Page 26 of Chased Bear

“Jayce. Mate.” His nostrils flared.

I pushed him out of the way and ran. I needed space and air and to process what exactly had just happened.

Chapter 16

Aydan

Having my mate run away from me the minute I realized he was mine was not something I had anticipated ever happening.

Then again, I had always assumed that if I ran into my fated mate, I’d know immediately. Instead, I had spent several weeks with Jayce. That damn skunk smell hiding from my nose what my heart already knew: Jayce was mine.

My fated mate.

It explained so much about the turmoil I’d been feeling. The way I was drawn to him when I thought I shouldn’t be. The way I couldn’t keep away from him, no matter how hard I tried. The way he never left my mind. The way he lit up my world. I ignored them all, relying on my stupid bear and ability to scent him far too much. If only I’d trusted my instincts, we could’ve avoided all this hurt.

I didn’t care that he was the polar opposite of me. I didn’t care that the only role models I had growing up—my parents, who were fated to one another—were the absolute worst, and that I had sworn to never, ever find my fated mate. I’d been wavering on that one since my brother and Zane got together, but had never fully let it go. Now I did. My parents were the exception to the rule.

If only I’d seen that earlier.

When I made that oath, I had not known that my fated mate would be Jayce—beautiful, perfect, spontaneous Jayce, who brought fun into my life and apparently also brought chaos, which I so desperately needed. I hadn’t seen how glorious true mates could be as witnessed with my brother and his. I’d been angry and disillusioned. I was no longer that bear.

Jayce was gone. I needed to track him down. I wasn’t going to let him go without a fight. That had been true before I scented him and no less true now.

He couldn’t hide from me anymore, though. His scent was embedded in my brain. The skunk smell was gone, and in its place was rosemary and peaches—an odd combination, but onethat I now lived for. Only he wasn’t hiding from me, really, was he. He was hiding from us, and that hurt deeply.

I took off, following his scent out of the house and into the woods. He hadn’t shifted to his bear form, which was good, because I didn’t have time to strip off these clothes. I caught up with him quickly—my legs were longer than his, plus, I knew the territory better. I found him sitting on a fallen log, his face buried in his hands.

“Jayce,” I said. “Mate.”

“Don’t call me that.” Ouch.

That stung, but I understood where he was coming from. Until recently we had both been sure this was a temporary thing. I never told him my feelings were getting involved. I never told him that I craved the very air he breathed. It had been my fault. I was a stubborn jerk, and it was time to make it right.

I sat next to him.

“It seems like I’m always apologizing,” I said, my lips quirking into a smile. “I couldn’t figure out why you always drove me so crazy—why I was jealous of every alpha that got near you, jealous of all the connections you were making and how easy it all seemed to come for you. My den loved you, yet I was jealous. I wanted all of your attention. I still do. And now I know why.”

It hadn’t helped that my den was mostly alphas. I was sure that if I scratched the surface, they were all going to want him. Howcould they not? Look at him… gorgeous, kind, funny, and always surprising me with something new.

“Hormones.” Jayce looked up at me. “Stupid hormones.”

“Fate.” They weren’t the same, and hearing him not believe that I could tell the difference stung because I was the one who made him believe that.

“I know how you feel about fated mates, Aydan. Corey is my best friend.” He looked up at me. “He told me about your parents.”

I nodded. “Yes, they were awful. But look how fated mates worked out for Corey and Zane. I used to loathe the idea of fate dictating my future, but I know better now.” I longed to weave my fingers through his. “Perhaps it’s a blessing that I met you when I didn’t realize what you were to me. I probably wouldn’t have given us a chance, at least not right away. But getting to know you like I did, seeing how amazing you are in action—”

“I’m chaos. You hate chaos.” That was my fault. I’d said those stupid words so many times, and I regretted each and every single one of them. They were my shield, the one I put up to protect myself, and instead they acted as a weapon, one that hurt my mate.

“I love you.” There was no holding back. He needed to know exactly where I stood. If he still didn’t want me, I’d figure out a way to accept it. Gods, don’t let that be the case.

He looked up, his eyes brimming with tears. “Do you mean that?”

I nodded. “I love the fun you bring to my life, the chaos that follows you. I love how you are with my den. I really don’t like how much the alphas follow you around, but once they know that you are mine, they’ll behave themselves—if you accept this mating, of course.” I was jumping a thousand miles ahead, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted him in all ways, and I wasn’t going to keep that bottled in. He deserved to know.

“You can’t just change your mind overnight. Aydan, that’s not how this works.” He let out a sigh. “And besides, what if we are wrong? You’ve never knotted.”

I’d been thinking about that too. It was why more than once I’d thought we couldn’t be mates. But if I couldn’t scent him, of course my body wouldn’t know how to respond, right?

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