One True Mate_Bear's Embrace

by Moxie North

  Chapter Ten

  Poppy walked back into the back room that had originally been a dining room with a door that closed it off from the rest of the house. Her mother had used it as a sewing room years ago, but now it was more of a cluttered storage area. Poppy had managed to squeeze a table into the corner so she could keep a box of records and a laptop in there. She knew right where the forms were but wanted to wait a moment and catch her breath.

  Zane Rakoff was a big man. He had taken her breath away the moment she opened the door. He smelled like sun and cinnamon as he passed her. It made her think of being warm and tucked into a couch in front of a roaring fire.

  He had amazing blue eyes that didn’t match the stern face surrounding them. She could see how other people might consider him scary. He was all muscle and anger. Yes, she’d felt the anger. But it wasn’t irrational anger, that felt different. This was anger that had been built over the years. It was created by unfairness, loss, pain, and hopelessness. It was a natural response for some to channel that into aggression. Poppy was sure she would be the person to get completely depressed and lock herself in her room for years if she had that swirl of emotions inside her.

  Zane didn’t hide. He was out there, working for his community, saving lives. He took that anger and did something with it. He didn’t like it. She felt that much. She didn’t tell him, but she’d felt the shame he carried too. Shame that was somehow tied to rejection. It wasn’t a pinpoint of rejection either. It was a steady stacking of it that led him to her door.

  She could tell that her sessions with him would be hard and tiring for her, and she was already thinking about how she was going to have to reschedule her appointments for the day after so she’d have enough to give to her other clients.

  Zane was going to wear her out. But her heart told her that the man in the other room needed her. She wondered if he was single.

  Zane sat playing with his teacup. Her scent was still in the room and he was itching to follow her. That wouldn’t be right. It could jeopardize his time with her. He wanted it, desperately, in a way that he’d never wanted anything before. He already missed her. He could feel her essence leaving as she walked away. It was like there was an aura around her that followed her, clinging to her like a silk robe.

  She could be someone’s One True Mate. She seemed like she fit a lot of the boxes that needed to be ticked. He wondered if there was a wolven in town that just hadn’t met her yet. Or maybe even one of the cats. Poppy seemed positively perfect to him. Her light made him feel dark and bulky in her quaint kitchen.

  There was probably a line of pretty boys waiting for her. She wouldn’t be looking for a rough man that almost had to duck beneath doorways and always forgot to shave. The idea of another man touching her caused his hackles to rise. His anger built and his blood started to boil. No one needed to be touching her, he didn’t want them to even breathe near her.

  But he could take care of her. Something inside him told him that was true. He could take care of her and keep her safe. It would be a life worth living.

  Giving up the ideal of finding his One True Mate for someone just as good? Was that even possible? He didn’t know who to ask. Bruin was the only bearen with any experience and he wasn’t even sure he was still in town. He didn’t think he could just ask Wade. It wasn’t like they were on a first name basis with each other.

  Shaking out of his thoughts, he smiled just a little as Poppy returned holding a piece of paper and a pen.

  “It’s not a test, so just answer the best you can. More tea?”

  Zane nodded. It was more tea than he’d probably drunk in his lifetime, but he’d swallow bucketfuls if it made her happy.

  Filling out the form, he paused a number of times trying to decide what to write. It was like opening a door to his psyche that he had nailed shut a long time ago. How much did he want to share with this woman?

  His instincts answered for him.

  Everything.

  After writing down what he thought would help her to help him, he slid the paper towards her side of the table and let out the breath he was holding. When she returned with the tea, she flipped the paper over without reading it.

  “I’ll look that over before our session tomorrow. Is there anything else you’d like to talk about?”

  Hell yes, there were things he wanted to talk about. Did she like him? Was he attractive to her? What was her relationship status? Did she want to go out on a date with him? Could she imagine shacking up with him and making babies? All things he thought but didn’t say. He physically fought to keep his mouth closed. The desire for answers and the acceptance of the reality that he was facing was desperate in him. If she only knew how he was really feeling.

  “I’m new around here. Do you know a good place to get a drink?” He didn’t want to sound like he was a boozer, but it was the first thing that popped into his head.

  “Actually, I’m not a big drinker. I enjoy every now and then of course. I’d rank somewhere on the Sangria at the Applebee’s scale kind of drinker. I hear that there is a bar outside of town that is a little rough, but some people like that. You don’t seem like a club type of person if you don’t mind me saying.”

  “No, no dancing for me,” he admitted. “My size makes it dangerous for those around me. I get a good sprinkler going and I end up handing out concussions.”

  Poppy giggled at him. He liked her laugh. It sounded like bells and made him think of her giggling in bed. That was an unexpected thought, but it wasn’t a bad one. She wasn’t laughing at him, she was laughing with him, happily. It was like his mind had projected a happy future where there was none.

  “I’d better head out. I need to check in at work. I’m living in an extended stay hotel right now and you’d be surprised at how much you still need to bring with you.”

  “Like a hotel without the high turnover? And I bet there’s a completely impractical kitchenette to contend with.”

  “That’s shockingly accurate, but it’s a place to rest my head for the time being. I’m comfortable and it’s probably only temporary.”

  “I couldn’t imagine having to spend any length of time in one of those places.”

  “I’m used to traveling around, sleeping in different places. I’ve actually gotten quite good at sleeping on the ground. Covered in soot, dirt, and soaked to the skin.”

  “Your job sounds challenging.”

  “It is, but it’s what I was born to do,” he said and meant it.

  “I can see that. I couldn’t imagine doing anything different than what I do.”

  “Then we’re both following our dreams,” he said.

  “Maybe our souls are similar. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

  Zane didn’t know how to answer that.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

  “Absolutely. If you want, you can just knock on the shed in the back, the little blue one with the white trim, when you get here.”

  “The shed?” he asked dubiously.

  “Trust me, it will be okay.”

  “I do trust you, Poppy,” he said this with a little more emphasis than the reply demanded but it was out there now.

  “Good, I want us to have a relaxed and comfortable relationship.”

  Relationship, he liked that word.

  It took all of his strength of will to stand and shake her hand and then release it. He had to fight to not pull her against him, wrap her up in his arms and bury his face into her hair.

  He wanted to pull on her curls and see if they would bounce back. Wrap a strand of it around his finger as he slept.

  Those thoughts made his renqua feel warm, and he reached over to try and scratch at it. Realizing that she was watching him, he dropped his hand and nodded to her. He really needed to learn to smile more.

  Poppy was smiling at him and it seemed to be an easy one for her. She wasn’t scared of him, he couldn’t smell any fear. In fact, he smelled something that he wanted to call attraction but was afraid
to label it. Dreading it was just a figment of his imagination.

  “Tomorrow,” he said, turning and walking to the front door.

  He tried to walk down the sidewalk without looking back, but felt the pull of her gaze and stopped and turned.

  She was leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed over her chest, her ankles crossed in a casual pose. She lifted her hand again to wave and he found himself waving back like an enthusiastic five-year-old.

  “Nice,” he muttered to himself. “Desperation is always attractive.”

  He folded himself into his rental car and pulled away without looking back. He could feel the separation from her as the miles increased. It was like a cord between them being stretched to its limits.

  But it didn’t break.

  Chapter Eleven

  “You look more disgruntled than usual,” Conri said. He was sitting in his office across from Zane.

  Zane had stopped at the station and asked to see him.

  “More?”

  “Yes, there’s something, I can’t put my finger on it.”

  “I need… some advice.”

  “I’m happy to help. What’s going on? Problem with one of the crew?”

  “No, no. It’s… personal.”

  “Huh,” Conri nodded, his eyebrows going up. “I’m happy to help in any way.”

  “I’d ask Bruin, but I don’t even know if he’s still here.”

  “They were off to Mexico last I heard. Their passports are going to get plenty of stamps. Bruin wants Willow home, but she’s fierce and isn’t going to let him stop her from returning all of the renquas to the bearen.”

  “She’s a miracle, that’s for sure,” Zane agreed. The loss of their females was what all the shiften had to deal with, but the loss of their connection to their creator was a silent pain only the bearen had to experience.

  “I think she is, and that’s not just because she’s my sister-in-law,” Conri said with affection.

  “So, the True Mates? What do we know? Bruin filled me in on some of the details. But how do you know?”

  Conri let out a sigh. “Bruin says you know. That no matter how much you try to deny it, you still know. He says that his mate smells like heaven, turns his crank, makes him incredibly protective to the point of aggression, and well, he said he loved her from the minute he saw her. It sounds like it should punch you right in the gut, or face, whichever.”

  “It would be a hell of a lot easier if it was like a siren went off, or lights flashed,” Zane grumbled.

  Conri frowned at him. “Do you think you’ve found your mate?”

  Zane squirmed in his chair. “I might have found a mate. I don’t know that she’s mine.”

  “Why wouldn’t you think she was yours?”

  That wasn’t a question he wanted to answer. “I’m sure there are people ahead of me.”

  Conri shook his head. “I don’t think it works like that. And from what I’ve seen, those True Mates are known to their shiften first. It would be pretty confusing if they had to bounce around between different men looking for the right one. Tell me about her.”

  “She’s beautiful,” he started without even thinking about what he was going to say. It was the most natural thing for him to utter. “She smells amazing. I can’t explain it any better than she smells like dessert. She’s funny, she’s kind. I mean she sat across from me and didn’t even look afraid.”

  “You’re a scary motherfucker, no offense.”

  “None taken. I know it. I was trying to smile and not scare her off. I think the smile made it worse. She’s different, not like any woman I’ve ever known.”

  “You know what they say, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.”

  “Thanks for that. I was going to ask Wade, but I know how busy he is. I’m sure he has tons of shiften asking him to judge women for him.”

  “See, that’s the thing,” Conri said, his eyes shining with amusement. “You know if she’s yours. You would fight any man that came near her or tried to stake his claim. What if I went right now and asked her out?”

  Zane couldn’t stop the angry growl that rolled out of him. “Poppy’s mine!” he roared.

  Conri didn’t look frightened but a little surprised. “Did you say Poppy? The massage therapist Poppy? She’s a One True Mate?

  “I don’t know! I think so. I mean I want her to be. Damn it, I fucking can’t breathe without thinking about her!”

  “Well then, why are you questioning it? I can’t believe we didn’t see it before. She’s smart and funny. She’s been giving free massages for over a year now to the station.”

  “That fucking ends now, by the way!” Breathing heavily he gave a pause to ponder that. “But what if I’m wrong?”

  “I really don’t think you are. More True Mates are going to be found. This is just the beginning. I’d like to think that many of us will find our Ones. We finally can see into our future. That’s exciting. I say grab it with both hands. I’ll let Bruin know. If you need anything, from me, the department or the SPD, you tell us. If she’s your mate, Khain will know about her. None of them are safe. In fact, we need to get you moved. I want you closer to other bearen just in case. I’ll ask around and see who has space.”

  “I’d appreciate that. She lives in town and I don’t like being so far away. How do I keep her? I mean how do I tell her who she is to me?”

  “That I don’t know. I’d send a text to Bruin and hope to god he answers. That’s what I would do,” Conri suggested.

  Zane nodded. Text Bruin, tell Poppy she’s his One True Mate, keep her safe from Khain, make cubs. Simple.

  “Good luck,” Conri added wryly.

  Grunting, Zane stood up and wandered out of the room. He went to the gym and did chest presses until he was out of breath. He wanted to be with Poppy right that moment. But he needed to find a way to tell her about him. But it wasn’t something he could delay, she was in danger just being alive.

  He needed to know if she’d been having problems; if there was there someone bothering her. Conri was right, if Poppy was a True Mate, Khain would know about her and that meant his minions would know about her too.

  Chapter Twelve

  Poppy was nervous, she’d never been nervous about an appointment before. She had worked with so many people over the years, and Zane Rakoff shouldn’t be any different. He was in need and she could help him. That was her calling. She had always felt that what she did was a calling. It was her way to give back to a world that had treated her well.

  Not long after Zane had left, she had looked over his information and had felt an overwhelming sense that she was being watched. She looked out the windows but saw nothing other than the normal neighborhood. Her mother was out with her girlfriends for the day so there would be no reason for her to think anyone else would be there.

  But that tingling sensation kept building at the back of her neck. Her eyes kept catching something flashing by and she’d jump and look behind her. There would be nothing there, but the feeling wouldn’t leave. Her dreams had been tormenting the night before. She was running, out of breath with something chasing her. She had tried to scream, but the sounds coming out were no more than a breathy squeak. The shadow man was behind her. She didn’t doubt who it was or how much he wanted her. If he ever got close enough to touch her, she knew that she wouldn’t survive.

  The mysterious figure was always there, it was part of her life and she had just chalked it up to childhood fancy. Maybe it wasn’t uncommon for people to have reoccurring dreams like hers. She wouldn’t know because there was no way she was going to let people know the extent of her worry about the figments of her imagination.

  Now the feeling from her dream wouldn’t leave. It was following her around, just like in the dream, but her eyes were wide open.

  Zane was coming, that knowledge gave her a little solace. If she was honest with herself it gave her more than that. She had missed him when he left. Ther
e was a void in the kitchen that the big man had filled. His presence was calming, and she found herself wishing that she had a man like that. Someone big and strong to curl into when she was feeling unsure or scared. When the dreams came and wouldn’t leave, she needed a partner like that to scare away the demons.

  It wouldn’t be ethical for her to date him, if he was interested that was. She almost wished that they had met at the grocery store, or even a chance meeting at the fire station. She would be free to pursue him.

  “Pursue him,” she snorted at her own thoughts. “What makes you think he wants you, Poppy?” she asked herself.

  Zane was brave. Not just because he was a firefighter, but she thought the biggest mark of his bravery was that he had sought her out. She didn’t like men who thought they were too tough to take care of their emotional needs. Big guys needed love too.

  Poppy had already prepped the shed, the room would feel extra small with his large frame inside it. Before her nightmare, she’d been having the most exquisite dream. She was holding Zane, trying to wrap her body around him, offering him as much contact as she could.

  It was a nice dream that quickly morphed into her touching him in a not so therapeutic way. That was a different kind of massage altogether. She’d never thought about a client that way. It was a mental block she had easily created years ago. Her job was to be removed from the sexual side of bodywork and focus on the healing aspects of what she did.

  But Zane was making her have thoughts she hadn’t entertained in a long time. Thoughts that made her think of big cozy beds with both of them naked.

  She shook off the thought because she didn’t need those ideas in her head when he arrived. Poppy couldn’t help but pace back and forth in front of the door, occasionally peeking through the windows.

  When his car finally pulled up she almost felt giddy. She had the door opened and was standing on the porch to welcome him, possibly a little too enthusiastically.

  She greeted him with a big smile. “Zane!” Good lord, she sounded like an eager beaver.