Baby Got Bear - Milly Taiden Page 0,1
a known fact that Cleland found his fated mate when they were both incredibly young. Boasted about how destiny had smiled upon him. Was proud to tell anyone who would listen that she was from a long line of respectable Luna wolves.
Goddess knew, Beau’s dad laughed about the way the old wolf had strutted around like a peacock many, many times over the years. He’d even mimicked Cleland, making his deep voice higher and reedier as he touted on and on about how Lucy’s mom was lupine, and bloodlines should never be mixed.
Every leader of every shifter group had an opinion about the old wolf, and none were favorable. They were very vocal…when he wasn’t around. They absolutely did not agree with Cleland’s ways, but they weren’t prepared to piss him off either. Nope, that chore had always fallen to Beau’s dad, Nick, and sadly, the old bear wasn’t around anymore.
Cleland Benton was a cruel, heartless son of a bitch. He wasn’t above deceit, bribery, and good old-fashioned intimidation to get what he wanted. Every month, Beau’s dad would return from the shifter council meeting with stories of the old alpha’s latest act of treachery to get what he wanted.
The worst came at the expense of the local mountain lion pride, and to this day, Beau was sure it was what led to the death of his parents. Daring to vote against the expansion of Pack Benton lands into their own, the lion king stood up to Cleland in front of the entire council. Then called the alpha out for the medieval way in which he governed his wolves.
The meeting had gone from bad to worse when the lion prince announced that no feline prides would be doing business with any companies in which Cleland so much as owned a single share. Trying to be the voice of reason, Nick Sampson attempted to mediate the quickly unraveling situation, focusing only on the transfer of lands.
Chapter Two
Watching his father expertly defend both sides while trying to make Cleland see the error of his ways, Beau couldn’t have been prouder. The meeting went on for hours, with neither the old alpha nor the lion king giving an inch, and every other leader in the room growing more uneasy.
The acrid scent of worry and rage filled the room. The council was divided straight down the middle with an overriding fear coming from those supporting Cleland. Looking into the eyes of the men he’d always admired, the men his father called friends, Beau saw their frustration, felt their unmitigated defeat.
They’d been figuratively neutered by the ruthless alpha. He’d collected their secrets like a squirrel hoarded nuts and was holding the damaging information over the once powerful leaders like the blade of a guillotine. Cleland had spies everywhere and was willing to use the tawdry details to get what he wanted.
Some of the most powerful, influential shifters in the Pacific Northwest were the old wolf’s puppets. They wanted to speak up. They knew what was happening was wrong. Beau could see it in their eyes, feel the need coming off them in waves, but they were caught in a web of their own making. They couldn’t do or say anything against Cleland without risking everything they held dear.
It was an unwinnable situation, but Nick refused to give up, and Beau couldn’t let his dad fight alone. Reading his father’s thoughts, the younger bear jumped to his feet, and pretending not to understand, made a show of acting naïve as he asked, “Alpha Benton, I know this is not my place, and please excuse my ignorance, but I so want to be a part of the council someday, and I think I might have a solution.”
Nodding, a sneer curving his thin, bloodless lips, Cleland gave Nick a condescending wink. “Fine boy you’ve got there, Sampson. He’s got gumption. Something this council could use more of.” Waving his hand as if he were the ruler of more than a wolf pack, the alpha’s gaze returned to Beau. “Go ahead, young bear. Let’s hear what you have to say.”
Feeling strength and love flowing freely from his dad, Beau walked across the room and stood in front of the huge multi-colored map. Pointing to the tawny colored region, lands belonging to the mountain lions, he looked at the lion king. “Can you not give Pack Benton access to the farthest side of the lake and the pasture lands to the south? If I’m not mistaken, the terrain isn’t suitable