The door opened. The man who walked up to the counter was huge. Dark hair, blue eyes, lots and lots of muscle, and a deliciously handsome face. He stopped at the counter, opened his mouth, stopped. Sniffed. Shock spread across his face, followed by a grin.
Taking a discreet sniff, her inner animal squeaked in excitement, her mouth hanging open. She dropped the cup she was holding, vaguely aware of the sound of it smashing on the floor. Her mate. Here. Along with her twisted ex and her volatile sister. Oh. Hell. No. Enough was enough. She'd had more than any sane person could be expected to deal with today, especially when she was cheesecake deficient.
So she did the only thing that she could. She bolted.
***
What the hell? Alex watched as the cute little mouse fled. His mate. His mate. He'd finally found what he'd been waiting for and she was adorable. Even in that hideous outfit. Considerably shorter than him, curvy, blue eyes, and light brown hair. Pretty. His bear growled inside his mind, snapping him out of his shock. Why was his mate running away?
He took a step forward and was nearly bowled over by a woman who looked remarkably like his mate and yet wasn't.
“Sorry,” the woman called as she followed the mouse to the kitchen. From a glimpse through the door, he could see the back door was open. His little mouse had already fled. No matter. Clearly she worked here, since nobody would choose to wear that uniform. She'd have to come back to work eventually. Or he could ask Ethan about her since his mate also worked here. He'd find her again.
“Can I help you?” The voice came from a human female, also wearing the awful uniform.
“Yeah,” he said. “Can I have a honey cake to go, please?” He'd decided to get one to sweeten up his mother. His usual supplier had sold out, so on a whim, he'd decided to try this place where a lot of his officers bought doughnuts. Of course, he did plan on having some of the honey cake too. Although, with his mate around, that might solve the problem of his mother. Except for the part where he'd have to explain that his mate had run away. The last thing he needed was his mother tracking down his mate. No good would come of that.
Paying for his cake, Alex took it out to the car and pulled out his phone. He had to know who she was. He should have read the name tag on her uniform, but he hadn't thought of it at the time, since he’d been too busy looking at the rest of her.
“Hunter.” Ethan's voice answered.
“Ethan, it's Alex,” he began. How should he phrase this to avoid looking like an idiot?
“Yeah boss,” Ethan said. “What's up?”
“In the cafe where your mate works,” Alex said, “what's the name of the mouse shifter who works there?”
“Uh, Tara,” Ethan answered. “Why?”
Tara. His mate's name was Tara. “What's her surname?”
“No idea.” Ethan's voice sounded puzzled. “What's this about? Is she in trouble?”
“Tara's in trouble?” Dana's voice came over the phone. Clearly she had been standing next to Ethan and had now grabbed the phone. Fabulous. “What's wrong?”
Alex leaned back, smacking his head off the headrest. He sighed. “She's not in trouble. As far as I'm aware. I just need to know who she is.” Dana was going to ask. He just knew it. The universe clearly disliked him and was determined to make him pay.
“Why?” Yeah, she asked.
He closed his eyes, screwed them shut. “Because,” he said slowly, “she's my mate.”
There was stunned silence, just for a moment, then a high pitched girlie squeal. Alex removed the phone from his ear, wincing. He wiggled his finger in his ear, waiting for the ringing to subside.
“Hello? Hello?” Dana's excited voice came back over the phone. “Are you still there?”
He gingerly held the phone back to his ear. “Yeah, but no more squealing.”
“Sorry,” she said brightly. She didn't sound sorry. “Her name is Tara Evans. Wait... Why didn't you just ask her yourself?”
“I didn't get a chance,” he said. No way was he admitting that his mate ran away from him. A bear had to keep some pride.
“She ran away, didn't she?” Dana asked. Dammit.
“Maybe,” Alex huffed.
“Don't take it personally,” Dana said. “She does that. You probably just caught her by surprise.”
He grunted.
“Look,” Dana said, “why don't you drop by the bakery tomorrow? I'll let you into the kitchen to talk to her.”
He sighed. “Okay. I'll do that.”
He ended the call and remained sitting there, eyes closed. How could he get his mate to stop running long enough to claim her?
***
Her sister caught up with Tara just outside her house.
“Dammit, Tara,” her sister wheezed, holding her sides. “Don't make me chase you. You know I hate running.”
Tara stopped and turned. Scanned the street. It was only Sara, nobody else had followed. She let out a shaky breath. She was safe for a little longer.
“Tara?” her sister asked, her expression one of concern. “What's wrong? What was all that about?”
Tara shrugged. Where would she even start?
Her sister grabbed her arm and walked her to the house, taking her key and letting them both inside. Once inside, Sara steered her to a chair and pushed her gently into it.
“Okay, sit. Spill.” Sara stood in front of her, arms crossed. “You know I'm not letting this go.” From experience, Tara knew that she meant it.
Tara shot her an exasperated glance and then sighed. “Fine. Barry turned up.”
Her sister's eyebrows shot up. “Your ex? The asshole?” Yeah, Sara really hadn't liked Barry and she didn't even know the half of it. Tara preferred to keep it that way.
“Yeah, it threw me,” Tara admitted with a shrug.
Sara tilted her head to the side, continuing to look at her. “No, there's more than that. You didn't run until that hunky bear turned up.”
Tara suppressed the growl at her sister noticing that the bear was hunky. Apparently she didn't control her expression quite as well. Her sister's eyes narrowed at her, then widened in surprise.
“You like him! You like the bear!” Sara exclaimed. “I knew it!”
Tara sighed. Time to come clean. “He's my mate.” There. She said it. Exceptionally quietly, but technically it was out loud, so it counted.
Her sister's mouth hung open. “Oh. Oh. Wow.” Then she grinned, giving her a huge thumbs up. “Well done, sis.”
Tara rolled her eyes.
“Wait.” Sara's face was scrunched up. She held up two fingers. “Two points. One, I thought you said Barry was your mate. Two, why were you running away from him? He's your mate, and he's hot. Really, really hot. Did I mention he was hot?”
“You might have said something,” Tara answered drily.
“So what gives?” Sara asked, finally sprawling on a chair.
Tara shrugged. “I guess I just flipped out. That’s the first time I met him. It was… unexpected.”
Sara watched her, her expression puzzled. “So what's with Barry? You always said that Barry was your mate. If hot bear dude is your mate, then clearly Barry isn't.”
“Clearly,” Tara agreed, frowning. “You know, I never really felt the way I expected with Barry. He always seemed so sure we were mates, so I assumed we must be. Now that I've met...” What the heck was his name? “... uh, hot bear dude, I can tell the difference.”
“So, it's definitely hot bear dude?” Sara asked, watching as Tara nodded. “That's one hell of an upgrade. So why did Barry think you were mates? He must have known you weren't.”
Tara frowned. “Is it possible that he did feel the mating pull? Even though I didn't?”
“I honestly don't know,” Sara said, thoughtfully. “You're not choosing the asshole over hot bear dude though, right? You're not still hung up on Barry?”
“No. I’m definitely not hung up on Barry,” she said, repr
essing a shiver.
Sara grinned at her. “Good. So, now the question remains... why were you running from hot bear dude?”
“He caught me by surprise,” Tara said. “With everything else going on, I panicked, ok?”
Sara snorted. “Well now that you know, he can't catch you by surprise again.”
“I'll probably never see him again,” Tara pointed out. Now why did that thought make her so sad?
“Please,” Sara scoffed. “He's your mate. I assume he realized this?” She waited for Tara's nod. “Yeah, then you'll see him again. He'll find you, sis.”
Tara wasn't sure if she was more relieved or freaked out.
Chapter 3
“I'm sorry, Alex,” Dana said apologetically. “Tara didn't come in today.”
Alex sighed. His mate was still hiding from him. Really, was he that scary? So, he was big and growled a lot, he was a grizzly after all. He'd never hurt his mate though.
“You know,” Dana added, “you're the second person today to come in asking about her.”
His ears pricked up at the mention of someone else. “Who else was here?”
Dana grimaced. “This smarmy looking guy. Good looking, I guess, but there was just something about him that left me cold. I thought for a moment that he was going to search the premises, but then Felix chased him off. You know, Katie's brother, the one with THE hair.”
Yeah, everyone knew about Katie's brother with THE hair. Even Alex could admit that it was damn fine hair. So who else was looking for his mate? A small growl slipped out. He didn't like the thought of another male sniffing around. Inside his mind, his bear was getting increasingly grumpy, demanding that they track down their wayward mate.
“Can you tell her I was looking for her?” he asked.
“Of course I will,” Dana said. She sighed. “Look, Tara is a bit quiet, and she scares easily, but in the end she'll come around. Just be patient and you'll be fine.”
Patient. Yeah, not really his forte. He ordered another honey cake. He'd need it to placate his mother after refusing another one of her set ups. The latest woman had been barely legal age and had a head full of fluff. His mother had actually invited the woman to dinner. He'd sat there for half an hour before manufacturing a work emergency and escaping. His mother was not happy.
Taking the cake, he made his way home. Once there, he sat in his car outside his house for a while, trying to work up the courage to go inside. His mother was a black bear, he was a grizzly like his father, so that gave him the advantage in terms of size. If his mother started something, he could totally take her. Maybe. She did tend to fight dirty.
Sighing, he left the safety of the car and entered the bear's den, er... his house. It was quiet, suspiciously so. He stalked to the kitchen and placed the cake on the table. Then he turned around to find his mother standing right behind him. The noise that came from him was a growl, honest. Grizzly males did not shriek. Ever. He clasped his hand to his chest, trying to keep his pounding heart inside his chest where it belonged.
His mother watched him with her dark eyes. She stood there intimidating him. All five foot two inches of her. Her short dark hair had streaks of grey, but she still seemed as vital as she had when he was a little cub. Anna Russell was not one to allow something like age to slow her down.
“What are you up to?” his mother asked, voice full of suspicion.
“I brought a honey cake,” he said, pointing to the table. Please let her be distracted by it.
“Again?” his mother asked, one eyebrow raised. “If you keep this up, you'll get fat. Then how will you attract a mate?”
“I'm not trying to attract a mate,” he protested. As soon as he said it, he knew it was a mistake. He took a step back, his ass hitting the table and halting his retreat. Dammit.
“Why not?” his mother asked, stepping towards him, eyes narrowed. “Don't you think I deserve grandcubs? While I'm still here to meet them? Before I die, I want all my cubs settled with cubs of their own. Is that too much to ask? Too much to give your poor mother?”
“Ma,” he whined. “You're as fit and healthy as I am. We have plenty of time.”
“Which I why I need to get you sorted out now,” his mother said, nodding as though he'd been agreeing with her. How did this keep happening to him? “I have this friend who has a daughter...”
“No, Ma,” Alex said, eyes wide. He couldn't cope with any more. Inside his head, his bear was actually whimpering.
“Well, how else are you going to find a mate?” she asked, clearly exasperated. “This woman is just right for you...”
“I found my mate,” he blurted out. He clamped his lips together and slapped a hand over his mouth. Oh shit. This was not going to be good. He tried to edge away, but the stupid table was still behind him.
His mother frowned at him, wiggled her finger in her ear, tilted her head. “I'm sorry,” she said, her voice deceptively calm. He remembered that tone of voice from his childhood. The one that he and his siblings had referred to as the ‘really scary, someone’s gonna get it’ tone. “Can you repeat that? It sounded like you said you'd found your mate. Except if that were true, she'd be here right now, wouldn't she?”
Oh this was so not going to be good.
“It's a bit complicated,” he tried. Maybe he could divert her with vague answers. His bear snorted at him and went back to cowering in the corner of his mind.
“In what way, son?” she asked, head still tilted. “Did you or did you not find her?”
“I did,” he confirmed. His eyes scanned the room. How far was the back door? Could he make it? Doubtful. His mother was surprisingly speedy.
“Then why is she not here?” his mother asked. “Why have I not met her?”
“She... uh...” Alex took a side step, edging closer to the door.
“Alex Theodore Russell,” his mother snapped. “Don't you even think about running out on me. Where is your mate?” She stood there, hands on her hips, eyes flashing.
“She sort of... uh... ran away,” Alex said with a wince.
His mother's eyes widened. “She ran away?” She waited for his nod. “What did you do to her? We can fix it. I'm sure we can.”
“I didn't do anything!” he protested. “I didn't even get a chance to speak.”
She eyed him suspiciously.
“Honest, Ma,” he said. “I don't know why she ran.”
“Hmm,” his mother said. “Tell me that you at least know where she is. Tell me that you can find her again. I will track her down myself if I have to.”
“No, Ma, that's ok,” he hastened to assure her. If his mate had run from him, she'd flee even faster from his mother. Probably to another country where she'd assume a whole new identity. Heaven knows, he'd been tempted himself a few times. “I know where she works, I know some of her friends, I can find her again.”
“Where does she work?” his mother asked thoughtfully. “Maybe I could just pop in and see her...”
“No!” Alex blurted, shrinking back when she glared at him. “I mean, no, that’s okay. Really. I think I should be the one to talk to her. I'll find her. I promise!”
“You'd better,” his mother said. “I'm not going to get any grandcubs while you don't even know where your mate is.”
“Tomorrow,” he promised. “I'll find her tomorrow.”
***
The doorbell rang. Tara ignored it and picked up another forkful of cheesecake. Who needed the rest of the world?
Sadly, she'd forgotten something.
“I'll get it!” Sara called from the hallway. Dammit. Maybe it was just a salesperson. Maybe they'd go away.
“Hey, sis!” Sara yelled. “You have visitors.” Dammit.
Dana and Fiona appeared in the kitchen doorway, followed by Tara's overly sociable sister.
“Hey,” Dana said. “What's up? You've missed work for three days now.”
“Yeah, we had to let Dana bake,” Fi
ona said with a shudder. “Are you okay? Are you ill? Is there anything we can do?”
Tara looked down at her cheesecake. There was clearly some kind of cheesecake conspiracy going on.
“Okay, sis,” Sara said, sitting down at the table. “Enough is enough. Tell us what's going on. Are you afraid of hot bear dude?”
“Hot bear dude?” Dana asked with a puzzled frown. “Oh, you mean Alex!”
Alex, her mate's name was Alex. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “Well, not really. I don't know him well enough to be worried.”
Dana patted her hand. “Alex is a sweetie. Really. I know he looks all big and growly, but he's one of the good guys. Ethan says he's pretty solid. Even if he has reached all new levels of grumpy the last three days.”
“So, if hot bear dude isn’t upsetting you, then you must be worried about Barry,” her sister stated.
“Who is Barry?” Fiona asked, a frown appearing on her face.
Tara sighed. She pushed her plate of cheesecake away, no longer interested in it. Looking down at the table, she scratched at a non-existent mark.
“Her asshole ex,” her sister supplied. “He just turned up in town.”
Dana looked worried. “You know, some guy was in a few days ago looking for you. Really smarmy. He's been in the cafe every day.”
Tara squashed down the fear that flared up. She knew Dana wouldn't have told him anything. “Yeah, that was probably him,” she murmured.
“Is there a good reason to worry?” Dana asked. “If he causes trouble, I'm sure Ethan can sort it out. Not to mention Alex.”
“What's wrong, Tara?” Fiona asked gently.
It was time she told them. If she had to move away, then they at least deserved an explanation. She couldn’t just disappear without telling them why. She took a deep breath.
Bearly A Squeak Page 2
