Jaded Hearts
Chapter 32

Kade

Matt’s call had me more than a little confused about who my mate really was.

It wasn’t a factor of me no longer wanting her; that would never happen. But I did need to replace out if she was a bear, and if she’d been keeping that from me. I sent her a text message, and when she didn’t answer, I assumed she was either in the shower or asleep.

Since it was close to midnight, I was pretty sure whatever she was doing, she would be in our room, so I headed straight there. Just as I thought, she was curled up in a small ball in the middle of the bed. Her hair was draped across her face, and I could just make out a few of her freckles on her cheeks. I wanted to run my fingers over them, but I needed to focus.

I diverted to the bathroom to wash the sweat from the run off, then went back to where she was sleeping. I walked over and sat down beside her, and she almost instantly turned around to face me when she felt the bed shift.

“How was your run? You’re back earlier than I’d expected,” she said, looking over at me.

I just stared into her eyes and got lost in them. Every time I looked at her, she took me away to someplace else.

“Kade? Did you hear me?”

“Yeah, I heard you. Sorry. It was a good run. Matt called me, and it got cut a little short.”

“Taylor called me too, but I missed it. Is everything okay?”

“They’re good. Better than good, to be honest, but I’ll let her tell you all about that. Apparently, your cousin is in Rome also. Matt and Taylor ran into him. Tyson?”

Her eyebrows shot up at hearing his name.

“Really? That must have been awkward. He’s been in love with Taylor since we were kids. He moved away after he graduated high school, which was right around the time Drew showed up. I swear I wish Tyson would’ve stuck around. We wouldn’t be dealing with Drew the psycho right now, that’s for sure.”

“Morgan, Matt said that Tyson’s a shifter. That he’s a bear. Did you know that?”

She just looked at me with a blank stare, like she was trying to process what I had just said. “No. He’s my cousin. We’re not shifters; we’re human. Matt’s mistaken on this one. I’m sure of it.”

“I don’t think he is, babe. Back in my younger days, I used to attend illegal werebear fights all the time, and Matt was my unwilling accomplice. We know what a bear looks like.”

“Maybe Tyson looks similar because of his size? He’s always been bigger than the average guys.”

“You have the eye of a bear, Morgan.”

“What are you talking about? I’m not a f*****g werebear! I’m human. You know that. Why would I lie to you?!”

She was getting upset, and I didn’t want that at all. But I needed to talk to her. “Calm down, sugar. Just listen to what I’m saying, alright?”

“I didn’t lie, Kade, I swear I didn’t. I love you. I wouldn’t do that to you. Please….”

She was breaking my heart into tiny pieces. “I know, and I love you too. But just listen, okay?”

She wiped a tear that had fallen and nodded her head.

“Okay. All the bears I’ve known have your exact same hazel-colored eyes. And they’re huge—much bigger than wolves, even in their human forms. They have the same increased strength and healing that most shifters do, but they aren’t quite as fast as we are. Have you ever known Tyson or anyone in your family to get sick? A cold or the flu?”

“No, but we take care of ourselves really well. Besides, Mitchell’s in the hospital. If he was a bear, wouldn’t he be healed already?”

“Isn’t he? The doctors didn’t think he’d make it out of surgery at all, but he did. Now, four days later, he’s almost ready to get discharged. You didn’t think that was odd?”

“No. He’s strong. He’s always been strong, and I prayed so hard for him to get better. It was the miracle I’d hoped for.”

“I know it was, baby, but think about what I’ve told you. Did you know your grandfather?”

“No. He died when my grandmother was pregnant with my dad. All I know about him is what she’s told us.”

“Do you think you could ask her? Would she tell you the truth?”

She nodded and took a deep breath. “I could try. Even if she didn’t want to tell me, I’d know if she was hiding something. I can call her later on today.”

I hated having to wait, but I wasn’t going to make her wake her grandmother up after midnight. So, I’d wait.

“Kade? What does this mean for us? I mean, if I am a bear or part bear, can we still be mates? Would you be able to turn me into a wolf one day? Could we have babies?”

“You’ll always be my mate, sugar, and I’ll always be yours. That will never change. I don’t know about the other two questions, though. I’ll have to ask the pack doctor or the elders, but I promise you that I will replace out.”

I pulled her into my arms and laid us down on the bed. When she snuggled her head onto my shoulder, I began to play my favorite game of connect the dots across her cheeks and nose. She would occasionally twitch her nose when my fingers would tickle her, but she never asked me to stop, no matter how annoying it may have been for her.

“I always wondered what the hell was up with my eyes. My dad and Mitchell both have them—one hazel and one brown. I used to wear contacts to cover them up. I got tired of the kids looking at me like I was a freak, but when I got older, I stopped caring. It made me unique, and I loved that.”

“You are unique, and your eyes are one of my favorite things about you. Don’t ever hide who you are to make someone else comfortable. If they don’t like it, then they aren’t meant to be a part of your life.”

She turned her body to face me and shut her eyes. When I felt her relax, I pulled the blanket up over us and drifted off with her. The final images that went through my mind before sleep took over were of her angelic face. I was pretty sure my mate was a bear, and I was just as sure that she never knew anything about it.

I wonder what hybrid wolf/bear babies are like?

* * *

Morgan

The next morning came too soon , and I was dreading the phone call I had promised to make. I knew I needed answers, and Kade deserved the truth, but it was hard to ask the questions. I looked at my phone and saw a couple of messages from Tay, asking me to call or message her when I was free.

She was probably worried about how I was doing after the Tyson bombshell was dropped, but there was nothing to be worried about. I wasn’t upset at all; she and Matt did what was right. I’d make sure she knew.

I sent her a quick response before scrolling to my grandma’s number. While I waited for her to pick up, I worked out a game plan for how I would approach this. I couldn’t come right out and ask her if her dead husband was a bear. I needed to be smoother than that. Finally, after five rings, she answered.

“Good morning, Granny. How are you doing?”

“I’m good, but who is this?”

I chuckled to myself. Granny never knew who we were on the phone. She barely knew us in person. “It’s Morgan. Robert’s daughter.”

“Oh, hey, child! What are you doing calling so early in the morning?”

“Well, I’m working on a family tree and needed your help with a few things.”

“Alright. What do you need to know?”

“Grandpa Eddie. He died when you were pregnant with Dad, right?”

“That’s right. I was four months along when I lost him.”

“How did he die, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“It was so long ago, but I think it was a fight. He was trying to protect the family and ended up getting shot.”

“Did they ever replace who did it?”

“No, things were a little different where we came from. It was swept under the rug.”

Interesting.

“Did Grandpa Eddie have hazel eyes like me or Tyson?”

“Yes, he did. His whole family had those same eyes. I was happy to see that Robert got them, as well as you kids. It keeps my Eddie’s memory alive.”

Now it was time to cut to the chase. Let’s see if I could get what I needed. “Granny, was he a bear?”

“Yes, he wa—” She stopped when she realized what she had just said and quickly tried to backtrack. “What did you say, Morgan? Was he what?”

“A bear, Granny. Was Grandpa Eddie a werebear? A shifter?”

“Why would you ask something like that?”

“Because I believe that he was, and you’re the only one who can confirm or deny it.”

“I don’t want to talk anymore, child. I need to go take my medicine and get something to eat. You call me later, and we’ll talk then, okay?”

“Alright, Granny. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

She quickly hung up the phone, and I sat in place, looking at the wall. She had admitted it. Even though she tried to cover it up afterwards, she admitted that my grandfather was a bear. That made me one too.

I had no clue how to move forward from here. I didn’t even know any other werebears, except for Tyson, I guess. Maybe I’d call him and have him show me what this all meant. I had a ton of questions, and he seemed like he’d be the best place to start for answers.

I shot him a text message, asking him to call me when he got back home. Then I went to replace Kade. No matter what happened, I was going to share everything with him every step of the way. I refused to let a family secret destroy my future with the best thing that had ever happened to me. I remembered Kade saying he’d be in his office, so I walked over and opened the door.

What I saw sucked the wind from my lungs.

Kade was lying back in his office chair, and some barely dressed b***h was leaning over him, running her hands over his naked chest. His eyes were closed, so he didn’t see me, and I could see that he wasn’t trying to fight her off at all. Whatever this was, he wanted it.

“Wow. I guess being mated to a bear throws you back into your whorish ways, huh? That’s fine; you two finish whatever this is. I’ll just get my s**t out of your room and out of your house so your new tramp can move in.”

His eyes shot open, and he tried to say something, but I turned and ran out the door before he could.

So much for bears not being as fast as wolves.