Chapter 4 – Nara
“Will you come with me? Let me explain some things?” Jude asks me and I pause.
“Explain what? Why can’t you just tell me here?”
“I… please, Nara. Just give me a chance.”
I want to,I realize, and that scares the crap out of me. I’ve never been interested in guys or dating. I thought it was just the dating pool in high school - the same boys I grew up with who, surprise, surprise, haven’t grown up at all since I’ve been away. I thought for sure when I went to college, things would change. At first, I convinced myself that it was because I was still getting settled and used to being away from home. By my third year, it dawned on me that none of the guys around me sparked any interest in me. The feeling between me and every other man I’ve met seems to be mutual. But then Jude…
I was beginning to think something was wrong with me, but when I saw Jude, all of those tingly feelings that I had heard about in romance books and movies sparked to life. He’s handsome, but I’ve seen other handsome men before and they never made me feel like this. There’s something about him that I find irresistible. I just can’t quite put my finger on it.
“A chance for what?” I ask him.
“To win you over.”
I frown, weighing my options.
“Let me explain something to you and then you can make a decision,” he rushes to add.
“Fine,” I say, throwing caution to the wind.
I want to explore what it is about Jude that draws me in.
”Let”s go.”
He offers me his helmet and I snort.
“I’m not getting on your bike,” I say, my tone harsher than I intended.
“Fine. We can walk. Let me just park my bike.”
He starts his bike and rides away from the pump and over to a parking spot. I head for the sidewalk and he falls into step with me a moment later.
“Where are we going?” I ask him.
“The diner?”
I nod and we walk in that direction. A few cars pass by and I’m briefly concerned about news of me being seen with Jude getting back to my family. I start to walk faster.
We head into the diner and I beeline it for a booth in the back. Hopefully, this will stop us from being spotted together. I can”t imagine how my family would react if they knew that I was hanging out with the enemy, someone from the Devil”s Pack MC.
“What can I get you both,” a waitress asks as we slide into the booth.
“Just a water for me.”
“Same.”
She nods, heading back behind the counter.
“Are you hungry?” He asks, grabbing one of the menus. “We should probably order more than water before they kick us out.”
“Sure.”
I don’t bother grabbing a menu. I’ve been to this place so many times that I probably have it memorized at this point.
“What do you normally get?” He asks as he looks it over.
“Burger and fries, chocolate shake sometimes.”
“That sounds good.”
He sets the menu back and I raise an eyebrow at him.
“Are you done stalling now?” I ask and he laughs.
“You caught me.”
The waitress returns with our water and Jude orders for both of us. She leaves again and I stare expectantly at Jude.
“I have a feeling that you won’t believe me, but I want you to know that everything that I’m about to tell you is true and that I can prove it.”
“Okay,” I say slowly, frowning at him.
He sighs, running a hand through his dark brown hair. I lean back in my seat, wondering what has him so nervous and on edge.
“I know that you and I are meant to be together,” he starts and I blow out a big breath. “I’m serious, Nara.”
“Alright, let’s pretend that I believe you.”
“You should.”
I take a drink of my water and he clears his throat, leaning closer to me over the table.
“I have a secret,” he whispers and I raise an eyebrow.
”What kind of secret?”
”A big one, life-changing, and I”m trusting that you”ll keep it.”
He studies me for a moment and I stare back at him.
Would I keep a secret for him? I don’t really know him, I don’t owe him anything, but deep down, I know that I wouldn’t tell. Not if it was as serious as he says it is.
He must see that too, because he nods, takes a deep breath, and then starts to talk.
“I’m not human, not entirely anyway.”
That was… not what I expected him to say.
“I’m a shifter. A grizzly bear shifter.”
“A what?!” I ask, nearly spitting out my water.
My brain works on overdrive, trying to figure out what the heck he’s saying. Did I really just agree to a coffee date with someone delusional enough to think he’s a bear?
”That means that I can shift between a human and a bear.”
My mouth drops open and I stare at him in shock.
“It’s true, I can prove it to you, just… just not here,” he says, looking around at the nearly empty diner. “For obvious reasons.”
“Okay,” I say slowly.
“I’ll show you my bear later.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him that that’s okay, I don’t need or want to see, but that’s not true. I’ve got to see it. I need to know if he’s crazy or telling the truth. I want to say crazy, but he doesn’t strike me as a liar or insane. Then again, I’ve been around liars and manipulative men all my life. Can I really tell the difference between the good guys and the bad guys anymore?
Could he be telling the truth? Could shifters like him really exist?
“Alright,” I say, taking another drink of water.
“There’s more. Shifters don’t have girlfriends and they don’t date. They have one fated mate, one person that they’ll love forever. That fated mate is the only person that they’ll ever want. Shifters and their mates are quite literally fated to be together.”
That sounds so nice. Knowing that you’re with the right person, having no doubts, would be a dream come true for everyone. Too bad it’s all a fantasy. It has to be. But the look in his deep green eyes has me doubting my entire worldview for a second.
“And you are mine.”
“Your what?” I ask.
“You’re my fated mate.”
My stomach drops at the same time that my heart lodges in my throat and I stare at him.
The waitress comes over with our order and we both lean back as she sets the food and milkshakes down.
“Do you need anything else?” she asks and we both say no.
She leaves and I pop a fry in my mouth, needing something to do while I process all of this.
“How can you be sure?” I finally ask.
“I can smell it.”
“I’m sorry?”
He smiles slightly and my heart kicks hard twice at the look.
“Shifters can smell their fated mate. You smell so sweet, so much better than everything and anyone else.”
“What if you find someone else that smells better?”
“I won’t.” The fierce look that flashes across his eyes lets me know he’s telling the truth. “My bear and I are both positive you’re meant to be ours.”
“You can hear your bear?” I ask excitedly, getting caught up in the idea of it all.
Jude nods. “He’s in my head all of the time.”
“That’s so cool,” I say and he smiles again.
”It can be at times when we”re in sync with things. Other times it can be annoying.” My bear huffs out a breath and plops down inside my chest. He”s been pacing, pacing, pacing back and forth, every once in a while clawing to get out and mark our mate.
“Hmm, I could see that,” I agree.
I grab my burger and bite in, moaning at the flavor. Jude freezes at the sound and I feel a blush stain my cheeks. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” he orders, his voice strained.
We eat in silence for a moment before Jude speaks up.
“Go out with me tonight. I can tell you more about all of this and you can meet my bear.”
I debate his proposition for a second, but the truth is that I want to meet his bear. I want to know more about all of this. The cynical part of me wants to see this lie blow up in his face, but the small, fragile hope I keep locked up tight wants this all to be real.
“Alright. Tonight.”
“It’s a date,” he says, a wicked promise in his eyes. I swallow hard as I stare at him.
What have I gotten myself into?