Series: Mated for Life Series by Stacey Espino
Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 44685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
“We do one more patrol then meet you at the house,” said David.
Caleb walked alone through the forest. The birds and insects singing usually calmed the beast. He loved this land and wanted things back the way they were. There were so many beautiful places and things he wanted to show his mate. She hadn’t even met his wolf.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
He slipped into the house. She was sitting on the sofa, her legs tucked up beside her.
“Is everything okay?” she asked. “Everyone seems so tense.”
“More bear problems. Actually, that’s what I need to talk to you about.” He sat down beside her, resting a hand on her knee. “You need to leave town.”
“What?”
“Hush now. It’s just for a day or two until we find this threat. As soon as we deal with it and everything is safe, I’ll pick you up myself.”
She shook her head. “I’ll be fine here. I don’t want to leave you.”
The love bite and mating connection made it difficult to separate in the best of circumstances. His anxiety was already through the roof with the fact he had to send her hundreds of miles away.
“Bethany, it’s dangerous. The bear’s playing a game of cat and mouse, and he won’t hesitate using you against me. I can’t let anything happen to you. You’re too important to me.”
Reese opened the door, knocking to get his attention. “Cab’s ready.”
She turned to him, her eyes wide with fear.
“Baby, I need you to be strong. Pack a bag with a few essentials. This is only temporary,” he said.
Even with her eyes glistening with unshed tears, she did as he asked and left to the bedroom.
“That was fast,” he said to Reece.
“Cab won’t drive out here. You know how the humans are. I can drive her into town when she’s ready.”
There were so many old wives’ tales, most of them true, about dangerous beasts in the forest. The rogue had slaughtered dozens of large forest animals for pleasure, not even harvesting the meat. The humans were on high alert, keeping away from the woods.
He nodded. If he took her, he’d be a mess, and it would be harder for her to go.
Caleb entered their bedroom and sat on the king-sized bed. He watched her fold some clothes into a small suitcase.
“I wanted to plan our wedding, not run to the other side of the world from you,” she said, not turning around.
“It’s not the other side of the world, baby. It’s just the next town.”
“And I know how far that is, Caleb. This just seems so unnecessary. Your house is secure. There’s a lock on the door. Can’t you call the police if it’s so bad?”
He smiled to himself then patted the bed.
She sighed and sat beside him.
“Nobody knows about shifters. No humans. You’re one of us now, so you can’t be sharing what you know with the world. It would be dangerous, to say the least.”
“So, no police?”
“We have to handle everything ourselves. It’s never usually an issue for us. This is a unique situation,” he said.
“And Joe’s involved?”
“Well, your boss is a bear, and the guy we’re after is a bear, so he’s going to help. The only reason I’m making it my problem is because the rogue bear has been threatening our pack.”
She bit her lip, the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. “I like the sound of that. Our pack. It feels good to belong to something bigger.”
“And I promise I’ll come back for you. This isn’t forever.”
“I know. It’s my problem. I’ve been sent away since I can remember, and nobody ever came back for me. The curse of being a foster kid.”
“Foster kid?”
“A girl without parents. Passed around from babysitter to babysitter, but never belonging anywhere.”
“This is different. I’ll always come for you, Bethany.” He tilted her face up with a bent finger and kissed her softly on the lips.
“What if something happens to you? What if the bear kills you?”
He scoffed. “Definitely not going to happen. Never doubt my ability to protect you or our pack.”
She was so adorable. He wished he could wipe away all her fears and pain. That bear was going to pay for this bullshit.
****
It had only been a few days since their mating became official, since they’d consummated their relationship. Yesterday, the pack helped move all her stuff from the rooming house to their home in the woods. It was a bold move, but everything about it felt right. For the first time in her life, she had a family. A pack.
Now, Caleb was asking her to leave. She’d just gotten there and now this? The prospect brought back old deep-seated fears. If anything happened to him, she’d be lost. Alone.
She stood at the front door of the house with a bag in her hand. Bethany hated everything about this. Her life the past week had been a whirlwind. One day struggling to make her way at the diner, then mated to a wolf shifter and running from town to avoid getting slaughtered by a crazy bear. Her boss, he was a bear too. What else didn’t she know?