Page 19 of Bearly in Love

fifteen

MADISON

There weren’t enough seats in the truck we’d piled in, so I had to sit on Bo’s lap the whole way into Cub Lake.

My gaze kept jerking back to the blood stains on my white dress.

My heart kept pounding.

I had thanked the bears when we got in the vehicle, and one of them said something about protecting their own.

I was glad they had Bo’s back. He deserved it.

His grip on my waist was iron through the entire drive. Neither of us said anything while the five other grizzlies we were driving with chatted animatedly about their fight to get through the kitsune guards. No one had died, which they were glad about.

They were more enthusiastic about the bloody battle, though.

When I asked if they could drop me off at my apartment, they didn’t hesitate to agree.

Bo didn’t ask for a ride back to his cabin, but I figured he’d already planned or arranged that. Maybe he had his truck at one of their houses or something.

While we drove, I silently made a plan.

I wouldn’t bother showering when I got home.

I’d change, and I’d run. My friend Leslie from the dance studio would probably be able to give me a ride to Yeti Canyon, and I could be at the Supernatural Resort by the next morning.

All the cash I had on hand had been in my car, so I’d have to stop at an ATM and withdraw everything. I didn’t have much saved, but it was better than nothing.

I’d book the plane ticket while I was at home, since my phone was gone but my laptop was still there. I didn’t have money to replace anything yet, so it wasn’t like I could just stop at the phone store.

I wasn’t willing to risk taking the time for that, anyway.

The alpha would come after me sooner rather than later. Probably just to kill me for screwing him over.

If I was still home, I was toast.

But I wouldn’t be home.

I’d be across the country, starting my new life.

I didn’t want to leave Cub Lake permanently, so that thought made my heart squeeze. I’d miss the town, despite the shit in my past. It was home.

But I was just going to have to embrace my new life.

When the guy driving parked in front of my apartment building, he looked back with a crease between his eyes. “This is where you live?”

He was judging me, but all of my money had gone into the dance studio. Buying the old owner out when she retired hadn’t been cheap, and teaching dance didn’t pay that well.

I wasn’t explaining myself to some random bear shifter, though. Even if he’d helped Bo save my life so I kind of owed him.

“Yup.” I opened the truck’s door.

Before I could attempt to climb off Bo’s lap in my gigantic dress, he ducked out of the vehicle, carrying me with him smoothly. When he set me down on my feet, I gave him a small smile.

“Thanks. I owe you.”

His forehead creased deeper than the other guy’s had. “What?”

“For lying to the alpha for me.” I gestured in the direction of the skulk’s neighborhood. “You literally saved my life. So, thanks.”

After patting his arm awkwardly, I glanced into the truck.

All of the bear shifters looked confused, but I wasn’t about to overthink that. Not when I’d just gotten a second chance at life.

“You too. Thank you guys.”

None of them answered.

They all looked at Bo.

I took another step back, turning back to Ambrose. “I’ll borrow Sage’s phone to text you when I get to the resort, so you know I’m alive. You can just make up some bullshit if you see the alpha again. You didn’t have to do any of that, so… thanks.”

Again.

Spinning around, I gathered my giant skirt in my hands and padded across the light layer of snow. The cold felt good on my toes. It reminded me that I was alive.

And free.

Finally.

One of the guys muttered something while I walked away. It almost sounded like,

“She thinks you were lying about claiming her.”

I’d obviously heard wrong.

I had other things to worry about. My thoughts didn’t linger on it.

Bo growled something back, but I didn’t hear what.

I’d left my door unlocked, so I opened it without a problem, shutting it behind me and leaning against it with a quiet thud.

I closed my eyes, and all of the emotions of the day crashed into me. My eyes burned, and I gave myself one minute to cry.

Only one minute.

Then, I’d figure out a way to get my dress off, throw on some clean clothes, and call Mel for a ride.

A few tears escaped. Tears of relief, mostly.

I stepped away from the door and tried to reach the complicated ribbons on the back of my dress for all of three seconds before someone knocked.

I frowned.

My eyes were still watery.

The only person who could be at the door was Bo, right? But why would he? I’d given him an out already. And?—

The doorknob twisted, and Bo stuck his head in. His forehead was still creased. “You didn’t lock it.”

“I never lock it.”

“Why not?” He opened it wider and stepped inside.

“A lock isn’t going to keep a shifter out, and I’d rather let a thief in than pay to repair the damage to the door.”

“That’s bullshit.” He closed the door behind himself and looked around. The crease in his forehead deepened as he saw my living situation. It was crappy, but it was mine. That was all that mattered to me. “You never told me if the alpha touched you.”

“He didn’t.” Luckily. “What are you doing here?”

Bo didn’t respond right away.

His nostrils flared, and he crossed the kitchen, headed for the bathroom.

“Do you need to pee or something?” One of my hands went to my hip.

I was still feeling emotional, and I needed to get on the road fast, so the grizzly had to get going.

I couldn’t just kick him out after he saved my life, though. Could I?

Bo disappeared into the bathroom. He didn’t shut the door, and I didn’t hear him use the toilet.

He was scowling when he stepped back out. “You have black mold in the shower. That can seriously affect your health, Madi.”

“No, it can’t. I’m a shifter.”

I reached back to the ribbons on my dress again, trying to find the bow at the top with my fingers.

I started to shift my nails into claws, but Bo batted my hands away and tugged the ribbon undone. I swear, he found it exactly where I’d been looking.

“It hasn’t been studied,” Bo said.

“Most sicknesses can’t affect us.”

“This one could be the exception.”

“Stop changing the subject, Ambrose. What are you doing here?”

He finished pulling the dress’s ribbons free and tugged the fabric apart. Breathing got much easier when it loosened. “It’s complicated.”

“No, it’s not.”

“It is.” He let out harsh breath. “I wasn’t lying.”

“About…”

“Claiming you.”

I blinked.

It took me a minute to realize what he was really saying.

He hadn’t lied about me being his mate.

“ What ?” My voice rose.

“The only way the guys know to figure out whether my bear has claimed you completely is to try kissing another woman. I couldn’t stomach the idea long enough to try it. There’s still a chance the bond isn’t permanent, but as far as my bear is concerned, there’s no question. You’re mine.”

You’re mine.

That statement made me feel too many things. Way too many things.

“Then you need to kiss someone else so we can figure that out before I leave,” I said. I was clutching my dress to my chest, and he hadn’t stepped out from behind me, but panic had flooded my veins.

I couldn’t be mated to Bo.

He wasn’t interested in a relationship with me. He didn’t even like me. He just wanted to screw me.

I’d barely escaped my fiancé. Mating with someone else I didn’t want to mate with, who didn’t want me for who I was, would only be slightly better than my last situation.

“I’m not kissing anyone else.” He didn’t leave any room for arguing.

“I need to know before I try to find a mate at the resort. I?—”

“Seal the bond with me,” he said.

The words silenced me.

“You need a mate. I’ve already claimed you. If we make the vows, we can figure out where to go from there. No matter what else, at least you’ll be safe from the alpha.”

There was a tense pause.

Then he added gruffly, “And if the bond is real, you could be pregnant.”

My eyes widened with horror. “ No . You need to kiss someone right fucking now, Ambrose, or I swear?—”

He spun me around so I faced him.

With his hands on my hips, he took two large steps and had me pinned between his body and the wall almost instantly.

The heat that rolled through me with the sudden, intense show of dominance was enough to make his nostrils flare and his eyes darken.

“The only person I will ever be kissing again is you, Madi. I don’t give a fuck whether or not the bond is permanent yet. You’re mine. I’m yours. Whether you like it or not.”

My stomach tightened painfully. “You can’t just decide that for me. I?—”

“I shouldn’t have bitten you without your agreement,” Bo said. His eyes were tight. His jaw was, too. “But it’s done, and it’s not the end of your freedom. Bears don’t always stay with their mates. If you want to live apart after we find out you’re not pregnant, we can.”

I could tell gritting the last part out wasn’t easy for him. “What if I am?”

I couldn’t imagine that.

I didn’t want to, either.

“Then we’ll figure something out.”

“Figure what out, Ambrose?” My voice lowered.

“How to live together as roommates if we have to. I won’t let my cub grow up the way I did.”

“So you’re not going to give me a choice,” I said flatly. “If there’s a baby involved, even an accidental one, you’re not letting me leave.”

“Correct.”

I shoved his arms off of my body and strode toward the bathroom. “Fuck you.”

The door slammed shut behind me.

“The mold isn’t safe!” Bo yelled from the other side of the door.

“It’s safer for me than you are!” I shouted.

He didn’t have a comeback as I turned the shower on and let my heavy dress fall into a puddle on the floor. My underwear followed.

Stepping beneath the falling water, I closed my eyes.

And cried.