Page 18 of Beared at Christmas
I took his outstretched hand and let him help me back to my feet. “Something weird just happened.”
“Yeah? What was it?” He used his gloves to wipe snow off my back.
“I saw a bear. A polar bear.” It sounded so silly to say, but it had seemed so real.
“And what did you think of that bear?”
I was shocked that he hadn’t asked in a joking manner. He seemed truly interested in my thoughts. “I, um… It was big. And scary. I thought it was going to eat me.”
He chuckled then and I expected him to make fun of me. Instead, he said, “I would never eat you. Not in that way, anyway.”
Confusion ricocheted through my brain as I tried to comprehend what he’d said. “You?”
He nodded with a shy grin. “Yeah, that bear was me. I’m a shifter.”
“No.” I took a step back, careful where I placed my snowshoe this time.
He nodded again, the grin gone as he crossed his arms and chewed on his bottom lip. “There’s actually quite a few of us staying at the lodge this week. I was surprised I scented as many as I did.”
“Scented?” What did he even mean by that? My mind whirled as I tried to figure out whether I was awake or dreaming.
“We can scent each other.” He touched his nose. “Just as we can scent our mate.”
Mate. The word he’d used to describe his past husband. I was either in some intense post-sex-euphoria dream, or reality was way more messed up than I originally believed. “What does this have to do with me? Why not just let me go home tomorrow, never the wiser?”
“Because I marked you.” He pointed to my shoulder then touched his own. “I claimed you as mine.”
“You what?” Cold crept through my veins, even with all my layers of clothing. “What does that even mean?”
Glancing down at the snow between us, Ulrik released a heavy breath. “Last night. When we had sex. I marked you.” He pointed to his shoulder again. “Those marks near your neck. They’re claim marks. That means you’re my mate.”
Bile burned all the way up from my stomach, and I thought I would vomit. “You…you made me your mate? Without even asking? I wanted to have something more with you, but not like this. I never agreed to give everything up and become a fuck toy for a polar bear.”
“It’s not like that,” he whispered. “I never meant for it to happen.”
“Well, it kind of did.” I stomped a snowshoe into the fluffy white ground. “I mean, I thought it was kind of erotic the way you bit me during sex and how you got so swollen you were stuck inside me. Even the puncture marks seemed like a kind of souvenir from the amazing night. But I never agreed to be yours.”
He ran his gloved hands across his face. “You don’t have to be my mate. Because you are human, you will never feel the pull of our connection. But I am bound to you. It cannot be undone.”
“Well, I guess you should have thought of that before you did it.” I headed back to the path we had taken through the snow, angry for reasons I didn’t fully understand. “Because this human does not want to be in a marriage that I never agreed to, with a polar bear.”
I still hadn’t taken the time to comprehend the whole shifter thing. That was too much to even begin to think about. It was the idea of being mated to him that I had a huge problem with. Sure, I had wanted to be in a committed relationship for mostof my adult life. Waking up claimed by Ulrik after the best sex ever wasn’t how I had imagined it happening. It felt the same as rolling out of bed in Vegas to learn I’d gotten drunk married. I hadn’t agreed. Since I doubted I could easily get rid of the puncture marks in my shoulder the way one could annul a marriage, I planned to pack my belongings and leave the cabin. If I had to, I would sleep in the lodge until I could catch the bus the next day. I had wanted a simple relationship, one where the only things we had to worry about were the cats and dogs we adopted. I did not want to worry about being gobbled up by my husband when the polar bear side of him decided he was hungry.
Chapter Fifteen
Ulrik
As defeat weighed heavily over me, I took my time heading back to the lodge. My bear urged me to run back and catch Brody at the cabin before he left. I didn’t see the point. He had made it clear that he didn’t want to be with me and was upset that I’d marked him without asking him first. He had every right to be mad. I should have kept my bear under control, not let him be a part of anything with Brody until the human knew the truth. Now, I’d ruined everything. I had a mate who didn’t want to be with me and would never feel our bond the way I would for the rest of my life. And, without him, I could never give my parents more grandchildren. I didn’t know if it was even possible with a human anyway. I’d fucked up so bad.
At the lodge, I returned my snowshoes. I didn’t see Brody there. He would likely avoid me anyway. As I sauntered back to the cabin, I considered checking out early. I had my own transportation, and it would only be right since I was the one who had betrayed Brody’s trust and ruined our vacations. Yes, I would pack my stuff then leave a message for the human at the front desk when I checked out. Seeing him again would hurt too much.
With a heavy sigh, I unlocked the door to the cabin and stepped inside. My bear came to full attention, chuffing,Mate. Yet, Brody’s scent was only strong because he had likely just been there. Or so I thought until I removed my coat and boots then spotted him lying on the bed.
“Sorry.” I grabbed my luggage and packed my belongings inside. “I will check out today. You can have the cabin tonight since you have to wait for your bus anyway.”
“You don’t have to do that.” His voice sounded more resolved than angry.
“No, I do.” I paused at the bathroom door, not daring to look at him. “I violated you and your trust. I’m very sorry for what I did to you, and I’m the one who should leave.”
