Page 24 of Hunny and the Bear

“Will being mates with Jason count against me when I talk to Murphy?” she asked quietly.

“No.” Tank shook his head firmly. “You aren’t mated to Jason, Hunny, so that won’t matter. He’ll likely be more concerned about Jason coming to look for you, and why you initially became a lone shifter.”

“Oh.” She was silent for a few minutes before she added, “I don’t think Jason will look for me. He offered me the chance to be his mistress—” Tank’s fierce growl reverberated through the air, fury simmering inside him. “—I turned it down. After he left, his new mate came by and tried to kill me.” She sent Tank a soft look, taking his hand from her thigh and placing it over her flat stomach. His growl stopped abruptly, her body heat seeping into his palm. “That’s who you saved me and my babies from.”

His fingers flexed against her abdomen, his large hand covering the area completely. “I’m surprised you’d even consider staying here, knowing he’s so close.”

But he felt honored that she trusted him enough to tell him about this.

Her eyes filled with tears then. “I don’t have anywhere else to go. All of my belongings are back at his cabin, and I can’t go back there.”

“I can go for you.” It wouldn’t be a hardship, and if he ran into Jason, he wouldn’t mind beating that fucker into the dirt. Though, wandering into enemy territory and attacking a pack Alpha unprovoked would definitely cause a war between the bears and wolves, and Murphy would be furious.

“No!” Hunny exclaimed. “I don’t want you anywhere near Jason. Besides, he probably got rid of everything that belonged to me. It’s not worth it.”

That didn’t sit right with Tank at all. “We can go into town this afternoon and get you some things.” Whatever she needed, he’d provide it. He wouldn’t even mind venturing into human territory, though he drew the line at conversing with any ofthem. He could barely stand his family; there was no way he could tolerate humans in any capacity.

But he’d endure them for Hunny.

“I don’t have any money,” Hunny told him with a wince.

He rolled his eyes in exasperation. “I don’t recall saying you’d need any.”

She squeaked at him in surprise. “Oh no. You’re already letting me stay here and you keep feeding me. You can’t buy me things, too, Henry.”

“Yes, I can.”

“But I don’t have anything to give you in return.”

Yes you do,Tank thought suddenly, his heart beating hard in his chest as he gazed into her eyes. His hand tightened on her stomach before he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her into his chest. He breathed her in, his brain and heart telling him the same thing; she smelledrightcovered in his scent.

“Don’t worry about anything right now,” Tank responded eventually. “I’ve got plenty of money, and it’s a privilege to take care of whatever you need. You need some help Hunny. Let me help you.”

Hunny relaxed against him, resting her head on his shoulder. “You’re pretty amazing, Henry,” she murmured.

“Just wait until I cook you breakfast,” he half joked, warmth blooming in his chest from her compliment.

Her delicate laughter filled his ears as he got her situated on the sofa before standing up to do just that. And after they ate, he’d see about taking her into town.

Ten

Hunny was still unsure of what to make of her entire situation as Tank escorted her from his cabin to the large detached garage on the other side of his home. She’d had several curveballs thrown her way just this morning, each one more surprising than the last.

On the top of the list?

Finding out she was likely pregnant with multiple kits. She still wasn’t sure if she’d freak out again if she thought about it too much, so she pushed it to the back of her mind.

For now.

Next: Tank telling her he was going to add extra rooms to his house just for her.

That was insane. Who did something so major for a relative stranger? They hardly knew one another, yet he was going to build onto his home for her?

It was incredibly sweet. It was also too much. Hunny didn’t feel she was worth the trouble, and frankly, sheshouldhave found his idea off-putting—she didn’t. She’d learned a lot sinceher parents died five years ago, and most of it revolved around males. Ninety percent of them didn’t do something out of the kindness of their hearts; there was almost always an ulterior motive.

Hadn’t she learned that lesson with Jason just a few days ago? Her very own true mate had used and discarded her like trash. In her one moment of weakness, she had let down her guard, and he’d taken what he’d wanted and sent her on her way. That should have been a lifelong lesson in trusting men; even the ones designed by fate to love you only hurt you in the end.

Honestly, after everything she’d gone through, Hunny should have been shifting and taking off into the woods, never to return.

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