“No, no. That’s—no. I’m not a bear. I can’t be a bear!”
She tried to move back off my lap, but I tightened my hold on her.
“Stay where you are, Jolie. You’ll be more upset if you’re not touching me.”
Tears filled her eyes, but she stopped trying to get up. “Why?”
“We’re mates, baby. The mating burn calls us to each other. It’s why no matter how hard you fought to push me away, you always ended up seeking me out eventually. And it’s why you feel comfort and relief when you touch me. I’m told it’s not as potent once we complete the claiming, but it’ll always be there between us.”
A single tear escaped each eye, and I moved my hands back to cup her face and wipe the tears away with my thumbs.
“I don’t want to become a bear, Neo.”
Her voice was a whisper and it cut me to the core. Her rejection of my other side. Of her own other side.
“It’s not as scary as you’re thinking, Jolie. Your bear is already inside of you. We just need to unlock her. You won’t lose yourself to her. You’ll simply gain another side of yourself. You’ll be stronger, more resilient. You won’t get sick as often.”
She cut me off. “What do you mean it’s already inside me?”
“You were born to be my mate, Jolie. That means you were born to be a bear shifter. She’s just been hibernating while waiting for me to come along and wake her up.”
“So you don’t really want me then. You’re just, what? Following a biological urge?”
The anger was clear to read in her tone, and I knew I’d somehow fucked up my explanation of how mates worked. I needed to fix this and fast. I had a feeling now she’d let anger overtake her shock from the events out in the forest. She’d be up and out of here in a flash if I didn’t say the right thing now.
Chapter Four
Jolie
Fury raced through my system, chasing away the shock and confusion from earlier. I’d been falling in love with a man who didn’t even really want me. I tried to stand again, but again, his hands tightened on me, stopping me from moving away.
“It’s not like that. Jolie, please, let me explain before you run off.”
“I can’t run off because you’re holding me down.”
My words came out in a growl and I did not appreciate the way he fought not to smile at my outburst.
“I promise I’ll let you go. In fact, I’ll take you back to your place myself if you want to,afterI explain a few things.”
With a huff, I folded my arms over my chest and let my weight rest on his thighs, back far enough that my crotch wasn’t anywhere near the healthy bulge he had going on behind his fly.
“We were born to be together, but that doesn’t mean we’re forced to be a couple. It means that we were created to be the perfect partners for each other. It means we were instantly attracted to each other when we first met, that we crave each other’s touch and affection. Together we will feel complete and whole. It means we’ll fall in love with each other because when two people fit together like two destined mates do, that’s what naturally follows. There’s no forcing or removal of choice involved.”
Tears pricked my eyes. “That’s why no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t leave town, isn’t it? Why I always keep coming back to you?”
“We call it the mating burn. It’s a call between mates that is hard to deny. I’ve never heard of anyone being able to fight it as well as you have, actually.”
It sounded like he wasn’t telling me everything that was on his mind, but I didn’t have it in me to push him on it. I also wasn’t sure I wanted to know whatever it was that he wasn’t telling me.
“So I never stood a chance?”
Pain flashed through his gaze, then a wave of fury crashed through me, leaving me gasping. That wasn’t my emotion, was it?
“Never stood a chance when, Jolie?” His voice was low and a little rough, like he was struggling to hold in his emotions. Was the fury his? Was this some weird shifter thing? “Do you mean you never had a chance when your parents died and you ended up in a god-awful group home? Maybe you mean when the state handed you over to a fucking monster when you were still way too young to have any chance of fighting him off? Or was it when that fucker sold you off as a bride? Maybe you mean you didn’t stand a chance because of all the fucking abuse those two men rained down on you. Because, it couldn’t possibly be that you think you never stood a chance because of all the love and affection I’ve attempted to shower you with since you came to town. Had you told me about your foster father earlier, I would have hunted him down and taken care of it for you. Fuck, Jolie, I killed for you not an hour ago, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat if it meant keeping you safe and happy.”
He hadn’t been kidding about that dream. He’d seen it all. Every shameful, horrific thing I’d rather he not know had been laid at his feet. I’d never wanted anyone to know any of what he’d just spoken of.
Tears were running down my cheeks as I tried to focus on his face. The waves of added emotion must be his, and they pounded against me as I battled my own. I was drowning in it all, struggling to rise above it. There were too many emotions to deal with and I needed to get away. With a sob I couldn’t hold in any longer, I shoved against his chest, pushing myself off his body. His hands slipped from my skin, and I found myself stumbling back away from him. The moment we were no longer touching, everything got worse. All the emotions swirling got thicker, dragging me down deeper and pain shot up from my injured ankle. My heart raced as my vision faded. What was happening?