Chapter Seven
Poppy was either out of her mind or a trailblazer. Who followed their dreams these days? Who believed in fate? It felt wrong to throw her life away to shack up with a stranger. Not that she had much of a life to salvage back home.
What if he was being nice, having pity on her because she was running for her life? Maybe he loved his solitary existence and she was pushing herself on him. What if her instincts were right and she should be very afraid of him?
This could be her only chance at love. She had to give it a chance, right?
Her mind was a muddle of insecurity.
She needed to have a heart-to-heart with Wilder to make sure they were on the same page. There was no denying the attraction and connection between them, but living together was a serious commitment.
Over a week had passed now and it was time to have a serious talk about the future. Even if the forest called to her and his simple lifestyle was addictive, she wanted this to be about them before anything else.
She had showered before bed and was drying her hair as she walked up the hallway.
There was a bolted room that always made her curious.
On the outside of the cabin, the window was boarded over with heavy metal.
He’d told her it was just storage, but that was another oddity that didn’t sit well with her.
He wasn’t in the living room, so she ventured outside. Sometimes he was chopping wood or tending his bees. He was an excellent hunter and they always had fresh food for their dinners.
“Wilder?”
There was no sign of him and she couldn’t hear anything but nature.
The sky was darkening and soon evening would settle in.
Already streaks of pink could be seen behind the tree line, peeking through the lacey network of leaves.
The world around her was stunning but terrifying.
Almost like Wilder himself. She was desperately attracted to him but there was something darker under the surface that unsettled her.
She started to wander along the beaten paths. He always kept to the same routes to preserve nature, so he had to have gone this way.
“Wilder?”
She slowed as she neared the dense wall of forest, darkness concealing whatever dwelled within.
Poppy wasn’t that brave. She remembered the cub and was relieved Wilder rehomed him, but how did he do that?
He said he’d found a home for it, but what did that even mean?
She kept accepting what he said without questioning him further.
Did he find a bear family? How could that go over well?
A rehabilitator? There were definitely no neighbors within hiking distance.
That same wave of nerves made her uneasy.
She wanted to ignore her instincts because on the surface everything was perfect. More than perfect, and she didn’t want to ruin that.
Poppy had been so engaged in her own thoughts that she hadn’t noticed she wasn’t alone.
Some of the leaf litter crunched, and she turned to see a wolf hunched low, teeth bared.
When she turned to look the other way, she realized she was already surrounded.
There had barely been a sound. The ultimate predators.
She started taking slow, small steps backward, away from the forest. Her heart was pounding in her chest so hard it was deafening in her own ears.
How long until they moved in? Ripped her to shreds?
She couldn’t even scream. Her voice had completely stopped working.
So much for her beautiful paradise. Humans and nature couldn’t mix.
Hot tears traced down her cheeks, born from fear and desperation. Then there was a new noise, heavier steps coming from within the forest. The wolves stopped growling, turning to face whatever was approaching.
It was him. Wilder.
He had an axe over one shoulder, wearing his familiar red plaid jacket that smelled like him—campfires and cedar. She nearly melted in relief, but even an axe wouldn’t be enough against a pack of wolves.
“Wilder,” she whispered. “They’re everywhere.” She tried not to move a muscle.
He didn’t stop walking, not even a pause to assess the situation. Wilder came straight to her and pulled her into his arms, holding her against his heat like they were in some kind of romance movie. She closed her eyes and cried into his jacket.
“You’re safe, Poppy.”
She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and looked up at him. There was no fear in his dark eyes. She looked to the side, then the other side, finally stepping away from him and doing a full circle as she tried to catch sight of the wolves.
“Where did they go? You saw them, right?”
“They’re gone. Flighty things.”
“What? No, they were ready to kill me. What did you do?” she demanded.
He shrugged. “I don’t know, Poppy. Animals are unpredictable.”
They held hands as they walked back to the cabin because she was still uneasy, but now had even more questions.
“Don’t you ever get scared? Are you even human? I mean, there are wolves and bears living right next to your house.”
“We have an understanding.”
She wanted to scream. This wasn’t normal. Or was it?
“Why were you out there, anyway?”
This time he stopped. He held both her shoulders. “Something tripped one of my cameras,” he said. “I found boot marks.”
She swore she’d hyperventilate, but he squeezed her shoulders a bit to ground her.
“They’ve found me! Those poachers. Oh my God. Do you think they’re watching us right now?”
“The house is secure. I’ll figure things out and keep you safe.”
This couldn’t be happening. Maybe there was a logical explanation.
“Maybe it was a hiker?” she asked.
“Maybe.” But he didn’t sound confident about that.
They got to the house and he made sure his dogs were inside, and he locked the doors. She didn’t like this. He was right—humans did ruin everything. She sat on the couch and hugged her knees.
“Don’t be nervous,” he said. “I’ll never let anyone hurt you.”
“They have guns, Wilder.”
“And they’re in my forest.”
She didn’t know what that meant but she was tired of trying to second-guess everything. If they made it out of this alive, she’d never question him again.
****
Wilder slipped from the house after making sure Poppy had eaten and calmed down. He didn’t want her to hate his home and return to the city. After finally finding his one true mate, he couldn’t risk losing her. If those poachers tried to fuck this up for him, he’d make them live to regret it.
Right now, he had to secure his property and make sure Poppy was safe.
Since she’d been staying with him, he hadn’t been doing his usual reconnaissance of the shifter lands.
He made scaring off the poachers and protecting wildlife a high priority.
For years, he’d kept his land safe, earning him some sort of reputation as a giant bear in the human world.
Poppy had come to photograph him, only there was no giant bear.
It was only him in his shifted alpha grizzly form.
It wasn’t just bears he helped, but even deer or other wildlife that needed rehabilitating. He’d bring them to his cabin and help them recuperate.
As for trespassers or threats, that’s when his grizzly came out.
He followed the tracks and scouted the area around his home.
The faint scent of diesel caught his attention, so he travelled farther down the ridge.
There was evidence of a firepit, cigarette butts, and the litter they left behind.
He bent down, picked up a butt, and sniffed it.
It was the same as the ones he found at the murder scene of the mother bear.
They were still looking for Poppy. They wanted the evidence that could be used against them, but they would get much more than that.
Wilder wasn’t na?ve about guns like his parents were.
He knew about humans and had blended into their world from time to time, but preferred to stay away from them.
Wilder moved along the trail, knowing they couldn’t be too far based on when they’d tripped his camera.
They had to have seen his cabin. What were they waiting for?
Maybe they were unsure if Poppy was staying at the cabin.
He’d have to keep her inside and out of sight, unless they already knew she was there.
Five minutes later, he slowed down. He’d found the men. They were fixing a UTV that had been damaged over a downed log. Only a fool would try to bring any type of vehicle his deep into the unforgiving wilderness. The only way through was hiking by foot.
“We don’t have the part,” a man said.
“Well, what the fuck do you expect me to do? I’m improvising.” The other man was laying on his back, grease on his hands as he worked on the UTV.
“Give it up. We know where she is, and the longer we wait, the greater the risk.”
“We don’t know what we’re dealing with,” said the other man. “What if it’s a ranger? I couldn’t find anything on a map or deed for a house.”
“If it was a ranger, she’d be home and we’d have the law chasing down our asses. She’s scared and we can end this here.”
“We have her car, her address, everything. If she tries to leave, we’ll find her before she goes to the cops.”
“No, we end this here. A dead girl can’t make problems for us.”
Wilder counted five men and many packs of supplies, and he assumed weapons as well. It was worse than he thought. The poachers had been watching them and knew Poppy was at his home, and they’d seen him, too.
Only they’d be much safer with a ranger than with him. In fact, he’d start lessening the threat tonight. Wilder shifted into his fur, his bones breaking and elongating, his fur covering his body. He tensed as the power of the shift took over, finally leaving him as an animal.
He sniffed the air and pawed the ground with his mighty paw and claws. It felt good to be one with his beast again. They were in sync, Poppy the priority for both of them.
The human taking a piss on the periphery of their temporary campsite was his target. He bound in, slashing and tearing with claws and teeth before the man could make a sound to alert the others. It was fast, precise, and lethal.
Now there were four. His hope was they’d find their mutilated friend and it would scare them into leaving the forest. He was being merciful for now, even though they didn’t deserve it.
Wilder needed to be home with Poppy. Reassuring her, courting her, and protecting her. If the hunters didn’t leave his forest soon, he’d deal with the other four.
Once he got home, he found Poppy on the sofa, reading one of the old classic books he’d salvaged long ago.
“The bees okay?”
He stopped in his tracks for a minute, then went along with it. “Yes, the bees are secure.”
“That’s good, because I know how much you love your honey.” She barely looked up from the pages.
Wilder sat on the wooden coffee table he’d built, taking the book from her hands and placing it carefully beside him. “I want to show you something. Are you up for a bit of cooking?”
“Well, after everything, I’m not very sleepy.”
She followed him over to the kitchen area. He’d been wanting to share different things with her, and he couldn’t keep waiting. “Have you ever had honey marshmallows?” he asked, as he got all the simple ingredients together.
“Definitely not, but they sound amazing.”
After adding the ingredients to the pot, he instructed her to keep stirring.
He stood behind her, telling her what to do every step of the way.
She was so small compared to him. He breathed in her scent, closing his eyes to savor the delicious smell.
His mate. He snaked his arms around her waist from behind, bending over to breathe deeply along her neckline.
She didn’t pull away or flinch from his touch.
Wilder kissed her neck just below her ear. “They’re perfect with hot chocolate.”
He heard her breathing change, and felt her desire like perfume in the air.
“I’m excited to try them,” she said. “I love trying new things.”
They’d gotten to the final step and had to let the honey marshmallows cool before cutting them. She washed her hands, then turned around, drying them on her pants.
“Can we talk?” she asked.
“Yes, what about?”
Did she know about him? Did she question if he was human? Did she want to move away from his cabin and back to the city and her comfortable lifestyle? He tried to keep stoic, terrified of her talk.
“About us.”
Fuck.
“Okay. Let’s sit down.” He took her hand, leading her to the plaid sofa.
They were close, and he couldn’t stop staring at her. Her blonde hair was almost dry, and she looked so beautiful and natural. Like an angel.
“I know you said I could stay here, but I don’t want to be an inconvenience or something to be tolerated.
I just want to know your real feelings for me, no matter what they are.
Please don’t lie or tell me what you think I want to hear.
If there’s any chance of this working, it has to be two sided. I hope this all makes sense.”
“This is what you wanted to talk about?” His hackles eased.
His little mate actually wanted to be here, and only worried about being accepted. Happiness and relief flooded his body. He thought he’d been fucking up his mating, but maybe things were going better than he’d thought.
“I’ve made you uncomfortable.”
“No,” he said quickly. “But I haven’t done my job well if you have to second-guess my intentions.”
“What are your intentions?” she asked.
“Poppy, everything that’s happened before now was leading up to you. You’re the one I’ve been waiting for. My mate. The only woman I want in my life.”
“But you barely know me. And I’ve caused so much trouble.”
“We’ll change that,” he said, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles. “But never doubt how far I’d go to protect you.”