Point to me, Ryland thought because he’d set up the whole thing with the camp, and Rock still had no idea.

  Lea sat down at the table across from him and a couple seats down, and Ryland couldn’t resist staring at her in the soft evening light. Her dark hair was gently waved and tucked behind one ear. Her chocolate-brown eyes had a slightly gold ring at the center, around the pupil, and her long lashes were sultry.

  She had a pretty face but a strong one, with a high forehead, high cheekbones, and a stubborn chin. A small nose and full lips. A face he could look at forever.

  He felt a blush creeping up again and chided himself. Bears did not blush.

  “What’s this about abused kids?” Lea asked.

  “Rock and Rosalyn run a camp up here,” Riker said. “Just got it set up a few months ago. They bring city kids up here to get away. Usually ones that need a little extra help or a break.”

  While Lea asked more questions and Ros and Rock eagerly answered, Ryland sank his cheek into his palm and zoned out, wondering how he was going to keep himself busy until the next match.

  “Whatcha thinking about?” Ana, Riker’s mate, asked, sitting down next to him. “You’re not concussed from that fight, are you?” Ana’s bright-red curls were unruly as usual, and her catlike green eyes were piercing.

  “Of course not. Why?” Ryland asked.

  Ana folded her arms as Riker came to stand behind her. “You’re acting different.”

  Ryland fought back a smile. All three brothers had met her when she stumbled into Bear Canyon a year before and desperately needed protection. But Ryland and she had become quick friends, and Ryland had been a key player in helping her understand Riker.

  He’d also come up with the plan for Francis to stay here in Bear Canyon so Riker could finally leave to be with Ana.

  No one knew about that, though.

  Ending the Brawl would be his last act as a secret mastermind. When this was over, he’d feel as if he’d finally redeemed himself. Finally paid his debt to Bear Canyon and made up for his past sins.

  Sins no one knew about.

  Sins that weren’t really sins, depending on how you looked at it.

  He gave Ana a forced smile. “Just tired, I think.”

  “Sorry, taking my mate back,” Riker said, sitting on the other side of Ana and pulling her onto his lap, where she giggled and put her arms around his neck.

  Francis sighed as he walked over to them, a huge plate of steaks from the grill in his hands. “Lovebirds. Always making things awkward.”

  Ryland had been busy staring at Lea, wondering what it would be like to pull her onto his lap, but looked up at Francis curiously. “Why, Francis, that sounds downright bitter.”

  “Being a single shifter around all these happy couples would make anyone a bit jealous,” he said. “But anyway, dinner’s ready.”

  Ryland mentally noted that, without a mate, Francis probably wasn’t long for Bear Canyon. He should probably do something about that before he went into retirement as a master plotter.

  As everyone dug in, passing plates around, Ryland felt oddly at home and oddly distant at the same time.

  Lea began talking to Francis, who loved getting a play-by-play on all the fights. When she began to talk about Ryland’s, he shook his head, feeling oddly embarrassed.

  Maybe because he never did anything for the attention or acclaim of it. He just did what he felt was right in order to accomplish his plans.

  “I never thought to use speed like that before, but if you’re fast enough and don’t mind aiming for weak spots,” Lea said.

  “What weak spots are there on a bear?” Francis asked.

  “Nose, eyes, face,” Ryland interjected.

  “Right, well, he definitely made an impact. Everyone’s scared shitless, even if they won’t admit it,” Lea said.

  “I guess everyone thinks Ryland is the baby of the family, the rich, dorky one,” Francis said. “So at first, they weren’t concerned. Now they know better.”

  Ryland sighed. “Do we have to talk about this?”

  “Sorry,” Francis said, stretching in his seat and looking around. “What else is there to talk about? Damn, I miss being in the Brawl this year.”

  “Think you’ll ever enter again?” Rock asked.

  Francis shook his head. “No.” His blue eyes turned mischievous. “Well, if I ever did, I’d make sure to train with Lea.”

  She let out a musical laugh just as Ryland bit his tongue, drawing blood.

  He set aside his napkin and stood. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Where are you going?” Rock asked as Lea looked up at him curiously.

  “The bathroom,” he said tersely, avoiding her eyes. Then he stepped off the bench and headed into the house, sliding the glass door shut behind him.

  The group’s happy chatter slowly faded as he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked out the front of the house. He took the rough, wooden stairs that led down to the side of the property and then took a small side trail around the side of the house and through a small grove of trees.

  To his secret place.

  The others wouldn’t miss him. Despite him thinking Lea was his mate, she didn’t seem to agree with him. She’d rather talk to Francis, and he really didn’t want to deal with that right now.

  He didn’t want to watch her laugh or smile at another man’s jokes. Or talk to another man at all.

  But he liked Francis. He couldn’t just beat him up. Especially since he’d promised Lea he’d be more professional.

  He walked through the trees until he came to a clearing of grass, long and unkempt, making shadows as the cool twilight winds blew through it.

  He walked out into the middle of it and raised both arms to the sky, stretching and looking up at the fading light.

  How many times had he come out here?

  It was his place. Hidden in plain sight.

  Wide-open air, tall, ancient trees all around him in rich shades of evergreen, a scent of pine on the wind.

  Why hadn’t he come back here more often when he’d been back to visit Bear Canyon?

  Because there was a dead body; that was why. He sat in the middle of the grass, enjoying how small he felt, running his hands over the cool feel of the green blades, watching it slowly get darker around him.

  Soon, he should probably head back. Even if they went to look for him, they probably wouldn’t come this way. The trees were so thick on the way here that you couldn’t think this clearing was here if you didn’t stumble onto it.

  And where Rock and Riker were concerned, there was no reason to explore around their childhood home. They were more concerned with always leaving it.

  But there would always be a part of their history here. Something only Ryland knew about.

  He looked over at the tree line, narrowing his eyes.

  Hi, Dad.

  Lea didn’t know exactly what she had stumbled upon. She hadn’t exactly meant to sneak up on Ryland, and she knew if she said or did anything at this moment, she’d startle him.

  When he hadn’t come back to the table immediately, she’d excused herself to go follow him.

  She told herself it was just because she was supposed to get info on him, not because she somehow cared.

  And hey, they’d been friends those few months he’d been a client, even if all they’d ever talked about was his fighting form.

  But she was seeing a whole different Ryland right now. He was sitting in the middle of a little, secret grassy clearing, surrounded by a halo of trees. His face was tilted back, eyes closed, and he was leaning back on his hands.

  She looked over his body, strong shoulders, huge arms, trim waist, long legs bent in front of him.

  Right now, he seemed almost… vulnerable.

  But she knew there was no bigger illusion. Especially if he had a dire bear inside him.

  He opened his eyes and looked around him, and she slipped into the shadow of one of the larger trees, sure he couldn’t see her. She was good at hiding. She could even disguise her scent, as one of her alpha powers. Wolves were gifted them as part of their bloodline, and Lea was unique in having two.

  She peeked out from behind the tree again to see him lying back on the grass now.

  She pulled her jacket tighter around her, as it was starting to get cold. The moon was rising in the distance, and despite the light from the dinner party, where people were probably still joking about finding someone to hook Francis up with, it was getting darker.

  Was he just going to stay out here until someone came to find him? Did he want someone to?

  She didn’t think so.

  Watching him, she felt even more of a kindred spirit with him than ever before. So out in the open. So alone.

  Both of them lived in their minds, on their own, working toward some separate purpose.

  Since he made no move toward leaving, she decided to step out of the shadows and into the clearing.

  He looked over, and his dark brows lowered in consternation. He stood, brushing off his jeans. “What do you want?”

  “Just wondering when you were coming back. You’re going to be missed, you know.”

  “No, I won’t,” he said curtly, walking over, towering over her. “How’s Francis? Won’t he be missing you?”

  “Is that what this is about? You’re jealous?”

  “Of course I’m jealous,” he said tersely. “How many times have we been over this? You’re my mate. At least, I feel you’re my mate. That’s not going to change.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, a common habit, almost as if he were trying to constantly restrain his own hands. “So I’ll ask you again. What are you doing here?”

  “I just wondered where you were.”

  “Well, now you know,” he said, taking her by the arm and pulling her with him back toward the house.

  She jerked away and stopped. “What is this place?” She looked around her. “There’s an odd feeling to it. Sacred almost.”

  He sighed impatiently. “There are a lot of places like that in Bear Canyon. Heck, any beautiful wilderness area. Now come on. Let’s get back before it’s dark.”

  “No,” she said, plopping on the ground. “I want to stay here.”

  He groaned. “Come on.”

  “No, it’s a free country.”

  He walked over to her reluctantly. “They’ll miss us.”

  “No, they won’t,” she said. “I mean, you did rudely tell your brothers you think I’m your mate. They’ll probably think we’re off… doing something.” She felt heat rise in her neck.

  He sat down next to her, giving her a devilish glare. “Should we prove them right?”

  She bumped his shoulder with hers. “No. Let’s not make things more complicated.”

  “As if they could be,” he said.

  “How so?”

  “You’re working for my family, and you seem to have your own agenda on top of it, though I’m not sure what it is. And then I’m competing in my family’s Brawl, and the ethics advisor they chose is my ex-trainer, who is also my mate and the best sex I’ve had in my life.”

  “You’ve had a lot, then?”

  “Nothing that felt like it did with you,” he said, reaching over to touch her hair. She flinched, but he just tucked it behind her ear. Her skin felt burnt from where he’d grazed it with one calloused finger.

  What would it be like if she did let him do things just one more time?

  She could just picture him laying her down on the grass, making love to her on the cool, rich blades.

  He was the first person to ever make her crave sex, and it wasn’t just because he was good at it.

  He was right. There was something between them. She just didn’t know what.

  His strong hand cupped the back of her head, tilting her so he could cover her lips with a kiss. It was so warm, so enjoyable mingling breaths as the cool night winds blew over them. Her hair blew back from her face, and she felt him bring up his other hand to brush it back.

  She felt safe, encapsulated, and like they were the only two people in the world.

  And then her father’s face flashed in her mind, shocking her, and she jerked back.

  Ryland’s expression darkened. “What is it?”

  “Nothing,” she said, looking away and smoothing her hair with her hands, trying to stop her fingers from trembling. Odd that just the thought of her father could have an effect on her that way. He wasn’t even the bad guy here.

  Ryland’s father was.

  “Something just happened,” he said. “You were with me, and then you just pulled away.” He put his hands in his lap. “I’m not the best at emotion, but even I know something odd just went on.”

  She stood, brushing off her butt. “I don’t know. Everything seems to be odd here in Bear Canyon.”

  “Why did you take this job?” he asked, facing her. “You don’t seem to want to be with me, but you knew we’d be up here together.”

  She shrugged, keeping her expression neutral.

  “And you probably make more at your training center. And you don’t need the advertisement.”

  She blinked. “And?”

  “I don’t know,” he said, reaching for her hand. She tried to jerk away, but he held on to it. “It’s getting dark, and I know the way back. I couldn’t forgive myself if I let something happen to you.”

  An odd warmth moved through her. She’d always taken care of herself, and if she’d ever thought to depend on someone, she hadn’t thought it could be Ryland Brolin.

  But he was right. The trees were thick, and she should let him guide her.

  No matter how she tried, she couldn’t seem to keep from getting close to him.

  His hand over hers was so odd, but as they walked back toward the light in the darkness, there was no way she wanted to let go.

  7

  The next morning, Ryland decided it would be best to head down the canyon to visit Francis rather than following his brothers and Lea to watch the morning matches.

  It had been a little awkward after the dinner party, walking Lea home and not knowing how to act when they’d gotten to her doorway.

  He almost got the feeling she wanted to invite him in, but she hadn’t and they’d parted with just a small wave.

  If Ryland did go to watch the fights, it would be weird to be the only one not up on the platform with the judges, and he didn’t exactly see himself standing in the audience spectating either.

  He strode up to the front door of his childhood home and knocked hard, surprised when not Francis, but Ana opened the door. Her red hair was frizzy, and she let out a loud yawn as she gestured for him to come in.

  He walked in to see Francis at the kitchen counter, serving breakfast to Rosalyn, who was talking with him.

  Francis looked up with a grin “Well, if it isn’t the man of the hour.”

  Ryland glared into the other man’s deep-blue eyes. He was huge, with classically handsome features interrupted by a nose that had obviously been broken a few times and healed funny.

  But with his size and personality, Ryland guessed the slightly crooked nose only added to his appeal with the ladies.

  “What are you talking about?” Ryland asked grumpily, taking a seat at the counter and reaching for a glass of orange juice that had been poured for someone other than him.

  Rosalyn let out a snort, used to his behavior, and gestured for Francis to hand her another.

  “Thanks,” Ryland said.

  “I mean last night,” Francis said. “You took Lea home.” He shrugged his massive shoulders. “I was thinking of making a play for her myself, but not now that you’re on the job.”

  Ryland raised an eyebrow. He was about to state that she was his mate when he stopped. “Right. I am.”

  Francis leaned in on one elbow. “So did you score?”

  Somehow, Ryland didn’t even like hearing Lea referred to like that. “No,” he said. “Lea feels we should keep things professional.” That much was true.

  “Darn,” Francis said. “At least one single guy should be getting some romance around here.”

  “Hm,” Ryland said, reaching for a plate of pancakes Francis had sat down and served himself a few. “You’ve got the mating urge bad, don’t you?”

  “I didn’t ever before,” Francis said. “But something about being in this beautiful town just makes a man want to have someone to share it with. Makes him want to start a family.” Francis looked off dreamily.

  “Well, your options are slim here,” Ryland said.

  “Slimmer now,” Francis grumbled.

  Ryland just shrugged at that, making Francis laugh. “If you want to leave, Rock could keep an eye on things.”

  “As if he’d stay in this house,” Ros muttered. Ros was Rock’s mate. They’d known each other since they were children and had always been close. She was well aware of the reason Rock avoided anything to do with their childhood.

  As far as anyone knew, he’d had it the worst.

  As far as anyone knew, because no one knew Ryland had done something that would stick with him forever, whereas the others were able to run away from their past, knowing they were the innocent victims.

  He stabbed an angry fork into the pancakes and chewed determinedly. He should probably do some training today, something light since he’d just had a fight and his muscles needed time to recuperate. Maybe just a run up around the fighting area.

  And then he could take a look at Lea, see how the matches were going…

  “I wish I could go watch the fights,” Francis said.

  “You can,” Ros said. “The men are being silly. We don’t need a babysitter.”

  “Yeah,” Lea said. “We’ll keep the doors locked, and Ros is a bear, so I don’t think we’ll have problems.”

  Francis looked really tempted, but Ryland shook his head. “There are a lot of males around here. I sort of get why my brothers are paranoid. If I had my way…” He trailed off, realizing the others were staring at him. He’d been about to say if he had his way, Lea wouldn’t be up there with the males as well.

  But that would give everything away.

  “Anyway.” He continued. “I get why they’re paranoid, but I also don’t think anyone knows you’re here. So…”