Forbidden Bear (Bear Creek Biker Bears #1)(5)
The Mia who had left Wolf Valley was not the same woman who returned. Her mate had changed her, although they had only just met, and only shared one kiss. Her lips stung at the thought, and she could recall the taste of him, the feel of his hands on her body. Shaking her head, she tried to rid herself of the need to turn her bike around and go back to him.
Yet as she crested the hill and looked down on Wolf Valley, she knew that this was no longer her home, not if he wasn’t here. And a bear would never live in this dump. The absence of their alpha was slowly tearing them apart. They were slipping into lawlessness, the males too busy arguing with each other, or keeping themselves to themselves to avoid the danger of being signalled out as a threat.
Mia knew that was the answer to all of their problems, they needed someone to take charge, to be chosen as their new alpha. It was a shame they would never accept a woman, or a bear. She smiled. Joel would most probably whip them all into shape, get everyone back on track and allow the town to prosper, but it had to be a wolf. No luck there, then.
She throttled forward, guiding her bike down through the empty streets and away towards the hangout. They must have heard her bike, because one by one her men appeared from inside, and she could instantly tell this was about to get nasty.
Parking her bike, she took her time to remove her helmet and her gloves, trying to calm herself down. This night had been filled with too many surprises already; she wanted a clear head when she finally spoke to her men.
“So you showed your face. We thought you might have left town for good.” Traff came forward. Mia could tell he had drunk too much and was in the kind of mood that got you in trouble. His mouth was working too fast for his brain.
“Why wouldn’t I come back, Traff? I know we lost the deal, but if you contact the buyer, we’ll trade elsewhere.”
“Trade what?” Traff held his hands open and she understood just how nasty this was about to get.
“What did you do, Traff?” Turning the blame around was always a good move. Her men were not the brightest, and she could outmanoeuvre them, easily.
“What did I do? Nothing. At least I’m not the one who ran off into the trees at the first sign of trouble.”
“I tried to lure them away so you could get out of there.” She walked up to him, right into his face. “Are you telling me you lost the merchandise?”
His silence said it all, but the others were crowding in behind him, and she sensed they might just back Traff. Did she care? Wouldn’t it be easier to just walk away from them? This life was not hers. It was the life she had picked up after her brother discarded it.
Joel gave her the opportunity to run away, to be something else. Yet she owed it to her mom to try to make this work, to try to keep a roof over their heads. “I asked you a question, Traff.”
“They took them. Beat us up and took the phones.”
“Shit. You had one job to do. Why do you think I tried to make them follow me?”
“But they didn’t follow, did they?” Cray, a hothead, spoke up. “Except one.” Cray walked towards her, sniffing her clothes. “And that one’s been all over you. Hasn’t he?”
“That would be because I fought him. What did you think I did, let him f*ck me?” She was sailing close to trouble with that one. If they ever found out she was the mate of a bear, this was going to come back to haunt her.
“I don’t know? Maybe you are a bear lover; maybe you led us into an ambush on purpose. It seems you got off with no bruises, whilst we got the shit kicked out of us.”
“As you all know, I can beat most damn men in this town.” She squared her shoulders and made her fists into tight balls of anger. “Want a demonstration, Cray?”
As she had hoped, he backed away. Although it wasn’t over, because Piler, a new member and a notorious badass, stepped forward instead. Great.
“Have a problem, Piler?” she asked, trying to get her adrenalin pumping. If he wanted to fight her, she would have to match him, but it was going to hurt. A lot.
“We’ve been talking.” He looked at the others, who seemed reluctant to back him up now she was here. However, she could just imagine how the alcohol-fuelled rant would have gone in her absence. “And we have decided that it’s time a man took back over the club.”
“Oh really? Well, if you can find one with big enough balls, then let me know.”
Piler smirked. “I’m standing right here, sweetheart.”
“So you fancy yourself as the new president, do you?” she asked, assessing how much he had drunk and how she could take advantage of his slower reflexes. Mia had beaten bigger men than this. But it had been a while since she had taken on someone seriously. Her reputation usually deterred any challengers.
“I think some fresh blood, your blood, being split, might be what we need to shake things up. The boys here think you’ve gotten soft, or that you are under the same strain that got your brother put in that institution.”
She laughed. “Oh, Piler, you are right, the same blood does flow through our veins. But females are so much better at handling themselves than men. So my head is in the right place … to beat you.” Mia began to move now, watching Piler’s eyes, judging how delayed his actions might be.
Not delayed enough.
Piler moved forward away from the others, who looked worried. They might not always agree with what she said, or the orders she gave, but they trusted her judgement. She doubted Piler’s judgement would be better. From the experience she had with him, she wouldn’t be surprised if he was the final straw for the gang.