Page 9 of The Bear's Matchmaking Mix-up Mate
Good save,his bear said with more than a hint of sarcasm.
Thanks for the sympathy,Finn said as he finally took a breath without coughing.
“Take it easy,” Alfie said with a nod.
“Speak soon,” Finn said as he climbed into his truck, his throat burning.
The drive home was a blur of conflicting emotions. Guilt churned in his gut at the deception. He’d never lied to his family before, not about anything that mattered. The Thornbergs shared everything: joys, sorrows, secrets. Well, most anyway.
Now he was keeping the biggest secret of his life from them.
And the best,his bear said.
Definitely the best,Finn agreed as something prickled at the edge of his consciousness. He rolled down the window, letting the cold air sting his face, trying to clear the fog from his mind.
He shook his head as if trying to shake a thought loose. But it wasn’t a thought inside his head that was creating the strange sensation. It was something outside of him. And it wasn’t a thought at all.
It was real.
Our mate,his bear said happily.
Wren was close. Somewhere in the mountains.
His bear paced restlessly beneath his skin. Wanting to go to her. Wanting to make sure she was safe.
Finn gripped the steering wheel tighter, trying to focus on the road. But the sensation only intensified, like a humming vibration that seemed to resonate in his bones.
In his soul.
Each turn of the wheel seemed to bring him closer, the world narrowing to a single, unbreakable note:her.
By the time he pulled into his driveway, the urge was overwhelming. He needed to find her. To see her. To claim her.
Finn barely remembered to close his truck door before he was striding toward the trail that led from his cabin into the mountains. As he broke into a run, he let go of the world. The air crackled and popped as he disappeared, replaced a moment later by his bear.
He loped into the trees, powerful muscles carrying him swiftly up the mountainside. The forest welcomed him, branches parting as he followed the invisible thread that connected him to his mate. Birds scattered at his approach, and somewhere a deer froze in alarm, but Finn paid them no mind.
There was only the path ahead and the pull that guided him. As a bear, everything felt simpler, purer. His senses sang with purpose, with longing, with the need to be near her.
He finally found Wren as she walked along a narrow trail that wound along the eastern ridge. She walked slowly, but there was a restless energy about her, too, like someone trying to outpace their own thoughts.
Finn slowed, moving carefully through the underbrush until he was well ahead of her. Then he shifted back to his human form and stepped onto the path just ahead of her.
“Oh!” She startled, one hand flying to her throat. Recognition dawned in her eyes. “Finn?”
“Morning,” he said, smiling as naturally as he could manage when faced with the love of his life. “Fancy meeting you here.”
His bear chuckled as Finn winced at the cheesy comment.
“What are you doing all the way up here?” Her voice was husky, her shoulders slightly tense, but she couldn’t mask the spark of joy in her eyes. Shelikedthat he was here.
And welovethat she is here,his bear said.
“I live close by,” he gestured vaguely toward his cabin. “This is my regular morning hike. What about you? It’s pretty early to be out wandering.”
Wren shrugged, the dark circles under her eyes telling their own story. “I couldn’t sleep. Been up all night, actually.”
He wanted to chase away whatever haunted her, to banish it from her mind.
