Page 9 of A Bunny for the Bear
With all my items in hand, I went up to the register. The young girl avoided eye contact as she rang me up. After I paid with my card and she handed over my bags, I left in a rush. No need to delay her getting home for the evening, I told myself.
Before I could make it out of the door, that scent hit me again. This time it was stronger. I froze and spun around. My bear nearly went feral.
It wanted whatever the smell was.
Could it be?
I froze at the thought. Itcouldn'tbe my mate. I had no clue what finding a mate felt like, but I’d bet this had to be damn near close to it.
I set my bags back on the counter, then moved towards the back of the store. “Hey! Where are you going?!” The girl shouted after me.
I shook my head and held up a hand. “Stay,” I rumbled. I didn't have to look back to know that she wasn't moving. The Alpha command in my tone would have kept anyone still. Even another Alpha.
In the back of the room, I found what looked like a medicine counter. There was no one there though. When I stepped into the open space, the scent permeated every inch of my being. My body lit with need, and I nearly collapsed from the overwhelm.
Yes! This was my mate. It had to be.
This type of scent reaction couldn't anything else.
I ran my hand over the countertop and closed my eyes. My mate had been here. They had also been in my home. I had to find them.
My bear paced restlessly in my mind. The beast wanted to be set free. Wanted to roam and hunt.
Part of me wanted to let him. He would find my mate much quicker than the human version of me would. But at the same time, a wild bear on the loose, even in a shifter community, would cause major complications. It was only my first night. I didn't need to create problems.
I went back to the front and grabbed my bags. The girl eyed me cautiously.
"Who works in the pharmacy?" I asked.
She bit her lip and looked me up and down. "Are you going to hurt them?"
I shook my head quickly. “Not hurt. I would never harm them.”
Something about the way I said it must have given her a clue as to what was going on. Her mouth formed a small "O" and then she smiled at me.
“It's a new guy. I don't know his name since he’s not originally from here and has been a bit of a hermit since he arrived. Iknow he's a shifter, though. Like us. He doesn't work tomorrow. Maybe check back the next day. I'm not really sure of his schedule. He's just part-time.”
While her words were helpful, they also gave me pause. If he was new to town, then he was probably trying to get settled. Finding a mate right away might not be something he wanted. It definitely wasn't something I wanted.
At least not this way.
I never wanted to be a burden on someone else. I never wanted to cause them any type of strife. With someone getting established in a new place like she’s saying, a mating bond would do just that.
But at the same time, I couldn't deny what Fate had coordinated. I would just have to be careful. I needed time to think about what was going on. Maybe if I did that, I would have the answers I needed.
I thanked the young woman and then left. There was nothing else I could say to her. No other answers she could truly give me.
I drove back to the duplex in somewhat of a stupor. No matter what came next, I knew that things were going to change. I was in the same place as my mate. If they had just moved here, then they probably wanted to stay in Collier Cover long-term.
But I didn’t live here. Not anymore.
They might have even found people in town that they wanted to be around. Were they in a relationship already? Was that what brought them here?
The self-deprecating thoughts ran through my mind one after another as I unloaded my groceries. By the time I was done, myappetite had waned. I made a sandwich and then dropped onto the couch and ate it slowly.
I needed to see my aunt soon. And eventually I would need to see my mate.
The latter would all have to wait a while. I needed some time to get myself together. To get my heart prepared for what came next. Because as rare as it was, a mate could reject a bond.
