Page 13 of Protected By The Polar Bear

Ash

“Something happened,” I tell the guys as I walk into the Mountain Rescue Headquarters the next day.

Everyone comes to attention, looking at me with worry. They’re all ready to help, and I take a moment to appreciate them and how they always have my back.

“I slept with Tessa,” I blurt, and everyone relaxes, letting out big exhales as they turn to go back to what they were doing.

“Jesus, Ash, I thought that it was something serious,” Flint complains as he picks up his bowl of cereal and goes back to the couch.

“I slept with her and messed everything up,” I go on, and he frowns.

“How?” Niko asks, leaning against the fireplace.

“She knows about shifters from Elle,” I tell him. “So she knows I knew she was my fated mate months ago and never claimed her.”

“Oh,” Alec says, and I nod.

“Yeah,” I agree.

“But you’ve claimed her now,” Gunner says, and I scrub my hands down my face.

“Yeah, but now she might not want me.”

Gunner looks at me. He knows about my fears of my mate rejecting me; they all do. I can see them all realizing that my greatest fear might be happening to me right now.

“Have you talked to her?” Niko asks, and I sigh.

“Kind of, or I tried to anyway.”

“And how did that go?” He asks.

I groan and plop down on the couch next to Flint, staring up at the ceiling.

“So not great,” he guesses, and I glare at him.

“No, she said that she needs time.”

“Well, I can’t blame her,” Alec says as he takes a seat on the other couch.

I turn to glare at him, and he shrugs.

“You were an idiot. You pushed her away for months and now you’re surprised that she’s upset about it. You had your fated mate practically delivered to you on a silver platter, and you rejected her for months.”

I know that he’s right, and I probably deserve to be torn to shreds a bit, but I already feel awful, and I was hoping for some advice, not for them to point out all the ways that I fucked up.

“Not everyone is lucky enough to have found their mate,” he says quietly and I wince.

He’s right. I was lucky enough to find my mate and may have blown my chance with her.

“You’re right. I was an idiot. I thought I was protecting myself, but I think I just ruined everything.”

“Listen, we can talk about this all day, but the person you need to be talking to and explaining all of this to is Tessa,” Niko tells me.

“I don’t think she wants to see me right now,” I admit, and he shrugs.

“You have to try.”

I nod. I know he’s right. I’m just scared that she’s going to end it with me.

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