Rough (The Bear Chronicles of Willow Creek Book 1) (3 page)

It doesn’t matter to me anyway.  One human is as good as the next.

CHAPTER FOUR

May 21
^st
, 2015

Amelia

THROWING ANOTHER
pair of jeans into my bag, I release a sigh before collapsing onto the bed.  Only a few weeks ago, I was going about my normal routine and now I am packing to go off and meet my soon to be husband. Why in the world did I think this was a good idea?

When I put my profile up on Brides Incorporated, I honestly figured nothing would come from it.  I mean, I know I’m not ugly or anything but I’m also far from model material. The scar on my face takes away from any beauty my parents gifted me with.  In a way, it makes me a little leery about what kind of man would have chosen me to be his bride in the first place.  Most men can’t get over my scars long enough to date me, let alone marry me.   Knowing my luck, I’m going to end up with some wrinkled old man looking for a companion in his old age. Worse yet, I’ll end up marrying some sicko that wants to use me as a sex slave. Hell, just the thought of that is enough to make me shudder in horror.

So here I sit on the edge of my tiny twin bunk bed, wringing my hands together in nervous anticipation, instead of packing to leave in a few hours.  I’ve gotten away with leaving all my packing, until the last minute with the reminder that I don’t have much to my name to begin with.  What I do have isn’t really even worth bringing.  I’m pretty sure that going to meet my husband-to-be, in my threadbare clothes isn’t going to make much of a first impression, but it’s not as if I have much of a choice in the matter.  Using my money to go shopping for clothes, no matter how badly I need them, has just not been an option. 

Just as I decide that I’ve wasted enough time twiddling my damn thumbs, Liza comes walking through the door.  I look up at her and have to stifle a laugh once I see the look on her face.  I swear if her lip hung any lower she would trip over the thing. Throwing my hand up over my mouth, I attempt to play my laughter off as a random coughing fit and get the whole “if looks could kill” glare from Liza.

“Seriously Amelia, I’m not sure what about this is so amusing?” She asks with a huff.

Biting my lip, I clamp down on my laughter.  When she puts it like that I have to agree with her.  There really isn’t anything funny about this.  If there was another way to get us out of here I would much rather do it than run off and marry a complete stranger, but I have no choice. I can’t do it on my own.

Releasing a sigh, I lean forward grabbing Liza’s hand and pull her to my side forcing her to sit on the bed beside me. “I get it Liza, I do, but I need you to take a minute to look at this whole situation from my point of view.  Can you at least try to do that?”

Rolling her eyes, she turns her head and stares at the wall like it’s the most interesting thing in the world.  I swear she can be so damn stubborn when she wants to be.  There have been so many times over the years; I wished I were the younger one in this duo of ours. I would do anything to not feel like I’m carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. I’m glad she doesn’t have to feel my struggle, but having me shoulder the burden has  caused her to be blinded to the troubles facing us every day.  Unless you’re the one living it, I guess it would be hard to understand where I’m coming from.

Rolling my head from side to side in an attempt to loosen the tension in my neck, I release a groan before continuing on. “You don’t need to agree with me Liza, but you need to understand that I am doing what I feel is best for us.  For you.  We can’t keep living here after your birthday, and I will never be able to afford anything even remotely decent for us.  This is me trying to give you a better life than the one we will end up having if we stay.  The second you turn eighteen I will be here to take you away from this hellhole. I swear.”

“I get it okay.  I do.  I understand that you are doing this for me in your own weird way.” Glancing towards me, she begins to shift around on the bed as if she’s uncomfortable.  Obviously whatever she is about to say has her nervous. 

“Just spit it out,” I snap, losing my patience.  “Whatever it is you have to say, just say it.  I’m a big girl, I can handle it.”

“Fine,” She snaps back.  “It’s creepy okay.  The whole thing gives me the creeps and just feels wrong.  Who the hell does shit like this Amelia?”

“Hey, watch your mouth.  I don’t care how you feel about it.  At the end of the day this is my decision.”

She shifts back, straightening her spine. “Yeah it’s your decision, but do I get a say in any of this?  You keep telling me that once you are settled and have decided if it’s safe, you’re bringing me to live with you guys.  What if I don’t want to live with some old perverted creep?”

“Who says he’s an old perverted creep?” I ask, gentling my voice.

“Oh seriously, you can’t be that stupid.   What normal guy buys a wife?”  she replies with a shake of her head.  “If the men on the site were hot, don’t you think they would have to post pictures, just like you did?”

“They say the men’s pictures are not there, where we will choose a man that we think we will enjoy being with, and not just someone we are attracted to,” I explain, not quite liking the answer the website gives for this particular question. 

“Whatever, you have to be hard up in order to do something like that.  Look at you.  If you didn’t feel so damn desperate to get out of here, you would have never considered doing something this crazy,” she replies, saying what I have thought a dozen times. 

“I’m sure there are tons of people out there that do this,” I grumble, knowing her words are true, but not willing to tell her I agree.  “The website said they are very careful about who they accept to purchase a bride package.  I need to have faith in the fact that they are telling the truth and follow all the guidelines they have laid out in the contracts.”

“Ha, yeah I’m pretty sure anyone that is willing to sell a person isn’t doing everything by the guidelines,” she says, shaking her head.  “Whoever heard of selling people anyway?  Isn’t that against the law?”

“They’re not really selling women.  They’re selling their matchmaking services.” Turning towards her, I grab her hand and thread her fingers through mine.  “I know this is scary Liza, but this is just something I have to do.  I don’t expect you to understand it.  Hell, I don’t think I really understand it myself, but I do feel like it’s what’s best for us.  If anything, have faith in the fact that I would never willingly steer you wrong.”

Exhaling, she leans her head against my shoulder before saying, “I know you wouldn’t, and I do trust you.  This whole thing is just scary.  What if you leave and I never get to see you again?”

“That won’t happen.  I will find a way to come back and get you.  You have my word on that.”

Sitting up, she turns to finally face me, and I can see how hard she’s trying to fight back the tears welling in her big green eyes.  “It could happen, Amelia.  You see stuff like that on the news and in the paper all the time.  I’ve already lost Mom and Dad, I can’t lose you too.”

As soon as the words leave her, I understand exactly where her fears are coming from.  The fact that I didn’t think of this before makes me feel like a massively insensitive bitch.  I’m the last bit of family Liza has left and now I’m taking that last remaining piece away from her.

“I promise you, no matter what I’ll be back for you.  Even if we have to run off together and go somewhere other than my new husband’s place.  We will get through this, Liza. You just have to trust me.  This is something I need to do for us.”

Pulling her in for a hug, I wrap my arms around her and fight back my own tears.  It kills me to leave her behind, but I know in my heart that leaving her behind is the best decision I have made since this whole mess started. Leaning back, I swipe at the stray tear that is doing its damnedest to betray me and my so called put together strength.  If Liza sees just how scared I am, I will be facing a whole other load of problems. 

Inhaling a deep breath of air, I slowly release it and do my best to paint a convincing smile on my face.  “Everything is going to be fine.”

“Okay seriously. Amelia. If that smile is your way of showing me that you aren’t scared shitless, you are doing a pretty piss poor job.  Your face looks like something just crawled up your ass and died.”

I’m so horrified by the fact that she just saw right through my act that my face must take on an even more unattractive look.  Before I can attempt to smile again, Liza is rolling around on my bed in the middle of an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

“Now you’re laughing,” I bark, pretending to be angry.  “One second you’re giving me the third degree, and the next you’re laughing at me. I was trying not to get upset in front of you.  Shit, maybe it isn’t such a bad thing that I’m leaving your ass behind for a while.”

Without ceasing her laughter, she grabs for the pillow on my bed and whacks me in the back of the head with it. 

Rubbing my head, I ask, “Ow, what the hell was that for?”

Still laughing, she throws her arms around my shoulders and squeezes me so hard, I fear I’m going to black out from lack of oxygen.  “That my dear sister was for saying you were glad to leave me behind.  Just for that, I hope your new husband is a giant hairy old bear of a man who has half of his dinner stuck in his beard.  Oh, I also hope he is incapable of getting a hard on!”

Gaping at her in horror, I sputter random words out in the hopes that something will eventually make sense.  “What. The. Fuck.  Oh my God what did you just say?”

Snorting at me in disgust, she just shakes her head and squeezes me tighter.  “God, I’m going to miss you, even if you do act like a ninety year old woman trapped in a twenty year old's body.”

Squeezing her back, I ignore the snide comment and say, “I’m going to miss you too, little sis.  I promise it won’t be long and I’ll be back for you.”

She smiles at me and says, “When you come back to get me, I hope you’ll be able to tell me that you’re whisking me off to a gorgeous mansion with servants and pool boys to cater to my every desire.”

“Ha!  I won’t make any promises there.  I would hate to disappoint you, but I don’t think I have that kind of luck.” I laugh, imagining myself being waited on hand and foot. 

Releasing me she stands and shakes her head at me, before taking a second to look around my room.  “It looks like you still have to finish packing.  Didn’t you say your flight leaves at two?”

“Ugh, yes I know.”  Standing, I take a moment to look around the room that I have spent the last however many years in. “I hate to admit this out loud, but I’m really not going to miss this place.  Guess the sooner I get this done, the sooner I can set off on my new path.”

“You better get started then,” she says with a cheeky smile.

“Well, seeing as you just wasted a bunch of my packing time, I think I only have one option left if I’m going to get this all done in time.”

“Oh yeah?” she asks, looking up at me over a framed family photo that managed to be salvaged from our childhood home.

“Yup!  Guess that means you just nominated yourself to be the new official packing assist,” I say with a laugh, just as another pillow comes flying at my head.

CHAPTER FIVE

Ethan

WALKING INTO
the town hall, I do my best to avoid the questioning looks people are throwing my way.  Each and every shifter I see wants to talk about my new bride.  She’s the last thing I even want to think about let alone talk about right now.  She has to be picked up in three hours and I am in no way looking forward to our initial meeting.  There’s no doubt in my mind, the whole damn town will be at my house when we get home from the airport, that’s soon enough for them to get the information they want.

Just as I’m stepping onto the elevator, Marissa, a rare female bear shifter steps in beside me.  My bear instantly lets his dislike for her known, clawing at my insides.  Holding back a roar, I push the button for my floor and nod at her.  “Good morning.”

“Is it true, Ethan?”

I decide to play ignorant and I answer her question with one of my own.  “Is what true?”

“Are you really going to marry a human, an outsider?” She huffs out, placing a hand on her hip.  “We could have mated you know?  Just because we aren’t true mates doesn’t mean that we couldn’t have made it work.”

Being her mate was something I would never in a million years allow, and I have made it clear to her on more occasions that I can count.  Marissa is part of our police force and a wonderful officer, but she is also a royal bitch. I can’t even stand being in the same room with her for more than a few minutes at a time, let alone be mated to her.  More than once, she has tried to crawl into my bed, hoping to force a mating between the two of us.  Even my father has asked me repeatedly to mate with Marissa, but it’s just not something I could ever do.  I will not bind myself to a woman like her.   

Shaking my head, I avoid her eyes and release a huff of annoyance. “You know that was never going to happen.”

She continues to stare me down as she talks, completely oblivious to my complete and utter dislike of her. “It’s been more than fifty years, since there was a true bear shifter born.”

Due to the low rate of female bear births, there are very few bear/bear mates.  In fact, Marissa is one of only two female bear cubs born in the last eighty years.  Since her, there has been one other, but she is only three years old. Most bears end up mated to a different species: wolf, panther, eagle and everything in between.  Luckily, bear genetics are strong.  When we mate with other shifters, bear offspring are nearly always produced. 

 “No, there hasn’t,” I say, as my stomach revolts at the thought of taking her as my mate.  “But that doesn’t change anything.  I will be marrying the human this afternoon.”