Page 348 of Bride of Choice

“You no understand,” they muttered, rolling off of me to stand.

“I don’t,” I admitted, scrambling after them as they just rolled to their feet and strolled towards the door. Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I entreated, “Tell me.”

With a sigh, they turned back towards me and stomped right up to me. Bending, getting in my face, bringing with them an odd musky smell that held a hint of sweetness to it, they met my gaze squarely, looking none too pleased about it. “Look.” A clawed finger jerked at their face. “What you see?”

“Uhm…” What did I see? “White fur…”

L made an impatient noise in their throat.

Feeling put on the spot, I blurted out the first thing that popped into my overtaxed brain. “The bluest eyes I’ve ever seen.”

L jerked back to frown down at me.

Scratching my head at that one, I shrugged. “You’re big and strong… Tall… What am I supposed to be seeing?”

Trying a new tact, they fanned a hand towards me. “What smell?”

“You bathe?” I mumbled, noting upon a deeper sniff a woodsy scent with a hint of something floral. It was nice. I liked it. I didn’t get them asking me to sniff them “You smell nice? I like it?” Glacing down at my person, I mumbled, “Is it me? What’s wrong with the way I smell?” Did that paste stuff Rek showed me how to make and use for deodorant fail me?

A choked noise left L. “You nose broken.” Jerking me towards them, I smacked against them. My palms splayed, landing flat on surprisingly thick, pronounced pecs. The nubs beneath my fingertips, buried in all that fur, hardened against my palms as my fingers flexed.

“Is- Is this your way of- of approaching me to be mates?” I squeaked. Because it was weird but it was kinda working, I had to admit. This was the first beast person I’d met that I felt any kind of anything for. Beneath all that scary beast stuff was something… a sort of, I don’t know, attraction to L?

L took my hands in theirs but instead of holding them they dropped them to my sides and backed away from me. A short, humorless laugh left them. “No want L for mate.”

“But I thought- You just- I- You don’t know that.” I was frowning right along with them now. What was so wrong with them I wouldn’t want them? Or were they being condescending?

“No want,” they repeated, sounding firmer in their resolve than before.

Was this what it was like for everyone else? An odd meet-cute, an awkward I like you? Denial? Then what? Was I supposed to chase after them?

The urge to do just that hit me as L turned without another word and walked right out of the wonky shack.

Have they changed their mind? Is this because of the whole Rek thing?! Was that why?!

“I don’t think it’s for you to decide what I do or don’t want,” I called out as I doggedly followed after them.

Good god, they walked fast.

Finally catching up to L, irked as I talked at their back and they ignored me, I gave the bear a poke, quite literally.

Turning on me with a snarl, they leaned in, teeth bared, fire in their eyes, grabbed my hand and growled out, “No play. Not funny game.” Thrusting my hand away from them, they snapped their teeth at me to grind out as they pointed off into the distance, “Make you say? Think make funny me?”

Hurt flashed in their eyes.

“I’m not making fun of you,” I entreated softly. Throwing my hands up in dismay, I sighed noisily. “I don’t understand. Please, make me understand.”

“What she say?” L pointed off towards a spot in the distance. I knew they meant the wild woman.

“She said you were worse than a cramps-monster,” I haltingly admitted.

“Cramps monster?” Leaning in, they gave me a loud sniff. “No smell blood. Hurts? It comes? Cramps monster? Need tea?”

“What? I- No.” My face flushed red.

“Why make face? No shame.” They let out a small grunt. “Shy?”

“A little,” I mumbled.

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