Chapter 3

3

"Thanks for letting us have the ceremony here, Holly," Dylan said as he stepped into his cousin's kitchen. He'd always been close with her and was comfortable at her house. He'd spent plenty of time there, and her mate's father, Rick, had even become a great jogging partner. Regardless, it felt wrong not to have the initiation ceremony at the clanhouse as they usually did.

"As if I could say no, considering it's for us! Bringing Pierce, Rick, and Ruby into the clan means a lot to me." She smiled as she mentioned her mate, something she'd been doing a lot ever since she brought the wolf shifter back to Cape Cod after meeting him in Eugene, Oregon during a work trip. " I can't believe someone just snapped up the Suttons' place like that."

"I guess we should've moved on it a little sooner," Ross suggested as he prepped one of the numerous food trays set up for the clan to enjoy after the ceremony. The Brigham beta arched an eyebrow at his older brother. "I'm sure we could've found something to do with the place if we'd bought it."

Dylan glared at his second in command, even though he was right. "The Suttons had assured me they'd give us the first chance of buying the property if it ever went up for sale. They'd expressed those wishes to their family, but I guess their relatives didn't care as long as they made a quick buck off the place and didn't have to deal with it." He was still kicking himself for letting the situation get away from him.

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Barbara said as she mixed a gallon of unsweetened tea. As the clan matriarch and Dylan's mother, she was listening carefully and likely putting her skills as a former life coach to good use. "The Suttons were friendly with us, but they lived there for decades. Things were bound to change eventually. It's not impossible that we might have the same situation again."

"We'll see." Dex, the next youngest Brigham brother, stepped in the back door. "You said they were human, right?"

Dylan nodded. He'd definitely scented human on the two women, but he'd sensed something much more about the younger one, Stacey. Human or not, she was sexy as hell in a two-piece swimsuit that showed off the generous curves of her hips and the softness of her belly. He'd had to wrestle with his bear to keep his eyes where they belonged since he'd been there on official business, but it hadn't made the situation any better. Dylan had found himself just as intrigued by her dark blue eyes and the strand of bronze hair that had come loose from her braid.

As the Alpha, it was his job to investigate the situation further. It would take time to scope out the newcomers and see if there were a chance they'd be friendly to shifters like the Brighams. Dylan would have to make sure he stopped by a few times and struck up some conversations, and his bear certainly didn't mind. "I'll get it figured out. Don't worry about it."

Jace, the youngest of the Brighams, poked his head in the back door. "I've got all the wood set, Dylan. We're good to go."

"All right. Let's get this started." The knowledge of Stacey's presence made him tense, so he looked forward to the ceremony even more than he usually would've. It made him proud to welcome new members to the clan, something that didn't happen very often. He took his place at the bonfire with the new members standing just behind him. The current members closed a circle around the fire. Lifting his chin, Dylan looked out over the water. Darkness had fallen, but the horizon was still limned with light. It was time to begin.

He bent to light the fire, pleased with how quickly it took. The flames jumped to life, licking happily at the sticks and logs that Jace had carefully arranged. "Brighams!" he called as he straightened.

"Brigham!" the others returned.

It was an old ceremony, one he'd thought was cheesy when he was a teenager and learning the skills he'd need to become Alpha from his father. Now, standing as the leader of this clan, it filled his heart with joy to hear the pride in their voices. "We gather here to welcome new members to the fold, to bestow them with all the benefits of becoming a Brigham. One of them has already graced us with her presence since the day she was born. Two are newcomers. We will treat them as though they were born into our family, for destiny has brought them to us as if they had been. Pierce Westbrook."

Holly's mate, Pierce, stepped forward.

Dylan had liked him from the moment Holly had brought him home. He might be a wolf, but Dylan had no qualms about accepting him. Pierce loved Holly and was a great father, and he'd quickly come to care for the rest of the clan. "We are prepared to receive you, to offer you the protection of the Brigham clan, and to request that protection in return, to keep you as one of our own. Do you vow your loyalty to our clan and its members?" The words were simple and overarching, but Dylan knew everyone there understood how much was behind them. Vowing loyalty to a clan wasn't anything to take lightly.

"I do so vow," Pierce replied.

Dylan nodded. "Rick Westbrook."

The grey-haired man stepped forward, and Dylan repeated his request. "I do so vow," Rick replied.

The ceremony was a solemn one, but even Dylan had a difficult time keeping a straight face as he called the next initiate. "Ruby Westbrook."

Holly stepped forward with baby Ruby in her arms, who smiled at everyone in attendance once she realized all eyes were on her.

She was too young to vow anything to the Brigham clan, but it'd long been their tradition to welcome little ones into the family this way. "Ruby, the Brighams welcome you as one of our own. We will protect and honor you, keeping you safe from all danger. We do so vow."

"We do so vow," the other members echoed around him.

Turning back to the bonfire, Dylan addressed the current clan. "If anyone has any objections to these new initiates, you must speak them now." He waited a few seconds, hearing nothing but the fire crackling before him.

"Pierce, Rick, and Ruby, we welcome you." At these words, the circle around the fire opened up to make room on Dylan's right for the newcomers to step in. Dylan nodded to his father on his left.

Paul Brigham, the retired Alpha, looked just as proud as Dylan felt. "We welcome you," he intoned just before he shifted into his bear form.

His mate, Barbara, smiled. "We welcome you." She, too, showed her animal side.

One by one, each member of the Brighams gave the official salutation and then shifted. Though the Alpha carried out the majority of the ceremony, this process demonstrated that they were all part of the decision-making process. It also showed they could each be vulnerable to the other by revealing the secret part of themselves that they otherwise kept hidden from society. Soon, the gathering of people around the bonfire had nearly turned into a gathering of bears. Pierce and Rick, however, shifted into their natural wolves, adding a new mix to the gathering.

All eyes were then on Ruby. Holly had come to Dylan a week ago, worried that Ruby might be too young. She'd shown remarkable proficiency for shifting, quickly mastering both the bear she'd inherited from her mother and the wolf from her father's side. The combination had been a delightful surprise to them all, but a child so young wouldn't necessarily be able to shift on command in front of a crowd.

Dylan had reassured his cousin that it was all right no matter what happened. There had been other little ones over the years who'd simply been accepted as they were, and though it was nice if they were able to shift, no one would demand it of them. Even so, he held his breath as he watched Ruby, waiting to see what would happen .

The little girl was just over a year old, and she giggled as she found herself almost completely surrounded by animals. With seemingly no effort at all, thick dark hair sprouted all over her body, and Holly was now holding a bear cub.

A rumbling of appreciation echoed around the circle, and Dylan raised his arms. "Brighams, welcome!"

The rest of the ceremony was no different from how lots of families spent a summer evening on the beach as they cooked out, relaxed, and talked.

"There's my girl!" Rick said proudly as he scooped up his granddaughter and tickled her nose. He'd moved into the apartment over Holly's garage and helped keep track of the little one while her parents worked. "You made quite the impression today, little missy!"

"It was a beautiful ceremony, Dylan," Holly said, that happy look on her face even dreamier than usual. "I should've just listened to you when you said it was going to be fine. You were right, and I know no one would've loved her any less if she'd stayed in her human form, but it still made me so proud."

"She's remarkable," Pierce agreed, "and she's got quite the support system here. I never questioned moving out here with Holly because I knew I was meant to be with her, but it makes me feel that much better to know what an amazing family I've joined."

"Speaking of, I'll be heading back to Eugene in a few days for a visit," Rick said.

Dylan clapped Rick on the back. "Safe travels. We'll miss you, buddy."

Pierce smiled. "Give everyone back home my love."

Dylan looked on with pride and happiness for his cousin, but it was tinged with a bit of jealousy. He was forty years old. He was the Alpha of his clan. He should have his mate by his side by now, but he'd yet to find her. There was that strange tug he'd felt when he'd looked at his new neighbor. His bear wanted to experience it again, to explore it further and see if it was truly what he'd thought. Could it be? But she was human. Her very presence on the clan's little stretch of beach was a potential threat. Until he knew more, he couldn't think of her as anything other than a possible enemy. The knowledge sat with him like a hard lump as he moved over to the food table and loaded his plate.

His father, Paul, was on the other side of the table doing the same thing. "Never thought I'd see the day when wolves were part of the clan."

Dylan gave him a curious look and waited, knowing he wouldn't illicit more information from his father any faster by pestering him for it.

Paul scooped up a hefty serving of potato salad. "It wasn't all that long ago that a clan might've revolted over such an idea."

Picking up a napkin and fork, Dylan continued to wait.

Finally, Paul looked up at him and grinned. "I think it's just what we need around here to change things up." He gave his son a congratulatory punch on the arm and headed off to find the cooler of drinks.

"The old man giving you shit again?" Dex was wearing a t-shirt from the campground he owned, stylized to look like a traditional camp shirt with a silhouette of a tent and trees. ‘Camp Brigham' was emblazoned over the top. Dex followed Dylan as they walked out toward the bonfire to enjoy the breeze.

"Same as always," Dylan agreed with a nod. Paul was an old-fashioned bear, the kind who didn't say much unless he truly felt he had to. He preferred to stand back and see how people acted, waiting to see if he ought to step in. He'd run the Brigham clan far differently before he'd retired and left it to Dylan, but there had never been any real conflict between the two of them about it.

"Well, you know he's proud of you, right?" Dex said as he crunched down on a potato chip. "I mean, he's not the kind of guy to say it out loud, but I can see it."

"I know. I'm not worried about it." Dylan looked down at his food. His body was hungry, but his mind was unsettled.

"So what's wrong, then?" his younger brother pressed. "The ceremony went great. Everyone is happy."

Dylan nodded. "True. There's just something that's not right. I haven't quite figured out what it is yet." He looked out over the water. His clan was behind him, their voices a chaotic mixture of happiness. Some sat by the fire and toasted marshmallows. Some moved comfortably around in their animal forms. Having two different species there had opened everyone up to something new, but it was something they were enjoying. Little Ruby trotted around as a bear cub amongst her uncles and cousins, but in a flash, she shifted to her wolf as she ran up to Pierce and Rick in their lupine forms. It was beautiful. It was practically a utopia, yet he felt a tension in his shoulders that didn't seem likely to dissipate anytime soon.

Dex polished off a barbecue sandwich before he turned back to his brother. "It's the new people, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I think it is," Dylan sighed. "It doesn't seem like a small family of women and children should be that much of a threat to a whole clan, but if only one wrong person discovers our secret, well…you know. It doesn't seem like it should be such a delicate balance. I'm sure I'm just thinking about it so much because they're so close."

"And even closer now than usual." Dex gestured with a pork rib.

When Dylan turned his head to look down the beach, his stomach clenched. Only about a hundred yards away, children were running in the sand with flashlights. It was an innocent thing, the sort of thing plenty of people would do on the beach, but it was far too close for his comfort. If he could see them, then what had they seen? His suspicions were confirmed as they drew closer. The flashlights paused. Then, just as quickly, they began to retreat in the other direction.

Dylan knew he couldn't wait any longer to find out the truth about Stacey and her family. He turned toward the bonfire and quickly found Pierce. The other man was still in his wolf as he played with his daughter, and Dylan explained what he'd just seen. "I know you're new to our clan, but I've already got a job to ask of you. Follow them. Stay in the shadows. See where they end up. If you can hear anything, all the better. I'd like to know what they might've seen, or thought they saw. I hate to ask anything of you so quickly, but I know you're the best qualified among us to do a little recon without getting noticed."

Pierce didn't seem the least bit affronted by the request. He gave a flick of his head and then paused, no doubt communicating with his mate before he disappeared into the trees.

Yes, it'd been a lovely ceremony. They had yet to know for sure if there was anything to worry about. Still, Dylan felt that uneasiness building.