Page 7 of Wooded Bliss

“No, it shouldn’t have,”my bear tries to soothe me.

I wasn’t the only one affected by the way bears left the pack, moving far away from Whispering Pines and never looking back. My bear felt every loss right along with me. The bears we grew up with, the ones we played with and explored the woods with, were there and then they were gone.

I love my brothers and we’ve always been friends and family but losing the rest of our friends and all the people we grew up with, left a mark.

Ripp blames himself even if he hasn’t said it and I haven’t asked. I don’t want him to think I blame him, not even for a moment. But I can see the strain it’s put on him.

He believes he’s not worthy of being the Alpha. Even though I have faith in him, I can understand why he would believe that. What else could he think when everyone left before even giving him a chance to be the leader that they needed?

I’ve made peace with the fact that I’m not going to get answers about why everyone left. That doesn’t mean it’s easier to live with the emptiness their absence has left behind.

When I walk up to the main house, I take a moment to look over the large building. It used to be teeming with life, but now it feels hollow. Wylie runs wilderness tours out of this place with Grady helping him from time to time, but nothing is going to bring the life back without the pack growing again.

After stepping into the house, the quiet feels oppressive. Honestly, it’s far too big of a home for just Ripp and Grady. If they didn’t have a cleaning service coming in once a week, I don’t think they would be able to maintain it. We’ve tried to talk Ripp into opening it up for short term rentals or making it into a B&B, but he’s been against it.

Since he’s the Alpha, all we can do is make suggestions.

I’m not surprised to find my brothers in the kitchen finishing up breakfast because they’re all early risers. What does surprise me is Circe standing there and pouring a cup of coffee. She turns toward me with a secretive smile on her face which has me on edge.

“Come on man,” Wylie calls from where he’s plating up some eggs at the stove.

I skirt around Circe as I fill my plate and then sit at the table with my brothers. The dining area is huge and only makes the emptiness in the room even more pronounced. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Circe looking around with a frown on her face and sadness in her eyes.

Even though Grady is all smiles and jokes, the dark cloud from my nightmare is still hovering above me. I know I won’t be able to shake it.

“Not everything in Whispering Pines is still the same,” I tune into Grady’s words as he assures Ripp, “but I got everything on your list.”

I haven’t been to town in so long. Grady and Wylie are the only ones who go now, but I can’t imagine I’ve missed much. From what I’ve heard a lot of things are the same. The coffee shop is still there. So is the diner. There have been some newbusinesses, but everyone leaving the pack had a major ripple effect on the town.

It wouldn’t surprise me if no one really knows what happened or why so many people left. It’s not like the humans of Whispering Pines are aware they’ve been living this close to a bear shifter pack for all these years. Well, what was a pack.

Now we’re just four lonely brothers in the woods.

“We could be less lonely if we would go out and find our mate,”my bear reminds me.

All I can do is roll my eyes. He won’t give up, but I’m just as stubborn as he is.

Even though I don’t talk much during breakfast, being around my brothers helps to give me some mental distance from my nightmare. Grady is all smiles and Wylie is silently patient. Ripp’s energy is heavy, but it’s nothing new. The way he keeps looking at the witch in our midst has me wondering if something is going on there, but I’m sure as fuck not going to ask.

“You got some orders?” Ripp’s question is directed at me even while I can feel his anger directed toward Circe.

I give him a chin lift and nod. “Yeah, I’ve had a couple come in. I’m finishing up a rocking chair and then I have a bed frame on deck.”

“You should snap up one of the empty store fronts in town and open a shop. I bet you’d get even more work then,” Grady throws out.

I freeze along with Ripp and Wylie. Grady might not be treating his suggestion like it’s a big deal, but it is. He knows I don’t go to town.

I’m not even sure why I don’t go into Whispering Pines anymore. All I know is everything changed when my parents died. I had to be here for my brothers, and I could only find solace in the forest. The longer I stayed away from the town, the more it felt like I couldn’t go back.

The thought of dealing with the whispers or any looks of pity had me staying away. I haven’t really missed it either.

“Never going to happen,” I growl at Grady and his eyebrows go up to his hairline in response.

I don’t stick around for long and head toward my woodworking shop which is just a large shed next to my cabin. Even with the remnant of my nightmare nipping at my heels, I’m able to get lost in work. Making something out of wood has always been effortless for me.

There are times when I touch a piece of wood, and I can feel what is locked inside of it. Being able to make it a reality gives me a sense of pride I’ve only known when working with my hands and making something special out of a bit of nature which would have been overlooked or ignored if it weren’t for me.

The sound of a car pulling up pulls my attention away from the final sanding I’m doing on the rocking chair which has come together beautifully. The back has floral carvings which, according to the man who commissioned it, are some of his wife’s favorites. Once I stain it, this will be able to go to its new home to be enjoyed and loved.

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