Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 121871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
By the time I get a mile down the road, the snow has already begun to fall. I decide to take a risk and stop for gas. I’m almost on empty and I was always told to fill up before a storm because you just never know.
I grew up in the north east, with parents who were so sweet and loving. But being in a house with ten siblings was enough to drive anyone bonkers. We were all close and got along, but my shifter bunny pulled me in a new direction. I decided to go out on my own after I came of age in my town and I didn’t mate with anyone there. I’d heard about a shifter town in Gray Ridge and figured I didn’t have much to lose. So, I packed up my belongings and hit the road. I still talk with my family almost every day, but I’m happy for the change of scenery. Something about Gray Ridge calls to me, and my little bunny is happy here. This place feels like it might be home, and that’s okay for now. If I really say what my heart wants, it’s to be with my mate and to have babies of my own, but I try not to focus on it. Besides, it just gets me worked up with no way to release.
Bunny shifters are wired a little different than most. We get super horny all the time, even before we find our mate. But we can’t get off until we find them, so I’ve just been in a state of constant need for the past two years, and I’ve learned to ignore it for the most part. It’s a curse, but I’ve been told that once you find your mate, it’s a blessing. Because then all they want to do is mate, too. I worry, though, that if I don’t find another bunny shifter as a mate, they won’t be able to keep up. My kind are used to sex on top of sex until we pass out, but not all shifters are the same, and I haven’t heard of another rabbit living around here.
Pushing away thoughts of sex, I focus on waiting in line for my turn at the gas pump. There are tons of people here, both locals and tourists. I watch as the dark clouds descend quicker than I thought and the roads are blanketed fast. I catch sight of Dominic’s SUV with Ruby and the kids going by. I should have stayed at the bakery and gotten a ride with them, but I didn’t think about it, and I didn’t expect the storm to come so quickly.
Seeing all the trucks in line at the pumps, I worry that my car might not make it if I wait much longer. I don’t have time to wait before it gets worse, and if I leave now I have a better chance. Against better judgement, I pull out onto the road and head home, praying I make it.
Chapter 2
Finn
“This place isn’t the same since Snow left,” Forest says, and I see the sadness in his eyes.
We love our sister, and although we’re happy that she finally found her mate in Koda, we miss her being here with us. Flint isn’t saying much about how he feels, but he usually keeps quiet when he’s upset. The three of us were litter mates, so it’s not as if someone can feel something without us noticing.
Forest is usually the one who’s a guaranteed good time; he’s the laughter of our home. Flint is quiet and sometimes shy, but when he’s angry, everyone in a ten-mile radius knows. I’m definitely the more laid-back, but I’ve always been the leader. I thought that maybe as we got older and found our mates that things between us would change, but it hasn’t happened yet, and I’m beginning to worry.
We’ve been in Gray Ridge for a while now, and though we met most of the female shifters, none of us have found our mate. I think Flint and Forest thought I would go first since I’m the leader of our trio, but that’s not always the way it goes. There was a larger pack of seven of us when we first came here, but one by one they all paired off. Including Snow.
“You mean you don’t like my chicken and dumplings?” Flint says, and I see Forest smile.
“I guess if you consider burnt balls of lava ‘dumplings,’ then sure, they’re great.”
I’m happy when they’re happy, and I’m discontented when they’re sad. I feel the need to make sure that they’re okay, and the responsibility is heavy on my shoulders.
“Hopefully you’ll find a mate that can cook, because otherwise your young might starve,” I say, and the mood turns from happy to sad again. “Sorry, I just meant—”