Chapter 17

Valery

K arter exits my van and opens the garage bay door as he leaves. Grabbing a handful of tissues, I clean my face and blow my nose before climbing into the driver’s seat and cranking the engine.

“I am going to come back,” I whisper to the universe, making Karter and myself a solemn promise. I just need to get out of here so I can breathe. Maybe I’ll find a nice public park—because honestly I’m scared shitless to walk alone in the woods right now—and find a bench to sit on until the pressure on my chest subsides.

Or maybe I’ll grab a hotel room, take a hot bath, and veg out on Scooby Doo movies until I cry myself dry and fall into a deep sleep.

And maybe I’ll buy a gallon of ice cream and a carton of peanut butter double stuffed Oreos to go along with those movies.

Yeah, that sounds like a plan.

I back out of the garage into the bright sunshine of the day and avoid looking at the house as I put my van in gear and drive down the grooved two-lane road to the highway. Turning left, I head toward Great Falls, winding the same patch of road Peter drove me on two nights ago.

Jesus—was that only two nights ago? It feels like a lifetime has passed since my van broke down on the side of the road. A lifetime full of love that I feared I’d never have from a man who treats me like I’m his whole world.

Do I deserve him? Is that my problem?

I’ve only had one day with Karter—twenty-four hours, give or take a few hours. Is that enough time for him to find me worthy?

Rounding a curve, I pass the spot where Peter found me parked while I stared aimlessly at an engine full of metal and rubber hoses. If I’m going to be a wandering homeless van lifer, I should probably learn something about car maintenance. And I only know one mechanic I trust to teach me everything I need to know, not just about engines, but about love and life. Tears well up in my eyes and blur my vision as the pressure on my chest intensifies.

What am I doing?

What AM I doing?

What are you doing, Valery?

The questions hit me again—ghostly echoes from my past—reminders of being curled up on the bathroom floor. Rounding another curve, I blink away the tears clouding my vision and slam on the brakes as a giant brown bear darts across the highway. Two more cross in front of me, the last one standing on his back legs to show off his enormous body, one floppy paw waving at me through the windshield.

No fucking way.

Rolling down my window, I stick my head out and guess a name, “Koran?”

He roars, drops to all four and chases after his brothers up a dirt path leading into the trees off the road. There’s a scenic pull- off just big enough for my van, but I’m not sure that’s where he wants me to park.

Looking over his shoulder, he jerks his head as if to say, “Come on.”

Parking as far off the road as I can, I pull on a hoodie and lock the doors to follow three giant bears through a cluster of bushes and out of sight of passing traffic—like I’m Goldie Locks or something. “Where are we going?”

One bear chuffs and plops down on his haunches while the other two tumble over each other in a field of rye grass—exactly like they do in their videos. “Can you not talk when you’re in bear form?”

He shakes his head and smacks his paw against the ground, urging me to sit down.

“Did Karter send you after me?” I cross my arms over my chest and hold my ground, annoyed and somehow amused by my new reality. Three bears have flagged me down and lured me into the woods. I’m either the luckiest or stupidest woman to ever live. Either way, they are too big to sit down next to while two of them are roughhousing.

Another shake with more insistent slaps on the ground.

“I’ll stand, thanks.”

He chuffs again and rolls his eyes which makes me laugh. “Did you really roll your eyes at me? Why don’t you shift so we can have a conversation?”

Shaking his head, he stands and paws at the ground, scratching grooves into the soil. After a minute or so, he steps back and looks from me to the patch and back again. I step forward and see the word etched into the ground.

Stay

A second bear plops down behind me, rolling to his side and waving a paw in the air. If he were a dog, I’d swear he was begging for belly rubs, but something tells me Karter would kill his brothers for making a move like that. “Kit?”

The third bear bounds forward, body slamming the one on his side like a top rung wrestling move. The one on the bottom roars his complaint and swats at his brother with giant claws before both turn their gazes to me. “Oh, I see it now. You are Kit which means the one on the bottom is Kason.”

Koran whimpers, pulling my attention back to him. Again, he smacks the word stay with his paw.

Shaking my head, I step back to put all three of them in front of me. “I’m not leaving forever, but I need time to think.”

Kason growls softly and voices his disapproval while covering his snout with his paw.

I sigh and place my hands on my hips. “You know, this conversation would go a lot better if you’d shift.”

Kit stands up and shakes his whole body before lumbering toward me. I stiffen but hold my ground, my hands clenched by my sides. Deep down I know they won’t hurt me, but it’s hard not to tremble before their majestic presence. They are even more beautiful than I thought while watching their videos online. Standing face to face with three full grown brown bears, there is something terrifyingly magnificent and overwhelming about this moment.

He nudges my fist with his snout and tosses my hand on top of his head. “I don’t understand what you want.”

Grumbling, he rolls his neck, my hand sliding back and forth.

Staring into his big brown eyes—similar to the ones I saw when Karter first opened his eyes yesterday morning—I flex my fingers and let my nails drag through his thick fur. “You know, when I met Karter’s bear this morning, I was so freaked out I never got a chance to really look at him. I never asked him to show me his bear either. I probably should have, huh? If I’m going to accept him as my mate, I have to accept all of him. Right?”

I glance at each of them, but don’t expect an answer. Kit sits back, my fingers falling from his head. Pressing my lips together, I slide my hands into the front pouch of my hoodie and stare at the word scrawled at my feet.

Stay

“I want to. I really do. But there’s a lot of pressure that comes with me staying, and ironically enough, with me leaving. Either way, for some reason this isn’t about me and Karter. We only met yesterday and in less than twenty-four hours my entire world has been turned upside down—again—but this time there are life-or-death consequences. I’m not afraid of Karter biting and marking me, but…” I shake my head and turn my back on them, pacing a ten-step path while I talk through my jumbled thoughts and mixed-up emotions. “I’ve already lost everyone I love once. If I bond with Karter and lose him…”

Realization hits hard, and I pant as the tightness in my chest intensifies. “I’m losing him right now when I don’t have to. What am I doing? Why would I walk away from a minute of happiness to avoid the heartbreak I’m feeling right now? He says he loves me, and I want to believe him, but regardless of his feelings, I know I love him. Shouldn’t that be enough reason to stay and fight for us?”

I turn back to face three bears who stare back at me with unreadable expressions, if bears even have readable expressions. “I have to go back.”

All three stand and nod their heads—snorting, bouncing their huge front paws against the ground, and making assorted bear noise with their teeth—as I run past them to my van. Within minutes I’m driving back to Fortune Falls. I grab my phone to call Karter and am quickly reminded there is no cell reception here. Slowing down, I search for the unmarked exit off the highway, relieved when I see the abandoned warehouse through the bushes and trees. It takes some maneuvering to get through the overgrown one-lane entrance, and I'm on the verge of gunning the gas pedal when I’m forced to come to a sudden stop as a pack of wolves waltzes onto the road, their teeth bared and golden eyes locked on me.

I stare back at them, searching their beautiful faces, and wonder—which one is Siren James? It stands to reason that if there are bear shifters, there must be other animals too, and while a snake seems more his personality, a powerful wolf with a pack who always has his back is a close runner-up.

A sharp tap, like a rock bouncing off my fender, jars me from our staring contest. Glancing out my driver’s window, I come face to face with the man and his deep jade green eyes.

He motions for me to roll down my window with a wave of his finger. “Back so soon, cupcake?”

“I forgot something.” I snap and motion to the wolves inching closer to my rig. “Are these your friends?”

Siren chuckles mirthlessly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Rolling my eyes, I sigh. “I don’t have time for you right now.”

“Cupcake, I’m the only thing you have time for.” He glances at the wolves and wraps his fingers over the window frame of my driver’s door, leaning in and lowering his voice. “It’s not safe for you to stay here. What do you expect us to do with the only human amongst a pack of shifters?”

“You think I’m a threat to you, but I’m not. My mate is a shifter, so why would I do anything to endanger him or his family? My family?” I jump when the wolves let out a low howl.

Siren’s eyes slide over to them, his eyes flashing gold for a millisecond. “That’s sweet, cupcake. I hope for your sake that’ll be enough to protect you.”

A tree-shaking roar captures all of our attention as a giant brown bear rushes out of the brush. The wolves scatter and Siren backs away from my window with his hands up. “No harm, no foul, Karter. Just welcoming your mate home.”

Karter shifts, his glorious naked body on full display, and stalks toward the driver’s side of my van. “Approach my mate again, and your silver tongue will be the first thing I remove from your body.”

Chuckling, Siren puts his hands in his pockets and turns on his booted heels. “Our banter had grown a bit stale, Karter. I’m glad we’ll have something new to talk about.”

Siren moves into the trees and I shift my van into park and jump out of the driver’s seat, throwing my arms around Karter’s neck. “I told you I’d be back.”

He wraps his arms around me tight, rubbing his face in my hair. “Are you back?”

“Yes.”

“I thought you needed time to think?” Karter pulls back and smoothes my hair with his big hand, his forearm wrapped around me and keeping me pinned to his chest.

My eyes water, but I smile up at him with all the love blooming in my chest, the crushing weight of my anxiety lifting as I speak my truth. “It turns out I only needed thirty minutes to realize that life is short and I don’t want to waste one minute overthinking the love between us. I love you and I’m willing to fight wolves, bears, and grumpy sisters to have you. Mark me, Karter. Make me yours.”

Karter’s lips crush down on mine and he backs me up against the side panel of my van, his hands gripping my ass and pulling my legs around his waist. He hardens against me, his cock stiffening against my jean-clad pussy.

I gasp as he pulls back and looks at me with eyes that glow. “Thank you, mate.”

Giggling, I wiggle my ass in his hands. “Uh, Karter, you are very naked right now.”

“Yeah, we don’t have a way to shift in our clothes.”

“That explains your brothers.”

“What?”

“Nothing, baby. Lucky for us, I have a bed and privacy curtains in my van.”

Not having to be told twice, Karter carries me around to the passenger side and slides the door open. He lays me on my bed that is too small for a man his size, but doesn’t complain as he kicks the door shut with his foot. “Let’s take a road trip.”

He slides his hands under my hoodie and pulls the fleece and my tank top over my head, and quickly attacks the buttons on my jeans. Gone is the man from yesterday with the timid touch. In his place is my mate who is consumed with getting me naked. Excitement flutters in my belly, and I help by shimmying my hips to kick off my jeans. “You know we’re parked in the middle of the road.”

“People can drive around,” he murmurs while pressing kisses to my thighs, unconcerned about anyone inconvenienced by us and our urgent business. Forcing my legs apart, he runs his tongue up my pussy and latches on to my clit. His teeth scrape along the skin—pain mixing with pleasure—and when he lifts his head, two elongated fangs push out his top lip.

No words come from his lips, but I see the ask in his eyes. Nodding my head, I open my legs wider. “Yes, do it.”

Karter drops his mouth on me, licking and sucking until I’m bucking my pussy against his face, and then sinks his fangs into the fleshy part of my mound. I cry out as my release crashes over, my body erupting into a series of tiny orgasms causing every muscle in my body to jerk until I’m utterly depleted and nothing more than a gelatinous goo-filled sack. My mate climbs up my body and shoves deep inside of my cunt, his cock jerking his release. He buries his face into my neck and growls over and over again, “Mine.”

“Yes, I am,” I pant, feeling it in every fiber of my soul.

Finally, his cock stills and my pussy stops pulsating and milking him for every drop he has to give. He collapses on me and I wrap my arms around his neck. “Is it done? Am I yours?”

“Yes.”

“Forever and ever?” I smile, finally able to take my first deep breath in hours.

Karter lifts, his hazel eyes glowing with a golden ring around the irises. “And ever.”