Chapter 5

Orion

Every single fiber of my being is attuned to Scout as I follow her tiny figure through the house I've built for her.

For a beautiful moment, I thought she was going to accept my help, and I was going to have her tender body in my arms again, but then she strode off. Guess her stomach was rumbling too bad for her to wait a second longer. I can hear it; it's like she's got a tiny grizzly in there.

Soon, my beast growls. Soon she'll carry your young in her belly.

I shush it up, and instead, my eyes feast on her long, golden hair spilling down her back and her lovely bare legs emerging from her boyish shorts. I wish I could see more of the luscious curves that I know are concealed beneath her clothes.

When she reaches the junction in the corridor, she looks over her shoulder uncertainly. She's so goddamn adorable, it takes all my self-control not to throw my arms around her.

My head spins. I'm already falling for her. Everything's happening so fast, but it's all so right. It's what I've been preparing for my whole life. All those lonely years where I never lost hope. I always knew my mate would come at last. And here she is. Even more incredible than I imagined.

"Bedrooms that way," I tell her. My beast's fur burns my skin. All it wants is to drag her off to the bedroom and mate her, right now.

I want that, too. I can't wait to strip her bare, give her my mark and make her mine forever. But first I want to know every last thing about her. I need to claim her body, mind and soul—all at the same time.

And she needs to learn that the bear she already met is a part of me. That it will cherish and protect her with its last breath.

"Kitchen that way."

I hold my breath as she enters my huge, state-of-the-art kitchen. There's every possible type of appliance and convenience, all designed in the latest fashion.

"Whoa, a chef could run a restaurant out of here," she breathes, wandering around the island, running her fingertips over the granite countertops.

"This is so cool," she says of the hanging pot racks.

"This color scheme is awesome." She takes in the peppermint green and copper accents.

With every compliment, my beast purrs. It's all for her. The fates guided me to build her the best kitchen money could buy, because I knew my mate would love to cook. I even taught myself to cook, in case I misinterpreted the signals I was receiving, and she'd prefer me to cook for her.

A couple of years ago, I was getting real down about the fact I hadn't met my mate yet. I was doing all kinds of crazy shit. Picking fights with other clans, arguing about territory, et cetera.

One day, my mom sat me down and told me to look deep inside myself and imagine my mate. She's real connected with the mysteries of the universe, and, like all bears, she believes that we all have one true mate, and we need to spend our lives looking for her.

It took me a while to connect with my inner self, but one day, it came to me: I needed to leave my clan territory and find a spot deep in the wilderness, and build a beautiful house, fit for a queen.

Everyone thought I was crazy. Our clan lives in log cabins, close together. We're in and out of each other's houses all the time, like one big, rowdy family. No one could understand why I'd choose to live alone. And I couldn't explain it either. I just knew that was real important that I was here every day, waiting for my mate to arrive.

I also knew the house had to have every possible luxury and convenience.

Luckily, I've got a ton of money stored in a vault in my mom's house. When I was still in my teens, I invented an off-grid communication device that works through long-range radio technology. I started my own company selling it wholesale, and it took off, big time.

Still, I had no idea what luxury entailed, so I bought a bunch of those interior design magazines that humans love, and I hired some people to enact my vision.

The fates told me that water would be real important, so I had a saltwater swimming pool installed, and I added a giant fish tank in the living room.

I turned one of the bedrooms into a games room. I also hired a style consultant to fill the huge walk-in closet with beautiful human clothes and shoes and toiletries.

Then I waited, three long years, for my mate to arrive. My beast might be a hunter, but you can't rush these things—my mom warned me about that. Fate is ready when it's ready. And if you try to hurry it, you might lose out, and you'll be one of those broken shifters that never find their mate.

Today, at long last, it happened. Charging into my path, blonde hair streaming out behind her, was my mate—armed with a bow and arrow. Of course, she was supposed to shoot me. It couldn't have happened any other way. The hunter shot by his own mate. My mom's gonna be so tickled when she hears about this.

"This is so neat!" Scout is moving her hand back and forth in front of the sensor that controls the flow of water from the faucet. My chest warms. I'm dying to show her all the other cool features, but first I've gotta cook for her.

I slide out a stool from the island. "Take a seat," I tell her. "And tell me what you like to eat."

She wriggles up onto the high seat and scrunches up her nose adorably. "Anything, really."

"You'll have to do better that that." I point to my walk-in refrigerator. "There's a ton of food in there." Every week I prepare new dishes, trying to improve my skills. So far, my clan have been the grateful recipients.

She bites her lip again. It's a nervous tic of hers. When she's mine, she'll never have any reason to be nervous again. "Maybe not squirrel or rabbit. Or baked beans. Or tinned ravioli. But if that's all you have, that's good, too," she finishes in a rush.

My heart aches. This poor girl has lived with so little. What kind of people has she come from, who've failed to take care of her?

I open the fridge and stick my head inside. "How about venison steak with wild berry sauce? Or smoked sausage and potato casserole?" When she doesn't say anything, I continue. "Or wild game chili? Herb-roasted wild turkey?"

Only silence greets me. I pull my head out of the fridge. Tears are pooling in her eyes.

"Oh, little one." I rush over. "What is it?"

She scrubs at her eyes fiercely. "It's nothing."

I stand directly in front of her. "Look at me," I command.

Slowly, she raises those emerald eyes to me, the whites stained pink.

"You don't need to hide your feelings from me, Scout. I want you to share everything with me. Always."

Her eyes widen and her lips form a pretty little O. I probably sound real intense right now, but it's the truth, and it's better that she hears it early on.

"I-I'm just not used to nice things, I guess," she says in a small voice.

I close my eyes for a beat as the weight of fate overwhelms me. This was why I was supposed to build this place. To give this princess everything she's been denied so far.

"You're gonna have nice things every day of your life from now on," I tell her.

She blinks fast. Maybe I'm scaring her a little. She needs time to get used to me, to understand just how much I'm going to protect and care for her.

"How about I warm up the wild game chili?"

She nods gratefully.

"Want a soda while you're waiting? A beer?"

"Uh, a soda." She swallows hard. "You have Sprite?"

I fight back a grin. "Sure do." I grab a can from the fridge, pour it in a tall glass and add a glass straw and a squeeze of lime.

When I hand it to her, she holds it reverently in both hands. Then, I watch, mesmerized as she purses her sweet cherry lips and lowers them to the straw.

Her eyelids grow heavy, and she gives a long, drawn-out sigh, full of longing and bliss.

Damn, if she makes that sound when my cock is inside her, I'll be a happy bear.

When she opens her eyes again, I'm still staring. I can't help it. I don't even have the willpower to tear my gaze away. She's all I want to look at for the rest of my life.

"Haven't had a soda for years," she murmurs.

My beast's rough hide pushes at my skin. Something bad has happened to this girl, and as soon as she's gotten some food in her stomach, I'm gonna find out what it is. Then I'm gonna destroy everyone responsible for it.