Page 19 of Cowboy Bear's Hope

“Nothing,” I murmured, forcing my Bear to shut the fuck up.

Mine.

The idiotic beast inside of me didn’t understand why I was delaying what he saw as inevitable.

Claim her. Mate.

The animal in me didn’t get it. But frustration was my middle name. Every second spent without Avery in my arms was adding up, mounting one on top of the other, building up to an unattainable height.

It was dangerous for Shifters like me. See, I needed something to anchor my monster, and a mate would do that for me. Give me purpose.

But Avery deserved the right to choose.

Fuck, how I wanted her to pick me.

It was borderline pathetic.

Still, I wasn’t a total cave Bear, though. I mean, it wasn’t like I was going to grab her by the hair and drag her to my den.

I wanted to, don’t get me wrong. Avery was it for me. She was the one woman in the entire world I wanted.

But there would be no hair pulling—unless she asked for it.

It was a real fucking problem.

I parked the truck in front of Max’s place.

“Thanks for the ride,” Avery began, jumping out of the truck faster than I could blink.

What was wrong with me that this woman lit out like her boots were on fire every time I got close?

It wasn’t just once or twice—it was every single time.

Like I had some kind of invisible warning label slapped on my forehead.

And yet, no matter how many times she bolted, I couldn’t stop myself from wanting her. Damn, it was frustrating as hell, like trying to catch smoke with my bare hands.

Still, hope clung to me like a burr in a horse’s tail, refusing to let go, no matter how much it hurt.

Hope could be a poisonous thing, couldn’t it?

Sweet at first. Like honey.

I should know, right? I mean, hello, Bear shifter here.

But it had a way of corroding you from the inside out when it went unfulfilled for too long.

Some days, I wondered if it would leave me hollow, burned up from the inside until there was nothing left but ash and regret.

How much longer could I keep this up—aching for her, chasing a dream that always seemed just out of reach?

Every time she walked away, I told myself I’d let it go. That I’d turn my back and forget her.

Like maybe the Fates had it wrong, and she wasn’t mine.

But the second she was gone, the hole she left behind opened wider, like a canyon splitting my chest in two.

And God help me, I didn’t know what to do about it.

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