Page 65 of Mated to the Mountain Bear
“This one can.” I’m deadly serious.
She sighs, letting her head drop into her hands. “Okay, sure.”
She thinks I’ve lost it. I can see her trying to figure out how to handle me, the madman she’s trapped in the woods with.
“Ben, I need to get in touch with Beau. I don’t think I’m safe here anymore. There has to be some way to call out.”
She wants off this mountain, to leave unprotected, but my bear won’t allow it, not with a threat right on our doorstep.
I growl and step closer, only a foot away from the couch now, blocking her path to the door.
“No. The only way is down the mountain, or over the hill to my brother’s. And neither of those is happening while he’s prowling around outside.”
A wolf like this won’t give up. He hasn’t gone far.
“You mean the wolf-man.”
“Yes.” The word comes out through gritted teeth. Her disbelief is pissing me off, even if it’s understandable.
She stares up at me, into my eyes, and I can see her wondering what it is about her that attracts broken men. Like I’m just another problem she’s collected in her already too complicated life.
“You expect me to believe that it’s awolfwho’s been hunting me for weeks, and that he travelled all the way from my home to here. On four legs.” She inches back on the couch, torn between staying and running. “After he broke into my home. With his bare paws and no opposable thumbs.”
I grit my teeth. I knew this was coming. Of course she’s skeptical.
“Yes. Because I can prove it.”
24
ZARA
Sure, he can.
Closing my eyes, I mourn the loss of my dream man. I wanted to see what was underneath Ben's broody shell, but I take it back. And to think I was just about to let him do wicked things to me.
"You can prove he's a werewolf?" I can't keep the incredulity out of my tone. The wolf earlier didn't look rabid or monstrous. It's not even a full moon.
"Wolf shifter is the proper term."
Ben's eyes have dropped to my mouth, where my lips are pressed firmly together. His sheer size crowding me onto the couch has my insides twisted in knots. I'm dripping wet, days of longing making me crave like nothing else. I still want him, which is absurd, considering he's trying to convince me there's a werewolf outside.
"Okay." This conversation is absurd, but I need to keep him talking long enough to get to his keys on the kitchen counter. If I can distract him, I can steal his car and find my way to the nearest town. "So, tell me how you know he's a wolf shifter?"
Ben runs a hand over his thick beard and levels me with a serious look. He really believes this.
"I know because… I'm not a normal man, either."
For fuck's sake. I close my eyes, letting the disappointment sink in. He's full-on batshit.
"And I can show you."
Oh, this should be good.
My fingers curl around the edge of the cushions, and I slide my feet to the ground, ready to bolt if I get the chance. My change in position doesn't go unnoticed by Ben, so I relax, leaning my elbows on my knees, trying to look relaxed and intrigued.
"But… I have to warn you. My animal, the one I can shift into… it's a bear."
I can see why he picked that animal. The luscious dark beard. Those warm brown eyes. His blocky, muscular build.
