Protected By The Polar Bear

Chapter 1

Ash

“There he is!”Niko, my boss, says as I walk into the Mountain Rescue Headquarters.

“Did Davis already eat everything?” I joke as I head over to the table that’s been set up for dinner.

“Not yet,” Gunner says from the couch, and I know that must mean that Davis has been snacking quite a bit already.

I take a seat next to Flint, and he claps me on the back.

“How was patrol?” He asks, and I shrug.

“Boring. The trails were all empty.”

“That’s not surprising. It’s freezing out there.”

I nod. Out of all of the guys that work at the Mountain Rescue, I’ve known Flint the longest. We were both in the Air Force together and actually went through boot camp together. I deployed with him a few times, and we ended up being stationed at the same bases once or twice over the years.

All the guys who work here have been in the military, and I was deployed with all of them at one point or another. We grew close then since we were all shifters as well. When Niko got out and moved back to the Aspen Ridge Pack to run the Mountain Rescue, we all decided to follow him.

Moving to Aspen Ridge wasn’t really a shock for me. I’m a polar bear shifter and grew up about a thousand miles east of Aspen Ridge in another tiny town in Alaska. I’m used to the weather and living in a small pack.

“Are we eating now?” Davis asks, and Niko shakes his head, looking at his phone.

“No, the girls are on their way, so we’ll wait for them.”

Davis pulls his phone out, no doubt checking to see if his mate, Cameron, is on her way. Out of the six of us, only Flint, Alec, and I have yet to find our mates.

My polar bear growls at me, and I tense.

Okay, only Flint and Alec haven’t found their mates, I correct, and he bares his teeth at me.

The truth is that I found my fated mate a few months ago, but I haven’t claimed her yet. I won’t claim her, either.

An image of my dad after my mom left flashes behind my eyes, and I flinch. That’s not going to happen to me.

My polar bear snarls at me, and I grit my teeth. He doesn’t agree with the decision to not claim our mate. She’s probably not even into us, I tell him, and he snorts. We’ve smelled her arousal for us, so you know that’s not true, he growls back at me.

The door opens, and Tessa walks in first. My eyes lock on her, and I swallow hard, trying to ignore my bear and my reaction to seeing her.

She’s so beautiful.

Her blonde hair is braided and hanging over one shoulder. A few hairs escape as she pulls her hat off, and she smiles at me as she tucks the strands behind her ear.

You should be doing that,my bear tells me, and I swallow.

I dig my nails into my palm, resisting the urge to reach out and touch her.

Her pretty cinnamon-brown eyes twinkle as she looks around the room and nods hello to the other guys. My bear growls, pawing at me. He doesn’t like her looking at anyone but us.

“Hey, Ash, Flint,” she says as she comes our way. “Staying warm?”

She unzips her parka, and my mouth starts to water as all of her curves are revealed. She’s got a thick knit sweater on and a pair of black yoga pants that hug her thighs and hips. I can feel my body start to react, and I grit my teeth, trying to get myself under control.

“Hey, Tessa. How’s it going?” Flint asks.

He nudges me when I don’t say anything, and I blink.

“Hey,” I grunt.

“It smells good in here,” she comments, and I nod lamely.

I’m used to talking to guys, ex-military guys, who swear and grunt more than they actually say complete sentences. Maybe that’s why I never know what to say to her.

Tell her that you love her and want her to have our babies,my polar bear urges, and I snort at the thought.

I don’t think that would go over well,I tell him, and he shakes his head.

It will. Do it.

I notice Flint staring at me like I have two heads, and I school my features and try to pay attention to the conversation.

“Are you hungry?” I ask Tessa and she smiles up at me.

“Always,” she jokes. “Do you guys need help with anything?”

“No, we’re all set,” Flint says. “We should probably grab seats before Davis starts eating without us.”

I look over, and sure enough, Davis is sneaking a roll from the basket. He grins at me when he spots me watching him, and I chuckle, shaking my head.

We head over to the tables that have been pushed together for our dinner, and I pull out a chair for Tessa. She beams up at me and I try to ignore the way my heart flips over in my chest when she looks at me like that.

Tessa came to town after her best friend, Elle, moved here. Elle had come to Aspen Ridge for a vacation and ended up being attacked when her stalker found her. Luckily for her, Niko was able to save her. It was lucky for Niko, too, because Elle turned out to be his fated mate.

Elle and Tessa write romance books together and have been best friends forever, so when Elle made the move up here, Tessa followed. I had offered to help her move her things into her place here in town. That was when I realized that she was my fated mate. I’ve been doing my best to avoid her ever since. It’s too hard to be around her and not claim her.

Then claim her!My polar bear snaps at me.

I look around the table, hoping there’s another open seat, but the only one left is right next to Tessa. My polar bear is filled with glee as we take a seat next to our curvy mate, but I bite back a sigh as I drop down into the chair next to her.

My whole body is tense and I do my best to look anywhere but at her as we dig into the food.

This is going to be one long dinner.