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)
She was not becoming a bear.
She was pregnant, with his child.
Poppy smelled different, and she carried an aura with her, and Wilder hated that he hadn’t considered the possibility of what a bear child might actually mean. He could lose his mate, and the very thought had his bear tearing up inside. They were in a state of panic, because for the first time in his adult life, he was finally happy. He’d found a reason to live, a purpose to keep fighting another day.
He and Poppy were compatible in so many ways. Their only difference—he was a shifter, and she was human. This is why he’d spent the past few weeks exploring the forest, looking for any scent or trail Alder might have left behind. He knew it was a long shot, but it was something he needed to do.
Bending down, he ran his hand in the wet dirt. It had been raining for three days straight. A freak heat wave had struck the country, and any sign of snow was not going to happen. Although, he’d lived through days where it was sunny in the morning, raining in the evening, and completely snow-covered by nightfall. The weather was unpredictable.
He sniffed the air and caught the scent of something. It was soft, subtle, and faint. He breathed in again, feeling that hope blossoming in his chest.
When had Alder first come to his forest? Why hadn’t he seen or heard of him before now?
He didn’t have any answers. All he knew was, he had a desperation to speak to him. To set things straight. He wasn’t going to have a threat hanging over his mating and their child.
Wilder was about to stand up, when something pushed him down, knocking him on his ass.
“Your human is making you weak,” Alder said.
Wilder gritted his teeth, as he’d fallen on a stone, which dug into his back, and the truth was, a bear shifter he might be, but he was still fucking old. Stones, just as damn plugs under the foot, still hurt.
“I’m not weak,” Wilder said, springing into action. He looked ahead in the forest, but Alder was not where he’d been moments ago. Wilder was not used to being close to another alpha, however, an alpha is what he sensed within Alder.
“Are you ready to get rid of your human whore?” Alder asked.
The insult was the final straw.
Alder may be an alpha. He may have gotten the upper hand, but no one messed with his mate, nor called her names.
This time, as Alder went to strike, Wilder was ready, calling on the power of his bear, as he intercepted the attack, wrapping his fingers around Alder’s throat, and within a matter of seconds, had him thrust against a tree. He’d transformed his arm only, and it was not even close to the full moon. Wilder mastered this skill many moons ago. Boredom had a way of making most people learn a skill they did not think they had.
Trapped. Unable to move. He held Alder at his mercy.
“Let me go,” Alder gritted out between clenched teeth, but it was only because Wilder gave him some leeway to be able to talk.
“Insult my mate again, and I will rip out your throat.”
“It’ll grow back,” Alder said.
“I know, and then I will gladly rip it out again. Try me, let’s see who’s lying.”
He stared at Alder, just as Alder stared right back at him. Seconds passed, maybe even minutes, but the fact remained, Wilder wasn’t joking.
“I mean no disrespect.”
Wilder didn’t let him go, because right now, he didn’t trust him. “My mate is with child,” he said.
Alder’s eyes went wide.
“You seem to know what’s going to happen. I need to know if my mate is going to live, or if I must consider if she should remain pregnant.”
Alder was silent.
That silence continued.
“Test my patience, Alder, and I would be happy to play with you and use you as my chew toy.”
It would be a battle of wills, but it would be fun while it lasted.
Chapter Fifteen
“We’re an endangered species,” Alder said once he’d let him go. “Humans are pure evil, and you’d gladly allow them to replace us by mating with one?”
“She’s not evil.”
“Look around you,” Alder said. “Or are you in ignorant bliss living out here in this forest? If you haven’t noticed, they’re killing the trees, the air, and the water every single day.”
Wilder took a breath because he couldn’t disagree. He’d felt the same way before Poppy showed up. But those that didn’t change went extinct. And you couldn’t ignore the mating call once it happened. It was something that chose you whether you liked it or not.
“I’m not saying humans are good. Most are not. But you can’t force your beliefs on other shifters.” He paused. “Are you mated?”
Alder furrowed his brow. “I have no plans to mate. My job is to protect our race from dilution.”