She would just have to sit here and wait for Zach to find her. They had only been on two dates, and they barely knew each other, but something told her that Zach was out there looking for her right now.
She had been so blind and so foolish to think that he would not love her for who she was. Everything she’d learned about shifters informed her that he would desire her no matter what.
Maisie herself knew there was something special between them. There was a connection that she felt that was beyond the physical. It was beyond anything she’d ever experienced before.
Instead of trusting that spark of connection that had ignited between them as soon as they’d met, she’d believed her own insecurity. She shook her head and a tear squeezed out from the corner of her eye, freezing almost instantly as it hit the cold air. She brushed the frozen little crystal away from her eye and sniffled.
If she died up here on this mountain, at least she would have experienced her time with Zach. She hadn’t even noticed how hard he’d tried and how wonderful he’d been to her because she had been too busy worrying about her own uncertainties.
What a pair they were. She somehow knew he’d been trying too hard. And the thought of the fancy cheese and chocolate went through her mind. A turkey sandwich would have been fine. Just the thought of it made her laugh. She couldn’t stop laughing and soon grew almost hysterical. The laughing turned into sobs, and she hid her face inside her arms as she hugged her knees up to her chest.
If she got out of this alive, she swore that she would tell Zach exactly how she felt about him. She didn’t want to wait and she didn’t want to hold back anymore. She wanted him to claim her, to mark her with his bite and bind her to him as his mate. If only he would come and find her.
Chapter 15
“Isn’t back from what yet?” Zach asked, responding to Kelly’s nervous tone.
“She went skiing by herself. God knows why. She was saying something about wanting to keep up with you so that you would like her. I told her that was ridiculous, but she wouldn’t listen.”
“She went skiing by herself?” he gasped. “Where?”
“I don’t know, she didn’t say.”
Zach started to text the lift operator, asking him if he’d seen a redheaded woman in a pink snowsuit. He hit send on his text and waited a few minutes for a response. The lift operator texted him back that he had seen a woman with that description almost five hours ago. He hadn’t seen her come back down, but she might’ve come down while he was on his break.
Zach wasn’t going to take any chances with his mate’s safety. If she hadn’t come back down, there was a good chance she was stuck somewhere out there, cold and alone. Zach immediately called Levi, alerting him that the Rescue Bears needed to assemble in order to find his mate.
Levi agreed, and they quickly got off the phone so that Levi could call everyone else. It was starting to get dark and the lift stopped operating at sunset. Zach grabbed his walkie-talkie and slid into his snowsuit. By the time he was at the lift, the rest of the crew was already assembled.
Levi gave everyone directions, and Zach, Shane, Angus, and Drew all took the lift up together. Angus and Drew would take the first stop and Shane and Zach would take the second.
Zach prayed that Maisie hadn’t gotten off on the second stop. The slope up there was way too steep for a beginner like her.
Angus and Drew slid off the gondola at the first stop, and Shane and Zach continued up to the second. They skied off and approached the steep slope, Zach carrying the rescue sled.
Shane was supposed to go straight down until he came to the first stop for the ski lift. Zach would check all the nooks and crannies around the slope as he went down.
They started off together, but Zach soon diverged from Shane, checking the ski trails that went off in different directions. The first trail switched back quickly and joined the slope going downhill. There was still no sign of Maisie, and he was beginning to get really worried.
“Ski Bear to Alpha Station. No sign of target.”
“Alpha Station to Ski Bear. Geek Bear says to continue checking divergent paths.”
“Ski Bear to Delta Team. Any signs of target?”
“No sign of target yet,” he heard Angus say.
Zach continued checking the divergent ski trails, and each time he came up empty-handed. But it wasn’t until he got a message from Levi that he really started to worry.
“Alpha Station to all Rescue Bears. Chief Bear is leaving Alpha Station; Mama Bear is in labor.”
“You can’t leave the rescue, Levi,” Zach said into his walkie-talkie. “We haven’t found her yet.”
“I’m sorry, Ski Bear. Geek Bear is taking over Alpha Station.”
He heard lots of whooping and hollering and congratulations to Levi through the walkie-talkie. Levi’s cub was going to be born and Zach was incredibly happy for him. On any other day, Zach would have been the first to tell him to go and be with his lady, wishing him good luck and Godspeed. But not today, not with his own lady lost somewhere in the wild.
“Geek Bear to Ski Bear. Try further down the slope. My analysis suggests an inexperienced skier would have lost control up the slope and would have been propelled further downhill.”
“I’m on it,” Zach replied.
He picked up speed as he hurried downward. Off in the distance he saw an orange plastic barrier that was pressed down to the snow. Usually he wouldn’t think anything of it, but something told him to take a closer look. When he got closer, he could see that there was a ski trail going straight through the barrier.
He hurried through, following the trail the skis had left behind. He could smell the faint scent of his mate in the air. It had been hours since she’d been there. He picked up the pace, passing a discarded pole. He came to an outcropping that was covered in snow. It had an impression deep in its face. A pair of skis were discarded beside the pile of snow.
His heart raced as he took in the landscape. He could smell her scent in the air. A deep trail of footprints led away from the outcropping and went toward the forest. He skied on, sniffing the air for her scent. The smell of Maisie was faint but distinct. He could tell she hadn’t been here for quite a while. When he made it to the edge of the forest, he didn’t see any signs of her.
He brought his walkie-talkie to his lips. “Ski Bear to Alpha Station, tracking target now,” he said.
“This is Alpha Station, Ski Bear. I have a lock on your location.”
He could smell her scent. Letting out a deep breath, he focused on her scent. He took a deep sniff of the cold mountain air. Without using his eyes, he skied toward the smell. When he came around the snow-covered undergrowth, he saw her huddled against a tree.
He hurried toward her. She looked up at him with relieved surprise. Her lips were blue and her face was red. He had to get her back to the lodge and warm her up.
“Alpha Station to Ski Bear. I have eyes on target. Beginning extraction.”
“You found me,” she whispered, her voice hoarse. “I knew you would find me.”
“Quiet now. Save your strength.”
He pulled the rescue sled off of his back and began opening the straps for her to sit inside.
“I understand now,” Maisie said. “I understand what it means to be your fated mate.”
“There’s plenty of time for that later, baby. I need you to get in the sled so I can get you back to the lodge and warm you up.”
He helped her into the sled and wrapped her in a thermal blanket.
“I need to tell you now,” she said, beginning to shiver as she warmed up.
“What do you need to tell me?”
“I need to tell you that I know we’re meant to be together. There’s a special place inside both of us that is connected to the other. That connection makes us perfect for each other. I’m done doubting. I want it, Zach. I want it all.”
She was shivering so harshly and her teeth were chattering so much that it was difficult to underst
and what she was saying. But he knew.
His heart burst, and all he wanted to do was kiss her until tomorrow. But he couldn’t do that right now. He needed to get her off this mountain and back to safety. He leaned in and kissed her cold forehead.
“I feel the same,” he said as he stood up.
He took the reins of the rescue sled and began to ski Maisie out of danger. With Zach’s skill on the slopes, he had her back down to the first landing of the ski lift in no time flat.
He left his rescue sled beside the lift and helped Maisie into a gondola. She was wrapped in the thermal blanket but still needed to warm up. When they got back down to the lodge, he hurried her inside.
Kelly gave him a key to one of the suites and he took her straight upstairs. He didn’t wait or ask or tell anyone anything. He needed to get her warmed up as fast as he could.
He brought her into the suite and started to run a bath while she sat on the edge of the tub, her teeth still chattering. When he had the tub full of warm water, he helped her out of her snowsuit, gloves, and boots.
She sank into the water, still shivering and shaking like a leaf in the wind. When she finally was covered with warm water up to her shoulders, her body started to relax and her color slowly returned to normal. That’s when he realized he was staring at her naked body as she bathed.
“I’m gonna let you have your privacy,” he said. “I’ll be right outside the door if you need me.” He walked out of the bathroom. “Ski Bear to Alpha Station. Target is resting comfortably in a bath at the lodge.”
Chapter 16
Maisie soaked in the hot tub for a long time, her mind going over all of the mistakes she’d made since meeting Zach. The first mistake she’d made had been not trusting their connection in the first place. Everything else stemmed from that.
She’d been avoiding learning about shifters for so long that when she found herself in the middle of a shifter relationship, she had no idea what to do. But Zach had showed her that all of her fears were unfounded.
Zach had been nothing but a gentleman. He somehow went above and beyond in every way. Not only that, he’d somehow miraculously found her when she’d gone missing.
She’d been so foolish about skiing. The thought of it made her face heat. Being his fated mate meant that he would want her no matter what. They could feel each other inside.
She understood that now. She also understood that she and Zach weren’t so different after all. What was between them was special and perfect and real. And that’s what made them right for each other. Everything else was just irrelevant details.
She loved that he was athletic and carefree. She loved that he was energetic and enthusiastic about his work and his life. Being around him filled her with so much joy if she just let it happen. She’d been too afraid of that feeling to recognize it for what it really was. She thought that she was just sexually attracted to the big, hunky athlete, but in truth, he made her feel fantastic in every way.
If she had just trusted those feelings, she could have avoided getting lost. She lifted her feet out of the massive soaker tub and wiggled her frozen toes. All of the feeling was coming back and so was her natural pink color.
She let out a sigh and dunked her red hair into the water. She was beginning to feel so good and so relaxed. Before she passed out from exhaustion, she had to tell Zach everything she was feeling.
She lifted herself from the bathtub and slid into one of the lodge’s fluffy bathrobes. Padding out into the bedroom, she found Zach sitting on the bed, watching a hockey game on TV. His eyes met hers as she opened the door. She felt a flush of desire and excitement wash over her body.
He stood and walked toward her, placing his hands gently on her shoulders.
“How are you feeling?”
“Much better.”
“Do you have full functionality and feeling in your fingers and toes?”
“Everything’s in tip-top shape,” she said sleepily.
She took a step forward and leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He smelled so good and his body was warm and comfortable against hers. She took a deep breath and let it out in a shuddering sigh.
“Oh Zach, I should have trusted our bond. I just… I didn’t know.”
“Is that why you went off the most advanced slope on the mountain?” he said with humor and his voice.
She looked up at him with a smile. She knew he was teasing her.
“I wanted to impress you.”
He led her over to the bed, and they sat together, holding hands.
“Why did you think you had to impress me with skiing?”
“Because that’s what you do. That’s what you love. I thought that if I wasn’t athletic enough, you would get bored with me.”
“I have to confess. I actually didn’t believe I was sophisticated enough for you. I thought you would think I was just a dumb jock.”
“You’re anything but a dumb jock,” she said, giggling.
“You thought that I wouldn’t like you because you aren’t athletic, and I thought you wouldn’t like me because I’m not sophisticated enough. See? We are perfect for each other.”
He put his arm around her and held her close. She basked in the warmth of his body.
“I agree,” she said with a sleepy laugh.
“You’re tired. You need your rest.”
“I could use some sleep.”
“Let’s get you into bed.”
“Will you stay with me?”
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
He helped her into the bed and snuggled in beside her after taking off his jeans and T-shirt. He held her close and they spent the night together in the luxurious comfort that only fated mates could share.
When she opened her eyes the next morning, she could feel him hard against her. A shiver of awakening desire ran up her spine. She turned over in the bed and faced him, planting a kiss on his lips before he opened his eyes. As she drew away, he awakened, blinking in the morning sunlight.
“Good morning,” he said, giving her a brilliant smile.
“Good morning, mate,” she said.
He growled and leaned in closer.
“You’re calling me mate?” he said, in a voice that was startlingly animalistic.
“That’s what you are. That’s what I want to be.”
He kissed her neck and took deep breaths of her scent.
“Are you sure you know what it means?” he asked her in a low growl.
“I do. I’m ready for you to mark me. Claim me as your mate, Zach. I want to be yours, now and forever.”
“I believe you. I want you more than anything,” he said between kisses. “Holding back has taken every ounce of strength I have.”
“I don’t want you to hold back anymore,” she said, looking into his eyes.
He kissed her mouth, flicking his tongue between her lips. Zach slid his hand under the lapel of her bathrobe and cupped her breast. Maisie let out a deep moan and arched her back as he rained kisses down on her neck and chest and mouth.
He untied her bathrobe and threw open the sides, revealing her naked, warm body. His hand ran down her side and over her hip, leaving a trail of desire as it went. He caressed her thigh, and she spread her legs as he cupped her sex in his hand.
“My mate is wet for me,” he said, the voice of his bear so close she could hear it.
“Yes,” she breathed.
He dipped a finger inside her and began to move in and out of her slick channel. He rested his thumb against her swollen bud and began rubbing in tight little circles as he thrust in and out of her. His mouth fell on her breasts, licking and nibbling at her nipples.
“Oh Zach,” she moaned. “I want you. I want it all.”
He pulled himself out of his boxers and crawled over her. For the first time she saw his manhood, erect and as stiff as a rod. She ran her fingers up the velvety smooth skin of his long, thick shaft.
He sank down, kissing her curve
s as he went. Resting between her legs, he licked and pressed his tongue against her desire. His tongue circled and flicked, focusing on her arousal. She groaned, so close to release she could barely stand it. But she didn’t want to come like this. She wanted him inside her.
“I need you, Zach,” she moaned.
“I don’t have any protection,” he said.
“I don’t care. No, I want this.”
“Are you sure?”
She leaned up on her elbows, looking him deep in the eyes.
“I want everything. I want you, I want our cubs, I want you to mark me. I want you to change me.”
“Maisie…”
“Shhh…” she said, pressing her finger to his lips.
“I’m in my right mind. I have all of my rational faculties. I’m telling you I want to be your mate. I want everything that goes along with that. I want you to put a bear inside me. I want you to put a cub inside me too.”
“Are you sure?” he said, his eyes wide.
“While I was up on that mountain, I didn’t know if I would survive. But I told myself if you found me, I would know for sure that it was real. I would give myself to you, body and soul. I want us to be as connected as we can be. I want your baby, and I want to be a shifter like you.”
“I’ve never changed anyone before. It’s a huge responsibility.”
“Let me be your first,” she said, cupping his face with her hands.
She brought him towards her, and he pressed his lips to hers. She opened to him, running her hands down his back. She was ready for this. She wanted him more than anything she could ever remember. It wasn’t just the pheromones. It was everything.
He was right for her, and she knew how lucky she was to have found him. Being with Zach these last few days had been the most fulfilling days of her life, and she never wanted it to end.
He pushed inside her. She gasped at the pressure. She’d never been so full, so complete.
“Zach,” she groaned.
“I love you, Maisie,” he whispered into her ear as he buried himself inside her.
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