Page 31 of Hers to Call
She didn’t relish walking next to a bear for the next mile. She wanted the human contact more than anything. “I have an apron in the backseat of my car,” she offered.
He laughed. “Your call.” He opened the back door and grabbed the apron and tied it around his waist. “Better?”
She lowered her hands. His built chest was still bare, the apron only covering his waist. “It’s silly, I know, but thank you.”
He smiled, an easy flash of teeth that put her further at ease. “Come, let’s get you some help.”
They set off down the highway, her gait slow and stiff. He growled a moment before swinging her up into his arms. She screamed in pain and he loosened his grip. She lay stiff in his arms for the first ten steps, but he ignored her panicked breaths and oddly it calmed her. She slowly relaxed and he grunted in acknowledgment, but said nothing else.
***
Simon rubbed the back of his neck as his bear slammed into his subconscious. He was supposed to be going over requests to join his clan from other bears, but he was having a hard time concentrating on work this morning. His bear was restless, growling and prowling through his body.
Mate.
That thought circled Simon’s head as his bear made its needs known.I want her too, trust me, I do, but we have to be patient with her. We left her just this morning, and we’ll go see her again as soon as she gets off tonight.
Mate.
Simon growled, frustrated with his bear’s stubbornness. He would need to get in his skin soon if he wasn’t able to control the damn beast.
His beta looked up. “Alpha?”
“Sorry, a disagreement with my bear.”
Gavin smiled. They both looked up as one of his enforcers knocked on his office door.
“Alpha, we had some trespassing. From the scent, it happened last night.”
He leaned back in his chair and frowned. “Trespassing?” Could that be the source of his uneasiness?
“Along the east boundary.” His enforcer reported.
“Shifter?”
“Both a shifter and a hybrid female by the scent.”
He growled. She wouldn’t dare. What would be Miranda’s reason for skulking around his property? But who else? Was she with the male he saw her with?
“Is the scent still there?” Gavin asked.
“Faint, but yes.”
He and Gavin shared a look. “I’ll check it out, you keep going through those applications.”
Gavin sucked his teeth and Simon smiled. Neither of them wanted to go through the paperwork involved with potential new clan members. It was a tedious task, but necessary to keep troublemakers out of their clan. He went outside the barn where he housed his offices and jumped on the back of the ATV parked there. His enforcer jumped on the other and they headed towards the eastern boundary of their property. They got off their four wheelers and he sniffed the air. It was faint as his enforcer said, but it was Miranda’s scent, along with the scent of the other male. What could she possibly be thinking? He followed the scent on foot and off of his land about a half a mile before he turned around. He was satisfied that their scent seemed to be headed off clan land, and not further in. He turned back.
“Keep an eye out for her. I don’t like it,” he told his enforcer as he jumped back on his ATV. He gave him a description and promised to text out her picture to the rest of the enforcers guarding their borders who didn’t remember how she looked.
He took his time getting back to the office, his anxiety ramping up the closer he got to his barn. What was going on with his bear? Gavin rushed up to him as he got closer. A worried expression covered his beta’s face.
“I was just about to come and get you.”
“What’s happened?” He turned off the ATV and hopped off. “What is it?”
He asked the question, but his bear swiped at him, he knew it was about their mate. His breath stalled. “Calita?”
Gavin nodded. “In a car accident. She’s at the clinic.”
