Page 2 of Mated to Four Bears

Antonio was proof that not only could I not trust other people, I couldn’t trust myself. I didn’t stand a chance of trusting that I was doing the right thing.

I loved this city when I first came. I thought it was exciting and fun because it was busy all the time. But now it felt like I needed to escape. Not until I got my degree, though. If I didn’t get a degree, then none of this would have been worth it.

I found myself walking aimlessly. There was nothing for me to do at home, nothing to eat? The more that I thought about it, the more my stomach growled.

I tugged my cell phone out my pocket, wondering who I might call. I had a lot of distant relatives, but I’d always felt like a burden to them. I didn’t want to feel that way again. They barely reached out, so they couldn’t be too interested in what happened to me. I didn’t want to go to them if they didn’t want me when I wasn’t having trouble.

I putmy cell phone back in my pocket and felt my wand. Ineverliked to use magic in an unethical way, it wasn’t right. All of us magic users knew as much. But this was the hungriest I had ever been in my life. Would it really be so wrong to use my magic to help me now if I promised to repay when I could? It wasn’t like I was going to make a habit of it.

I hated Vince and Brandon. Both of them were assholes who didn’t give a shit about the lives of other people. Antonio too. All the men in my life. They were the worst. Would Ieverbe able to meet a decent guy? One who didn’t want to completely fuck up my life and leave me feeling hollow?

Eventually, as if my feet took me there of their own accord, I found myself standing in front of a convenience store not too far away from my apartment. I wasn’t sure what I was planning on really, I just stood there, wishing I could eat everything inside.

I knew standing here and wishing I could eat wasn’t going to fill me up. I needed to get back to my apartment and try to figure out something there. Even if I already knew I was going to hit a dead end.

Just this once,my brain tried its hardest to convince me, because desperation truly was getting the better of me.You will pay them back. Don’t worry about a thing.

My head and my heart battled, with my stomach coming out the victor. I didn’t allow my brain to think any longer. I headed for the door and pushed it open, listening to the all too familiarding-dongas I slipped inside. My heart was absolutely pounding at the idea of what I was about to do, but I couldn’t see any other option. Desperation had the better of me and I knew I needed to go through with this.

2

WILLIAM

Ifurrowed my eyebrows as I scanned over the latest report from the shifter force, trying to take it all in. Ineededto have all the information at hand as the alpha of my clan and captain of the shifter force, but since nothing had happened for a while, there wasn’t anything interesting to read. Didn’t mean I could get away with ignoring it though.

But I didn’t get too deep into the report before a strange sensation in my gut gripped me. I couldn’t explain where it came from or why it hit me now, but this was the sort of gut feeling not to be ignored.

Nothing might have happened in this city for a while, but it was happening now, I was sure of it. I followed the trail my gut feeling wanted me to follow all the way to a convenience store. Strange. I thought it was going to be some kind of abandoned building or something. There hadn’t been any drug issues or any of the crimes that went along with that for a very long time, but I wasn’t above thinking it might come back.

I put a hand on the gun holstered to my belt, but didn’t pull it out. There was no need to heighten things if there wasn’t anything to worry about. I didn’t need to cause panic. As Istepped inside the building, there didn’t seem to be anything going on. Everyone was calm and happy, there was a light murmur of chatter buzzing around the store, and there didn’t seem to be anything weird going on.

I didn’t back off right away, though. I continued inside the convenience store, walking down each aisle to see if I could find what was giving me the bad vibes. But nothing caught my attention.

What the hell was going on? Why had my gut, which had never led me wrong before, brought me here if there wasn’t anything to worry about?But I knew there was something, I could still feel that in my gut. Just because I hadn’t seen anything yet didn’t mean I was ready to let things go. My fingers still clung to the gun, just in case.Someone here was up to no good.

Was it the group of teens reading magazines in the store, rather than purchasing them to read outside? Or the guys in leather jackets, laughing a little too loudly? Maybe it was the mothers clinging to packs of diapers while they talked intensely to one another.

None of those felt right. It wasn’t them. But it was someone, I just knew it.

My heart stopped beating for a moment when I caught sight of a woman standing in front of the drinks. Who was she? And why did she have me so damn captivated? She flipped her long raven hair over her shoulder and turned and stared at me with piercing green eyes. Eyes that drew me closer to her.

I didn’t know everyone in the city, it was too big for that, but I’d definitely know if I’d seen this beautiful face before. And I hadn’t. She wasgorgeous.Absolutely stunning. I’d never been so instantly attracted to a woman before. All I wanted to do was go and get her phone number. Was this the reason I’d been brought here? Did my gut drag me to this specific conveniencestore just so I could meet this woman? If so, then I owed it to myself to try.

But I couldn’t seem to get my legs moving. Iwantedto go and speak to this pretty woman, but I couldn’t seem to make it happen. All I could do was stand back and watch as she turned away from me and moved deeper into the store with an elegant glide.

Thank God she wasn’t looking at me anymore. Those eyes were just too much. She was temptation personified.

“William, good to see you, buddy.”

Oh shit, who was that? I tried to force myself to look at the man trying his hardest to get my attention, but it wasn’t easy to drag my gaze off ofher. She was lovely and so captivating. This man lived in my neighborhood, but I was struggling to recall his name. My brain was scrambled because ofher.I couldfeelher presence.

“I have been trying to get in touch with your brother, actually…”

Mr. Johnson, of course. Thank God I’d recalled that.

“Which one?” I asked him. “My second in command, Henry? Detective Richard?”

“Healer Thomas.” Mr. Johnson smiled thinly. “My daughter hasn’t been feeling too well recently, and I would like him to take a look at her. But I can’t get ahold of him.”

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