Billionaire Bear’s Human Mate by Alicia Banks

Chapter 16

Shane

He waited in bed for almost ten minutes, reliving what he’d just done with Vivica. It had been great, unexpected, but just what he’d needed. The satisfaction level was high, and he was so damn relaxed, he actually went to sleep.

It was a couple of hours later that he woke up, but he didn’t realize how late it was, until he looked at the time. Then, he realized that Vivica wasn’t next to him, the bathroom door was still locked, and too long had passed.

He knocked on the door, asking her if she was okay. He was thinking that maybe she had dozed off in the bathtub or something. Shane couldn’t quite see what it was, but he was sure that it was something along those lines. His mind wasn’t able to come up with anything more right then.

He went to find his keychain and unlocked the door. His head was still a little foggy, but he knew that he had to check on her. His anxiety wasn’t too bad, until he saw the other door open and the bathroom empty. Vivica hadn’t dozed off like him, she had left the room. She wasn’t in the hallway and after a pretty quick run of the house, he concluded that she wasn’t there either.

Vivica’s stuff was still in her room, so he was relieved to think that she hadn’t left. But, after he talked to Maria, Shane was convinced that he had every reason to worry. She said that Vivica had left hours ago, when she went to the bathroom, and Shane just had a feeling that he wasn’t going to find her anywhere.

Shane didn’t know what to think, but he worried about what all Vivica had seen. There was a time in the middle of it where he had started to shift. His bear had tried to come out, something it had never done before, not forcibly where he had no control over it. Never in the middle of sex, especially with a human. After the way Vivica reacted, running off like she obviously did, Shane had to believe that she had seen too much. He didn’t want to wonder how she felt about all of it. She was freaking out and could be talking.

He didn’t wait too long before he called his assistant. Devin would know what to do, or at least maybe he would have an idea of what Shane was supposed to do, because at the moment, all he was really good for was freaking out. This was all going to go tits up if he didn’t find Vivica and explain things to her. It might already be too late…

***

“What the hell were you thinking, Shane?”

“Devin, it's not like you aren't thinking the same damn thing. I see the way you look at her.”

“Right, but I'm not royalty. Don't you have to hold yourself to a higher regard or something?”

Shane chuckled. “I haven't been royalty in a very long time.”

“You said that you weren't interested.”

“I didn't think I was. It just happened.”

Devin looked at Shane and made it clear that he didn’t believe a word that he was saying. He just shook his head, and Shane was feeling chuffed one moment and guilty the next. He was full of shit. It hadn’t just happened, not really. Shane had been planning it for a very long time.

“I can't believe that you did this.”

“You're just mad that you didn't do it first.”

“Vivica is definitely someone special.”

“Well, she's mine, so you don’t have to worry about her anymore.”

“It sounds like she isn't. It sounds like she had a taste, and then ran off.”

Shane growled and it didn't seem to faze Devin at all. If he was royalty, then maybe somebody would listen to him.

“She found out that I was shifter. For someone that probably didn't even know they existed, I would imagine that's a lot take on. She isn’t gone, she is just freaking out I bet.”

“So, what are you going to do about it? You know we can’t have a human running around, knowing your secrets.”

“I don't know. I need to find her first. Then maybe, I can try to explain it all to her and hope that she can understand.”

“Maybe you should just worry about getting rid of her memory. That is a whole lot easier than trying to reason with someone, especially a woman, doesn’t really matter the species.”

Shane immediately said no to that. His body rejected that thought in an almost physically violent way. If he had a witch take her memory, then she wouldn't remember him. He still wasn't sure what kind of hold Vivica had on him, but it certainly hadn't gone away after their one good night they had together. It was because she was a virgin. Shane was sure of it. His bear had taken over and claimed her. It wasn’t like either one of them had a choice in the matter.

Shane wanted to ask Devin about it. Devin was into all of the old lore and rules of the clans, but then he would have to admit more than he probably was prepared to. Eventually, he came out with it. He just had to know.

“So, what does that even mean?”

“What do you mean?”

“When the bear comes out in the middle of it. What does that mean?”

Devin scoffed. “You know exactly what it means. It means that she has been claimed as your mate and she really is off limits, well, until you die.”

That seemed to upset Devin even more and Shane knew why. It meant that Devin had never had a chance, even if he had before. But she had been claimed. Even if Shane didn't want her, their fates were sealed. She was his, for better or worse. All he had to do was figure out where she was first.

“Crap.”

“Are you sure that you're that upset about it?”

Shane didn't want to say one way or another. He didn't like to be forced into a situation and that's exactly what it felt like. Shane felt like he had no choice and he hated not having control. He had been bound and determined to be the captain of his own destiny for a very long time. Now, everything was upended, and he felt like he was being dragged around by his balls, fate’s hand the one holding it.

“Anyway, we need to find her.”

“Do you think that she's going to tell somebody? I mean I know that you don’t want to think about it, but you need to. She can really make trouble for all of us.”

Shane wanted to say that she wouldn't, but he really didn't know. She had been shocked, more than anything else. What he needed to do was figure out where she was and explain himself. He hadn't worried all that much about her telling his secrets. Even if she did, even if she went and told the world that he was a shifter that turned into a bear, who would believe her? No, Vivica just needed answers and some assurances. Shane was ready to give both of those to her. She just had to let him.

“What happened with the clan? What did they want, and is your dad okay?”

Shane had forgotten all about it. He was taking care of things, but he hadn't really talked to Devin about it. He had been so focused on getting to Vivica and then he was with her, passed out, and now she was gone. He hadn’t gotten anything done past that.

“Dad’s fine, he always is, he’s like a cockroach in that way. Clan is still the same. They want more money because they spent all of my mother’s family’s money. Now, they want more to blow. They heard about my good fortune, probably from dad, and now they want to put their hands in my pocket and pretend like they didn’t shun us for all these years. They thought I would be desperate to get back in with them, to have a clan and not be a loner anymore. That was their words.”

“What are they going to give you for it? What is the bait that they dangled?”

Shane sighed. It wasn’t something that he wanted to even think about.

“They want to give me my rightful place back. Although there's a lot of contingencies. I have to have a second, and the elders would make most of the decisions. Really, they just want my money.”

“You should take it, and then run the damn thing into the ground.”

Shane was surprised at Devin speaking so negatively about the clan. He knew that secretly Devin was dying to get back into it, never liking to be alone. Bears were made to be together; his kind had always been together. Both of them had been without a clan for a while, too long in Devin’s case.

“I think I should just stay away from all of them. I don’t trust them, and I am sure they would find a way to make me lose the title again. They would get me drunk, drug me unawares, they would do something, maybe even slit my throat while I slept.”

“You're not worried about it right now, are you?”

It was the last thing that he was worried about. All he was worried about was Vivica and getting her back by his side and in his bed where she belonged. If something happened to Vivica, he didn't know what he would do.

Shane couldn’t talk about it anymore. He needed to do something. He sent Devin to make calls and find out some information that would be useful. Shane, not able to sit idle a moment longer, went into Vivica’s room and started to look around.

It was weird to go through her things and he felt guilty, like she was going to catch him at any moment and tell him about himself. She never did and she had almost nothing with her. All he could find was a key. It looked like it was to a storage locker or something. He sent a picture of it to Devin and told him to find out where that somewhere was. She had to have stuff stored somewhere, so Shane just needed to find out where and wait her out. She would show up and he would finally be able to have a real conversation with her.

It wasn’t the most direct plan that Shane had ever had, but he knew that he was going to have to take his time with Vivica. She was delicate and she had seen far more than she should have. Shane had to be easy with Vivica. She was his mate after all, and Shane just wanted everything to work out. There was a lot that had to be explained, though Shane already had his mind on other benefits of their mating.