Page 11 of Coveted By The Bear (When Worlds Collide #1)

O ne minute I was being kissed silly by the man of my dreams, and the next, he was being whisked away to another room by a group of enormous men who all seemed to share the same physique as Miles.

More Shifters , my brain whispered.

“Hope? Are you alright?” Arthur Lance, my boss, and the owner of the chain of repair shops named after him, came running into the office where I was being guarded by a big, quiet man.

“Yes, Mr. Lance. I’m fine. I am so sorry about the mess! I can pay you back on a schedule if that’s okay,” I said, blurting out everything I’d been sort of panicking about since Miles had left me alone.

Not that it was his fault. But with no one to talk to, I was kind of spiraling.

“Nonsense. Don’t worry about that at all. We’re insured. But are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, and his expression was worried.

He shared a look with the man guarding me and I noticed something I never had before.

Arthur Lance was big and tall, and when he glanced at that other man, the one guarding me, it was like they spoke without words.

I tilted my head, trying to read whatever it was they were silently communicating, and then I saw it. Arthur’s eyes were glowing.

Holy. Shit.

“Oh my God! You’re one too!” I yelped and pushed back against my seat.

“Is everyone here one?”

“Oh boy, um, Hope, you have to be really quiet about this,” Arthur began, and he looked odd.

Like he was scared or anxious or something. I’d only ever talked to the boss man once or twice. He seemed like a nice man. His wife and kids certainly thought so.

But maybe there was more to a person than just that. I mean, did all these people harbor monsters inside them?

Okay, so I was having a panicky moment. And it only got worse when Betty and Crush arrived.

What was my friend doing here?

“Hope? Are you okay?” Betty asked, pulling me in for a hug.

Crush went right to Arthur, and the two started talking to the bodyguard and well, I gave in to my momentary hysterics.

Who could blame me?

“Am I okay? I don’t know, Betty. Are you a Bear, too?”

It was a question, but my tone was accusatory. My friend looked down guiltily and bit her lip.

“Look, Hope, I know you are upset, and rightfully so.”

“You lied to me. Kept this from me,” I said, tears clogging my throat.

“We’re not supposed to tell anyone,” she whispered her explanation.

“Well, I guess that’s fine, then. Don’t tell me. But you know, this is all really hard to wrap my head around. Is everyone in Barvale a Shifter except me?”

“No, not everyone,” she said, but she still looked guilty.

“You know, I was just starting to think I was going to be okay after the hard time I had, pulling myself together when I left Bruce. But my whole world just shifted on its whole damn axis. I don’t know what to think or who to trust.”

“I’m sorry you had to find out this way, Hope, but we are still friends. None of that is a lie,” she pleaded with me to understand.

“I know, I’m sorry. I am freaking out,” I whispered.

It was true. Betty was not wrong for keeping her secret. Deep down, I understood that. I just felt a little salty about it.

“It’s understandable. Look, did Miles hurt you? Did he bite you or scratch you?” she asked.

I saw a flash of anger wash across her face, but it was nothing compared to the anguish I felt at being kept in the dark.

Wait. What did she say?

“No! Miles would never hurt me! That is about the only damn thing I am sure of in all this,” I said.

“What do you mean? Come on, Hope. Talk to me.”

“I saw grown men turn into Bears, or vice versa. These men were apparently trying to hurt me as some sort of payback for something Miles did. But he never hurt me. He saved me.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I felt the truth of them down to my bones.

He’d said something to me before all these people arrived. Something about being mates.

I might only be a human, but I was an avid reader of romance novels, especially the paranormal kind. If what Miles had said was true, then I needed to see him.

Now. Right now.

“Look, I want to talk to Miles,” I said, tired of waiting.

“You can’t—” Betty started.

But I was over being told what to do.

I walked up to where Arthur Lance, Crush Martinez, and Mr. Bodyguard were standing, and I pointed at each of them.

“Take me to Miles.”

“Uh, Miss, I really can’t?—”

“I said, take me to my mate right now.”

A round of fucks left their mouths, but I ignored them and crossed my arms.

“Hope, did Miles say?—”

“I want to see my mate, and I will not speak to anyone else until I do.”