I struggle to pull him down and when I do, he bounces back up and barks at the window again. I check that it’s locked, close all the blinds, and then sit back down with my adrenaline spiking. This dog is supposed to make me feel safer at home, not freak me out.
“Come on, Buddy,” I say as I slap my thigh. He growls at the window one more time and then reluctantly sits in front of me with the hair on his back standing straight up.
He’s on edge for the rest of the night, but I’m able to sleep knowing that anyone who tries to mess with me will have my protective dog to face.
And I wouldn’t want to be that guy.
Chapter Four
Carter
“Where the hell have you been?” Blake barks at me when I bring the firetruck back at nine o’clock at night.
I get out with my head pounding. This has been the longest day of my life.
My grizzly bear is infuriated as I step down from the truck. He’s growling and snarling in my ear as he thrashes around and roars at me to return to the truck and go back to her.
I’m not used to this. He’s been almost dormant inside of me for the past two decades and now he’s making up for lost time with a vengeance.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” I say as I hang up the keys with my head dropped down.
“Well, we didn’t get any complaints from the elementary school saying you burnt it down,” Westin says with a laugh. “So, that’s a good thing. Right?”
“School finished six hours ago,” Blake says as he crosses his arms over his chest and stares me down. “Where have you been with my spare truck?”
A snarl rumbles out of my throat as I glare at him.
His face turns fierce. “What the fuck was that?” he hisses in a low threatening voice.
I close my eyes and shake my head. “I can’t help it. This bear is—”
Out of nowhere, my grizzly surges forward and shreds his way out as I flex my body and desperately try to hold him back. I’m out of practice and even though I’m straining as hard as I can, he slips through.
My body burns as my muscles balloon to three then four times their size. The skin tears along my spine and then reattaches as my furious bear explodes out of me with a savage roar.
All four bear shifters in my crew stop and stare at me in shock.
My bear pulls his lips back and snarls at them in warning as he stares each one of them down.
No one is talking. No one is moving. We’re all used to crazed bears who act grumpy from time to time, but it’s never from me. My bear is more like Winnie the Pooh rather than the deadly beast that’s stomping his big paws in front of them now.
All I can do is watch from inside as my bear turns to the door and sprints out of the fire station.
I can feel what he’s thinking and it’s all about her.
His thoughts are on repeat.
Claim her. Claim her.
Mark her. Mark her.
Over and over again as he races down the road, returning back to where we just came from.
Now, I know for sure what I’ve been suspecting all day.
Aubrey Olson is my mate.
My bear is obsessed with her.
And I’m totally, utterly, screwed.
* * *
It’s six in the morning when I finally return back to the fire station wearing nothing but the Montana state flag that I stole from the Town Hall. It’s wrapped around my waist as I walk in shivering. My feet are freezing.
My asshole bear brought us out to the other side of Blackcloud Point before he let me phase back. I had to walk over fifteen miles at night along the freezing mountain roads in mid-November with absolutely nothing on.
If I could strangle my bear to death right now, I would. If only just to warm my hands up with his body heat.
Blake’s face drops when he sees me walk in. He’s got a fresh steaming cup of coffee in his hand, but he gives it to me when he sees my blue lips.
“I don’t know whether to drink it or to pour it over my head,” I say with a shiver as I wrap my hands around the hot mug.
“Drink it,” Blake says as he grabs my jacket and puts it on my shoulders. We sit down at the folding table in the corner and he watches me as I take a sip of the gloriously hot coffee.
“Thank you,” I say as the heat starts to warm me up and I begin to feel a little bit better. Not a lot. Just a little bit.
“I’m waiting to hear the story,” he says as he taps his fingertips on the table. “What the hell has gotten into your bear?”
I just stare at him blankly and his lips curl into a grin when he realizes it.
“You found your mate.”
I shake my head, still not wanting to believe it. “Nope. You don’t know that for sure. It could be something else.”
“Like what?”
I think about it for a second, but nothing comes. “Oh! Maybe my bear has a brain tumor and he’s acting all funny because it’s pressing on the idiot part of our brain.”
Blake’s grin widens as he watches me. “You can’t get a brain tumor. Your shifter healing would take care of it before it would even start growing.”
I drop my head and close my eyes. My bear is still pacing around, wondering why our mark isn’t on Miss Olson’s neck.
“He went to her?”
I sigh. “Yeah.”
“Who is she?”
“The kindergarten teacher.”
“Nathalie?!? I thought she was married and pregnant! God, your bear is making this really hard on you.”
“No, she’s on maternity leave. It’s her replacement. Aubrey Olson.”
Just saying her name makes my whole body start to heat up. I can’t stop thinking about her. I’m already obsessing about her like a creepy stalker psycho.
“I don’t know what to do, Blake. This is exactly what I didn’t want. Look at me. We’ve only said five words to each other and I’m already all twisted inside out. My bear is acting like a rabid lunatic. I can’t go on like this.”
But I don’t see any other choice. I have to be near her. My bear has to be near her.
“I followed her home. Her smell…. Fuck. I couldn’t get enough of it. I climbed a tree to see inside her window… I feel like my mind is melting. I can’t think straight.”
“You climbed a tree to see in her window?” he says as he stares at me in disbelief. “Mr. I’d-rather-set-myself-on-fire-than-have-a-mate? Did she see you?”
“No, but her dog knew I was there. The fucker wouldn’t stop barking so I ran out of there. I hung around until she went to bed and then I came back here.”
“And that’s when… your bear came out?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry about snapping at you, Chief.”
He shakes his head. “It’s already forgotten.”
“This is the exact thing I was worried about happening and it’s happened. She’s only been in my life for a few hours and look at what’s become of me. I’m broken. My bear won’t stop snarling in my ears. He won’t calm down until I claim her.”
Blake takes a deep breath and sighs as he watches me.
“I need to go back to normal,” I tell him. “I need to try and forget she ever existed.”
“I don’t think that’s going to happen. The genie is out of the bottle, my friend. There’s no stuffing it back in.”
I take another long sip of coffee and stare at the table, wondering what I’m going to do.
“What’s she like?” he asks.
My lips curl up into a smile when I remember her gorgeous dark brown hair and stunning honey-colored eyes. She had old baggy clothes on, but I knew there were some spectacular curves hiding under there. I could sense it. My hands tingled as I imagined what it would feel like to touch her soft skin.
“You’re smiling,” Blake says with a grin. “Maybe it won’t be so bad once you get a good night’s sleep.”
“A good night’s sleep?” I say with a tired laugh. “It’s morning time. I have to work today.”
He shakes his head. “You have the day off.”
I look up at him in shock and he shrugs. “We haven’t had a fire since this summer. I think you can go lay down.”
“That’s the thing, though. I don’t think I can. My bear is all amped up. He won’t let me rest until I mark the girl.”
“So…” Blake says. “Mark her.”
I shake my head and sigh. “Then my whole life is going to change.”
He puts his hand on mine in a rare show of affection. “Dude, I think it already has.”
I drop my head and sigh. I think he’s right.
* * *
A few hours later, I’m walking into the school with a brand new globe under my arm. It’s the least I can do after I shattered her other one.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” the terrifying secretary snaps at me when she sees me at her counter.
I pull a large Toblerone from the inside pocket of my jacket and drop it on her desk. Her eyes widen when she sees it.
“What’s that?” she asks in a low voice.
“I don’t see anything,” I say as I slowly reach for the visitor’s form. “How about I leave whatever you’re seeing and I’ll just sign this and go?”
She looks at me for a long moment and then takes the Toblerone off the desk and turns around.
Jackpot! Now, I know the troll’s weakness: a sweet tooth.
I quickly scribble my name on the form and then hurry out of the office and down the hall to room number seven.
My heart is racing in my chest with every step I take. I can smell her scent wafting through the halls and it makes my bear stir.
He seemed to have learned his lesson last night because he’s letting me take the lead today. At least, I hope that’s what he’s doing. He may just be waiting until we see her and then he’s going to burst out of me again and leap onto her. I wouldn’t put it past the furry asshole.
The fourth-grade teacher sees me and gives me a big smile as I walk by. I give her a quick polite nod as I make my way to my girl.
My breath quickens when I arrive at her door and knock on it. I nearly drop to my knees when she opens it and I see her beautiful face and gorgeous dark brown hair that now has a short chunk hanging down the side of her face. The rest of her hair is pulled back into a ponytail and all I can think about doing is pulling the elastic band out and sinking my hands into it.
“Oh!” she says, looking startled. “Carter. What brings you back here?”
You.
I clear my throat and lift up the globe. “I want to give you the world, Aubrey.”
She starts chuckling as she takes it. “You didn’t have to do that, but it’s very kind.”
“I just hope I didn’t traumatize any of the kids.”
She laughs again and the sight and sound is like a spear to my heart. What I wouldn’t give to hear that sound every day…
“I think they’ve gotten over it,” she says as she gives me a shy look. “Want to come in and say hi?”
I swallow hard as I look over her head and see the kids staring at me. It didn’t go so well the last time.
“Sure,” I nervously say. “I’d love to.”
“Hey, class,” she says as we walk back in. “Remember Mr. Lamb, the fireman?”
“Where’s your uniform?” one of the kids asks me in an accusing manner.
“I have the day off,” I tell him. “I’m not fighting fires today.”
“So, what are you doing?” he asks. “Why are you here?”
“I came to give your teacher a new globe.”
The kid looks at me skeptically. “You came all the way here to give it? Why didn’t you just have it delivered?”
“I, um…” I glance at Aubrey and her cheeks are starting to blush.
“He wanted to see Miss Olson,” the blonde girl in the front row says. “He’s in looooove.”
“Sara!” Aubrey scolds. “That’s inappropriate.”
“Doesn’t make it not true,” she mumbles under her breath.
“Is that true?” a redheaded boy in the back asks. “Do you love Miss Olson?”
Is it getting hot in here?
I shift my weight from foot to foot as they wait for my answer. I knew I shouldn’t have come into the classroom.
“Jeremey!” Aubrey snaps just in time to save me. “Mr. Lamb is not in love with me.” A hint of something flashes across her face as she says it. Disappointment maybe? Regret?
But it hits me when I hear her say it. I am in love with her.
I want her.
I want her badly.
I’m watching her as she continues to lecture the class. “It’s very rude to assume that someone is in love with someone else just because—”
“No, they’re right,” I say, interrupting her.
Her face drops and her adorable pink cheeks darken a little more as she stares at me.
“I knew it,” the blonde girl says under her breath.
Aubrey stares at me for a few silent seconds and then charges past me into the hallway.
“Oooooh,” the class says as they watch me with grins on their faces.
“No game,” the redheaded boy says as he shakes his head. “He’s got nothing.”
I give him a dirty look and then follow her into the hallway.
“Maybe that was too forward,” I say to her. She’s standing there staring at me with a face that I can’t quite read. “Or inappropriate, or wrong place wrong time, but I can’t stop thinking about you and I want to take you out.”
She looks at me for what feels like an eternity until her lips start to curl up into a smile. “You do?”
Relief floods my body and I feel like I could holler out in joy. “I do. I really really do.”
“Okay,” she says with a smile. “How about you pick me up after school? Three o’clock? Is that too early for a date? I haven’t been on many.”
She closes her eyes and drops her shoulders in embarrassment when she realizes what she’s said.
“It’s just my car,” she continues nervously. “It’s not working at the moment and the janitor drives me home, but his car is full of bleach and he only talks about baseball even though it’s November, and I—”
“Three o’clock,” I say as I step forward and take her hand. The feel of her soft skin sends bolts of lightning jolting through me. “I’ll be out front.”
She’s all smiles and giggles as she heads back inside the classroom.
I stand there for a full minute stunned.
I have a date with my mate.
Something I swore I would never do…
Then why the hell can’t I stop grinning?
Chapter Five
Aubrey
“Where’s your car?” Carter asks as we drive away from the school. “How do you get to and from work every day?”
“It’s kind of in the shop right now,” I say as I fidget nervously with my purse.
“At Jason’s shop?” he asks. “I know him and can get it out faster.”
My chest starts to tighten with embarrassment as I stare out the windshield of his pickup truck. “Unless you can get my paycheck here faster then I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“Oh,” he says as he glances over at me. “I can cover it for you. I’d be happy to.”
“Oh, god no!” I say with a laugh. “How about you buy the coffee on our date instead?”
“I can do that.” He smiles at me and it makes me feel like everything is going to be okay. If this gorgeous man can be attracted to me (even with my hair looking ridiculous thanks to Max and the glue gun incident), then maybe everything will be okay. Maybe I haven’t been giving myself enough credit.
“Would you mind stopping at my place first? I have to let my dog out.”
Carter is not only good looking, but he’s sweet too. We talk about our jobs and where we’re from.
Maybe it’s because I haven’t been on many dates, but I feel a connection growing between us. I find myself leanin
g a little closer to him and taking in longer deeper breaths of his rich masculine scent.
My body keeps urging me to go to him. The butterflies in my stomach, the way my eyes keep darting over to him, the tingling in my fingertips whenever I glance down at his big arms and muscular thighs, the pounding of my heart, the warmth between my legs—it’s all pushing me toward him.
“How come you’re still single?” I ask him. “You must have your pick of the ladies.”
“Why do you say that?” he asks with an amused grin as he looks at me. Whenever his sexy amber eyes lock onto me, I want to take off my safety belt and climb onto his lap.
I clear my throat and try to clear my head. “You’re a hot fireman. You must have girls lining up at the station. How old are you?”
“Forty-two,” he says in that deep sexy voice. It makes my pussy clench. I’ve always been attracted to older men, and Carter is exactly double my age. “Am I too old for you?”
I take the opportunity to study his face and I start to get all lightheaded as I watch him. He’s got a massive body and it looks like it’s all hard muscle. He’s wearing jeans and a light grey polo, which shows off his tattooed biceps. My mouth waters every time I look at them.
His face is handsome but intense with rugged features and amber-colored eyes that are always alert. I can feel the possessiveness emanating from them whenever he looks at me. He looks at me like he wants to own me, or like he thinks that he already does.
Normally, I would hate that in a guy and it would be an instant dealbreaker, but with him, I can’t get enough of it. I love the territorial way he looks at me.
“No,” I say as he pulls onto my street. “You’re not too old for me. Hey, how did you know what street was min—what the hell?!?”
My mouth drops when I see all of my stuff in front of my place. My furniture, my clothes, my everything is just dumped on the snow in front of the tiny apartment complex that I’ve been renting. And my heart breaks when I see poor Buddy tied to a pole, looking freezing. The poor guy is shivering.
Drawn to the Alpha: Alphas in Heat Book Two Page 3
