Page 41 of Bear with Me

“She’s got a point,” Slade agreed then reached over and gave her shoulder a squeeze. “You belong, Jemma. Even if my bonehead brother hadn’t wizened the fuck up, you’re part of this den.”

“Dick,” Brock groused at Slade, who just laughed.

“I just meant, mate or not, we’ll protect you with every breath we have,” Slade vowed.

“We don’t need protection,” Jemma mused then shook her head at the expressions around the table. “At least, not the suffocating kind that you Holloways seem to think we do anyway. Most of us were protected by the males of our families, and it did no good when it really mattered. We were caught unaware. We’re survivors. We need to feel empowered. To know when they strike again—and no matter how scattered they are, we know they will—that we can stand and keep ourselves safe.”

“What are you suggesting?” Laramie’s voice filled the room as he stepped in with Em.

“Stop treating the women who’ve been returned to you as if they’re made of spun glass. Treat them like you do the male survivors. Heal them, train them, and let them defend their home.”

“Fuck, yes,” Xandra agreed while Rissa nodded.

“Have female enforcers and interrogators. Give us a role in this war that doesn’t keep us hidden and waiting to see who returns and who doesn’t,” Jemma continued.

“Easier said than done,” Laramie said as he placed his hand over the swell of his mate’s belly where their child grew. “The thought of my mate engaged with hunters makes me feral. Not because I consider her weak, but because I wouldn’t survive if anything happened to her.”

“Don’t you know that’s exactly how I feel about you?” Em asked, pressing her palm over his. “Losing you would destroy me.”

“I didn’t understand it when Fletch said Helen could go with him on the rescue missions,” Brock admitted. “I do now. Hell, I don’t want Jemma out of my sight. I’d rather have her fighting beside me than have no idea where she is. Or worse, to feel her needing me and be unable to get to her in time. That would kill me.”

“Our mating vows may begin with asking our males to protect us, but they conclude with a request to be by your side,” Xandra reminded them all. “And if anyone is training to be an enforcer or interrogator, then it’s me.”

Declan laughed. “Hell, you already are.”

“Damn right,” she agreed. “Rissa?”

“I’ll have to wait a bit,” she admitted with a grin at her mate. “At least, until the baby is born.”

There was chaos for a moment while all the brothers hugged her and offered congratulations to the couple. That made four pregnant mates now: Em, Jaeda, Sidia, and Rissa. Three of them were mated to Holloway brothers, showing the potency of their line, but Jemma wasn’t worried. She knew her bear wouldn’t allow conception until she was ready, and as much as she loved Brock, she wasn’t there yet. She wanted time with her mate first. Just the two of them.

“What would you like to do?” Brock asked her as soon as the congratulations had died down.

“I think I’d like to train under Jensen. Learn how to assess and field triage injuries.”

“From what Jensen says, you’re a natural at it,” Brock offered.

“He’s said many times what an asset you’ve been to him since you’ve been here,” Laramie agreed. “You and Helen both.”

“Your quick thinking saved Titus’ life. You’re alert to danger and already doing immediate first aid. He’s grateful to you, by the way,” Em told her.

“Why would Caleb Oaks shoot him? What was he thinking?” Jemma asked.

“He’s been trying to get to Lawrence Walker since we brought him in,” Declan answered.

“We have a lockdown on who has access to him, of course,” Laramie added. “Caleb blames Lawrence for the disappearance of his older brother, Roco. No one’s seen or heard from him since the initial attacks. Caleb figured if he couldn’t get to Lawrence, he’d get to Titus.”

“How does that even make sense?” Jemma questioned. “Any Walker would do?”

“Logic played no part in his choices,” Slade answered. “That was rage and pain.”

“And no excuse,” Laramie growled, his mate reaching out to take his hand with hers. “He fired a gun in a place where my family stood. Pregnant mates. Baby Bear. The lifeblood of this den. He put every single person in this den at risk. There are consequences for that.”

“Damn straight,” Xandra agreed. Jemma figured she was thinking of her sisters.

“Where’s Ruby?” Rissa asked.

“With her dad.” Em smiled. “She’s going to stay with him and make sure he’s here for breakfast in the morning.”

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