Page 97 of Choose the Bears

“But we will go wherever you do go.”

Asher regained my attention with his intense declaration. His eyes burned into mine, making clear that him and that beautiful floof that lived under his skin would not be dissuaded.

This was when I pushed back, tried to assert my independence, but nope, I was happy right where I was. Having three attack bears at my beck and call did that to a girl. I snuggled back into Asher, felt Kyle’s arm settle around my waist,then Lucas’ body press into my other side as he laid back down on the bed.

“I do have to get up and make pancakes though,” I mumbled.

Kyle groaned. “I knew it was a bad idea getting you cooking.”

“The kids really seem to like them,” I said. “And the mothers need a break.”

“If this is what you want.” Asher pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead. “Then that’s what we’ll do.”

“We? We?”

Some moments later,we were all showered, dressed, and in the kitchen. And I had three assistants at my disposal.

“Mm…” Kyle’s arms went around me. “You smell like vanilla.”

“And you just made me muff up the bear pancake,” I grumbled. “Have you ever seen a bear that looks like that?”

“Umm…” He looked guiltily at the blob forming in the pan. “It still looks like a bear if you squint really hard.”

“So, close your eyes you mean.” I sighed and flipped it over. “Maybe one of the parents could have that.”

“Two eggs sunny side up, crispy bacon, and a sausage for Georgia?”

Asher was like a machine in everything he did. He took orders from the ladies, putting each one on the metal strip above the prep bench and then worked through them with maximum efficiency, barking at the others to retrieve ingredients.

“This looks amazing,” Georgia said, looking just a little guilty as she accepted the meal, and I knew what she was feeling. That it was hard for her to accept this small moment of kindness from someone else. I hated that she might feel this way, but also knew it was all too common. We’d both been taught to put what we wanted to one side for far too long. But when I saw the bruiseson her wrists as her sleeves slid up to take the food, I looked away.

No matter what Mike had done, it was never as bad as that.

I wasn’t the real victim here, and so I focussed on the job at hand, looking after the people who were.

We worked as a team, cooking meal after meal until finally everyone was fed. Dishes were stacked neatly in the servery, the ladies all working together to clear the dining room, but now it was our turn.

“Ugh…I’m guessing we can’t just leave this to the clean-up crew?” Kyle said, eyeing the stacks.

“They’re flat out cleaning all the rooms,” Lucas replied, grabbing a bunch of plates and slotting them neatly in the dishwasher. “And then they get to clean the art room after you make a mess in there.”

“But I could think of much more fun ways to spend our time.”

Kyle slotted in behind me as I scraped the grill clean, pressing his body into mine, which meant I had to arch up and into him. I could too, vividly remembering how amazing they all made me feel, but that moment couldn’t last long.

“Amazing breakfast…” a familiar voice said, and I turned around to find Elodie standing in the doorway. “Oh.” She blinked, taking in the four of us before smiling. “Imogen, did you have a minute?”

She was being perfectly polite, so why did this feel like I’d been called up to see the principal at school?

“Um… sure.”

Kyle stepped away, and I missed his warmth as I followed her out into the dining room.

“So, people talk a lot here,” she explained sheepishly. “I admit I’m relieved that you know about the situation with the sleuth.”

“You know too?” I found myself talking in a low voice, then shook my head, realising I didn’t need that.

“All of the staff do. A lot are members of the bear community already,” she explained. “There are other shifters…” I leaned in further, wondering who else took fur at will. “But anyway, I just hoped to touch base. Things are…” She glanced back at the kitchen. “Moving fast, as they are likely to when the newly mated get together. I just wanted to make sure you’re OK with everything.”

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