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R oyce held Carson’s gaze as he slowly pulled out of their mate’s body.

Deep down, he knew they were likely pushing him too hard, too fast, btu then Jared was anxious to have everything tied up neatly in a bow by the end of the weekend.

He feared that might not happen. He lifted his gaze to Jared, curious what was shared when he was down the mountain.

He almost asked, but he was ready to have a little alone time with Carson himself.

Maybe he’d be able to see where Carson’s head was at if he could get a few minutes without Jared there to push. “Do you mind going down to check on Paul?”

“Paul?” Jared asked, frowning.

“I left him in charge of the desk.”

“He has no experience there. Why did you leave him?”

Royce glanced at Jared before staring back down at Carson, a slow smile coming to his lips. “Everyone has checked in for the weekend, and Paul knows enough. Quentin is in the restaurant and could help in a pinch.”

“I can’t believe you left it in his hands. And I’m the one not serious about the business?”

Royce glowered at Jared. “I wanted some time with our mate, too. You’ve had yours. So go check on the guys.”

Jared lifted one brow, but didn’t argue with Royce’s request. He rinsed off his hands and his cock before climbing from the pool. Royce continued to run his hands over Carson’s body as Jared left them alone.

“You don’t have to leave your business in less than capable hands on my account.”

Royce frowned. “I’ve lived fifty-seven years without a mate. Now that I’ve found him, I don’t want to leave him alone.”

“You’re fifty-seven?” Carson blinked a few times. “You don’t look a day over thirty-five.”

“Bear shifters live longer than humans. We often double a human’s average age or more.”

“You can live to be two hundred?”

“Yep. Of course, that depends on the bear and how well he lives.”

“And how well have you lived?” Carson asked, swimming away from Royce a few feet.

“I feel like I’ve simply… existed. Something has always felt as it was missing.” Now it no longer felt that way. Carson completed their triad. Royce felt it as clearly as the nose on his face.

“And you think that something missing is me.”

It wasn’t a question. More a statement. Which was fine, since Royce agreed with it. “You are the missing piece. Don’t you feel it?”

Carson was silent as he swam away a little more. He could feel the human putting up a wall between them. The same wall he’d felt this morning. Their mate was confused, assuredly. He likely sensed the bond but fought it.

“ Don’t you?” Royce asked again.

Carson glanced at him but didn’t answer. He swam farther, increasing the gap.

Distance wasn’t something Royce wanted. After dipping under the surface, he swam with speed until he could wrap his arms around Carson’s waist. He sprung from the water, lifting Carson, and clutching him tight.

Chest-to-chest and eye-to-eye, he pinned Carson with a glare. He could feel Carson’s feet pressing against his knees. He towered over the man and wasn’t against using his size to get the answer he craved.

“I asked a question.”

Carson’s cheeks darkened and he averted his gaze. “I’ve spent my entire life as a straight man. I also spent it not knowing beings like you existed. You can’t assume I’ll just accept this is… whatever it is.”

“I didn’t ask you that,” Royce murmured, lowering his head to recapture their mate’s stare. When he finally had it, he continued. “I simply asked if you felt the bond. Not if you accepted it.”

“I suppose I feel something,” Carson spat. He narrowed his eyes. “Like a noose around my neck.”

Royce lifted one of his hands to wrap around Carson’s slender neck. Carson stiffened under his grasp.

“A noose, hmm? It didn’t sound as if you were being forced earlier. You practically begged Jared to fuck you harder… and then demanded I do the same.”

Carson swallowed roughly against Royce’s hold around his neck. It wasn’t tight, but tight enough for Carson to be wary.

“You know I’ll never hurt you, right?”

“No, but clearly you’ll threaten,” Carson murmured.

Royce ran his thumb over Carson’s lower lip. “No threat. You claimed our bond was a noose there. I thought you might like to be reminded of what one really feels like.”

Carson shivered against him.

“Maybe the next time I slide my cock deep inside you, I’ll hold you like this. Tight. And see if that makes you shiver even more.”

Carson’s eyes went heavy lidded.

“Do you like that idea?” Royce asked, moving his lips within inches of Carson’s mouth. “Do you want it rough like that?”

Carson’s eyes closed, his trembling coming full-on. When he reopened them, Royce had his answer. Carson wanted it, without a doubt.

“What exactly is expected of a bear’s mate?”

Royce smiled, a slow spreading of his lips as he gradually released his hold around Carson’s neck. “Not much more than would be expected in any other intimate relationship.”

“Such as?”

“You belong here. With us. Be a part of our community here.”

“I have a home in the city. I have a job there. A life. I can’t just turn my back on all that.”

“That life is over now. You belong here,” Royce stated.

“That life is over?”

Carson fought Royce’s hold until he was let down. “You can’t demand I walk away from everything I know just because some cosmic mishap threw us together.”

A rumble rose up Royce’s throat. “A cosmic mishap? Are you calling this a mistake ?”

“Maybe I am,” Carson spat, anger contorting his handsome face.

Royce stared Carson down. “After what we’ve shared, you could so easily walk away and ignore the bond we have?”

“I barely know either of you and you expect me to give up everything I am. You ask too much,” Carson climbed from the pool before turning to look at Royce. “Maybe I should just go now, before this gets any more difficult.”

Royce stepped closer. “You belong here. Period.”

What the fuck was he doing? He’d yelled at Jared not to push too hard and there he was pushing even harder. There had to be a middle ground, but it was as if his mind refused to let those words past his lips.

Carson grabbed his clothes and started pulling items on. “I don’t. I’m sorry. I’m leaving before I let you convince me otherwise.”

Royce left the pool and pulled Carson close. He pressed his lips against Carson’s and immediately felt the man’s resistance falter. At first, Carson was stiff in his arms, but he soon melted into Royce’s embrace. When Royce pulled back, there was even more confusion in Carson’s gaze.

“I know we ask a lot, but we have so much to give in return, Carson.” He cupped Carson’s cheek and pinned the man with a gaze. “You didn’t mention family being left behind.”

“I don’t have much of that left,” Carson mumbled.

“You’d have one here.”

Carson stared up at him, a yearning in his eyes. It was gone as fast as it appeared. “I can’t think straight when you two are close. I need to go home. I need to be alone. I need to think.”

“Think about coming back to us?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.” He searched Royce’s gaze. “Maybe not.”

“Can’t you stay the rest of the weekend? Give us time to bond?”

“No. Stop pushing!”

Royce lowered his hands and stepped back. He let their human go, even though it was the hardest thing he’d ever done. His chest ached at the thought of Carson leaving them.

“I…” Carson turned, unable to look at Royce. “I might be back.”

Royce forced his clothing on his still wet body before following Carson back through the pines and down the mountain path.

Every step back to the cabin felt like a stab to the gut.

He wouldn’t force their human to stay against his will. He’d tried it Jared’s way and maybe more, and it hadn’t worked.

But now what did he have left to do?

Let him go.

The thought caused terror to rip through his entire body.

Let him go and pray he returned.

As the sun set on the mountain, Jared climbed up toward their cabin. Royce sat on the porch, his feet resting on the railing. He drank from a beer bottle, and several empties rested around the bottom of the chair.

“Where’s Carson?” Jared asked.

Royce was silent a moment. “Gone.”

“Gone? Where?”

“Home.”

Jared felt as if the air was knocked from his lungs. He leaned against the railing for support. “Why has he gone home?”

“We pushed him too far.” Royce shook his head. “I pushed him too far.”

Anger swelled in Jared. “What did you do?”

“He asked what was expected of a bear’s mate. I told him his new home was here, with us, with the other bears. He refused, said he wouldn’t give up the life he knew.”

“And you just let him go?”

“We can’t force him, no matter what you think.”

Jared felt the loss bone deep. “And now what do we do?”

Royce took a drink from his bottle, finishing off the rest of the deep amber liquid. “We wait and see if our mate returns to us. If not… then we go find him.”

The hell we do.

“Once you sober up, we’re going to go collect our mate.”