I let out a yelp as he collected me up in his arms and carried me towards the tent.
“World’s fastest beer, coming right up.”
Chapter 24
Kieran
Winners are grinners, right? I was grinning right now. Winning a silly race wasn’t enough to have me smiling. Well, not since high school, but right now? I felt like I’d won the one hundred metre sprint on sports day, with the whole school looking on, but no school boy medal could compete with her.
“I think this is the first time I’ve ever won a trophy.” Harper seemed completely transfixed by the gaudy thing. She shot me a sidelong look. “We won.”
“You won.” I nudged her with my hip, right as the dads reappeared with beers in hand. “If you hadn’t let me know Cole was on my arse?—”
“You would’ve won anyway?” Her eyebrow slowly curved upwards. “The bear had it covered. Those wild instincts would’ve kicked in, let you know someone was on your tail.”
“The bear was moving at top speed to impress you.” My arm went around her waist, tugging her closer. “The whole concept of a race makes no sense to him whatsoever. Running aroundan oval when there’s no prey in sight?” I shook my head. “Not worth the calories it burns. But you…”
I slowly drew her closer because the bear and I were in complete agreement. We would win all the trophies, if that’s what it took to keep Harper happy. My hand went out to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear and her smile faded, something quiet and real replacing it.
“He’s already racking my brain, trying to work out how to get more gold things for you so we can lay them at your feet.”
It was just a joke, so why did she suck in a breath, frown slightly, the expression there and gone again? A blink, then another, her lips parted, ready to explain, when my dad had to come and bust up the conversation.
“Beer.” Dad thrust a bottle between my fingers. “And for the lady.”
“Um… thanks, Jim,” she said.
“Fred,” Dad corrected, “but now you’re a part of the family…” I shot him a frantic look, praying to all the bear gods that he would shut the hell up. “You can just call me Dad.”
“Da…?”
When Harper took a hasty gulp of her beer, I knew what was happening. The bear flexed inside me, forcing me to stand taller. I loved my fathers, the bond unbreakable, but I’d force it to flex, stress, even break, if that’s what it took to win Harper.
“Might be a bit early for that, Dad,” I said, trying to keep my tone light. Not that it mattered, because the rest of my fathers came to join us, with several other bear shifters in tow.
“Harper!” Jim walked over and then clinked his beer bottle with hers. “Well done, winning the race.”
“But I didn’t?—”
“Have you met Dane and Aspen?”
Dad shoved the guys forward, all my fathers’ eyes on the two other bear shifters, watching their every response.
And ignoring mine.
My jaw clenched tightly, my fangs sprouting from my gums, as an unfamiliar feeling rode me. Dane was OK. We were in the same year at school. Not friends, but he was definitely a stand up guy, but Aspen? Ass-Pen was the nickname we’d given him when younger, and damn me if he wasn’t wearing the same cocky fuckboy look.
“Harper, was it?” the dick asked, reaching for her hand.
That had a growl rattling in my chest. My dads, Dane, everyone else fell away as I stepped forward, putting myself in between him and Harper. He did not get to look her up and down, tracing her curves with his eyes. The bear proposed bloody mayhem, no, murder, in more and more violent detail until…
A small hand landed on my back, rubbing small circles there, and that helped dispel the red haze in my head. I sucked in a breath, then let it out slowly. That had the bear slowly backing down, helping me regain my cool.
“I don’t think now is the time to introduce Harper to other bear shifters.” Everyone moved aside as Mum stepped forward. “Lovely to see you, boys, but I think this is a family only celebration.”
“Nice to meet you, Harper,” Ass-Pen said with a nod and a sly grin, only beating a hasty retreat when I bared my fangs at him.
“Calm down, Bear Boy.” That voice, that amused tone, had me turning around, only to see Harper standing there, a hand on her hip. “I mean, if you wanna get all furry again, I won’t complain.” She looked pointedly at my arms where the blond fur was pushing through. “Those little ears…” Her hands made a grabby motion. “I could scratch them for hours.”
