Page 17 of Bred By the Beast

“I don’t know. I just couldn’t sleep. Did that cub settle all right?” she asked.

“Perfectly.”

“That’s good.”

He moved across the bench, giving her space to sit beside him, and he patted the seat next to him. Poppy didn’t hesitate in taking the seat beside him, and she offered him a smile of thank you.

He smelled her. Tonight, she was like vanilla, sweet, mouthwatering. He loved vanilla. Poppy tucked some hair behind her ear, and he couldn’t resist looking at the curve of her neck. She was so beautiful.

“Were you really being serious about me staying here?” Poppy asked.

“I don’t say things I don’t mean. I’ll keep you safe here.”

“Then, if it is okay with you, I would really like to stay.” She nodded her head. “I think this is going to be a good place for me.”

“Do you want to risk going back home to get anything?”

Poppy shook her head. “I was late on the rent. Those photographs were supposed to help me.” She sighed. “I hit on hard times. Nothing ever goes to plan, does it? My landlord has probably already rented my place.” She shrugged. “There’s nothing I can do about it now, but you know, I think this is a good thing.”

“Why?” he asked, loving her voice.

“Simple, I think everything happens for a reason. My life going from bad to worse meant I was supposed to meet you. This was all meant to happen. It’s like some weird twist of fate, but that’s how the world works, and that’s what I believe.” She turned to look at him, with a pretty smile on her lips. “And that is what I believe now.”

“Fate?” he asked.

It was odd, because he was a bear, and fate said he was destined to find a mate. One woman in the whole world who would accept him for who he was, who wouldn’t run away.

Poppy was his mate. He sensed it the moment he started to follow her. With each hour, and the fact he didn’t want to kill her, he knew his feelings were strong. They went far deeper than anything he’d ever experienced. He’d tried to fight his bear on this, but the beast was usually right. A human and a bear. It was laughable, but it wasn’t unheard of.

He heard stories of bears mating with humans, and they were happy. Wilder didn’t think it was possible he would ever be happy with a human. Not after all he’d experienced. Yet, here he sat on his back porch with a human he was willing to risk his life for to keep safe. This is what being a mate meant.

“Do you think it’s stupid?” she asked, and even though it was dark, he saw her nibbling her lip.

When Poppy found out the truth, he had a feeling he was going to have to chain her to his bed. The revelation that he was a shifting bear would be hard for most people to digest. Perhaps Poppy would be different.

There was time yet.

His bear wanted to get to know Poppy. Just having her close, the beast in him was settled, but he knew it would only be a matter of time before he wanted to be released. Time was ticking. For now, he was going to enjoy this woman, but he wasn’t going to think of her as a human.

She was his Poppy, and that was all she needed to be.

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.