That's what you guys are always saying. I don't know, I just think this bear-dragon feud is getting old. But it seems all you boys are obsessed with it. That being said, I am not a fan of the Forsaken Riders sticking around. They can move on anytime. Those damn bikes are insufferable and probably scare away every bird for miles."

"I am trying not to jump to conclusions. At least until we figure out what's going on," Archer said. "But this doesn't bode well for any dragon-bear hug fests any time soon. And Kiki sure is taking her sweet time in coming clean about how she more or less started our feud with the dragons in the first place. Maybe I was a fool for thinking bears could ever find a peace with dragons at all," he added as he shook his head.

"It's a dream worth pursuing in my eyes," Alena said. But in truth, she also had her doubts. More than doubts. Fears. It just seemed that the roots of bitterness and resentment between the packs ran too deep. And she was beyond tired of it.

She gazed wistfully out at the mountains surrounding the valley. A large part of her longed to shift into her grizzly bear form and just start running, leaving Misty Vale and its endless provincial dramas far behind. But she did have her plans for the nature center. If she did leave, she knew it would have to be to some other similarly wild place. Being above the forests and mountains and sharing her passion for their healing qualities was what drove her from morning to night. And of course she couldn't leave her family, especially not her adorable niece Abi. The girl was practically like her own daughter, as Alena had helped her brother with her for so long. Even now that he finally had a mate, Alena and Abi still spent plenty of time together. With the state of her own love life more or less a disaster, she doubted she would ever have her own kids, so she definitely was not going to let anything come between her and Abi.

A disaster would imply I have a love life, at least , she thought. ‘Nonexistent' was a better term for it.

As if sensing her unease in that uncanny way she had, Abi took her hand gently. "It'll be okay, Auntie Alena," she said. "Things have a way of working out, you'll see. It's all gonna be great!"

"I sure hope you're right, kiddo," Alena replied, ruffling Abi's hair.

"I am right, aren't I, Rainbow?" the little girl said before making a neighing sound as she made her stuffed unicorn nod back at them both in agreement.

As they laughed, Alena waved her goodbyes. "Okay, guys, enjoy your day! I have to run a few errands before my shift at the Honey Bun. See you later!"

She didn't want to say the truth—not in front of Abi, at least. Wise beyond her years or not, and not to mention a super powerful half-fae, she was still just a little girl.

Misty Vale was about to explode. Alena could feel it. Hell, everyone could. She knew it was all her bear clan had been talking about for months. She had given up trying to figure out why everyone was so set on a war. Sometimes it just felt like the whole town had gone crazy. The Forsaken Riders had added a spark that was threatening to finally ignite the slow burn between the Dragons and Bears into a raging inferno.

Her mind flashed back to the fire that had burned the Grand Lodge to the ground almost one hundred years ago. By most accounts, that was more or less when the feud had gone beyond normal shifter rivalry.

But what she and Archer and some of the Bears knew, what apparently none of the Dragons were privy to, was that the feud was largely Kiki's doing. Kiki was the town's resident Fae but was known to most as just the eccentric owner of the local new age shop. After being caught red-handed doing some epic meddling with Archer and his mate Ruby's budding romance, she had been amazingly contrite and had agreed to tell the truth she had been bending over backwards to conceal—that as a young fae one hundred years ago, it had been her capricious and rather promiscuous and two-timing ways that had set the bear-dragon feud in motion in the first place.

Archer's patience with her is beyond me.

The hope, of course, was that when she told the town the truth, it could go a long way toward healing the split, but somehow, Kiki had convinced him to let her come forward with the truth in her own time. She had argued that the Forsaken Riders had to be taken out of the mix first. It had seemed reasonable enough at the time, but now the Riders seemed to be more in the mix than ever. And things were only getting worse. At this point, with things so bad, Alena was afraid that even Kiki's confession would be too little too late, but they had to try. Without hope that things could get better in town, it was hard to justify staying. Up until now focusing on her pet project, mapping out the trails around Misty Vale, and her plans for the nature center had been enough to keep her looking to the future. The woods and trails had always been her safe place. But these latest developments were worrisome, to say the least.

She thought back to Abi and her childlike wonder and optimism.

Sure wish I could get my hands on some of that. And gimme a stuffed animal while you're at it, too, she thought.

What did they call those animals people take on flights? A comfort animal or something.

Wouldn't that be a sight; me, a bear, with my little stuffed animal. Alena chuckled to herself as she imagined one of the many tourists catching sight of a bear running through the woods with a little stuffed teddy bear in its mouth. Or maybe a unicorn?

She raised her head as she headed down main street, looking beyond the low roof tops at the towering pines and snow-capped peaks surrounding Misty Vale.

If only I could take a run up the mountain on my break at the diner.

She needed to burn off some of this nervous energy, or she was going to lose it. Her bear was practically tearing at her flesh. But she wouldn't have time during her shift. Brandon and Archer wanted to be sure their new venture was successful. Especially since it sat right across from the Dragon's Misty Brews.

Lost in thought, she turned the corner to head up a side street toward Kiki's when she suddenly felt like she had practically run into a wall. But it wasn't a wall. It was a very solid, muscular frame. Strong hands grasped her shoulders, incredibly large strong hands. The man she had run into held her so as to prevent them both from toppling to the pavement.

"Sorry about that, I…" Alena's voice trailed off as she raised her eyes from his stomach, across his broad chest, and right up to meet the stranger's intense stare. An electric current instantly shot through her. She had actually felt a jolt the moment she had run into him. The intense and wholly unexpected bolt of pleasure rocked her.

But now she literally gasped as their eyes met. And unless she was totally delirious, she was pretty sure she heard a similar sigh escape his lips as well. His perfectly shaped, very kissable lips. Every nerve ending was suddenly, powerfully attuned to the man before her. The flush of pleasure she felt raced straight to her core. And her bear was practically roaring at her as it spun in a circle and thrashed to be released.

This man… this specimen was tall, handsome, with chiseled features and tousled dark hair. But it was his eyes that captivated her—endless pools of icy blue she felt she could drown in.

And, as if the effect needed to be heightened at all, he seemed equally shocked, his nostrils flaring as he seemed to inhale her scent. Alena's inner bear roared again, trying to take control. She was fiercely drawn to this stranger in a way that she'd never experienced before.

Mine, her instincts screamed. Mate.

What the fuck? With the shock of that thought, or that impulse, whatever it was, added on top of this ridiculous chemistry, she almost fell over backwards. As a matter of fact, her legs did go weak, but the stranger was now holding her up completely as he gently leaned her against the corner of the building they had just come around.

Almost panicked at being so completely out of her element, Alena practically wrenched herself from his grasp. She pushed off from one of his rock-hard forearms as she fought to get a grip on herself. The man blinked, shaking his head slightly as if emerging from a trance himself. Something seemed to click, or unclick in him as well, and after one more double take, but without a word, he strode briskly away, his broad shoulders cutting a path no man would have dared cross.

Alena's heart hammered against her ribs. What the hell was that? A pleasurable buzz was still arcing through her body. From her nipples to her pulsing sex, her body was still in overdrive.

Jesus. What just happened?

She'd never had such an intense reaction to someone at first meeting. She wasn't sure she had had such an intense reaction to anything like that, period. The raw, primal desire to shift and mark this mystery man as her own was absolutely shocking and unnerving. Not to mention the other even less civilized thoughts racing through her mind.

No, right here in the street would be painful…

Get it together, Len, she scolded herself. You don't even know who he is! Probably just some tourist. There was no rational reason for her bear to be so stirred up. But that wasn't entirely true, and at some level, she knew it. Her mind was racing to get a hold on her out of control hormones. But he was familiar. She couldn't place him. Misty Vale was big enough that you could still meet strangers like this… but just barely.

Almost as soon as he had left, she resumed her own path toward Kiki's, though it took some doing to override her bear's desire to go after this mysterious stranger, if only to get a second look.

Do I know him?

Still shaken, the familiar sign for Kiki's quaint little shop soon came into view. She yanked open the carved wooden door of Kiki's Secret and slipped inside. The comforting aroma of incense and the sound of windchimes greeted her, easing some of the turmoil the stranger had stirred within her.

Kiki looked up from behind the counter, her inscrutable face splitting into a smile. The woman could be a little unnerving. At times, she looked like she could still be in her twenties, though it was common knowledge among the shifters and magical folk that she was well over one hundred.

"Alena!" the fae cried in greeting.

But it was almost immediately followed by a second take, as Kiki seemed to notice her flustered vibe for a few moments.

"Oh, my," she said simply. "Oh, my, indeed." She gave her something of a wicked sideways smile.

"Yeah." Alena didn't even know what to say, actually, nor did she know exactly what Kiki sensed, but it was obvious she sensed something. She did her best to push that aside to get to her original reason for the visit.

Slumping against the counter, Alena blew out a breath. "Kiki, I'll get right to the point. I swear I am going to lose it if I have to live in this town with all the constant fighting for even one more day! What's the point of all my efforts to make the nature center a reality if I have to constantly deal with the toxic environment in town? You've got to come clean already about what really happened between the bears and dragons all those years ago. I know you promised Archer you'd reveal the truth when the time was right, but things are only getting worse. We're practically on the brink of war here!"

Kiki averted her gaze, suddenly very interested in straightening the jars of healing crystals on the shelves behind her. "Well, I guess you're not in the mood for idle chit chat today. Fine. Yes, of course I've thought about it," she said evasively. "But the timing still isn't right. Tensions are still too high with everything going on with the Forsaken Riders."

Alena frowned. "That's exactly why the truth needs to come out now, before things get any worse."

"I understand why you feel that way," Kiki said gently. "But revealing the truth won't be some magic balm to instantly heal a century of bitterness. For all we know, it may even add fuel to the fire."

"Or it could shock or surprise them into finally getting over themselves and really listening to each other for once," Alena countered.

Kiki pressed her lips together. "Please, just a little more time. I want the impact to be reconciliation, not retribution."

"Are you sure it's not retribution against you and your reputation you're afraid of?" Alena demanded, maybe a little more harshly than she intended. But things had gone on long enough.

"I know it's not easy, but have faith," Kiki said, placing a slender hand over Alena's clenched fist. "When the time is right, I will come forward. But we must be strategic."

Looking into Kiki's earnest eyes, Alena felt her own gaze soften. She knew Kiki truly wanted to make amends in a meaningful way. And she had to believe that at least some of what she was saying came from the wisdom that came with age.

"All right," Alena conceded. "We'll wait a little longer. But if things get much worse, all bets are off."

Kiki smiled, the tension in the air dissipating. "Agreed. Now, come on, just a little idle chit chat. Tell me about this mystery man who's got your energies all in a bunch…"

Alena felt her cheeks flush. As frustrating as the situation in Misty Vale was, she couldn't deny her encounter with the handsome stranger had left her feeling more exhilarated than she had in a long time. A very long time.

"What?" She was about to protest but realized it was pointless. "Sometimes, it's annoying how much you can see."

"Oh, come on, it's obvious. It's written all over your aura. Nothing else could've gotten your panties this twisted."

Alena blushed even more.

Just then, the door chimed open, and another customer breezed in. Kiki quickly greeted her. "Audrey! Another surprise!"

With a resigned sigh, Alena gave the fae a quick hug. "I should get going, or I'll be late. But please, Kiki. The longer we wait, the worse it will get."

Kiki nodded, squeezing Alena's hands. "Have faith, my dear."

Alena slipped out the door, Kiki's reassurances doing little to ease her worries. She had to find a way to bring the bears and dragons together, before her precious Misty Vale tore itself apart.