Chapter 231
TALEN returned to his cabin in a blind rage. How could the one woman who finally belonged with him leave? And BELLA’s reasons made no sense. A booty call.
He slammed the door of his office open. A few of the gathered clan members eyed him with surprise. Though he was never the happiest of bears, he never growled openly without reason. He had a reason—they just didn’t know it.
Men worked on putting the offices back together and fixing the broken walls, shattered glass, and furniture.
DYLAN appeared from the glass exit that led to the forest, a deep frown creasing his brow.
“We have a problem.”
“Yeah, but what problem are you referring to?”
DYLAN cocked his head. He motioned for TALEN to follow him outside. The two slipped past the working employees into the forest. There, a crowd of people had gathered.
“My son,” one of the elder clan members, JENSEN, started, “is dead. I need to know why.”
A second clan member, MERITA, had tears streaming down her face when she spoke.
“You killed my cub. He was so young. Why would you do that?”
Someone broke through the crowd and glared at TALEN.
“I know why.”
“LYDORN, you don’t know shit,” DYLAN snarled. “Your son tried to kill me. The last thing I want to hear is that you are upset. Any of you.” He folded his arms over his chest. “You know the rules of our clan. Your kids attacked. With no reason.”
MERITA and JENSEN glanced at each other, then at LYDORN.
MERITA took a step forward.
“Your brother is the cause of this.”
“Why?” TALEN roared so loud the trees around them shook.
“He’s been telling our boys they need to stand up to you. To push you out of the way and that when he leads, they can have all the females they want.”
“And you let them believe this?” TALEN barked at the group. He scowled at them individually until they each glanced away in shame.
“You know the pride I take in this clan. You knew I would try to live up to my father’s expectations, and you let your children believe going against me was going to work?”
“We didn’t think they were serious,” JENSEN replied. He curled an arm around a still-crying MERITA. The old man shook his head, sliding bloody fingers over his hair. “They talked about all kinds of things. You were one of the topics.”
Already furious over his missing mate, TALEN exploded.
“Yes, I killed two of our members. I admit it. They attacked me in my offices.” He turned to point at the building undergoing repairs. “You want proof? Go in there and look.”
“But why kill them?” LYDORN yelled. “Why kill them? They were ours. Our future.”
“You know the rules.” TALEN lowered his voice and glanced at DYLAN. “We all know the rules. It’s kill or be killed.” He met MERITA’s gaze. Though the man felt sympathy for her loss, the bear inside him felt justified in his actions.
“Your son could have lived. I turned away. I gave him a chance to get out, but he came at me again. His intent was clear.”
A broken sob sounded from MERITA, and she buried her face in JENSEN’s neck. They were two of the older clan members. This could be serious.
TALEN might have worried more about their feelings if their kids hadn’t tried to kill him. He might have had more sympathy if his need to recuperate hadn’t allowed for CASSIE to leave for Earth without him getting a chance to speak to her.
“I demand a public trial.” LYDORN’s words echoed around them. “A public trial is only available when someone is killed without justification.”
DYLAN took a step forward, always willing to put himself in front of TALEN. TALEN didn’t need his help at that moment. He knew the rules. Hell, they’d been engrained in his brain from birth.
“Our cubs were killed without justification,” LYDORN continued.
Some of the people around them started to back away. It was clear if they had been siding with him before, they weren’t any longer.
“Your spoiled kids came at us without reason,” DYLAN growled.
“Would you let someone attack you and not defend yourself?” TALEN met LYDORN’s gaze, his own unwavering.
LYDORN’s cold blue eyes filled with anger.
“I want proof. Proof that my boy did what you are saying.”
DYLAN opened his mouth to say something, but TALEN tapped DYLAN’s arm and stopped him.
“I refuse a public trial, but if it is evidence of what type of bad seed you raised, then you’ll have it.” He glanced over his shoulder at one of the enforcers standing guard by the glass doors.
“Get the recordings.”
MERITA’s head came up from JENSEN’s neck. Her tear-stained face and trembling lip reminded TALEN so much of his mother whenever she tried to get her husband to forgive PAXTEN for whatever he’d done to disrespect a guest or fellow clan member.
TALEN stood still, his gaze roaming the group, ensuring no one decided to start anything. As angry as he was, he could kill a few people and not think twice. He was like his father in a lot of ways. He never disrespected his people, and he didn’t look to start a fight. But he wasn’t standing by while someone decided he should be on trial for defending himself. That’s not how ARCTOS clan worked—and it wasn’t starting now.
“Here you go,” said one of his enforcers, handing DYLAN an electronic viewer. The small tablet gave a holographic image of everything their security system recorded. TALEN had always felt his business place needed a system with multi cameras to record each of the rooms in the headquarters, getting images of everything that went on at all times.
DYLAN pressed a few keys, and the holograms of the fighting turned to life-size. Everyone who stood around them was able to see the three kids attacking first TALEN and then DYLAN as well.
The fight wasn’t as long as it had felt while it was happening, but the silence afterward was. People glanced around, none making eye contact with him.
MERITA stepped toward TALEN and stopped.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize PAXTEN had gotten to him so much.”
JENSEN nodded.
“We are just as shocked seeing this as we were to find out about the fight.”
LYDORN turned away and marched into the trees without saying another word.
The group dispersed, and soon just TALEN and DYLAN stood on the grassy hill. They turned to their left and approached the cliff overlooking the main cabin.
“Earth.”
“What happened at ALYX’s? I thought you said you met someone?” TALEN growled his unhappiness.
“She left. CASSIE went back to Earth.”
DYLAN sucked in a shocked breath.
“That’s odd. Did she not like it here? What went wrong?”
“I don’t know, but I need to get her.” He glanced at DYLAN. The wind howled through the trees at their high altitude on the mountain. He hated having to leave when things were unstable, but the last thing he wanted was to lose any more time from getting CASSIE back.
DYLAN gave a short nod, the kind that meant TALEN could count on him to keep things running while he was gone.
“I’ll oversee everything. Don’t worry about it.”
DYLAN sat next to him to watch the suns set. TALEN frowned at the distance. The various orange colors from both suns turned the skies into a glow of shades of yellow and gold.
“BELLA said something she thought I could be. Something I’m not sure I like.”
DYLAN scratched at his beard.
“What did she say?”
“You’re more familiar with Earth customs and sayings.”
DYLAN nodded.
“I’ve watched a lot of the up-to-date videos and tapped into their satellites to get better knowledge of the United States and its people.”
“What is a booty call?”
DYLAN choked on his laughter. He started low, trying to keep the chuckles to a minimum but then he appeared to be unable to control himself and laughed wholeheartedly. Loud.
“BELLA said you were a booty call?”
“Yes.” There was nothing amusing about being used for sex if that’s what she was implying. In AURORA, shifters mated or shared sex when in heat or for mutual pleasure. One was never used for it.
“That’s rough,” DYLAN cleared his throat, wiping at his eyes. “Listen, she’s probably wrong. You have to speak to CASSIE. Only she can tell you why she left, and you might be able to convince her to come back.”
TALEN’s gaze snapped up to DYLAN’s.
“Might?”
“Earth women are not like ours. They have strange beliefs.”
“Like what?”
“Like a male should ask them to mate or one should spend time getting to know each other before you mate.” DYLAN sounded as confused as TALEN felt.
“Mating is natural. It just happens,” he argued.
“We know this, but since humans don’t read scents and don’t have an animal guide, I guess that’s why they need reassurance.”
“And we get to know each other once we mate. That’s the point of the mating getaway. Alone time.” He didn’t get why humans did things backwards.
“I understand where you’re coming from, but you have to play by their world’s rules if you want her to come back with you.” DYLAN shrugged.
“It could help her decide to return.”
There was a lot to think about, but one thing he couldn’t shake was his feeling that CASSIE needed him and that she’d want to come back with him. He was sure of it.
DYLAN shuffled away, leaving him to think. He needed GERRI. The matchmaker could help him find CASSIE.
He pulled out the communicator and dialed a set of keys that would send a communication to GERRI. There was quiet, and a sudden hologram of GERRI appeared.
“TALEN ARCTOS,” GERRI greeted warmly. “Nice to hear from you.”
There was a knowing grin on her face, as if she knew something he didn’t.
“GERRI, I am headed to Earth. I will need your assistance.”
She nodded.
“Get here, and we’ll talk. I’ll have someone bring you to my office. I’m headed there now, and we can discuss whatever you need i
n my home.”
“Thank you.”
“Hold your thanks. I think you have your work cut out for you.” She closed the communication link before he had a chance to ask further questions.