Chapter Six

Rock

When I check my watch, I realize the whole day has gone by. I spent it lending a hand around the village, noticing that Cal is nowhere to be seen since the morning. I ask around the village if he told anyone of his plans for the day, but all I get in response are head shakes.

As the day's work concludes, I decide to head toward Elena's camp. I feel bad. We haven't really spoken after what happened. I just… left. She didn't say anything either, but I don't want her to think that all I wanted was to take advantage of her. Human or bear shifter, respect is something we value highly around here. Hopefully, she knows that, but in case she doesn't, I'll just go and tell her that myself.

The path to Elena's camp takes me through the quiet outskirts of the village, through the cave that serves as a protective barrier against the outside world. The sun dips below the horizon, casting long shadows. The day is slowly coming to an end. As I approach the camp, a knot of worry tightens in my chest. The flickering glow of the campfire reveals two people there.

So that's where Cal's been all day?

I approach cautiously, as they're sitting by the campfire. Elena is laughing. It is a sound I could listen to all day. I suppose that is only one of the reasons Cal is here.

"Hey Rock!" Cal notices me first, raising his hand in a greeting. Elena turns to me as well, offering a warm smile. "Join us. We were just talking about what happened at Pinehaven."

"What happened?" I ask, taking a seat on Elena's other side, so that she is sitting between me and Cal.

Elena proceeds to tell me of the unsettling events in Pinehaven. She describes the cold welcome she received from the people in the village, which I'm not all that surprised to hear, because they are not keen on strangers. Still, the encounter with the two men in the inn as well as in the alley makes my blood boil.

"Cal saved me," she ends her story, while her words still carry a weight of unease.

Cal, being himself, can't resist interjecting with a teasing grin. "Saved you? I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, but I guess that is a given with us heroes."

Elena playfully nudges Cal, a smile breaking through the tension. "If you weren't there, who knows what could have happened."

I join in with a smirk. "Cal, the hero. Who would have thought?"

Cal shrugs, a mock modesty in his tone. "What can I say? I've got a knack for being in the right place at the wrong time."

All three of us share a moment of laughter, the sound of which eases the obvious tension.

"And you're still here," I point out. "This encounter hasn't scared you away?"

"No," she shakes her head. "Almost, but not quite."

"You must really want to be here then," Cal teases. "It's me, admit it. There's still the question of that photoshoot we arranged."

"Is there?" she chuckles melodiously.

"Is that really why you're here?" I ask, unable to resist.

There is so much I don't know about her, and so much I want to find out. Even if she ends up leaving tomorrow, in a week or in a year, it will be worth it.

She turns to me, and there is so much sorrow in her eyes. I want to protect her from all the harm in the world. I've never felt this way about anyone. It's not love. It can't be. But a sudden tidal wave of affection and the need to protect someone so precious, so delicate overwhelms me.

She exhales with exasperation, biting her lower lip. She did that when she was sitting in my lap, with me inside of her. The memory of that sight floods me and my entire body is alert, yearning to have her again. But Cal is here as well. And I know he's as attracted to her as I am. How would that work, with us both desiring her? How would shefeel about that?

"No," she says, and her voice brings me back to the present moment. I wonder if her no was addressed to my silent thoughts. But then she clarifies. "I didn't come here to photograph bears. That would be… silly."

"Why?" Cal asks, sounding curious.

She shrugs. "Because if I wanted to take pictures of bears, I wouldn't have to come here to the middle of nowhere for that. There are much more civilized places which have bears, you know."

"Are you calling us uncivilized?" Cal asks with a mockingly offended facial expression.

"A little," she nods, resisting to chuckle, but still smiling.

"So, if bears aren't your focus," I interrupt, "what is?"

She turns to me again, and suddenly blushes. "You'll think I'm crazy."

"You came here all alone, yelled at a bear, almost got attacked by two drunkards and you're still here," Cal recounts what happened. "We already think you're crazy, sweetheart."

This makes her smile, but it is a weak smile, as if she's carrying the burden of the world on her shoulders. I resist the temptation to caress her cheek.

"I guess it can't be any worse than what it is now," she nods. "I'm here to take photos of bear shifters." She pauses, allowing me and Cal to speak, but neither of us does. Not at first. "See? You think I'm crazy. Double crazy."

I raise an eyebrow. "You really believe in that folklore?"

Elena nods. A flicker of enthusiasm lights up her eyes as she continues to speak. "There have been whispers and stories about them. Imagine if I could document their existence and get actual photographic evidence. It could be… groundbreaking."

"Sounds like a plot for one of those supernatural novels," Cal chuckles.

Undeterred, Elena leans forward, imbued by a new sense of hope and courage. "Think about it. Wherever there's smoke, there has to be fire. So, I'm sure there is some truth to those stories. Pinehaven, these woods… they could be hiding more secrets than we know."

"We've lived here all our lives," Cal reminds her. "Don't you think that we would have seen one of those by now?"

I have to admit, it's always fun to try to dissuade a human from believing bear shifters actually exist. Most of the time, we manage to do so successfully. But every once in a while, there is someone who truly believes. I can immediately sense that Elena is one of those.

"Right place but wrong time," she reminds him in turn, and we all chuckle again.

I haven't laughed this freely in ages. I so rarely have the chance to forget that I am the leader of our clan, that I have to keep everyone safe and protected, that it is always the well-being of everyone else, before my own. It is a promise I gave willingly, but sometimes, it feels good to be seen and heard again not as a leader, but just as a man.

"I feel like that sums up my life pretty accurately," she adds, sounding sad. "Right place, wrong time. Nothing I ever did came easily. I always seemed to stumble onto numerous obstacles on the road to getting what I want. I'm not saying that I'm lazy or selfish, that I deserve to have it easy, but I feel like I had to struggle more for the things I wanted in life."

"Did you get them eventually?" I wonder.

"No," she shakes her head at me.

"What is it you want?" Cal jumps in.

At first, she doesn't reply. She seems to ponder, and we give her all the time she needs. Eventually, words start flowing out of her.

"What everyone wants," she says simply, staring at the fire, which is illuminating her entire face, giving her an unearthly glow. "To be happy."

"How does photographing bear shifters make you happy?" Cal asks again, a bit clumsily, but it is a question I, too, would like to know the answer to.

She turns to him. "My parents think that my profession is a joke. My younger sister is a lawyer. Now, her profession is something they admire. Can you imagine that? She isn't a prosecutor. No. She defends criminals and finds loopholes in the law for them to get away with all sorts of stuff.That is what my parents are proud of. Not me. Not someone following their dream. But I guess I don't have a big house with a pool, I don't make a shitload of money. I'm a failure in their eyes."

"Hey…" Cal says gently, taking her by the hand. "We don't think you're a failure. Your sister is a sellout. But you… you're following your dreams."

"Silly dreams," she corrects him.

"Silly or not, that means you remain true to yourself," he is still speaking to her gently, as if she were a child that needs a hug.

"I guess proving that bear shifters are real means proving that I'm not a failure," she explains, and we finally understand why she is here despite everything and against all odds. She feels that this is all she has left.

"In that case, we'll help you," Cal blurts out, and my eyes widen with shock.

He throws a glance in my direction but doesn't say anything.

"Do you really mean it?" she asks, her voice on the verge of breaking.

It is obvious that this is a very tender, intimate moment for her. Cal shouldn't have made promises that he could not keep. He knows that we're not supposed to reveal ourselves to any human. We aren't allowed to ever make such a mistake again.

As for Elena, she will probably realize that this was a wild goose chase, and she will return home, disappointed. While it pains me to think that, I can't help her. I can't risk the well-being of our entire clan for one human, no matter how crazy attracted to her I am. And Cal, for that matter.

Just as I'm about to partially agree with Cal, to end the topic, we hear rustling in the bushes behind us. Cal and I jump, sheltering Elena with our bodies. Moments later, a member of our clan jumps out in front of us.

"Phillip?" Cal gasps. I notice his fingers are still curled into fists. "What are you doing here?"

He's still breathing heavily, the result of having run all the way here. He says just two words and I know how serious it is.

"They're here."