Ryker knelt down and looked under the bed, his face filled with concern. “Are you okay? It’s safe to come out now.”
Kenzie wriggled out from under the bed, and looked around at the clan members. They had clearly been banged up and bruised quite a bit. They all had matted hair and blood streaks here and there across their bodies. But none of them seemed to have any deep wounds or broken bones. They were all in much better shape than Ryker had been in when Kenzie found him after that first attack.
“Blizzards?” Kenzie asked. Her voice shook when she spoke, even though she was trying to sound brave.
Ryker nodded, and pulled Kenzie into his arms. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I would have never forgiven myself if anything happened to you.”
Neal was rubbing the back of his neck, his expression weary. “Well, that’s the last we’ll see of them for a little while, anyways.”
“How do you know?” Tyler asked.
“Did you notice one of the bears they sent out today was Scott, their top fighter? The one with the distinctive scars across his face? They’ll be reeling from the loss of him. And I don’t think they were expecting our whole clan to be in here today, since they only sent ten of their bears. They thought they were catching Ryker alone, and could take him out.”
Kenzie felt Ryker shudder. “I wouldn’t have been too thrilled to take down ten bears alone,” he said.
“You would have managed,” Neal said. “Did you notice how sloppy they were fighting? They were too desperate. Their alpha must have been angry about the bears he lost on the first attack, and blindly sent them off without a good plan. Hopefully, losing ten more of their bears scared them off. And with summer coming, they’ll be heading as far north as they possibly can. If they dare show their faces around here next year, we’ll be sure to be well prepared to remind them why messing with us is a bad idea.”
“Why are they going north for summer?” Kenzie asked. She was still shaking, but her voice had steadied out a little bit.
“Blizzards are incredibly sensitive to heat.” Eric explained. “They tend to overheat easily, even in the mild summers of Alaska. When the light starts returning, signaling that summer is coming, they head as forth north as the sea ice will let them, seeking the coldest possible temperatures.”
“Don’t worry,” Ryker said, smoothing Kenzie’s hair back against her face. “They won’t have time to regroup for another attack before the light returns. That was the last we’ll see of them this year for sure.”
“And we will be ready for them if they dare show their faces here next year. I want all of you to make sure you keep a watchful eye over Kenzie, too. She’s part of the clan now, and it’s our job to protect her. And Kenzie, if you see anything at all that makes you uneasy, let us know. Even if it seems silly. We are here to defend you.”
Kenzie nodded, and finally let herself relax. Worrying about attacks from bear shifters was new territory for her, but she had confidence that she was safe under the watchful eye of Ryker and his clan. She never considered backing away from her commitment to Ryker. For better or worse, she was his now, and he was hers. And, besides, she had a feeling that things would only get better from here.
The Northern Lights Bears were confident that the Blizzards would leave them alone, now. And soon, the long, dark winter would be over.
Chapter Thirteen
The life mate ceremony was set for the first day the light returned. Although the daylight was short on that day, seeing the sun again brought a sense of renewed hope to the Northern Lights Clan, and to Kenzie.
Ryker and Kenzie chose to hold the ceremony outdoors, right near Ryker’s cabin. Ryker wore his best pair of jeans and a hunter green corduroy button-down shirt. Kenzie wore a beautiful white dress and held a bouquet of pale yellow roses. She had white fur boots and a matching white fur
Kenzie wriggled out from under the bed, and looked around at the clan members. They had clearly been banged up and bruised quite a bit. They all had matted hair and blood streaks here and there across their bodies. But none of them seemed to have any deep wounds or broken bones. They were all in much better shape than Ryker had been in when Kenzie found him after that first attack.
“Blizzards?” Kenzie asked. Her voice shook when she spoke, even though she was trying to sound brave.
Ryker nodded, and pulled Kenzie into his arms. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I would have never forgiven myself if anything happened to you.”
Neal was rubbing the back of his neck, his expression weary. “Well, that’s the last we’ll see of them for a little while, anyways.”
“How do you know?” Tyler asked.
“Did you notice one of the bears they sent out today was Scott, their top fighter? The one with the distinctive scars across his face? They’ll be reeling from the loss of him. And I don’t think they were expecting our whole clan to be in here today, since they only sent ten of their bears. They thought they were catching Ryker alone, and could take him out.”
Kenzie felt Ryker shudder. “I wouldn’t have been too thrilled to take down ten bears alone,” he said.
“You would have managed,” Neal said. “Did you notice how sloppy they were fighting? They were too desperate. Their alpha must have been angry about the bears he lost on the first attack, and blindly sent them off without a good plan. Hopefully, losing ten more of their bears scared them off. And with summer coming, they’ll be heading as far north as they possibly can. If they dare show their faces around here next year, we’ll be sure to be well prepared to remind them why messing with us is a bad idea.”
“Why are they going north for summer?” Kenzie asked. She was still shaking, but her voice had steadied out a little bit.
“Blizzards are incredibly sensitive to heat.” Eric explained. “They tend to overheat easily, even in the mild summers of Alaska. When the light starts returning, signaling that summer is coming, they head as forth north as the sea ice will let them, seeking the coldest possible temperatures.”
“Don’t worry,” Ryker said, smoothing Kenzie’s hair back against her face. “They won’t have time to regroup for another attack before the light returns. That was the last we’ll see of them this year for sure.”
“And we will be ready for them if they dare show their faces here next year. I want all of you to make sure you keep a watchful eye over Kenzie, too. She’s part of the clan now, and it’s our job to protect her. And Kenzie, if you see anything at all that makes you uneasy, let us know. Even if it seems silly. We are here to defend you.”
Kenzie nodded, and finally let herself relax. Worrying about attacks from bear shifters was new territory for her, but she had confidence that she was safe under the watchful eye of Ryker and his clan. She never considered backing away from her commitment to Ryker. For better or worse, she was his now, and he was hers. And, besides, she had a feeling that things would only get better from here.
The Northern Lights Bears were confident that the Blizzards would leave them alone, now. And soon, the long, dark winter would be over.
Chapter Thirteen
The life mate ceremony was set for the first day the light returned. Although the daylight was short on that day, seeing the sun again brought a sense of renewed hope to the Northern Lights Clan, and to Kenzie.
Ryker and Kenzie chose to hold the ceremony outdoors, right near Ryker’s cabin. Ryker wore his best pair of jeans and a hunter green corduroy button-down shirt. Kenzie wore a beautiful white dress and held a bouquet of pale yellow roses. She had white fur boots and a matching white fur
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