Page 75 of Cowboy Bear's Hope

Even more terrified than I’d been when Avery had sent me that text and I hauled ass to school.

Pride filled me for an instant as I realized I was the one she called when she needed someone. My brave, beautiful mate had texted me.

No one else. Just me.

Cause she’s mine.

As she should because I would do anything for her. And until Avery told me differently, I would always keep coming when she or Rosie called.

Right now, my girls needed me, and I needed them.

The thought of Rosie and Avery, alone, vulnerable, and inside our house without me, ignited something primal inside my chest.

A powerful need to protect them, to hold them, to make sure they were safe.

Mine.

My Bear’s growl deepened, vibrating through every inch of me, a raw, guttural sound that mirrored my own anguish.

He paced restlessly inside my mind’s eye, throwing himself against the walls of Max’s command with unrelenting fury.

I couldn’t submit. Not now. Not when my mate and my cub were out there, and I was stuck here, helpless and bound by words.

The need to move, to fight, burned in my veins like wildfire, but Max’s power was absolute. My legs wouldn’t obey. My fists remained at my sides, trembling with suppressed rage.

“Let me go,” I snarled, my voice rough, desperate.

But the command held.

“I need you calm, Dante. They need you calm,” he said.

And fuck, I knew he was right.

All I could do was stand there, sweat dripping, muscles trembling, and heart breaking as I fought against the unyielding force that kept me from the only thing that mattered.

My girls.

“Give them a moment, Dante,” Kian murmured, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

For once, I didn’t feel the usual itch to punch the obnoxious bovine in his dumb mouth. His expression reeked of sympathy, and I actually appreciated it.

I nodded, letting out a long breath as I sank to my knees, the damp earth pressing against me. I hung my head, trying to shake off the whirlwind of emotions tearing through me.

Today had been a rollercoaster. A wild, brutal ride of feelings and revelations. Not all of them good.

Hell, most of them weren’t good.

“Here. Put these on, man,” Zeke said, tossing me a pair of sweatpants.

I caught them, barely, my reflexes sluggish. My hands shook as I struggled to pull them on, fumbling with the fabric like I didn’t even know how pants worked.

Finally, I managed to get them over my hips, but it wasn’t the cold slowing me down.

It was everything else.

My body felt drained, my energy completely zapped. Shifting always took a toll, but this wasn’t just about the physical.

It was the emotional dragging on me—the worry, the fear, the endless questions.

---