Total pages in book: 21
Estimated words: 19872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 99(@200wpm)___ 79(@250wpm)___ 66(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 19872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 99(@200wpm)___ 79(@250wpm)___ 66(@300wpm)
“Do you know about shifters?” he whispers in my ear.
I blink. “Shifters like… werewolves in movies?”
“Not like in movies,” he says. “Like in real life. Men who turn into bears. Men with animals inside them.”
I stare at him, trying to tell if this is some kind of joke. His expression doesn’t move.
“What are you saying?” I ask slowly.
He holds my gaze.
“That grizzly bear,” he says. “The one at the tree.”
My breath stutters.
He taps two fingers against his chest. “Was me.”
The world seems to tilt for a second. I grab the table as it all comes crashing down, making sense although none of it makes sense.
That huge bear… The way it was looking at me with those same brown eyes with golden flecks in the beautiful irises… That strange comforting feeling when he charged at me… Feeling like I was safe instead of feeling any terror…
Being so drawn to that bear… Being so drawn to Boone in the same way…
“Wait,” I whisper, looking up at him. “Are you serious?”
He nods once.
I study his face, searching for some sign of a lie.
I don’t find one.
“I’ve read about shifters,” I say, my mind swirling. “I thought they were fake. Like ghosts and unicorns and Bigfoot.”
“I don’t know about Bigfoot,” he says with a hint of a smile. “But shifters are real.”
“And you’re a…”
“Grizzly bear shifter,” he says. “Yeah.”
I laugh weakly. “Is this some elaborate prank? Am I being Punk’d? Is there a camera somewhere?” I look around, half-expecting Leanne to pop up with a second camera yelling surprise.
But no one does.
Boone just sits there. Solid. Unmoving. Real.
“This is hard to believe,” I say, wondering if I should leave now, force Leanne away from that lumberjack, and get out of here. But even as I think it, I know I’m not going anywhere. I’m finally feeling like this is exactly where I need to be. “You’re telling me you can change into a grizzly bear? That’s kind of insane.”
“What is your heart telling you?” he asks. “What do you feel in your gut? What is your soul saying?”
My logic is screaming that none of this makes sense, but everything else, everything that matters is telling me that this is real.
“It’s saying to believe you.”
He sits back, satisfied. “I would never lie to you, Veronica.”
“Prove it.”
His jaw clenches for a second, like he’s nervous about what I’m going to ask. “Okay.”
“Why was your grizzly bear out in the middle of the tree lighting festival?”
He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. “I was trying to ruin it.”
“Why?”
“I wanted everyone out of my town. It’s gotten too busy for my liking.”
“So, you didn’t like my article.”
“Not at first. But I’m grateful for it now.”
“Why? What’s changed?”
He looks at me with a stunned mesmerization in his eyes. “Are you serious, Veronica? That article brought my mate to me.”
“Your… mate?”
It all comes crashing down inside me. Shifters have mates. A one true love they bond with and never let go. One perfect soul that was made for them and them alone.
“Your mate moved here… because of my article?”
He just stares at me, giving me a second, letting me piece it all together.
“Are you saying… no… what?”
He takes a slow breath, as if he’s choosing his words with care.
“You’re my mate, Veronica.”
The word settles between us with a heaviness that makes it hard to breathe.
Mate.
My heart gallops in my chest.
“Your… mate,” I repeat. “Like… wife mate? Life partner mate? Animal Planet mate?”
He smiles. “All of the above.”
I stare at him in stunned silence. And even though it’s a lot to drop on a girl, I know that it’s true. I can feel the truth of that statement from the top of my head to the tip of my toes. I’m his. And he’s mine.
“So… that’s it?” I say, not knowing where to go from here. “No dating. No ‘will he call me?’. We’re just leapfrogging over all that? It’s just final?”
He shrugs those big shoulders.
“And what if I leave and never come back?”
His face twists like I’ve just stabbed him in the heart, and I immediately regret asking it. “Do you want to leave?”
“No,” I say, dropping my eyes to my beer. “I don’t.”
He takes a deep breath of relief.
“Wait,” I say, perking back up. “Don’t you shifter guys like mark your mate’s neck or something?”
I feel the strong tingling under my ear and touch it. His eyes turn hungry as he watches me brushing my fingertips over the demanding spot.
“Only when you’re ready,” he says softly.
I take a long sip of my beer and sigh. “I think I need another drink.”
Boone waves the waitress over and orders us two more beers.
“And send two over to the girl over there by the pool table,” he says, not forgetting about Leanne, which I think is sweet.
It’s all starting to make sense though. Why I never wanted to date or had any crushes. Boys tried to kiss me, but I was never into it, even when the cute ones tried. I always made up an excuse or made a quick getaway. It never felt right.