Chapter 6
Mira
I wake up in Ansel’s arms the next morning. I don’t remember him carrying me to bed or falling asleep, but I’m not surprised. I’ve been in and out of it with the pain medication. Luckily for me, today should be the first day that I don’t need to take it.
My wrists have been healing well, and my ankle doesn’t hurt either, probably because every time I reach for my crutches, Ansel lifts me into his arms instead. I haven’t had to put any weight on it since I sprained it, which I’m sure has helped it to heal faster.
I shift in bed and bite back a smile when I hear Ansel growl in his sleep behind me. His big arm tightens around my waist, pulling me close against him. Butterflies take flight in my stomach when the hard line of his cock presses against my butt, and I blush as my body heats.
How did my life get this crazy? I went from living in my parents’ house and always being alone to living with a growly bear shifter who says we’re soulmates and refuses to leave my side.
I used to be totally self-sufficient. I had to be.
But Ansel doesn’t let me lift a finger. He seems to love taking care of me.
I see him smile every time he hands me a glass of water or makes me something to eat.
I know I should probably be making plans to leave, to find Ridley, but I hate the idea of leaving Ansel and never seeing him again.
Would he even let me leave?
I doubt it. He gets antsy when I go to the bathroom. If I tried to leave this town, or heck, even this house, I have a feeling he’d be right on my heels chasing after me.
It’s hard for me to wrap my head around all this. My heart and body seem to be on the same page. They both want Ansel and are in agreement that we’re meant to be, but my head is holding me back.
I’m attracted to him. I’m comfortable around him, and I trust him with my life. I never had much of a home life or family, but it feels like I could build both here.
Can I stay, though?
I suppose there’s nothing for me back home. I mean, I was ready to leave and travel halfway around the world, so staying here should be easy. It’s probably my best chance at finding Ridley.
It’s probably your best chance at getting a happily ever after too, my subconscious whispers.
Ansel shifts against my back, his arms tightening as he stretches. His nose nuzzles the shell of my ear, and I squirm at the ticklish sensation.
“Morning, Angel,” he murmurs.
I melt against his chest. “Morning.”
“How did you sleep?”
“Great,” I tell him honestly.
“Good. Any pain?”
“No, I think I’m all better. I can probably walk around on my own now,” I say as I roll over to face him.
He frowns, looking disappointed that he won’t be carrying me around. “Not yet,” he says. “We need to get the all-clear from Christian.”
“When do we see him again?”
“I’ll call him today and see if he has time.”
“Okay.”
Ansel brushes my hair back from my face. “What are you thinking about?”
“I was thinking that I didn’t know what to do,” I admit, giving him half the truth.
“What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know what I want, just what I don’t,” I grumble in frustration.
“Well, that’s a start. What don’t you want?”
“I don’t want to be alone. I’m sick of my life being dictated to me. I’m sick of having to achieve goals that don’t mean anything to improve my parents’ image. I want love and laughter and happiness and friends and adventure.”
“We can do that,” Ansel says easily.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He nods.
“What about you?” I ask. “What do you want?”
“You, Mira. Just you.”
I have the sudden, undeniable urge to kiss him. His face is only an inch from mine, and when I lick my lips, his deep brown eyes drop to my mouth. He groans, starting to pull back, but I grip his shirt to stop him.
Ansel’s eyes meet mine, confusion and desire swirling in their depths.
I decide to give in, to follow my heart for once.
I close the distance between us, my eyes drifting shut as my mouth meets his. His lips are warm and soft against mine, but for one suspended second, he doesn’t move.
Panic flutters through me.
Maybe I misread him. Maybe—
A deep growl rumbles through Ansel’s chest as he kisses me back. His hand slides into my hair, cradling the back of my head as his mouth moves over mine. The kiss is gentle at first, almost cautious, as if he’s afraid I’ll change my mind.
I tighten my grip on his shirt and press closer, trying to show him that I won’t. I want this. I want him.
Ansel seems to understand my unspoken message because his control snaps.
He rolls us over, settling his big body above mine. The movement is so smooth that I barely feel the mattress shift beneath me. He braces his weight on one forearm, careful not to touch my wrists, and hooks his other hand beneath my uninjured leg so my ankle never twists.
Even now, with his breathing ragged, and his eyes burning, he’s thinking about me.
My chest aches at the realization. No one has ever looked after me the way Ansel does.
My parents made sure I had everything I needed, but only because anything less would have reflected badly on them.
With Ansel, it’s different. He notices things and watches my face for the smallest hint of pain.
He carries me before I can even think to ask.
He takes care of me because he wants to, because I matter to him.
I slide my fingers into his thick hair and pull him back down.
His mouth claims mine again, harder this time.
Heat spreads through my entire body as his tongue brushes against the seam of my lips.
I open for him, and another growl vibrates between us.
The sound should scare me. Instead, it sends a shiver racing down my spine.
His palm cups my cheek, impossibly tender compared to the hunger in his kiss. I lose myself in him, in his warmth, his scent, the weight of his body surrounding mine. For the first time in my life, I don’t think about what I should do or what anyone expects of me.
I only think about Ansel.
He suddenly tears his mouth away, and a frustrated sound escapes me. I chase his lips, but he lifts his head out of reach.
“Why did you stop?” I whisper.
His eyes are almost black, and his chest rises and falls with every harsh breath. He looks as if stopping is the last thing he wants to do.
“We have to wait.”
“Wait for what?”
His gaze drops to my swollen lips. A muscle jumps in his jaw, and his hand flexes against my cheek. “Tomorrow night.”
My mind is too hazy to follow. “Why? What happens tomorrow night?”
“The full moon.”
“Oh.” I blink up at him. “Couldn’t we just—”
“Angel.” A strained smile pulls at his mouth. “My bear is barely under control around you.”
I glance down at the solid wall of muscle pinning me to the mattress, then back at his face. “You seem pretty controlled to me.”
“I’m not.” His voice is a growl. “If we keep going, I won’t be able to stop. And the first time I claim you, it needs to be under the full moon.”
My heart stutters at the word claim.
Ansel searches my face, his expression softening. “Only if that’s what you want.”
Yesterday, the thought made me nervous. Maybe it still should, but lying beneath him, surrounded by his warmth and held as if I’m the most precious thing in his world, I can’t seem to find any nerves.
“What if I don’t want to wait?”
His eyes close, and he releases a sound that’s half groan, half growl. “Angel,” he warns.
I bite my lip to hide my smile as my hips rock against him. His eyes snap open, and I stop, trying to look innocent.
“That isn’t helping.”
“Maybe I’m not trying to help.”
For a moment, he simply stares at me. Then he drops his forehead against mine and laughs, the deep, rusty sound making warmth bloom inside my chest.
“I’m going to make you breakfast,” he says, reluctantly pushing away.
“That doesn’t sound nearly as fun.”
“No,” he agrees, climbing out of bed. He adjusts the front of his sweatpants and gives me a heated look. “But it’s a lot safer.”
“For who?”
“For both of us.”
I watch him move around the room, then lift my arms when he comes to carry me downstairs. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this light and happy in my life. We’re in our own little perfect bubble, and I wonder if it will always be like this between us.
I’m about to ask him more about shifters and fated mates, maybe tease him and see if I can’t get him to kiss me like that again as he sets me down at the kitchen table, but a flash of movement outside catches my eye.
I turn, looking out the window, and my heart takes off in my chest when I lock eyes with one of the men who took me.
“Ansel!” I scream, but he’s already spotted them.
“Stay here,” he orders.
I nod, watching with wide eyes as he heads outside to confront the men. I look out the window, desperately scanning the backyard for the men, but they’re not there. They’re already on the back porch. I start to cry, pushing to my feet when they kick open the back door, guns already drawn.
“There you are, you little bitch,” one of the men snarls.
I freeze as panic fills me.
Then my body goes into fight-or-flight response. I turn to run at the same second that Ansel lunges forward, shifting right there in the kitchen.
His clothes are torn to shreds, and I scream again at the sudden transformation.
“What the fuc—”
The man’s words are cut off as Ansel lunges for him, his bear taking the man to the ground easily. The movement forces the other man back outside, and I take a wobbly step toward the back door.
I need to see Ansel. I need to make sure he’s okay.
That’s the only thought in my head as I hurry across the kitchen, freezing in the open doorway at the scene in front of me.
Ansel is still in bear form, his teeth sinking into one man’s neck. He shakes his head, the man like a rag doll in his grip, and I watch as blood spills out, staining the grass.
I gasp when I see another flash of movement, gripping the doorway as another bear charges through the trees at the man pointing his gun at Ansel.
“Look out!” I shout.
Ansel turns, his eyes filled with worry as they meet mine. Before the man can shoot Ansel, the other bear bites down on the man’s arm. He screams, dropping the gun as he turns to fight off the animal, but it’s no use.
I watch, taking in the men’s terrified expressions, their wide eyes, their screams for help, the way their blood pours out as the life drains from their eyes. I see it all.
The whole thing is over in seconds, but it seems to take hours. My muscles are locked. I’m frozen to the spot as Ansel shifts back and rushes to my side.
“Angel? I told you to stay put,” he chastises. “Your ankle… Are you okay?”
I’m too freaked out to answer. I can only stare at the men’s lifeless bodies.
“Mira?”
I can hear the worry in Ansel’s voice.
This is crazy. I should be relieved, not freaked out. I told Ansel I was okay with the men dying… I just never thought it would happen right in front of me.
I tear my gaze away from my dead kidnappers as the other bear shifts back to his human form. I know instantly that he’s Ansel’s brother. They look so much alike.
He holds his hands awkwardly in front of his groin, and I blush, spinning away from his naked body.
“Right… So, this is Russo. My brother,” Ansel says sheepishly.
“Um, nice to meet you.” My voice comes out high-pitched and slightly hysterical.
“I’ll go get some clothes,” I hear Russo say as he shuffles toward the forest.
Ansel curses as my whole body trembles. “Shit.”
He bends and lifts me into his arms. I want to say something, but I’m not sure what. Do I thank him? Do I regret that he didn’t try to talk to them before he killed them? We could’ve asked them where Ridley was. We could’ve had them arrested, so they’d face justice that way.
Anger swirls inside me, warring with the panic and shock.
It’s a terrible combination. As Ansel sets me down on the couch, whispering soft words to me, I clam up.
My body simply shuts down. I can’t think straight.
Can’t process any of this. I don’t know what to do now or how to feel about any of this.
I sit there, staring off into the distance, wondering if I should trust my head and body after all the trouble they’ve gotten me into so far.