Page 7 of His Reluctant Mate

He had no idea. She gave him a weak smile. “You do what you have to do, but we need to get out of here,” she said urgently, her eyes locking onto Joe’s. “I have to get this data to the authorities. There’s something much bigger at stake here.”

Joe shook his head, his expression firm. “We’re not going anywhere in this blizzard. It’s too dangerous. We need to wait it out, at least until it lets up a bit.”

Melinda’s frustration boiled over. “You don’t understand. They’re hiding something…”

“Who is ‘they?’”

“The company I work for is hiding something, something that could have catastrophic effects. We can’t just sit here while they cover it up.”

Joe stood, his demeanor calm but resolute. “I understand more than you think. But if we go out there now, we’re as good as dead. The storm will kill us before we get anywhere close to help.”

Melinda clenched her fists, feeling a surge of helplessness. She knew he was right about the storm, but the urgency of her mission burned within her. She had risked everything to uncover the truth, and now it felt like time was slipping away.

“Please, Joe,” she pleaded, her voice cracking. “I’ve seen the data. The methane release—it’s worse than anyone knows. If we don’t act now, it could be too late.”

Joe’s eyes softened, and he walked over to her, sitting on the edge of the cot. “Melinda, I get it. I really do. But we have to be smart about this. We’ll wait for the storm to pass, then we’ll go. Together. I promise I’ll help you get to the authorities, but we can’t do it if we’re frozen to death out there.”

She looked into his eyes, searching for any sign of deceit but found none. His sincerity was evident, yet the fear of betrayal lingered in her mind. She had trusted the wrong people before, and the stakes were higher now than ever.

Taking a deep breath, Melinda nodded reluctantly. “Okay. We’ll wait for the storm to pass. But the moment it does, we have to move. There’s no time to waste.”

Joe nodded, relief evident in his eyes. “Agreed. We’ll be ready.”

As the blizzard raged outside, Melinda settled back onto the cot, her mind racing with plans and contingencies. She still wasn’t sure if she could fully trust Joe, but for now, he was her best chance at getting the truth out. She just hoped they would make it through the storm alive.

Melinda sat on the edge of the cot, staring into the flickering flames of the fire. The warmth was comforting, but her mind was anything but calm. She replayed the conversation with Joe in her head, worrying that she had revealed too much about the conspiracy she had uncovered. Could she really trust him? Despite his rugged kindness and apparent sincerity, doubt gnawed at her. She had been betrayed before; she couldn't afford to make the same mistake again.

Outside, the blizzard raged on, the wind howling like a wild beast. It sounded like the world was being torn apart, and the thought of venturing out into that chaos was terrifying. Yet the urgency of her mission pulled at her relentlessly.

She turned to Joe, who was methodically adding logs to the fire, his face set in a look of concern. “Joe, we can’t just sit here. We have to get to the authorities before it’s too late.”

Joe sighed, his patience clearly wearing thin. “Melinda, I’ve told you, we can’t go out in this storm. It’s suicide. We need to stay here, keep warm, and wait for it to pass.”

Melinda felt a surge of frustration. “Every moment we wait, the situation gets worse. People need to know what’s happening.”

Joe looked at her, his eyes softening. “I understand, but we need to think practically. We don’t have enough dry wood to keep the fire going indefinitely. We’ve got enough to last tonight and part of tomorrow unless we really conserve our heat.”

“How do we do that?”

He paused, before saying, “We should huddle together on the floor, share the blankets and stay closer to the fire. It’s the best way to stay warm.”

Melinda hesitated, her mind racing. The idea made sense, but the thought of being so close to Joe, especially given her mixed feelings about whether she could trust him or not was daunting. However, the chill in the air was undeniable, and survival had to come first. After all, if she succumbed to the storm, the information she had risked her life for would be lost.

“All right,” she agreed, her voice quiet. “But just for warmth.”

Joe nodded and began spreading out their blankets on the floor near the fire. They settled down next to each other, the proximity initially awkward. As they adjusted the blankets around them, the warmth from the fire and their shared body heat started to take the edge off the cold.

Melinda turned to Joe, their faces inches apart. “Thanks for helping me,” she whispered, the words surprising even herself.

Joe’s eyes met hers, a soft smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “You’re welcome, Melinda.”

“Can I ask you what kind of shifter you are?”

He grinned. “Sabretooth tiger.”

“You’d certainly stand out in a snow-covered landscape.”

“Not so much. I’m an arctic sabretooth, which means my base coat is white.”

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