Page 20 of Hers to Call
Simon nodded in understanding. “She’s my mate, Nathan. I wouldn’t have asked you on a whim.”
Nate sighed and rubbed his hands down his pants. “That’s what I figured. You sure you don’t want your mate to tell you herself?”
“That bad, huh?”
“It’s mighty personal.” Was his answer.
Simon sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Well, shit. Is she in immediate danger?” He pushed down on his bear as he waited for the answer.
“Not that I can see. You’ll be the first to know if that changes,” Nate promised.
“Fine, I’ll wait.” His bear clawed against his chest, his muscles stretching with the need to get in his bear skin and track down their mate. It took a moment, but he wrestled the stubborn beast back under control.
“I’ll let you get on with your day, cousin.” Nate walked off.
“Nate.” Simon stopped the sheriff’s retreat. “At the first sign.”
Nate nodded. “I swear, Alpha.”
Simon stayed out in the pasture and took a moment to get his bearings. He wondered what Calita had gone through. She’d been hurt, that much he knew, and judging from Nate’s reluctance to share, it must have been bad. His bear had already felt the pain of her soul, it was there in her eyes every time he’d gotten a look at her. With no small amount of arrogance, he knew he and his bear were the only ones who would heal Calita. He thought about the panic in her eyes last night when he’d told her he wouldn’t let her go. That was fear, the kind of fear that made him wary. Made his bear want to take her to his den and keep her safe. He would wait on her to tell him, even if it took every bit of his patience.
“Simon!” Nate called to him from his jeep.
He looked up and jogged towards the sheriff, hearing the urgency in his voice. “What happened?”
“Trouble in town. Calita’s involved.” Nate jumped into his patrol vehicle.
Simon leapt into the passenger side and buckled in. Nate grabbed his radio and sped out, making a quick three-point turn.
“Report status,” Nate ordered.
Static proceeded his deputy’s answer. “Talia’s boy is going through puberty early. He’s transitioning right in the middle of downtown. We got reports that Calita’s trying to talk him down.”
Nate cursed. “I’m still twenty minutes out, who’s there?”
“We sent Donovan, he’s there now. Whatever Calita’s doing is working, Don said he didn’t want to interfere and spook them.”
“Good call. Make sure he knows to step in at the first sign of him shifting,” Nate ordered and slammed the radio down.
“Faster, Nate,” Simon snapped.
“Trust me, I’m giving her everything.”
He cursed his cousin’s ancient jeep as it rattled, going barely over the posted speed limit. The department had brand new trucks, but Nate insisted on using the jeep their uncle had driven. Simon rode silently, his heart in his throat, his bear strangely calm. The creature was quite content that its mate was, probably subconsciously, stepping into her duty as alpha female. He had no such confidence. Calita had been through her own trauma, he couldn’t imagine what a scared cub would do with her fear scenting the air.
The radio crackled a few minutes later. “Sheriff, we got it under control. Talia and Jim are there with the boy, and Calita is fine, over.”
“Roger,” Nate answered.
Their speed didn’t slow and Simon was grateful. By the time they pulled up, the crowd was slowly dispersing and the boy was wrapped in a blanket in his parents’ arms. His mate and Anika were bent with their heads together a few yards off. Simon jumped out of the truck before Nate could stop all the way. Talia broke off from her son and rushed to Calita. She grabbed his mate into a tight hug. Though she kept her face neutral, Calita’s body language suggested she was uncomfortable with the sentiment. The mother gave her one last hug and went back to her family.
Simon walked up to Calita and grabbed her arm, marching her from the crowd. He kept his grip light, despite his fear. “Don’t do something so incredibly stupid like that again.”
Surprised by his tone, she flinched, snatching her arm from his grip. “It was handled, and never call me stupid.”
Though she was doing an admirable job of squelching it, her fear scented the air around her. His bear swiped at his subconscious to calm down.
“I apologize for my tone, though I didn’t call you stupid. I just…you can’t approach a transitioning male. They don’t have control over their bear yet. Especially a cub so young. You could’ve been seriously hurt. They don’t know their strength. I was scared half to death when Nate got the call.”
