Page 63 of The Bear's Reluctant Mate

She woke sometime later, the room lighter, the sun brighter. She lay still for a moment. Had last night been a dream? Without Alfie by her side, it was easy to think her mind had conjured the whole thing. But her body still thrummed to his touch, to the feel of him inside her. His lips on hers, his hands roaming her body.

She threw the covers off. If she didn’t get up and get dressed and make a pot of coffee, she’d get lost in her dreams and need a cold shower. An ice-cold shower might be the only way to cool her desire for her shifter mate.

Marion pulled on her clothes and went downstairs, filled the coffeepot, and waited for it to brew. As she listened to it, she went to the window and looked out. If the weather was nice, she and Charlie would...

Oh! She let out a cry, quickly smothering it with her hand. She stood there, listening. Had she woken Charlie? The house was quiet. With trembling hands, she went to the front door and opened it.

“What are you doing here?” she hissed.

“Is that any way to greet your sister?” Heather asked in return.

Marion’s blood ran cold as she stared at the woman standing on her porch. Heather looked thinner than when Marion had last seen her, her once-vibrant blonde hair now dull and pulled back in a severe ponytail. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, but the defiant tilt of her chin was exactly the same.

“You’re supposed to be in prison,” Marion whispered, glancing over her shoulder toward the stairs. Charlie couldn’t see her. Not now. Not like this.

“Out on bail,” Heather replied with a brittle smile. “Pending the trial. Turns out they didn’t have as much evidence on me as they thought.”

Marion’s grip tightened on the door. “You shouldn’t be here. The court order—”

“I know what the court order says,” Heather interrupted, her voice hardening. “I’m not allowed to see Charlie without supervision. So supervise me. I want to see my son.”

“He’s sleeping,” Marion said, stepping outside and pulling the door nearly closed behind her. The morning air was cool against her skin, but her insides felt like ice. “How did you find us?”

Heather let out a harsh laugh. “You’re not exactly in witness protection, Marion. You still have the same email address, same phone number. It wasn’t hard. If you know how to look.”

Marion crossed her arms over her chest, fighting to keep her voice steady. “You need to leave.”

“Not until I see Charlie,” Heather insisted, taking a step forward.

“No.” Marion stood her ground, though her heart was hammering so hard she felt dizzy. “He’s doing well here. He’s healing. I won’t let you disrupt that.”

Something flickered in Heather’s eyes—pain, perhaps, or regret. But it was quickly replaced by the familiar stubbornness Marion had dealt with all her life.

“He’smyson,” Heather said, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.

“And you lost the right to see him when you chose Razor over his safety,” Marion shot back, anger finally breaking through her shock. “When you let that man…”

“Don’t,” Heather warned, holding up a hand. “Don’t pretend you understand what happened.”

“I understand enough,” Marion replied. “I understand that Charlie still has nightmares. That he flinches when someone raises their voice. That he’s only now beginning to act like a normal child again.”

Heather’s face crumpled slightly, but she quickly composed herself. “I made mistakes. I know that. But I’m his mother.”

“And I’m his legal guardian,” Marion reminded her. “By court order. The same court that’s going to try you as an accessory to Razor’s crimes.”

Heather’s eyes narrowed. “My lawyer says the charges will be dropped.”

“For your sake, I hope that’s true,” Marion said, meaning it despite everything. “But it doesn’t change the fact that you can’t see Charlie right now.”

“You always were self-righteous,” Heather spat, her voice rising. “Always thought you knew better than everyone else.”

Marion flinched at the familiar accusation but held firm. “This isn’t about me. It’s about what’s best for Charlie.”

“And you get to decide that?” Heather challenged.

“Yes,” Marion said simply. “For now, I do.”

They stared at each other, the silence stretching between them like a chasm. Marion could see the calculation in her sister’s eyes, the desperate need warring with the knowledge that making a scene would only hurt her case.

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