Silent Bear: Paranormal Holiday Shape Shifter Romance (North Pole Book 2) Read online

  Silent Bear

  (North Pole, Book 2)

  Ruby Shae

  Silent Bear

  (North Pole, Book 2)

  Copyright 2014 by Ruby Shae

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the author.

  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 is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $ 250,000.

  Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in, or encourage, the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  About This Book

  Tracey Johnson, an arctic fox shifter in Santa’s Village at the North Pole, is tired of waiting for her mate to notice her again after a drunken kiss almost a year ago. She might be thin, flat-chested and love pink a little too much, but she deserves a mate who will love her despite her flaws.

  Polar bear shifter Mark Halverson has been in love with Tracey since the moment he first laid eyes on her. After their shared kiss, pride kept him from claiming her the next day, but he couldn’t let her go. Through time and patience, he waits for her to realize their connection and give him another chance.

  When Tracey decides to ask Santa to help her get over the past and find another mate, Mark realizes he’s been silent for too long. With the big man’s help, he has three days to make amends and convince his tiny fox he can be the mate she deserves.

  Silent Bear

  (North Pole, Book 2)

  By Ruby Shae

  Chapter One

  Tracey Johnson pushed open the large wooden door of the enforcer’s lodge and slipped through the tiny opening she’d created. The barn-like interior had several changing rooms, similar to stalls with doors, and a few offices in the back.

  She didn’t see anyone, bear or human, so she walked toward the back of the building. One of the offices boomed with laughter as six men listened to another’s funny patrol story. Something to do with a bear waving at a helicopter.

  The enforcers were polar bear shifters who protected Santa’s Village. They ran patrols around the North Pole and kept visitors away from the nearly invisible entrance into their home. The months of November and December were usually heavy with traffic, but she’d heard rumors there had been little activity since Halloween. The irregular activity didn’t sit well with most of the men, so it was nice to hear them laugh at old stories.

  When the laughter died down, she rapped on the door with one manicured hand. Seven pairs of eyes in varying shades of blue turned to look at her. Every single man was tall, broad and beautiful. Their distinct features made them look like brothers, and each one could easily land a modeling contract. Unfortunately, only one man made her weak in the knees and he wasn’t in the group.

  “Hey guys,” she said casually. “Is Quinn back?”

  One of the men pointed to a stall with the door closed and they went back to talking amongst themselves. She understood their apprehension. Quinn had been in a bad mood for nearly ten years and he wouldn’t be happy to see her. She didn’t care. She didn’t want to see him either.

  She looked around one last time and climbed a stool to look over the stall. She knew he wouldn’t be naked, shifters remained fully clothed during both shifts, from human to animal and back, but she enjoyed teasing him. He was the one man she knew would never take her seriously, and she didn’t want him too.

  “There you are!” she said.

  He looked up, an annoyed expression on his face.

  “What are you doing in here? This building is for enforcers only,” he barked.

  The lodge was their headquarters, but anyone could visit at any time. The building wasn’t off limits to anyone.

  “Santa wants to see you. I volunteered to bring you the message.”

  “Message received, now get out of here.” He spat the words harsher than usual, and for some reason it pissed her off.

  “Quinn Miller, you are an arrogant—”

  “Hey, Tracey. Don’t waste your time on Quinn,” said another voice.

  Her smile grew when Mark, Quinn’s best friend, jumped on the first step of the stool and joined her in looking at his friend.

  “You should know by now that we call him Grumpy Bear for a reason,” Mark flashed a huge smile, and her pussy tingled at the thought of what his mouth could do to her.

  She did know about Quinn’s nickname. It was one of the reasons she’d chosen him to flirt with.

  Quinn glared at Mark, but his friend ignored him, unaffected by the grumpy man.

  The heat of Mark’s arm warmed hers and the smell of fresh fallen snow wafted toward her. He’d probably returned recently from a patrol, though you’d never know it. His perfect physique didn’t show an ounce of fatigue.

  Every shifter had platinum, almost white, blond hair, and at six feet, five inches tall, he towered over her five foot, five inch frame. His heavily muscled, broad chest easily expanded double the width of her, and though he had blue eyes like most of the bears, his were a deep sapphire blue.

  She wanted to drag him into one of the stalls and kiss him until he slid his hard cock deep inside her and took her against the wall. The thought of his big, hard body holding her up and fucking her made her pussy ache with need. She needed to change the subject.

  “Yeah, you’re right,” she said. “I guess that will never change. Santa wants to see you, Grumpy,” she said and then turned toward Mark. “Want to buy me a sugar cookie, handsome?”

  The temperature in the room seemed to rise ten degrees when she looked directly at him and her cheeks heated from her erotic thoughts. She’d only been this close to him one other time, and she mentally chastised herself for remembering their shared kiss from almost a year ago.

  She should’ve kept her mouth shut and walked away from him when she had the chance, but she seemed to enjoy torturing herself.

  “I’d love to, Sugar,” Mark said, and chuckled.

  He was making fun of her, and though she smiled on the outside, inside her heart ached. She should have known he would laugh at her again.

  Before their shared kiss, Mark had been friendly, complimentary and attentive. He seemed to share her attraction and when she confessed her feelings one night in a dimly lit bar hallway, he confirmed his desire with a heated kiss.

  The next day, she found out he’d been drunk and didn’t remember anything from the night before. She didn’t have the confidence to confess again, certain he’d only shared her feelings because of the alcohol, and he’d been distant and borderline condescending ever since.

  He didn’t flirt without laughing and when he saw her talking to another man, he quickly pointed out her flaws, causing the men to drift away.

  Hope that he would return to normal, and realize they were mates, had been the only thing she’d held onto over the past year.

  As Christmas approached again, her spirit felt broken and defeated. Deep down, she realized it might be time to move on.

  ***

  Mark Halverson led Trac
ey out of the enforcer’s lodge and across the street to her favorite cookie shop. In fairness, all the cookie shops in Santa’s Village were delicious, but Tracey preferred this one over the rest because of the bubble gum pink sprinkles. The shop used pink, her favorite color, instead of red for all of their baked Christmas treats.

  When they walked inside the shop, a group of their mutual friends waved at the two of them. The group occupied a round table in the window and their laughter could be heard across the room.

  “A candy cane cookie and a peppermint hot cocoa?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” she said and pulled some cash out of her pocket. “Here, this should cover it.”

  “No, I’ll take care of it,” he said and turned away from her to look in the case. “You go ahead and sit down. I’ll bring it over.”

  She slowly lowered her hand and shoved her money back in her pocket.

  “Okay…thanks.”

  She walked away and he placed their order. He hated the fact that she hesitated before she let him buy her anything. It hadn’t always been that way for them, and he missed the days before the kiss when she radiated confidence, and the smiles she gave him lit up her whole face.

  While he waited, Tracey and their friends were absorbed in a conversation and he took the opportunity to watch her with abandon.

  The group consisted of fox and wolf shifters, and humans. Even for a fox, Tracey was thin and tiny compared to everyone else. Her breasts were small and pert, and his dick started to harden when he thought about her tiny waist and her long, lean legs. While most men preferred big breasts, he wasn’t one of them. She didn’t have to wear a bra, and on the few occasions she didn’t, he’d grown instantly hard at the thought of all that bare skin under her top. She made him lose all control and her tiny frame was perfect for him.

  She was one of the few shifters who colored her hair, and she didn’t dye it traditional colors like brown, red or black. Hot pink highlights mixed in with her platinum blond, and the bright color matched her always manicured hot pink nails. The only make-up she wore was hot pink lipstick, but sometimes she added pink body glitter.

  After their kiss, he’d found some of the glitter on the inside of his jacket. He’d kept it there for months until it was clear her feelings had changed.

  He approached the table and pulled a chair between Tracey and another male, a wolf shifter. He glared at the other man until he scooted his chair over. He placed the cookie in front of her, along with a napkin.

  “Here you go, baby girl. One candy cane cookie with extra sprinkles,” he said.

  She wrinkled her brow and gave him a half-smile.

  “Thank you,” she said, and then turned toward the rest of the group and ignored him.

  Eventually, he said his goodbyes and went to get some dinner.

  A few minutes later, Quinn returned from his meeting with Santa and plopped down on the opposite side of the wide booth.

  His friend glared at him as if the meeting were his fault.

  “So, how’d it go?” he asked, unfazed by Quinn’s anger.

  “You knew what the meeting was about, didn’t you?” Quinn asked.

  “Yeah, it wasn’t too hard to figure out,” Mark said and stuffed a fry in his mouth.

  “Does everyone know?”

  “Pretty much,” he stuffed in more fries. “I can’t say I’m surprised though. I’ve told you at least a million times, you need to get laid.”

  “What the hell? I thought you were my friend.”

  “I am your friend, but in case you haven’t noticed, I’m the only one you’ve got.”

  “No one is forcing you to stick around, you know,” Quinn scowled.

  “Cut it out. You know as well as I do that you let that woman do a number on you. Find a woman, have some fun. If you don’t want to take a vacation, ask one of the women here. Tracey would love to fuck Mr. Gloom and Doom.”

  God no! Not her! Anyone but her!

  As soon as he said her name, he wanted to punch Quinn in the face. He’d been thinking about her sad smile since he left her in the cookie shop and her name just slipped out. If Quinn showed interest, he’d have to fight his best friend. No one was allowed to touch her but him.

  “Tracey. Really?” Quinn asked, knowingly.

  Some of the anger abated when he realized Quinn knew about his feelings. He’d never told him about the kiss, but he couldn’t hide his attraction toward the little fox.

  “Yeah, why not?” Mark asked and took a bite out of his burger. He tried to play it cool, but going by the look on Quinn’s face, he failed miserably.

  “Cause I’m not an asshole. I know you’re in love with her. You really want to see me try to get in her pants?”

  Mark couldn’t contain the growl that escaped, and he glowered at Quinn. How dare he mention getting in Tracey’s pants?

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Quinn laughed.

  “She doesn’t want me,” Mark sighed. “In case you haven’t noticed, she loves you,” he made air quotes and sang the word loves.

  “Oh please. If anything, she’s infatuated with me and nothing more,” Quinn said.

  “Yeah, whatever,” he said. He really didn’t want to talk about Tracey anymore. “So, where are you going?”

  Quinn outlined his plan to put off his vacation for as long as possible, but Mark advised him against it. Santa knew everything, and getting on his bad side wasn’t a good idea.

  He wasn’t surprised when Quinn was gone the next day.

  Chapter Two

  Tracey leaned against the ledge on the roof of the toy factory she worked in and stared out into the snow. Santa used his magic to create a cloaking device around Santa’s Village, and only residents of the town could see through the barrier. The magic gave them the advantage against the many curious explorers brave enough to visit the arctic looking for a legend. When a stranger approached, they saw the snow covered land and nothing more.

  Even though they were concealed in a magical barrier, they still needed protection. The enforcer teams patrolled the snowy land outside, and scared away any possible intruders. The entrance into the town, while invisible to most, was still vulnerable if anyone got too close.

  The buildings were situated in a circle around the town to hide the deserted outside world, but from the roof, she could see the snowy tundra. Miles and miles of snow blanketed the land, and for the first time in her life, she wondered what lay beyond the snow.

  Santa had sent Quinn away to find a mate. Could he do the same for her? Would he?

  The thought of touching another man made her skin crawl, and she shivered to rid herself of the unpleasant feeling. How could she move on if her body only wanted one man? Still, what choice did she have? Maybe Santa could help her get over Mark, too.

  Maybe she was hoping for too much.

  “Cold?”

  The voice made her jump and she turned to see Mark walking toward her. She’d been so lost in thought, she hadn’t heard his approach, and her heart raced from the surprise.

  “Yeah, a little,” she lied.

  She wrapped her arms around herself, and looked back out at the expanse of land.

  “You heard about Quinn?” he asked cautiously.

  “Yeah. I hope he finds someone. It will be good to see him smile again,” she said.

  “You’re not upset?” he questioned.

  “No, why would I be?”

  “Well, I… I thought you had a thing for him.”

  “For Quinn?” she laughed. “Um, no. He’s just a friend, if you can even call him that. He really doesn’t like me all that much.”

  “Then why are you always flirting with him?” he demanded.

  “Excuse me?” She hated his condescending tone. “Why do you care?”

  “I’m just surprised,” he stated calmly. “He’s my friend and I really thought you liked him.”

  She didn’t understand his sudden interest, but she decided she didn’t have anything to lose.


  “No, I don’t like him that way,” she admitted. “I only started flirting with him to try and get someone else’s attention.”

  “Did it work?”

  What do you think?

  “Of course not,” she laughed. “If anything, I think it pushed him further away.”

  “Why not just tell this mystery man how you feel?”

  She studied him and tried to figure out if he was making fun of her again, or he really wanted to know. With her decision made to ask Santa for help, she didn’t see any harm in telling him the truth.

  “I did,” she confessed, “and he said he felt the same. It wasn’t until the next day I found out he’d been drinking and didn’t remember our…conversation.”

  “Why didn’t you just tell him again?”

  “Because.” She desperately wanted this discussion to be over.

  “Because?” He prodded.

  “Because we obviously weren’t meant to be,” she snapped at him. “If I had truly been his mate, he would have remembered me.”

  “Tracey, I—”

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t talk about this anymore. I have to get back to work and see if I can get a meeting with Santa. Maybe he’ll be able to help me find a mate, too.” She turned away as tears filled her eyes.

  “Tracey—”

  “Goodbye, Mark,” she called over her shoulder, and then quickened her pace.

  The constricting pain in her chest felt as if her heart were breaking in two, and she knew she’d never be able to look at him without giving away her secret. He called her name as she ran toward the door to the stairs, but she didn’t look back. When she saw him chasing after her, she removed the door stop and slammed the heavy metal shut.

  Guilt swamped her as she descended the stairs.

  She’d locked him on the roof, and he beat on the door like an angry bear. The sound echoed around the stairwell, but she kept running. If he looked at her, he’d know he was the object of her infatuation, and she’d never survive seeing the look on his face when he let her down easy.