Page 9 of Goldie & the Bear

So I point my car towards the one place I know I can lick my wounds in peace. The one person who’s always been there for me, even in my darkest moments.

Gran.

She’ll know what to do. How to help me pick up the pieces of my shattered heart. I just pray she doesn’t judge me too harshly for falling for my boss. For daring to reach for something so far beyond my grasp.

With a shaky hand, I fumble for my phone, dialing the familiar number. It only rings twice before her warm, creaky voice fills the line.

“Marie? This is a surprise. Is everything alright, dear?”

A sob catches in my throat. I swallow it back, blinking furiously against the fresh sting of tears.

“No, Gran,” I manage to choke out. “It’s not. I… I really messed up this time.”

There’s a pause, then a soft sigh. “Come home, baby girl. Gran will make it all better.”

* * *

MAVERICK

After calling for my mate without success, and searching all around the cabin, I make my way back inside. I can barelycontain my furor and worry, and I have to muster all my mental strength to see past the red film obscuring my vision.

‘Easy, brother. Let me take over. We need to find our mate.’ I close my eyes, breathing deep, taking in her lingering scent. Our mingled scents. Fuck, we smell fucking perfect. Bear lets out a pained squeak and I feel the pang of her loss in the depths of my soul.

When I finally calm him down enough to change back, I waste no time. I’m dressed and in my truck within minutes, speeding on the winding mountain roads, going after my omega.

My mind races as I drive, trying to figure out where Marie might have gone. Her apartment is the obvious choice, but something tells me she wouldn’t make it that easy. Not if she was really trying to run from me.

Frustration burns in my throat. Why can’t she see what’s right in front of her? That we’re fucking meant to be? I know I’m not the easiest man to love. I’m gruff and short-tempered and emotionally stunted at the best of times. But damn it, I’m trying. For her, I’m willing to do whatever it takes.

She just has to give me a chance.

I’m halfway down the mountain when it hits me. Her grandmother. If Marie was scared and hurting, that’s where she’d go. The old woman practically raised her after her parents died. She’s the only family Marie has left.

I wrack my brain, trying to remember where the grandmother lives. Marie mentioned it once, in passing. Some small town onthe coast. Peaceful. Picturesque. The perfect place to hide out and nurse a broken heart.

Well, tough shit. She’s not getting off that easily.

I yank the wheel to the side, making an illegal U-turn in the middle of the deserted highway. Horns blare as I cut off a logging truck, but I don’t give a fuck. All that matters is getting to Marie.

I push the gas pedal to the floor, hands tight on the wheel. Hang on, baby. I’m coming for you.

And this time, I’m not letting you go.

Six

Four Months Later…

MAVERICK

“Please, Edna,” I beg Marie’s grandmother, clasping her small, wrinkled hand in my huge hands. I’ve been visiting her every day for the past four months and the woman is sick of me.

That day, after leaving Lake Tahoe, I drove straight to Marie’s house and pounded on her door until her neighbors called the police. When I explained I was looking for my mate, the two police officers who’d responded to the call took one long look at my disheveled form, exchanged a knowing gaze, and escorted me back to my truck. They advised me to go home, shower, try to get myself together, and only then try again to reach out to my omega. I wanted to fucking punch them. Fuck their sensible advice! I wanted to let my bear break down Marie’s door and inspect every single room in her house to ensure she wasn’t there. But there was no point. Her car was parked in the front,but she wasn’t responding. The blinds were closed, the lights off. My girl was long gone. I was too late.

I spent the last few months harassing Marie’s grandmother, and paying an army of P.I.’s looking for my omega. But no one has seen her. Not her friends or colleagues. And Edna is as silent as a tomb.

Every day without Marie is pure torture. I can’t eat, can’t sleep, can’t fucking think straight. All I can do is prowl and pace and growl, my bear a caged animal beneath my skin, desperate to find our mate. To bring her home where she belongs.

But Edna refuses to bend, no matter how much I plead.

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