Jade Crew: Alpha Bear: Ridgeback Bears, #1

By Amelia Jade

Just weeks after arriving in Genesis Valley, Bear shifter Garrett Hoffman finds himself in the middle of all sorts of trouble. Tasked to mine the mountains nearby, he and the crew he's been saddled with have all the chemistry of gunpowder. As Alpha of the Ridgebacks though, it's his job to ensure they get the job done, without incident. But just when he thinks things are starting to come together, the Mining Consortium saddles him with an overseer. A human overseer. A gorgeous, full-figured, no-nonsense female overseer. Who of course, his bear decides, is going to be his mate.

Over the past year, Emma Labelle has become used to shifters hating her, despising her and generally wanting absolutely nothing to do with her because of her job. So when the tall, muscular and absolutely gorgeous Garrett starts to flirt with her, she has no idea what to do. Her job is to protect the human population from the wild and unpredictable nature of the shifters. If her bosses found out she was falling in love with one, both she and Garrett would find themselves in a world of trouble that neither of them needs.

When things come to a head, will the pair be able to do their duties and complete the jobs assigned to them, or will their feelings for each other put everyone they know in danger?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amelia Jade
• Release date: Oct 28, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386241256

Book preview

Chapter One

Garrett

Okay, you know the deal, we're here to relax and celebrate. I don't want to have to deal with any nonsense, understood?

There was a mixture of affirmatives and grumbled replies that could have been anything. He thought about pushing them for a proper response, but thought better of it. There was no point in pushing people that weren't ready for it. It would work better if the process was slightly more gradual.

Aw shit, the Silvies are here already, complained Russell Warne, one of his charges.

Well, play nice with them, okay? If they're already here, that likely means they found a stone today, he replied, acknowledging the complaint against his better judgment. Still, it gave him the ability to reinforce the play-nice attitude.

Yeah, we made good time getting down here today, nobody should have beaten us, said Cole, making a beeline for the pool table.

The bar was big. It needed to be to house its normal patrons. The Tongue and Flame Pub was open to the general public, but everyone knew it was home to the crews of bear shifters who mined the nearby mountains.

At that particular moment, the Silvertips were already enjoying a round of cold beer, having staked themselves at their normal seats in the far right corner from the door. As Garrett Hoffman watched, his own Ridgeback bears streamed inside. In any other setting, the ridiculous amounts of walking titans would have looked out of place. But in this bar, it looked perfectly normal.

Oh look, the Green Thumbs came to join, came the jeer from the back corner.

Several of the Ridgebacks, Russell and Joel among them, tossed up single-finger waves of reply as they grabbed chairs and ordered up some beers themselves.

Real nice guys, Corey Baleski—the third ranking bear in the Ridgebacks and the closest thing Garrett had to a friend—told the others with a shake of his head.

Fuck you, Evan Mosier replied in his deep baritone, not even caring what the other bear had to say.

Corey simply flopped down into a chair, pretending not to have heard. It was for the best.

Evan was the second ranking bear in the Ridgebacks, and the closest thing Garrett had to a mortal enemy.

To the Ridgebacks, Garrett rumbled, his voice an unusually deep timbre as he spoke. It was his formal voice, one he rarely used.

Glasses clinked, and for a moment, all animosity was forgotten as they took deep gulps of the deliciously cold amber goodness.

Ahh, Corey said, smacking his lips.

Nectar of the gods I say, Darren said in agreement.

The others added their own nods or grunts of affirmation, each enjoying the beer.

You know, Ferro, Evan said. You make a damn good brew!

The bartender, a powerfully built, quiet man of indeterminate age, simply bowed his head slightly in their direction in response to the compliment. Garrett narrowed his eyes as he listened to Evan. There was something that distinctly sounded like respect in his voice. He wasn't sure though, because he had never heard it voiced toward himself. Despite Garrett's status as Alpha, Evan had done everything short of outright rebellion to indicate he didn't respect Garrett. It was going to come to a head soon if Garrett didn't do something about it.

The door to outside opened with a delicate touch, in a manner no bear shifter could replicate. Garrett shifted his lean on the bar to get a glimpse of who was coming inside. The bar was a big square. The Ridgebacks were seated to the left of the door in a corner booth area. They were between the door and the bar itself, which ran the rest of the length of the left-hand side, and was where Garrett was at the moment, getting a refill. Back to the right corner was another lounge area where the Silvertips were hanging. Between the two was seating and two pool tables, one of which was now occupied by Cole and Russell.

Garrett's back had been to the door. He hated turning his back on the rest of the bar, but Ferro the bartender had assured him in his bar there was nothing to worry about. The Silvertips's Alpha, Ajax, had come up to him at one point and told him he could trust the man's word. It had been then that Garrett had learned the truth about the bartender and why he engendered enormous amounts of respect from people who didn't give that sort of thing out very easily.

The woman who walked in was of average height for a human female. Her business outfit, a gray suit with white blouse, was far more formal than anything the shifters were wearing. It was also a little bit tighter than he thought looked comfortable. It almost gave her a prissy look when combined with her strict ponytail and professional makeup.

The unknown woman acted like she belonged completely and without hesitation, however, which made Garrett give her a mental nod of respect. It was tough for someone who was perhaps five foot nine on a good day to walk into a bar where the smallest person was easily several inches over six feet and they were all built like brick houses.

Yet none of that seemed to faze the woman. Her eyes glanced quickly and sharply across the bar, until they settled on the person she was looking for. It took him an extra second to realize that that person was him. Heels echoed on the hardwood floor as she strode right up to him. The entire bar had gone silent as they watched her, unsure of what to do. He thought that odd. It seemed to him as if the others in the bar recognized her. Garrett could even hear some grumbling mixed with curses from where the Ridgebacks sat, but he paid it no heed. That was the norm for his crew.

Garrett Hoffman, she stated. There was no question in her voice. My name is Emma Labelle, I'm a community liaison from LMC. She stuck out her hand.

Garrett Hoffman, he confirmed, though she had no doubt. Pleasure to meet you Mrs. Labelle.

Just Miss, please, and don't go getting any ideas either, she added briskly.

He smiled. She was feisty and confident. He liked that.

I wouldn't dream of it, Miss, he said with sincerity. He meant it.

Community liaisons were nothing to be trifled with. She worked for LMC, which stood for Lionshead Mining Consortium. They were the company that owned the entire Genesis Valley, and paid all the crews to mine there.

Including his.

Where there were shifters with money to spend, there would be other businesses. Eventually a town had grown up around the LMC head office. A town with many regular humans. The CLs were tasked with ensuring that the bears did not get out of hand and damage any property, and more importantly, did not hurt any of the normal humans or the other crews. There were harsh penalties in place for anyone who broke those rules.

Can we take a seat Garrett? Can I call you Garrett? she asked, only hesitating for a fraction of a second for him to nod before she continued. There is some business we need to address.

Straight to the point, he observed.

Is there any more efficient way to be? she replied, confused by his statement.

Not at all, he murmured softly as he took a sip of his drink and showed her to a table away from everyone else, as best as could be done.

Thank you, she said, dropping a sheaf of papers in a folder onto the bar as she sat down. I'll have a Coke, double lemon, she said as Ferro looked at her questioningly.

How can I be of assistance to you today, Miss Labelle? he asked politely as she sat looking at him, her brown eyes looking him up and down, evaluating him as she stared back at him so intently he thought she was trying to peer inside of him.

Plenty of ways, I'm sure, came the reply.

Garrett didn't say anything. Was she flirting with him? A glance at her cheeks showed a slight hint of red, but he put it down to the dimness of the bar. They had exchanged no more than a dozen or so words, all of them business. It must have meant something else that only she knew.

Well, I'm at the LMC's disposal.

It's about one of your crew.

Which one? he said when she did not elaborate.

Evan Mosier.

Evan? Evan's a dick, but he hasn't been out of my sight for more than a few minutes the entire week, Garrett said, not sure where the young woman was going with her line of questioning.

Well, after the final review of what happened before, the Kedyns decided that perhaps it would best if there was a combined shifter-human oversight of him.

Garrett seethed inwardly, though he dared not show it. The Kedyns were the twin brothers who owned LMC and effectively the entire Genesis Valley as well, not to mention a lot of land outside of it. They were, to his admittedly limited knowledge on the subject, the only two known gryphon shifters in existence. They were strong, wealthy, and very powerful.

I really don't know if that's necessary, Miss Labelle. The Ridgebacks haven't had any problems outside the usual for a mining crew.

You've also only been here for what, seven days now? That's not very long for you to have made a judgment on all the members of your crew.

"Perhaps not, but they are my crew," he said, not quite ready to back down.

He found himself liking Emma though. She wasn't afraid to argue with him, despite the huge size difference between them. It was refreshing to find a human who was willing to stick up for themselves. That was all too rare.

Besides, he continued, meeting her gaze and this time doing his best to peer into her soul, I've come to think of them as my band of misfits. Did you know we found our first stone already?

Yes, yes, I heard about that. First day, first stone. Very impressive. She tried to wave it away, but he could see that she truly did appreciate the enormity of that result. Sometimes crews went a week or three before finding their first stone when they set out as a new unit.

Well, that's got to count for something. We're the Jade Crew now, and they're just starting to accept that moniker.

Although crews were composed of named clans (like the Ridgebacks or Silvertips) when dealing with outsiders and the LMC, amongst the other miners, they were known by the name of their first stone. The Ridgebacks had found a Jade stone first, so they became the Jade Crew. The Silvertips, the other bears in the bar, were the Emerald Crew, named after their first stone, found almost a year and a half ago.

So, who's our overseer going to be? he pressed when Emma made no move to reply.

I am, she said, as if that should never have been in doubt.

Well, it's your funeral, he said, getting up and grabbing his beer. Come on over and meet them then.

Garrett found himself drawn to her, but meeting the Ridgebacks would be a true test of her character.

His actions caught her off guard, and she hastened to snatch up her files and purse, chasing after him as he lumbered across the floor, his long, powerful legs bringing him right up to the sitting area.

Ridgebacks, he said, getting their attention. This is Miss Labelle, she—

Yeah, we know who she is. She's a CL. What's she doing here? Evan said, interrupting.

If you would shut up, I'll tell you, Garrett replied calmly, challenging Evan directly as he stared at him.

His second looked at him for a long while, but eventually he dropped his gaze. Garrett almost snorted in derision, but knew that it would do nothing but reignite Evan's anger.

Anyone not know her? he asked instead, but everyone kept silent. Well, then I'll do the reverse introductions.

It's okay Garrett, I know them all too, she said, grabbing the chair that he normally sat