Page 25 of Mitchell's Untamed Mate

“I’ll be right behind you.”

Tracy stepped forward when he lifted his hand to brush her cheek.She could see the worry and indecision in his eyes.Her heart tightened at the look and she wanted to wipe it away.

Why does life have to be so complicated sometimes?

She didn’t have time to mull over her silent question because Mitchell had dropped his hand and turned away.He took off at a steady clip, testing her to see how fast he could go without overtaxing her.A dry humor swept through her.Her bear—when it didn’t want a nap—could cover a hundred miles in a day if she needed it to.In her two-legged form, she wasn’t nearly as fast, but her endurance was still above average.

They traversed the uneven ground, moving faster than they had the day before.They didn’t talk.Instead, they listened.There was danger in the forest and they needed to move with stealth.

Even moving at the rapid pace they maintained, it took every second of the ten hours Mitchell had predicted for them to reach the service road.They had come up along the southeastern end of the road.Tracy knew from the map of the area she had studied before she started out that the service road ran for ten miles, starting at Powerline Road and stopping at Burrow Creek.

The sun was settling behind the mountains, casting the treelined gravel road in shadows.They stood in the shadows of several fir trees and studied the road.The only sounds were birds and the faint buzz of insects.

Tracy reached over and lifted her water bottle out of her backpack and handed it to Mitchell.He gave her a grateful smile before he took a deep gulp of the refreshing liquid.He handed the bottle to her and she took a gulp before replacing it in the pocket of her backpack.

“It’s possible whoever Jace saw was only blowing smoke.They may have decided it was too much effort and left,” she said.

“We need to know,” he replied.

She nodded."The most expedient and safest thing would be for me to check things out alone.”

His eyes flashed."Because you are a shifter.They will see you as one of them.They'll speak to you."

"Yes.I'll take my pack and head down the road.If I run into the men, I’ll tell them I’ve been out hiking and doing some primitive camping as part of the Park Service.I can ask them some questions and find out what is going on.”

“Do you think they are likely to tell you that they are hunting humans?”he asked.

She chuckled.“They might.If they are good-ol’ boy shifters just trying to do something stupid, they’ll brag like crazy.Besides, this area is restricted.Ty placed the notices to inform people of that himself, and the service roads are off-limits, anyway.I’ll tell them I’ll report them if they don’t move it.Ty will confiscate everything they own, plus Auntie will sic the SBSI on them if he thinks they are trying to hurt Ella or any other human.He’s as passionate about you guys as I am!Once I get rid of them, I’ll come back.”

Mitchell huffed out his displeasure at her idea, but she could tell he saw the sense in it.He reached up and undid the straps holding her backpack on and slid it off his shoulders.She turned around when he motioned and he slid the pack onto her back.

“I'll follow you and come to your aid if they attack,” he stated.

"No!"she exclaimed, alarmed."Don’t follow me.A lot of shifters have an excellent sense of smell.Which reminds me, there’s a bottle of citronella in the mesh pocket.Can you get it out and spray me?”

His eyes widened."They will smell me on you otherwise."

“Yes.I slept with you last night.I guarantee if I can smell your scent on me, anyone else would too.This will mask it.”

He nodded and studied the bottle before turning it towards her and motioning for her to turn in a circle while he sprayed.She rotated slowly, making sure he covered her from head to toe.By the time he was done, she couldn’t smell anything but the floral scent of the citronella oil.

Wiggling her nose with distaste, she gave him a rueful smile.“I’m going to need a bath afterwards.Every living thing within a fifty-mile radius will know I’m coming.I feel like I’ve been dipped in a candle factory.I hope this shit isn’t flammable.I should have read the label,” she said.

“You do have a… pungent aroma about you,” he conceded with an amused grin.

She laughed.“If we are lucky, the odor will chase any bad shifters away.”

“What is your plan if something happens?”he asked, lifting his hand to touch her cheek.

A pang of regret swept through her when he stopped a breath away from touching her.She had it bad.Last night had been both exquisite and brutal.The experience of finding her mate was on a whole different level compared to any of her past relationships.

“Here, take my phone.If I don't come back in a few hours, press this button here and this one here, hold the phone up to your face like this, and speak into this part to tell Ty what happened.You'll hear him through this part here, and you end the call by pressing the red button that will be on the screen.If he calls you, you answer it by pressing the green button that will be on the screen."

He nodded and accepted the phone.

"Stay safe,” she said before turning and picking her way through the brush to the fire road.

She looked back over her shoulder.The only reason she could spot him was because she was aware of his presence.With a firm grip on the straps of her backpack, she redirected her attention back to the road and the task ahead.

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