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Or perhaps they didn’t care.
He lumbered through the trees, following the path they took, letting the cooling air and the feel of the earth under his feet ground him. Calm him. All around, he could see signs of the path they’d traveled. They’d rushed through quickly, not caring about disturbing the flora. Nor the fauna from the way the birds were complaining.
Magnus couldn’t stop the low roar that escaped. He could only imagine what would be done to her if they caught her again.
He just hoped that she stayed put.
Magnus knew that she blamed herself for this. And he hadn’t exactly given her a reason to stay. He shouldn’t have left her at the house alone. Surely, she’d take the opportunity to run. Could he blame her? He’d all but told her he wanted nothing to do with her. If he were Nari, he’d be long gone. Magnus cursed his bear.
It was too late to do anything about it now. All he could do was try to find the bastards and make sure they didn’t hurt anyone again.
Unfortunately, their scent scattered when he reached a clearing. There would be no way to know which one would lead him to wherever they were hiding without spending hours following the trails.
Growling, he turned back. He didn’t have time to waste. What was he doing out there when he should have been taking care of Ulf and his mate?
He was such an asshole.
While his mind railed against the admission, his bear practically wanted to claw out his insides with how he’d treated her. She was his mate. What the fuck did he think he was doing? He’d found his mate! He should have been feeding her honey and making sure that she was claimed. He should have been reveling in her, not wasting precious time because he didn’t want to get hurt.
He already fucking hurt from the thought of her leaving him. But he couldn’t let her stay either. He’d only end up hurting them both.
But how hard would keeping his distance be? It would drive them both insane.
It didn’t help that she was the most gorgeous woman he’d ever seen. And the most compassionate. There was definitely more to her. But he couldn’t identify what she was from her scent. At least no more than knowing he wanted to strip her down and taste every inch of her.
What did that matter?
Nari was beautiful. Kind. Spoke a language he’d never heard, before but he knew it was Korean thanks to the little info she’d told him about herself. He also knew for a fact she could literally say anything and he could listen to it forever. And shehad a body he could dive into and not come up for days.
Shewashis mate. His bear had picked up on that a lot faster than his brain had. He couldn’t believe he’d all but manhandled her that morning at breakfast then on the walk. Not just that, but she’d let him and seemed to enjoy it, too. Until he rejected her.
Just thinking about that made his bear rumble. He wanted more, but he didn’t know how he was going to have it both ways. Was it even possible?
Magnus couldn’t even begin to wrap his head around that until he got the more immediate problem sorted out first. Before any thought of happily ever after could be focused on, he had to make sure she was safe, and she wouldn’t be unless the monsters that took her were taken care of.
Magnus needed more info if he was going to deal with them effectively. Info she would have probably shared with him on their hike to her camp had he not been such a jerk. He just hoped she would be there to give him some when he got home.
He shifted before he got to the cabin, not wanting to freak her out. His bear grumbled but allowed it since it would bring him closer to her sooner. And there was no point in arguing especially since he didn’t know what she was or how she would react to his bear.
It wasn’t until he was at the door that he realized he was naked. It was habit after living alone. Hell, he’d wandered all over his property stark naked after shifting back and never gave it a second thought. But there was a woman around now.
His mate!
She’d have to see him naked sooner or later.
He tried the handle but remembered he’d told her to lock it behind him. Sighing, but at the same time hopeful that it meant she was still there, Magnus knocked on the door. “Nari, it’s me.”
Not sure how he should greet her, he covered his crotch as best he could with his hands and waited.
Nari opened the door almost immediately. “Magnus, I—” Whatever she was going to say died in her throat as she stared at him with huge eyes. Her gaze swept him from head to toe and back up again. Her skin flushed and her pupils dilated. He even noticed the way her breathing deepened, quickened. From what he could tell, she very much liked what she saw.
He fought to keep from dropping his arms and letting her get an eye full. He’d behave. For now. “Can I come in?”
For a second, she just stared but then must have realized she was blocking the door. She stumbled back. “Sorry about that. I forgot…”
Alarm streaked through Magnus when she stumbled again, and he caught her when she wavered. All thought of everything but the health of his mate fled his mind. “What happened?” He ran his hands over her, looking for wounds.
She shook her head as she leaned on him. He knew he was holding most of her, and it terrified him how tiny she really was. Nari looked up at him and gave him a wobbly smile as Ulf rounded the corner and leaped up to put his paws on his chest. It was the most energetic he’d seen him in weeks, and it would have stunned him even before what had happened to him earlier.
