Chapter 1
Theodore stared at the man standing on the front porch, unable to believe he was real. Sure it must be an apparition, his mind went back to the events leading up to the dark times spent in Arald’s prison and the belief his family had forsaken him. It had taken him a long time to make peace with his parents’ actions, but it was gone when he heard his name spoken by his cousin. Memories of their times together immediately filled his mind and brought back all the anguish of his parents’ betrayal. Suddenly, it was all too much for him to process, and his knees buckled before darkness claimed him.
It took a second before Ollie realized his cousin had fainted. “Oh shit!” he muttered, catching Theo before he hit the floor. Laying him down gently, he took off his jacket and bunched it up, shoving it under Theo’s head. Checking his cousin’s pulse, Ollie was relieved to find it strong, but before he could do anything else, he felt himself being hauled up by the back of his shirt as an ear-splitting roar filled his ears.
“What the fuck did you do to him?” Smokey bellowed, grabbing the visiting Ghost bear and violently shaking him.
Running in from the kitchen after hearing Smokey’s voice, Dakota found Theo on the floor, unconscious. Kneeling down next to him, he searched for injuries, but finding none, he returned his gaze to Theo’s face and brushed away a shock of hair that had fallen over his eyes. “Theo…Theo…” he whispered gently, “wake up…please.” Glancing up, he spied Norm, who was approaching them, and shouted, “Get Mac!”
Changing directions, Norm headed for the stairs leading to the hospital. Even though it was late, he knew Mac would still bethere, and as he descended the steps, he began screaming for the doctor even before he reached the bottom.
“What did you do to my mate?” roared Smokey, continuing to shake Ollie.
“Stop…please,” Ollie cried out, begging Smokey to stop shaking him.
Ignoring the two bears, Dakota turned his attention back to Theo, worried now at the stillness of his body. Realizing they needed more information if they were going to help him, he looked up at Smokey and said, “Stop…so he can tell us what happened.”
Smokey reluctantly quit shaking Ollie but kept a tight grip on the back of his shirt. “Talk…why is my mate unconscious?” he growled.
Even though the assault had stopped, Ollie’s brain felt it was still bouncing off the sides of his skull and it took a moment before he regained control of it. Glancing down at the man kneeling next to Theo, he said, “I don’t know for sure, but I think he fainted.”
Dakota frowned. “Fainted? Why?”
“I think seeing me surprised him…although I’m not sure why,” Ollie murmured, staring at his cousin.
Before Dakota could respond, Mac—followed by Norm—strode into the room and skidded to a stop next to Theo. Falling to his knees, Mac carefully but quickly examined his patient, relieved to find strong vitals and no distress to the cub he was carrying. Opening up his medical bag, he retrieved a vial of smelling salts and held it under Theo’s nose. Within a few seconds, he was relieved to see Theo’s eyes flutter open and focus on him. “Hey there…you okay?” Mac murmured.
Nodding, Theo whispered, “I think so.” Then, moving his hand down to his belly, he asked, “Is my cub okay?”
“He’s fine,” Mac replied. Hearing Norm’s scream about Theo’s fall had filled his body with fear and triggered an adrenalin rush that had fueled his dash to his patient. But now, satisfied that no harm had come to the cub, Mac rocked back on his heels and noticed a delicious scent enveloping him. Confused, he looked up at the men gathered around Theo and suddenly locked eyes with one of them, whom he suddenly realized was his Fated Mate. Inhaling deeply, Mac’s cock hardened as the need to claim filled his body. “Who are you?” he asked in a whisper.
Shifting his eyes, Theo looked at the man Mac was staring at. “Oh, my god…Ollie, is that really you?”
“Ollie?” gasped Norm. “Your cousin?”
Forcing his eyes away from the man who was his mate, Oliver gazed at Theo. “I am…and I have been searching for you.”
Grinning, Mac stood and held out his hand. “Oliver,” he murmured, loving how it sounded on his tongue. “I’m Mac Evans, your…”
“My mate…I know,” Oliver said. “But can we put a pin in that for a moment?” Then, with a jerk of his thumb toward Smokey, he added, “My cousin’s mate thinks Theo needs some more care.”
“Oh…right,” Mac muttered, kneeling back down. “Theo, are you dizzy?”
“No,” Theo muttered. Then, looking up at Smokey, he asked, “Babe, can you help me up?”
Releasing Ollie and pushing him aside, Smokey bent down and scooped Theo up into his arms. “Are you really okay?” he murmured to his mate.
Nodding, Theo said, “You can put me down now.”
Rising, Norm glanced at Smokey, and seeing worry lingering in his eyes, said, “Not yet…we want Mac to do an ultrasound to make sure everything is all right with our cub.”
“I fell?” Theo’s voice squeaked in alarm.
“No, you didn’t,” Ollie interjected. “I caught you before you hit the floor.”
“That’s good to know,” said Mac, “but I agree with Smokey and Norm that a thorough examination will put everyone’s mind at ease.”
Looking first at Smokey, and then at Norm, Theo knew his insistence that it wasn’t necessary would sway neither of them so, rolling his eyes, he muttered, “Okay…but first I want to talk to Ollie.”