Theirs to Bear: Icy Cap Den #3 (Alaskan Den Men) by Jennifer Hilt Read Free Book Online

minute.
    Ted’s sudden death taught me that much, at least. It showed me I was done waiting for things to improve in my life. From now on, I would follow what I needed for my son and myself.
    “You miss Ted,” Tristan said.
    “Do we have to talk about him now?” I asked. My fingertips lay over Tristan’s heart. I could feel the steady beats, loving their rhythm.
    “I don’t want you to feel obligated.”
    “To Ted?” I propped my head up on my elbow. “He was your friend. I’m only going to say this once: Leo was the only good thing to come out of that marriage.”
    Tristan’s pupils dilated. His lovely mouth set into a tight line. “I thought he made you happy. Did he hurt you?”
    “What do you think? You know how much he drank in college. Imagine him with a wife and son in Ohio and nowhere for an ice bear to run around. I don’t waste time grieving over him.”
    “That bastard.”
    I couldn’t disagree. But I didn’t want to run Ted down. He was gone. I was free. I’d paid a high price for my choice.
    “No one is ever going to hurt you again,” Tristan said quietly.
    “What about Leo?”
    “I have a feeling in a few years that problem will take care of itself. Not many want to tangle with an ice bear shifter.”
    “What about you?” I asked.
    “You think I’d harm Leo?” Tristan asked.
    “I meant be his friend. He needs someone to learn from.”
    “My job is to protect the residents of Icy Cap. I’ve no problem with that. Being a mentor, though, is not in my skill set. From what I’ve seen of Leo, he’s completely Ted’s kid.” He yawned.
    “Now what’s that supposed to mean?” I scooted away from him.
    “Leo’s a little wild. Like his dad.”
    “He’s ‘a little wild’ because he’s four years old and already shifting into an ice werebear.” Reason had left my brain. This man who majorly rocked my world had just criticized my son.
    That felt bad. Wrong.
    Even worse, there was a place deep inside me that knew Tristan was right. I’d hoped just being here would be enough. But I had no idea how to be a parent, let alone to a shifter.
    Still, I didn’t need it called out. And right now was horrible timing. My body was still quaking with aftershocks. I was not interested in a commentary on my parenting. Talk about a mood killer.

9
    Tristan
    T he morning after our fuck-fest was a mess. Literally. A blizzard snapped the neck of our spring thaw. The wind howled. The windows frosted from the inside in Liv’s house, as I’d predicted. A sticky snow covered the new grass. Visibility was zip. It was a great day to be an ice bear. A human? Not so much.
    My bear spirit woke me up, wanting to get outside. I resisted, knowing some cuddle time would be high on Liv’s list after our recent activities. I wasn’t opposed to that at all. But my ice bear spirit paced inside me, yearning to get out that door.
    Maybe that was why I’d said the stupid thing about Leo. I didn’t mean it how it sounded. What I meant was, instead of Leo being “all boy,” he was “all bear.” And of course I knew Ted was Leo’s dad; I’d meant the power of werebear genetics was clear to me now in a way that I’d never really understood before.
    I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t want Liv to be my mate. I’d thought I missed that chance, but now I had a new opportunity. I’d love her to bear my offspring someday. Fucking her felt so right—and judging by her eager participation last night, she felt it too.
    Leo was a handful. More than she could deal with on her own, but not out of lack of love or instinct. Her son was a shifter; she was human. She could try her hardest and never understand what it felt like to shift or have your bear spirit deep within call to you.
    I had to get out of there. Clear my head. I threw my clothes on. Our disagreement had dropped the temperature in Liv’s cramped bedroom faster than the Arctic chill outside. She’d rolled over, giving me her back and not