Page 30 of Beast Bear

“Thank goodness you’re here,” Alicia said. “I was starting to worry you might not come back in time.”

Serena felt a pang of guilt. The last few days had been a whirlwind, and she still felt the weight of her father’s funeral clinging to her. “I had to help my mother with funeral arrangements,” she said. “How are things… here?”

“Not great,” she admitted. “The police still want to question Theo. We’ve got new security cameras on the grounds, and they picked up him coming to his car, twice, yesterday.”

“Twice?”

“He came out of the forest, naked. Got inside the car somehow. Changed. And took off with his cell phone. He then came back an hour later.”

“No one stopped him?”

“We didn’t have a full-time security guard watching the feeds. But now Poppy is having one start tomorrow.”

Serena inhaled sharply, a mixture of worry and anger bubbling up inside her. She couldn’t shake her lingering feelings for Theo. It was hard for her to imagine what it must be like for him, running wild in the woods like a beast. But the memory of his half-shifted rage made her skin crawl. How was she supposed to reconcile these conflicting feelings? She gripped the edge of a desk, her knuckles white.

Alicia noticed her tension. “I’m sorry. It’s going around campus that you’re his mate,” she said gently. “I wish I had better news. The academy leadership seems convinced he was behind the sabotage, and the police are still investigating. There have been no new incidents since he left, which doesn’t help his case.”

Serena swallowed, her throat dry. “I just… I can’t believe it,” she said. Before the stolen supplies were found in Theo’s rooms, Serena had been falling in love with him. The things they’d done together had lit a fire inside her cougar that she couldn’t ignore. She felt a wave of exhaustion. “What exactly do you need me to do tomorrow at the charity climb?”

“We need a medic presence at each checkpoint. You’ll also be on call for any emergencies. The climb is a big deal, and we can’t afford any mistakes.”

Serena nodded, scanning the list of tasks. She could sense her own grief and confusion lurking in the back of her mind, but she had a duty to fulfill here. “Alright,” she said, drawing in a shaky breath.

After leaving the medic bay, Serena navigated the busy corridors to her old dorm room. She passed groups of trainees chatting excitedly about the upcoming climb. A few shot her curious glances, and she guessed they knew about Theo and her. She stiffened, not stopping until she reached her dorm.

Inside, the room looked much as she had left it. A single bed, a desk scattered with notes, and a desk chair. She set down her suitcase and let out a long sigh. She stood at the window and gazed out at the pine forest in the distance. It was approaching dusk outside, and the sky had turned a muted gray. She could sense Theo’s presence somewhere out in the trees. She shivered, torn between fear and a longing to know if he was alright.

Chapter

Thirty-Six

Theo parkedhis car on a narrow logging road not far from the academy grounds. Tall pines loomed overhead, and thick brush hid his vehicle. The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting the clearing in twilight. He rested his palms on the steering wheel, feeling the weight of the evening settle over him. Time was running out. The charity climb was tomorrow.

He thought of how Kai had turned the academy against him. Gritting his teeth, he ran through his plan to gather evidence against Kai. At dawn, he would hike through the woods to the academy, find a place to observe Kai’s movements, and record the evidence he needed to clear his name.

A sense of urgency coiled in his stomach. If he failed, he didn’t have a backup plan. He would remain the academy’s scapegoat. Any chance of having a normal life and reconciling with Serena would vanish. He picked up his phone. It was fully charged from his car, but he had no cell service in this location. He would send Serena and Logan the photos of Kai’s sabotage as soon as he had a signal.

The mate bond tugged at his chest with surprising intensity, as if his inner grizzly sensed her presence. He squeezed his eyes shut, memories of Serena’s tear-streaked face assaulting him. The terrified child in the bank ran through his mind. He had become the monster he hated. Guilt flared, mingled with sorrow and a fierce hope that he could regain her trust.

Chapter

Thirty-Seven

Serena layin her narrow dorm bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling as the hours ticked by. Her thoughts ran in tight circles, replaying the funeral for her father, the fear and guilt she felt about Theo, and the murmur of scandal that still rippled through the academy. She couldn’t rest with so many worries pressing on her. After another agonizing minute, she pushed back the covers and slipped on a pair of sweats, heart pounding with a restlessness that wouldn’t let her stay still.

She crept outside, careful not to alert the other students. The campus was quiet as she moved toward the forest. Serena stripped out of her clothing and let her cougar form emerge in the dark chill. The shift came more easily than usual, driven by the tumult of her emotions.

She padded forward, breathing in the damp scent of moss and earth. Moving through the woods helped calm the storm raging in her mind. Crickets chirped in the distance, and the cool breeze fluttered along her whiskers.

She heard a low voice in the darkness. The words were almost swallowed by the night, but something about their hushedurgency caught her attention. She lowered her body, muscles tense, and she stalked toward the sound. She crouched behind thick ferns near a tent set up for tomorrow’s climb. Kai stood in the moonlight; his phone clutched to his ear.

Kai murmured about a “final diversion” for the event. He sounded smug as he said, “All eyes are on Theo now.” The blood rushed in Serena’s ears when she heard Theo’s name. Kai continued, voice dripping with satisfaction. “He ran off into the woods, just as I’d anticipated he would. It’s perfect. No one will suspect me tomorrow. Everyone will think it was him.”

Her mind spun, fury and relief colliding in her chest. Theo was innocent, which meant all her doubts about him had been wrong. A wave of guilt rose inside her when she remembered how frightened she had been of him. Her cougar flared at the realization of Kai’s treachery. Her entire being roiled with anger and deep regret for having doubted Theo.

She felt a sudden tug in her soul, as if an unseen thread connected her to Theo’s presence somewhere out in the darkness. The mate bond pulsed inside her, and her cougar ached to run to him. She almost followed that instinct. But another thought crashed in. The charity climb was tomorrow, and Kai posed a real danger if his sabotage continued unchecked.

Chapter

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