A Mate For The Bear: BBW Paranormal Alpha Shifter Romance (Bear Brides Book 4) (10 page)

Joyce gave him a quick kiss
and whispered, “Be careful. Come home soon. Please.”

“I will. I promise.”

After Terri and Joyce left,
Dalton stuffed Felix into the boot, together with Randell's head, and
gave instructions to Tony and Brad. “First, the wolves. Then
the Stormland leopards.”

“Got it.”

As Brad drove, Dalton spoke
to Cole briefly on the phone. He told his Alpha exactly what had
happened and what he was planning to do.

“I'll put a call in to
Hanford now,” Cole said, referring to the Crimson Wolves Alpha.
“I'll let Hanford know that you're bringing the head of his
Beta to him.”

“Thanks, Cole.”
Dalton put the phone away and turned to Brad and Tony. “We
should be in and out of the Crimson Wolves' territory in a few
minutes. They wouldn't want the news of their Beta's sordid deal and
ignominious death to spread.”

Brad snorted. “We
should just put his head on a stick and let it rot in the town
square.”

“Yeah. When the other
packs see how the Crimson Wolves have been humiliated and defeated,
they'll all be plotting an attack on the Crimson pack. The Crimson
pack will be torn apart and all their territories swallowed up before
you can even sneeze!” Tony said, rubbing his hands.

Dalton nodded. “Hanford
knows that. Any pack or clan that is seen as weak will be preyed
upon and destroyed. By delivering Randell's head to Hanford, we are
sparing his pack.”

“They don't deserve to
be spared,” Brad growled.

“Delivery isn't free,”
Dalton answered smoothly. “Upon taking delivery, Hanford will
have to write off the debt owed by Felix. He'll tear up that forged
guarantee document as well as my undertaking to pay off the amount on
Joyce's behalf. Nothing will be hanging over Joyce's head any more,
and I won't be paying those dirty wolves a single cent.”

Tony chuckled. “That's
gonna hurt. Those wolves love money more than anything!”

“You gonna deliver the
human to the Stormland leopards?” Brad asked.

“Felix owes those
leopard a huge sum of money. It's only fair they make him pay,”
Dalton deadpanned.

Brad clucked his tongue.
“The sorry bastard will be wishing you'd thrown him to the
wolves instead. Those leopards are...” He gave an exaggerated
shudder.

“Sharks” Tony
finished for him.

“Yeah. The Stormland
leopards always collect their debt. Those rumors...aren't rumors.
If a debtor can't pay, they simply slice him open and sell his
organs. They sell everything, every bit, every drop. In some cases,
they even make a tidy profit and collect more than the debt amount.”
Brad said, shaking his head. “They're loan sharks and they're
the best and the most brutal in the business.”

Dalton nodded. “The
Stormland leopards are like pirates, with honor. They carry out
their loansharking business openly, and they let you know their terms
upfront. They'll come after you, and you alone, for your debt. They
won't go after your family, your loved ones, your pack or clan for
your debt. Just you.”

“Just for the Stormland
pack, we'll waive our delivery fee,” Tony said.

“It's always good to
have more allies than enemies, little brother,” Dalton said
approvingly.

Tony punched his arm. “My
big brother, smart as hell. I'd have just killed the piece of shit
outright. You protected your mate, and the clan as well. Well
played, Beta. Well played.”

“Perfect! That looks
great!” Joyce clapped as Cole and Brad put up the banner.

Abby and Terri stopped
blowing up the balloons for a moment to admire the lively banner. “I
love those colorful squiggly lines at the sides. Very artistic!”
Terri declared.

Joyce laughed. “Oh,
those were made by Daren and Rita. Those two are great at hand
painting!”

“And face painting,”
Abby said. “You should have seen their faces after they were
done. I don't know how Lisha managed to scrub all that paint off
them.”

Joyce turned when Connor gave
a shout, “Catch them! They're going to fall off!”

Connor and Curtis were
carrying a long table between them, and Brad's twin cubs were
gleefully sliding from one end of the table to the other.

Quick as lightning, Jason
leaped over balloons and streamers to scoop the two rascals up in his
arms.

“Gotcha!”

Bruno went to help Connor and
Curtis set up the buffet table as Jason entertained the kids and kept
them out of everyone's way. Most of the clan members were here
early, helping Joyce get everything ready for the party. The
grandmother bears were having a cook-off in the kitchen, whipping up
all sorts of amazing, impressive dishes.

Joyce waddled into the
kitchen and headed straight for the stove, but Lisha and Amanda,
Curtis and Connor's great-grandmother, shooed her out. “Oh no
you don't. No tiring yourself out. You just sit down and rest.”

“Go put your feet up,
dear,” Amanda ordered.

“Your ankles are
swollen.”

“My fat feet don't
bother me. I'm used to them.” Joyce rolled her eyes and
huffed, “I'm pregnant, not crippled.”

“Get your rest now,
while you can. You'll be running after your cub soon enough,”
Lisha advised.

Abby and Terri finished
blowing up all the balloons and came to join the women in the
kitchen.

“Smells wonderful,”
Terri sniffed the air longingly. “My stomach's rumbling
already.”

“Where's the cake?”
Abby asked.

“In the fridge. Joyce
baked it herself, and it's beautiful,” Amanda said, turning
back to the oven with a grin. “I can't wait to have a slice.
I love cake!”

Joyce's grin turned into a
grimace as the baby did another somersault in her belly. “The
little rascal thinks my belly is his personal gym! He's been kicking
and punching and rolling non-stop. He won't keep still, not even for
a minute. He's just so active!” she groaned, clutching her
belly which was wobbling and jiggling as the baby stretched and did a
few more kicks and punches.

“Bear cubs are like
that,” Amanda told her. “When they were cubs, Connor and
Curtis were just unstoppable. They terrorized the whole family.”

The women chuckled. “All
right. Everything's ready. Shall we get the food on the buffet
table?”

“Where's the birthday
boy?” someone asked.

Joyce checked her watch. “He
should be here any minute now. Tony's gone to get him.”

*

“Why did you end the
meeting?” Dalton grumbled in the car. “We haven't
hammered out the details of the deal yet.”

“We can discuss the
details later. These guys have been supplying us with quality
decking for years,” Tony said, keeping his eyes on the road and
on his watch.

Dalton nodded. “Yeah,
I know we can trust them. But...why do you keep looking at your
watch?” Dalton narrowed his eyes suspiciously at his younger
brother. “And why are you driving like a maniac?”

“We're late.”

“Late? For what?”
Dalton asked as Tony screeched to a halt in front of his house.

Tony didn't reply, just
hustled him towards the house.

“For this.” Tony
grinned as he threw the door wide open.

“Surprise! Happy
birthday, Dalton!”

Dalton's jaw dropped as he
stared at his family and clan members all crowded in his living room.
A loud banner hung from the stairs, wishing him a very, beary happy
birthday.

His cousins came up to him
and slapped him resoundingly on the back. “Happy birthday,
Beta!” his clan hooted as they released streamers and balloons.

A broad grin split Dalton's
face. “Thank you! My God, what a surprise! I never suspected
a thing. You guys are good!”

Everyone laughed delightedly
and started talking at once.

“Your mate planned the
whole thing.”

“She roped us all in!”

“It took months, but
we're good at keeping secrets, aren't we?”

Dalton's heart swelled with
pride and love when he saw his beautiful mate coming towards him.
Her swollen belly pressed up against him when she leaned in to kiss
him.

“Happy birthday, DJ,”
she whispered, her eyes shining.

Dalton swept her into his
arms and kissed her. “I love you, JD.” He put his hand
on her round belly and felt his son give a swift kick against his
palm to express his displeasure at being left out. “Both of
you,” he added with a chuckle.

As everyone trooped towards
the buffet table, Dalton hugged Joyce to him and whispered, “Thank
you, darling. This is a wonderful surprise!”

She smiled as he bent down to
talk to her belly. “It's Daddy's birthday today, son. Now let
me give you a big wet kiss.” Joyce giggled as Dalton kissed
her belly noisily.

Cole and Abby came up to them
with plates of food. “Have you decided on a name?” Abby
asked.

“Yes,” Dalton and
Joyce answered together. They shared a private look and smiled.

Tony, who was hovering behind
them, pushed forward and prompted, “What? Come on. Tell me my
nephew's name.”

Joyce blushed a little as she
said, “We decided that our son would have our initials. JD and
DJ.”

“Oh, your profile names
on that dating site! That's so awesome!” Abby gushed.

“So what's his name?”

“Jon Dallas Jameson,”
Joyce announced proudly.

“That is so cool!”

“I love it!”

“Me too!”

Dalton's grin grew impossibly
wider as he looked around. This was one hell of a party.

The whole house was filled
with the glorious smell of food, and voices and laughter filled every
corner of his home. Dalton could hear the cubs' high-pitched squeals
and laughter as they played and chased each other around the house.
His clan members were up to their pranks as usual, and riotous
laughter and bellows could be heard.

Dalton put his plate down and
looked around for his mate. He suddenly realized that Joyce wasn't
at his side. She had slipped off while he was laughing and joking
with Cole, Brad and Tony.

“Has anyone seen...”
he began.

The lights dimmed suddenly,
and Joyce walked out of the kitchen with an enormous cake. The light
from the blazing candles threw a golden glow around her, and Dalton
literally forgot to breathe.

She never failed to take his
breath away.

“Let's sing the
birthday song!” Curtis hollered.

“Oh yeah!” Connor
agreed. “One, two, three...Happy birthday to you! Happy
birthday to you...”

The whole clan belted out the
birthday song with gusto. The singing was loud and enthusiastic,
rousing and completely out of tune.

But to Dalton, it was the
most beautiful, joyful sound.

Joyce put the cake down on
the table and went to kiss him on the cheek. “Make a wish,”
she smiled.

He looked up from his mate's
sparkling green eyes, and saw his family and clan all gathered around
him. These were people who stood by him, supported him and loved
him. And they were all here to share his joy and his life.

Taking a deep breath, Dalton
smiled and said, “I already have everything I've ever wished
for. But...I'm not going to waste my birthday wish.” He
paused and said solemnly, “I wish to have a slice of this
delicious cake.”

The whole clan cheered when
Dalton blew out all the candles in a single breath.

Dalton held his mate's hand
and grinned. “Now to make my wish come true. Let's cut the
cake!”

~
End
~

About the Author

Natalie Kristen is a writer
who enjoys mixing the sweet with the spicy, the light with the dark,
the possibilities with the unimaginable. She enjoys exploring
paranormal and dystopian worlds, deep desires and inspiring romances.
She is hopelessly addicted to coffee, chocolate, reading and
writing. She loves to hear from readers so please feel free to
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