by Lola Kidd
"A shifter who thinks he found his mate is going to be a little crazy. This one is a special case."
"You can't do anything to him," Professor Belle cautioned. "Even if he shows up here, you can't hurt him. His father is the pack alpha and won't take lightly to his son being harmed."
"His dad is on his way to my place now. He's ready to throw his son out of the pack if need be. They don't want the human police involved in pack problems, and his son is putting a bullseye on them. The police will be trolling the pack grounds for months after this incident. There's no way Ned will be able to be alpha either."
"Fascinating. I would love to be able to talk with you more. You know so much about wolf packs. I've studied them for years and don't know how this situation would go."
"Professor Belle?"
"Yes, Beckett?"
"I'm sorry I'm about to ruin your yard."
Lenni was standing a few feet from Ned in the backyard. Her arms were up and she was shaking her head. Ned had his back to the house and didn't see her father and Beckett approach. He had the element of surprise and he was going to use it. The idiot wolf wasn't using all his senses. He was so focused on Lenni that he didn't notice what was about to hit him.
Beckett's bear burst from his skin and charged in the backyard at full speed. He hit the man and knocked him to the ground.
Lenni screamed and pressed herself closer to the fence. Ned was scratching and clawing at Beckett's front paws, but there was no way he was going to be able to move the bear.
"Don't kill him, Beckett. Please."
His animal could hear her, but it didn't move. He pressed harder on Ned's chest until red blossomed across his shirt. He was going to crush the wolf.
"Beckett!" She was on him now. She was pulling at his fur and hitting him in the snout. If it were anyone else, his bear might have turned on her. "Let him up. You've broken his ribs. You're going to kill him."
He could hear sirens in the background. The police would be here any moment. He nuzzled Lenni's arm until she backed up to the fence. Carefully, Beckett moved Ned so he was closer to the house and then let go of him. The wolf shifter coughed and spat out blood.
"This isn't over, bear," he wheezed. "I'm going to come for her again, and next time you won't stop me."
Beckett didn't bother shifting to answer his stupid claim. He was going to jail. And after that, he would be banned from his pack. He wouldn't be coming for Lenni again. And if he did, Beckett would kill him. It didn't need to be said. He would have killed him right there if it weren't for Lenni's pleading.
It didn't matter if she was his mate or not anymore. She was his friend and they had a connection. Even if she hated him, he would never let any harm come to her.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Lenni closed the door behind the last detective. "Good riddance."
"It really has been quite a day," her father said.
The Scrabble Pack alpha had come to their house and apologized profusely. He'd asked Lenni over and over if she was going to press charges. She couldn't. There was no point. Ned was going to be banished from his pack and he knew that she wasn't his mate. He wouldn't be coming after her again.
She was more surprised Beckett hadn't pushed her to send Ned to jail. But after she said no he had let it go and had left soon after the police arrived. She was glad he'd come, but it didn't mean anything. It had been an even greater sign that he really was done with her. He hadn't even stayed to be sure that everything was taken care of. Once again, she was on her own.
It had taken her two hours to get the Scrabble Pack alpha to leave and to convince the detectives to go. They were going to have a car periodically come by her house for the next few weeks. She had a feeling that Beckett would be sending security too, but that was just a hunch. She would gladly take him up on the offer. It would make her father feel more comfortable and she herself would sleep better knowing someone was outside looking out for her. Just because Ned wasn't going to come for her didn't mean another of his pack mates wouldn't. He had a group of friends and she wasn't so sure that they were all going to listen to the alpha's law.
From the defeated look on Ned's face, she knew that he wouldn't be coming back, and that was a big weight off her shoulders. If nothing happened in the next few days, she would be sure that his friends were going to leave her alone too. Then, all she would have to worry about was finding a supplementary job. How strange her life was these days.
Only three months before, she had been dating one shifter and had been sure they were going to married. But they had broken up and she had been single and alone. Then, just three days before she was sure she was in love with another shifter. A handsome billionaire to boot. And now here she was—she was no one's mate. The only person she belonged to was herself. And the only man she belonged with was her father. Not that it was a bad thing. He would never let her down or break her heart.
"Are you going back to Beckett's tonight?"
"No. I think I'd rather stay here," she told him. "My contract is ending in just a few days anyway. May as well get used to sleeping in my own bed again."
"I hope it's not too hard getting used to this place again," her father said. "Did you get used to the big life living in the mansion?"
"Not really." More like she had gotten her heart broken and made a fool of herself.
"What's wrong?" Her father gave her a hug. "You look so sad. I know that this whole thing was scary, but Beckett would never let anything happen to you. I really think he has strong feelings for you. I hope I'm not stepping out of bounds here, but he really seems to like you as more than just an employee. He's gone out of his way to help you."
"Maybe he did once." Lenni's lower lip trembled. "He doesn't though. He's just my employer and he feels bad that a shifter hurt me. It was his family's app after all that got me in trouble with Ned. He feels guilty and is righting the wrong."
"There's way more to it than that." Her father held her by the shoulders. "I see the way you look at him. But do you ever see the way he looks at you? It reminds me of how your mother and I used to look at each other."
A single tear slid down Lenni's cheek and she wiped it away. "We're nothing like you and Mom. You two knew right away. Beckett and I aren't even a couple. I just got infatuated. You're reading it all wrong, Dad."
Her father shook his head. "It's more than that. He's a shifter, he doesn't get infatuated."
"Ned's a shifter too and he did. He was wrong. And so was Beckett. I was wrong too. Just like I was with Ned."
"This is nothing like Ned. You were wrong once, but you're not wrong this time."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I'm your father, I know these things. You have to give him a chance. Have you told him how you feel?"
"I don't need to. There's no chance of us being anything more than what we are now. My contract is going to end and I'm going to come back here and live with you. He's going to move away and he's going to forget about me."
Her heart ached saying the words out loud. She sobbed once. She put her hand over her mouth to stop herself but she couldn't. She bent over at the waist and put both her hands over her face. She cried into her palms until she thought she had no more tears to shed.
Her father patted her on the back. "You don't feel like this if you aren't in love. I think you love him deeply even if you don't want to admit it to yourself right now. Don't let him leave."
"He doesn't want me," Lenni sniffed. "He doesn't want me and nothing I can say will change that. He doesn't even want to be married. No shifter who thinks they've found their mate doesn't want to be married. Have you ever heard of such a thing?"
"Who cares if he doesn't want to be married?"
"I do!"
"Do you want to be married or do you want to be with someone for the rest of your life?"
"Would you have been with Mom if she didn't want to be married?"
"I would have. I didn't need to be married. I just needed to be with her.
Talk to him," her father urged. "It can't hurt to tell him, right? Even if he's going to go, even if he wants to forget you, it won't hurt you to tell him how you feel."
"I'm too embarrassed. I've made a fool of myself already. I don't want to make it worse."
"Would you rather be embarrassed or heartbroken? What if he feels the same way you do? What if you say how you feel and he returns all your feelings and more? What if you could have the man of your dreams? You could have everything or you could lose him. All because you're too scared."
What did she have to lose? He was going to go anyway. If she told him how she felt and then he left, it wouldn't even matter. She wouldn't have to see him again. Even if he came back to town, he stayed isolated up in his mansion anyway.
She might regret it never saying anything. Her father was right. One last chance. She would tell him everything and then leave it up to him.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
It was dark by the time Lenni got back to the mansion. She wasn't going to lose her nerve. She and Beckett had never talked and she was going to remedy that now. She had thought of all the terrible things that could happen once she told him the truth. Maybe he laughed at her, or he would call her crazy, or he could tell her to leave and never come back. So what? None of it would matter once she had said her piece. She was going to do this come hell or high water.
"Where is he?" she asked Patrick when she got inside.
"He's up in his room. But I don't know if I would go and talk to him now," he warned her. "He's been in a mood ever since he got back from your house."
"There's no better time than the present for me to speak with him. I just want to get this over with."
Patrick nodded. "Whatever it is, good luck."
Lenni walked up the stairs with her head held high. No matter what happened, she was going to be true to herself. She kept telling herself over and over that it would be fine. She walked down the long carpeted hallway to Beckett's double doors. She knocked twice and got no answer.
"Beckett? It's me Lenni. Could we please talk?"
He opened the door a crack. "You don't have to thank me, it's fine."
"I don't want to thank you. I'd like to talk."
Beckett opened the door. "Come inside."
Her mouth was suddenly dry. "Can I have something to drink?"
He went to the bathroom and came back with a glass of water. "Here you go."
She gulped down half the glass. "Could you please sit down? I have something to say and I'd feel better if you weren't looming over me when I did. Don't interrupt me either, please."
He sat on the bed. "Shoot."
"First, I actually would like to thank you for helping me today. You didn't have to and you came to help me anyway."
"It was nothing."
She smiled. "Don't interrupt."
He gave her a small smile, but his eyes still looked sad. "Sorry. I'll try to do it again."
She nodded and took a breath again. "Second, I don't know what's been going on between us, but I would like to finally give it a name. Maybe I'm the only one that was feeling this way, but I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't say something now."
She held up her hand when he looked like he wanted to say something.
"Let me finish. I didn't want to like you, but I do. This was only a job to me in the beginning. Now it's something much more. In the short time I've gotten to know you, I have developed strong feelings for you. I know it's crazy and it doesn't make much sense, but it is true."
He wasn't going to say anything, but she had to stop and steady herself. She felt like she was going to cry and she didn't want to make this worse. She wanted to get it all out before she could no longer speak. His expression was blank and she didn't know if that bad or good.
"We went to the island and I kissed you. I thought we were going to be something special. But then we got to the wedding and it was like everything had changed. Suddenly, you just wanted to be my boss again. Maybe you just wanted to get laid. Maybe I imagined the whole thing and that's fine. You don't have to love me. But I love you. I love you and your crazy paranoid self."
She didn't say anything for a few seconds but stood in front of him swaying. She was suddenly very tired. That was it.
"Are you done?" he asked finally.
She nodded. "I think so. Oh, and also I don't really need to be married. I don't know why you went on about it, but I never asked for that. I talked to my father and he said something that really was important to me. I'd much rather be with you for the rest of my life than just have a ceremony. If it's so important for you not to do it, I don't care. I just want to be with you any way you'll have me."
Beckett nodded. "Now it's my turn to say something. Can you not interrupt me?"
She nodded, heart thumping. She sat down on the bed next to him. "Say whatever you want."
He stood up. "First, you don't need to thank me for saving you. My bear would have torn itself apart from the inside if I let anything happen to you. You did not imagine all of this. I have so much more to say, but none of that really matters right now. The only thing that matters is this: I love you too. I love you more than I have ever loved anyone in my whole entire life. It is crazy that I feel this way about you so soon. But you're my mate. My bear told me from the minute I saw you. I just tried to ignore it, but I can't anymore."
Lenni stood up, shaking. "You better not be messing with me."
He put his arms around her and nuzzled his face in her neck. "I'm not, I love you. I still don't want to be married, but I want to be with you for all of my days. You're my mate. Thank you for coming and talking to me. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I was so sure you didn't like me. I couldn't get over myself and say anything to you."
Lenni laughed. "Thank my father. I was going to let you leave without saying anything."
"I'll be sure to give him all the access to any shifter information he needs. That should be enough right?"
Lenni kissed him. She put her hand on his face and ran her finger along his lips. "I think that'll be more than fine."
Beckett put his hand around her waist and pulled her up off her feet. He pushed her against the door of his office and growled in her ear. “Now I think it’s time we really make this official.”
Lenni could feel his cock pressing hard against her leg. “I’m not sure what you mean? Like by marking me or did you have something else in mind?”
Beckett groaned and nipped at her neck. “Oh God. I forget about the mark. Do you really want that? I mean, we haven’t even…”
“I know.” Lenni licked her lips. “But I’m your mate and I want everyone to know it.”
Beckett nodded. He took one hand from her waist and pulled her face to his. She undid his pants with shaking hands. He wasn’t the only one who’d been waiting for this to happen.
He hissed as she took him in her hands. “There’s no going back once I mark you. You’ll never be able to part from my bear.”
“Stop trying to talk me out of it.” She gave him a playful squeeze eliciting another growl. “I’m telling you. I want you. NOW! And I want you to mark me. I’m yours Beckett.”
“And I’m yours. Forever.” He ripped her pants down and spun her so she was facing the wall.
Lenni arched her back as he pulled her shirt over her head and kissed down her spine. Once he was on his knees, he pulled her panties down and teased along her already wet lips.
She groaned. “No teasing. I can’t wait anymore.”
He stood back up and gripped her around the hips. He slid inside her and moaned as she tensed. Lenni reached back and caressed his neck. She rested her head on his shoulder as he moved inside of her.
“This might hurt a little bit.” He warned. One hand left her waist and went to her shoulder. She felt a sharp pain as he scratched her. “There.”
Lenni gasped as her body tightened. The pleasure that had been growing between her legs raced across her body. But it was more than
that. She was his now. She was his mate. She could feel it deep in her soul. He would never leave her and she would never want to part from him.
“I love you,” she told him.
He kissed her wound. “I love you too.”
That was all it took. She couldn't believe it. It was done. Why had they waited so long? She would never be a coward again like this.
Next time she had to choose between fear and love she was going to choose love. She was going to tell her truth even if made her look like a total idiot. If she was herself, there was no way she could ever regret it.
Epilogue
"I don't know how you talked me in to this." Beckett shook his head. But one look at the mark on her shoulder and he knew how she’d done it. She’d asked. That was all she ever had to do.
It still sent shivers down his spine whenever he caught a glimpse of the mark she’d let him leave on her body. A sign of their love and forever bond. They weren’t married yet but it was as good as done in his bear’s mind. His animal was at her beck and call from here on out.
"You're not going to regret it." She straightened his tie. "I don't know why you had to dress so formally. They would've been fine if you'd worn sweatpants. They don't care how you look."
"You don't have to dress me anymore," he teased her. "And I had to wear a tie and jacket. It feels like a formal occasion."
"I've put on a pot of coffee," Potter sang as she came into the foyer. "Where are they? Shouldn't they've been here already?"
"Maybe they decided not to come?" he asked hopefully.
"Oh hush," Lenni said. "They're on their way up right now. They should be here any second."
"Should I go outside to meet them, sir?" Patrick asked.
"Sure, why not?" he told him. "We want to make a good impression. You only have one chance at the first."
"It's going to go wonderfully," Lenni told him again.
She said it a thousand times and he believed her. This was just a big deal for him. His stepmother and father would be here any second. This was his and Lenni's first time back in Hope Springs since they had been back on the East Coast for a season. They had meant to stay longer, but Lenni didn't want to be far from her father for so long. Professor Belle was going to be in town for the next few weeks and then he was headed out to spend time with a pack of wolf shifters in Canada. If they had waited to come back, they would've missed him entirely. Beckett didn't want to disappoint Lenni, so he pushed their trip to Hope Springs earlier.
