Page 44 of The Bear's Fated Mate
Lara couldn’t hold back any longer. “Please tell me you can hear this,”she thought at Alex.
He jerked upright, staring at her in astonishment. “Lara?”
Hearing her name in her head, spoken with every nuance of his tone and absolute wonder, was the cherry on top. She wrapped her arms around him and used momentum to flip them so that he was flat on his back and she knelt on top. Then she thrust her arms into the air and squealed with happiness.
A second later, she clapped her hands to his chest and again spoke the way that mated wolves did. Private, and intimate, and oh so perfect.“Looks as if we’re mated, sweetie.”
His smile was huge, his happiness clear. “Which means you’re stuck with me.”
She laughed, the sound rising and growing stronger as she realized what else this meant. “Looks as if a few others are stuck with you, as well,” she pointed out. “Welcome to the Orion pack, Alex Borealis.”
Joy filled every part of her as his expression morphed into shock as Alex realized exactly what fate had signed him up for.
He got to deal with wolves from now until forever.
19
In the spirit of cooperation, they held their mating celebration at the high school. The wolves provided the food, the bears brought the alcohol. The local authorities agreed to turn a blind eye to any shenanigans as long as everyone stayed off the roads, which seemed a completely reasonable request as far as Alex was concerned.
They’d waited a month to let things settle down a little, and winter had arrived in Yellowknife. The October wind blew cool across the snowdrifts, but inside the school gymnasium, it was warm and cozy, the scent of good food lingering in the air.
The feel of his arm around Lara’s waist was pretty damn perfect. He’d taken to coming up behind her wherever she stood and silently joining her as she chatted with the pack or communicated with people from the diamond mines. He didn’t need to be front and center, but the part that made him feel a million miles tall was how she’d ease slightly closer, settling against him and relaxing as if she didn’t need to worry about pulling out her bad-assery when he was around.
Although she still did, moving like a lightning bolt when it was required by the pack, because his ninja warrior woman was awesome to the core.
He did it now, walking forward and slipping into position as Lara chatted with Auntie Amethyst. Today the older woman’s outfit was fluorescent orange with bold splashes of purple. It would’ve looked fantastic with her dyed hair, except she gotten that redone so it was now a brilliant red that clashed with her orange scarf.
It was enough to make a bear go blind, but Lara had relaxed back against him, so everything was right in his world.
He acknowledged Amethyst politely. “Auntie. You’re looking particularly fine today.”
The older woman sniffed delicately then cracked a smile. “Go on with ya, mischief-maker. You bought the clothes for me, and you know it.”
Lara glanced at him in surprise. “You did?”
He grinned at having pulled one over on her. “I did. A gift in exchange for a promise.” He held out a hand to Auntie. “Show me.”
She gave him her wrist and pushed up the fitted sleeve of her jacket to show the nicotine patches decorating her arm. “Wolf metabolism being what it is, I hope you know I’ve got the chemist down at the Shoppers Drug Mart horrified by my recent bulk purchases.”
He leaned in and offered her a kiss on the cheek. The scent of stale smoke had vanished, leaving a far more pleasant aroma like the wind across the snow in its place. “Enjoy yourself tonight, Auntie. But be careful around that one.” He pointed across the room to an elderly gentleman who was tapping the floor with his cane and smiling eagerly at all the single women walking past. “He’s a bit of a charmer.”
Auntie Amethyst straightened, quickly replacing her eager hunter enthusiasm with nonchalance. “Well, I’d hate to have anybody bored at your party. Later, gators.”
She vanished.
Lara linked her fingers with his as they sauntered toward a different corner of the room. “Please tell me you didn’t sic her on somebody defenceless.”
Being able to respond through their mate connection instead of whispering was so amazing. “Old man Jenner is a grizzly nearly my size. Trust me, he can take care of himself.”
They pulled to a stop beside where Crystal and her mate were chatting with Gramps and Grandma. It had taken a while, but his bear was no longer completely offended at the old man’s rude behaviour and comments about Lara.
Crystal and Chantelle were so in love, it was wonderful to see.
Lara laid a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “You two are staying for a few days, yes?”
Crystal nodded. “It’ll be nice to spend time at the pack house without having to sneak around so nobody spots us.”
“We can stay for a week, then I have to get back to work. But you’re all welcome to come and visit us any time,” Chantelle offered. Her dark hair was pulled back into a puffy ponytail, and she twisted on her chair to face Grandma Laureen. “My clan owns plenty of land, and if you come in the winter you can ski. If you come in the summer, we’ve got lots of beautiful areas for running. Plus, we’re going to open a spa next year, if you’re interested, Mrs. Borealis.”
