Page 12 of The Alpha Grizzly’s Mate (Omegas of the Shifter Mafia #8)

Colson

Back in college, I remembered all of my classmates who fell in love and were a combination of giddy and nervous because they were going to meet their boyfriend’s or girlfriend’s parents for the first time during Parents Weekend or a holiday pickup. I never really understood it because, being a shifter, you find your mate, and that was that for the most part. Parents tended to accept you even if you weren’t their favorite person. Sure, they didn’t always, but you always knew that at the end of it all, your mate was still by your side. Humans couldn’t say the same.

And that was why, with humans, it was a whole big thing. I saw multiple couples break up over family. It was a whole big thing I never quite understood…until today.

I was going to meet his family and his den. Or I guess it was my den now, wasn’t it. I never thought I’d have one of those, or a pack of any kind. I was part of a notorious crime factory. That was my fate. Except it wasn’t.

And having the family I did, there was a chance they might not want me there. They might look at me and think I was the next “uncle.” Because, frankly, they had no reason not to. I came from the family that killed a den member, and it wasn’t for self-defense or an accident. It was intentional and cold-blooded. They didn’t even let him shift.

It was more than that trepidation, though. The more time I spent with those pups, the more I bonded with them. They were so sweet, even after all they had been through. I wanted to wrap them in a protective bubble and keep them safe and happy. I couldn’t do that from the den.

I wasn’t alone in this. Leaving all of them here had my wolf on a tear. But my mate needed me, and I was going to go. That was all there was to it. Still…

“Are you okay, mate?” Levi walked into the room and took a seat beside me on the bed.

“What?” It took me a second to catch up. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine and just about ready.”

“No.” He took my hand in his. “I didn’t ask if you were ready. I asked if you were all right.”

“I’m fine. It’s just…much.”

“It is much, isn’t it?” He turned to face me. “Why don’t you tell me what some of the ‘much’ is, and I can take the burden from you.”

If only it were that easy.

“Okay.” But then the words didn’t come. Levi was patient, waiting for me to find them. “I mean, there’s the obvious.”

He kissed my cheek. “If it was obvious, I wouldn’t be asking you.”

“Fair.” I rolled my eyes, trying to lighten the mood—and probably looked more cross-eyed than anything.

He chuckled, and I guess it worked.

“I’m worried your family’s gonna hate me because mine killed your uncle.” It all came out as almost one word.

“Stop right now.” He cupped my cheek. “First of all, no one could ever hate you. And second, everyone knows my uncle was responsible for all of that crap. He constantly got mixed up in things he shouldn’t. It was not on you.”

While everything he said was true, it didn’t stop me from worrying the conclusion he drew might not have been. But he believed every word, and he was my mate. I trusted him.

“Okay.”

“Do you feel better now?”

Did I? Sort of, at least about that. “I do. Thanks. We can go now.”

He shook his head.

“When I said ‘feel better now,’ I meant 100 percent or at least close. What else has you feeling this way?”

“The cubs. I don’t…I don’t want to leave them. I know they’re safe here. I know there are people to look after them here. But also…maybe it’s because I scented them the first time I was at the compound, or maybe it is their adorable little faces… I don’t know. It’s hard to explain.”

“There’s no need. If you and your wolf feel like we need to be the ones taking care of them, we will be the ones taking care of them. They can come with us to the den who will fully accept them.”

“What if they want to stay here?” They’d been through enough without having us impose change upon them they didn’t want.

“We can ask them and let them choose.”

We also needed permission, but I loved the idea of giving them the choice. They hadn’t even been allowed to walk across the room before. It was time they were able to have some say in their lives.

It was easy for us to know what the cubs wanted. I went in, sat down with them, and said, “My mate and I—it’s time for us to leave.”

I didn’t have time to get to the question when the oldest one, Nora, interrupted, “That’s okay. We’ll go with you.”

And just like that, they were coming with us.

We had a brief meeting, and the entire group agreed it was best for the cubs to come because they felt more bonded with my mate than they did with any of the other people who had been caring for them. Everything fell into place much more easily than I’d hoped.

We spent the drive singing silly songs and telling stories. It made the time fly.

Levi parked, and I opened the door, immediately greeted by the welcoming scent of my new home. Maybe it was because I was mated to a grizzly, and there were a lot of grizzlies around—a lot being relative. And relatives, but it felt like this was where I belonged.

I’d never felt this pull to land before. Sure, it was because this was my mate’s den, where he belonged. But it was more than that. My wolf felt at ease, something I’d never truly experienced before.

The cubs jumped out and ran around giggling. Safe to say, they liked it here already, too.

“Ready to see your new room?” Levi asked.

Their faces lit up.

“We have our own room?” Nora stared at us, wide-eyed.

“Yes, for now, you’re all going to share one because I think that’s what you’ll prefer.”

“Yes, please!” She bolted toward the cabin’s front door, and they followed.

Levi jogged in front of them and showed them where they would be staying then brought them to the kitchen for some cookies his aunt had made. It was hardly a nutritious dinner, but they were full and sleepy when they were done, so I was calling it good enough.

We got them settled into bed, and then he gave me a tour of the place. What I wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for about a week. But my mate and his brothers, as well as Tyrus and Mav, decided it was best that they do a perimeter run first.

I stayed behind, checked on the kids, took a shower, and climbed into Levi’s bed. Our bed now, I supposed. My plan was to wait for him, and we could continue from where we were interrupted when his uncle fled.

I didn’t mean to fall asleep, but that was exactly what I did.