Hidden, Clan of the Werebear by Madison Johns Page A

vote, and the majority ruled.”
    Elaina and Cullen made their way back to the village and there was a near panic. She saw that the chains had been broken and Shauna was nowhere to be found. There was a bustle of activity as the huts were searched. Cullen jumped right into the fray and barked out orders. Elaina jumped as doors were thrown open and contents clattered to the ground. The old one stood there with her chin tilted up, observing the search with wise eyes. “Did she leave the village?” Elaina asked, not knowing what else to say.
    “Did you let her go?” the old one asked suspiciously.
    “No, I was talking to Cullen after the meeting.”
    Cullen strode out of a hut and shouted, “I want half of you searching here and the other half searching the woods. She can’t have gotten far.”
    Elaina stood there, astonished. She hoped that they knew Shauna was a werebear and had most likely shifted by now. It seemed fairly certain that they wouldn’t find her. “She’s probably long gone by now,” Elaina said.
    “Still,” Cullen said. “Damon will stay here while I lead the search party.”
    Damon grumbled. “No, I want to go.”
    “Brother, you’re not even close to being able to leave just yet. Shauna injured you quite badly. Rest, so that you can regain you strength.”
    Damon protested, but stood in the center of the village with Klesa’s hands pressed against his chest to prevent him trying to join his brother.
    In a matter of ten minutes, Cullen and four of the strongest women sprinted out of the village, shifting into that of their bear forms. Two of them were that of polar bears and Elaina only then realized that they were the same women that she’d seen with the cubs. She recalled that Cullen planned to send them away when the clan came to the village, but it sure made sense to have bears of that strength around.
    “It’ll be okay,” Damon assured Elaina. “Cullen will find Shauna.”
    Elaina stared at Damon and asked, “And what if she’s not found.”
    Klesa squared her shoulders. “She has to be found, or—”
    “Or what?” Elaina asked.
    “It’s just that she knows where we are. And what if she goes to the clan?”
    “Would she do that?”
    “She might if she wanted to hurt the village.”
    “And since she believes you’re a threat, Elaina, who knows what Shauna might do.”
    “Why should I be concerned? What would the clan want with me?”
    “I’m not sure, since I don’t know anything about you, but you being here might send up a red flag for all of us.”
    Elaina frowned. Why would the clan be concerned about her? Was Samson right all along that the clan was indeed searching for her? But why? Those are the same questions that she had always asked herself, with no real answer in sight.
    Damon put an arm around Elaina. “Don’t worry. We won’t let anything happen to you, not since you’re now part of the village.”
    Elaina snapped her neck in Damon’s direction since she was so intent on what Klesa had to say. “But ... I’m not staying. I’m only here until the fever passes.”
    “Another reason it’s best if the clan doesn’t find you here,” Klesa said. “They might take you for themselves.”
    Damon took ahold of Elaina’s arm. “I won’t allow that. We’ll hide her when they come as we will you, Klesa, and the cubs.”
    “I won’t allow you to send us away,” Klesa said. “I refuse to live in some cave somewhere, all alone. Those boys are a handful already. How do you expect me to keep them contained?”
    “They’ll have to be,” Damon said. “It’s your responsibility as their mother to keep them safe.”
    Klesa poked her finger in Damon’s chest. “I don’t need you to remind me what my role as their mother is. I’ve given both you and Cullen a son. The least you can do is not banish us to the wilderness. How do you expect me to survive without the protection of the village? I’m a human, not a werebear like you.”
    “It won’t be