Shadow of the Werebear King

Do They Approve...?

---POV Damon---

My brother couldn’t stop snickering for five minutes, and I was about to clock him into next week. “I can’t believe this is happening. Seriously, what are the odds?!” He heaved while Sam slapped him in his arm. I guess she beat me to it.

“Can you please behave?” She whispered harshly.

Arthur coughed in my arms and I shifted my weight just enough to resituate his body in my arms. In a rush, the nurses gave him to me while they checked on his mother. The fear in Rosie’s eyes almost had me reach my limit, but I held back and continued to reassure her, along with the nurses that I’m an expert.

And I was.

I’m always the uncle and oldest brother. So, caring for kids became second nature. Everyone took advantage of that, including my older cousins. I guess they enjoyed the freedom of their stupid date nights or vacations. My parents included. I was able to sneak out of my responsibilities every now and again, but with so many children in our hodge podge family, it seemed to be a weekly problem. I held the bottle up to the kid’s lips and rocked him a bit. He seemed pretty relaxed around me, almost on instinct, and enjoyed his meal. That’s a good sign…. Depending on how you look at it, his lulled demeanor means only one thing. Our bears were right. She’s my mate and…and I’m mated to a rogue. Did that really just sink in now?!

“Ha! I know that face! What? Did you just realize the next queen is about to be a rogue? I would kill to be in the room with the elders when they find out about this. Can anyone say karma?! Disrespecting our family for so long and now…now they have their worst nightmare coming true.” Johnathan heaved through the laughter that finally burst through. “Classic!”

“No! She isn’t just a rogue. She is our mate, and she’s had it rough. That means we can spoil her even more now. Screw everyone else.” My bear yipped with delight. He…is starting to get obnoxious. But I agree with him. My brother can laugh about this all he wants, but I’m not going to let those people bother me. What I cared about more were the opinions of the people I call family. Those who are and are not in this room.

“Well, at least we know how to piss off those old geezers. Why did we appoint them again?” Gramps asked, breaking my train of thought.

Dad and I shot glares at him. “We?!” We countered without hesitation. This was all on him and his choice to be, quote, ‘hands off’.

“I thought it was the fae council that found those pretentious nutters.” Mom added. She was right. When Gramps took his rightful place as the King of the Werebears, he didn’t want any part in the political process the transition created. Therefore, King Zyair was responsible for fixing what my dads intentionally broke. Rightfully so, though. The hell Prince Chaz put my mother through…. Not something I would wish on my worst enemy. I wish he was still alive, so I could kill him again. Just one or four more times.

“Well, it was, and I guess giving them more power during my first ten years was mistake number one. Now they think they can choose my successor and his mate?! They’ve gotten too cocky. Hard no.” Gramps added curtly. “They wanted me in this stupid position. They had better deal with the consequences. Just so you know, I’m completely fine with your mate and her cub, but your successor will have to be of Radavier blood so…little Arthur there, won’t become king.” He added. Ah, he knows she’s lying too. Ha.

I looked down at the cub, and he was almost finished with his bottle. I guess he really was hungry too. Just seeing the worry on the women’s faces was enough to set my bear on a rampage. Finding his mate is the only reason we are still here and not out for blood. I may not be the softest of the Oden boys, but I’m not heartless. Then again, Rosie could also have added to my fight for control, but she is my mate. Double-edged sword and all that. There is nothing, nothing I wouldn’t do for her. “I know that, but he is just as much my son as she is my mate. I cannot have one without the other. And I will not allow those men to tell me who my mate is allowed to be. Arthur will have to give the throne to his younger sibling, yes, but I will not make him feel any less than. I will raise him as my own.” I growled.

Placing the cub’s head on my shoulder, I patted his back gently and placed the bottle on the side table. Arthur burped and snuggled into my neck. I rubbed his back in small circles and Johnathan finally calmed down enough to reenter the conversation. “I keep forgetting you actually have practice taking care of kids. It’s just still strange seeing my giant older brother holding a cub, but I don’t know, bro. In all seriousness, this might not be the walk in the park you and Gramps are painting for yourselves. There’re already enough rumors floating around about you to put me in an early grave.” He sighed before leaning back in his chair. “I don’t know how you two do it. I’m glad I’m not the bear of the family.” No, but he is the ass.

The minute he started talking about the infamous rumors, the room’s aura shifted. Mom’s eyes shifted to the floor as a gasp fell from her lips. “Rumors?” She muttered. Dad immediately rubbed her leg, shooting a glance at Johnathan. There’s no way her head went straight towards taking the blame for this. Right? Ah, who am I kidding? She’s our mom. That’s why we haven’t told her about them yet!

“Really Johnathan?!” I shouted through our link, and he froze.

His eyes shifted to mom and winced. “S-Sorry I…I didn’t mean to. I may have forgot?”

“I know but seriously. Learn to ease up on the details every once in a while. Dad looks ready for blood now. I will not cover your ass this time.”

He froze and looked over at dad’s glare. “Right…s-sorry.” He mumbled out loud, and bowed his head. Every once in a while, we see our dads like the alphas they are. One of those times is clearly when mom’s life is threatened or distressed in any way. In any way. “I didn’t mean to put my foot in my mouth…again.”

“We didn’t want to worry you.” Dad said through a sigh. There was no hiding it now, and I’m sure he knew that well enough.

My mom shot up and shook her head. “No, don’t be sorry. I’ll do better to remember this isn’t my fault. I know I can. It’s just, this is why I was so worried from the start. I don’t know why they are so against this. Our son is a werebear through and through. I chose to be a wolf, but my blood still runs as a Radavier. What else could they possibly want? Wait…I…I guess this is my fault this time.” s**t. She’s regressing. Oh, I’m going to rip Johnny a new one for this!

I stood to my feet and walked over to my mom while Arthur snored softly in my arms. “Nothing that we are going to waste our time stressing over.” I leaned over, protecting the cub’s head and small frame, before kissing her on the cheek. I stood back up to my full height and started to head back to…Rosie’s room. “You got all your boys fighting for you and no one is going to let you suffer because of other people’s prejudice. Also, nothing they say is something I cannot handle. For now, let’s just table this. I…want to talk to my mate.” They all looked at me with relief and the shift in their reactions was not lost on me. “What?”

“Of course. Go on and enjoy yourself. If anyone knows how you feel right now, it’d be me. We will talk later though.” Gramps called. I nodded and headed towards the door. He’s right though. Because Grandma Rylee is our grandmother by marriage, not by blood, and our real grandmother is of the Fae, it’s been a roller coaster for him too. However, if he can fight the good fight, so can I.

My steps slowed as I made it down the hall. The nurses seemed to be moving quickly, but they all stopped to bow at me before continuing their shuffle through the medical ward. Bouncing into one room, then another. I don’t blame them. This many female werebears at once is a lot to handle. However, the shuffling of the nurses did nothing to deter my wandering mind. What will I do if Rosie is taken from me? Will I be able to move on like Gramps or protect her like he protects grandma? Does my family actually approve of this? I glanced down at Arthur while he whimpered a bit and shifted in my arms. No…I can do this. I cannot put darkness in my mind that has no business being there. She’s not going anywhere. I dare someone to try.

The sun was peeking through the door to Rosie’s room, beckoning me to focus on her. I pushed it open, and the setting sun warmed the room nicely, making the harsh whites of the infirmary light up the afternoon. She was given one of the few private rooms and, thankfully, they pulled in a small bassinet for the baby. I rested him on the plush cushion and pulled a stool up to sit next to them both.

“I know you are still hiding stuff from me, but I’ll wait. I’ll protect you. I’ll protect you both.” I whispered before leaning up and kissing her forehead while she shifted in her sleep. Looking between the two of them, you knew they were mother and son. Their mannerisms gave that away almost immediately. Unfortunately though, I know she is lying to me about something more than just the baby’s name. I’m just not too sure what it is. For now, I’ll keep up my guard, but in reality, I just want to be with her. As I promised, I want to protect her.

I rested back on the stool and plopped my head down on the side of the bed. Sighing heavily, I hadn’t realized I'd become exhausted throughout this whole endeavor. Wouldn’t hurt to get some sleep while I wait for her to wake up. This was my vacation after all. I didn’t want to think about when I got back to the castle or what I'd say during the next assembly. I would have never guessed getting a day off would find me here, with my mate and actually relaxing for once. I need to make the most of it. That’s all that matters.