He slowly sets me on the ground.
“Write the note. It’s the only option. Take it or leave it.” I can tell by the look in his eyes it’s final. I’m more shocked he isn’t taking me to bed. I know with wolves, the mating hits hard and fast, and most of the time the mated female is flat on her back within the first thirty minutes, but he just seems calm. Completely in control, and that stings. Maybe he is just using my body against me, knowing I am feeling some mating pull. Or worse, he regrets kissing the human.
I have no clue how bear shifters even mate. I just know they’re rare. I pick up the notepad and pen.
“Just say you’re fine. You found your mate and you’ll be in contact soon,” he says in the still-cool, calm voice while my hand is still shaking a little from the orgasm I just had. I’m shocked I can stand at all.
“Do you just want to write it?” I hold the notepad out for him to take. He just shakes his head, and I do what he says, scribbling on the paper. I can tell there is no fighting this. I hand it over to him. He looks down at it, then tucks it into his pocket with the other note.
“I will drop off the note and then I must do a few things. You’ll stay in the cabin.”
“I have a feeling there isn’t a way even if I wanted to get out.”
He doesn’t answer me, but he does reach out and lift a strand of my hair. Bending down, he rubs it against his nose, breathing it in. The simple act makes my heart flutter. Then he drops it and starts popping the locks on the doors.
“Make yourself at home. I will be back to care for you soon.” He takes one more look at me like he’s debating leaving. I can see the fight in his eyes.
“Take the note please. I’ll worry,” I remind him. “I’ll stay right here.” I have the need to reassure him, to wipe that lost look off his face.
“What’s your name?”
I feel myself blush a little after having done what we did without even knowing each other’s name.
“I’m Snow. Yours?”
“Koda.”
I smile at him, and he nods. Then he steps back, leans down, and presses his lips against mine. This time he just holds them there before pulling away, then stomping out of the house and slamming the door. I hear all the locks click into place, leaving me all alone.
Touching my lips where he kissed me, I think about his name. Koda. I like the way that sounds.
I turn around to see the chaos that is now my home. I pull off my shoes and cape once again. I hang my cape by the front door and place my shoes in a closet next to the door. I guess I should get to work. I told him I’d be his mate.
If what he said about being caged away is true, I’m going to turn this new cage into a home like he’s never had before.
Chapter 4
Koda
Walking away from the cabin, I feel an ache in my chest. I try to control it, but I can’t, so instead I will ignore it and try to carry out what I need to as fast as possible. I don’t know what came over me when I kissed her. The things I felt. The need to bite her to show she belongs to me. Then she came, shocking me. I didn’t know what to do. I panicked.
The longer I’m away from her, the more uneasy I feel, and it’s only been moments. I need to get back to her as soon as possible.
Taking off through the woods, I go towards the Denali home. I remember Alpha Stone talking about them one of the last times I went to have dinner with Winnie. He mentioned there were three wolf shifters living together hoping to find their mates. He never mentioned a human, so he must not have known about Snow.
Snow. Such a beautiful, perfect name for her. She’s named after something I love. It makes me think about hibernating and having her in my bed with me. Now that she’s my mate, she’ll be the thing I love most. I’ll take care of her.
The weather is taking a turn for the worst, so I speed up my running to get to the house faster. It would be easier to drive, but the roads are all unpaved out here. It’s all protected land, so it’s either run or shift. And since I didn’t bring a change of clothes, I choose to run. Our shifters aren’t too worried about nudity, but going to see my sister naked isn’t something I’d like to do anytime soon.