Chapter 3
She’d been in the safari park for a week, but considering she’d hardly left the bears’ private living area save for going to the market for a few meals, she was starting to feel cooped up. Thankfully, Fallon and her mate Avi were coming for lunch, and Sera couldn’t have been more excited.
She followed Sunny up the stairs into the employee cafeteria to wait for Fallon and Avi.
“Seneca will meet us in a few minutes,” Sunny said as she pulled out a chair near the one-way windows that looked out into the park. “He had to run buns out to the burger stall for Marcus.”
Marcus was the bear alpha. The bears handled the food for the park along with a few others, like alpha wolf Joss’s human soulmate Jeanie, who managed the underground cafeteria in the market.
“Is Marcus waiting for his soulmate?” Sera asked, drumming her fingers on the table.
“He was already mated to his soulmate, but she passed away. He came here with Seneca after she died and joined up with the park shifters.”
“Oh, that’s sad.”
“Yeah. But he’s okay with how things are. He said that he had the great love of his life, and even though he didn’t get to have her in his life for nearly long enough, he cherished what they had.”
“That’s sweet.” Sera mused on that while they waited for Fallon.
She couldn’t imagine finding her soulmate and then losing them like that.
It would be easy to become a shell, to shut off from everything and everyone.
But Marcus wasn’t like that. She’d had dinner at his house with the bear sleuth and found him to be friendly and gracious.
He wasn’t lacking for family, even if he didn’t have his mate by his side.
“Oh! There she is!” Sunny said.
She leaped up and ran to the door, grabbing Fallon in a hug as she and Avi walked into the cafeteria. Sera stood and joined them, the trio hugging tightly. Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them away. She didn’t want to start crying; this was a happy visit.
“How are you, honey?” Sera asked as they sat at the table.
“I’m great.” Fallon gave her hand a squeeze. “How are you?”
“I’m great too.”
Fallon tilted her head slightly, her eyes narrowing, but if she wanted to say something, she didn’t, smoothly switching the topic to the farm and the sewing machine they’d located in a spare room that was going to become their bedroom suite.
Sera wondered if Fallon could tell she hadn’t been sleeping well.
Or that her cat was constantly on edge. Even now, she was prowling in her mind, claws out and a rumble in her chest. She didn’t know what was going on, just that her cat was out of sorts, and since she couldn’t actually talk to the furry beast, she’d just had to deal with it.
Sleepless, restless nights, enough coffee to jumpstart a freight train, and a weird longing she couldn’t place.
Fallon squeezed her hand, bringing her back to the present.
“Be sure to send me pics of the room as you’re working on it,” Sera said. “I’m sure it will look amazing when it’s finished. It’s so neat you all get to live in the same huge house.”
“I wasn’t sure I’d like it,” Fallon said.
“It seemed strange for so many people to live on top of each other like that, but it’s such a big house that it doesn’t feel like that at all.
Plus, with Grey and Tatum making a suite for themselves on the first floor and us doing the same on the other side of the house, it makes it seem like it’s even bigger. ”
“How’s the peanut doing?” Sunny asked, smiling as Seneca joined them and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
Fallon put her hand on her belly and smiled. “Craving cornbread like crazy, but otherwise wonderful.”
The conversation switched to Fallon’s baby, and Sera smiled, sitting back and enjoying the girls so happily discussing the coming bundle of joy.
Something tugged at Sera’s heart, and she looked out the window.
Rubbing the space over her heart, she forced herself to ignore whatever was pulling at her and making her feel like she was going crazy and focus on her daughter.
Soon enough, she’d be heading back to the farm and they’d only be talking by phone.
She could be thankful for even that, though, because if she’d stayed in the prowl she would have eventually been forced to mate Otto, and he seemed like the kind of degenerate asshole who would refuse to allow his mate to keep in contact with exiled prowl members.
At least she had her freedom here in the park.
Even if that freedom was bookended by the fearful truth that Otto was out there somewhere, watching and waiting, and Sera might never be truly free.
* * *
After saying goodbye to Fallon and Avi, Sera waited in the employee cafeteria until Sunny and Seneca came back from walking them to the parking lot.
“Still feeling restless?” Sunny asked as she came to stand next to her and offered her some of the colorful candy popcorn she’d picked up while taking Fallon and Avi to the gift shop for treats to take back to the farm.
Fallon took a few pieces. “Yeah.”
“How about we shift in the paddock tonight after the park is closed? We can talk to Marcus and get clearance from him. I’d love to practice shifting. I haven’t done it that much and it’s still kind of a weird and scary feeling.”
“I’d love to. Maybe that’s what’s going on with me.”
“We can definitely do that,” Seneca said. “The sleuth will join in—we’re always looking for a reason to shift and hang out, even with the VIP tours every weekend. I’ll check with my dad.”
“Thanks, babe,” Sunny said. “Do you think that might be what’s making you feel restless?”
“Maybe. Or maybe because I’ve been underground since I got here.” Sera gestured to the park outside the window. “This is the most sunlight I’ve seen since I got here.”
“Oh geez, I’m sorry,” Sunny said. “I didn’t mean to make you feel like a prisoner.”
“I absolutely don’t, I promise, I just feel kind of antsy and I don’t know what it is.
Maybe it’s not seeing sunlight. Or not shifting in a long while.
Maybe I was just missing Fallon. Or even though the prowl had crappy alphas, it was still my home, still where I grew up.
I miss the house and the woods.” She shook her head, hating how she was feeling sorry for herself but not really having a reason to.
It wasn’t like she was in danger right this moment.
Sunny gave her a one-armed hug. “We’ll go out to shift tonight when the park is closed. Hell, there are tents and inflatable mattresses. We could camp out in the paddock, too.”
“Sure, honey,” Sera said. “I’d love to.”
Sunny animatedly talked about camping in the paddock as they made their way down to the lower level.
When they reached the bears’ private living area, Sera said, “I’m going to walk to the market.
I could use some clothes and maybe Anke has some things that I could wear for camping.
I’m sure it will be chilly once the sun sets. ”
“Sure thing. See ya.”
Sera stared down the long hallway, thinking about what lay ahead.
Past the doors that led to the private living areas for the other shifter groups was a big space called the market, which contained the general store run by the wolf couple Anke and Zeger, who’d been so kind to her.
Plus a nail salon, a beauty supply shop, park offices, and a cafeteria.
Her cat let out a low growling purr in her head, urging her forward.
She looked at the bears’ door and then back down the hall.
Suddenly she was nervous, but she had no idea why.
Her cat was practically head butting her from the inside.
Walking forward, she put her hand on her heart as warmth filled her, and a deep, vibrating purr made her chest rumble.
Just as she passed one of the private living areas, the door swung open so fast she felt the breeze as it nearly hit her. She spun with a gasp, nearly colliding with the big male who strode out.
She sucked in a sharp breath as their gazes clashed.
Brown eyes. Short, dark hair.
Freaking broad shoulders and stacks of muscles that made his shirt look like it was one flex away from shredding entirely.
She swayed on her feet, and he grabbed her, steadying her with his large, warm hands.
“Shit, I’m sorry. I almost took you out with the door.”
“I shouldn’t have been walking so close to it,” she offered.
Their gazes were locked on each other.
Sera was pretty sure the world could have ended, and she wouldn’t have stopped staring into the dark brown eyes of the male before her.
Silence settled over them for a moment.
It was swiftly broken by a deep purr that resonated from him. Her jaguar gave an answering purr.
And that’s when she knew.
She was staring into the eyes of her soulmate.