Taylor blinked back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. Brayden had moved. How was that even possible? This was his land. His lodge. He hadn’t said anything to indicate that he was even thinking about moving away.

She inhaled deeply, the fresh smell of the fir trees adding to the wistfulness of the memories she cherished from her short time with Brayden.

Perhaps she’d made the wrong decision in leaving the job in Atlanta, but even without Brayden here, it still felt right. She didn’t belong there. It was too big. Too… southern. This was her home, where she belonged, with or without him.

Her mother had taught her to always look for the silver lining in everything. She could throw all her energy into her work. She would go into a dating moratorium. It would be a long time before she would have any interest in another guy.

It was time to go. She would spend the night here, then drive back to Fort Collins tomorrow and regroup.

In the meantime, getting into this tree hadn’t been her best decision. At least she hadn’t seen any bears. Thinking about bears sent all kinds of emotions through her.

Glancing up, she froze.

There were no bears in view, but instead, Brayden walked toward her.

She soaked in every detail of his features. Features that were burned into her memory.

Her heart soared; he was here after all.

He smiled as he walked toward her.

Reaching her tree, he pressed his forehead against hers. She hadn’t been so high up after all.

“What’s a girl like you doing traipsing around out here?” He whispered.

“I heard there might be shapeshifters out here.”

“Is that right?” He ran his hands from her shoulders down to her hands and looped his fingers with hers.

She leaned back, looking into his eyes. “How are you here? The boy said you moved away.”

“I was on my way to Atlanta.”

“Atlanta?” Her thoughts swirled an attempt to make sense of what he was saying.

“I was going to Atlanta to be with you.”

He wasn’t moving away. He was moving to be with her. “Um. That might be a problem.”

She put a hand on his cheek, wanting to wipe away the crestfallen expression on his face. “I moved back here to be with you.”

He stared at her a moment, then burst out laughing. Pulling her against him, he pressed his lips against hers. “In that case, there’s something I have to tell you.”

“Yeah.” She licked her lips. “What’s that?”

“Bears mate for life.”

Her heart swelled, and in that moment, any doubts she had vanished.

Brayden was her soul mate.

If you enjoyed Aiden’s Mate, I think you’ll also love the next story in the series, Cooper’s Mate coming soon! Sign up on the next page to be notified of Kathryn Kelly’s new releases.

Then turn the page for a bonus excerpt of Pretend You’ll Stay - A Winter Kisses Novel.