Chapter 20
Hadley
I don’t wake up gently.
There’s no soft stretch, no lazy smile, no warm, sleepy moment where I roll into Rob and pretend the world doesn’t exist.
Nope.
Instead, I wake up to my phone vibrating like it’s possessed.
At first, I ignore it.
Because I’m comfortable.
Because I’m warm.
Because there’s a heavy arm draped over my waist and a solid wall of man at my back and for the first time in a long time, I feel good.
More than that.
I feel great.
Safe.
Wanted.
Held.
I breathe in slowly.
Honey and spice, something darker—something that can only be him.
Gods.
Last night was—I close my eyes for a second, heat creeping up my neck as flashes of it hit me.
The way he touched me.
Wrecked me, really.
The way he looked at me.
Like I mattered.
Like I was his.
My phone buzzes again.
Longer this time.
Insistent.
Annoying.
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
“Ugh,” I mutter, carefully slipping out from under his arm.
He shifts, a low rumble in his chest like he feels the loss even in his sleep.
My heart does a stupid little flip.
Nope.
Not thinking about that right now.
I grab my phone and pad quietly out of the room, closing the door behind me before checking the screen.
And then—everything inside me goes cold.
Splashed across my screen in bright bold text are my notifications.
Mom (7 missed messages).
Irene (3 missed messages).
Stella (3 missed messages).
What in the heck?
Why are my sisters and my mother freaking out?
Immediately, I think the worst.
Something happened to Dad. Or Gramps.
I panic and open the first text.
And then, I immediately regret it.
Mom
Hadley, we need to talk. I’ve been thinking about your situation and I’m very concerned.
My situation? Oh. She means my single relationship status.
Because, of course, she does.
I roll my eyes and I keep on scrolling through her messages.
Mom
You can’t just run away to some small town and expect your life to magically improve. Your sisters and I have been discussing things, and we’ve decided it’s time for an intervention.
I let out a sharp, humorless laugh.
“An intervention?” I whisper.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
But it gets worse.
Of course it does.
Mom
We’re coming to Maverick Point today.
My stomach drops.
No.
No, no, no.
Mom, you are not—but before I finish the thought, I keep reading.
And that’s when I see his name.
Judd the Dud.
Mom
I’ve spoken to Judd, and guess what? He’s willing to allow you to come back to him. In fact, he is going to meet us today at your place. This is good news. He’s very open to working things out with you.
Everything inside me goes still.
Like someone just hit pause on my entire body.
Then—heat.
Not the good kind.
This is the hot, furious, blinding rage kind.
“She didn’t,” I breathe.
Oh my fuck.
She did.
She absofuckinglutely did!
This woman has no boundaries! And she sure as heck doesn’t even pretend to know me, her own daughter.
I keep reading as I look for my clothes, trying my best not to sob or growl as my Bear threatens to take over.
Mom
He’s ready to forgive you and move forward. This could be your chance to fix things.
Forgive me.
Me?
My vision blurs for a second.
Because I can’t even process how backwards that is.
How wrong.
How absolutely fucked in the head I would have to be to accept his “forgiveness”.
My hands start shaking.
Not from hurt.
Not this time.
From anger.
Pure, unfiltered, how dare you anger.
“Absolutely not,” I whisper, already moving.
I don’t think.
I don’t hesitate.
I just act.
I put my clothes on—whatever I can find—and get dressed as fast as possible, my heart pounding for a completely different reason now.
This isn’t about Rob.
This isn’t about last night.
This is about my mother showing up in my life like she still has the right to control it.
To fix me.
To hand me back to a man who betrayed me like I should be grateful for the opportunity.
Hell no. I have to stop this—her—before she can ruin my life!
I glance back toward the bedroom door.
Toward him.
And for a split second—I hesitate.
Because I could wake him.
Explain.
Tell him what’s happening.
But then the text echoes in my head.
We’re coming today.
I don’t have time.
I don’t have the space to unpack whatever this is between us while my family is literally on their way to ambush me.
“I’ll come back,” I whisper under my breath.
More to convince myself than anything else.
Then I’m out the door.
By the time I reach Agatha’s, I’m vibrating with barely contained fury.
Not the kind you can shake off.
Not the kind that fades.
The kind that settles deep in your bones and stays.
The shop is quiet—too early for the Sunday rush—and the bell barely finishes ringing before Tommy looks up, eyes widening just a little at the expression on my face.
“Uh, good morning?” he says cautiously.
“Where’s Jack?” I ask, already moving behind the counter, already pulling my phone out like I’m about to go to war.
“Getting supplies to wash the outside windows,” Tommy replies. “Why—”
“Okay, call him inside,” I cut in.
He blinks.
Then he cups his hands around his mouth like a megaphone.
“Jack!”
I roll my eyes.
I could’ve done that.
A second later, Jack strolls in like nothing in the world is wrong, wiping his hands on his jeans.
“Yo? What’s up? Oh—hi, boss.”
“Okay,” I say, not even pretending to be calm. “Listen carefully. We might get some unexpected visitors today, and I need you to understand they are not welcome.”
Jack’s brows lift.
Tommy leans in.
“And I mean not welcome,” I continue. “They do not go past the front. They do not go upstairs. They do not get access to anything. Got it?”
Jack sniffs, then grins.
“You hooked up with the Tiger,” he says, like he’s just cracked the code. “So what, you want us to fight him for you?”
“What—no!” I snap. “Shut up! I’m not talking about him.”
Both of them go still at that.
“I’m talking about my mother,” I say, the word tasting bitter. “And my sisters. And possibly my very stupid ex who is also a lying, cheating—”
I cut myself off before I say something I can’t take back.
Jack tilts his head.
“Oh,” he says. “Okay. So you want us to fight your mom?”
“No!” I groan, dragging a hand down my face. “Just—if they show up, do not let them upstairs.”
Because that’s my space.
My home.
The one place I carved out for myself where no one gets to tell me who I should be.
“Okay, boss. You got it,” Jack says, more serious now.
“Sure thing,” Tommy adds.
I nod once.
Because I mean it.
I am not letting her show up here unannounced.
Not without a fight.
I hit call.
The line barely rings once before my mother answers.
“Hadley, thank goodness—”
“No.”
The word cuts clean.
Sharp.
Cold.
It surprises even me.
“Mom, you are not coming here. Not today. And definitely not with that loser ex of mine!”
“Sweetheart, we’ve already discussed this—”
“No, you discussed it,” I snap. “Without me. Again.”
Tommy wisely disappears into the back.
Smart kid.
“You can’t keep running away from your problems. A woman like you can’t expect the perfect mate, but unless you want to be alone for the rest of your life, I suggest you listen,” she continues like I didn’t speak.
“First, I didn’t run from my problems,” I fire back. “I left a cheater. There’s a difference. And a woman like me? Geezus, Mom, there’s more to me than my dress size!”
“Hadley, you know Judd is a great catch, and he is willing to give you another chance—”
“Oh my Gods! I don’t need another chance, Mom. And don’t,” I warn, my grip tightening on the phone. “Do not say his name to me like that or call him a great catch when he’s the loser! Not me.”
“But he’s willing to forgive you—”
“I don’t need his forgiveness. And I don’t want him!” I shout.
The words echo in the empty shop.
Raw.
Final.
“But Hadley—”
“Listen to me carefully, Mom. I don’t want Judd. I don’t need him. And I sure as hell don’t need you or my sisters showing up here to hand me back to him like I’m some kind of failed project.”
Silence.
Heavy.
“You’re being emotional, Hadley. I thought now that you’re a businesswoman you’d see the value in getting mated and having cubs while you are still young enough.”
I laugh.
Because, of course, I am.
“Yeah, hard pass, Mom,” I say. “I am. And you know what? I’m allowed to be emotional. It’s my life. And being a businesswoman has nothing to do with that.”
I take a breath, steadying myself.
“If you show up here uninvited, you won’t be coming inside,” I say, my voice low but steady.
“And if you bring Judd with you, I’ll call the local Pride to remove you.
I mean it. Don’t come near me again unless you’re ready to see me as I am—not as something to fix or trade off.
Until you can look at me and actually value me, not my relationship status, I don’t want a relationship with you. Do you understand?”
Another pause.
Tense.
Sharp.
Then she sighs.
Like I’m the difficult one.
“Hadley, I will not have my own child speak to me like this. We’ll talk when we get there,” she says.
And hangs up.
I stare at my phone.
Fuming.
Shaking.
Trying to figure out how the hell I got here.
Again.
“Hey—”
I look up.
Jessica and Kylie come rushing in, both of them slightly out of breath, eyes wide.
And suddenly—my mood shifts.
Because something’s wrong.
“What happened?” I ask immediately.
Jessica exchanges a look with Kylie. Then, she looks back at me.
“It’s Rob.”
My heart drops.
“What about him?”
Kylie steps forward.
“The Neta has him,” she says. “He’s being held.”
The world tilts.
Just slightly.
“What do you mean—held?”
Jessica exhales.
“He shifted this morning,” she says. “Lost control. The Honor Guard had to step in.”
My stomach twists.
Hard.
Because I think I know how this happened.
I mean, I know why it happened.
“Oh no,” I murmur, and my Bear surges.
Because I left.
Because I walked out without a word.
Because I thought I had time.
“Hadley,” Kylie says gently, “we think it’s because you rejected him.”
Rejected.
The word hits like a slap.
Like something sharp and cold slicing straight through everything I was just holding together.
And just like that—everything crashes.
My past.
My present.
My mother’s voice still echoing in my ears, telling me I’m not enough.
Judd’s name sitting there like a bad taste I can’t get rid of.
And Rob—oh Gods—my Rob.
He lost control because I walked away without a word.
My stomach drops so hard I have to grab the counter to steady myself.
“But I didn’t,” I whisper, shaking my head, the words coming out thin, fragile, like I don’t quite believe them myself. “I didn’t reject him.”
Kylie and Jessica exchange a look, but I barely register it.
“I just—” I swallow, my throat tight. “I asked for one night. To take it slow. To not rush into something I might mess up. Then my phone was buzzing and my mom—shit.”
I mean, that’s what me saying that last night was, right?
Self-preservation.
Not rejection.
Not walking away.
Just breathing room.
But from his side?
From an unclaimed mate’s side?
My chest tightens.
“Oh Gods,” I breathe. “He thinks I left him.”
Fear grips me then.
Real fear.
Not the kind I felt talking to my mother.
Not anger.
Not frustration.
This is deeper.
Because what if I hurt him?
What if I triggered something I didn’t understand?
What if he thinks I don’t want him?
When all I’ve been doing is trying not to want him too much.
I close my eyes for a second.
Just one.
Trying to steady the storm inside me.
Trying to separate fear from truth.
But the truth?
The truth is loud.
Clear.
Unavoidable.
I open my eyes.
“Where is he exactly?” I ask.
My voice is different now.
Not shaky.
Not unsure.
Focused.
Because whatever this is?
Whatever just happened?
I’m not running from it.
Not again.
Not like I did before.
Not like I was conditioned to by my mom and Judd and everyone else who judged me harshly because I was just too much for them.
Kylie hesitates.
“The Neta has him. They had to contain him.”
Contain him.
My heart squeezes.
Because that’s not just any reaction.
That’s not normal.
That’s connection.
Instinct.
Bond.
And suddenly everything clicks into place in a way that makes my breath catch.
The app.
The pull.
The way I’ve felt since he walked into my shop.
The way my Bear has been practically vibrating since the moment I saw his face.
“Holy shit,” I whisper.
Jessica leans in. “What?”
I shake my head slowly.
“That app? Uncle Uzzi’s app,” I say. “Date to Mate.”
My Bear stirs, pleased. Certain.
Mate.
And this time?
I don’t fight her.
I don’t shove it down.
Because she’s right.
Terrifyingly, overwhelmingly right.
“It works,” I say, more firmly now. “It actually works.”
Kylie’s eyes widen.
Jessica grins like she already knew.
And me?
I feel something settle inside my chest.
Not fear.
Not doubt.
Something steadier.
Stronger.
“Rob is my fated mate,” I say, the words landing heavy and real.
No hesitation.
No apology.
Just truth.
And yeah—that’s a little terrifying.
Because fated mates means forever.
Means risk.
Means everything I’ve been trying not to fall into.
But it also means—he chose me.
Or something bigger than both of us did.
And even more—I chose him back.
Even if I was too scared to say it out loud.
Until now.
“I’m going to claim him,” I add, my voice quieter but no less certain.
Jessica lets out a low whistle.
Kylie smiles softly.
“And if he says no?” she asks gently.
I huff out a breath.
Because that’s the part that still scares me.
The part that still whispers what if you’re wrong?
But I lift my chin, anyway.
“He won’t,” I say.
Because last night?
The way he looked at me?
The way he touched me like I mattered?
That wasn’t nothing.
That wasn’t temporary.
That wasn’t something you walk away from.
Not for him.
Not for me.
But still.
I add, softer now, more honest, “Now, I need to go claim my mate. Well, as soon as he says yes.”
Because this time?
This time I’m not assuming.
I’m asking.
And if he chooses me?
Then I’m claiming.
Grrr. Mine.