The blood went cold in my veins. Fucking hell, what had I done?
I leaped onto the floor. Laleesha had wedged herself into the corner. She huddled with her knees drawn up and her face hidden. The metallic scent of fresh blood mixed with the scents of sex.
Keeping my distance, I crouched low in an effort to make myself nonthreatening. “Laleesha,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. My bear was screaming at me to comfort my mate. Yeah, well, he’d done enough damage for the night. Him and me both, claiming her without any forewarning.
“Laleesha, I’m sorry.” So very sorry.
“You bit me.” Her voice was muffled in her forearms.
“I got carried away.”
“I’m not—” She gasped, and finished in a rush. “I’m not food.”
A four-by-four smacking me in the gut couldn’t have hurt any worse. She thought I was some kind of lunatic. Of course she did. I’d claimed her with no preparation. She didn’t even know I was a bear yet. What the hell was wrong with me?
“I don’t want you to be frightened of me. I’d never ever hurt you.”
I caught a glimpse of her face, etched with her disbelief. If I could explain… But that wasn’t what she needed. She needed to feel safe, and that wasn’t going to happen the way things were.
“I’m going to hand you your clothes,” I said gently. “After we get dressed I’ll take you back to Sophie’s.”
“You don’t have to.”
Her panties were within arm’s reach. “Here.” I slid them across the floor to her.
I gathered her other clothes and put them within reach. Taking my clothes, I shut myself in the bathroom to give her some privacy to get dressed. While I was in there, I ran cold water over my face.
What I’d done was inexcusable. Even if she hadn’t been fragile after her experience, it was against custom to claim someone against her will. That was one of those rules drilled into us along with the “never harm humans” rule.
There’d be some blowback from Bear if he heard about it. That is, when I told him about it before he heard about it from someone else. Nothing stayed a secret from him for long.
But nothing Bear said could be any worse than what I was saying to myself. Fucking my mate had been the most incredible experience of my life, and I ruined it with my impatience. Worst was the absolute fear on her face. And she was right not to trust me. After what I’d done, how could she?
I couldn’t stand to even look at myself in the mirror. Grabbing the towel, I dried my face.
The faint sounds of Laleesha dressing had been audible in the background. My head snapped up when the sound changed. I opened the bathroom door just as the other door quietly closed.
I caught up with her before she reached the street. She didn’t look at me, just kept on walking as fast as she could.
Without speaking and carefully not crowding her, I kept pace beside her. I’d left without grabbing my jacket, but I didn’t feel the chill. My heart was already pumping icy blood throughout my body.
She turned at the store. The light on Sophie’s porch shone out. No need to bother Laleesha with my presence any longer. She could go the last few steps without me dogging her.
She hesitated when I stopped, perhaps feeling safe in the glow of Sophie’s porch light, and turned toward me.
“Why’d you do it?” she asked plaintively.
She raised her eyes to me for just an instant. Seeing the hurt betrayal in her eyes was like being kicked in the guts.
“Why’d you bite me? What other things would you do?”
She thought I was some freak like that Dahmer guy. Telling her I was a shifter wouldn’t change her mind.
“I wanted to make you mine forever.” I settled on a half-truth.
Shuddering, she turned her back on me. She plodded to Sophie’s front door and disappeared inside.
I let my breath out. Nothing else to do here. I returned to the B&B, my thoughts bleak.
Bear had returned my call while I was out with Laleesha. I’d turned off my phone and didn’t get the message until late that night. First thing the next morning I called him back.
When we finally connected, Bear’s tone was neutral. “You didn’t pick up last night.”
“I was with Laleesha.” There, I laid it out in the open.
“You know that she’s pregnant.”
“Yes. With a wolf cub.”
“Were you on a date?”
“And more.” I took my courage in both hands. “I claimed her.”
There was dead silence on the line. I resisted the urge to fill it.
“Is she comfortable with your being a shifter?”
“I didn’t tell her.”
The silence now was ominous. Unable to be still, I paced around the cabin.
“You claimed her without telling her you’re a shifter, is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“Was there any conversation about the shifter she’s carrying?” His neutral tone held a certain stiffness, as though he was fighting back his reaction.
“We didn’t talk about her pregnancy at all.” What the hell, might as well tell him all of it. “She thinks I’m some kind of psycho for biting her.”
More silence. I wished I could see his face. Or maybe I didn’t.
Bear’s voice when he spoke again was hard. “The alpha of the wolf pack and I have agreed to sponsor the baby, no strings attached. We haven’t informed her yet that her baby is a shifter. Your actions may have delayed that bit of business. In any case, she’s in no danger from the wolf pack. Your assignment there is over. Come back to town.”
My bear and I both rebelled at that order. Leave my mate? No way in hell.
“No.”
“Are you resigning?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll make sure a check gets cut for you ASAP,” Bear replied instantly. “Someone from HR will contact you.”
Just like that my career was over.
But that was the least of my concerns. All that really mattered was the damage I’d done to my mate.