Page 67 of Flare
Having one bear shifter trying to own her was a nightmare.
She couldn’t imagine what would happen if Ward suddenly started acting that way, too.
Reaching out, her fingers found the carved wooden bear pendant on her nightstand. It was small enough to fit in her palm, the wood smooth and warm to the touch.
Holding it calmed her a little, as did the panic button clipped to the leather cord next to the pendant. Ward had told her that if she pressed it, he and the Bearpaw Ridge Police Department would come to her aid immediately.
She reminded herself that she’d known Ward for a long time, even if only as Maggie’s shy cousin. And everything he’d done for her this week showed she could trust him. He’d given her a place to stay without hesitation. And he’d respected her need for space while still making sure she knew she wasn’t alone.
And though he was clearly interested in dating her—the kiss they’d shared had made that abundantly clear—he hadn’t pressured her since she’d asked him to give her time.
Looking back, Andrew had never respected her boundaries, even before things started going wrong between them.
Once they began dating, he’d call and text her multiple times a day. He’d show up at her apartment unannounced. Even worse, he’d whisper intimate things in her ear at work functions, making her blush in front of his other employees and colleagues.
Back then, she’d found his persistence flattering, as if she were so desirable he couldn’t control himself. Now, she recognized those behaviors for what they were—signs that Andrew had felt entitled to her time, her attention, and her body.
Ward was different. When she’d pulled away from their kiss, flustered and confused, he’d immediately backed off. He’d given her space without making a fuss.
As if summoned by her train of thought, her phone suddenly began dinging with rapid-fire incoming text messages. Emily reached for it, squinting at the sudden brightness of the screen.
From: Unknown Number:
11:06 PM: Emmie, baby, please. I need to talk to you.
11:06 PM: I know you’re reading these. Stop ignoring me.
11:07 PM:I just wanted to talk yesterday. You didn’t have to make a big production out of it. WTF?
11:07 PM:Why are you making me into the bad guy? I love you, Emmie.
11:08 PM:You said you’d never turn your back on me. And now you’ve got cops and shifters after me like I’m some monster?
11:08 PM:You’ve ruined everything. Did Maggie put you up to this?
11:09 PM:Please. Please just talk to me. If you’d justlisten, you’d see I’m not the bad guy here.
11:09 PM:I can’t live without you, Em. Youknowwhat we are to each other. You felt the bond too.
11:10 PM:I’m not eating. I haven’t slept in days. It’s like part of me is dying.
11:10 PM:If you walk away from me forever, I don’t know what I’ll do.
11:11 PM:I can’t live in a world where you hate me. If you don’t text back, I’ll know you want me dead. Maybe that’s what you want.
11:11 PM:You’re breaking my heart. Do you even care?
11: 12 PM: You belong with me. You’re my mate. That means you’re mine, forever.
11: 12 PM: I know where you are. Did you think I wouldn’t find out?
11:12 PM: We’re not done, Emily. This isn’t over until you come home.
Emily’s hands shook as she blocked Andrew’s new number and then set her phone to Do Not Disturb.
Her heart was pounding so hard that she thought Ward could hear it from his bedroom down the hall. She pulled her knees toher chest and wrapped her arms around them, trying to make herself as small as possible, as if that could somehow protect her.
He found me again!
