Chapter Seven

The thirty hours between the time Paige walked out his front door and the time she arrived at his parents’ home were long. He’d given his mom Paige’s cell phone number, which he’d gotten from the town council when they set up the meeting for him to give her a tour.

Bonus.

He hadn’t taken advantage of having that number himself.

Bonus number two—Paige showed up alone.

His mother answered the door before Paige reached the porch. Not unusual for grizzly shifters. Besides hearing the truck pull up, they could scent the guest as soon as they exited the vehicle.

Bonus number three—no one else was present except Wyatt’s father, Bernard.

“Paige. Welcome. Come in. We’ve heard so much about you.”

“Mom, keep it light. She’s skittish,” Wyatt communicated to her privately.

“I got this.”

“Mrs. Arthur. Thank you for having me.” The house filled with the scent of Paige, overpowering whatever Italian dish his mother had in the oven.

“Please, call me Rosanne.” She turned and reached for Wyatt’s father who had made his way to the door. “And this is my husband, Bernard.”

Wyatt kept his distance several yards away.

Everyone shook hands and came farther into the room. Paige was a different person. “Your house is so beautiful.” She glanced around, ignoring Wyatt.

He tried not to smirk. She might outwardly ignore him, but inside she was a ball of nerves she could not block from him.

“I love the way the outside looks like a rustic log cabin. It’s shocking to step inside and find a modern home.”

Wyatt glanced around at the great room whose focal point was definitely the brown leather sectional in front of the brick fireplace and wide flat screen. His mom had a fire going. She usually did. There were only a few months in the summer when it was too hot in the evening for a fire. She loved the ambiance. “Thank you. Come on in. Let me take your coat.”

Shockingly, Paige took off her jacket. Yesterday she had clutched it like it was a lifeline. Today she had more civility. Not that he blamed her. She was safe from him in a room with his parents. And that probably relaxed her somewhat.

“Can I get you a drink?” his father asked.

“I’m fine for now. Thank you.”

“My parents will hound you with beverages,” he communicated into her mind.

She ignored him as if he hadn’t spoken. Damn, she was going to be difficult.

His mother spoke again as she led Paige to the couch. “I thought your friend Gavin was coming with you.”

“He couldn’t. He wasn’t feeling well, and he had a lot of reading to do.”

Uh-huh. Wyatt would give anything to dig into that guy’s mind. He had a story to tell. Wyatt would never go behind Paige’s back and extract information from her best friend, but God, he’d like to.

“Wyatt and Joselyn told me about your summer internship. Should be interesting,” his mother said as they all took a seat.

Wyatt kept his distance, perching on a stool in the attached open kitchen area instead.

“Yeah, and it got a whole lot more interesting after I arrived.”

“Oh, what happened?” his father asked.

“A reporter showed up. She came to my apartment Sunday night, and then I spoke to her on the phone today. Apparently, she’s been assigned by the university to document my research.” Paige scrunched up her nose. “As if this task wasn’t already weird enough.”

Wyatt stiffened. “You didn’t tell me that.”

Paige barely glanced at him.

“Is she a shifter at least?” Rosanne asked.

“No.” She sighed. “That would be too easy. She’s human. She thinks she’s going to latch onto me and follow me around while I collect data. I can’t think of a more boring story. U of C must have been hard up to find an internship for her.”

“No one told you she was coming?” Rosanne continued.

Paige shook her head. “No. I emailed my professor to find out what he expects from me, but I don’t think he’s in the office this week. According to Kelly, she’s planning to stick to me like a puppy.”

Wyatt couldn’t keep from commenting again, even though Paige seemed set on ignoring him. “Bummer. That is complicated.” He could hear the stress in Paige’s voice and felt bad for her, but on the flip side, it could work to his advantage if he made himself available to be used as an excuse to escape the reporter.

“Yes. Plus, she’s subletting an apartment in my building, and the few minutes I spoke to her were enough to realize she’s going to drive me crazy.” She glanced at Wyatt, marginally on the edge of polite, expressionless, before turning back to his mother.

Rosanne smiled. “Well, if you need anything this summer or want to make up a story to get away, we’re here.”

“Thank you. That’s so kind. And thanks again for having me over. I know Joselyn misses you all terribly.”

Rosanne nodded. “And we miss her too. It’s weird not having her in the house. She moved back in after university and lived here for two years. I’m happy for her, of course, but sad at the same time.”

“I’m sure my parents feel the same. This is the first time I’ve been without them in my life too.”

“They’re on a sabbatical, right? Where? I forgot.”

“Australia. They’ve always wanted to go there.”

“Oh, nice. How long will they be gone?”

“Eight months.”

“That’s a long time. I bet you miss your mother.”

“I do. But we talk often. It’s weird being so far away that we can’t reach out telepathically. But she calls.”

“I speak often to Joselyn also. At least telepathically if not by phone.”

Paige smiled. “Sometimes I wonder how humans can stand the lack of communication. Now I know how frustrating it can be. I can’t even fathom what it was like before the last decade. For centuries while humans had limited ability to reach each other, we were always in contact with our loved ones. At least as long as they weren’t on another continent.”

“So true.” His mother pushed to standing. “Shall we move to the kitchen? Dinner is ready. Just need to put it on the table and eat.”

Awkward was the best way to describe this situation. And Wyatt imagined awkward was going to describe his life for the foreseeable future. He did stand and pull out a chair for Paige, and she sat in it, thanking him under her breath, but that was the extent of her direct communication with him. And he didn’t pressure her.

Dinner went smoothly. Between his mom and his dad, they kept the conversation going enough for Wyatt to glean several details about Paige’s life. She’d been born and raised in Calgary and lived her whole life in the same house close to the campus where her parents were both professors. She had an older brother, Nolan, who Wyatt had met before years ago. She also had an older sister, Ryann. Wyatt had yet to meet her.

“I think my middle child, Isaiah, was in the same year at U of C as your brother,” Rosanne said.

“Yes. That’s what Nolan said. Small world.”

As soon as the plates of lasagna were cleared and Paige declined yet another offer of anything but water, Wyatt decided it was time to lure her outside so he could have some time with her before she ran like she was on fire. He stood. “Come out back. The moon is full. The view is fantastic this time of year.”

Paige took a deep breath and pushed her chair out. “Okay.”

He realized he wasn’t really giving her a choice, but then again, she could have given an excuse about needing to be in bed by nine or something.

As soon as they were outside and he had the sliding glass door shut, she spoke. “Your parents are very kind. It was so nice of them to have me over.”

“They are kind. And they’ll have you over dozens of times.”

She kept walking to the edge of the deck, not looking at him.

“Paige.” He stepped up behind her, not yet touching her, but breathing down her neck. Literally.

“You were right. The view is fantastic.”

“Paige.” He set his hands gently on her shoulders, thinking they should have grabbed jackets, but also glad they hadn’t.

She stiffened and held her breath, but he persisted, sliding his hands down her arms until he reached her hands. The moment his fingers hit the backs of hers, she inhaled sharply, but she didn’t pull away. She was skittish, and her next words proved it. “I don’t like to be touched.”

“Okaaay… Noted.” He let his fingers trail lightly over the backs of hers but didn’t press further. Damn. What the hell happened to her? “Have you always been this way? Like a phobia?”

“No.” She offered nothing else, and his heart ached.

“I’ve seen you touch Gavin.”

“I know Gavin well. He understands me.”

“Do you hug your parents?”

“Yes.” She spun around and faced him, tipping her head back. “Men, Wyatt. I don’t do men. I don’t do human men or shifters.”

He swallowed. “Why?”

“I just don’t.”

“Could you give me a bit more insight?”

She shook her head.

They were inches apart, but no part of him was touching her. His cock was stiff from being near her for two hours. She smelled so good. Her own personal scent, however, was tinged with fear and agitation. Something horrible must have happened to her to cause her to be so leery of men.

“I’m not right for you, Wyatt. You need to let me go.”

“Can’t do that.”

She sighed, lowering her gaze to his chest. “I’m not asking.”

“Nor am I.”

“Please. Accept that I’m not yours and let me go.”

“You give me a good reason why I would let the woman I know in my soul belongs to me walk away, and then I’ll consider it.” There was nothing she could say that would turn him away from her.

He didn’t care what anyone said about the validity of the impact of Fate or Destiny or Nature or any other cosmic reason they should be together. He knew it deep inside him. To the core. He’d known it since the day she stepped into her parents’ home in Calgary and made his knees buckle. And every time he saw her, the feeling was stronger. So, no. Not a chance in hell was he going to let her walk away. But he sure would like some more information about what he was up against.

More importantly, she knew it too. She was in denial, but she knew it.

He lifted one hand and brought it slowly to her chin, so there was no mistaking his intention. He lifted her face with one finger and stared into her gorgeous blue eyes. “Talk to me.”

“I can’t.” A tear ran down her cheek. He wiped it with the pad of his thumb.

She closed her eyes but tipped her face more fully into his hand. She was losing the battle to deny him. Thank fuck.

“Paige, babe…” It was the first time he’d used a term of endearment with her, and he meant it. His words were soft. At least she wasn’t still trying to convince him she was in love with a gay guy. That tactic was getting on his nerves.

“You’re so old.” That was the last thing he expected her to say.

He smiled as she blinked her eyes open. “I don’t exactly have one foot in the grave, you know.”

A slight nod. “I’m twenty-four.”

“Yeah. And I’m thirty-two. Clock’s ticking,” he teased. “I’ll need a cane soon. Better hurry up and claim me before I can’t keep up with you.”

She gave him half a smile. Progress. Yesterday he’d been frustrated and too pushy. He was lucky she’d shown up at his parents’ house, and he’d lectured himself all day today about keeping calmer tonight.

“I don’t want to bind, Wyatt. Ever.”

“That’s why you’re hiding in a fake relationship with Gavin?”

“Yes.” At least she was being honest. More progress.

“And what about Gavin? He’s stuck pretending to be in a relationship with you too. That’s not fair to him.”

She flinched. “You think I don’t know that? I argue that detail with him all the time. He won’t listen.”

“He altruistically protects you from something at the expense of his own happiness? It must be huge.”

“It is huge, but there’s nothing altruistic about it. He doesn’t want anyone to know he’s gay.” Finally, she admitted that out loud. Her eyes widened. “You can’t tell anyone this stuff, Wyatt. I don’t know why I’m even explaining myself to you.” She winced and started to duck out of his hand as if to dodge around him.

He set his other hand on her arm, stopping her gently. “Don’t run. I swear nothing you say to me leaves my lips. Look at me.”

She was fighting tears when she met his gaze again, her eyes watery.

“You’re mine, Paige. I don’t take that lightly. I would never do anything to ruin your trust. What you say to me stays with me until you ask me to do otherwise. Understood?”

She gave a wry chuckle. “I don’t trust that easily.”

“Well, now’s a good time to start. Because I promise I will never for the rest of my life let you down. At least not intentionally. A mate is to be cherished. And you will be. Always. Your secrets are safe with me.”

“They’re safer with me.”

“And Gavin.”

“Yes.”

“Maybe I have no right, but it makes my spine crawl to know that Gavin has pieces of you not available to me.”

“That’s not fair. I’ve known him since I was a small child. I’ve known you for a few hours total.”

“I’ll concede that fact, but I want to mean more to you than anyone in the world. And I want you to trust me.”

“And I’m telling you I can’t do it. I don’t have it in me.” She swallowed hard. Licked her lips. Shocked him with her next words. “I’m broken, Wyatt. You can’t fix this kind of broken. You’ll only make me crazy trying. Find another mate.”

A piece of him died to hear her say that. “It doesn’t work that way,” he whispered, threading his fingers into her hair to cup her head. “It’s too late. It was too late the moment we met. It won’t go away. Not for me nor for you. It will haunt us both every day.”

“Then I’ll have to live with that haunting. Because I’m never binding to anyone, Wyatt. That’s just not who I am.”

He wanted to throw something. Scream at the universe. But he forced himself to remain calm. A light bulb went off, though he had no idea why it took so long. “Someone hurt you.”

She stared at him for long moments, reached her small pale hand to wipe her tears, and then ducked low to get away from him. She jumped off the porch.

He watched her, knowing she would shift and he would follow. But he wanted to see her transform. Needed to watch the grizzly she would become with all that pale hair and skin.

Sure enough, she shuddered as she dropped to all fours. It took her half a minute to transform into her bear, but she would be rusty. Expected. She probably hadn’t shifted for a long time.

But it was worth it to see her. She was fully in her grizzly form when she turned back to him, dipping her head once before tearing off into the tree line. The smallest bear he’d ever seen. And so light in color she hardly resembled a grizzly.

He jumped down from the porch next, closed his eyes for a few seconds, and brought forth his own bear. Fifteen seconds later, he was on her heels, following her up the side of the mountain. He didn’t communicate with her telepathically, even though he could easily, because he wanted her to have the freedom to run without him nagging her for a while. It could be cathartic.

She ran hard, climbing high, not stopping the rapid pace for half an hour. When she finally slowed and then stopped to stare at the view from a clearing she’d come to, she reached into his mind. “You don’t have to follow me. I’m a big girl.”

“Yeah. But you don’t know this area. And no one runs alone in these mountains anymore. It’s not safe. I wouldn’t let my sister do it, and I sure as fuck won’t let my mate do it.”

She lowered her head and growled in response.

He watched her spin around, and then she continued running. Harder. Faster. Until she was exhausted and far too high up the side of the mountain to shift. She would freeze in human form.

She paced in circles, breathing heavily. He was out of breath himself, but not to the extent his mate was.

He wanted to hold her. Comfort her.

He wanted her to confide in him.

Had someone hurt her? Maybe her father was abusive? Seemed unlikely, but anything was possible. If he was a dick, she wouldn’t have spoken freely about him. Maybe someone else, a friend of the family?

It was difficult, but he had to face the fact that it was possible her issues were sexual in nature. As angry as he felt, there was a chance he would tear an asshole limb from limb if anyone ever laid a hand on her, past or present or future.

He needed to keep his cool. If he scared her, he could destroy the tentative relationship they were forging, albeit minute. So he stayed with her but didn’t delve into her mind. She was fucking gorgeous, even in her bear form. And the way she paced made him realize how messy her brain was. He could picture her pacing like that in human form. She didn’t do it, but it probably always crawled around beneath the surface.

She was not kidding. She was broken.

The question was, could he even help her?