Page 13 of Fated to the Grizzly

“Whoa,” I mutter as he helps me straighten up.

“Guess your knees are feeling stiff, huh?”

My knees are the last thing on my mind right now, but I nod.

“Need any help walking down the corridor?”

I go still. If I say yes, will he sweep me up in his massive arms again?

5

Orion

Every single fiber of my being is attuned to Scout as I follow her tiny figure through the house I’ve built for her.

For a beautiful moment, I thought she was going to accept my help, and I was going to have her tender body in my arms again, but then she strode off. Guess her stomach was rumbling too bad for her to wait a second longer. I can hear it; it’s like she’s got a tiny grizzly in there.

Soon, my beast growls.Soon she’ll carry your young in her belly.

I shush it up, and instead, my eyes feast on her long, golden hair spilling down her back and her lovely bare legs emerging from her boyish shorts. I wish I could see more of the luscious curves that I know are concealed beneath her clothes.

When she reaches the junction in the corridor, she looks over her shoulder uncertainly. She’s so goddamn adorable, it takes all my self-control not to throw my arms around her.

My head spins. I’m already falling for her. Everything’s happening so fast, but it’s all so right. It’s what I’ve been preparing for my whole life. All those lonely years where I never lost hope. I always knew my mate would come at last. And here she is. Even more incredible than I imagined.

“Bedrooms that way,” I tell her. My beast’s fur burns my skin. All it wants is to drag her off to the bedroom and mate her, right now.

I want that, too. I can’t wait to strip her bare, give her my mark and make her mine forever. But first I want to know every last thing about her. I need to claim her body, mind and soul—all at the same time.

And she needs to learn that the bear she already met is a part of me. That it will cherish and protect her with its last breath.

“Kitchen that way.”

I hold my breath as she enters my huge, state-of-the-art kitchen. There’s every possible type of appliance and convenience, all designed in the latest fashion.

“Whoa, a chef could run a restaurant out of here,” she breathes, wandering around the island, running her fingertips over the granite countertops.

“This is so cool,” she says of the hanging pot racks.

“This color scheme is awesome.” She takes in the peppermint green and copper accents.

With every compliment, my beast purrs. It’s all for her. The fates guided me to build her the best kitchen money could buy, because I knew my mate would love to cook. I even taught myself to cook, in case I misinterpreted the signals I was receiving, and she’d prefer me to cook for her.

A couple of years ago, I was getting real down about the fact I hadn’t met my mate yet. I was doing all kinds of crazy shit. Picking fights with other clans, arguing about territory, et cetera.

One day, my mom sat me down and told me to look deep inside myself and imagine my mate. She’s real connected with the mysteries of the universe, and, like all bears, she believes that we all have one true mate, and we need to spend our lives looking for her.

It took me a while to connect with my inner self, but one day, it came to me: I needed to leave my clan territory and find a spot deep in the wilderness, and build a beautiful house, fit for a queen.

Everyone thought I was crazy. Our clan lives in log cabins, close together. We’re in and out of each other’s houses all the time, like one big, rowdy family. No one could understand why I’d choose to live alone. And I couldn’t explain it either. I just knew that was real important that I was here every day, waiting for my mate to arrive.

I also knew the house had to have every possible luxury and convenience.

Luckily, I’ve got a ton of money stored in a vault in my mom’s house. When I was still in my teens, I invented an off-grid communication device that works through long-range radio technology. I started my own company selling it wholesale, and it took off, big time.

Still, I had no idea what luxury entailed, so I bought a bunch of those interior design magazines that humans love, and I hired some people to enact my vision.

The fates told me that water would be real important, so I had a saltwater swimming pool installed, and I added a giant fish tank in the living room.

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