“I got the keys,” she said to Tate as she buckled her safety belt.
“Shaw says there hasn’t been any sign of the Glacier wolves since we left town two days ago. He thinks they must have gone back to Fairbanks.”
“That’s a relief. Are they still trying to bring them in?”
“He’s really close to getting the council’s approval. They found evidence of the murder back at the mobile home across from your old place. They still haven’t found your roommate.”
“That’s pretty slim evidence.”
“But with your eyewitness testimony, it should be enough for the council.”
“Thank God.”
“Let’s get you home. I know you and the baby are tired.”
“Thank you for everything, Tate.”
“It’s the least I can do for you and my son.”
She took a deep breath and let it out. Tate took the road up to her family’s house and parked out front. As she was getting out, she realized she’d left her car at Tate’s house.
“Shoot, I don’t have a car. I’m stranded up here.”
“I’ll drive it up here later. All right?”
“Sure. That’s fine.”
She carried Andrew up the front path to the porch and punched the code into the alarm system. When it beeped off, she put the key in the door and turned the doorknob. It opened and warmth enveloped her as she stepped inside and turned on the lights. God, it was good to be home.
Ella went to the living room and sank into the big fluffy couch that faced the massive stone fireplace and the big windows that looked out on the snowy backyard. Andrew was hungry and tired. So was she. All she wanted to do was sit and breathe.
Tate carried the rest of her things inside and closed the door. He took a seat across from her and stared at her for a moment as if he was waiting for something. She knew she owed him so much. More than either of them were even ready to admit. Emotions swirled in her gut that she couldn’t explain or even fully experience yet.
“Is there anything you need?”
“I should be fine. My parents keep the house pretty stocked with food.”
“Okay. I’ll get out of your hair now.” He rose, his beautiful, strong body dominating the room. Her heart stuck in her throat as she wanted to speak. Nothing came out.
“Tate,” she finally choked out. “I can’t repay your kindness.”
“Ella. I’m Andrew’s father. If I don’t protect you and my child, I’m useless. You don’t have to thank me. You don’t have to say anything.”
She reached up to him from the couch, and he took her hand. His hand was warm around her cold fingers, reminding her of the passionate love they’d made the night before. The warmth of his body had filled her with pleasure and she couldn’t get enough. A tingle went down her spine at his touch. She wanted to be with him again.
“I’ll be by later,” he said, squeezing her hand before letting go and backing away. She could see the pain in his eyes. Sadness. She bit her lip, not knowing what to do or say.
“Get some rest, sweetheart. Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. I understand you need time. I get it. Okay?”
“Okay, Tate.”
He went to the front door and closed it. She could hear the faint sound of his motor turning over a moment later. She let out a sigh and leaned back into the couch with the baby on her chest. Andrew was fussy and hungry and it was way past his nap time. At least now she was safe and at home. She could relax, take a shower, rest. When her mind was clear, she could deal with Tate and the whole fated mate thing. But right now, she didn’t trust herself to make any decisions or do anything more complicated than mix up baby oatmeal.
Little did she know, there was more than just a warm bed waiting for her at home.
Chapter 13
Leaving Ella at her parents’ house with his son was one of the hardest things Tate had ever had to do. Driving down the driveway, he gripped the steering wheel, feeling like a complete fool. He should be with them, building a fire and making sure they got the rest they needed.
Ella wasn’t ready to commit. She wasn’t ready to go with him back to his house. He could understand her apprehension intellectually, but emotionally it was killing him. All he wanted to do, in the depths of his soul as a man and as a bear, was to cuddle up with his woman and his child to keep them warm through the cold winter.
It took every bit of self-control he had to drive away and leave her alone. This was what she wanted, and he had to respect her wishes. Ella didn’t like that their relationship was predetermined. She didn’t like that he loved her because his bear told him to. She didn’t like the idea that there was no free choice in the matter.
He couldn’t really blame her. Part of him agreed with her. Who wanted to be in a marriage arranged by a wild animal? If it hadn’t been his own inner animal who’d done the arranging, he would have been on exactly the same page as Ella about the whole thing. He got it. He did. Fate meant something different for humans than in did for shifters. Shifters had a greater respect for fate and the workings of their inner beasts.
If Ella had been a shifter with a beast of her own, she would have been able to feel what he felt. Fate was not a one-sided matter. The bond between them included them both. He knew Ella felt as strongly for him as he felt for her. She had a rebellious independent streak that made her want to challenge any rules she felt were unjust or controlling to her nature. That fact just made him love her even more.
He admired that quality in her. It made her strong. But at the same time, it made things between them almost impossible. He couldn’t help that his bear desired her with every fiber of his being. Most women would be swept off their feet by that idea. Not his Ella. She resisted it to her own detriment. Nothing mattered more to her than making her own choices. He just wished she would finally choose him.
He drove down the hill from her parents’ house and headed through town toward the Montgomery homestead. He saw his brother Keaton’s car in the parking lot of the best fish and chips place in Juneau and decided he needed a hot meal and a drink. Keaton and Tate had been on better terms since they’d torn up his greenhouse and put it back together again. He’d even agreed to keep an eye on the plants while Tate was away in exchange for the key to the second hay barn.
Tate parked his truck next to his brother’s and went inside. He found Keaton at the bar talking to a pretty human tourist who looked like she was there for the skiing up at the park. This time of year brought an influx of winter sports tourists, and they were already starting to trickle in.
He sat at the bar next to his brother and Keaton turned to him, a pint of dark beer in his hand. “Hey, baby brother, you’re back.” Keaton was clearly already lit up from beer.
“What are you doing down here, Keaton? Shouldn’t you be up at the pasture with the herd?”
“No. I’m supposed to be down here with my new friend. What was your name again?” he said, turning back to the blond skier.
“Tiffany,” she said. Her tone gave away her irritation, but she didn’t stand up and move away from Keaton.
“I’m spending time with Tiffany,” Keaton slurred. “Where’s your woman?”
“She’s at her parents’ house with the baby. She needs rest.”
“Shot down again, huh, brother?” Keaton said, laughing and slapping Tate’s back. Anger rose in Tate’s chest and he pushed Keaton’s hand away.
“Shut the hell up, Keaton. Ella is none of your business.”
“Whoa there, bro. I don’t mean anything by it.” Keaton leaned back over to the girl and whispered in her ear. She snorted and then took another drink of her own beer.
Tate ordered a beer and a plate of fish and chips from the bartender. A moment later, he had his own pint at the bar. Keaton kept teasing the skier, turning Tate’s stomach. He knew that woman wasn’t Keaton’s mate. There was no way he’d get away with treating his fated mate like that. Whatever woman ended up with his tattooed, growly brother would have
her hands full.
He turned to the sound of delicate heeled shoes clicking on the highly polished wood floors of the restaurant. Babs Bula’s white curls flounced beside him as she slid into the barstool to his right. This promised to be interesting. He knew about the shifter matchmaker.
He sniffed the air, wondering if the rumors were true. Sure enough, he couldn’t tell if she was a human or shifter or what. He found it extremely unsettling.
“Hello, dear,” she said as the bartender poured her a glass of white wine.
“Hi, Babs,” Tate said. Most everyone knew everyone else in Juneau, especially if they’d grown up there. It was hard not to know about Babs Bula if you were a shifter, particularly a single, young, male shifter. She tried to set up everyone in town. Somehow, she always played a role in finding shifters their fated mates.
“Tate Montgomery, just the man I wanted to see.” She ran her pink tipped finger around the brim of her wine glass.
“What’s up?” he asked, wondering what she could possibly have to say to him. He knew his fated mate. He’d known for years, and he was sure that Babs knew it, too. However she did it. She knew everyone’s mate.
“Where are Ella and the baby?” she asked. She wore a designer skirt suit with intricate embroidery that was probably hand sewn by nuns in France or something. He grumbled at her question, not wanting to talk about it with anyone, especially a thirty-five year old woman with bright white hair and red lipstick.
“They’re at home, resting.”
“I don’t have to tell you that she’s it for you,” Babs said before taking a sip of wine.
“No. You don’t,” he said flatly.
“What are you doing here when she is there?”
“Having a drink,” he said, irritation boiling in his gut. He was so tired of this crap. He had to give Ella her space, let her decide. His bear never shut up, his brother constantly gave him shit, now this woman with her fancy clothes and fancy makeup was doing it too. He couldn’t take it.
“Simmer down, bear boy. I have a bit of advice for you. That girl thinks she knows what’s best for her. But she doesn’t. She runs away from commitment like a normal person runs from an oncoming train. Just because she thinks it’s what will make her happy, doesn’t mean it will.”
“Look, I know that. I know she’d be better off with me. It’s obvious. Who would choose to live alone in a mobile home in Fairbanks when she could live with me in my house on the homestead? But it isn’t up to me to tell Ella what to do.”
“Isn’t it?” Babs said.
“No one can tell anyone else what to do.”
“I’m not suggesting you force her to do anything. I simply suggest you go tell that girl what’s what. And fast, before she runs off again like a scared rabbit.”
“What’s what?”
“Go tell her you’re in charge,” Keaton suggested from his left, smirking as the blond skier giggled.
“Keaton Montgomery,” Babs said, enunciating his name as if each syllable had special meaning.
“What? Don’t cast your eyes one me, witch woman,” Keaton said.
“I’m not a witch!” Babs said with mock offense.
“Whatever you are, lady, I’m not buying what you’re selling.”
“Fated mates wait for no man, Keaton Montgomery.”
“Fated mates?” the blond asked.
“Believe me, hon, you aren’t it,” Babs said, lifting her wine glass and winking at the girl. The blond skier frowned and picked up her pint of beer, sliding from the bar stool.
“It’s been…something. See you around, Keaton,” she said, turning away.
“Wait,” Keaton said, but it was too late. The skier joined a group of equally blond snowboarders in the corner. “Great. Thanks a lot, both of you.”
“She doesn’t matter,” Babs said.
“You didn’t have to do that. I was about to get laid,” Keaton growled.
“Your mate is out there, Keaton Montgomery. She’s just around the corner. Just you wait and see.”
“No thanks,” Keaton said, sliding from the stool himself. “I’ll take my chances with the skiers.”
“And your cattle,” Tate muttered the insult, but it fell flat. Keaton slapped him hard on the back as he walked away.
“Tate Montgomery, what will I do with you?”
“Nothing. I’m none of your business.”
“Everyone is my business. I’m the fairy godmother in Fairy Godmother Dating. It’s my civic duty to match up shifters with their fated mates.”
“Sounds like you’re a bored busybody with too much time on her hands.”
“Haha, Tate, so funny. Think what you want about me. But you’d better get back to your girl before it’s too late.”
“What?” Tate turned back to her but she was already flouncing on her expensive heels out the front door. Goddamn it.
Chapter 14
Ella put the baby down for a nap in her bedroom, but she couldn’t sleep. She felt restless and unsettled. Why had she sent Tate away? Having him close to her had made her feel safer than she had in such a long time. Why did she insist on denying him the one thing he wanted? She sighed and looked in the fridge. She grabbed a bottle of soda and sat down on the couch, flipping on the TV with the remote.
Might as well see what was on satellite TV as long as she was in her parents’ house. It was a comfortable middle class place with a western style, typical of homes in Alaska. It felt good to be home. She sipped the cold soda and flipped through the channels. With a hundred channels to pick from, she still couldn’t find anything to watch on TV. She finally settled on a movie she’d been meaning to watch on one of the movie channels.
As the opening credits rolled, Ella heard a loud crash coming from the back of the house. What the hell? She shot up from her seat and headed toward the sound. It had woken Andrew, and he wailed from the bedroom. She bit her lip and knit her brow, worried about the baby and whatever had made the sound.
It had sounded like a combination of breaking glass and a metal pipe clanging against wood. She turned the corner in the hallway toward her parents’ bedroom at the back of the house. Slowly, she pushed the door open, the soda can still absentmindedly gripped in her hand.
By the time she realized what was happening, it was too late. The growling face of the leader of the Glacier wolves snarled in front of her. She threw her soda can at him, but he grabbed her as she tried to run away. The rest of the wolves were piling through the window. One of them pushed past her and through the bedroom door to where Andrew slept.
The baby wailed more loudly, and she struggled against the wolf shifter’s iron grip on her wrist.
“Let me go!” she screamed, tugging toward Andrew. The second wolf had her baby in his arms, a sadistic smile on his face. Why had she been so stupid? Why had she let Tate leave her alone with these psychos on the loose?
“I knew we’d find you if we just waited long enough,” the leader said. “Like sniffing out a rabbit in her hole.”
“Please, let me go to my baby,” she screamed.
He loosened his grip on her arm and she ran to Andrew, sweeping him into her arms. The second man let her take the baby, laughing at her cruelly. “What do you want?” she stammered, backing toward a wall as she tried to calm her child.
“As if you don’t know,” the leader said.
“We know what you saw in Fairbanks. We know you’re connected to the Montgomery clan.”
“I didn’t see anything.”
“Lies won’t save you, sweetheart,” he said, pulling a pistol from his back waistband. She gasped loudly as she saw the silver barrel of the gun moving through the air to point at her.
“You wouldn’t harm a mother and her child,” she pleaded.
“You have no idea, honey. Get on your knees,” the leader said. “Maybe if you’re a good little girl, I’ll spare your life.”
The other men around them laughed. Ella sank to her knees, sobbing hysterically. She coul
dn’t stop shaking. Tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably. Her entire life flashed before her eyes. Her childhood. The day she’d met Tate. At that moment, she realized that she’d felt something that day. She’d known he was hers the moment she’d laid eyes on him.
Her eyes grew wide with the new knowledge. Now that she knew she and Tate belonged together, it was too late. She was going to die for being so stubborn, and her baby was going to die along with her. A lifetime of regret washed over her. She’d been so stupid, running away from the man who loved her. Why had she been so childish? With every wish of her heart, she prayed he would come find her and save her from these brutal men.
The sound of tires crunching on the gravel outside barely registered in her frantic mind.
“Hello?” She heard Tate’s voice outside the front door as he knocked.
“Tate!” she screamed. The wolf pack alpha picked her up by the shirt and shoved her and the baby into her bedroom. The men barred her inside. She heard the front door crash open and the sound of a grizzly bear roaring in the living room. Gunshots fired and wolves howled. There was growling and roaring so violent she knew someone had died.
Please let Tate survive.
Please let Tate survive.
Please let Tate survive.
She repeated it in her mind like a mantra as she held her crying baby. Andrew wouldn’t calm down. She looked at the window and ran to it, flipping open the latch. She didn’t plan to wait around to let her baby be murdered by these psychopaths.
Stepping on the bed, she pushed the screen out with her foot and slowly maneuvered herself out the first story window and into the bushes. Just as she was running to her car, which Tate must have driven up here, half a dozen state troopers’ vehicles sped to a stop in the driveway.
“You’ve got to help him!” she screamed.
Shaw Montgomery was there, helping her into an ambulance before she knew what was happening. It was warm inside and an EMT began checking her and the baby.
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