The Bear's Forbidden Wolf: A Hot Paranormal Fantasy Saga with Witches, Werewolves and Werebears (Weres and Witches of Silver Lake Book 4) by Vella Day Read Free Book Online

retracted, she had the sense he was being polite for his mom’s sake.
    Mrs. Murdoch held up a hand. “Nonsense. Kalan and I will clean up. I know you girls are tired. Ainsley, it seems like you’ll have a long day of fun tomorrow with Shamus.”
    Ainsley genuinely smiled. “I do.” She faced him. “How about I pick you up here around eleven? We can check out the apartment and have some lunch.”
    “Sounds good to me. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
    With her plans all set with Shamus, Ainsley was anxious to leave. Dread and despair sat heavy in her gut over this whole mate thing. She prayed she was wrong, but her internal sensors were screaming she was not.
    Blair hugged everyone goodbye and then walked out with her. They stopped in front of Blair’s car, and she faced Ainsley. “I’m sorry about the way Jackson acted. I don’t know why he was such a pill.”
    Tell her . “That’s okay, I understand.”
    “Understand, why he wasn’t civil?” Blair asked.
    “Yes, and it wasn’t just that I’m a Changeling.” Okay, that was most of it. A cold wind blew right through her sweater, and she wrapped her arms around her waist for warmth. “How about we head home, and I will tell you everything?”
    Blair clasped her shoulder. “Did something happen while I was in the kitchen helping mom with the dessert?”
    “Kind of.”
    Her roommate shook her head. “I can’t wait to hear this.” She waved and slipped into her car.
    Ainsley jogged to the end of the drive and jumped in the Jetta’s driver’s seat. Glad for a few minutes of quiet to think through her dilemma, she took off, arriving home a minute before Blair.
    The short drive only increased her agitation and anger. With all she’d endured in her life, why did she end up with a bear shifter? Not that she wanted another Changeling, but if she had to live with this kind of intense yearning for the rest of her life, she might end up like her dad—despondent and then dead.
    As soon as Blair entered her apartment, she set down her purse and headed straight for the kitchen. “I can’t wait to hear what happened. You want some wine?”
    “Totally.” Hopefully, her admission wouldn’t drive a wedge between them. With Jackson being Blair’s brother, she might have an idea what Ainsley should do.
    Blair returned a minute later with two glasses of Merlot and joined Ainsley in the small living room. She sat on the red sofa while Ainsley took the yellow chair across from her.
    “Tell me,” Blair said.
    Ainsley inhaled deeply. “I need to start by giving you a little background on my father.”
    Blair leaned forward. “I didn’t think you remembered much.”
    “This isn’t about our time together. My mom told me later how and why my father died.”
    Her roommate hissed in a breath. “That must have been a rough conversation.”
    “More than rough. I still can’t believe it. Apparently, my father wasn’t aware that when a non-Changeling mated with a Changeling, he would inherit the Changeling’s bad genes, which would change his perspective on things. I’m guessing my mom didn’t know either.”
    “How is that even possible?”
    “I don’t know. Do you understand how Kalan was able to transfer his ability to shift to his mate? I understand she was human.”
    Blair nodded. “She was, and you’re right. I don’t understand how all that works either.”
    “Anyway, according to my mom, when I was about five, Dad became depressed. By the time I was eight, he was so distraught with all the evil thoughts pummeling his body that he killed himself.” A sharp pain stabbed her gut, and she crossed her arms.
    “I’m so sorry. Were you aware he was unhappy?”
    She shook her head. “He was good at putting on a happy face when he was around me. He always told me that I was his light.”
    “Aw. So you believe that if you mate with a non-Changeling, that person would end up in despair? Or worse, dead?”
    “That’s what I’ve been