Chapter 6
SIX
Jameson
This could be going well.
Or it could be going really badly.
I honestly can’t tell.
Fern hasn’t moved in three full minutes, not a blink, not a twitch, not even a shift in her breathing. She’s staring straight ahead like I’ve just told her the sky is green or gravity stopped working.
My bear watches her closely.
Say something, he urges. She needs to understand.
I’m about to speak again when she finally snaps out of whatever freeze she’s stuck in.
“No.”
The word is sharp. Cold. Final.
I exhale slowly. “Fern—”
“No,” she says again, louder this time. “That’s… no. Absolutely not. I’m not—no.”
“It’s not a debate,” I tell her gently. “It just is.”
Her eyes widen with outrage. “You’re crazy.”
“I’m not,” I say calmly. “I literally shifted in front of you. That should’ve been the part that was crazy.”
She glares. “You can’t be in love with someone you’ve known for thirty seconds!”
“Shifters can,” I reply without hesitation. “We know instantly. It’s instinct. Bond. Recognition.”
My bear pushes forward, his presence brushing against my skin. Show her. Tell her. She must feel it too.
I draw in a breath and settle beside her, not touching but close enough that she can hear every word clearly.
“When I was a kid, I grew up hearing stories about mates. About how one day, out of nowhere, I would smell her. See her. Know. That my soul would recognize hers. That everything I thought I understood about myself would finally make sense.”
She swallows hard, looking down at her bandaged wrists.
“I’ve spent half my life waiting for that moment,” I continue softly. “Wondering if I’ll ever find her. Wondering what she’ll be like. And yesterday, when you fell into my arms… I knew. Immediately.”
She looks torn, angry, confused, scared, and something else is hovering behind her eyes. Something she’s trying very hard to ignore.
I wish I knew how to prove it to her. I wish I knew how to make her feel safe in this.
Footsteps crunch outside, and my bear and I are instantly on high alert.
I stand, stepping in front of my mate as I look out the front window. The patrol team approaches, and I head for the door, body tensing before they even reach the porch.
What did they find? If they’re here, it must be bad news, I think as I stride out onto the porch.
“We found their tracks,” Knox says quietly. “They’re searching the area from last night. Hard.”
“Yeah,” Logan agrees. “Their scent is everywhere along the northern boundary.”
My muscles lock, and I glance back at my mate.
They won’t find her here. They won’t even come onto our land. Or… I don’t think they will. They learned their lesson last time. But… if they’re looking for her this hard, they might test it again. Or worse, if Fern leaves Night Grove Falls, if she panics and runs—
They’ll catch her.
They’ll take her.
The door opens behind me, and I reach for Fern instinctively. I look back at her, and she’s already bristling.
“What? What is it?”
“They’re looking for you,” I tell her. “Harder than we expected.”
Her eyes narrow. “Convenient. Makes it easier for you to keep me here, doesn’t it?”
A rough growl slips out before I can stop it. “I’m not trying to trap you, Fern. I’m trying to protect you.”
She crosses her arms. “That’s what everyone says right before they take away your choices.”
I step closer slowly, carefully, so she can see I’m not forcing anything.
“I would never do anything to you that you don’t want. Not ever. You can trust me. All I’m trying to do is keep you safe.”
Her gaze flickers, uncertain, conflicted. She doesn’t step back, though, which gives me a small sliver of hope.
A sliver I desperately need.
I inhale deeply and force myself to turn toward the door. “We need to have a meeting. I need to coordinate with the patrol teams.”
Her chin lifts. “And let me guess—you want me to stay put.”
“Yes,” I answer honestly. “Because if you walk beyond these borders, the men who took you will find you before anyone else does.”
She bites her lip, torn between defiance and fear.
“Stay,” I say softly, “just until I get back.”
My bear echoes the plea. Stay. Stay with us.
She gives one terse nod, and my whole body relaxes. I can feel the guys behind me, watching, and I know they’re going to ask me what’s going on with my mate and me. I wish I knew. It feels like we make headway, and then she’s right back to trying to bolt.
“I’ll stay,” she says, dropping her arms to her sides. She doesn’t look happy about it, but I think she knows it’s the only way to keep her safe.
I nod, pulling her in for a quick hug. “Go inside and lock the door,” I say, slipping my phone into her palm. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
She does as I say, and I take a deep breath, waiting until I hear the click of the lock.
Then I turn back to my men.
“The cabin?” Abe asks.
“Call a meeting. We need everyone,” I order.
We all silently head for our cars. I take one last look at the house and pray to every force in the world that she listens.