Page 11 of Protected By The Polar Bear

“I mean, why are you being weird? You’re like ignoring me and being all distant. I thought that after last night—” she cuts off, looking around the plane before she lowers her voice. “I thought that after last night when you bit me, that you would be… different.”

“I…”

I don’t know what to say.

“I have so many questions,” she goes on. “When did you know that I was your fated mate?” She whispers.

“When you got to town.”

Hurt flashes across her features, and my gut twists in discomfort.

“Why didn’t you claim me when we first met then? Why did you wait so long? Why claim me now?” She rambles.

I swallow hard. How am I going to explain this? It’s not like I can talk about shifters out in public like this.

“I think that we should talk about this later,” I whisper as someone sits down in the seat next to me.

She frowns, but her eyes flash to the girl next to me, and she nods.

My polar bear is still pacing inside me, and I can feel how nervous he is about this conversation.

I have a feeling that when I explain myself, it’s not going to make things better between us. I just hope Tessa will forgive me and that we can carry on together as mates.

Deep down though, I know that’s not what’s really going to happen.

SIX

Tessa

The plane ride was awkward, butridinge in Ash’s truck might be even worse. Probably because now we’re alone and there’s nothing to stop us from talking.

We’ve been riding in silence for the last half an hour and we’re finally out of Anchorage and on the road back to Aspen Ridge. Ash keeps glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. He’s looking at me like he thinks I’m plotting a surprise attack, and he’s trying to prepare for it. I guess that I kind of am.

Part of me wants to demand that he answer all of my questions, but I think that deep down, I know I’m not going to like what he has to say. I’ve been stalling, trying to protect myself and my heart, but this needs to be done.

“So,” I start, and he shifts in his seat, glancing at me warily.

“I wanted to claim you,” he starts, and I tense, anger coursing through my veins.

“Then why didn’t you?” I snap. “Why wait months?”

“I never wanted to find my fated mate. I never wanted to be mated,” he admits, and it feels like I was just stabbed in the heart.

“You never wanted me,” I say dully, and he shakes his head.

“Not you. I never wanted anyone to be my mate. When I met you, I wanted you, but…”

“But you didn’t want to want me.”

He nods, looking nervous.

“Why?” I demand to know.

“My mom was human. She left my dad when I was a kid and it destroyed him. He became a shell of a person. I watched it happen, and I promised myself that I would never be like that. I never wanted to give someone the power to destroy me.”

My heart breaks for him and what he must have gone through when his mom left, but I’m also kind of insulted.

“So, you thought I was going to leave,” I say slowly, and he nods.

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