Scottish Werebear: A Second Chance: A BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Scottish Werebears Book 6) (3 page)

"Berlin. The Amsterdam group have not yet reached their safe house, but we can speak on their behalf."

"Glasgow."

James' ears perked up hearing his sister's voice. Irene had made it.

"Very good," Henry said. "Let's begin."

Neither James nor the others in his group spoke much throughout the conference call, leaving Henry to do the talking. It was easier that way. They were all on the same page anyway.

They spoke of the human reporters' reactions. Shock, awe, fear. Though apparently in Amsterdam, one of the reporters turned out to be one of their own, who despite not having any previous interactions with the New Alliance had spontaneously decided to join in and shift himself.

They spoke of what to do next. How to demonstrate that they posed no threat to humans. How to educate them.

Kyle, of course, had already prepared the next steps to their internet campaign. An educational website that collected the history as well as important facts about the shifter world. He had even created a mobile game to get the younger generation interested.

All in all, the mood was positive. It seemed that James was the only one with questions. He decided to keep them to himself for now. He didn't want to dampen anyone's spirits.

So as the conference went on, he once again focused on the TV.

The coverage was getting repetitive; the same images kept scrolling past again and again. Until suddenly, the studio came into view.

James wished that the conference was already over, so he could increase the volume to hear what the news anchor was saying. The way she spoke, she was trying to remain professional, but her body language indicated she felt under threat somehow. Then the camera panned do the right and showed the last person in the world James expected to see on TV today.

"Guys. Turn up the TV," James stammered.

Henry shot him a disapproving look. "I'm sorry for my team member here. You were saying, Eric?"

"No, please just trust me on this. See!" James interrupted and pointed at the TV.

Everyone turned their head, and even Henry fell silent for a moment. He grabbed for the remote and increased the volume.

"I'm afraid we'll have to cut this discussion short," Henry said. "Switch on the BBC. You will all want to see this." He pressed the large button on the conference phone and cut off the discussion before anyone else had the chance to react.

"So, Mr. Blacke," the reporter said. "Please state your affiliation to these..."

"Shifters." Adrian Blacke stared into the camera grimly and folded his hands. "I am Adrian Blacke, leader of the shifter world."

"Well, I'll be..." Aidan blurted out.

"What the hell does he think he's doing?" Heidi complained.

"So does this mean you are one of..." The reporter's voice trailed off.

"Yes, I am a shifter. I'll spare you the theatrics. We have seen too much of that tonight already," Blacke responded.

"And you are a part of the New Alliance?"

Henry scoffed at the question.

"No," Blacke almost barked his response. "This so-called
New
Alliance is nothing but a group of troublemakers. I speak for the Alliance. The
real
Alliance. The one that has been around for generations."

"Troublemakers, sir?"

"That's right. They have gone against my orders simply for shock value, they..."

"Shit. This is bad," Gail said.

The group nodded.

"So you were not in favor of tonight's reveal?" The reporter asked, while nervously shuffling around her papers.

"Not at all. Of course, we wish to peacefully coexist with humankind as we have done for many years now. You have nothing to fear. But this was not the way to do it."

"Oh, bullshit!" Aidan growled.

Behind them, the door swung open with a loud creak.

"Late to the party, I see. What did I miss?" Jamie spoke as he marched inside the room.

Nobody said a word, and James just pointed at the TV.

"What the hell is
he
doing on TV?" Jamie wondered aloud, as he pulled up a chair.

"What indeed," Henry said.

"If not like this, how would you have done it?" the reporter asked.

"Well. Firstly, I don't think the timing was right at all. There is enough going on in the world already without adding all this into the mix. There's the conflicts in the Middle East, famines in Africa..."

"What does he know about what's going on in the world? I can bet someone told him to mention these things," James snapped. In all the years he'd worked at Blacke's office, he hadn't known the man to give a hoot about current affairs of the human world. All he cared about was his own position. His power.

The reporter nodded. "But now that everything is out in the open. What if any next steps have you got in mind?"

Adrian Blacke looked up and stared directly into the camera. James felt like he was looking directly at him. "I'll have to manage the hand I have been dealt. Tomorrow I'll travel to Westminster to meet with your government officials. This is a serious matter, and a lot depends on how we manage the transition. In fact, I have already put certain projects in place to help put minds at ease. We are out in the open now. It is in everyone's best interest to ensure that both sides know exactly where they stand."

What projects? He can't possibly be talking about the tracker scheme? James felt his chest tighten with anger. He knew his old boss too well to ignore his words now. If Blacke made a place for himself in London, their efforts in creating the New Alliance and orchestrating tonight's announcement were as good as wasted.

"We can't let this happen." Henry stood up and looked around the room.

James glanced up at him, his expression equally resolute.

"No, we cannot."

"We need to get there before him," Henry said.

"We've been one step ahead of him since we organized ourselves," Gail said. "Let's not start lagging behind now."

"Call Eric. We have much to discuss." Henry gestured at Kyle to get the conference going again.

James got up and went straight for the door. He needed air, more than anything. He needed air, and he needed to think.

Henry would talk to Eric. That was probably wise. Rather than having everyone step into the limelight, it was best if the New Alliance put forth their own leader to take on Blacke in the capital. If those politicians had any sense, they'd see who the better partner would be.

Meanwhile, James had to think about what Blacke was most likely going to do next. He was the one out of the group who knew him the best. He was also probably the one Blacke had felt most betrayed by.

James left the house and broke into a jog. It had started to drizzle while they sat inside. It was pitch black outside. No street lights, no other houses anywhere around. James could see just fine, though. One of the advantages of being a bear.

He made his way into a nearby patch of trees and took a deep breath. He had shifted once tonight already, so he didn't feel much of an urge to do it again. But just the moist, cold air was enough to clear his head.

Blacke only cared about himself. About securing his position and power. So that's what he was likely planning to do in London. He was going to try to make some friends in high places. He now wanted to be known not just as the leader of the Alliance, but the leader of the entire shifter world.

If that meant he had to hand over access to the shifter database he had been trying to build, then so be it.

He would push through his agenda on those infernal tracking devices, as well as the purity nonsense that had sparked the formation of the New Alliance. He would play on people's fears to legitimize his ideas on mixed families.

In the end, Blacke would push for a segregated shifter society, with him at the very top.

With this realization, James took another deep breath and rushed back to the house. If Henry hadn't already figured it out, he had to share his suspicions about what Blacke was planning to do.

The morning after the grand reveal, Charlie reached work at eight sharp. The office was already buzzing with activity, and although everyone looked excited, some of her colleagues did seem a bit worse for wear. It was obvious a lot of them had never gone home the previous day.

"I want to know everything, people!" her boss, a rotund grey-haired man named Harry Penderton shouted. "I don't care what you were working on yesterday; today is a brand new day. We need to know where these people came from, how they've been living in hiding for so many years without anyone noticing. We need backgrounds, research, expert commentary. Get to work. There will be no rest for anyone until we have the answers!"

Charlie couldn't suppress a smile as she approached the man. "Sir, I had an idea for a feature,"

"What? Oh, it's you, Charlotte." He adjusted his glasses and looked at her impatiently. "Well, what is it? We haven't got all day."

Just the way he spoke to her had put her off again. Nobody called her Charlotte anymore; not even her folks.

No. She wasn't going to show her hand just yet. "Well. There seems to be some conflict within their ranks. That man, Adrian Blacke said he represented the 'real' Alliance. And that the New Alliance were just troublemakers. It would be interesting to research that angle, don't you think?" Charlie suggested.

Penderton nodded. "Yes. Yes, indeed. Good thinking."

Charlie smiled again. Finally, he liked an idea of hers!

"Goodwin," Penderton called out across the busy office floor. A woman in her mid-thirties looked up from her laptop. "I want to know more about that guy, Adrian Blacke and his Alliance and how the New Alliance fits in."

Charlie's heart sank. He didn't honestly just take her idea and give it to Diane Goodwin?

"But..."

"Yes?" Penderton frowned at her. "We need an experienced journalist on this story. You'll understand."

"So what am I meant to be doing?" Charlie spoke wearily.

"Culture. Human interest. How do they live; what do they eat? You get the drift."

Charlie sighed. Typical. Everyone else was working on the most exciting stories ever, and she would once again be reduced to writing columns about recipes and other inconsequential stuff.

She knew better than to argue, though. Penderton ran a tight ship. He didn't tolerate subordination.

So she would do as she was told, and at the same time go off on her own to get him a story that showed her worth. In this business, you had to show initiative to get ahead.

The only thing she needed was for Ella to call with something tangible...

Charlie looked around the office; her colleagues were scrambling. Those who weren't hunched over their computers researching this brand new phenomena were on the phone, asking anyone and everyone of their usual informants for information about these shape shifters.

They didn't even seem to know where to start.

The moment Ella's contacts would come up with something, Charlie would be miles ahead of the rest of the office. It was hard not to feel a little smug, at least on the inside.

"Boss, I've got a tip," Diane, called out from across the office.

Oh crap, Charlie groaned on the inside. All her optimism had vanished in an instant.

Penderton joined her at her desk immediately. Charlie watched their discussion with bated breath. The story Diane was now working on had been
her
idea. How in the world had she already found something?

Their hushed voices made it impossible to overhear anything from Charlie's position, so she picked up her mug and approached the coffee maker in an effort to get closer. Of course, this meant she was forced to stand with her back toward them.

"Blacke, yes," Penderton mumbled.

"He will be..." Diane's voice went low again. "Perhaps I can intercept..."

"Good. Go ahead." Penderton said.

Charlie caught herself. She'd been standing here too long with her mug in hand already. Behind her, footsteps dispersed.

She turned and took a sip, before walking back to her desk. Penderton was long gone, while Diane was flitting around her cubicle, packing up her things. Damn. She must have found out something big for Penderton to let her out of the office at a time like this. If only Charlie knew where she was going.

Of course, she couldn't just ask. That would be way too obvious, and she wouldn't get a straight answer anyway.

Charlie sat down behind her desk and started on her own work instead, even if the speculations about Diane's discovery barely allowed her to focus. How did these shifters live? What did they eat? Did they even have their own separate culture, or had they integrated completely into human society?

Where to begin?

Charlie closed her eyes and was greeted with just one image. James.

She had known him so well before he left or so she thought. He seemed like any other teenager at the time. Okay, actually that wasn't quite accurate. But then again, Charlie hadn't been an ordinary teenager either.

Charlie's parents both worked, so they'd mostly hung out together at her place or gone out to the park. But she'd met his parents, briefly, and although they were the sort of people who kept to themselves and didn't socialize much with the rest of the neighborhood, they hadn't seemed too unusual either.