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Authors: Lorelei Moone
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ignore the immense pull she had on him. It seemed irrational and crazy, but he knew that if he couldn't have her, he wouldn't survive his loss.
His entire situation was so unprecedented that the only comparison he could draw was with bear couples where one partner passes. The other half of the couple often died of a broken heart shortly after. Mated bears literally grew old together, or they didn't grow old at all.
"Pour us another glass. I have something to say," Aidan started.
Derek paused for a moment, tempted to argue, but finally decided to just do as he was told. Moments later, fresh refill in hand, he sat down opposite Aidan again and waited.
"I've never told you what it is I do." Aidan leaned forward and ran his fingertip across the rim of the glass, wiping a droplet of mulled wine off it.
"You've never been home long enough to discuss it. Not that I mind, you know I'm not the social type," Derek remarked.
"Obviously I've been traveling, but I never mentioned my reasons. When Mum and Dad had their accident, I couldn't shake the feeling that something else was going on..."
Derek raised his eyebrow. "You think it wasn't an accident?"
Aidan forced a smile. "You've always been sharp. Yes, that's exactly what I suspected. Of course, I had no proof."
"And you do now?" Derek asked.
"Not yet. That's why I'm here, to look through their things and the old newspaper clippings I'd kept from way back when. But what I'm getting at is, some people approached me a while ago. That's how I met Heidi recently as well."
The way Aidan said her name, Derek knew that Heidi was the woman he'd hinted at before. Aidan's mate. "Right. What people?"
"Have you ever heard of the Sons of Domnall?" Aidan asked.
"Yeah, from the old stories," Derek said.
"It would seem that they don't just exist in stories."
Derek stopped mid-sip and put his glass back down, his gaze now completely fixed on his brother.
"They're a real threat. A group of humans who know our secret and are intent on rooting us out. We're trying to form a counterpart to that. I'm now working with like-minded shifters to protect our secret and keep our own safe against the Sons of Domnall. Our group is called the Alliance."
"And how do Mum and Dad fit into all that? You think their deaths are related to what you've discovered?" Derek ran his hand through his hair, trying to make sense of it all.
"It would explain a lot, wouldn't it? The problem with us bears is, we don't organize ourselves. We tend to keep to ourselves, and when something happens, there's nobody to help out or put two-and-two together. Those who lives in packs, wolves, for example, are miles ahead of us. There have been disappearances across the shifter world. And the evidence links it all back to human interference."
Derek was stunned. Living alone in this remote part of the world, it had become very easy to assume life was quaint everywhere else. The possibility that their parents' death hadn't been an accident like he'd believed all his life was a lot to take in. And to think that their way of life was in danger because of a secret society of human assassins... That was all crazy talk, wasn't it?
"Their activities have escalated over the past few years - or perhaps it's only after the recent truce with the wolves that we've started to share the necessary information across species to find out the full extent of what's been happening. That's why secrecy is so important, now more than ever before. That's why your human poses a huge problem." Aidan pinched the bridge of his nose while looking away at nothing in particular.
"Before you burst in, and I was talking to her, I felt it. Our connection is mutual. I assumed it wouldn't be, because she's human, but..."
"We've got to know for sure. A bear would rather die than to put his mate in harm's way, but who knows how it works for humans? I'm not sure we can trust her."
"I'm sure." Derek looked up from his glass, staring his brother right in the eye.
His entire situation was so unprecedented that the only comparison he could draw was with bear couples where one partner passes. The other half of the couple often died of a broken heart shortly after. Mated bears literally grew old together, or they didn't grow old at all.
"Pour us another glass. I have something to say," Aidan started.
Derek paused for a moment, tempted to argue, but finally decided to just do as he was told. Moments later, fresh refill in hand, he sat down opposite Aidan again and waited.
"I've never told you what it is I do." Aidan leaned forward and ran his fingertip across the rim of the glass, wiping a droplet of mulled wine off it.
"You've never been home long enough to discuss it. Not that I mind, you know I'm not the social type," Derek remarked.
"Obviously I've been traveling, but I never mentioned my reasons. When Mum and Dad had their accident, I couldn't shake the feeling that something else was going on..."
Derek raised his eyebrow. "You think it wasn't an accident?"
Aidan forced a smile. "You've always been sharp. Yes, that's exactly what I suspected. Of course, I had no proof."
"And you do now?" Derek asked.
"Not yet. That's why I'm here, to look through their things and the old newspaper clippings I'd kept from way back when. But what I'm getting at is, some people approached me a while ago. That's how I met Heidi recently as well."
The way Aidan said her name, Derek knew that Heidi was the woman he'd hinted at before. Aidan's mate. "Right. What people?"
"Have you ever heard of the Sons of Domnall?" Aidan asked.
"Yeah, from the old stories," Derek said.
"It would seem that they don't just exist in stories."
Derek stopped mid-sip and put his glass back down, his gaze now completely fixed on his brother.
"They're a real threat. A group of humans who know our secret and are intent on rooting us out. We're trying to form a counterpart to that. I'm now working with like-minded shifters to protect our secret and keep our own safe against the Sons of Domnall. Our group is called the Alliance."
"And how do Mum and Dad fit into all that? You think their deaths are related to what you've discovered?" Derek ran his hand through his hair, trying to make sense of it all.
"It would explain a lot, wouldn't it? The problem with us bears is, we don't organize ourselves. We tend to keep to ourselves, and when something happens, there's nobody to help out or put two-and-two together. Those who lives in packs, wolves, for example, are miles ahead of us. There have been disappearances across the shifter world. And the evidence links it all back to human interference."
Derek was stunned. Living alone in this remote part of the world, it had become very easy to assume life was quaint everywhere else. The possibility that their parents' death hadn't been an accident like he'd believed all his life was a lot to take in. And to think that their way of life was in danger because of a secret society of human assassins... That was all crazy talk, wasn't it?
"Their activities have escalated over the past few years - or perhaps it's only after the recent truce with the wolves that we've started to share the necessary information across species to find out the full extent of what's been happening. That's why secrecy is so important, now more than ever before. That's why your human poses a huge problem." Aidan pinched the bridge of his nose while looking away at nothing in particular.
"Before you burst in, and I was talking to her, I felt it. Our connection is mutual. I assumed it wouldn't be, because she's human, but..."
"We've got to know for sure. A bear would rather die than to put his mate in harm's way, but who knows how it works for humans? I'm not sure we can trust her."
"I'm sure." Derek looked up from his glass, staring his brother right in the eye.
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