After he left, she spent time cleaning up the kitchenette in his quarters, then she stripped the bedsheets, bundling them up into her arms as she went in search of the washing machine. It was the least she could do for all the things he’d done for her over the past few days.
“Hey, Ada,” Tessa called out as soon as she entered the living room. The other female was just coming out of a room off to her left. Ada glanced over Tessa’s shoulder and noticed it was an office. Next to the window was a small bassinet, and she was sure Aria was fast asleep inside.
“Can you point me in the direction of the laundry room?” she asked, then huffed and lifted the sheets up higher since they were slipping out of her arms.
“Come on,” Tessa chuckled and led the way to a room off the kitchen where she found everything she needed. “Would you like some breakfast? Gunnar made a stack of pancakes for everyone this morning.”
“That sounds great,” she answered as she added soap to the wash.
“Come on, let’s eat.” Tessa smiled and headed around the corner to grab some plates from the cabinets. The youngest Morgan had left the pancakes warming on a baking sheet in the oven. Tessa removed them and plated her own, waiting for Ada to get hers before sitting down at the table.
“How are you feeling?” Tessa asked. Everyone in the household seemed to care for her well-being, and she was more than grateful. They’d saved her life in more ways than one.
“I feel really good today,” Ada offered as she took a bite of food. “Rex acted like he didn’t want to leave me, but I told him I could take care of myself.”
“You’re bored, aren’t you?” Tessa asked.
“You have no idea,” Ada chuckled when Tessa rolled her eyes. “Is there anything I can do around here?”
“What did you do for your old clan?”
Ada told Tessa about her clan and the upbringing she’d had. She explained her love of gardening and how she wished she could do more outdoors as the temperature warmed. Tessa had tears in her eyes when Ada told her about the attempt to sell her off.
“I can’t believe a male would do that to a female,” Tessa snarled, her eyes flashing a golden hue with her anger.
“If it wasn’t for the two older females in my clan, I think my life would’ve been much worse,” Ada admitted. “They were strong willed, and they taught me everything I needed to know about being a good mate.”
“Why didn’t they help you leave sooner?” Tessa asked.
“I believe they knew there wasn’t anything they could do to help me,” Ada said sadly. “If they would have helped me run away, Robert would’ve punished them. If I’m caught, I’m sure he will have a punishment for me, too.”
“Are you worried they will come here?” Tessa asked, glancing over her shoulder at the back door.
“No,” Ada shook her head, “the only way they could find me would be to track my scent. Since I was on your property for so long, my tracks have washed away with the rain and snow from the winter.”
“We are very secluded out here,” Tessa confirmed. “Rex is very protective of you, and he won’t let them take you back.”
“He’s vowed to protect me,” Ada blushed.
“Have you two touched?” Tessa inquired. “I mean, you don’t have to tell me, but I’m curious.”
“No,” she said with a frown. “We both know I’m too weak to complete a mating should we be fated mates.”
Ada felt a need deep in her soul to have Rex touch her. They’d only known each other for a few days, but she felt the mating pull toward him more and more with each hour they spent together.
“Maybe in a few days,” Tessa suggested, standing up when her cub began to fuss from the bassinet in the office. “Let me feed her, then we can find something to keep us busy.”
“I’ll finish my laundry while you’re taking care of your cub,” Ada said, leaving the kitchen. She moved the laundry to the dryer and returned to the living room.
Stopping to peer out the back door at the backyard, Ada noticed an old garden patch off to the right of the house that hadn’t been touched in maybe a few seasons. She wondered if she could plant some seeds to grow food for the clan.
“Hey, Tessa?” Ada called out.
“Yes?” Tessa replied from the office.
“Is there a place we can get some seeds for planting?”
“The parts store in town has them,” Tessa informed her. “I used to work there and know the owner well. He can deliver whatever we need. Would you like me to call him?”
“That would be wonderful!” Ada exclaimed.
“Write down what you need,” Tessa ordered. “I’ll call Tulley.”
Ada found a pen and piece of paper in a drawer at the end of the counter and wrote down everything she needed. The idea of doing something to repay the Morgan clan gave her a renewed sense of herself.
Chapter 6
Rex pushed the front door open and kicked off his boots before stepping inside. He was covered in dirt and just wanted to check on Ada before taking a shower. She was probably asleep. He’d worried about her all day, only checking in with Tessa once before lunch.
Drake entered behind him and walked over to the couch to scoop up his daughter from Tessa. His mate fussed at him, telling him to shower before he gave her a break, but his brother ignored her and took a seat with Aria in his arms.
“How’s Ada?” Rex asked as Tessa looked up from her mate.
“She’s been busy,” Tessa informed him, smiling brightly.
“Busy?” he frowned. As he hurried over to see what the hell she was talking about, a million images ran through his mind. What could she possibly be doing out in the backyard? Ada was in no condition to be cleaning up downed limbs they’d left to move later that week. “Busy, how?”
“Take a look for yourself,” Tessa suggested, pointing out the back door.
When his eyes landed on her, he stood there in silence for a moment, taking in the work she’d done in the old garden. It’d been two years since they’d grown their own vegetables. The brothers had been so busy with the crops, they’d decided to pick up whatever they needed at the farmer’s market each weekend. Gunnar preferred to do most of the shopping, and he wanted local goods.
Realization hit him again when Ada stood to look over the garden. The beautiful female wiped the back of her hand over her brow, then placed her hands on her tiny hips. She was gaining some weight, but she was still fragile.
“Why did you let her exhaust herself like this, Tessa?” Rex growled and reached for the doorknob, ignoring his brother’s returned growl for being angry at his mate. He didn’t need to reply to Drake, because he could hear Tessa making an excuse for him as he marched outside.
“Rex?” Ada gasped as she turned around to see him stalking her. He knew he looked angry and his eyes were golden, but the thought of her doing anything other than resting pissed him off. “What are you doing?”
“I came to ask you the same thing,” he barked. “You are in no condition to be out here working a garden.”
The moment her face fell, he felt like a total dumbass. She shucked her gloves and let them fall to the ground. “I’m sorry, I just thought I could help.”
“Ada, wait!” She brushed past him with her head down, but didn’t stop once she reached the house. Rex rushed in behind her, only to come to a halt when Tessa stepped in his way.
“What did you say to her?” Tessa snarled.
“I scolded her for doing too much,” he answered, turning to glance down the hallway to his room. “I didn’t mean to hurt her feelings, but she shouldn’t have been out there working so hard.”
“You are such an asshole!” Tessa bellowed, clenching her fists at her sides. Rex knew she wanted to punch him, and he didn’t blame her. “She wanted to do something to help this household!”
“I know that now,” he replied, wiping his hand over his face. “I need to go apologize.”
“Yes, yes you do,” Tessa said, pointing down
his hallway. “She went to your room.”
Rex never thought he’d be doing the walk of shame because he was a complete idiot and had shot off at the mouth. He’d been so worried all day, and seeing her working feverishly on the garden had set him off.
“Ada?” he called out when he pushed the door open. He didn’t even pause when he heard the shower running in the bathroom. At least he could corner her in there so she’d listen to him.
“I’m sorry, Rex,” she sniffled over the sound of the running water. The glass door was covered in steam from the heat of the water, but he could see the outline of her body. His cock hardened as she turned slightly to the right and the outline of her breasts taunted him. “I should’ve asked permission first.”
“Ada, no,” he gasped. “I am so sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was make you feel like that.”
“I was excited when Tessa told me I could plant some seeds,” she began, moving away from the water. She was looking at him, although he couldn’t see her eyes. “She had her old boss deliver them along with everything I needed to repair the site.”
“This is all my fault, Ada,” he scolded himself. “I’d been worrying about you all day, and I hoped you had taken some time to rest, but when I arrived home, you were covered in dirt and exhausted from being in the garden all day. I should’ve stopped and realized you were doing something you loved.”
“I do love it,” she sighed, turning off the water. Rex didn’t move from his spot against the counter when she opened the door, wrapping a towel around her body. She’d already twisted her hair up into another before stepping out.
Nudity was a normal thing for shifters, but seeing the small glimpse of his possible mate’s skin again sent his beast’s need into dangerous territory. Her mating scent amplified along with his, and she stopped in front of him, tilting her head back to look up into his golden eyes.
“I will forever be ashamed of my outburst outside,” he whispered and reached for the towel. He made sure not to touch her skin as he pinched the material where it parted. “You are so beautiful.”
“Rex, please…don’t,” she breathed, her eyes changing from her own dark-brown to the golden glow of her bear. He paused with her words, worrying he may have crossed a line. “I can’t have you this close to me while you’re giving off your mating scent. It’s driving me wild with need.”
“Do you need me to touch you?” he asked, leaning forward. His lips came within an inch of her ear when she nodded in response to his question. “Have you ever been with a male?”
“N…no,” she blushed.
Rex’s body heat spiked hearing the words fall from her lips. She was a virgin, and while that scared him, he told his beast to go easy with her. Usually, a mating was frantic, fast, and hard. When the female was inexperienced, she could get hurt.
“I promise to cherish you,” he hummed, giving the towel a little jerk. She didn’t shy away when it fell to her feet.
“We have to find her today,” Luca growled as they drove toward Olive Branch. His brother, Ransom O’Kelly, sat in the passenger seat of their truck, smoking a cigarette. Ransom cursed as a cloud of smoke streamed past his lips.
“We should tell our uncle the female is dead,” Ransom suggested. “He’s turned our clan into a joke. We have no fucking money, and we have to lie, cheat, and steal for anything of value.”
“I’m tired of it too,” Luca agreed.
“The problem is,” Ransom began, flicking what was left of his cigarette out the window. “We will be punished if we don’t bring her back, and neither one of us is strong enough to take him out.”
Robert O’Kelly was a large, powerful male. Luca and Ransom were in their early twenties and had only begun to grow into their full potential as a werebear shifter. Robert, well into his thirties, had taken over the clan when Luca was barely a teenager. His uncle’s selfishness and greed had destroyed what was once a thriving clan.
“We will have to look for her anyway,” Luca sighed in defeat. “I just hope she is far, far away by now.”
“Let’s hope we can find out something to take back to him,” Ransom said, cringing from an internal thought. “If we don’t, we won’t see another day. He will kill us.”
Ada’s body heated as Rex raised his hand slowly. The tips of his fingers shook as he closed his eyes. A pounding on the outside door startled them both. Ada yelped and scooped up the towel to cover herself.
“Fuck!” Rex’s golden eyes glowed bright as his fangs punched through his gums. “I’m going to kill whoever that is.”
“Rex!” Drake hollered from the other side of his door. “Get out here now!”
Ada grabbed her sweatshirt and jeans, pulling them on as quickly as possible. It only took her a few seconds to exit the bathroom and hurry toward the living area of Rex’s quarters. When she approached, her heart stopped dead in her chest when she heard Drake’s words.
“The sheriff is here,” he growled. “One of those cats scented two bears in town about an hour ago.”
“God, no…” Ada’s breath came out in a rush, and she sank to her knees. “I have to leave. They’ll find me.”
“You are not leaving here,” Rex declared. His voice was deep and his body began to swell. She sensed his beast was close to coming out, but the male gritted his teeth and took two deep breaths before dropping to his knees before her. He didn’t touch her, but Ada could tell he wanted to scoop her up and hide her away just from the fear she saw in his eyes. “This is the safest place for you.”
“Both of you come out and talk to Sheriff Lynch,” Drake ordered as he turned on his heel. “I’ll get more ammo for the guns.”
Rex rose to his feet and waited for Ada to do the same. The tremors in her hands wouldn’t subside. Robert O’Kelly was here, or he had sent his nephews to find her. Either way, they were too close, and she needed to run again. But where would she go this time?
“You are not going anywhere, Ada,” Rex insisted. “We will go talk to the sheriff, and after that, we will talk about us.”
“I’m scared, Rex,” she admitted.
“Take a deep breath, Ada. We have to fight this together.”
“Okay.” She took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s do this.”
Ada followed Rex up the hallway leading to the main house. When they arrived, the sheriff was standing by the kitchen table, sipping on a cup of coffee. The light bounced off his badge when he turned to set the cup down.
“Ada.” He nodded toward her before greeting the male next to her. “Rex.”
“Tell me what you know,” Rex ordered, holding out his arm for the sheriff to take a seat. Rex took the chair to his right and pushed out the chair on the other side of him for Ada. She sat down and rested her joined hands on top of the table.
“Two of the Shaw pride’s Guardians at The Deuce said they scented two werebear males in the bar during the lunch rush,” he began. “They didn’t ask questions, nor did they act suspicious. The males stayed no longer than it took to finish their beers and left after they realized the place was full of panthers.”
“What did they look like?” Ada asked.
“Dane said they looked related,” he offered, pulling out a small notebook from his pocket. “Both had long, dark hair and the brown eyes to confirm they were bear shifters. The younger one was larger than the other. They both wore denim jeans and ratty cotton shirts.”
“That’s probably Ransom and Luca,” she whispered. A cold shiver run down her spine, and she wrapped her arms around herself, wondering why Robert had sent them instead of coming himself. “Robert is their uncle.”
“Are they a threat to my town, Ada?” Sheriff Lynch asked.
“Honestly,” she sighed, “Ransom and Luca aren’t the problem. I’d overheard them a few times talking about leaving the clan to start their own because of Robert. They’re not bad males.”
“So, Robert O’Kelly sent them?” Rex asked, his eyes still showing the golden hue of his beast.
/> “I’ve done some digging on the O’Kelly’s,” the sheriff announced, flipping the page in his tiny notebook. “He’s known as a recluse in the human world, and he’s never been in trouble for more than a speeding ticket about three years ago.”
“He makes sure everyone on the land stays quiet and hidden,” Ada offered. “I think he’s paranoid.”
“What’s he paranoid about?” Rex asked.
“I have no idea,” she replied. “There were times when he would only allow the other males to use loud machinery during a certain time period. He didn’t want anyone coming onto his land to complain about the noise.”
“Was he on human drugs?” the sheriff inquired.
“Not that I know of,” she answered with a frown. “Even if he was, I wouldn’t know what to look for as far as a sign.”
They talked for another half an hour. The sheriff made plans to have his deputies keep an eye out for the two bear shifters. Rex voiced his opinion on keeping Ada at the house until they knew more. She didn’t want to be put on lockdown, and she still had a feeling in the back of her mind that running farther away was a better option.
Chapter 7
Rex watched Ada as she ate. He knew she was going to run by the look in her eyes. She was frightened by the knowledge the two werebears were in town looking for her. He wanted her safe, and he and Gunnar had a plan to do some hunting once the sun went down.
Drake was staying back with the women while they paid a little visit to The Deuce. The male werepanther who watched over the bar was already aware they would be stopping by to get more information on the two males who’d been there earlier in the day.
“Rex and I are going to the bar to check things out,” Gunnar announced. Ada’s fork stopped halfway to her lips as she narrowed her eyes. His baby brother shrugged at her. “We take care of our own, Ada.”
“Don’t hurt them,” she urged. “They’re good males.”
Mating Instinct (Morgan Clan Bears, Book 2) Page 5
