Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
“Is it six-hundred pounds?”
He blinked. “I don’t know. Probably closer to seven.”
“Wow.”
Wilder rubbed a hand over his face. “I thought you’d be scared. That you’d want to run when you found out.”
She stepped closer, placing her hand on his chest. “I’ve watched you care for bee colonies, find a cub a new home, and mend an injured fawn. That tells me who you are.”
“The bear is part of who I am.”
“I know.”
“You don’t understand,” he said.”
“Then explain it.”
“My bear is instinctive. Protective. Territorial. Because if someone threatened you...” His voice turned rough. “I don’t know where the line is. I’d tear them apart before I thought twice.”
“Would you ever hurt me?”
He answered without hesitation. “Never.”
Chapter Fourteen
Poppy watched as Wilder put the finishing touches on his home to make it secure again. It had been two weeks since they were attacked. The fawn he was helping to heal had already been let back into the wild. It amazed her how kind and gentle he was with all the animals.
They hadn’t really talked about his revelation. At first, she thought it was a big fat lie, but then everything else fell into place. The reason she thought of Wilder when she saw the bear. Why the bear disappeared whenever Wilder was nearby. The way the bees reacted as well as other wildlife. It completely explained the cub. It made total sense, and she didn’t feel crazy anymore. Bear shifters weren’t a fantasy.
“All done,” Wilder said.
She looked at him, and she thought about that room. “Your parents were killed?”
“Yes.”
Wilder didn’t talk about his bear shifter, and he didn’t talk about his past. They hadn’t talked about what went down a couple of weeks ago. She was done hiding from it. It felt like a living thing between them, creating an invisible rift.
“And that’s why you had to hide yourself in that room, to keep other ... beings safe,” she said.
“My parents were gone before they could teach me how to control everything.”
She felt so sorry for him. It must have been a nightmare. “You were lonely,” she said.
“I didn’t think of it as loneliness.” He shrugged.
“I can’t imagine having to go through any of that. I mean, I went through puberty, and I guess I could be a bit of a monster. Most women are at least once a month.”
Wilder laughed.
“I feel like it doesn’t compare to, well, you know, the whole body shifting.”
“The first time I can remember, it wasn’t fun. I hated it. It hurt,” Wilder said. “I remember after it, I didn’t fully transform, and it’s known that some shifters struggle, and it takes several days to transform completely, to shift. For others, it could take the process of months.”
She winced. “What was it like for you?”
“About three days in my first months. Every single day, it hurt like hell. It’s what I imagine hell is like.”
She frowned. “Do you want to talk about this?”
“Poppy, you’re not running away screaming.” He put the hammer he’d been using down on the dresser he’d also repaired.
She didn’t pull away, because she wasn’t afraid of this man. He protected her, even when he didn’t know her.
“You’re the only one I want to talk to about this. Three days, and each time, it seemed to hurt worse than the time before. I remember coming to, and the house was trashed. I wasn’t expecting it, and I couldn’t remember a damn thing. The pain was all I could remember, and that was when I got to work in advancing the room my parents had already started.”
“Your parents started that room?” she asked.
He nodded. “They were planners. They planned for me to be ... strong.” He reached out and took her hands.
Poppy waited for fear to settle in. Panic. Nothing. She didn’t feel any worry or stress, as Wilder held her.
She’d ran away when she saw that room. Ran at any sign of danger, and yet, as she stared into his eyes, it was like she knew with every single fiber of her being, she was ... home.
“You’re not afraid?”
“No, you’re not going to hurt me.” She reached up and cupped his cheek. “I know that.”
Wilder pressed his face against her cheek.
“You’re not going to run and try to sell my story for money?”
Poppy burst out laughing. “Please, they’d have me committed. There is no way anyone would listen to me, and besides, I like my life here with you. Bees don’t sting me, and you’re an amazing cook, and do you hear that?” she asked.
They were both silent.
Silence.
Resplendent quiet.
“It’s so peaceful here, and you’re right, humans suck, and I should know, I’m one of them.” She laughed, trying to lighten the mood.
“You’re different, Poppy. You always have been.” He reached out and stroked a curl behind her ear. “I know this is a lot to take in.”