Bearly Taken (Cub Lake Shifters #2)

Chapter 2

two

REED

I stared down at my phone, my back to Wren’s shitty apartment’s door.

I should’ve been trying to sleep, but there wasn’t a fucking chance I could walk away from her again. It had nearly killed me to leave her the first time. I’d only been able to do it because I thought she would be safe, living in my house, and happy in the arms of the asshole I’d seen her dancing with at the Grill.

I should’ve known better.

I should’ve known her better.

And I did—to an extent.

We’d spent so much time in bed together before I claimed her, I knew exactly what she liked. And when we hadn’t been screwing, we’d been talking. I knew her. Better than I knew anyone else.

Well enough to know what she hadn’t said when she ended our conversation.

Why hadn’t she told me she was pregnant?

Because I claimed her, and left her.

Because it hurt her when I did.

Because she’d been waiting for me to come back for her—and I hadn’t.

I hadn’t known how.

I’d always been told that bears didn’t stay, but I was confident that if I went back to her, I wouldn’t be able to leave.

Forcing myself to take in a slow breath, I closed my eyes.

I needed a plan. I’d always needed a plan.

My plan to avoid ruining her life by coming back for her was simple—do not return to Cub Lake.

But I was back.

And I sure as fuck wasn’t leaving.

Now, I needed to prove that to her. And figure out how not to ruin her life while I did.

I wanted to be involved in my son’s childhood. I wanted to watch him grow up, and to be a better dad than my own father had been.

To do that, I needed to really be her mate. The way the werewolves and other supernaturals were with their mates. She deserved that, and much more.

But if I wanted to get there, I had to focus on her first. My son was small—small enough that he would forgive me for not being there.

Wren was the one I had to prove myself to.

So I spent the rest of the night creating a plan, rereading our messages, and making a list of everything I knew about my mate.

She was the love of my life—and I was going to make myself the love of hers, if it killed me.