Page 16 of Beary In Love

Serena crouched next to the raccoon enclosure, her knees pressing into the damp grass. The morning dew had soaked through her jeans, but she barely noticed as her eyes traced the extensive damage along the sanctuary's perimeter. Fresh wooden posts stood out against weathered ones, their raw edges still sharp and bright. Twisted metal fencing lay in piles, waiting to be hauled away.

"This is all Silas?" she asked, counting at least six different repair sections.

Logan's jaw tightened. "Started about two weeks after his release. Can't prove it though - cops need evidence, and bear claw marks aren't exactly admissible in human court."

"What about your insurance?"

"They're calling it 'repeated vandalism.' Won't cover it anymore," he grumbled. "Third fence this month. At this rate, I'll be broke by summer."

Serena stood and brushed the dirt from her knees. The sanctuary stretched before her, clearly a labor of love now under siege. Her stomach churned at the thought of all these animals losing their home because of one crazy shifter's vendetta.

"Logan, you need help. Real help." She turned to face him. "The Council exists for exactly this kind of situation. They have resources, investigators who understand shifter matters-"

She stopped talking. Logan had gone completely still, his shoulders rigid. He opened his mouth, closed it, then scratched the back of his neck - a nervous tell she remembered all too well from their dating days.

"What?" she asked. "What aren't you telling me?"

Logan shifted his weight from foot to foot, looking more like a guilty teenager than a grown man who could turninto a thousand-pound bear. His golden-flecked eyes darted everywhere but her face.

"Logan..."

Logan drew in a deep breath, his broad chest expanding beneath his henley. Serena watched him fidget with the enclosure post, his calloused fingers picking at a splinter.

"Silas showed up here last night," he said finally.

Serena's stomach dropped. "What?"

"He was lurking around the property line. We had... words." Logan's jaw worked. "First real proof I've had it was him behind all this."

The morning breeze rustled through the trees, carrying the scent of pine and something else - hesitation. Serena narrowed her eyes. After all these years, she could still read him like one of her potion books.

"And?" She crossed her arms. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing. I'll handle Silas myself."

"Oh my god." Serena said, exasperation bubbling up. "You haven't changed at all, have you? Still think you have to shoulder everything alone."

"That's not-"

"It is! You did the same thing when that alpha wolf pack moved into town. And when the pixies infested the old Miller barn. And when-"

"Those situations worked out fine."

"After you ended up with three broken ribs and poison oak in places I don't even want to think about right now!"

"You remember that, huh?" he asked, starting to grin.

"Don't change the subject." Heat crept up her neck. "Logan, this is serious. If Silas is targeting you-"

"I've got it under control."

Serena threw her hands up. "Clearly! That's why half your animals were magically poisoned and your fence looks like it went through a paper shredder."

The familiar stubborn set of his jaw told her she wasn't getting anywhere. He was still as immovable as a mountain when he thought he was protecting others. It was admirable and infuriating all at once.

"There's more going on here," she said. "I can tell."

Logan's eyes flickered away, confirming her suspicion. "It's complicated."

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