“I know we only spent one night together, Rachel, but during that time, did I do anything to make you think I was evil?” Bastian asked.
Rachel opened her mouth and shut it again, actually considering his question. She remembered his gentle yet passionate lovemaking, his concern for her pain the next morning, and him being so keen to make sure she had a good time with him. At no point had she felt threatened or afraid of Bastian. She shook her head.
“Do you really think I would do something like that?” Bastian asked.
“I didn’t,” Rachel said. “Back then, I mean. You seemed normal. Kind.”
“But now you do?” Bastian asked.
“I honestly don’t know what to think anymore,” Rachel admitted. “Being honest, I can’t picture you being that heartless. But you are a bear, and you are the alpha bear of this state or district or whatever you want to call it, right?”
“Yes. But being the alpha bear just means I run the pack. It doesn’t make me a monster, Rachel. Do you remember the night we met? I told you I managed people. That’s what I really do. I manage the pack, make sure everyone is safe and the pack is thriving.”
“By bringing in breeding machines to produce girl children for the pack? Is that why you want to see Stephanie? So you can snatch her away and make her a part of your pack?”
“I want to see Stephanie because she’s my daughter. If, in the future, both of you wanted to join the pack, obviously you’d be welcome to. But I have no intention of forcing that on either of you,” Bastian said. “And as for the rest of it, where are you getting this from?”
“Lewis told me everything,” Rachel said. “Back before you decided you didn’t want me and he let me go. He took me and turned me into a bear and he told me it was for the alpha bear of the district. You’ve admitted that’s you.”
“You were the one who got away,” Bastian said, his eyes widening.
Rachel looked at him in shock, amazed that he had practically admitted it was true that he had ordered her to be turned.
“So, Lewis didn’t let me go because you didn’t want me anymore. He had some sort of attack of conscience and I got away?” she said.
“No,” Bastian said. “Lewis doesn’t have a conscience.”
“So, what happened then?” Rachel asked.
She was finding herself less afraid of Bastian and more curious as to what the hell was going on here.
“What Lewis told you about the breeding machine thing, that used to be true of the pack, but it was before I took over as alpha. My father was the alpha before me and he played off the abundance of new female children as intakes from other packs. I had no idea it was happening. Only my father and his beta knew about the arrangement. And Lewis, obviously. A member of the pack found out and came to me with it. I confronted my father about it. To cut a long story short, I made the pack aware of what was happening and told them that either I was taking over as alpha, or I was leaving as I wanted no part in turning women who didn’t want to be turned. The pack, including my mother, who had no idea what her mate had been doing behind her back, sided with me and my father was exiled. I took over as the pack alpha ten years ago, and on the day I took over, the old beta came to me. He was exiled too for his part in it all, but he had a bit more of a conscience than my father and he told me that Lewis had a girl ready and waiting to be picked up. I had the beta call him and tell him the arrangement was done and that he would be paid for the last girl, but he was to set her free in exchange for the fee. I had no idea you had already been turned. I figured that would have been left for my father to do.”
Rachel shook her head.
“No. Lewis said that’s what happens if he’s selling someone to a man who actually wants a mate, to help them bond. He told me for that arrangement, he was to turn the girls so they were ready to go when they were collected.”
“Fucking hell, Rachel. On behalf of my father and the pack, I can only apologize to you. If I had known you’d already been turned, I’d have collected you and at least helped you to come to terms with being a bear.”
“It wouldn’t have helped. I was convinced then that all bears were monsters,” Rachel said.
“And now?” Bastian asked.
“Maybe they’re not all bad,” she said with a half-smile.
“Honestly, Rachel, most bears are just normal people who happen to be able to shift into a bear. They just want to live their lives,” Bastian said.
Rachel picked her cup up and sipped from it. She wrinkled her nose as the coffee was almost cold, but she took another drink anyway.
“I had everything all wrong, didn’t I?” she said. “You were actually a good guy who stopped people being used against their will.”
Bastian nodded and Rachel shook her head.
“I’m sorry. I should have known you weren’t capable of something like that,” she said.
“It’s okay,” Bastian replied. “I understand why you were afraid. I mean, I wish you’d talked to me about it back then, but I understand why you didn’t.”
Rachel flashed him a smile and then glanced out of the window again, unsure of what to say now that the truth was out. And she believed what he had told her was
