Page 14 of Flare (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters #17)

Primal Rage

The whisky ’ s rich aroma filled the air, but did nothing to calm the savage clawing of his bear inside him.

Six days. Six goddamn days since Emily had disappeared, and their mate bond—that invisible tether connecting his bear to her—was stretched so thin it felt like barbed wire wrapped around his heart, pulling tighter with each passing hour.

He stalked through his darkened house, not bothering with lights.

His bear ’ s night vision allowed him to navigate the sprawling rooms with ease, past the Italian leather furniture, the gleaming granite countertops, and all the other expensive trappings he ’ d acquired to create the perfect home for his mate.

A home she ’ d abandoned.

Andrew snarled, his teeth momentarily sharpening as his bear pushed closer to the surface. He forced it back down. Losing control had gotten him into this mess.

Well, that and finding out that my mate is a fucking little snoop.

He grabbed another crystal tumbler from the bar cart and splashed more whisky into it, then carried it to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the manicured yard.

The light of the waning moon cast silver shadows across the patio, where he planned to host summer barbecues, showing off his beautiful wife to his business associates.

His bear whined pitifully inside him, a sound of pure misery that Andrew refused to let escape his human throat.

The physical pain of separation was excruciating—like someone had hollowed out his chest cavity with a rusty spoon.

He ’ d heard the stories of shifters separated from their mates, but Andrew had never imagined he would experience it himself.

Because mates didn ’ t leave. That was the whole point of the sacred bond.

Yet Emily had fled, taking a piece of his soul with her. Because she wasn ’ t a shifter, just a sniveling little Ordinary.

Andrew took a long swallow of whisky, welcoming the burn. His bear growled, craving the sweet scent of Emily ’ s skin, the soft press of her body against his.

“ She ’ s coming back,” he muttered to his bear, to the empty house. “ She has to.”

His memory of returning home last Thursday after that disastrous argument stung.

The silence in the house had been his first clue. The second had been her empty closet, hangers askew as if she ’ d grabbed clothes in a hurry. The third had been her engagement ring, a three-carat diamond in a platinum setting, left on the living room coffee table.

No note. No explanation. Just… gone .

At first, he ’ d been confused rather than angry. Emily wouldn ’ t leave him. She couldn ’ t . His bear had chosen her, surprise-claiming her as its mate during their first passionate night together nine months ago.

The mate bond had startled him when it sprang to life in Andrew ’ s chest when he fucked Emily for the first time. His idiot bear had howled in triumph.

Emily hadn ’ t known what had happened, of course. She was just an Ordinary human. He ’ d planned to explain everything to her eventually, once the wedding was over and she was completely his.

If I ’ d broken the truth to her more gently, would she still have panicked and run like a frightened rabbit?

Andrew scowled. No, he had done nothing wrong. She was the one who ’ d invaded his family ’ s private business and downloaded a bunch of confidential files.

If she hadn ’ t done that, Andrew wouldn ’ t have lost control of his bear like that. It was all her fault. And now he was the one being punished for it. It was fucking unfair!

Of course, his bear would never, not in a million years, ever actually hurt Emily. It had just been trying to establish dominance. He had to make her understand that all she had to do was submit, and everything would be okay.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. Andrew pulled it out, hoping desperately that it was Emily, finally calling to apologize for what she ’ d done and begging him to take her back.

But no. It was his mother.

“ Andrew? Are you coming for dinner on Friday or not? You never answered my texts.”

His stomach clenched. The weekly Brunborn family dinner. How could he have forgotten?

“ I… can ’ t make it, Mother. Something ’ s, uh, come up at work.” The lie slipped easily from his lips.

There was a pause at the other end of the line.

“ You canceled out last Friday, too. Mama wasn ’ t happy.”

Of course she wasn ’ t. As the Brunborn clan matriarch, Grandma Katherine kept tabs on all the Brunborns… and all the money. As the oldest grandson, Andrew had always been her favorite, the one she was grooming to lead all the family ’ s business interests.

How could he face them and admit that his human mate had abandoned him? The humiliation would be unbearable. Especially since Grandma and Mother had both warned him that this might happen with a human mate.

“ I ’ ll come next week,” he promised. “ Just… dealing with a difficult client right now.”

“ And what ’ s going on with that fiancée of yours? I ’ ve been trying to get hold of her about the bridal shower, but she hasn ’ t replied to any of my messages.”

Andrew gripped his phone so tightly the case cracked. “ Emily ’ s, uh, not feeling well. Food poisoning or something. I ’ ll have her call you when she ’ s feeling better.”

“ Oh, good Lord,” Mother said in an exasperated tone. “ Don ’ t tell me you ’ ve gotten her pregnant already? Couldn ’ t you at least wait until after the wedding?”

“ She ’ s not pregnant, Mother. And I have to go.”

After ending the call, Andrew stalked to his home office and unlocked the bottom drawer of his desk. Inside was a slim laptop, one that Emily didn ’ t know about. He powered it up and logged into the tracking application.

When Andrew had realized his bear had chosen Emily as his mate, he ’ d taken precautions. He ’ d installed trackers on her phone and laptop, as well as in her car.

As her mate and protector, he had the right to know where she was and what she was doing. It was for her own safety, after all. The Brunborn clan had enemies.

The application loaded, showing a map. Red locator markers for Emily ’ s phone and car both pulsed steadily over a small town in northeastern Idaho, the same as they had since last Thursday night.

She was still in Bearpaw Ridge.

Andrew ’ s jaw clenched so hard his teeth ached. Of all the places she could have run to, she ’ d chosen Swanson territory.

It couldn ’ t be a coincidence. He remembered the text message from that fucking cocktease bitch Maggie Swanson.

Had there been other messages, messages he didn ’ t know about?

Andrew ’ s lips pulled back in a snarl. The Swansons had always thought themselves better than the Brunborns, with their precious ranch and their holier-than-thou attitude about shifter customs. And to think his mother thought that mating Maggie Swanson would be a good idea!

And now, that bitch had stolen his mate.

His bear clawed frantically inside him, desperate to reclaim what was rightfully theirs. Andrew sympathized with its pain. He felt it too, the burning ache of separation, the humiliation of abandonment.

Emily belonged with him. She ’ d taken vows, accepted his ring, shared his bed. That she ’ d run off at the first sign of trouble only proved she needed his guidance and a firm hand to show her the proper way to behave.

Andrew poured himself another whisky, his third of the evening, and downed it in one burning gulp. He needed to go to Bearpaw Ridge and find Emily. He had to bring her home before Mother found out… or Emily damaged their mate bond.

But Bearpaw Ridge was Swanson territory. He couldn ’ t set foot on the ranch without Elle Swanson ’ s permission. And there was no way in hell she would grant it, especially if Maggie had been telling lies about what had happened between them on their one and only date.

Andrew paced the length of his office, his bear growing increasingly agitated. There had to be a way. Some loophole he could use to retrieve his mate.

He searched for “ Bearpaw Ridge hotels,” and found notices about the first annual Lavender & Lilacs Festival this coming weekend.

Perfect. A stupid festival would bring in tourists from all over the region. He could slip in among the crowds, find Emily, and convince her to come home where she belonged.

Andrew opened another tab and searched for accommodations near Bearpaw Ridge. Not in the town itself—too risky—but somewhere close enough that he could drive in for the festival.

He found a hotel in Salmon, a doable drive to Bearpaw Ridge, and booked a room for Friday through Monday.

He itched to leave right away, but he couldn ’ t just abandon his business. There were important investor meetings tomorrow and Thursday, and preparing for them without Emily here to help him would take him for-fucking-ever.

His bear settled down somewhat as the plan took shape. Friday . Just four more days of this burning pain before he reclaimed his wayward mate. Then everything would be all right again.

Andrew closed the laptop and leaned back in his chair, allowing himself to imagine the reunion. Emily might resist at first, especially if Maggie had poisoned his mate ’ s mind.

But once he got Emily alone and could remind her of what they ’ d shared, he ’ d show her how much his bear needed her…

She would come around. She had to.

His phone buzzed again with a text message from his brother.

Grant : Mom says you ’ re ditching us again on Friday. Everything okay, bro?

Andrew ignored the text. Grant wouldn ’ t understand. His older brother was such a cold fish. Andrew was willing to bet he had never experienced the all-consuming need that drove Andrew now.

Instead, Andrew opened his contacts and scrolled down to Emily ’ s number. He ’ d called and texted her dozens of times over the past three days, alternating between pleading and demanding that she return his calls. She never had.

His thumb hovered over her name. One more try couldn ’ t hurt.

No, better to surprise her. When he showed up, he wanted to see the recognition and regret wash over her features as she realized what she ’ d thrown away.

Andrew set his phone down and stood. He needed to prepare the investor presentations before he left for Idaho.

His bear rumbled with approval, the first positive emotion it had shown since discovering Emily ’ s absence. It understood what was happening. They were going hunting, tracking their mate to bring her home.

Where she belonged.

And where she would stay this time. Andrew would make sure of that.

“ I ’ m coming for you, Emily,” he growled to the empty living room, where her scent had already faded. “ No one takes what ’ s mine. Especially not a fucking Swanson.”