Page 10 of Coveted By The Bear

“Okay. See you at one.”

“One o’clock,” he confirmed with a nod.

But still no smile.

Challenge accepted.

Chapter Five-Miles

Iwaited impatiently for the wall on the clock to change.

12:57

12:58

I headed down the stairs. Stopped to check my phone.

12:59

The seconds ticked by so slowly. My Grizzly roared inside me until the growl spilled from my still human lips.

1:00

I knocked on her door, and it pulled open a heartbeat later.

“Hi,” Hope said.

That familiar warm welcome I always felt when in her presence shone in her velvet gaze.

“Hi,” I replied, lifting the grocery bag in my hands.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“My turn to cook, remember?”

“Of course, I remember, but I thought you were just going to make me whatever I had here, which is only cold cuts since I didn’t have time to shop. But I am super excited now,” she murmured and giggled.

“Wait till you taste it,” I promised, the Bear inside me chuffing at the sight of her in a pair of leggings and tank top.

Her hair was damp from her shower, and she smelled vaguely of Ivory soap and her natural honey crisp apple scent.

It had been five days since my bike broke down and I’d come to Barvale.

Four nights of pacing behind the auto repair shop where Hope worked. Eight meals shared since I moved in.

Breakfast or lunch, depending on her mood, at one o’clock. Followed by dinner at eight. Her shift was from 10:00PM until 6:00AM Sundays through Fridays.

I fucking hated that she was there alone at night. My Grizzly demanded I wait with her, and so I paced behind the shop. Staying as hidden as possible amongst the trees and shrubs.

Barvale was the home of a Bear Shifter Clan of the same name. Mostly Black Bears, but I’d also heard there were Grizzlies and Polars in their ranks, making them quite formidable.

Their Alpha was a man named Marcus Devlin, and I’d already put forth a petition to meet with him. The man was certainly busy, and getting in to see him was not easy.

In fact, I’d only just received confirmation our meeting was to take place one week from today, on the following Friday. Nerves assailed me, but I pushed them aside.

Tiegs was the sort of Alpha who took one look at a Shifter and decided what his job would be in the Clan. With my size, it was a no brainer. I’d started as a Soldier before I finished high school.

I’d had my fill of war, though. Thinking of Hope, I realized I’d spent more than enough time fighting, bleeding, and causing pain.

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