Benjamin Read online

  Contents

  Black Bears of Independence: Benjamin

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  A note from KR Hall

  Karen’s books

  Coming Soon

  Black Bears of Independence: Benjamin

  By K R Hall

  First and foremost, I would like to thank my husband, Tom, for standing beside me throughout my writing of this book. He has been my rock, and I dedicate this book to him. I also thank my beautiful mother, Sandy; to my children Tommy, Tracie, and Justin for their encouragement. I also thank my editor, Karmin, and my beta readers, Carmen, Molly, and Zhalia.

  With great thanks, this book is also dedicated to my friends that keep encouraging me! You all are special to me.

  A special shout goes out to Donna Antonio and Dawn Howarth Bridge for their winning suggestion for Benjamin’s secret power.

  Last but not least, I’d like to thank all of you readers. Thank you for taking the chance on my writing!

  If You Believe in Yourself,

  Anything Is Possible

  Copyright 2019 by KR Hall

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, whatsoever without written permission from the author— except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in the review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the web.

  This story is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events; to real people, living or dead; or in real locales are intended only to give the novel a sense of reality and authenticity. Names, places, characters, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  ISBN: 9781976826115

  An Important Note

  This book is sold through Amazon.

  If you are reading this e-book on any website other than Amazon, then it has been pirated.

  Piracy may seem like it isn’t a big deal when you’re pinching pennies for your budget— trust me, we all are— but every pirated copy steals money from authors. This is especially harmful to indie authors like me and others who use the Amazon Kindle platform.

  Books cost a lot of money to produce. Cover designers, editors, and advertising are all expensive. Most indie authors go into debt to produce their books, and if we don’t make the money back, we will be unable to produce more. That being said; none of my e-books will ever exceed the price of a latte.

  If you are having trouble feeding your reading habit due to cost, I highly recommend checking out Kindle Unlimited, where you can read as many books as you want per month for less than the price of a single meal. If you are still having trouble affording books, I implore you to check into other ways to get free books that do not include stealing money out of the author’s pockets.

  This note won’t apply to the vast majority of you— and for that, I’m grateful— but with the growing piracy problem surrounding e-books, it must be said.

  Thank you all for being so supportive!

  K R Hall

  Zeus fell in love with a mortal woman named Callisto, who was a far-traveler and a huntress. His wife, Hera, became jealous and changed Callisto into a large bear. When Callisto failed to return after a long journey, her son Arcas set out to find her, and, in a forest one day, met a huge bear. To his horror, the bear ran toward him. Not perceiving it was his mother, Arcas fitted an arrow to his bow and was about to slay the bear when Zeus, to avert the impending tragedy, changed Arcas into a smaller bear. Zeus could not undo Hera's spell. Then Zeus grabbed both bears by the tails, swung them around (thus stretching their tails out), and hurled them into the sky where they would be safe and immortal. However, Hera had the last word, moving them to the portion of the sky that never sets, so that until the end of the world, Callisto and Arcas must endure weariness without rest.

  Prologue

  Sabrina’s father, Conrad, was alpha of the Bryant bear clan in Gould, Colorado. Her mother, Henrietta, gave birth to three children— her older brother Garrett, Sabrina, and her younger brother, Warren. Garrett was raised to be the new alpha when their father retired. Warren was groomed to be the beta.

  Sabrina felt that her father had no use for a female child. Where had she gone wrong? Was it her weight? Her hair? Her wardrobe? She didn’t want to be showered with gifts; she’d settle for a few hugs, any signs of affection from her father. She always forgave her father because she really did love him, but his words and his anger cut so deeply she couldn’t change the image of him.

  There was nothing physical about the abuse, but Sabrina was shattered nonetheless. Her father destroyed her with his words, finding every perceived fault. Every facet of her personality was disintegrated and shunned. She was less than nothing. Every look that came her way was laced with contempt and annoyance.

  Sabrina tried so hard to get her father to love her as much as he loved her brothers. She shoved her perceived problems and flaws deep into her pockets, just to be enough, in hopes that he would love her. But that was only a fantasy. Her father looked down on everything she was good at doing. She could see the blame in his eyes, the disgust multiplying at her failures, anything but facing the real reason for his pain.

  Sabrina remembered the 1998 Olympics incident.

  She was ten years old and sitting on the floor in front of the TV while the rest of the family sat on the furniture. The gymnastics had just completed, and they went to a commercial break.

  “Why can’t you be more like them?” her father, Conrad, asked.

  She turned to look at him and sat there dumbfounded. She wasn’t very good at balancing. She couldn’t even do a straight somersault. Hurt washed over her in waves as tears welled in her eyes.

  “Conrad, these children have been practicing since they were toddlers,” her mother, Henrietta, said. “You are not fair to your daughter.”

  Sabrina looked at her mom and gave her a watery smile as she got up and headed to her bedroom, where she stayed until dinner.

  It was around that time that Sabrina was unable to shift into her bear form again. She could feel her bear in the back of her mind, but her bear wouldn’t speak to her anymore. She tried everything to coax her bear to communicate with her and to shift to no avail. To this day, Sabrina does not remember why.

  The sad part was that her parents never explained about true mates. If they had, then maybe she would have been spared the suffering she endured through her two attempts at relationships. If she knew that her mate would love her unconditionally, she would wait for him. Instead, she ended up in two horrible relationships that scarred her for life.

  In high school, Mitchell was the first to take the love she had to give him. In return, he showed only the most superficial of understanding. She was sixteen and so eager for affection and to be loved for who she was. He dominated Sabrina, hurt her— both mentally and physically. All she ever wanted was to be loved. He took her self-esteem and burned it to ashes. He was a bully, instilling fear and guilt, confusing her, clouding her thinking. Even though he manipulated her, she still poure
d love into their relationship, always wishing she could do more. It took her friends time to show Sabrina that Mitchell was not capable of real love.

  A few years after graduating from high school, Sabrina moved in with Scott. She was sure that by age twenty, she would be better at picking out a suitable man. With careless ease, Scott crushed every ounce of self-worth she gleaned. She could see how delighted he was to deal his blows. He didn’t choose Sabrina to love and cherish, but to whip and destroy— for power and malice. Scott often shouted that the only reason he had wanted her was that she was the alpha’s daughter. Her mom always said there was love out there for everyone. She had assumed that moving in with Scott was the answer to her prayers. How wrong she was. Licking her wounds, she moved back into her parents’ house.

  ●●●

  Benjamin remembered that fateful day when he was a small child and lost his mom.

  His mother, Charlotte, was leading them home after a fun day of playing and fishing in their bear forms. Benjamin was the youngest and most apt to be the one to get into trouble. This time, the problem was more than they expected.

  It was the 1800s and a couple of indigenous war parties of around fifty had entered Beaver Meadows. He and his family had stumbled directly into it. During the chaos of fighting and flying arrows, he had been injured. As his mother rushed to his side, an arrow to the heart killed her instantly.

  Shifters have incredible healing powers, but not even they can survive a wound to the heart. Connie, his older sister, and Corbin ran to where their mother and he were lying on the ground.

  Patrick, their father and alpha, along with his enforcers, found them after they failed to return for dinner.

  Thank the goddess for Benjamin’s healing abilities as they kept him alive. His being able to shift allowed him to heal more quickly. Unfortunately, the broken bone in his leg wasn’t correctly set so, when he changed, the bone did not heal properly. He was left with a slight limp for the rest of his life.

  His sister, Connie, married her mate, Richard, and had a beautiful set of twins, Thomas and Ruby. Unfortunately, fate wouldn’t allow her to see them grow up. Two years later, tragedy struck when Connie was found murdered. She was leaving work when someone slit her throat from behind and stole her car. Her killer was never caught.

  Benjamin grew up knowing that he would never be alpha. In the ancient ways of the bear clans, an alpha could have no weakness. Benjamin’s limp from his improperly healed broken leg made him appear weak, subsequently making him unable to be the alpha.

  When it was time for Corbin to take over as alpha, things didn’t go as everyone thought they would. He hadn’t agreed with the direction his father wanted to take the clan. Corbin wanted to bring technology to them for safety and growth. His father wanted to stay in the past. He gave up his right as alpha to the Hurst family clan, passing it to Benjamin. Corbin, his friends, and some clan members who agreed with his vision moved from Estes Park to Independence, Colorado.

  The day he took over as alpha of the Hurst family clan, there wasn’t anything he wanted less. Their father went back to his bedroom, laid on the bed, and passed away in his sleep, finally joining his wife. Patrick had waited a long time to join his beloved mate in the afterlife. After Patrick’s funeral, Corbin and his friends left to finish the work on the Independence Dude Ranch, leaving Benjamin alone for the first time in his life.

  Shifters stopped aging in their thirties until they were mated. Once they were mated, their aging started back up again. Both the shifter and their mate would then slowly grow old together. Some shifters waited hundreds of years to find their mate. Some poor, unfortunate shifters never found their mates and died lonely. A thousand years was a long time to be lonely.

  When Benjamin was one hundred and twenty-two, he was contacted by Conrad Bryant, alpha of the Bryant bear clan in Gould. Conrad was looking for political alliances for his clan and offered his daughter Sabrina to seal the deal. Benjamin was beyond angry that he would use his daughter in such a way, but he agreed to meet with him to discuss an alliance.

  Your mate wasn’t someone you chose; the mate bond picked you. It was like a lightning strike. Your mate couldn’t be unsuitable, no matter their outward appearance. Your souls knew each other at first sight. Benjamin quickly realized that Sabrina was his mate when she walked into the room.

  ●●●

  A few weeks after Sabrina’s twentieth birthday, her father called her into his office and introduced her to Benjamin Hurst. Sabrina walked into the room like the floor would give out under her tiny body. Every step was so light that she made no sound at all. She was so afraid, yet she still came, walking softly forward. She’d been terrified that day; unaware she’d be mated to him twenty-four hours later. Her entire life, men like her father, Scott, and Mitchell— none of them ever wanted her.

  “You can’t force me to marry someone I don’t even know,” Sabrina growled.

  “That’s not how we rule. We are not humans. We are not a democracy. The alpha’s word is law.”

  Disbelief and sorrow crossed her face as she began to understand her options. She couldn’t run away; her father was sure to catch her. Her only opportunity to get away from her father was to agree to the political mating between her and Benjamin. Sabrina bit on her lower lip and her eyes turned glossy with tears. She tried to blink them away, and when she realized that she couldn’t, she pulled up the hood of her jacket and stared at the ground.

  She hid her tears, and with it, all the pain she’d been through. When she looked at her father again, she turned into a different person. She managed to fake a smile that buried her pain deep inside her heart. But her eyes remained cold, like nothing in this world could melt them.

  Sabrina watched Benjamin move; there was something of the warrior in him combined with a gentleness that made her heart reach out. He paced across the room in even strides, his feet gently pounding on the floor. He was the most gorgeous man she had ever seen.

  Benjamin’s short-cropped hair was a light shade of brown, and his eyes were a pure sepia color, framed by smooth brows. His skin was tanned. His high cheekbones perfectly accentuated his face, and his full, pink lips were pressed firmly together in a flustered expression. Muscles rippled across every part of his body. His shoulders were broad and strained the sweater he wore. His eyes were now a golden honey hue and seemed to be screaming out his emotions.

  The problem was that Sabrina had no idea what his emotions were. She wasn’t used to anything other than the hurtful looks she had received. Benjamin’s eyes didn’t look angry or disgusted, leaving her confused.

  “This mating is for alliances only. There will be no formal mating ceremony. Just bite each other on the neck for everyone to see that you are mated,” Conrad said coldly.

  In under twenty-four hours, Sabrina and Benjamin were mated and heading back to Estes Park.

  Chapter 1

  The beginning.

  When the quick mating ceremony had been completed, Benjamin helped Sabrina pack her belongings and load them into the back of his truck. The three-hour drive was filled with so much tension, you could cut it with a knife.

  Is he really to be my husband? This stranger who is so kind— yes, kind. That is the alpha thing, thought Sabrina.

  “Benjamin?” she asked, hesitating. Her voice trembled and she again nearly cried, but recovered and went on quietly, “I’m sorry that my father forced you into mating with me.”

  “It’s fine,” he replied.

  “You don’t have to, I mean, not if you don’t want to,” Sabrina stumbled over her words, “you know, have sex with me, if you don’t want to. I will keep your clan believing that I am a true alpha’s mate.”

  “You know, I can feel the fear that you carry around through the mating bond, and I wish I could do something to help you let go of it. Because if you could, I don’t think you’d feel so alone anymore,” Benjamin said. “I only have to catch a glimpse of your eyes to see the wounded, scared child within
. That isn’t normal. And it certainly isn’t okay.”

  “It’s going to take me some time to trust a man ever again after the problems I had with Mitchell and Scott,” she said.

  “I hope not too long,” he said.

  “Oh, present company excluded. I am very grateful for what you have done for me.” She reached out and touched his cheek, stroking it briefly before pulling her hand away. “But Scott, Mitchell, and my father have hurt my confidence in myself. How can a person fool another person into thinking they are in love?”

  “You would be surprised.” Benjamin sighed. “Now it’s my turn to give some advice.”

  “Okay, am I going to want to hear it?”

  “Whether you want to hear it or not, I’m going to give it.”

  She sat up straight. “I’m ready. Don’t hold back.”

  “Don’t let any of them ruin your chance at happiness and having the family you want.”

  He reached out and held her hand close to him. He thought she might fight him, but she didn’t.

  “You will get over this. You will find love again.” Then he took a risk. “Sometimes, you got to get through your fear to see the beauty on the other side.”

  “Thank you.” She leaned her head on his shoulder. “You walked into my life at the right time.”

  He opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish, unsure how to phrase the next words he wanted to say. “You know all about fated mates?”

  “My friend Freddie told me that a mate was the other half of your soul. The first part of the mating is when the bear chooses his mate and forms a bond. This bond enables the couple to sense each other’s emotions and locations. Their desires for each other grow stronger.

  “Next, the shifter bites his mate on the soft spot between the shoulder and neck during sexual climax. There is no condom used as skin on skin allows the mating bond to slam into place. The bite is deep enough to draw blood and leaves a faint scar that will show other shifters that they are mated and claimed.