Page 33 of Fearless Bond

Slow breath.

I hung my head. “That’s how things often go.” Yeah, any second now, he’d freak out on me.

“Because contraceptives don’t work on shifter mates,” he said. He must be shocked. That was why he sounded so calm.

“They do, but shifter mates don’t usually want them. Not the first time around. The urge is too strong.”

I heard him swallow. “I feel it.”

He did? My eyes prickled with tears as I laid my head on his thighs. “I’m so sorry, Calvin. I’ll keep you safe, I swear.”

“I didn’t think I’d have a kid at twenty-one.”

Twenty-five years my junior. Oh Lord. Fate was a real joker sometimes.

“But I want it,” Calvin blurted, making me lift my face from his lap. “I know it’s irrational, but I need it. I want to getpregnant. I thought of it during the heat wave. Imagined it. It was like my whole body ached for it.”

I was the luckiest fool in the entire wide world. I stroked his thighs through those too-large sweats, lost in his adorable face. He had impeccable plush lips. I needed to kiss him more often. His cheeks glowed with a healthy pink color. My mate in heat, ready to breed.

He was perfect.

“My heat… it feels different from my first. Stronger.”

“Yeah. It’s like that for shifter mates. It’ll pass when…” I swallowed.

“When you breed me,” he finished for me, gazing at me fearlessly.

“Calvin, I know this is sudden. We’ve just met. But bears, we’re loyal. Once we find the right person, it’s for life.” I paused, wondering if I was going too far, but his eyes shone as they held mine. “I’ll do everything I can to make you happy.”

His pupils flared at my promise, and a shiver went through him.

Then he whispered, “Some people say becoming a shifter’s mate is immense luck.”

And some say it’s a curse.But I didn’t tell him that. I kissed his dainty hands instead. Hugging his hips, I laid my head back on his lap. He stroked my hair. It felt too easy, too good to be true, but Calvin’s heartbeat sounded strong and steady.

I held him until I heard his stomach growl. He looked uncomfortable on the kitchen chair, so I brought him to bed and served him brunch on a tray. He polished off the plate and fell asleep the second he put the fork down.

When I finished cleaning up the kitchen, I called Hunter.

“I spoke to Jordy and Monty,” he said. “That city slicker was indeed asking around about an omega called Calvin, but the guys didn’t tell him anything.”

“Is he still in town?”

“No. The car’s gone. He was trying to find accommodation, but Monty told him the B&B was full. He must have driven to Green Peaks to find a hotel.”

“Good. The further away from here, the better.”

“He’ll come back.”

“Then we’ll deal with him.”

“And how’s Calvin?” Hunter asked in his good-doctor voice.

I swallowed, my throat suddenly thick. I wanted to go back to bed and hold my mate. I wanted to watch him sleep and make love to him when he woke up. “He’s great. He’s fine. All good.”

“What’s going on? You sound weird.”

Should I tell Hunter already? He would find out sooner or later. “He’s in heat.”

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