Page 32 of Fated to the Grizzly

My breath catches. “We’re havingcubs?”

He embraces me from behind. “You’d better believe it,” he growls. “I can’t wait to fill your belly with my young.”

A shiver goes through me as I absorb all these new words. “I wasn’t sure if I’d ever have kids,” I mutter.

He spins me around and stares at me, brow furrowed. “With these amazing genes? Why the hell not?”

I sigh. “I was worried I’d screw things up like my parents did.”

“Scout…” I see his big chest rise and fall. “You’re nothing like your parents.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because you’re an incredible person, and they don’t deserve you.”

I stop breathing, my eyes prickling.

“And I’m gonna tell you that every day, until you believe me. You’re gonna be a great mom. You’re so warm and caring and strong.”

He presses me against his chest, and I let myself relax into him. The truth is, I want nothing more than to have Orion’s cubs.

“But for now, you’ve gotta pick one of the rooms to be our bedroom,” he says. “I decorated them differently, because I wasn’t sure which you’d like best.”

I wander between them like a kid in a candy store. Each one of them is the most beautiful room I’ve ever seen in my life. “Where do you usually sleep?”

“Guess.” He plants his hands on his hips, a sexy smile tugging at his lips.

I wander back down the hallway, peering into each room. Trying tofeelOrion, in the way he says he’s been feeling me. I stop in front of the room that’s decked out with wood paneling. It has a stone fireplace with a vintage leather armchair beside it, and a cozy red area rug covering the floor. A plaid comforter has been laid neatly over the gigantic bed. I imagine him sleeping there, his big, sexy body all sprawled out.

“This one, for sure.”

A rumbling sound escapes his lips, and I jump.

“What was that?”

“Just my bear. It’s happy that you’re starting to read me.”

“It’s because we’re mates, isn’t it?”

He draws me close, stroking my hair. “It sure is. And it’ll only get stronger.”

I press my hand to his chest, feeling that deep, vibrating sensation that comes in time with his breathing. “I like being connected with your bear. It’s a nice feeling.”

“Oh, little one, this is just the beginning. One day you’ll see how truly connected a bear and his mate can be.”

My heart flutters. I already have his mark on my neck—it’s been tingling non-stop since he gave it to me—I can’t wait to see what else is in store for us.

He leads me to the floral room. “Funny, before I met you, I thought you might dig this one. That’s why I set up your stuff in here.”

“My stuff?”

He shows me in. On the far side of the room is a walk-in closet. Imight’vepeeked in it this morning, but when I saw it was full of someone’s else’s possessions, I slammed the door shut again, with a mixture of guilt and jealousy.

Now he opens it. “Everything in here is yours. I wasn’t sure of your size of course, so I got a few duplicates.”

My mouth falls open as I take in the racks of beautiful clothes. Underneath is a row of shoeboxes. And on the shelves, I spot a bunch of expensive toiletries.

“H-how…?” I stammer.

---