Page 16 of Riding With the Grizzly

“We sort of had an impromptu lunch date that turned into me somehow agreeing to go to dinner with him later that day.”

“Why didn’t I know any of this?” my friend asks before taking a sip of her coffee.

“It all happened so fast. Jude is… I’m…” I clear my throat, not knowing how to make it make sense to Astrid. Jude was right when he said the mating pull is indescribable. But it’s not like I’m going to tell her anything about that or shifters or mates.

“Are you safe?” she asks, taking mercy on me and my tied tongue. I immediately nod my head. “Good. That’s the most important thing.”

We nibble on the scones Astrid got for us and get most of the way through our drinks before Astrid turns to me with a serious look in her eyes.

"I don't want to alarm you, but your dad is furious. He, your stepmom, and your brother are telling anyone and everyone that you're a traitor."

“That sounds about right,” I say flatly. I finish off the last of my sugary beverage and set it down on the table.

Astrid frowns, her eyebrows knit together in worry. She reaches out for me, taking my hand in hers. “I’m scared for you,” she whispers. “I hope you really do trust Jude to protect you. If anything happens, please call me. You know I’ll come in, guns blazing.”

I grin at my friend. “You wouldn’t know how to shoot a gun even if you had one,” I say with a laugh.

“Oh, and you do?”

“Nope, but I didn’t promise an armory of protection,” I counter.

We both giggle, though her words sit heavy in my stomach. I knew my dad wouldn’t just let me leave. What other option did I have, though?

Astrid looks at her phone and rolls her eyes. “I should probably get back to my computer. I just got an email from a client who has been impossibly picky about the project he hired me for.”

We say our goodbyes and hug, and then Astrid heads outside, typing away on her phone. I take a few more minutes to enjoy being in this cafe. I have a feeling life is about to get very, very complicated. This is just the calm before the storm.

Eventually, I get up and clear the plates and cups from our table before walking outside. As soon as my feet hit the pavement, I know something is wrong.

The hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I’m ultra-aware of every sound, every person who walks past me.I’m being paranoid, I reason with myself. Astrid gave me bad though not unexpected news about how my family handled my disappearance, so I’m just projecting that. Probably.

Either way, I turn and head down the sidewalk, picking up my speed when I sense there’s someone following me. I make it to the end of the block and turn right even though Jude’s house is in the opposite direction. The looming figure behind me also takes a right, and I finally shore up the courage to look over my shoulder. I’m probably just making all of this up…

My brother sneers at me and lunges in my direction. I break into a sprint only to bounce off of my father’s protruding beer belly. Stumbling over my own two feet, I fall backward, only to be caught by my brother.

“Thought you could get away from us? Your family? The people who fed and clothed you and put a roof over your head? Some way of thanking us for all we’ve sacrificed.”

A thousand scenes from my childhood and adolescent years race through my mind, none of them showing my family sacrificing anything for my well-being. My memories consist of getting back-handed when I disobeyed, made too much noise, or didn't immediately clean up after myself and everyone in my family. I remember being left alone for days on end while my dad, stepmom, and brother were out on one of their benders, either alcohol or meth.

“I’m talking to you, ungrateful bitch!” my dad screams. I try flinching away from him, but my brother is holding my arms behind my back so tightly I feel like my arms might pop out of their sockets.I wish Jude were here…

“Get your filthy fucking hands off of her,” my mate growls from off to the side. Did I conjure him up? Do fated mates have that ability? I’ll have to ask him later.

His presence startles my brother enough for him to loosen his hold on me. I make a run toward Jude and his bike, knowing he’ll keep me safe. All this time, I thought bikers were untrustworthy, lewd, and morally corrupt. Everyone in Midnight Rebels is.

But Jude… As I race toward him, I realize there’s one biker I trust with my heart and body.My mate.I hop on the back of his bike and he tears off into the night while I cling to his torso.

“Are you okay, Nara?” Jude asks once we’re back at his house. As soon as we stepped in the door, Jude led me to the bed and pulled the covers back. I climbed onto the soft mattress, quickly followed by Jude. I didn’t realize I hadn’t spoken a single word since we’ve been back.

I start to say something but all of my thoughts are jumbled together. I’m still shaken from everything and a few tears slip down my cheeks as I start to tremble.

"I'm right here," Jude says, his fingertips tracing my brow and along the right side of my face. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there sooner, mate." He catches my tears on the pad of his thumb, wiping them away before they can fall.

Mate.I’m really starting to like the sound of that. Jude cups the side of my cheek, the tenderness of his touch is such a stark contrast to his rough hands.

"Nara, my sweet girl," he murmurs. "Your tears are breaking my goddamn heart." I smile through the heaviness and anxiety still sitting on my chest, loving that he's still rough around theedges even when he's comforting me. "Why are you smiling?" he asks. The light returns to his eyes as if he wasn't going to fully be okay until he knew I was feeling better. I've never had that before.

“You,” I answer, nuzzling into the hand he still has cupped against my cheek. His nostrils flare and his eyes are ablaze - literally glowing - as he stares at me. There’s a mix of raw lust, deep satisfaction, and hope for the future. I feel it, too.

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