Lara
The smell of smoke wafts into the room. I'm surprised I noticed it before Ronan did. Then again, maybe the smell of sex and the fact that we're mated now distracted him. I'm not sure. What I am sure about is that someone has set my house on fire and I'm guessing I know who.
"Get up," Ronan urges. He doesn't bother dressing, but I grab a long t-shirt from beside the bed and throw it on. Ronan moves to the door and touches the handle. He jerks his hand back. "It's hot," he says, and shakes his head. "That fucker."
"It's fine," I say, jerking my head toward the window. "We're on the first floor. We can just climb out." I should be panicking about the fact that there’s smoke coming into my room. I should be worried, but I’m weirdly calm about the entire thing. We’ll go outside and call the fire department and that’s it. They’ll put the fire out. Everything will be okay. I take a deep breath. Even though I know in my heart that Lester is behind this, the idea doesn’t sit well with me. I hate knowing he’s escalating.
"He's pissed because a human killed his family. Your neighbor filled me in. That doesn't fucking matter, though. You didn't do it. Hell, you wouldn't hurt a damn fly." Ronan growls - actually growls - and heads toward the window.
I'm reeling from the information, though.
Lester's family was killed? No wonder he hates me. No wonder he despises me so much. He must be hurting and so very alone.
"No time for deep thoughts, baby," Ronan has the window up and he kicks the screen out. "Come on." He climbs out of the window first and turns around to reach for me. "Grab your phone so we can call the fire department!"
"Oh, yeah," I grab my cell off the nightstand and turn back around. I head over to the window and Ronan reaches over to help me climb out, but before I have a chance to grab him, a furry blur knocks him down.
Lester.
It has to be.
And now, panic does set in.
Now I do start to worry.
Now I do begin to wonder whether we’re going to make it out of this alive.
I scream as Ronan instantly shifts. I've seen plenty of people shift, but never someone I loved, never like this. I've never seen it during a fight, and my breath hitches as the two animals begin rolling, fighting, and clawing at each other in the yard.
I crouch down by the window and peek out at them fighting. Help. I need to get help. I need help for my house and help to stop this fight. I quickly dial 9-1-1 on my cell phone from my hiding place. I know I need to get out of the house quickly. It's only a matter of time before this room fills with smoke, but I'm scared that if I climb out of the window, I'll be in the middle of the fight.
"Please state your emergency," a friendly, high-pitched voice says. Quickly, I rattle off my address and tell the operator that we need the fire department, the police, and anyone who can break up a fight. She promises to send help and asks me to stay on the line, but I end the call and peek out the window. The sounds of animals fighting fills the air, but the boys don't seem to be in my yard anymore.
I crawl out of the window and look around until I see them. They're in Lester's yard now. I swallow hard but don't go over there. As much as I want to spring into action and try to stop their fight, I know I can't get in the middle of it. I'm a human. I'm weak. I'm breakable.
And my house is definitely, absolutely on fire, I realize as I turn back around and see the flames rising from the living room.
There goes everything I’ve been fighting for so hard.
Suddenly, I hear a door open and one of my neighbors peeks his head out.
“Help!” I scream, pointing at Lester and Ronan fighting in the yard. “Stop them!” Immediately, the neighbor shifts into a giant polar bear and barrels across his yard toward Lester’s. Another door opens with the same result. Then another. Within seconds, there are a dozen shifters in Lester’s yard and somehow, they manage to tear the two men apart.
Lester is a panther and he’s making these loud, high-pitched noises that are killing my ears. Ronan is a beautiful wolf, but his growls are fierce and angry. He’s pissed that Lester would try to hurt his mate. It’s understandable, of course. I’d be angry if anyone ever tried to hurt him, too, but fighting isn’t the answer.
That’s not the way to solve this.
The polar bear shifts back to his human form. “Shift back,” he growls. “Now!” Immediately, Lester and Ronan obey, although I’m guessing they’re both pissy about this. The bear, whose name I think is Sam, looks from Lester to Ronan and back again. “You want to tell me what the hell this is all about?” He motions toward my house. Sirens sound in the distance as we all look at the two men.
“She needs to go!” Lester points at me.
Ronan just rolls his eyes and turns to Sam. “Lester has filed harassment charges against Lara for being a human in shifter country. I’ll be representing her in court next week.”
Sam glances at Ronan’s wrist and raises an eyebrow.
“We’re also newly mated.”
“Mated to a human!” Lester spits on the ground. “Despicable.”
“Hey!” I shout because this has gone on long enough. Ronan looks like he’s too deep breaths away from murdering Lester in front of all of these people, and the last thing I want to deal with is my mate going to jail for something like this.
I march over to the crowd and squirm my way past Sam and over to Lester. He glares at me, but he doesn’t say anything, which I guess it good. I move close to Lester and lower my voice. What I’m going to say doesn’t need to be heard by anyone but us. I’m sure the shifters will be able to hear if they really try, but I’m going to pretend they’re giving us privacy.
“Lester,” I whisper. “I know what happened to you, and I’m sorry. I didn’t do it. I wasn’t here. I wasn’t responsible, but I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through or what it must have been like to have to live next to me, but I’m really, really sorry.” I shake my head and wish I could stop crying, but I can’t.
I’m crying for Lester.
I’m crying for me.
I’m crying for all the pain this ordeal has caused everyone involved.
“You don’t have to take me to court next week,” I tell him. “I’ll leave, okay? I’ll leave and you can be in peace. I wish you had just come and talked to me instead of trying to scare me away. I’m not easily frightened, Lester, but I do have a heart. If you had just talked to me, I’m sure we could have come to an understanding. As it is, you didn’t have to burn my house down. You could have just communicated.”
Lester looks at me like he’s shocked, like he can’t believe someone spoke to him without screaming, like he can’t believe a human could have compassion, like he can’t believe I’m actually saying the words that I am.
“I know that words don’t make up for what you lost,” I say. “My apology will never be enough. You were hurt by a human and now you hate them. I understand. I’d probably feel the same way. As it is, I can’t fix what happened, but I can stop the past from haunting you every time you see my face, so as of right now, I’m moving in with my mate, and you’ll never have to see me again.”
By the time I turn and start to walk away, I can hear sniffles in the crowd and I know that the other shifters heard the discussion, too.
Sam grabs my arm, “Are you going to press charges?” He asks. “The police are here now if you want to.” He jerks his head toward a couple of officers who are standing in front of my house.
“Press charges against who?” I ask innocently. “As best as I can tell, this was the work of hooligans, Sam. Maybe parents need to watch their kids better,” I shrug. “It’s certainly not something I can press charges over.”
I start to walk away when I feel a gentle touch on my arm. I turn to see Lester with tears streaming down his own face.
“I’m sorry,” he says.
Ronan is growling, but another shifter is trying to calm him down so Lester and I can speak. For the first time, we’re having a real conversation, and I hope we can come to an understanding after all of this is over.
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay,” he shakes his head. “I’ve been angry for a long time and I took it out on you. I’m sorry for what I did. I was wrong. I understand if you want me in jail.”
“The only thing I want for you is peace, sir,” I touch his arm briefly, and then I look at the shifters who are holding Ronan. “I’d like my mate back, please,” I say, and they instantly release him.
Ronan growls at Lester again, but comes to me and wraps his arms around me. Then together, we walk back to my house where the fire department is dousing the flames.
“You were wonderful,” he says. “Very patient, very kind.”
“You weren’t so bad yourself, wolf.”
“Did you like seeing me shift?” He asks excitedly, nervously.
“Ronan, you’re the most beautiful wolf I’ve ever seen,” I tell him honestly. “And I can’t wait to spend my life with you.”
We turn back to my house. The fire department is doing their best, but I know this place can’t be saved. Honestly, maybe that’s for the best. Maybe it’s best that Lester gets a fresh start with no neighbors for awhile. Maybe it’s best that he has some time to heal. Maybe it’s best that he has some space where he can mourn in solitude.
And maybe it’s time for me to let go of my old dreams and cling to the new ones.
I’m no longer just some girl, no longer just a schoolteacher. Now I’m Ronan’s mate. I’m Mrs. Casa. I’m his bride. And when I think of the circumstances that brought us together, I realize I can’t be upset with Lester. He made poor choices, terrible choices, but in the end, everything worked out.
In the end, I found my mate.
In the end, I got to fall in love.
In the end, I got to be happy.
And that’s the best ending of all.