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“Think about all the things I’m going to do to you there when I get back.” I captured her mouth in a deep kiss. “This won’t take me long.”
“Okay,” she muttered, stomping toward the bedroom. “But I’m going to stay here so I can get some rest, or else I won’t be ready for anything but sleep later on.”
Knowing that Rome wouldn’t be happy about leaving Thora and Danika alone, I called Booker and asked him to camp out on their front porch after I got off the phone with Artemis. The wolf and dragon who were part of my pack would watch over our mates while we took care of the situation with the chief.
When I climbed into the passenger seat of the car, my fury returned. It was too soon to be away from my mate. The bond between us was too new. My grizzly pushed against my skin, roaring in my head as the distance between us grew.
It was a good thing Rome volunteered to come with me. He drove down the mountain while my brother tried to keep me calm. Not that it did a lot of good. I was seeing red when we stomped into the chief’s office.
“My fiancée is safe and sound back in my cabin, right where she belongs,” I assured him, skipping over all the pleasantries to get straight to the point.
“Your fiancée?” he echoed, his brows drawing together.
The term wasn’t strong enough to describe who Laina was to me, but it was the best I could do around humans.
“Yes, Laina Ash,” I confirmed with a brisk nod.
Leyton stayed by my side as Rome approached the desk, showing him the emergency alert. “His fiancée is the woman reported as missing in the woods. She’s not lost. She’s just at her new home.”
“How do you know this man is telling the truth? He could have kidnapped her.” A guy sitting in a chair in the corner of the room jumped up and stomped his foot. “I demand that he bring her here so I can see for myself that she’s okay.”
The bond between my brother and I allowed us to communicate telepathically in our animal forms, but we’d never done it while we weren’t shifted. So I was stunned when I heard his voice in my head.
If you kill him, we’re going to have to take down the chief and anyone else in the building. He’s a little pissant. Nobody as far as your mate is concerned. Use your words to destroy him instead of your claws.
“John has no room to make any demands when it comes to my fiancée,” I growled, glaring at him over my shoulder. “If anyone is going to toss around allegations when it comes to Laina’s well-being, it’s going to be me. Not the guy who basically stalked my woman, looking for a way to get her to agree to go out on a date with him.”
There was a hint of my bear in my voice, and his skin went pale at my accusation. “I–um–I don’t know what you mean.”
“Seriously, John?” the chief sighed and shook his head.
John’s spine slammed straight, and he snapped, “Laina never said anything about him. If she had…”
I didn’t let him finish making excuses for his actions. “She didn’t owe you any explanations. No means no. Period.”
“Sorry for the inconvenience of making you come down the mountain,” Chief Elrod apologized as he tapped at his keyboard. “I should’ve listened to Rome when he called, but John was yipping in my ear about all the things that could happen to her out there. The search is off.”
“You’re just going to take his word that she’s all right?” John scoffed, puffing out his chest.
The chief stood and glared at him. “Yes, because his word counts for something. Keane has spent a decade helping my men rescue people who have actually gotten lost in the woods. He’s earned my trust. All you’ve got going for you is your daddy’s money. It’s no wonder the girl chose him over you.”
John’s face turned bright red before he rushed out of the room.
“I’ll have a talk with his father. You won’t hear from him again,” Chief Elrod promised.
My grizzly was pissed that we didn’t get the chance to maul the interloper who wanted my mate, but I was just happy to wrap everything up quickly so I could get back to her. And if he didn’t listen to his dad…then the asshole would go missing, never to be found in the wilderness that I had claimed as my own.
10
Laina
“Is there anything else you want to bring with you?” Keane asked as he bent over to pick up the box I’d just finished packing.
He hadn’t wasted any time in bringing me down the mountain to get my things. After the trouble John had caused last night, he wanted to get me moved into the cabin where he knew I’d be safe. Things had moved at lightning speed between us, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. When you knew, you knew.
I glanced around the apartment I’d lived in for the past six months. The place had never felt like home, and I wasn’t sad to be leaving. I’d never bothered to hang any artwork, and there weren’t any pictures of family or friends for me to display since my parents hadn’t let me take anything except my personal belongings when I left home. I’d been lucky to find the studio apartment. The rent was cheap, the lease was month-to-month, and it came furnished.
“Nothing else is mine.” I pointed at the bookshelf. “But I’m going to need one of those for the cabin.”
