Page 12 of Bear the Burden

Hyett took a large bite of pizza then headed toward the back door. Wesley glanced toward the other three who were stuffing their faces while actively avoiding his gaze.

Fine. If no one wanted to answer him, he would just take his butt home. Once Hyett dropped him off, Wesley would never see them again anyway, so what did it matter to him if they refused to answer his question?

* * * *

Wesley stomped to the SUV and got in then folded his arms over his chest. Hyett sat in the driver’s seat, chewing while he wondered the best approach to take.

It wasn’t his family’s place to answer Wesley. It was his, but Hyett was struggling on how to begin.

“Please, can you start the car so you can get me back to mine?” Wesley said with a bite.

Oh yeah. His mate was livid. Earlier, Wesley had been in pain and lashing out. This was different. He had a legitimate reason to be pissed.

After wiping his hands with a napkin, Hyett started the SUV. “A mate is…” He twisted his lips, strumming his fingers on the steering wheel. “Well, it’s kind of like…”

“I don’t even care anymore,” Wesley ground out. “I just need to get home, so please drive.”

Hyett could hear his mate’s phone vibrating in his pocket.

“Why is your dad blowing up your phone?” Repeated calls from a parent would signal an emergency. It would to Hyett, but Wesley hadn’t answered any of them, which meant he already knew the reason.

“Really?” Wesley stared wide-eyed at him. “You won’t even answer my question, but you expect me to answer yours?” He huffed and turned his head toward the passenger window. “If you’re not going to drive me back to my car, tell me now so I can get out and walk.”

“I understand your annoyance at not getting an answer, but that doesn’t justify you biting my head off.” Hyett blew out a breath.

It seemed his mate was back to being a meanie. Hyett couldn’t even say it was from pain, because Wesley wasn’t rubbing his leg or wincing. He sat there with his jaw clenched, his arms folded over his chest, and then his anger just visibly drained. He dropped his arms then folded his hands in his lap as he looked at his feet.

“I just need to get home.”

Hyett studied him for a long moment and then pulled around the house and headed down the driveway. “I was drawn to the peaceful way you were cutting the mushrooms. But then it struck me that it was you who’d drawn me in, and that’s when I felt our connection, and I knew in that moment you were my mate. Someone fate had handpicked just for me, Wesley.”

His mate side-eyed him. “I don’t understand what you’re telling me, Hyett.”

Pulling over to the soft shoulder of the road, Hyett put the SUV in Park and turned toward his mate. “This is going to sound completely insane, and I’m worried about your reaction, but we can’t move forward if… You keep lashing out at me, and I don’t understand why,” he said softly. “You told me that you were in pain, but my gut tells me it’s more than that.”

“What’s going to sound insane to me?”

Hyett wished he could pull Wesley into his lap and hold him. He didn’t like all the secrets he saw hidden in the man’s eyes. His mate was struggling with something, and all Hyett wanted to do was help him.

With a sigh, Hyett said, “I’m a bear shifter, Wesley. In my world, we’re given mates, someone specifically chosen for us, and I don’t think I’m explaining this right, so forgive me, because I’ve never had to explain what I am to anyone before.”

Wesley scowled. “You’re saying I was specifically chosen for your family?”

“What? No.” Hyett wanted to snarl at the thought of his brothers or father touching Wesley. “I told you I was screwing this up.” He sat back and rested his elbow on the doorframe, his forehead against his fingers.

“You’re saying you’re given a harem of men?”

Hyett gaped at him. “How did you even come to that conclusion?”

“You just told me you were given mates, as in plural,” Wesley argued in exasperation. “Then you said specifically chosen for us, again, plural. What else was I supposed to think?”

“Me, bear. I get one mate. You, mate.”

Wesley glared at him. “Dude, I’m not a moron. You just suck at explaining things.”

“Clearly,” Hyett groaned.

“So, let me see if I get this straight.” Wesley held up a hand, palm out. “You can change into a bear. Right?”

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