Forbidden Bear (Bear Creek Biker Bears #1)
by Harmony Raines
Chapter One – Mia
“You’re sure he’s meeting us here?” Mia walked back to where she had left her motorbike, and made sure her look conveyed exactly what would happen to Traff if his information were wrong.
“Yes. My informant told me that he would be here with the money at eleven.” He looked at his watch nervously. All of her men knew what to expect if they messed up. Mia had learned to act first, ask questions later. It was the only way to stay in control. And that control was vital if she wanted to keep her head above the trash heap Wolf Valley had become.
With no alpha male, things had gotten worse, a lot worse, in the last six months. If she hadn’t been president of the Wolf Valley MC, her family would have found themselves in debt, all thanks to her stupid brother Kurt. He had pulled some stunt that had been enough to get any other family exiled from Wolf Valley. By taking over his position as president, she had retained some status for her family, and that had kept her mom from having to move out of the only home she had ever known.
Not that Mia would have minded. Wolf Valley was not the kind of home she wanted, and she was so happy she hadn’t found her mate, although it went against everything in her nature. But no mate meant no bringing a pup into the mixed-up town she called home.
“There,” Traff hissed. “I told you he would bring the money. Now we do the exchange and go home.”
“And you’re sure this informant is reliable?” Mia asked, hating having to rely on Traff, but the last deal for their merchandise had fallen through and she was desperate to offload it. They needed the money for another shipment.
“I was told he would be here with the cash, and there he is.” Traff’s voice sounded defensive, but also carried an undercurrent of nerves. Which made Mia nervous too.
She peered into the night; this area had no lighting, which was why it was often used as a meeting place. It was out of town, on a back road that led nowhere: ideal if you didn’t want to be seen. Especially by the law. Still, they were doing nothing illegal; their merchandise was nothing bad, not like drugs or guns, but it was a little grey, in so much as she wasn’t sure exactly where the phones had come from.
The other thing that made her nervous about this place was that, strictly speaking, it was bear territory. Yes, just one minor detail: it was right on the outskirts of Bear Creek, rarely used, as there was no through road; it just led to a dirt track. But territory was territory.
“Let’s get this done quickly,” Mia said, taking the bag of phones and heading over to the man lurking further down the road. She kept her helmet on; it always went more smoothly when the guys she was trading with thought they were dealing with a man. It was the reason she was going to let Traff do the talking. Although her tight leathers emphasised her curvy body enough that if it was light enough, she would be instantly recognisable as a woman.
“Do you have it?” Traff asked the man.
“All of it, right here.” The guy held up a bag, Mia tried to gauge whether it contained the right amount of cash or whether they were being set up. Something was making her wolf nervous, maybe it was just the place; it stank of bears.
“Mind if I check?” Traff asked, although for once, Mia would happily have taken the cash and run. Something was off. She felt as though they were being watched.
Raising her head she sniffed the air, trying to work out what exactly was setting her alarm bells ringing. She was vaguely aware of Traff taking the bag of money and placing it down on the ground. He unzipped it, and that was when the ambush came.
Out of the trees ran five men, intending to circle her and Traff. However, her men, who had stayed by their bikes, leapt forward, ready to take on the stinking bears. For a moment Mia froze. What the hell was wrong with her? She could fight as well as any of her men, if not better. She was fast and experienced, having been brought up with a bunch of males.
As a young girl, it hadn’t taken her long to understand that if you didn’t behave like one of the boys, you got treated like shit. So instead of spending her life being subservient to them, she had taken them on one by one and beaten them to the floor. Begrudgingly, they had let her run with them, until it got to a time where they thought of her as a male. And that suited Mia just fine.
Raising her fists, she stood back to back with Traff while her men approached. They were about even, five against five. Turning, she tried to pick out which of the bears she was going to take on, and beat.
However, a prickle started at the nape of her neck and moved down along her spine. It sent a mixture of sensations in its wake. An adrenaline rush, that was all. But she was lying to herself and she knew it. Mia had heard enough tales of what it was like to meet your mate for the first time to know that was exactly the feeling she was getting.
Turning once more, she tried to hone in on which of these clowns was the one fate had chosen for her. What kind of stupid joke was this? She didn’t have to look too hard; of course, it had to be the one staring at her, mouth open like an idiot. Well. She would show him.
With a roar, she threw herself at him, getting a first punch in to the side of his head before he could react. But when he did, it was like an explosion of testosterone. He snarled in shock, saving himself the indignity of falling flat on his face by sticking his hand out to break his fall. Then he sprang back towards her.