The Bear's Redemption

Chapter 3

Makini

I twist. I turn. I roll dramatically to the side. Alas… it is all for nothing.

The enemy has prevailed. I am doomed.

Captured in the lair of my nemesis, pinned like a helpless prey, unable to move, unable to breathe for the sheer injustice of it all. The hold on my wrists loosens and for one glorious second, I think, maybe, freedom?

But no. Oh, no. Fate has far worse in store.

Nimble fingers. Mercilessly skilled fingers. Tickling my sides.

"NOOO!" I scream, flailing like a cartoon character mid-battle. "This is worse than death! This is war-crime-level torture!"

“Do you yield?” Sasha demands from her perch atop me, her voice a terrifying mix of smugness and laughter. She’s expertly straddling me, all strategic leverage and pinned arms.

“I GIVE, I GIVE!” I yell, shame coating every syllable. I say the words. The unspeakable words!

“Do you solemnly swear you will never again mention the perfection of my brother’s backside?” She intones with mock severity, barely holding back a grin.

“But that would be a crime against the shifter race,” I begin, gallantly defending the universal right to admire perfection.

She renews the tickle assault.

“OKAY! OKAY!” I’m gasping, wheezing, losing all dignity. “I swear! I swear!”

Satisfied, she slides off me with the regal grace of a victorious empress, flopping onto her side next to me. “Good.”

There’s a beat of peace. A breath. Then I mutter, deadpan:“I never made any vows about the rest of him.”

“May the Ancients help me,” she groans, dragging a hand over her face and rolling her eyes hard enough I’m surprised her skull didn’t follow. “You are the worst.”

Then her eyes light up. Oh no. That look never ends well for me.

I narrow mine, already suspicious. “Don’t even—”

“I get it, Kini,” she says, drawling out the words, trying to sound casual. “I mean when Jax is sparring, and those abs—”

I tackle her to the ground before she can finish, hand clamped over her mouth. Of course, she immediately reverts to her most childish defense: licking my hand.

“Ugh! Disgusting,” I groan, pulling away and wiping the slobber off on her shirt.

She grins up at me, completely unfazed. “See what it feels like?”

“I get it,” I mutter, flopping beside her. “But geez, girl. You’ll get poor Jax murdered by a broody, fire-breathing dragon.”

She snorts. “Please. Dorgan knows that his are the only abs I ever wanna—”

“Enough!” I shout and smack her in the face with a pillow. She cackles, rolling away to dodge the second swing. Stars help me. This girl is going to be the death of me. But I can’t help the smile tugging at my lips.

These moments, these ridiculous, giggly, nonsense-filled moments—they’re rare. And precious.

Just Sasha and me in my room, being utterly ridiculous. No strategy, no near-death escapes, no missions. Just soft pillows, bad jokes, and the occasional tickle-war I always lose.

She dragged me off the moment we arrived back from the second mission, claiming we needed some “Shini” time. That ridiculous 'couple name' that I definitely don’t low-key love. That would be so un-SEAL-like of me. Gross.

Since she moved in with Dorgan, I took over her old room. She insisted on it, told Dorgan in no uncertain terms that “The SEALs are my family and they belong under my roof.”

He didn’t even blink. Just laughed, kissed her, and made it so.

Because of course he did. He never says no to her. Too damn in love. It’s disgusting.

And… kind of adorable.

I mean, seriously. If there’s anyone who deserves a disgustingly adorable love story, it’s Sasha.

And seeing her like this, laughing, light, her eyes crinkled with joy, it’s like watching a flower finally bloom after years of drought.

I’d go through a hundred more tickle wars to see her happy like this. And seeing her like this, really seeing her, laughing, eyes alight, completely at ease, it makes me so happy.

I’ve never had a friend like this. Not like Sasha.

Not a soldier under my command, not someone bonded to me out of duty or shared trauma or the ugly necessity of war.

This, us, is different. There’s no obligation here. No chain of command, no survival pact. Just… the pure, rare sense of rightness.

Of belonging.Of being a better version of myself simply because she’s in my life.

“You deserve this, Sasha,” I say, letting my voice go soft, letting her see the truth in my eyes. “This life. This joy.”

She blinks, clearly not expecting the moment of sincerity. I watch her smile shift into something gentler, her hand reaching toward mine, but I ruin the moment like the absolute menace I am.

“You’re literally radiating, which would be adorable… if it wasn’t so disgustingly saccharine.”

I mutter the last part under my breath, and she mock-punches me in the shoulder. Which, ouch, has more punch than I expected.

“Damn, woman!” I rub the spot. “That bonded dragon strength is no joke!”

She raises a brow like 'Yeah, you deserved that' and flops dramatically back onto the pillows, laughing again.

Seriously, though, this power? The sheer energy humming through her? It’s not just physical, it’s not just magical. It’s hers.

It’s fierce and wild and protective and ridiculous all in one glorious package.

And I’m constantly in awe of her.

This lady; this dragon-bonded, sass-spewing, loyal-to-the-core legend of a woman, she’s not just a warrior or a friend.

We concluded that the NNA attack on our base was directly aimed at her, either to eliminate her or to capture her. Since then, she is very limited in movement, and Dorgan always has security placed on her; this makes for quite a stressful living arrangement. Yet here she is, glowing.

She’s something rare. And I am so damn lucky to know her.

“You deserve it too, Kini," she says softly, her voice suddenly cutting through the laughter like a warm knife through butter.

I blink at her, caught off guard.

“Deserve what?” I ask, even though I already know.

She gives me that look, you know the one where her eyebrow goes up, and you instantly feel like you’re twelve again and about to get scolded by your cool aunt who knows everything.

“What’s up with you and the grumpy 'not so grumpy anymore' bear?”

I attempt the ol’ nonchalant-shoulder-shrug-divert-eye-contact combo.

“What are you talking about, Sash?”

“Oh please,” she snorts, rolling onto her stomach like we’re teenagers at a sleepover, legs kicking in the air. “I’ve seen the looks between the two of you. If eye contact could cause fires, the base would’ve burned down three times over.”

I sigh. There it is. Caught. Trapped. No exit.

Maybe this is exactly what I need, though, someone to say it out loud to. Maybe even someone who gets it.

I lie back beside her, eyes on the ceiling. “I don’t know, girl… I just feel drawn to him. Like, whenever he enters a room, my eyes find him without me even realizing. And it’s not like I want them to. It’s not under my control. It’s instinct, magnetic.”

Sasha hums like she’s already heard this tune before. “That sounds an awful lot like bond stuff.”

“Don’t even start with that,” I shoot her a look. “If this is a bond, then the fates are out of their damn minds. Remember, I am human, we don’t all get our happy-ever-after-dragon story. And remember that shifter gave you hell. Full-on hatred-of-humans vibes. Like he had a whole playlist of reasons to loathe people like us.”

“Yeah, and now he looks at you like you hung the stars,” she says gently, no sass, just truth. “So what changed?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out!” I groan, pressing a hand to my forehead. “Why would I even want to be near him, after everything? Like some i***t, my heart didn’t get the memo about self-respect, clearly.”

Sasha smiles, all wisdom and mischief. “He’s changing, Kini. You’re changing him. And maybe that grumpy bear is exactly the kind of love someone like you needs.”

I don’t say anything for a long minute. I can see her thinking and when she finally speaks, her voice is softer, thoughtful.

“You know, friend… the world’s not like we used to know it,” she starts.

“No s**t it isn’t,” I mutter, a little too quickly, and we both c***k a smile.

But her smile fades a bit as she goes on. “And in this new world… we all bring our baggage with us. Some more than others. Kuma suppressed his trauma for years. Focused on survival, on Koda. He didn’t have time to heal, just kept going. We’ve spoken a lot, he and me. And… I get it now. I really do.”

I glance over at her. She means this. Every word.

“He’s apologized, sincerely. And I don’t hold any of it against him anymore. You shouldn’t either.”

I chew the inside of my cheek, staring at the ceiling. “I know, friend… It’s just… I don’t know if I could ever really trust someone like him.”

She doesn’t react with judgment, just gives me a quiet look, like she’s seeing deeper than I want her to.

“Someone like him,” she repeats. “Or anyone, Kini?”

That hits.

Sasha scoots a little closer, her voice kind and sure. “I know your past wasn’t any better than his. And I know how hard it is to let someone in when you’ve been trained your whole life to be unbreakable. But look at us, Kini.” She grins now, dramatic and proud. “I managed to carve away those ice walls of yours, and voilà here we are.”

I snort and whack her with the pillow. She laughs, triumphant.

But then her voice softens again. “Seriously, Kini. You deserve happiness, too. Real happiness. I’m not saying jump into his arms tomorrow. But promise me you won’t ice him out just for my sake. We’re good, okay? He’s a good shifter. He’s trying. And sometimes… that’s everything.”

I’m quiet for a long time.

I want to brush it off, to say something sarcastic, but I can’t. Because I know she’s right.

“Okay,” I mumble, pulling the blanket up to my chin. “I’ll try.”

It’s not a full yes. Not yet. But it’s the first c***k in the wall. And she knows it.

Sasha gives me a content little smirk, like she had just won another battle.

Who knows? Maybe she did.