Marrying The Bear (Gray Bears 1) by Natalie Kristen Read Free Book Online

exploded.
    Ne-ma and Gramma stole
glances at each other and began to giggle. “You mated her. We
heard you last night. And well, you know there is no mating spell,”
Ne-ma said smugly.
    Tristan scowled and scrubbed
a hand down his face. It seemed everyone in this goddamn town knew
he had mated Alisa. His private life was not private. At least not
in this town where people could see, scent and scry information that
was hidden from ordinary human senses.
    But what Ne-ma said was true.
No spell in the universe could prevent a shifter from claiming his
true mate. And there was no spell that could compel a shifter to
take a mate against his will. There was no magic involved in mating.
Just pure instinct, need and want.
    “There, there.”
Gramma and Ne-ma patted his rigid shoulders. “All's well, is
it not?”
    Tristan growled as they
hurried to the kitchen, whispering and giggling like two schoolgirls.
    Gramma and Ne-ma was always
up to something, but this time, they were way more secretive than
usual. Whatever they were doing or plotting had something to do with
him...and his brothers. And Alisa.
    Tristan pivoted to face his
siblings, who were talking furiously among themselves and sneaking
him cheeky, furtive glances. Ha! They might be laughing at him now,
but they wouldn't find it funny at all when it happened to them. It
was just a matter of time. Tristan smirked at his gossipy, clueless
brothers. They wouldn't even know what hit them.
    They stopped talking when
Alisa appeared with a tray and started serving the men generous
helpings of mouth-watering lasagne.
    Gramma and Ne-ma helped but
Tristan could tell they were more interested in watching Alisa than
serving their customers. The two elderly ladies' faces were glowing
with sheer happiness and delight and there was a definite twinkle in
their eye.
    Something clicked in his mind
and he started.
    A wish.
    A spell.
    Alisa's wish had triggered
something. He didn't know what and neither did she.
    Tristan sat down with his
younger brothers, and watched them stare at Alisa with adoring,
puppy-dog eyes. They loved her as a big sister already and despite
their ribbing, it was obvious that they were all so happy for him.
    His family loved his mate,
and his crew liked and respected her tremendously.
    Could it be...a love spell?
    Tristan's face and heart
twisted painfully.
    Tristan shoveled the lasagne
into his mouth, chewed and swallowed without tasting anything.
    Gramma and Ne-ma may have
meant well, but love spells always backfired. Always, without fail.
    They couldn't have worked a
love spell.
    “They wouldn't,”
he muttered and stared down at his empty plate.
    Tristan pushed away from the
table and accosted Ne-ma in the hallway.
    “Ne-ma, I know you and
Gramma worked some sort of magic. I can't figure out what. Just—”
He took a painful breath and said, “Just tell me it's not a
love spell.”
    Ne-ma saw the stark fear in
his eyes. He feared for Alisa.
    “Oh Tristan,”
Ne-ma said, putting her hand on his cheek. “Your Gramma and I
will never do that to you and yours. We worked a love spell once as
teenagers on a classmate. She was mean to your Gramma and I got mad
so I made your Gramma help me cast the love spell. It was a mean
trick, and we regretted it. We managed to make things right in the
end, but love spells are nasty!” Ne-ma shuddered.
    Tristan blew out a breath of
relief. “Okay. So Alisa won't suffer any nasty effects.”
    “Not from our spell.”
    Tristan's frown returned.
“Did you make her...”
    “We didn't make her do
anything. Free will, Tristan. Everything she does is of her own
free will.”
    Ne-ma patted his chest and
ambled off. “And we never could make you do anything you
didn't want to do, Tristan. Even as a boy you were your own man.”

CHAPTER
FIFTEEN

    Alisa dried her hands and
stepped back from the gleaming kitchen counter. She had finished
washing, cleaning and scrubbing everything. The kitchen had a fresh,
citrus smell and she