Page 1 of Bearly Taken

one

WREN

Dread,fear, and a tiny shred of thrill were my constant companions throughout the day.

Not every day.

Justthatday.

The day Hudson Claw decided to tell my baby’s father, my bear shiftermate, the truth about what he’d left behind when he abandoned me after marking me as his.

At least he’d called and warned me afterward.

I’d always known Reed would find out the truth. And that when he did, there would be some fury involved. Given that I’d never reached out to let him know that I was pregnant, that seemed inevitable.

But he was the one who walked away from me, knowing full and well that there was every chance Icouldbe pregnant after he mated me.

So, I’d always maintained that it was his fault.

And I was sticking with that.

Just like the dread and those other crappy emotions stuck with me as I made a simple dinner and played with my adorable toddler, Parker.

Who, yes, looked almost identical to Reed.

It would serve him well when he got older though, because Reed was gorgeous.

Parker didn’t care how crappy the apartment was—and didn’t notice that it only had one bedroom, which belonged to him. All that mattered to him was that I filled it with love and toys. By the time he was old enough for it to matter, I would have enough money to pay for a better place.

I knew 10 PM was the earliest Reed could arrive, thanks to my best friend looking up plane arrival times. So, I held my breath through Parker’s bedtime routine, and continued as I retreated to the couch that functioned as my bed. There was work to be done online for my business, but I wouldn’t be able to focus. Not when I was waiting for my own personal kryptonite to knock on my door.

Around midnight, I finally started to relax.

He wouldn’t show up that late. He was coming to see Parker, not me. He’d probably be by first thing in the morning, so?—

A harsh knock sounded on the door.

I froze.

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit.

Maybe hewasthere for me.

I lifted my hand to the scarred bite on my shoulder, reminding myself that the permanent bond he’d created between us prevented him from hurting me. And from sleeping with anyone other than me, though that didn’t particularly matter in this case.

Loyalty didn’t negate leaving me.

I let out a slow breath as he knocked again, louder.

The knocks sounded angry. I’d never seen Reed angry. What if he decided to shift and ram my door down or something?

Yikes.

I closed my laptop and forced myself to my feet. Hiding from him wouldn’t get me anywhere.

As I started toward the door, my phone rang.

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