Free A Bear of a Reputation by Ivy Sinclair

often they kept coming back, even after the first time.”
    “Lukas had that way of making you believe that what you were doing was going to make a difference,” Marilee said with a shake of her head. “Luckily, I didn’t buy into that more than once before I was mated. But I saw how he could do it. He was meant to be a leader.”
    I hadn’t ever thought about it that way. I was beginning to think that if Lukas was serious about staking his alpha claim, maybe he’d succeed after all.
    “But like I said, it’s important that he chooses the right mate,” Marilee said. “I heard the council already has someone in mind.”
    “What?” I realized that my voice squeaked almost a full octave higher than it should have. “That seems pretty quick.”
    “Markus was supposed to take a mate this fall. Whether it’s the sheriff or Lukas that takes over, the council has already mandated their mate. The council isn’t going to let this kind of succession problem come up again,” Marilee said. Then she grimaced. I realized that it was because she realized that she had said too much.
    I wondered if Lukas knew that he already had a predetermined mate. I struggled to process this information. I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or cry. I was saved from that decision when I heard the sound of adolescent voices coming from the other room.
    Marilee jumped to her feet and rushed out of the room. I followed more slowly. As I entered the lobby, I saw Marilee had her arms wrapped around a boy who stood just a few inches shorter than her. He had a grimace on this face. Lukas stood off to the side, shaking his head. He pointed toward the doors. “Let’s all go outside and have a chat.”
    The other two boys looked terrified. Marilee looked at Lukas over her son’s shoulder. “Thank God. Where were they?”
    “The sheriff is probably still outside,” Lukas said. “I can tell you both at the same time.”
    I tried to catch his glance, but he was pushing the reluctant group of boys forward. I followed behind them. By the time I arrived outside in the parking lot, I saw that a small crowd had gathered. The three boys were wrapped in their mothers’ arms. The sheriff looked chagrined.
    Lukas strode to him. He cocked his thumb toward them. “They were in the bunker over off Baker Street.”
    “We checked there,” the sheriff said with a frown.
    “My guess is that your officer didn’t know there is a small access panel in the back corner that opens to a hidden pantry. It’s where I used to hide the liquor I stole from Ms. Parsons’s store.” Lukas shrugged with a small grin as he looked at the boys. “Times haven’t changed that much.”
    I heard the surprised gasps of the crowd, and then I saw Marilee grab Cody’s chin and turn his mouth up to her nose. “You’ve been drinking!”
    I hid a smile behind my hand. I knew that I shouldn’t be amused, but it was heartening to see that shifter kids weren’t any different than regular kids. They got in trouble for the same stupid things.
    “It’s not a big deal,” Cody said.
    Marilee grabbed his arm. “You’re grounded. Forever.” She looked at Lukas. “Thanks, Lukas.”
    Lukas nodded. “Happy to help.”
    The crowd around us began to disperse as the boys were dragged away, one by one, by their outraged mothers. The sheriff watched them. His expression was unreadable. “Finding a few kids is hardly a reason to make you alpha.” The only reason I heard the snide comment was because I had moved closer to Lukas.
    “The size of the problem doesn’t matter,” Lukas said. His voice held a note of a growl that told me he was just holding on to his temper. “People just need to know that they can trust me to take care of things. That’s what matters.”
    “I’ve been doing that for ten years,” Sheriff Monroe said. “You’re out of your league here. Why don’t you go back to your cushy city job and leave these matters to the experts?”
    “I’m not going