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  Copyright

  Copyright © 2019 by Fay Walsh

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  Contents

  The Bear’s Secret

  Chapter 1

  Billy was standing, laughing with Darren and Travis.

  “It sounds like you are fitting in with the clan, Lisa,” Travis said.

  “Yeah well, it’s the first time I’ve felt so welcomed. And after Darren got his head out of his ass, he became quite cute and nice,” Lisa laughed.

  “I’m glad. You seem much more relaxed, Darren,” Billy said.

  “I guess. I mean, I think I am,” he said.

  “Oh quit being so modest. You and I both know you’re so much different,” Travis teased.

  Darren nodded. “I mean, I guess I am,” he replied.

  Everyone was laughing and Billy couldn't help but let his eyes linger on Lisa. She was talking animatedly with Alana who was the Alpha’s girl, and in Billy’s heart, there was a tad bit of jealousy. He wished he could find someone like her. Lisa looked up, staring at Billy for a second.

  “What’s up?” she asked.

  “Nothing. Sorry,” he said.

  “Oh, it’s fine. I was just wondering why you kept staring at me.”

  “I’m just happy that Darren finally found a girl. You and I both know he’s complete trash with women,” he said.

  Alana laughed and Lisa rolled her eyes.

  “Yeah, I guess he is. But it also proves that anyone can find the person that they need so long as they look for them,” she pointed out.

  “You have a point. Maybe even little Billy here will find someone,” Alana teased him.

  Billy felt a bit on the spot at those words.

  “Doubt it, but thanks,” he said.

  “Oh, come on. Don’t be like that. We both know that you want that,” Alana said.

  Billy shook his head. “Sometimes it’s just better to not worry about this kind of things,” Billy stated, trying to sound carefree.

  On the surface, Billy kept a smile on his face, but in his heart, he felt like there was something missing. Two of the shifters in the clan already had mates, and he felt like he was going to be left behind eventually.

  “Don’t worry about it too much. It’ll come to you,” Alana said with a smile, probably guessing his thoughts.

  Billy nodded in agreement, glad that Alana decided not to tease him some more.

  The dinner went how it normally did, but Billy was restless and kept looking around, feeling almost… jealous. He wished he could be like them, having a mate and just be satisfied with his life. He felt like everyone in the room was happier and more relaxed.

  After dinner, Benjamin went outside to check upon the grounds and Sven quickly drifted away from the room. Billy, Darren, and Travis remained at the table, without saying anything for a few minutes.

  “So, what are you two planning on doing after you finally move in?” Travis asked.

  “We will think about marriage and possibly having children. Don't want to do that yet,” Darren said.

  “I don’t blame you. It’s a big decision,” Billy commented.

  “Yeah, it’s the same for us. Alana just got a new gig writing for a company, and she’s fixed on that,” Travis said.

  They all continued to talk animatedly, and Billy was just listening. He was present, but he almost felt left out when it came to all of them talking about what they were doing with their lives.

  Billy felt jealous and he couldn’t deny this feeling. The resignation from life was raging within him and this bothered the hell out of him. He couldn’t help but feel agitated by the way things were going. He only wished that he could meet his mate, just like his two clan mates had.

  But then again, maybe it was because of the fact that he was scared to go through the process of finding a mate.

  “So it seems like you’re the next, Billy,” Darren teased, interrupting Billy’s thoughts.

  “W-what do you mean?” he asked startled.

  “Finding a mate. I mean, it’s not like you’ll find one just sitting here, you know,” Travis said.

  “You’re right. I don’t know, I feel like it will never happen, but I shouldn't think that way. It’s important to stay positive,” Billy mused.

  Billy felt his heart lurch as he was saying those words. He wanted to be loved by someone, even if it was just some nobody. He wished it was easier to confront this need, but he still had a lot of issues to solve. However, he couldn’t ask the other’s help. This was something he had to do on his own.

  “I may get out. Seems like Sven and Benjamin ran off, and it’s obvious that you guys want to spend time with your mates,” Billy said.

  He felt like he was a fifth wheel and it was stifling. Travis nodded.

  “Fair enough. I want to spend time with Alana.”

  “Yeah, Lisa planned to drag me to a movie,” Darren muttered.

  “Oh come on, you wanted to see it more than me. Don’t play it off like that,” Lisa’s voice was heard from the sofa, where she was sitting with Alana.

  “Oh, you know. As if I would ever want to see this,” Darren teased back.

  They were all giggling and talking, and this raging feeling returned to Billy. He walked out and drove over to a bar in town. There wasn’t normally anyone there who interested him, but getting a drink would help in his mood.

  He walked in with his trademark grin as he spoke.

  “Hey, James I’m-”

  As he looked at the bar, he immediately felt his heart skip a beat. In front of him was the cutest girl, with brown hair kept in a pony, fluffy and soft in texture, with big brown eyes, and a pearly white smile with a little overbite.

  He took notice of her frame, slim and lean. She was flat as a board, and it made the crop top that she had on way cuter. Her black shirt and denim shorts revealed her figured in all the right places. He couldn't help but admire the way that she looked, and for a second, he felt his body unable to move.

  “You know, staring is going to cost you, sweetie,” the girl chirped.

  Billy finally came back to reality, blushing as he looked at the beautiful woman.

  “S-sorry about that,” he said.

  “Nah, it’s fine. Bet you were looking for James, huh?” she asked.

  “Yeah. Surprised he isn’t working,” Billy said.

  “Yeah, James has a kid now, so he basically asked me to take over the night shift. I’m not complaining, it’s easy money when the guys aren’t being stupid,” she said.

  Her little southern drawl was cute, and for a minute, Billy felt his heart race as he looked at her. He wanted to hit things off. She was so perfect, and she was definitely his type.

  “Now, are you going to sit down, or are you going to keep ogling me like some animal at the zoo?”

  Billy hesitated but finally sat down.

  “S-sorry about that. I’ll have a beer,” he said.

  “Really? Just a beer? Come on. I’ll make you something nice if you want me to,” she teased.

  Billy never did mixed drinks, but he was about to put it all on the line for this strange bartender.

  “Alright, hit me. Show me your craziest drink,�
� he said.

  She smiled, going back to the bar and mixing a few drinks together. Billy wondered how good this new bartender was. He just liked the company that James provided. He was good to talk to, and it was nice to have a friend outside of the clan. She raced back, putting a purple cocktail in front of him.

  “Try it. You won’t regret it,” she stated with a smirk.

  Billy closed his eyes, taking a chance, and he soon downed the drink. A mixture of blue raspberry and strawberry hit him. But what shocked him was that he couldn't taste the alcohol.

  “What the hell did you put in here?” he asked.

  “A lot of things. This one is a two per visit limit because of how strong it is. It’s a special that James was so impressed with, he hired me right on the spot,” she said with a teasing smile.

  Billy nodded, sipping on the contents and smacking his lips in excitement.

  “I’ll be damned, this is good,” he said.

  “Yeah. Bartending is a passion of mine. I mean, it gets me out of the house, and I love to be away from there,” she said.

  “You’re telling me. It’s so awkward at my place now,” he said.

  “Why? Your roommate has a girlfriend or something?”

  “Well, sort of,” Billy replied.

  “Yeah, mine’s just… my house feels weird. I don't like living there. I love going on little adventures. Walks through parks, nature trails, all of that is something I love. Just getting out and feeling the breeze,” she said.

  “Yeah, same here. By the way, what’s your name?” he asked.

  “Wow, took you long enough,” she teased.

  “I didn’t want to intrude,” Billy said, his face flushing.

  “Name’s Nikki, sweetie. Yours?”

  “Billy. I like going by Billy” he said to her.

  “Well then, it's a pleasure to meet you, Billy. I’m glad I could at least be kind of interesting in this dingy old bar,” she said.

  “You’re certainly the most interesting of them all,” he said.

  “Well, I’m flattered. Anyways, any interests you have?”

  “Well, I like my work. I’m a mechanic. I know my way around cars,” he explained.

  “Oh, that’s pretty cool! Do you go hiking or any of that weird nature stuff,” she inquired.

  “Yeah, on occasion,” he stated.

  He did think that his rounds did count as that because he liked looking about.

  “Well shit, it’s nice to finally have someone here that isn’t boring or a stick in the mud. I’ll definitely be trying to get more shifts then. You come here often?”

  “As often as I can. I don’t want to stay in the house at the moment, so I try to get out when I can,” he said.

  “Well shit, I feel that. I hate being at home too. I told James that I would run the bar for hours on end if it got me out of there. He didn’t let me take all the shifts, but a good chunk of them are mine, so you better get used to my face,” she teased.

  The smile she had made Billy feel happy with the way this whole interaction was going. It felt so right, and he wanted to stick around. Speaking with Nikki felt natural, normal, and it was rare for him to feel that way about someone. She was so sweet, and it felt like it was well, normal to talk to her like this.

  “Anyways, you seem a bit unsure of what you should be doing with your life. I can tell,” she said.

  “Yeah. In a sense, I feel that way. There are a lot of concerns, a lot of issues that I have with myself and my, well… future, I guess. It’s just nice to finally get away from it all. Bit of a relief actually,” he said.

  “Well, I’m glad that I can help with that, then. I noticed when you first walked in you were a tense wreck, but I can see the difference,” she told him.

  “Yeah, you’re telling me. I feel a lot better, and a lot happier,” he replied.

  “Well, I’m glad. At least I could make someone’s night a decent one,” she said with a chuckle.

  The next couple of hours were spent flirting, and Billy stuck around until nearly closing time, something that he rarely did. When it was all said and done, Nikki looked at him and smiled.

  “So, did you have a good night?” she asked.

  “Yeah, but I should be getting home soon. It was really nice meeting you. Nice to talk to someone different for once. And a cute girl, at that,” Billy said.

  She laughed, and he could tell that she wasn't put off by those remarks.

  “You flatter me. But I ain't that cute,” she said.

  “No, you are. I mean… I wanted to give you this,” he said.

  He handed her his business card. She looked at it and smiled.

  “If you want maybe we can… get some dinner at a different time. When you’re not working,’ he said.

  “Oh, you're sweet. But unfortunately, I don’t do dates. Plus, I don’t want to piss off James or anything,” she said to him.

  The disappointment that he felt when he heard those words immediately washed over him, but he simply smiled back, keeping himself together.

  “Understandable. Well, if you ever change your mind, you know where to contact me,” he said.

  “I do, sweetie. Anyways, have a good night,” she said.

  It was the first time in a long time that Billy had asked someone out, and the disappointment that he felt definitely washed over him. However, he had a feeling that this wouldn’t be the last that he would see of her. In fact, he had a feeling that this was the beginning of something, whatever it might be.

  Chapter 2

  Nikki almost wished she had taken Billy’s offer. It would certainly keep her away from him.

  The rest of the shift was pretty simple, even though it was mostly just cleaning the bar and locking up. However, Nikki enjoyed these simple times, for it meant she would be away from him, and from the mess at home.

  When she finished, she looked at the time. It was almost 2 am, and she hoped that at this point, her dad would be asleep. He did have to work in the morning, and it made Nikki wish that he would just leave her be, but that would never be the case.

  “God, I wish I could just stay here,” she exclaimed.

  Maybe James would have an extra room upstairs, and she could live here for free while she got her life together. It was a pipedream, but the possibility brought a smile to her face.

  But for now, she needed to go home. She felt tired. She wondered what she would be coming home to this time.

  When she drove in, the light immediately turned on. It was her dad’s automatic timer, and although she got why he had it, that didn’t make it any less stressful. When she walked into the foyer, she took a few steps, only to hear the clicking of the light.

  “You're late,” he said.

  “I work at a bar, dad. Don’t expect me to get home early. You know this. James and I switched shifts, and I don’t plan on leaving patrons until it’s over,” she tried to explain.

  “Well, you were clearly too loud. This home needs to be quiet if you’re going to be coming home late. You’re already trying my patience. Can’t you even get a better job?” he demanded.

  “Dad, that’s what I went to school for. And you guys asked me to move back. You asked me to help because your business isn’t doing well. I know that the luxury meats industry is hard right now, but there is no need to ask for your daughter to come back if all you're going to do is accuse me,” she said, trying to sound calm.

  “Your mother is sick, and you need to realize that you need to pull your weight in this family,” he said.

  “I’m sorry if I was loud, but mom should be well asleep by now. It’s you who is causing the trouble. Besides, why do you care if I have a job working at a bar or not? I’m a grown adult dad, not some little child that you can order around!”

  “Don’t use that tone with me, young lady!”

  “Don’t act like you're high and mighty towards me! Since I’ve come back, both you and mom have been acting weird,” she said.

  In truth, Nikki n
oticed this change the moment she came back home. From that moment, her dad was much ruder, and generally meaner. He wasn’t like that.

  Her mother, although being strong all up until this point, was sickly. Her dad said she would get better, but it would take time. Regardless, there was something that bothered Nikki. Something wasn’t right and they were hiding it from her.