Chapter 3
Chapter
Three
Theo Keenan followed the path through the staff housing and onto the main grounds, his bear churning inside him with restless energy. He was still reeling from the mate.com notification he’d received last night. “Congratulations! We’ve found your fated mate.”
His mind kept returning to that single word: mate. For a regular shifter, it would be cause for celebration. But he couldn’t forget how easily his beast had nearly destroyed his life once before. Now the idea of showing this woman the beast beneath his skin made his gut clench.
Her profile name was “Medic Girl.” She was thirty-three, a cougar shifter, and a traveling paramedic. Her photo was breathtaking. She was standing near the San Francisco Bay, the coastal wind sending strands of her black hair skimming across her cheek. She wore slim-fitting jeans and a lightweight jacket, and the way she angled toward the camera revealed a curvy, athletic frame.
Distracted by the memory, he stopped on the walkway outside the admin building and opened the app on his phone. He scrolled to her photo and took in the look in her brown eyes. She stared straight at the lens with a calm, steady gaze that said, “I fear nothing.”
Everything about her called to him, from the slight curve of her smile to the determined tilt of her chin. Even the casual outfit modestly revealed her tantalizing curves. He wanted to know everything about her—her favorite foods, the music she listened to, why she’d become a paramedic. He’d sent her a text almost as soon as he could open the app. But even after eight hours of waiting, she still hadn’t responded.
He pushed open the doors to the admin building, entering a bright, airy lobby. Sunlight poured through large windows, reflecting off polished wood floors. A bulletin board displayed a colorful spread of announcements and schedules. At the far side was a sturdy wood counter.
In his early twenties, Theo had received an advanced Search and Rescue certification at the academy. That was before he’d gone to study culinary arts in Seattle and Portland. Now he’d be working as the head of Food Services for the academy and as an on-call SAR. Since he and his father both had a long history with Search and Rescue on Fate Mountain, the academy had been willing to overlook the park incident. But Theo was well aware that his uncontrolled shifts were a liability waiting to happen.
Theo walked through the double doors into the reception hall. Today was new trainee orientation for the summer course. Theo had been invited to attend so that as head of food services, he understood the trainees’ summer model schedules.
Poppy Miller stepped up to a podium on a small stage. Poppy was the academy’s head administrator and the woman who had hired him. “Welcome everyone,” she began, smiling at the room as the trainees filed in. “Orientation packets with your names on them are stacked on the side tables. Inside, you’ll find a campus map, course schedules, and housing assignments. Once everyone is settled in, you’ll hear from our course coordinator, Kai Morrow.”
After grabbing their packets, trainees filled the rows of seats facing the stage. Poppy stepped down, and Kai took her place behind the podium. Theo sat in the back row, his gaze moving over the gathering crowd. There was a large turnout for the session. Theo noticed Morgan Delgado scowling at Kai. Morgan was the academy’s equipment manager. Theo had met him briefly yesterday when the man had been complaining about gear budgets while Poppy gave him a tour of the cafeteria kitchen.
“Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Fate Mountain Wilderness Training Academy. For the late summer session, we’re offering a full range of courses–Backcountry 101, Search & Rescue (SAR) Operations, Rope Climbing I and Rope Rescue I. Plus our Paramedic Integration with our Wilderness First Responder Certification.”
After Kai completed the rundown of the training course certifications, Logan Carter, the lead climbing and rafting instructor, took the podium. Logan was a jaguar shifter who Theo had trained with back in the day.
“Morning everyone,” Logan started. “I’m your climbing and rafting instructor. We have some exciting models this summer. In Rope Climbing I, you’ll learn anchor-building, belay systems, and safe edge transitions. You can simultaneously enroll in Rope Rescue I, which covers multi-pitch work and highline systems. Make sure to double check with Kai which track you are on. For the rafting modules, we have White Water II and Water Rescue I. Alright, now let’s hear from our Paramedic Integration Coordinator, Alicia Reeves.”
Alicia, a stout woman with dark hair pulled back in a bun, took the stage. “I am thrilled to have so many Paramedic Integration trainees in the course this round. We combine our rescue and wilderness coursework with paramedic response training, which will earn you a Wilderness First Responder Certification.”
Jade Rivers took the podium and gave a rundown of her orienteering classes. Theo’s eyes flicked around the room, his mind wandering. He’d taken most of these classes, except the new paramedic integration, when he was in his twenties. As much as he wanted to be interested in what was happening on stage, his mind couldn’t stop spiraling about his mate.
Then he saw her. Medic Girl.
She was scanning her info packet in a chair near the front row. His inner bear sent a surge of adrenaline through his veins. Mate. Mate. Mate. The grizzly within roared. Heat rushed through him, and a trickle of sweat ran down his temple.
For a split second, he felt himself losing control. Fur bristled along his arms. He clenched his fists, and his claws scraped under the chair. He tried to remind himself to stay calm, but he could barely contain himself through the rest of the orientation. When it was complete, Kai invited the trainees to introduce themselves.
Finally regaining a sense of calm, Theo gathered his courage and approached Medic Girl. She looked up, and their eyes locked. “It’s you. Medic Girl. I’m Theo Keenan. Beast Bear.” He offered her his hand. She hesitated, then took it. An electric current ran up his arm and through his entire body. His inner bear roared with need. “I sent you a message on mate.com last night,” he said, voice rough.
A swirl of conflicting emotions danced in her gaze as she pulled her hand away. “Theo... My fated mate... I’m Serena.” She trailed off, her eyes going glassy.
His chest tightened. Don’t drive her away. Don’t shift, he practically chanted in his head. But the beast in him wanted to grab her hand again, desperate to kiss her.
“What brings you to Fate Mountain Wilderness Academy, Serena? I just started as head cook and on-call rescue crew,” he blurted out.
“I’m here for the Paramedic Rescue Training.”
Before either of them could delve further, Alicia Reeves, the Paramedic Training supervisor, stepped over to greet Serena and welcome her to paramedic training.
When Alicia moved on, Serena turned back to him, glancing around the hall. “I know we connected on the app, but I’m not sure if this is the best time. I signed up on a whim. I didn’t expect...”
Theo felt a pang of desperation. “I understand. The academy is intense.”
She gave a small nod. “I came here for paramedic training, not…” She let the sentence trail off again, but he got the message. The mate bond was not something she was eager to explore.
Logan Carter took the floor for a moment and announced that anyone curious about the climbing tower could join him outside for a short tour. Theo wanted to invite Serena to explore the grounds together but worried he would seem overeager. She held his glance, then offered a polite smile.
“I’ll see you around, maybe,” she said. Her voice wavered, and he picked up on the tension in her tone. Before he could reply, she stepped toward the exit.
Her retreating figure left a hollow ache in his gut. He knew he should let her walk away. But the primal part of him, the part he couldn’t tame, ached to claim her as his own. He clenched his fists, resolved to keep his wild side under control. But a snarling voice inside him whispered that if he lost her now, he’d remain a beast in the shadows forever.