Page 25 of His True Mate

“Oh shit!” I had found my one true mate. I’d said it was what I’d wanted, but what the hell did I know? I was trying hard not to panic.

“Just breathe, Winnie. It’s going to be okay.”

“This can’t be happening.”

I saw him wince at my words and felt a little bad about that. Clay seemed like a nice enough guy. I mean, if I replayed the whole day in my head, I’d swear he was a total creeper, yet it didn’t feel that way. I felt safe here with him, safer than I could ever remember feeling.

I looked across the large king bed I was sitting on and wondered if he would expect certain things from me.

My eyes widened and I wanted to kick my own ass for putting myself in this position.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Clay insisted.

“I know,” I said, and I did know that, or I suspected as much at least. “But this wasn’t part of the plan.”

“What was the plan?”

I sighed. “I just had to get away. There was no way I was taking Rendall as a mate. Plus, all Dane wants is for me to have a whole mess of pups to raise up for the show. I don’t want that life for my babies someday.”

Clay growled and I bit back a grin.

“Sorry,” he muttered.

I decided to ignore it. “I guess the plan was to run away. They’ll be rolling out tomorrow. On to the next town and all. I gave them one final show and then I was just going to disappear into the night. I wasn’t planning on Rendall showing up in the middle of the rodeo. What was he thinking? He had things to do and people counting on him.” I shook my head. “He’s an idiot. It threw me off the plan. And then you showed up and I don’t even know what I’m doing or where I’m going now.”

“Where were you going?”

I shrugged. “Nebraska seemed like a nice big open state. I thought maybe I could just find a place to stash my things and spend a little time in my fur. I’ve never really done that before.”

“And what? Hunt? Eat raw off the land?”

“Gross. No thank you.”

He chuckled. “Admit it, you have no plan, Winnie.”

“I do to have a plan,” I insisted, though the words tasted sour in my mouth as I said them. I hadn’t thought any of this through at all. Tears welled up in my eyes. I suddenly felt so lost and a little scared.

Clay got up and walked over to me pulling me into his arms and just holding me. I shouldn’t have let him, but I felt so safe there.

“Don’t cry. It’s going to be okay. If you’re certain leaving is what’s best for you, then just come home with me. I’ll take care of you, Winnie. I’ll keep you safe.”

I looked up at him with watery eyes. “I don’t even know you.”

“And I don’t know you, but I know you are meant to be mine, and we’ll figure the rest out along the way.”

Could I do that? Could I really leave everything behind and go to shack up with a total stranger?

As I looked into his eyes, I knew the answer was simple.

Yes. Yes, I could.

Slowly, I nodded.

Clay

Chapter 7

Winnie was exhausted and I hated that I had to push her to make such a momentous decision on the spot, but I was leaving in the morning, and I had to know she was safe.