Page 32 of The Bear's Mail Order Mate

She remained silent, and in that silence, Kris’s mind whirled. The man was begging for another chance. Would she give him wanted he wanted?

Kris’s bear whimpered, feeling a painful mix of sorrow and jealousy.We’re her mate,he insisted.She belongs with us, not him.

A part of Kris wanted to roar in protest, to yank the phone from her grasp and proclaim she washis.His mate, his future. But what if that wasn’t what she wanted? Cheating aside, maybe this man had once been her entire life. It wasn’t Kris’s place to force her.If you love her, you’ll let her decide.

But we can’t lose her,his bear warned.

And we can’t keep her if she’s not happy,Kris countered. He forced himself to remain still, to fight every primal urge to grab the phone from her hand and tell the guy on the other end of the line that Cassia was his. And only his.

The hush stretched on, Cassia’s grip on the phone slackening. At last, she wet her lips and whispered, “I can’t talk right now,” again, then cut off the call. Her eyes stayed locked on the phone screen as if she couldn’t quite process what had just happened.

Kris swallowed the lump in his throat.Now what?He stood still, uncertain whether to reach out to her or step back.

She turned around slowly, face pale, heartbreak flickering in her gaze. “I’m sorry,” she managed, voice hollow. “I didn’t mean to drag you into that…”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Kris assured her quietly. “If there’s anything I can do…” He broke off, sighing.

Cassia let out a shaky exhale. “I…need some time to think. That was my ex-fiancé,” she added needlessly, eyes darting away. “He wants to fix things. Says he…loves me.” Her voice cracked on the last words, and Kris’s chest clenched in sympathy.

We can’t show her who we truly are now,his bear said with a pained rumble.She’s hurting.

Kris nodded inwardly.Of course not.With that phone call, everything had changed.

He stepped forward, raising a cautious hand. “Cassia,” he murmured, wanting to soothe her. Wanting to hold her. “You don’t have to decide anything right now. About him or about…us.”

Her gaze lifted to him, eyes glistening with confusion. “Us?”

Kris forced a sad smile, though it felt like his heart might shatter. “I mean the restaurant, your place here, or…anything else…” he said gently. “I can’t lie. I hope you’ll stay. But you deserve time and space if that’s what you need.”

A sob almost escaped her, but she swallowed it back. “I…I’m so sorry,” she whispered again, tears threatening to form. “It’s like everything’s hitting at once.”

Kris’s heart twisted. He wanted to cradle her in his arms, shield her from heartbreak and confusion. But would that actually help her? Or make things worse?

He let out a breath, slow and steady. “It’s okay,” he said. “Really. If you need to be alone, I understand. If you need to talk, I’m here. Either way, just know that you have a place in Bear Creek…with us…for as long as you want it.”

Cassia looked at him for a long moment, tears brimming in her eyes but not falling. Then she blinked them away, nodding. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I think I should go…sort my head out.”

He forced his chest to loosen, stepping back to give her space. “Right,” he said, voice tight. “I’ll walk you back.”

“You don’t have to,” she told him.

“But I want to,” Kris said.

Every fiber of his being told him that letting her go would break him in ways he’d never recover from. But Cassia’s happiness came first.

No matter the cost.

Chapter Twelve – Cassia

Cassia slid her phone into her jacket pocket, the residual tension fromthatcall still buzzing through her veins.

Dante’s timing could not have been worse. Kris had been about to share something with her, something that was obviously important to him. Something he was willing totrusther with.

But now the moment had gone. Ruined by Dante.

Just as he’d ruined so much else in her life. Did that mean she had already made her decision? That there was no way back?

For so long, all her plans, hopes, and dreams were tied up with her relationship with Dante. When he’d asked her to marry him, it was like a dream come true.

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