Page 19 of A Bunny for the Bear
Because I knew my mate was a few steps away. I knew he wanted me, and deep down, I wanted him. It was only a matter of time.
Chapter Eight
Hutton
Days passed in a fog.I was acutely aware of Ross being next door. His scent traveled through the walls. That, or my imagination was so great it felt like he was here with me.
I spent hours researching how to be a good mate. I watched videos online. I read articles. Anyone who appeared to have their shit together became my mentor.
To add to my studies, there was my aunt and uncle. They popped in more than once. Sometimes it was because I texted them. Other times it was just to check on me. They did always reach out before they showed up as we’d originally agreed upon. But after the third time, I told them just to come whenever they wanted. I wasn't bothered by their company like I would have been before all this happened.
It was strange for me to loathe the thing I had come to love: silence. A big part of my life was having space to myself. I moved away from Collier Cover because I wanted to be separatefrom the small-town life. I wanted to experience things without worrying about everyone knowing my business.
It was nice. It was quiet. And yet now all I wanted to do was go out into the streets and interact with people. I wanted to be able to accidentally run into my mate on the sidewalk. I wanted to see his face light up or maybe peek in on him at work.
None of those were options for me though.
I respected boundaries. My mate needed the freedom to live without me interfering in his life. Part of rebuilding the trust that I had lost when my bear got loose entailed me being a man of my word. I refused to back down from that.
When a knock came on my door late in the afternoon on the tenth day of my stay, I thought for sure it was my aunt again. I had seen her earlier that day, but she was known to come back around if she thought I needed more attention or if I wasn't as friendly as she thought I should have been.
Imagine my shock when I opened the door to find Ross standing there. He was covered in sweat from head to toe, his clothes clinging to him as he panted.
"Ross?" I asked, worried he's somehow gotten sick. Was this something he might have picked up at the pharmacy? Maybe an illness that was contagious?
He shook his head and stepped closer to me, his hand moving as if to touch me. I held as still as possible, fearful that if I moved closer I would scare him, and if I stepped away, he would think I was rejecting him.
When his hand met my chest, a spark of lust shot through me. This man was my world. My fated mate. And something was terribly wrong.
"Need you, Alpha," he slurred.
I could tell he wasn’t aware of himself. I doubted he would have ever been so forward under normal conditions after the initial meeting we had.
As quickly as possible, I ushered him inside and closed the door. After getting him situated on the couch, I pulled out my phone and dialed my aunt.
"Something is wrong," I told her. “Ross just showed up. He's covered in sweat.”
"Oh my," Aunt Souli said. "I think I know exactly what it is. You need to call Dr. Hepbuck immediately. I'll send you his number."
She hung up before I could say anything else and a second later, a text popped up. I pressed the number on the screen and waited for an answer. On the third ring, he answered jovially. "This is Dr. Hepbuck. How can I help you?"
"Dr. Hepbuck. Hi, my name is Hutton. I'm calling because my mate just showed up on my porch sweating profusely and dazed. Can you come check him out?"
The other man hummed across the line. "I could, but I already know what's wrong. When did you first come across your mate?"
"About ten days ago."
"Yes, ok. And in those ten days have you been near him in any way?"
I paused. "Technically, yes. We live next door to each other in a duplex. We haven't actually physically seen one another though. Why are you asking all these questions instead of coming to see him?"
The last part came out as a growl as my bear tried to surface. He wanted to take control to wrap our mate in our arms and rush off to seek assistance.
The doctor took on a serious tone as he replied, "Because by the time I got there, you would be even more agitated, young man. I can tell you based on what you've expressed over the phone that your mate has gone into heat. It's not common, but when mates don't go forth with the bond immediately there's a pool that happens. It's Fate's way of ensuring you two wind up together over and over again. If you do not complete the bond with a physical mating bite, then your mate goes into heat to further entice you."
I gulped at the news. "To entice me?"
"Yes. His scent will become more potent, his body producing slick at an abnormal rate. Your Alpha side will go into a rut soon if you're close to him. I would suggest completing your bond if you're both consenting. There isn't another way."
