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“Thank you.” She pressed her lips together but nodded.

The tension between us eased, though something unreadable lingered in her eyes.

Her swallow went down hard. “This is unbelievable. They’ll say anything to make me look incapable, like I need them.

To draw sympathy from those looking for me.

” She flung her shoulders back. “They suck. I hate them.” The frustration in her voice made my chest tighten.

I knew what it felt like to be controlled, to have others decide your future without a second thought about what you might want instead.

Orc traditions weren’t so different. Some of us were born to be warriors but they became farmers, smiths, traders.

They did what was needed. No one asked if they dreamed of something else.

No one questioned the way things had always been.

Beth wanted to be free, and she deserved that.

If I was someone else, born into something better, a person who could give her more than an open field and campfires, maybe then… I shoved that useless thought down, buried it deep where it couldn't torment me.

Wanting didn't matter. She’d leave.

I’d spend the rest of my life pretending I didn’t miss her.

She took a breath before looking up at me again. “Do you think people in town believe them?”

“Enough that my brothers will be searching for you. I don't know if they've involved anyone outside of town.”

“They will.” Her jaw clenched. “They'll bring in people to look for me. Trackers. Hunters.”

“I'd like to say my brothers won't allow that, but if they believe Bradley and your father…” I didn't need to finish the thought.

“They're going to find me.” Panic came through loud and clear in her voice.

“We're leaving soon. We’ll be gone for a week, and where we’re going, there won’t be anyone else around.

We own this entire valley, all the way to the foothills of the distant mountains, and partway up them.

It’s protected. A week away will give this time to settle down.

When we return, they may have moved on to someplace else.

I carried you, which means there aren't any tracks.”

“True. Good thinking on your part.”

I'd done it because I’d wanted to hold her, help her, but it was good that I had.

She turned away from me, inspecting the rest of the bag’s contents, oblivious to the way my eyes lingered on her longer than they should.

That was the worst part. Not that I wanted her. I accepted that. Any orc with half a soul would want this woman. It was knowing I could never have the chance to show it. That even looking at her for too long was dangerous. That was where the slow ache settled, twisting deep in my gut.

“I’ll change and get ready to leave.” She lifted the bag and retreated into my bedroom, shutting the wooden door firmly behind her.

A week. That’s all the time I had before she’d be gone. Before she vanished from my life as quickly as she’d entered it .

She didn’t belong here, not in this tourist town where we'd have only minimal privacy. We'd be on display most of the time. She also didn't belong on a trail ride, sleeping under the stars with nothing but firelight and silence to fill the space between us.

She belonged somewhere better. Somewhere safe, somewhere easy.

Somewhere that wasn’t with me.

I’d never believed the fates could be so unkind. They didn’t make mistakes. Orcs knew this. But looking at Beth, knowing what she was, what she could never want to be, was the first time I had doubts. Because the fates had given me a mate I could never have and would never deserve.

What other word was there for that except unkind?

Silence settled over the house, leaving me standing in the middle of the kitchen, as restless as ever.

My hands twitched at my sides, needing something to do.

Instead of pacing like a caged beast, I checked the supplies I'd bring for the ride, though I didn't need more than personal items. Everything else waited for us at our resting points.

I strained to hear any sound from my bedroom. The floor creaked. Fabric rustled. She released a muffled sigh.

I scrubbed a hand down my face. Orcs weren’t meant to feel this way.

My kind believed in fate. We found our mates, we loved them, we protected them.

It was instinct, not something we questioned.

But while Beth was my mate, I couldn't claim her. I would not coerce her into a situation she wouldn’t see as any better than what she would've been trapped in with her father and Bradley.

I leaned against the counter, forcing my thoughts toward the trail ahead. This first ride would be an important test for Lonesome Creek. There had been challenges in building this tourist adventure, making it something our kind could be proud of. This needed to go well.

I’d make sure it went as it should while keeping a tight eye on the area around us. If her father or Bradley found us, I wouldn’t let them take her. I’d fight to the death to protect her.

Beth would be safe with me. Nothing else mattered.

The bedroom door creaked open, and she joined me in the kitchen with her bag slung over her shoulder.

“Well?” she asked, glancing down. “What do you think?”

I blinked, truly taking in her appearance.

Her loose pants and oversized shirt hid everything, though them paired with a vest made her seem even smaller than she truly was.

She’d braided her long blonde hair and tucked it under the cowboy hat.

Tilting the front of the hat forward worked well because it cast her face in shadow.

Not Beth. Ben. Almost.

“I think you look wonderful, Beth.” Was that my voice cratering with need?

The smile she gave me… It made my heart flip over and my lungs seize.

“I appreciate that,” she said. “But do I look enough like a boy?”

To me? Never. To humans who weren't looking closely? Maybe. We'd see. Our guests may not even know that a bride had run away the night before. Even if they did, they wouldn't be looking for her in every person they interacted with.

“I think so,” I said.

“Good.” Her smile lifted. “This is going to be fun.”

It could be.

Or it could be torture.

I shifted against the counter, watching as she tucked stray strands of blonde hair beneath the cowboy hat.

It was a simple thing. A disguise. But even in simple clothing, dressed to pass as one of us, she still looked untouched by this life.

Much too breakable. The kind of woman who belonged in a polished house with gleaming windows and servants bringing her fresh bread in the morning.

Not going on a trail ride where she'd have to help prepare the meals.

I needed to reevaluate that right now. I could pamper her during the ride, show her that it wasn't that rough. Maybe then she'd be alright for the week we'd be away. Maybe she might…

Before it could drag me over a cliff, I stopped that train of thought. I couldn’t allow myself to dream of anything but her doing alright during the ride.

The floor creaked when I shifted my feet. “We should get going. I want to get to town early to get everything ready. Do you, um, need anything else?”

Like me?

No, never me. I wasn’t anywhere near good enough for this lovely female .

She glanced down at her outfit. “I can’t think of anything else I need.” Her smile warmed me through even if it was for the clothing, not me. “You picked out the perfect things. Thank you again.”

I grunted.

Her smile faded. “Alright then.” She attempted a deeper voice, exaggerating the way she spoke. “Let’s git goin’, partner.”

I frowned. “What are you doing?”

She huffed. “It's how cowboys talk in movies.”

“Oh, yes, streaming images.”

A frown bloomed on her face. “Yes. Streaming images. I take it you've watched a few?”

“Not as many as I'm supposed to.”

“Supposed to?”

“You know what I mean.”

It was clear she didn't, but I couldn't tell her that Dungar recommended we all watch them to learn not only how cowboys behaved in the surface's Wild West but how cowboys wooed the females they adored.

Because it wasn't going to matter if I’d watched them or not. She was here with me for a week and after that…

I suspected she'd keep running, and I'd never see her again.