by Olivia Harp
The man bit his burger and pretended to mind his own business.
“What he’s saying,” Dee said, “is you’re made for each other and you know it, it’s magic, see?”
“Raiden, your order is ready”, the speaker repeated.
Raiden sighed and looked at Zoe.
“What she said”, he finalized, taking his daughter to the counter to pick up their order.
Zoe was stupefied. She was smart enough to leave the restaurant before Raiden sat on his table. She was smart enough to head straight to the mountain.
***
Damien walked through the thickets, his steps soundless. He was coming home from his weeklong watch. He had become one with nature. After confirming everyone in the pack had gone to each of theirs and found nothing, he could relax a little bit. Being alone was his favorite past time now.
The woods seemed calmer now, and lower animals seemed to feel him from a distance. He was a predator out there, everything else was prey. He carried a deer’s body on his shoulder, he hunted it on his way back and wanted to share it with the clan. They would be happy. He knew his mood wasn’t the greatest the past few weeks, and they knew why.
It was a difficult decision but it had to be made. Zoe was his mate. He would never feel that for anyone else. Bears mated for life, he’d found the one but had to let her go. She was human. She could move on. He wished bear shifters had that quality, but it wasn’t part of who they were. And her happiness would always come first.
The forest cleared before him, the cabins just ahead, he’d go directly to the HQ, prepare the deer and leave it ready for later.
“Hey, Boss!” Mav said in the distance. He looked as happy as usual, “That’s great! You brought dinner! Need help?” he was teasing him. They both knew none of the White Paws needed help carrying a deer, it was easy for them. He smiled. He missed the clan, he missed his friends.
“Nah,” he replied, “it’s just for me, you can keep eating your super market food.”
Mav smile disappeared, “Oh, okay, no worries,” he said.
“Damn,” Damien said, “is my mood so shitty lately that you can’t tell when I’m joking?”
Mav’s face lit up, relief washing over him, “Matter of fact?”
Damien reached the HQ, gently placing the deer on the ground, just beside the comms tower.
“Matter of fact,” he said, extending his hand and shaking it with Mav’s.
“That’s a big deer you have there, we’re gonna have a feast!”
“We are,” he said, smiling.
“What’s the occasion?”
“Well... nothing in particular, actually. Where are the guys?”
“Working. Enzo said the samples he took were ‘fascinating’, and has been in his house the past few days; Franklin’s got some computer hardware from town, says he’s gonna improve the signal up here. We might even get satellite cable!”
“You like that?”
“Well, not really but, you know”, he said, Damien got him in a juncture, “better to have it and don’t need it, than not have it and need it, I guess.”
Damien laughed, yeah, he guessed Mav was right. Besides, winter was slow and boring and very quiet. Maybe they could use the TV’s for background noise.
“We missed you boss.”
“The missing was mutual, Mav. Any news?”
“No, not really.”
“Oh”, Damien said, slightly disappointed, not knowing exactly why, “so, are you going to answer?”
Mav looked at him, “answer what?”
“I asked if my mood was so shitty that you couldn’t tell when I was joking.”
Mav clicked his tongue and looked down.
“You asked, I answer: yeah, your mood has been kind of grumpy lately. We understand.”
“What do you understand?” Damien asked calmly. An alpha’s job is not just to lead, but to be the best he can be for his pack. They had to have complete trust in him, not fear his reactions.
“Well... you let your mate go.”
“It was for the best, though.”
“Are you sure? I mean, maybe she didn’t want to stay here and that’s okay; but if she did, well, she’s with us. She’d be in no real danger.”
“You don’t know that, Mav. I can’t be around her all the time, the forest is—”
“The forest is dangerous, we all know that,” Mav interrupted, “but if you guys are made for each other, why not risk it?”
Damien thought on that. It was not bad reasoning.
“You’re the best of us Damien, you’re braver, and faster... these mountains would’ve been long lost to the Rot if it wasn’t for you. They would have had to be burned, turned to ash, converted into some lame high class suburb or worse. You know she’d be safe. And she made you stronger, we all could see that.”
“Well, maybe you’re right, but she’s gone, man. We gotta keep moving forward.”
Mav’s eyes shifted.
“What?” Damien said.
“She’s in Rosenberg.”
Damien’s bear didn’t roar, didn’t move at all. It was as if it was looking straight at him. His hidden ferocity ready to be unleashed.
“How do you...?”
“Franklin found her website, she set up shop there, has a little accounting firm or something.”
Damien smiled. She was something, all right.
“That’s great,” he replied.
“Listen man, just answer me something, okay?”
Damien nodded.
“If I found my mate, and told you I was letting her go because I thought she’d be in danger, what would you say?”
Damien’s heart started beating faster, he felt a rush of adrenaline inside his veins, his bear roaring. He could only say one thing.
“I’d tell you you’re a fuckin’ idiot.”
Mav laughed, “I’ll send you the address, man, just go get her.”
Damien couldn’t contain his big smile.
“I’ll be back soon,” he said, running to his truck.
Chapter 14
Since she left, Zoe hadn’t come to the mountain for anything. She didn’t even go to the parks and trails people use for recreation or exercising.
But every inch of the road was fixed in her mind. Every inch closer to Damien was a ton of bricks off her back.
She didn’t know what she was going to say, where would she start? Even worse, she didn’t know if Damien would be around. The crew had told her that they left for days at a time, she crossed her fingers hoping Damien would be there... after about twenty minutes her index finger was numb but she didn’t care. Please be there, she said.
She tried rehearsing what she was going to say, but there were so many aspects to their relationship that she didn’t know where to begin. So many problems. Stupid problems, like commuting here every day; and real problems, like she being a human and Damien a shifter. There were the Shadowlands attacks, the danger, everything.
But they could make it work.
They would think of something. Damien was smart, and their relationship had so much potential. It was going to be the best thing, like Romeo and Juliet, except without the rivalry between gang things, there are no gangs out here, she thought, and we’re not teens, no teenage angst either... and I’m not really okay with the mutual suicide at the end. Okay, maybe it isn’t like Romeo and Juliet at all. She smiled. It’s freaking better: the place is better, the sex is better, and the guy is definitely cooler.
And there it was.
A few hundred yards in the distance, the small trail heading towards the mountain. A million butterflies fluttered in her stomach, she smiled and almost yelled in anticipation.
***
The trail out of the mountain was easy for Damien, its sharp turns had nothing on his truck. He could not wait to get to Rosenberg and find her. It’s not going to be easy, you messed up, he thought, but you can’t let her go again.
He pressed the accelerator, his truck roaring,
dirt covering its lower side. He felt better. The mere thought of seeing her again put a smile on his face. His bear inside was satisfied, at least for now. It wasn’t the wild beast it usually was.
He was on the final stretch of the mountain trail, just a few more turns and he’d be on the lower road, and from there about an hour to Rosenberg.
It was still early, he’d be there by dusk and look for her. He didn’t want to barge into her life and claim her like a barbarian, though you should, he thought, take her home and explain things on the way. That girl is a wild one, she’d understand. He smiled at his dumb joke.
Out in the distance, a car approached.
What? A car coming up here? The dirt road was not easy to find, there were no directions, people were encouraged to go to the national park, not here.
Then he noticed.
The light gray color, the model and make, what in the world...?. The Nissan was coming in slowly, carefully. It wasn’t made for these kind of roads, so it threaded carefully. It’s her. For some reason she was coming back. His plan was simple: get to Rosenberg, find her and tell her how he felt. The first part of his plan was useless now, hopefully the other parts would go better.
He blinked his highlights. She blinked hers back.
If this is how it has to happen, so be it, he thought. He lowered his speed, this place is as good as any other. He moved to the side of the road, parked his truck and got out. Big trees towered above, silent witnesses to the scene.
Her car stopped a few yards away. The engine was still running, windows still up.
She looked almost as nervous as the first time they met. Her hands were still on the wheel, her eyes not meeting his. He stepped towards her, and she finally turned off her car and got out, looking at him, not saying a word.
He almost gasped, she was even more stunning than he remembered. Four weeks ago you let her go, the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen. Four weeks of being apart, you’ll have to make up for the lost time.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey.”
They both stood under the trees, awkwardly silent.
“Listen,” he finally spoke, “I was coming for you”.
Her eyes met his, she smiled.
“That’s why you were driving like a crazy person?”
“Yes,” he said.
The wind picked up, passing through the swaying trees.
“It’s not really recommended to drive through these parts like that,” she said, “I think you said that.”
His eyes widened, then he laughed, moving closer to her.
“I don’t remember saying it. But it’s the truth. Sometimes you have to risk everything for your mate.”
She tried to hide her surprise at that word.
“What about this place being dangerous for humans?” she asked.
“I’ll make it safe for you.”
“I want to be with you, Damien.”
“I want to be with you, too,” he said, “this place is not for everybody, but if you let me, I’ll be the man you deserve, I’ll make you happy every day.”
“This place is perfect.”
“You are perfect.”
She laughed, then contained herself.
“What about the White Paws?”
“They are strong. They know you are my mate, they know that you and I, together, are stronger than on our own. You make me strong, Zoe, you make me a better leader, you make me much more than I ever was. I always thought I was all right by myself but I can’t fathom living without you now.”
Her eyes were watering, her face pure bliss. He walked to her, held her, and lifted her from the ground and kissed her. A long, sweet kiss, their lips hungry for each other, bodies burning.
They kissed and they smiled and then they couldn’t keep themselves from laughing. Foreheads touching, Zoe in his arms, her feet suspended in the air.
“We’re having a feast tonight, a celebration,” he said.
“What about?”
“Us. You’re here now, there’s no better reason to celebrate."
“I’m in,” she said, “as long as I help preparing something.”
“Maybe I’ll let you, if you’re a good girl.”
She laughed and hugged him.
“I don’t think I feel like being a good girl tonight, Damien.”
He growled faintly, his cock starting to harden, then remembered.
“Hey but... what about your life, your business? Mav told me about it, you seem to be doing pretty good, I don’t want to make you feel constrained or—”
“Don’t worry about that, I’m an accountant, I crunch numbers, I do all the work from home. My place is with you. Being here frees me, makes me more me, makes me happy.”
They kissed again, this time it was hotter, Damien had to keep himself from hugging her too hard, she fit perfectly in his arms, but he didn’t want to harm her.
“There was no one for me until I met you, Zoe,” he confessed, “you are the only one on this Earth I would ever want to share my life with.”
He kissed her hard. How did he live without her all his life? His hands on her legs, his sex hard as a rock.
“You are my destiny,” he said, kissing her again.
She put her legs around his waist, enjoying every second of this. Everything had gone much better than she anticipated. He carried her up to the hood of her car and laid her there, she could feel the bulge in his pants getting harder and harder. Oh my, I missed this, she thought, unable to grind her center hard enough into him. He grabbed her hair and pulled her head back, exposing her neck, kissing and biting it, touching her legs, her waist, pulling her to him, letting her feel his thick cock beneath all the layers of denim.
Her breathing was loud now. He moved his hand to her blouse, slowly unbuttoning her from the top, kissing her chest and burying himself in it.
She was soaked now, she’d never got so wet so fast but his contained fury, his intensity, the hunger in his deep blue eyes made her feel so wanted, like she’d never felt before.
“I missed you,” she rasped, her ragged breath reaching his ears.
He growled, ripped open her blouse and softly kissed her exposed breasts, slowly turning his attention to each of them with a passion she hadn’t yet seen in him. His mouth found her nipples, pushing her bra down with his chin, his hands on her ass pulling her closer. He satiated himself and looked up, found her face again and kissed her.
“I missed you too,” he said, unbuttoning his jeans, she could see his cock against the denim, completely swollen for her, thick and hard. His blazing desire just as she remembered. She touched it, their mouths and tongues combined in a fiery passionate kiss, she felt it with her palm and started a jerking movement, Damien moaned.
He grabbed both her hands and put them on the hood, “I want to taste you first,” he told her, “I want your taste in my mouth, I want to taste your folds, I want your honey.”
Her center was ready for him, her panties soaked. They had waited long enough.
“Taste me.” she implored
He knelt, his head between her legs, and unbuttoned her denim shorts, anxious to get to her, to open her folds with his mouth.
Then he realized.
There was no wind now. No sound at all. Everything was completely still. His senses were sharper than ever, he knew it, and he couldn’t sense any wildlife around. No birds, no mammals, nothing.
He stopped, standing up with a questioning look, trying to listen. Trying to make sense of what was going on.
To Zoe, his intensity suddenly changed. He was enveloped in her, and suddenly his hands tightened. He pulled her closer to him, his breath turning from wild, hot ferocity to cold calm. His eyes were not looking at her any more.
“What is it?” she asked
“I don’t know honey, you should get in the car.”
He loosened his grip on her and turned around, looking at the forest. His fists were clenched hard now, his knuckles white. His bear was
on full defense mode now.
“Something’s wrong,” he said.
Chapter 15
Zoe noticed now. It was just like the first time they met, the still air, the acrid smell, the soundless forest. She started trembling with fear, but Damien held her hand.
“Everything’s going to be okay,” he said. She could only nod. He was wary of his surroundings, and she could tell he was keeping calm for her, he had an inner fury, a contained explosion in his eyes. He opened the door of her car for her and she went in, nervous.
“We’re going back to the HQ,” he said.
She turned the ignition key but nothing happened. Damien’s eyes narrowed. He picked up his radio and pressed the communication button.
“Damien here guys,” he spoke to it, “there’s something strange happening down on the trail, anyone copy, over?”
Nothing but interference came through, white noise the only constant. Damien turned the volume knob higher.
“Can anyone hear me? We might be under attack, over.”
For a second or two there seemed to be someone talking, noise hiding the details of what was said.
The radio hissed a high pitched note, Damien tried to get through but the results were the same. Zoe tried twice now to turn on her car but it didn’t respond at all.
Then she heard it.
A faint growl in the woods.
And suddenly there it was. A big, dark bear, his fur a weird, muddy texture, black goo dripping from it. He was a living shadow, its red glowing eyes looking straight at her.
Zoe gasped, goosebumps rising on her skin. Somehow, she knew the Shadowbear was coming after her, its hatred focused.
Damien was red with anger, his fists clenched tight, a growl inside him reaching her, very different from the soft, sweet sounds he made when they were together. This was a side of him that she knew only his enemies would ever truly know.
He turned to her, calm as the eye of a storm, “Stay inside the car honey, you will be all right.”
Then he turned back to the Shadowbear roaring mightily and shifting to his Grizzly form. That might have been enough to scare any man or animal away, but this thing that wanted her, this monster, was not a just a wild beast, it was something from beyond the veil of the natural world.
