Page 12 of Rescued By the Surly Sasquatch

Chase seemed to relax slightly at this line of questioning. "I protect the forest," he said, a note of pride in his deep voice. "I ensure the balance is maintained, that the old magics are respected."

"Old magics, huh?" Betsy mused, settling back down beside him. "Is that what you call this irresistible animal magnetism of yours?"

The joke seemed to fly right over Chase's head. He nodded solemnly. "The forest is alive in ways humans have forgotten. It speaks, it breathes, it dreams. My duty is to listen, to understand, to guard."

Betsy felt a pang of respect and a twinge of inadequacy. Here she was, fumbling around trying to identify plants without poisoning herself, while Chase was communing with nature on a level she could barely comprehend.

"Wow," she said softly. "That's actually pretty amazing. But Chase, you have to see how wild this all is from my perspective, right? A week ago, my biggest worry was whether I'd packed enough socks for my new forest adventure. Now I'm apparently mated to the guardian of an ancient, magical forest. It's a lot to take in."

Chase reached out, cupping her face in his massive hand. The warmth of his touch sent a shiver down Betsy's spine. "I understand this is strange for you," he said. "But you must feel the bond between us. It is rare, precious. A gift from the forest itself."

Betsy leaned into his touch, her resolve wavering. She did feel something, a connection that went beyond the physical. But was it this mystical mate bond, or just really, really good sex?

"Okay, let's say I buy into this whole 'fated mates' thing," she said. "What does that actually mean for us? For our lives?"

Chase's expression grew serious again. "It means we are one," he said. "Your life is my life; your joys, my joys; your sorrows, my sorrows. We belong to each other and to the forest. You will remain here with me and never leave again."

Betsy's eyes widened. "Whoa there, big fella. Slow down. I hate to break it to you, but I'm going to need to go back to thecity to make supply runs. Unless you've got a secret Sasquatch Starbucks hidden in these woods?"

The confusion on Chase's face would have been comical if the situation wasn't so serious. "Why would you need to leave?" he asked. "The forest provides all we need."

Betsy couldn't help it. She laughed. "Oh, honey. The forest is great and all, but it doesn't provide Wi-Fi. Or toilet paper. Or chocolate. You know what? I think it's time for a crash course in modern human life."

She stood up, striking a pose like a university lecturer. "All right, class is in session. Today's topic: The Wonders of the 21st Century, or Why Humans Can't Live on Berries and Good Vibes Alone."

Chase sat up straighter, his expression a mixture of bemusement and curiosity. Betsy took this as encouragement to continue.

"Let's start with something simple. Social media. Imagine you could talk to all your forest friends at once, without having to howl really loud. That's Facebook. Or maybe you want to show off your latest acorn collection. Boom, Instagram."

Chase's brow furrowed deeper with each explanation. "But why?" he asked.

Betsy waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, trust me, half the time we don't know either. But that's not the point. The point is that humans are connected. We share, we communicate, we order pizza at 2 a.m. because we saw a mouthwatering photo on our phones."

She could see Chase struggling to wrap his mind around these concepts.

"Okay, let's try something else," Betsy said. "Online dating. It's like how animals find mates by scent, but instead of sniffing butts, we swipe right or left on pictures."

Chase's eyes widened in horror. "You choose mates based on pictures?"

Betsy couldn't help but laugh at his scandalized expression. "Well, not exactly. It's more like window shopping for potential partners. You chat, you meet up, you see if there's a spark. Sometimes it works out, sometimes you end up with a funny story about the guy who brought his pet ferret to dinner."

She could practically see the gears turning in Chase's head as he tried to process this information. His next question, however, caught her off guard.

"And this is how you would have chosen a mate, if not for our bond?"

The vulnerability in his voice made Betsy's heart clench. She sat back down beside him, taking one of his massive hands in both of hers.

"Chase, honey, no. That's not... I mean, yes, that's how a lot of people meet these days. But what we have? This crazy, impossible connection? That's not something you find on Tinder."

The relief on his face was palpable, and Betsy felt a surge of affection for this strange, wonderful creature. But it also brought her crashing back to the reality of their situation.

"But Chase," she said softly, "you have to understand. I can't just disappear into the forest. I have a life out there. Friends, family, a budding herbal business that's probably going to tank if I don't actually learn to identify plants correctly."

Chase's expression darkened. "You cannot leave the forest," he said, his tone brooking no argument. "It is not safe. The outside world does not understand our ways. It would seek to destroy what we have, what we are."

Betsy felt a flare of frustration. "So, I'm supposed to just become a forest hermit? Never see another human being again? Chase, that's not fair. It's not realistic."

She could see the conflict in his eyes, the struggle between his instincts and his desire to understand her. Finally, he spoke, his voice heavy with resignation.

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