A Mate For The Bear: BBW Paranormal Alpha Shifter Romance (Bear Brides Book 4) by Natalie Kristen

sum of money. It's only fair they make him pay,”
Dalton deadpanned.
    Brad clucked his tongue.
“The sorry bastard will be wishing you'd thrown him to the
wolves instead. Those leopards are...” He gave an exaggerated
shudder.
    “Sharks” Tony
finished for him.
    “Yeah. The Stormland
leopards always collect their debt. Those rumors...aren't rumors.
If a debtor can't pay, they simply slice him open and sell his
organs. They sell everything, every bit, every drop. In some cases,
they even make a tidy profit and collect more than the debt amount.”
Brad said, shaking his head. “They're loan sharks and they're
the best and the most brutal in the business.”
    Dalton nodded. “The
Stormland leopards are like pirates, with honor. They carry out
their loansharking business openly, and they let you know their terms
upfront. They'll come after you, and you alone, for your debt. They
won't go after your family, your loved ones, your pack or clan for
your debt. Just you.”
    “Just for the Stormland
pack, we'll waive our delivery fee,” Tony said.
    “It's always good to
have more allies than enemies, little brother,” Dalton said
approvingly.
    Tony punched his arm. “My
big brother, smart as hell. I'd have just killed the piece of shit
outright. You protected your mate, and the clan as well. Well
played, Beta. Well played.”

CHAPTER
FOURTEEN

    “Perfect! That looks
great!” Joyce clapped as Cole and Brad put up the banner.
    Abby and Terri stopped
blowing up the balloons for a moment to admire the lively banner. “I
love those colorful squiggly lines at the sides. Very artistic!”
Terri declared.
    Joyce laughed. “Oh,
those were made by Daren and Rita. Those two are great at hand
painting!”
    “And face painting,”
Abby said. “You should have seen their faces after they were
done. I don't know how Lisha managed to scrub all that paint off
them.”
    Joyce turned when Connor gave
a shout, “Catch them! They're going to fall off!”
    Connor and Curtis were
carrying a long table between them, and Brad's twin cubs were
gleefully sliding from one end of the table to the other.
    Quick as lightning, Jason
leaped over balloons and streamers to scoop the two rascals up in his
arms.
    “Gotcha!”
    Bruno went to help Connor and
Curtis set up the buffet table as Jason entertained the kids and kept
them out of everyone's way. Most of the clan members were here
early, helping Joyce get everything ready for the party. The
grandmother bears were having a cook-off in the kitchen, whipping up
all sorts of amazing, impressive dishes.
    Joyce waddled into the
kitchen and headed straight for the stove, but Lisha and Amanda,
Curtis and Connor's great-grandmother, shooed her out. “Oh no
you don't. No tiring yourself out. You just sit down and rest.”
    “Go put your feet up,
dear,” Amanda ordered.
    “Your ankles are
swollen.”
    “My fat feet don't
bother me. I'm used to them.” Joyce rolled her eyes and
huffed, “I'm pregnant, not crippled.”
    “Get your rest now,
while you can. You'll be running after your cub soon enough,”
Lisha advised.
    Abby and Terri finished
blowing up all the balloons and came to join the women in the
kitchen.
    “Smells wonderful,”
Terri sniffed the air longingly. “My stomach's rumbling
already.”
    “Where's the cake?”
Abby asked.
    “In the fridge. Joyce
baked it herself, and it's beautiful,” Amanda said, turning
back to the oven with a grin. “I can't wait to have a slice.
I love cake!”
    Joyce's grin turned into a
grimace as the baby did another somersault in her belly. “The
little rascal thinks my belly is his personal gym! He's been kicking
and punching and rolling non-stop. He won't keep still, not even for
a minute. He's just so active!” she groaned, clutching her
belly which was wobbling and jiggling as the baby stretched and did a
few more kicks and punches.
    “Bear cubs are like
that,” Amanda told her. “When they were cubs, Connor and
Curtis were just