Chapter 2
Chapter
Two
Cougar shifter Serena Vaughn walked into her motel room and closed the door behind her. She set her single suitcase on the thin carpet. The space was cramped but functional, with dull curtains and a small television on a wooden dresser. It was late afternoon, and the fading sunlight through the window reminded her that she would be starting a new job at Fate Mountain Wilderness Academy in the morning.
She dropped her keys on a table near the bed, then sank onto the edge of the mattress. The room felt still in a way that pressed on her nerves. She had spent years as a traveling paramedic, picking up contracts in different cities and never staying long. It was a lifestyle that kept her free, but tonight, she felt more restless than ever.
She pulled the academy brochure out of her bag. The front cover showed a photo of climbing ropes arranged in neat lines. The print read Paramedic Rescue Training. It was exactly the kind of hands-on, intense environment she loved.
Fate Mountain’s reputation for fated mates gnawed at her nerves, a faint echo of fairy-tale endings that once made her roll her eyes as a kid. She had seen a billboard for the famous shifter dating app mate.com on her way into town. She thought of her mother’s haunted stare. It reminded her that beasts existed in real life—and sometimes the mate bond was more like a cage.
She flipped the brochure shut and set it aside, deciding she needed something to eat. A quick search on her phone led her to Fate Mountain Diner’s online menu. She phoned in a delivery order for dinner—a double bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a strawberry shake. Twenty minutes later, she heard a knock on the door. The delivery driver handed her a drink cup and a brown paper bag that smelled like heaven.
She thanked the driver, closed the door, and set the bag on the small table. She pulled out her meal and flicked on the television. The local news droned in the background, showing images of Fate Mountain’s scenic trails and a farmer’s market. Serena popped a fry in her mouth, opened her burger, and took a bite. The cheesy bacon burger slid over her tongue, and she groaned with delight.
She relaxed as she took a long swig of strawberry shake and watched the news anchors banter. Her thoughts began to wander. She thought of her parents’ mate bond. Her father, a dragon shifter, had dominated her cougar shifter mother through their unbreakable connection.
He’d bent her mother to his will, leaving her spirit fractured. Serena had grown up watching the exhaustion in her mother’s eyes. She couldn’t imagine handing her life over to anyone after witnessing that.
By the time she finished her meal, the daylight outside had faded entirely. She cleared the takeout garbage off the table, then flipped channels until she found a rerun of an old detective show. It wasn’t that interesting, but it offered a brief distraction to keep her from spiraling.
After a few scenes, she clicked off the TV and decided she needed a hot shower to wash away the sweat of her drive north. In the bathroom, she turned on the hot water and stripped out of her clothes.
A moment later, she stepped into the shower and stood under the warm stream. The motel shampoo smelled faintly of lavender as she squeezed it into her hand. She lathered it into her hair and as she rinsed out the suds, a flutter of sensation ran through her.
It reminded her just how long it had been since anyone had touched her. Almost six years, she thought, surprised at the number. She’d spent countless nights on the road, no place to call home, no one to hold her. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, reminding herself that she had chosen this path for a reason.
She turned off the tap and stepped out onto the small bathmat, droplets sliding over her muscled curves. She toweled off, slipped into clean pajamas, and combed out her long, dark hair. She returned to the bedroom and settled onto the bed.
On a whim, she reached for her phone, thinking again of the billboard for mate.com. She had avoided the app for years, but the loneliness in her chest nagged at her tonight. Telling herself it was only for curiosity’s sake, she searched for the app.
As it downloaded onto her phone, she read the description. It stated that mate.com’s questionnaire could pinpoint fated mates with perfect accuracy. When it finished downloading, she opened the app and was asked to start an account. Her hands shook as she entered her details and a few quick answers about her personal preferences.
One question in particular made her smile. “If you were a vegetable, what would you be?” She laughed under her breath.
After a moment of thought, she typed “kale.” It was hardy and kept growing through cold spells, a plant known for its resilience despite rough conditions. It reminded her of how she wanted to stay strong in any situation.
She moved on to the next prompts, finishing each answer as honestly as she could manage. Finally, she pressed “submit,” her pulse jumping at the thought that an algorithm might link her to her fated mate.
A notification blinked across the screen: 100% Match. Beast Bear. 36. Grizzly Shifter. Chef. Portland, Oregon. His profile showed him in a crisp black chef’s coat embroidered with the name Theo.
“Beast Bear,” she gasped, eyes narrowing at the broad-shouldered figure in the sleek chef’s coat. He stood in front of a sleek, modern kitchen, large windows behind him revealing the city skyline at night. The image looked like a professional headshot. His face was open and friendly, framed by cropped, light brown hair.
He looked successful and grounded in his life, but she glimpsed an undercurrent of danger in his hazel eyes. She closed the app, tossing the phone aside. She wasn’t na?ve. If this “Beast Bear” expected her to roll over for him, he had another thing coming. She didn’t mind a bit of danger—her entire career revolved around diving headlong into emergencies—but she refused to tangle with any shifter who might dominate her spirit the way her father had dominated her mother.