An Heir for the Billionaire Werebears(4)

"These seem old."

"They are anything but. Turn the key head."

I twisted it in my hand. Inside, it glowed.

"Eek!" I yelped, dropping it to the floor. "Is it radioactive?"

"No," Xavier chuckled, picking up the key. "It's just bioluminescent bacteria. Your key can help you find your way in the dark. It's like a lodestone. It'll bring you home, wherever you are."

"That sounds awesome. What about GPS?"

Xavier raised a brow. "Do you know our address?"

I flushed. "No."

"There you go, then. I am going to get your suitcase, and then I'll be right back."

He wrapped me in a big hug, squeezing me tight. His arms were like steel bands around me, but I got the impression that he wasn't hugging me very hard. I sat down on my bed and hugged my knees. I didn't know what he thought he was doing, but he couldn't get into my car without my keys.

In less than a minute later, my suitcase was in my room, carried by a very cheerful Xavier.

"How did you even get in? My car was locked."

"Was is the operative word."

My keys were in his hand.

"Did you think that I hugged you just to snuggle?"

"You picked my pocket!" I gasped. "How could you!? I didn't even notice."

"I'm very, very good." He winked.

Suddenly, I was very conscious that this smoking hot werebear was in my room. His eyes were on mine, and he wasn't joking anymore.

After a few beats, he broke the moment by clearing his throat. "I'll be downstairs if you need me. Just settle in. Take a shower. Relax. We'll get some dinner." He caught one of my hands and kissed it in an unexpectedly gallant gesture. "I'm glad that you're here." He left me in my room alone.

I stripped and went into my shower. I needed to wash off everything that had happened today, the highs and the lows. I stared at the tile wall as the water pounded down on me. This whole situation was surreal. First of all, I never knew that were-animals actually existed. I thought that werewolves were the stuff of horror movies and Twilight. Second, I was now apparently living with weres, and I had already agreed to bear their child, no pun intended, so that they could solidify their position. I shook my head and let the water wash away all of my racing thoughts.

When the bathroom mirror was completely steamed up, I got out of the shower and wrapped myself in a pink towel. I got dressed in one of my pretty dresses. Yeah, I was a bedraggled homeless person only a few hours ago, but the shower had me feeling brand new, like anything was possible. I had been given an opportunity, and I was determined to make the most of it. I put on a bit of makeup, just enough to make me not look like a hideous troll, and I went barefoot downstairs.

The scent of cooked meat permeated the air.





Dinner





"Smells good," I called. "What is it?"

"Come down," Xavier called. "Dinner is ready."

As I went, someone wearing a chef hat waved at me and was gone.

"Who was that?"

"We ordered a meal, but we told our chef that we wanted privacy. We gave him a 100% tip, so he was pretty happy to go."

My stomach grumbled. I hadn't even realized that I was hungry while I was in the shower, but smelling the food made me ravenous.

"What do we have?"

I looked at the table. It was practically groaning under the weight of all the food. There were potatoes, salad, and steak.My eyes popped out of my head.

"Holy cow!" My hand went over my heart. "That's so much food."

"We've got stuffed potato skins with caramelized Gruyère cheese, cream, green onions, garlic, and a little pepper. Try some. These are my favorite."


Without any kind of shame, Xavier quickly cut a piece and put it in my mouth.

"This is incredible," I said rudely with a full mouth. "Oh, my god." My mouth was bursting with the perfect medley of flavors. I had always liked potatoes, but this was next-level deliciousness.

"Try something lighter," Asher said. "Here." He stuck a fork in a romaine lettuce heart.

I chewed and swallowed. "What's even in this? It tastes like lemon."

"It's lemon zest dressing. Do you like it?"

"I love it," I said wholeheartedly. It was an understatement.

"Our main course is filet mignon."

"Of course it is," I said, refraining from rolling my eyes. "Because there's nothing more typical of bears than eating cows."

Asher laughed. "I like steak, sweetie. They are prey. We are predators." He cut off a slice and offered it to me. The soft meat was perfectly seasoned with rosemary and some kind of butter sauce.

"If you feed me like this for an entire year, you are going to have to roll me out."

They only laughed. "Sweetheart, bear cubs take a lot of strength and energy. Believe me, you'll need all of this. Anyways, I wouldn't mind putting more curves on your delicious body. We've got triple chocolate brownies warming in the oven."

I shook my head. "I can just about handle one steak, but that's all you should expect from me."

"Don't worry," Xavier said, grinning. "We'll eat the rest."