Eventide of the Bear (The Wild Hunt Legacy #3) by Cherise Sinclair Page B

weight , Donal’d said, and he’d given her permission to leave her room, as well.
    Thank the Mother.
    As she gazed at the dark windows, her healing leg throbbed in counterpoint to her unhappy thoughts. In the wilderness, she’d hated the long, dark evenings. Those were the times she’d felt most alone, when everything she’d lost would come back to haunt her. Knowing she deserved to be miserable had made the loneliness even worse.
    The murmur of voices came from the hallway, startling her. She stared at the closed bedroom door. Although most male Daonain shared a house with their littermates and eventually a mate, she’d gotten the impression Ben lived alone, but the male speaking had a deep voice with a resonant timbre similar to Ben’s.
    Footsteps, light enough to be a child’s, came from the shared bathroom.
    Why hadn’t Ben mentioned his brother, mate, and cubs when they’d talked over the past days? She’d thought they were starting to be friends. Emma tried to shrug off the feeling of hurt.
    It would be nice to meet more people. Surely, Ben would have a wonderful mate and littermates.
    Don’t descend into feeling envious, bear. But it was difficult not to.
    Her mother had been her only family. Being Gather-bred, Emma didn’t know her father, and her mother had handed off Emma’s two male littermates to an infertile shifter family passing through town. She’d only kept Emma because a female cub increased the status of a family. But her mother hadn’t loved her.
    Now, Emma had to accept she’d never have a family.
    It hurt to give up those dreams, but she had to be honest with herself. She was a big, ungainly bear, and the only time males had wanted her had been because of the hormonal influence of a full moon Gathering. Now…no male would want a female who’d been banished—a punishment saved for only the most heinous of crimes.
    Even if the Goddess had forgiven her, she doubted Cedrick or anyone in the Mt. Hood area would forget. As her mother had said, just because a person “didn’t mean to” fixed nothing. A person was responsible for the results of her actions.
    Emma hadn’t meant any harm, but harm she’d done. How could she whine that she wouldn’t get a family? Two males were dead because she’d looked at one with longing and had let him kiss her.
    No, she’d be grateful for what she had now—for being alive, for a chance to return to the clan again.
    The door to Emma’s room from the bathroom opened a crack.
    A little girl, possibly three or four years old, peeked in. Her loose brown hair brushed her shoulders. Her curious eyes held the colors of a late summer forest, dark green and brown.
    Absolutely adorable.
    The girl spotted Emma and stiffened.
    Emma smiled at her. Children were open and straightforward, and wonderful. “Hi there.”
    Eyes wide, the girl stared and slid her thumb into her mouth.
    The habit was familiar. Emma’d also sucked her thumb as a cub…until her mother noticed. When she hadn’t stopped quickly enough, her mother had clawed her thumb so mercilessly that any touch hurt. By the time the gashes healed, she no longer had the habit—just the scars.
    Hopefully this cubling would be allowed the harmless comfort.
    “Minette?”
    The child disappeared back into the shared bathroom.
    “Minette?” The lean, muscled man in a black leather jacket and boots who appeared in the doorway took Emma’s breath away. She’d never seen any male so striking. His features said he was Ben’s brother, although he was a few inches shorter and not as big-boned. Midnight-black, wavy hair reached his shoulders; black stubble outlined a chiseled jaw. His expression was cool…and cynical.
    His eyes were so dark brown they were almost black and lacked any warmth at all. When his icy gaze ran over her, she felt as if she’d stepped into a snowbank. “You must be Emma.”
    “Yes.” Her attempt at a smile fell flat. “Do you live here?”
    “We’re moving in, yes.” His