Page 29 of Her Embarrassed Bear Mate

Who needed siblings with friendslike that?

It was almost a relief when the speakers set throughout the room crackled and everyone's attention was drawn to the front where her mum and Dirk were taking centre stage for a speech. Almost.

"Hello everyone!" Dirk's low voice filled the entire room. "Thank you all so much for coming to our engagement party. We're very excited to join our friends and families as one so you better get used to each other."

Faint laughter rose up from the crowd. Alix rolled her eyes and unknowingly gravitated towards Veronica. From the conversations they had, she knew they shared the same feelings on this engagement. Both thought it was a bad idea. Perhaps it was a weird thing to bond over but that was what they did.

Dirk continued. "I'm just so over the moon that I've found this wonderful woman. Dianne, it's like the Moon Goddess herself sent you to me. You're so amazing and wonderful and perfect. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you. Thank you for saying yes to my proposal."

As Alix expected, her mum was swooning from his declaration.

"Do you want to say anything, my dear?" Dirk asked, passing the microphone along.

"I mean, what is there left to say? You've said itperfectly." Alix's mum looked genuinely starstruck. "I think we're going to have a very happy life together and we're so glad that all our loved ones are here to celebrate with us. Since it's a crescent moon tonight, we hope you’ll all join us in Crescent Lake later for good luck.”

Alix groaned. She knew this was going to be the case the moment they had revealed what hotel they were celebrating their engagement in but she hadn’t properly considered the consequences of it until now. Unless she wanted to openly oppose her mum’s engagement, she would have to go into Crescent Lake herself and risk being marked by fate herself. If she didn’t, it would be seen as a snub. As much as she didn’t approve of how quickly this relationship had gone, she wasn’t going to make her mother the gossip of the town. Like any dutiful daughter, she would swallow her opinion and smile and pretend everything was fine.

SEVENTEEN

Veronica

Crescent Lake glinted mysteriouslyin the silver light of the crescent moon but Veronica wasn't in the right headspace to enjoy its beauty. She didn't understand why her dad and Dianne even cared about being fated mates. Or rather, why they hadn't come to the lake before they got engaged and started merging the family.

Maybe it was a generational thing. Or her father was just very rash and hadn't been able to wait for the Moon Goddess' blessing.

Veronica touched her bear mark through her clothes. She'd been sopreoccupied with her dad's engagement, it was only dawning on her now that she had a new romance of her own she should be focusing on. Under regular circumstances, she wouldn't be coming to the lake of fate so soon after she started dating someone. While she longed for a fated mate, just like any shifter, she wanted someone to love her freely and not because some otherworldly power destined them together.

She glanced to the left where Alix was chatting with the only friend who had come along since the other two were already mated. Were they planning to go into the lake?

Veronica's heartbeat quickened. What if Alix was her fated mate? Then they would be forced to tell their parents about their new relationship. Or worse... what if they weren't fated? Veronica wasn't so foolish to believe their relationship would continue after that but they would still have to see each other at family events.

She squeezed her eyes shut. This was all a big mess and somehow, she'd made things even worse in the process. Maybe the most sensible thing would be not to go into the lake. That way, she could avoid making a detrimental discovery and it wasn't like anyone would notice. Despite insisting on herpresence, her dad had barely spoken to her or her brothers.

Nobody would notice if she didn't go into the lake... except Alix.

Frustratingly, Veronica saw no other solution than having a conversation about it. Communication wasn't her strong suit but it was the only way to avoid misunderstandings and make things even more awkward next time they saw each other.

While everybody streamed down to the lake and the nearby hotel to get changed for a winter dip, Veronica texted Alix that she needed to speak to her. Up ahead, the light of Alix's phone illuminated her face as she read the message and nodded.

She waited for Alix near a large tree, away from all the people and the commotion they were causing. In the cold winter months, there were always less people looking for love but there were always some and those seemed excited by the sudden influx of candidates. The more people there were in the water during the ritual, the higher the chance was to find a fated mate.

Alix arrived, looking slightly skittish. "Hey. You wanted to talk?"

"Yeah, about the lake... Are you thinking of goingin?" Veronica asked, deciding there was no point beating around the bush.

"My mum is insisting that I go in," Alix said with a resigned sigh. "She thinks it would be super cute if I found my fated mate on the night of her engagement party."

"And what do you want?" Veronica asked as she took Alix's hands in hers. They were trembling slightly so she pressed a quick kiss on them, grateful for the shrouding darkness. She could only imagine what people would say if they saw the two of them so intimately together.

Alix looked a little more reassured. "I don't know. I mean... If you also go into the water, we'll know by the morning if we're fated mates or not. If we are, what does that mean for us?"

Veronica chuckled, hoping to defuse the tension. "That you might have a proposal by the end of the month after all?" It was meant as a joke but both knew it wasn't really. If they were fated mates, Veronica had no intention of letting go of their connection, as new as it was.

A gong sounded from the beach attached to the lake, signalling that the ritual was about to begin.

"Let's not make any promises before we know the outcome of tonight," Alix said.

Veronica nodded in agreement. "You're right, there's no point speculating. But just so you know, I'll be looking for you in the water."

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