“Small bears,” Valentin said into the mass of unspoken words, “you’re out of here. Thirty seconds.”
The cubs slid off their seats and ran, the bigger ones holding on to the hands of their younger friends, the cubs who lived in this den reminding their returned friends which way they had to go.
The area was clear of children well within the mandated thirty seconds; two of the adults who Silver knew were in charge of the nursery went with them. The teenagers remained, clearly having permission to stay when the “small bears” order was given.
“There will be no punishment,” Valentin said at last, his eyes locked with those of the tall man with granite-colored hair who had to be Sergey. “We’ve all been punished enough.”
Tears on many faces, stark-white shock on others.
“But”—Valentin’s tone was brutal—“I will not accept disloyalty. Punishment for any such action from this point on will be immediate and harsh.”
He looked around, his eyes hard and his voice a boom of sound. “StoneWater as a clan will stay strong, stay a safe place for those who call it home. If that means I have to banish or kill threats to the clan, I will.”
Silver was watching the returnees closely, saw the flinches at his use of the word “kill.” They had no idea her Valyusha wasn’t the real threat. Silver would annihilate anyone who dared hurt him again.
“If you can’t live with my ‘tainted blood’”—shamed looks from many of the returned—“leave now and you’ll live. After this, there will be no second chances.”
No one moved.
“Then”—smile open and genuine, he wrapped an arm around the shoulders of a middle-aged male who’d been inching closer to him during the entire speech—“welcome home.”
The man turned in to Valentin, hugging him tight before breaking away so someone else could do the same. Only Sergey kept his distance, his expression openly torn.
When he did approach—while Valentin was speaking to two others—it was to come to Silver. “You’re Psy.”
His harsh words were bullets shot into stone. The Cavern turned deadly quiet.
“She is my mate.” Valentin responded before Silver could, his tone as harsh. “If you have anything to say about that, Sergey, say it to your alpha.”
The older male looked away, his jaw working.
Others, meanwhile, were staring at Silver, waiting. And she knew this moment was critical, would determine who she was as Valentin’s mate. Much as she wanted to turn Sergey’s brain into neural soup, that was not what her bear wanted. So she’d give this man and the others a chance to redeem themselves. “Welcome home,” she said. “Your clan has missed you.”
More than one shaky smile, the pinched look fading from their faces.
“Food! Drink!” Valentin yelled into the tremulous hope. “Today, we celebrate a united clan!”
Cheers thundered through the Cavern, coming first from those who’d never left, but joined only seconds later by those who had—many of whom were red-eyed and shaking. Valentin’s arms were open to all, his big body a sturdy oak against which they could find strength.
When people kept glancing at Silver with wide eyes, she went with instinct and extended her hands to show them that contact was welcome. The offer was taken up by many. “I always knew he’d pick a mate as strong as he is,” one woman whispered with a deep smile.
Another said, “Trust Valentin to nab not just a Psy but Silver Mercant herself. He’s always made his own rules.” There was pride in those words, respect in the eye contact.
Sergey remained aloof, but he was a bear; he couldn’t hide his torment.
Walking over to him once she was free, Silver spoke before he could say a word. “You have only two choices.”
He held her gaze in an aggressive challenge.
Silver was intimidated by no one, least of all a tortured bear. She did not look away. “You can hold on to your fear and let it drive you to hate, or you can trust in the bonds of clan. There is no middle ground.”
“You know nothing of what this clan has suffered.” Fisted hands, a clenched jaw.
“I’m your alpha’s mate,” she reminded him with icy precision. “I know this clan is full of warmth and a wild kind of love that doesn’t hold grudges. To StoneWater, family means everything.” Was it any wonder she’d fallen for the entire clan? “You chose to fracture that. Your choice now is to either fix that error—or walk away.”
“You have no right to say that to me.”
“I will do anything to protect Valentin. If that means eliminating a threat, I’ll do it without compunction and without a single ounce of guilt.” She made sure he saw the deadly truth on her face. “His heart is huge, but that doesn’t mean you get to kick it. Choose.”
Sergey swallowed . . . then subtly broke the aggressive eye contact. A second later, he walked toward Valentin and when Valentin drew him into his arms, he didn’t resist. Instead, he held on hard, his body shaking as tears streaked his face.
The others gave them space.
Silver, too, shifted away, going to help two of the clan who were setting up tables for the food and drink Valentin had ordered. Moira, her baby strapped to her chest, sat with them. “I don’t know what you said to Sergey,” she murmured, her tone a little awed, “but that ornery bear has never showed submission to anyone but his alpha.”
Yakov looked up from where he was on his knees putting up a table. “Valentin found a mate worthy of him.”
Silver took that as the compliment it was meant to be—but she was also bear enough now to say, “I’d say I found a mate worthy of me.”
Eyes amber, Yakov grinned. “Will Valentin punch me if I kiss you?”
“He is more likely to rip off your head.”
“Might be worth it.”
Silver considered the mood in the Cavern, considered the life she’d never have, considered what it was to be a bear—and leaned down to grip Yakov’s jaw. She’d pressed a kiss to his mouth before he recovered from his surprise. Clanmates laughed as the dominant bear fell back on his ass. “Definitely worth it,” he said, a happiness in his eyes that had nothing to do with the skin privileges.
The same happiness infused others around them.
Even Valentin when he ordered Yakov to keep his sneaky paws to himself.
It was about clan, about family, about bonds of the heart.
She understood so much now, saw how it could be, how she and her alpha bear could walk side by side, taking both the Mercant family and StoneWater into a dazzling future. But the noise inside her head, which had dimmed for an hour that had given her a false hope, it started to grow again. And grow and grow.
When Valentin found her sitting on the edge of their bed a half hour later, he was smiling. “There you are. Nova said you popped in here to—”
Cutting himself off midword, he hunkered down in front of her. “Starlight, you’re crying.”
Silver lifted a hand to her left cheek, touched the moisture there. “Oh.” She hadn’t known, hadn’t realized. “The noise, it hurts.”
THE quiet words from his strong Silver broke Valentin.
Gathering her into his arms, he sat down against a wall with her in his lap. “What can I do?” he asked, because he had to do something. “I’ll take you out of Denhome, deep into the—”
“No.” She raised her head, her eyes still damp and her pupils hugely dilated but her will as steely as ever. “This night is important for our clan.” Her fingers over his lips when he would’ve spoken. “And my range is phenomenal now. I can hear for miles, sound layer on sound layer.”