Page 21 of Claimed By Her Bear

Pola groaned. Her plan to go and woo her mate was apparently overturned by her stubborn grizzly. They had been traveling for over an hour. The sun was low. Nightfall would be approaching soon. Her animal was making good time, setting a steady pace.

You know this would have been much faster if I just drove. In the car, she snapped.

Again, her animal ignored her. Pola settled back and watched her bear navigate the region. She wasn’t sure how her bear knew the exact area her mate stayed in, but shockingly, she was headed in the right direction of Black Fish.

Her animal skidded to a halt. A low warning growl vibrated from her chest. Pola sat up and took in the scent of another predator close by.

Another bear.

She couldn’t tell if it was a shifter or a pure-bred bear.

Montana was home to grizzlies. There were at least a few attacks reported each year by the National Parks Services. Pola inhaled again. It was definitely a bear. Her beast went into defensive mode.

She eyed the property around her, taking in the thick brush surrounding her. Tall trees stretched toward the sky with their thick branches providing shade with their leaves. The area was beautiful, untouched by man. The woods were still silent, and it wasn’t just because of her. Another predator was out there. She spun around and took in the scent behind her.

That was a plus. The bear was not in the direction they needed to go. She could try to outrun them, in hopes of avoiding a confrontation.

Her bear growled again, the hairs on the back of her neck rising. Her long talons dug into the soft dirt underneath her. The muscles in her body grew taut as she scanned the area, waiting for the bear to arrive.

No, we are not fighting anyone today.Remember? We need to go to our mate.

Her bear snapped out of it and moved in the opposite direction of the scent. It wasn’t that often that shifters fought their natural counterparts.

Her paws pounded the ground, eating up the distance. Hopefully, the other bear wouldn’t follow. It was probably by chance that they’d come near each other. Pola pushed thoughts of the bear to the back of her mind. After a full hour of running, her bear finally settled down to a slow walk. She was out of breath, but they had arrived at the outskirts of Black Fish. Her bear continued with no need for directions. It was like she knew exactly where Shekita lived. She settled back and let her animal guide them to their mate.

ChapterNine

Shekita blew out a shaky breath. She stared down at her cell phone and the message on the screen. After she had left Bobbie, she had gotten a new telephone number. She’d wanted to cut off all ties between them. She’d requested a private one and only gave it out to those she felt needed to contact her.

So why was she staring at a text from Bobbie?

Two words.

Call me.

Nothing else, but Shekita recognized the telephone number. Who would give it to Bobbie? She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly, then blew out the breath. Her breathing exercises were something she had learned to calm down her anxiety.

She placed her phone on the kitchen island and stared at it. Thankfully, her mother hadn’t given out Shekita’s contact details. Her family had been shocked and appalled when she had finally come clean about the relationship. It had been hard to share something so personal with them but, as always, they’d listened. She had thought they would be disappointed in her, but they were quite the opposite. They had shown her unconditional love, and it was her who then needed to apologize to them for not telling them what she’d been going through.

They all made her promise to never hold anything in like that again.

“There was no reason for you to go through hell without us,” her mother had whispered, tears flowing down her face.

“We would’ve helped you. One word was all you would have had to say, and we would have been there.” Her father had wrapped her up in his arms.

The moment his voice shook, the dam of tears broke for Shekita.

She’d never seen her father cry before.

That night had turned into a one of healing and love for her.

But now, here she was alone, staring at her phone. She pushed away from the island and moved to the door that led to her backyard. She would not be responding. She was going ignore the message and push Bobbie out of her mind. The air in the kitchen was becoming stifling, and she needed fresh air. Exiting through the door, she walked out onto her stone patio, sat in her oversized chair, and rested her feet on the matching ottoman.

Evening had fallen, and the cool air was refreshing. She inhaled and immediately felt her body relax. Her backyard was her oasis. She had all the comforts of home outside. There were matching outdoor couches along with a fire pit in the center. There had been plenty of nights where family and friends had spent time around a roaring fire. She had hung strings of lights around the yard to provide light after dark.

Shekita loved to entertain and wanted to get back to it. Maybe she could invite over a certain bear shifter for dinner. She could cook a wonderful meal for them, and then they could come outside and light a fire in the pit. She had a big blanket they could snuggle under, watching the flames and the stars in the inky sky.

Shekita’s heart warmed at the thought. A smile formed on her lips. Planning a date for them would be fun. She had wanted more time, and dating would be the best way they could get to know each other. If they were truly meant to be together, then Pola wouldn’t have a problem with doing things her way.

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