Bearing The Long Road Home (Ice Bear Shifters 7) Read Free Page A

cabins. Thirteen adults and six children. Nineteen of the best people who had ever graced the face of the planet, in Seth’s opinion. And, yet, despite his affection for his clan, Seth still felt restless and frustrated.
    He had been part of the Northern Lights Clan for over two years now, and the clan members had been nothing but wonderful to him. They had given him food and shelter after he nearly lost his life when his former clan, the Frozen Claws, were all but wiped out by the Blizzards. Seth missed his old clan members terribly, and he still teared up when he thought of some of his friends who had been killed by the senseless violence of the Blizzards, but at least he wasn’t completely alone in the world. He had managed to find some measure of peace and happiness. For a while, he thought he might even be able to get to the point where the only reminders of his past life were the long, ugly scars across his chest and back.
    But his buried feelings of anger and sadness had come surging to the surface again when his friend James, another Frozen Claws survivor who had joined the Northern Lights Clan, found a lifemate and got married. Seth wished only the best for James, and he would never dare to begrudge another bear his happiness. But Seth hadn’t realized how lonely it would feel to suddenly be the only bachelor in a clan full of families. He hadn’t realized how being the only one going home alone at night would dredge up heartache over the friends and family he had lost. Despite living in a beautiful cabin, in the midst of a beautiful group of people, Seth could only concentrate on the ugliness of his past.
    Seth swung his axe again, splitting another log and adding it to the pile. He could feel sweat dripping down his back under his layers of thick, winter clothing, but he didn’t slow down his pace. He was nervous about the conversation he was going to have with his alpha tonight, and the intense physical labor of splitting log after log of firewood kept his emotions somewhat in check.
    Seth had received the call just last night. A gruff sounding man who identified himself simply as “Bob” had been on the line, and had asked if Seth was still interested in a job as an ice road trucker. Seth had felt his heart starting to pound with excitement. He had filled out an application three weeks ago, but after weeks of no response he had figured the trucking companies weren’t interested in hiring him. Bob had told him that they’d just had several guys quit. The ice-road trucking season was just gearing up, and the companies were desperate to fill the empty spots. Could Seth start next week?
    Seth had agreed immediately. He had been craving an adventure, and an excuse to get out of town for a bit. He felt like the county lines around here were closing in on him, trapping him in a place where memories of the Blizzard attack jumped out at him from behind every tree and bush. His clan had been ambushed, and even though Seth knew the Blizzards had been destroyed and were no longer a threat, he still felt himself on high alert. He still couldn’t shake the feeling of paranoia that filled him every time he rounded a blind corner somewhere. Ice road trucking sounded like a great escape. It would do his soul good to spend three months far, far away from here—far away from anyone who had ever heard of the Blizzards.
    First, Seth had to get his alpha’s blessing. So, late that afternoon, after changing out of the sweaty clothes that he had worn to chop firewood, Seth made his way to his alpha’s cabin. He knocked on the door, and heard a faint “Come in” from somewhere inside. Seth let himself in, and took a seat on the couch in the empty living room. He could hear muffled exclamations of disgust coming from the master bedroom, and from the snippets of conversation he caught, it sounded like Neal and his lifemate, Christine, were both involved in changing a very messy diaper.
    Seth leaned his head back against the