Page 14 of The Alpha Grizzly's Mate

He nodded. “Yeah, I get it. Mine is too.” He stood up, still holding my hand. “Let’s go. All of this will still be here when we get back.”

He led me out of the room we were staying in and out the back door, pausing only long enough to let the others know what we were doing. I could tell they didn’t trust me fully. Why should they? I was literally the enemy. But out of respect for my mate—for Levi—they accepted me, at least to an extent.

No one tried to stop us.

We were barely out the door when I shucked my clothing, and he did the same. There’d be a time when I’d want to watch him, have it be a slow reveal, or give him one of myself. But that wasn’t today. Our beasts needed out and now.

I stepped off the porch, and my wolf broke through, landing on all fours.

Levi had better control of his beast. He walked down the steps, squatted in front of me, and looked me in the eye. “You are so gorgeous.”

His praise had my wolf puffing out his chest and standing tall. He leaned in and scented our mate, loving the way he filled our senses so completely.

Levi pressed his forehead to my wolf’s head, and I expected sweet words. Instead, I got a challenge. “But, are you fast?”

He gave me a kiss on the top of my head, stood up, and ran—shifting mid-run into his bear.

My mate’s beast wanted a chase. Or maybe he knew my wolf did. I didn’t care which, because I was there for it.

Levi knew this area better than I did. He had all the advantages when it came to that. But I was fast—one of the fastest in my family. As he weaved through the terrain, I was close on his heels.

Could I have pushed a little bit harder and ended the game sooner? Possibly. But our beasts loved this, and it wasn’t about who came out on top at the end; it was about how we got there.

It wasn’t until we reached a new clearing that I pounced, landing on him. Both of us shifted just long enough for me to tell him, “I won,” and for him to tell me that was only part one.

Then, once again, he took his bear form and ran back.

This time, he caught me off guard. My body was ready for a different kind of communication as we lay there in the clearing. The way he looked at me told me he was feeling the same. Not that that stopped him from running away again. Only, this time, it wasn’t me who won.

But that was fine.

Because it made it a tie.

And a tie meant we were going to have to have a rematch or five or five thousand. I was up for all of them.

I couldn’t think of anything more fun than getting together with our beasts and frolicking in the woods. Maybe next time, we wouldn’t be a quick chase there and back. Maybe we’d bringa picnic, eat our fill, and then shift so our beasts could snooze in the sun together.

Or maybe I was getting ahead of myself, pretending that life was sunshine and roses when it wasn’t.

I was still a member of one of the worst organized crime families in the country. We still had to deal with my father, my mate’s uncle, and anyone else who was involved in harming and capturing those innocent omegas and their children.

But, for these few moments, it was fun to pretend that life was finally going as it should and I was on the cusp of my happily ever after.

Chapter Nine

Levi

Shifting would never feel the same without my mate. His wolf played with my bear, giving chase like no other. I could envision him laying his head against my belly as we slowed down to rest and simply soaking in the sun. Today, we didn’t have the time, but once we figured this whole mess out, we were going to do all the things.

Goddess. This man was surely made for me, and I for him.

His wolf was the most beautiful creature I’d ever laid eyes on.

By the time we made it back to my room, our room, we were both exhilarated from the run, but a tension pulled between us.

Sure, we were in this honeymoon-ish bubble, but eventually it had to burst. As long as we held hands, we would be good, but I needed to talk to my mate about everything.

We showered, separately—what a shame. Colson put on a pair of sweatpants and a shirt from my bag, but they were at least a size or two too big. What could I say? I was a grizzly who liked to eat.

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