Hunted by the Wolf, Claimed by Three Bears

Chapter8

Jaxon POV

Now that I knew her scent, I knew there was something better I could create for her, something that could really relax her. That brought joy to my heart unlike anything else. I caught sight of Kat’s picture as I headed to the counter where all my supplies were, feeling her acceptance. She would like Olivia, I was sure of it. If Kat were still here, I could just imagine them sitting around the table together chatting eagerly and happily.

“So, you think you’re going to stay in Twin Lakes?” I asked eagerly, hoping she would say yes.

“I hope so, yeah,” Olivia nodded slowly. “It seems like a great place to settle down. From what I have heard, people leave but always come back, which says a lot.”

I laughed. “Yeah, that’s true. People usually do come back. Especially shifters like us. I think there is a real acceptance here that draws people back.”

I didn’t know where she had been before, but I hoped that was enough to twist her arm. I had a feeling her smiling face would be a win for Twin Lakes. She certainly couldn’t make anything worse, could she? Not when she was so gorgeous and sweet.

“That’s good. I would like that. It’s nice to be accepted. We have—I have moved around a lot.” I took note of the way she corrected herself quickly. I wondered who this “we” was, and if the other person had anything to do with her weird energy when she came in. But I couldn’t ask because it wasn’t for me to know if she didn’t want to tell me. “So it’s nice to think of somewhere as a little more permanent. I would like to call somewhere home forever.”

“Right, right.” I poured the concoction into a glass bottle for her to take home and took it over to her. “I’m sure that will help you feel a lot happier, and I hope this helps you out too.”

“Oh, that smells good.” Olivia inhaled and almost melted under the scent. Good, that was the effect I wanted it to have on her. That meant it was going to assist her in feeling much better, which brought a warm glow to my chest. “Thank you for this. How much do I owe you? Let me just find my wallet; I know it’s here in my bag.”

I shook my head. “Don’t worry. That’s a freebie. I just want you to try it and see how it makes you feel. If it does help, then let me know and I will make you some more.”

Anything to bring her back here. Anything to make sure she was around me some time soon. Actually, there were other things that we could maybe do together as well. It didn’t have to be in a dating capacity, just as friends to see how it went.

Although, as I got closer to Olivia and breathed her in, I wasn’t sure things would be able to just stay friendly. There was an intense, overwhelming feeling of chemistry between us.

“I do yoga on Sundays. Here, in the store.” I laughed as I glanced around. “I know it doesn’t look like there is room for it at the moment, but I always manage to make it work.”

“Like a yoga class?” she asked doubtfully.

“Oh, no, nothing so formal. It’s more just a space for yoga. Sometimes other people join me, sometimes I’m on my own, but I just wanted to let you know it’s happening in case it’s something you are interested in.”

She furrowed her eyebrows in deep thought, which had my heart hammering against my rib cage. Anticipation surged through my body, causing me to worry she was going to reject me. I wasn’t sure why, but I just knew if she said no, it would crush me.

“I do love yoga,” she finally drawled. “But I don’t know if I’m good enough at it. It’s been a while since I moved my body in that way. I don’t know if I’m flexible enough.”

“Hey, don’t you worry about that. I’m no good either. I just love the way it makes me feel.” I hoped that was enough to encourage her, and it seemed like it was.

“Yeah, okay, maybe I will. I’ll see what I have going on this Sunday. I don’t think I have anything, but I will see.”

That wasn’t a concrete answer, yes or no, but it was better than nothing. I took that happily and nodded. I could just imagine how much I could get to know her at yoga. Especially if it was just me and her there. Usually, I looked forward to people coming to the store on Sunday for yoga, but this week would be different. There was only one face I wanted to see, and it was the one in front of me right now.

“Great. And how do you like chamomile tea? Is it working?”

“It’s absolutely perfect, just what I needed. I’m feeling so much better. Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

Our eyes connected and my heart raced and my stomach flipped over with excitement. The butterflies flapping in the pit of my stomach grew to the size of birds. My feet might as well not have been touching the floor—I was so happy. I didn’t realize how long it had been since I felt like that until now, when it hit me like a sledgehammer.

This she-wolf could just be the woman I needed to have in my life. The person who could make me feel truly special. I almost wanted to say something to her, to let her know the effect that she was having on me, but I couldn’t quite find the words. I guess it was probably for the best, but I did wish I could say something to make her understand that she had impacted me in a way I wasn’t expecting.

It killed me when I heard the door swing open, bringing in another customer. Cara, coming for more back pain lotion. I had a feeling she’d be in today, just not this early. I wanted more time with Olivia.

But she was already looking at her watch and heading for the door, explaining that she needed to be somewhere else. I wasn’t going to get a chance to get to know her more today. As she vanished out of sight, taking that beautiful scent with her, I held on to the hope that I would get to see her on Sunday and everything would be much better then. Because she was the most interesting person I had met in a very long time.

I focused my attention on Cara, but Olivia was still in the back of my mind, and I had a feeling she was going to be there for a very long time. At least until Sunday when we were, hopefully, back in the store together, working out and seeing what happened.