Bred By The Boulderback Alpha

Chapter 7 - mate bond

Chapter 7 - mate bond

Aurora pov

Bear.

Mate.

I blinked at him repeatedly, my brain trying to comprehend what he meant. Wait… But was it a bear as in the animal — the big bear that killed Knox's men — that bear was him? And mate as in — what exactly? Mate as in friend or mate as in all those cringy werewolf books?

No, that can't be. And I pinched my side hard.

I tilted my head to look at his face to see if he was joking but the expression on his face proved me wrong because Orion had a soft smile on his face like he had just commented about today's weather.

I didn't know what to say or ask, I was tongue-tied. It couldn't be real, right? Humans can't be shifters, right?

Orion, taking notice of my confusion, reached over and took my hand gently, and I trudged behind him absentmindedly as he walked me back to his house. He sat me on the couch then disappeared for a moment before coming back with a glass of water.

My hands were shaking when I accepted the glass from him and murmured a thank you — I didn't know if he heard it, but he would hear it, right? He is a bear… I shook my head and brought the glass to my mouth, drinking it all in one go. The water was refreshing to my dry throat but it did nothing to clear the fog in my head.

"I knew you'd be scared from what I said," he stated, his voice calm as he sat across from me with his forearms on his knees while my hands continued to tremble around the empty glass, clutching it for strength.

Damn right! I'm scared… No, I was shocked and confused.

"Bear shifters," he started, "we live in clans, deep in secluded places, away from human cities and human attention because humans don't do well with what they don't understand." He looked at me steadily.

"But you are telling me," I mumbled.

"Yeah, because I don't want to hide anything from you," he said, staring deeply at me as I gulped. "And everyone in Clawpine is a shifter."

I clutched the glass harder. "All of them?" My voice was barely above a whisper.

"All of them," he confirmed.

"Wait," I blinked, "like the werewolf stories?"

Orion shifted in his seat a little. "I don't know what you mean by that but werewolves do exist," he responded matter-of-factly.

“So you're telling me alpha, mate, Luna — they're real, not all fiction?”

Damn! Who came up with the dynamics?

He smiled a little. "Yeah. There are many kinds of shifters. Many creatures that are beyond human comprehension."

I wouldn't be surprised if mermaids really exist. "You sure I'm your mate," I said after a moment, pulling myself back. Was it like the werewolf thing? That I hadn't asked.

"Yeah, you are. A mate is the other half. The soul that is written for yours before either of you is born. A bear shifter has one mate and only one —" He paused. "My bear recognized you as the one I am meant to love, claim, and protect for the rest of my life.”

I swallowed. Claim and protect?

I raised my head slowly, "Is that why…” I whispered, wetted my lower lip, “is that why I feel these sparks every time you touch me? This crazy pull toward you that makes no sense?”

"Yes," he growled softly, his eyes darkened a little. "Because the bond is already taking root between us."

I exhaled slowly and looked at my hands. The bond was already growing. Apparently my subconscious was already aware of it. "So…" his voice interrupted me.

A shadow of pain crossed his face, "You can reject me if you want," he said, his voice dropping as he winced, his large hands clenching into tight fists against his knees before he forced another small smile. "I won't ever force you to be mine."

"Wouldn't you be in pain if I did?"

"Don't worry about me," he said, trying to grin slightly, though the expression didn't reach his eyes. "I have been alone for so long that I honestly thought I was never going to be blessed with a mate at all. I can just continue living the same way."

My heart pulled painfully from how wretched he looked and the anguish in his voice. Emotion clogged in my throat — I couldn't do that to him. Even though I hadn't known him for more than a few days, I didn't want him in pain.

I wetted my lower lip and looked down at my lap. "Thank you for explaining," I began softly, "but can you give me some time to think about this?" I stammered, waving my hands. "It's too much and I'm just learning many things I didn't know were possible." I gulped, fiddling with my fingers anxiously as my voice dropped. "I just ran away from a…" I winced, pressing my lips together to stop myself from finishing the statement about the bad relationship.

I had just run away from Knox — I didn't think I was ready to move on with a new man. Even though every fiber of me wanted to give Orion a chance, I couldn't now. And my heart wrenched at the conflict.

I instinctively rubbed my shoulder and Orion's gaze trailed to the action and something flashed in his eyes. He nodded and smiled softly with a softened gaze. "I understand," he said gently. "I'll wait and give you as much time as you need."

"Thank you," I murmured.

***

After the conversation, Orion left me to my own devices, which I was very grateful for. Time for myself to think and reason about the new world I had been thrust into. I walked aimlessly through the house for a while before my feet found the kitchen and I inhaled.

Cooking has always been a way to calm myself down, to keep myself from getting lost in my head.

I thought about waiting for Orion to ask for permission but I needed to busy my hands or else I would be overthinking, and overthinking caused over-imagining. And over-imagining led to anxiety.

So I walked into the kitchen and started with what I could find. The kitchen was almost empty, which surprised me, and I wondered briefly how breakfast had been made, but I worked with what was there, washing the utensils, then cutting…

I was setting the table when Orion walked in. He was in a black jacket vest with a bear logo across it, his blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail with loose strands falling across his face, one hand pulling off a black leather jacket.

I looked at him and felt the jolt in my chest and I rubbed my chest, mumbling to myself that it was just the bond as I walked to the table and smiled at him.

"Come, I made food," I said, then paused as I looked at the floor, twisting my foot slightly. "I don't know if you mind me using the kitchen, I should have asked first—"

"You can do anything you want," he said, quickly looking from me to the table. "Let me quickly wash up," he added and disappeared.

He came back in a different outfit, freshly cleaned, his hair no longer tied and falling loose toward his shoulders, and he sat at the table, leaning slightly forward and inhaled.

"Smells good," he complimented.

"I just made something with what I could find," I responded shyly, redness creeping up the back of my neck as I sat across from Orion.

He rubbed his hands eagerly then picked up the spoon as if he were about to take a bite, then his brow furrowed, his gaze sharp with nose flared.

He took a bite and his brow furrowed deeper.

I paused, spoon halfway to my mouth, my stomach dropping immediately because I had done something wrong — I had used the wrong ingredient or not enough or—

He set his spoon down and stood and looked at me apologetically. "I'm sorry," he said with urgency, "but I have to go." And then he walked out, leaving me feeling empty and… hurt.