Page 28 of Run Free

He wrapped his arm around me and I laid my head on his shoulder. We didn’t talk after that, just basked in the closeness the bond created until we silently got up and headed back to the clinic. Gage hesitated, but I tugged his hand in silent request to join me.

I felt a little shy this time as we walked into my room and got ready for bed. I locked the door, something I never bothered to do, and got into my pajamas. Gage stripped down to his boxers and I wondered for the first time if he had anything more in life than a change of clothes.

We settled back into the same sleeping arrangement we’d shared earlier. I sighed happily as his hand stroked my hair. I thought about what our future would look like—a nomad always on the go and a lone wolf with no roots. We made quite the pair. I drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face.

Gage

Chapter 17

Waking up with Clara in my arms gave me a calm I’d never known before.

The project I was overseeing was complete, but there was still much work to be done before we could leave. I was struggling to see the ugliness and evil I had associated with the zoo as the restorations continued. We were washing away the old and bringing the place new life. It felt good to have a purpose.

The project was only temporary, so I didn’t feel like I was being tied down or committing to more than I could handle. I laughed. That panic belonged solely to the beautiful woman snoring softly in my arms.

A mate. I had a freaking mate. It was the one thing I’d always sworn I’d never let happen. The scariest part was that I trusted Clara. That alone terrified me more than anything. There was a lot about my past she didn’t know and probably couldn’t understand. I was still shocked by her revelation that she was an Alpha’s daughter.

Clara Collier. How had I not put that together? I had already walked away once, from my shot at being Alpha. God must have a pretty good sense of humor to stick me in that position again. Third in line was better than second, I supposed.

My father was an Alpha, too. I didn’t like to think about it. I had idolized him as a child, but as I’d grown, my perceptions had changed. They weren’t his fault. Despite everything that had happened, I still respected the hell out of my dad. It was the rest of the family I had run from.

I’d left that all in the past, and I didn’t want to drudge it back up now. None of it mattered, except it did. It was all still a part of me. My parents hadn’t been true mates, only compatible ones. My dad had bonded for an alliance, one that nearly cost him his life.

I was thirteen the first time I realized life wasn’t always what it seemed. That was the night I’d walked in on my mother and my uncle in bed. She’d spun some screwed up story about true love and how important it was to keep it as our little secret. I knew it was wrong, but I had obeyed. What I hadn’t known was the plot they’d conjured up against my father. She tried to destroy him, but I interceded and confided in my brother Mark first. He had gone to our dad with the news and when a fight broke out, Mark had been right in the middle of it. He’d lost his life that night, and I had never been the same since.

I had sworn that day that I would never succumb to a mate. I didn’t know if I could be as committed and faithful as my father or if I shared whatever messed up gene possessed my mother to turn from a bond mate. I would never allow myself to be put in the position to destroy someone so completely, or to be destroyed like that myself.

I looked down at the angel sleeping in my arms. So why the hell had I allowed this to happen? The surge of possession I felt left me with no uncertainty. I was as loyal as my father and would never do anything to disrespect or hurt my mate. But that left me vulnerable to her in every way imaginable and it scared the shit out of me.

Clara stirred and smiled against my chest, planting a kiss there. My body was instantly awake and hard.

“Good morning,” she said in a husky voice. “I was afraid you were just a dream.”

I relaxed and squeezed her tightly. “No dream, angel. I’m here,” I told her.

Before anything could get started between us, her phone rang. With a groan she rolled over and answered it.

“Yes, I see what time it is, Dave,” she said without even a hello. “I know I blew off yesterday and you know why. Give me a freaking break.” There was a pause and I couldn’t make out what all he was saying. “Fine. Give us ten minutes and we’ll meet you there.”

She hung up the phone with a frustrated scowl. “No chance we’ll get time together all to ourselves. Rick’s team has some new setbacks. I wish I’d just fired him a week ago. He’s been nothing but a pain in my ass. Dave and I already agreed we won’t use him again after this, but that leaves an opening on the team. The job’s yours, if you want it. Dave suggested it the other day, but I wasn’t sure then if I should mention it. Since you’re sort of stuck with me now, it’s actually the perfect plan. I’ve been slowing my job rate lately, spending more time at home, but I’m still gone at least a week, if not more, every month.”

I considered what she said. We had a lot still to discuss and figure out, but she was right, taking a job that would allow us to work together and travel together was ideal. “That sounds good right now but let me think it over and talk with Dave.”

She nodded without any signs of disappointment. I couldn’t help but watch her as she changed in front of me. She knew it, too, and confirmed she knew as she shook her ass after shimmying into a tight pair of jeans. I hadn’t seen her wear jeans even once since I awoke into this new crazy world. I couldn’t help but wonder if she had worn them just for my benefit.

She threw on a T-shirt and pulled her hair into a ponytail. She looked young and fresh—stunning. She made my heart beat faster just with a smile. I felt like I had no control over anything anymore and it still made me uncomfortable, yet my wolf was at total peace.

“Ready?” she asked as I continued to stand there gawking at her. I nodded, and her sly smile told me she enjoyed my attention.

Dave was already standing over the elephant enclosure, yelling down profanities. I hadn’t seen him lose his cool even once, but he was clearly at his wits’ end. Clara laughed under her breath.

“This is why I never take a day off while on assignment,” she said. “Even when he’s in charge.”

“What’s going on, man?” I asked him.

“Rick is a complete moron. I’ve half a mind to fire him on the spot. Please tell me Clara convinced you to take the job.”

“We’re discussing it,” I said, not committing until Clara and I really had time to discuss it and figure out what the future held for us now. I wasn’t quite ready to think about it. I should be freaking out, this was the last thing I ever wanted, but I wasn’t. Somehow it didn’t feel like my freedom had been clipped or that I was tied down and doomed for all eternity. Quite the opposite. Everything seemed new and exciting.

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