Page 22 of Off-Limits to the Grizzly

“Please come back to me,” I whisper.

Worried and antsy though I am, my eyelids get heavy. There’s no way I’m sleeping in Mr Johnson’s bed though. Instead, I find a woolen blanket in a closet and bring it out to the couch. As I listen to the sound of the gale hammering at the windows, I think I’ve never felt so alone.

7

Zachary

I’ve fallen for Blair worse than ever before. All these years, she’s been the first thing I think about in the morning, and the last thing before I go to sleep. And now I’ve kissed her, tasted her sweet rosebud nipples, my obsession is on another level.

I’m lost.

Destroyed.

I should never have brought her back to Twin Falls. I should’ve just stayed in the shadows, looking out for her, quietly taking out anyone who might mean her harm, and letting her live her life in peace.

Stupid. Stupid, stupid.I curse myself with every step I take through this thick, endless snow.

I knew how I felt about her, goddammit. I knew what a hell it was trying to keep my beast under control.

But I just couldn’t help myself. I needed to speak to her, communicate with her. Keep her safe.

I promised myself I’d never lay a finger on her, and now I’ve screwed everything up.

The hurt and confusion on her face when I pushed her away just about cut me in two.

How is she gonna feel now, knowing that I’m a big old pervert?

Not a pervert. Mate, my bear interjects.

Not mate, I tell it. She’s too young for me. Still untouched for chrissakes.

The smell of her sweet virgin scent radiating from her pussy was what brought me back to my senses. Made me realize that my dick wasn’t gonna be the one to break through her virginity. I don’t have that right.

No matter how every nerve in my body tells me she’s the one for me.

I made a mistake twenty-six years ago with Kayla’s mom. I was young and dumb and dazzled by her wildness. My beast was telling meno, but I didn’t listen.

Then all those years, I lived alone, celibate. Thinking there was never going to be another for me. I’d gone against my fate, and I’d missed my opportunity.

I was okay with that. Some shifters never find their fated mate, for one reason or another. Some go mad; others live out their lives alone. But I decided I was gonna look out for Blair. That would be enough for me. To see her happy and safe would be my happiness.

But what I hadn’t figured was how antsy my beast would get every time some guy cracked on to her. How it would swell with murderous rage.

How am I gonna keep watch over her now—now I know she wants me, too?

It’s the darkest part of the night, and the blizzard is only getting worse. Heavy, driving snow, stinging my eyes and muzzle. But my beast plows on, its massive claws churning up the fresh powder. It’s tired. It’s desperate to find a hollow and sleep for a while.

But I won’t quit. I need to keep going. To break whatever’s inside of me. This mad passion for a girl I’ve known all her life.

And if I break myself in the meantime, so be it.

* * *

Blair

I wakeup the next morning, stiff and freezing cold. The blanket slid off during the night and the ashes are cold in the grate. And the blizzard is still going. I lie there listening to it swirling around. Then I run to the window. Wondering… wondering what? Whether Mr Johnson came back last night, and is now huddled on the porch, freezing his ass off?

Hopefully he’s indoors somewhere. Staying with a friend or something. Surely he couldn’t have stayed out all night in this? The thought sends a shudder through me.

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