The Bear Truth by Ivy Sinclair Read Free Book Online Page B

demonstrating that he was in charge. He might not know the answers, but he would find them out. I drew on that quiet strength and held back to listen to what he was going to say.
    “Folks, I know this is distressing news to everyone, including me. But I need you all to remain calm and go home. What has happened has nothing to do with the safety or community of Greyelf. The sheriff passed away in his sleep. It has nothing to do with the Summit. It was simply an unfortunate accident. Now y'all skedaddle home and let us do what we need to do here. I can assure you his replacement will be named soon."
    It was fascinating to me when I thought about it. It shouldn't have been Lukas making the statement to the public. It should've been whoever Sheriff Monroe's replacement was going to be, or, better yet, the mayor of Greyelf. But Greyelf was now synonymous with the Greyelf Grizzly Clan. That meant that by default whoever led the clan led the town. It was amazing how quickly people had adapted to seeing Lukas as that leader, and I was pleased by it.
    Unbelievably, his words seem to have a calming effect on the crowd. They started to disperse murmuring amongst themselves. Lukas stood and waited for me and Billy to make our way to him. As I walked up to him, he slipped his hand into mine. I could tell that he wanted to hug me or hold me close. I wouldn't have minded that at all, but Lukas wasn't the type for public displays of affection either. There was an awkwardness to it as well considering Billy was standing right next to me. This whole relationship with still new to me, and I wanted to soak it in.
    "How you feeling, babe?" His soft question was for my ears only. I'm sure Billy heard nonetheless, given his enhanced physical abilities that came from being a shifter.
    "Better now that I’m here with you." The sentiment was genuine. I did feel better now that I was with Lukas. "Seems you've got quite a mess on your hands. How can I help?"
    "Keep yourself out of trouble. Let's start there." Lukas smiled down at me. It was nice to see that he hadn't lost his sense of humor despite all of the chaos going on around him.
    "Any news about Mr. Reddon?" Billy asked. He seemed eager to change the subject.
    "Not yet. But I can only deal with one thing at a time. Let's start with figuring out who's trying to cause all the trouble around the Summit first." Lukas held the door open for me, and I stepped through. I saw the two men exchange a look over my head. There was something going on, an undercurrent of something that Lukas didn't want me to know. That bothered me, but I would get to the bottom of it.
    As I stepped into the police station, I looked around. I saw Magda Pern perched behind her desk watching me with great interest. She probably couldn't wait to get on the phone and tell everyone what it just happened outside the station. Around Greyelf, if you wanted the town to know something, you just had to tell Magda. She’d make sure that everybody was up in speed in just a couple of hours. I walked up to her. "How's it going, Magda?"
    "Shit storm since everybody found out about the sheriff. Your dad’s been in here already causing a ruckus about wanting an official statement. Lukas sent him packing." I could just imagine that exchange. I gave her a serene smile and turned to find out what Lukas and Billy were up to.
    They moved almost in unison toward the sheriff's office. I was one step behind them, but Lukas turned and shook his head. "Can you give me and Billy a minute, Maren?"
    I crossed my arms. I knew I had a pissed off look on my face, and he should know why. This wasn't the time for secrets. "Actually, I do mind."
    The look on his face was priceless.
    "I'm here because you want me here, yes. But I'm also here because I'm still a reporter. Something is going on, and I see things that you and Billy might miss. You can trust me. I can help." I had value, and he had to see that.
    Lukas sighed. For a minute, I thought that he was