Page 8 of Two Wrong Turns

Today though, he was angry and pounding at the walls in my head to break free. I couldn’t allow that to happen yet.

Mate.

Bond.

Mine.

The words roared through my mind on repeat. He was snarling, desperate to claim the man Fate had sent to him. It was a wonder the rest of the pack hadn’t flipped the fuck out through the links yet.

I took my gaze away from the erotic way Barrett was eating his pie to focus on my own food. Maybe if I fed the animal, he’d calm down some. It wasn’t likely, yet I had to try.

My jaw ached from the force I had to use to keep myself in line. Each bite was torture, as was the ensuing silence after.

Barrett finished long before I did. He seemed shy about what to do next, and Fates bless Lindsea, she avoided our table like we had some serious cooties. Not that it would matter. She was a wolf shifter who wouldn’t catch anything — cooties or otherwise. A blessed gift from Fate that kept us alive and well long past the average human lifespan.

I frowned at the thought. Would I have to watch my mate wither and die? There was no precedent for this type of mate connection. I knew of no other bear — or any other shifter, really — who’d mated with a human.

Maybe it was a secret. Maybe it had happened, but they were worried for fear of judgment and kept it to themselves.

I could only hope that was the case. Hopefully I could research the info fairly quickly. I didn’t think my beast would wait longer than necessary.

“Do you want me to leave you alone now?” Barrett asked in a gentle voice.

My head whipped up to look at him. He was frowning, his expression probably a direct mirror of my own.

“Why would you leave? Where would you go?”

He shrugged. “To the hotel, I guess. Or is it a B&B? I know it’s different in small towns.”

Panic flared to life in my chest at the thought of him leaving me. I couldn’t allow it. I wouldn’t.

“The hotel is under construction. You won’t be able to stay there.”

Several heads turned my way, as if to glare at me for lying to my mate. While it was technically a lie at the moment, I intended to see to the hotel actually closing. They could do some repairs, which would make me an honest man, along with being a prophet.

The only people who stayed were guests or other shifters who drifted through. To be fair, it was amazing the place managed to stay afloat with so little business.

“Crap. That sucks. Guess I’ll have to find somewhere — ”

“Not necessary. I have a spare room. Why don’t you stay there?”

Barrett’s body shivered at my suggestion. I didn’t know if it was revulsion or excitement. Hopefully it was the latter.

Since he was a human, I had no way of truly knowing if he felt the pull of the bond. Sure, he might have smelled aroused the more I spoke to him. But arousal did not mean he wanted to mate me for all of eternity. He could just want to be fucked.

My cock throbbed at the mention of sex with my mate. I grunted, then shoved a bite of food in my mouth to prevent me from suggesting that very thing.

“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea. I know you’re the sheriff and all, so you should be safe. It’s just… what if you’re not? I can’t risk my safety.”

The beast inside me whined at the thought of hurting Barrett. He had no idea how safe he would be with me.

Lindsea dropped by our table. “He’s a good guy. You couldn’t be in better hands.”

“I second that notion,” someone shouted from across the room. I couldn’t tell who because several more voices rang out.

“Thirded.”

“Fourthed.”

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