Bearing The Long Road Home (Ice Bear Shifters 7) by Sloane Meyers

really are. Both situations involve someone thinking the other person is a monster. And you should be man enough to admit there’s a possibility that you’re wrong. You don’t have to agree to like Chloe, or to like what she has to say. Just agree to hear her out. Seth is a valuable, cherished clan member. You owe it to him to give Chloe a fair chance.”
    Another long pause ensued, and Seth quietly started backing up off the porch. But before he could completely make his escape, Neal’s front door flew open and Neal started storming out. Neal scowled when he saw Seth at the bottom of the porch steps.
    “Alright, Seth. Chloe gets one shot to explain why anyone should treat her with anything other than complete and utter contempt. One shot, so she better make it good. I’m calling a clan meeting in thirty minutes.”
    Seth’s heart leapt with excitement in his chest. He nodded, and then ran off to tell Chloe the good news. This was their chance! They wouldn’t have to leave the Northern Lights Clan, after all.
    Seth knew that one shot at telling her story was all Chloe needed.

Chapter Twelve
     
    An hour later, Seth held his breath and looked around at the shocked expressions on the faces of his clan members. You could have heard a pin drop as Chloe finished telling the Northern Lights Clan the truth about Dominic’s reign of terror. The adults all stared at Chloe, not willing to be the first one to say anything. The young children, for once, were completely quiet. They seemed to somehow sense the seriousness of the moment.
    Seth watched as Chloe looked around at the faces of each of the clan members, silently pleading with them to believe what she was saying, and believe that she herself was not a bad person just because of what her old clan had done.
    Neal finally broke the silence, his voice strained. “Thank you for sharing your story, Chloe. I think the clan needs a few minutes alone to discuss our next step. Would you mind stepping out for a few minutes?”
    Chloe nodded her head in acquiescence and stood to leave Neal’s cabin, where the clan had gathered for the meeting. Seth gave her what he hoped was an encouraging smile as she walked out the front door with her head held high. He was so proud of her. He knew telling her story was not easy, and she had just told it to a room full of strangers—many of whom were large shifters and could have torn her to pieces if they wanted to. Seth watched through the front window as Chloe walked back to his cabin, never once looking back. He knew she had laid it all on the line, and she was determined to let the chips fall where they may.
    Seth turned his attention back to the inside of Neal’s cabin, where still no one spoke. Neal let out a weary sigh and rubbed his forehead, but didn’t say anything else. One of the children had started pushing a small wooden train around on the floor, and the sound of its creaking wheels sounded abnormally loud in the otherwise quiet cabin. Finally, Eric broke the silence with one word.
    “Wow.”
    Neal looked up at Eric, a pained expression on his face. Seth felt a pang of sympathy for his alpha. Deciding whether to let a new shifter join a clan was always a serious decision, but it was an even tougher decision when that shifter belonged to a clan that had wiped out most of your own clan.
    Christine spoke next. As lifemate to the alpha, she held a special position of respect, and all ears turned to her as she chose her words carefully.
    “I think it’s clear from Chloe’s story that she does not fit the prototype of a Blizzard that we all hold in our minds. And I think it’s unfair to judge her based on the actions of others—actions that she had no control over and did not support.”
    “But, they wiped out entire clans. We can’t just ignore that,” Tyler said.
    “The Blizzards’ alpha and his minions wiped out entire clans,” Seth said. “Chloe had no part in it. She was an unwilling observer, powerless to stop