Rage and frustration, her emotions, beat at his soul. It was the first time he’d been able to touch her mind from so far away. The bond they shared was growing stronger. It was quickly reaching the point where he wouldn’t be able to hide it anymore.
But, then again, am I really hiding anything from anybody?
The knowing looks from all his bears were everywhere he turned. From the ranch hands, his betas, his assistant, his sister. It was so bad that he avoided being anywhere near Lucy when anyone else was around. If there was one thing a male bear recognized on one of his own, it was the scent of arousal, and Beau knew he smelled like one hell of a randy grizzly when his mate was close by.
“Where the hell’s she going in such a hurry?”
“What was that?”
At the sound of Miss Bea’s voice, Beau whipped around like his tail was on fire. One foot tangling around the other, he reached for the back of his chair to stay upright before grumping, “What? What do you need?”
Looking over the rim of her bedazzled cat-eye-shaped glasses, amusement dancing in her hazel eyes, the woman who’d been his mother’s best friend and was the closest thing Beau had to a surrogate mom cleared her throat. “I’ll let that tone go this one time.”
Giving a pointed pause, she started again, “I asked what you said. You seemed to be looking for an answer to something that has you…” waving the papers she had in her hand, the older female chuckled, “…befuddled.”
“Yeah, I guess you could say that.”
Pulling out his chair, the big bear all but collapsed on the cool leather seat. Blowing out a long-suffering breath, the kind that had his lips flapping with the silly sound he used to make when Amelia was pushing her pink Barbie car through his office, he groaned, “I’ve been a fool.”
“If you’re talking about that cute, sweet Lucy Benton, then you’re damn straight, you have.”
Sitting up so fast the edge of his desk punched him in the gut, Beau spat, “What do you mean? You can’t think… You know Cleland. You have to be…”
“Crazy? Stupid? Blind as a bat?” Shoving her glasses atop her head, the sides of her short, gray bob tucking neatly behind her ear, Miss Bea leaned her elbow on the desk and her chin on her upturned hand. “I was born at night, just not last night, Beau Sampson. From the second that little wolf stepped foot on this ranch, you’ve been fit-to-be-tied and jumpy as a polecat.”
“I thought…”
“You thought you were hiding it.”
She stated that so matter-of-factly, Beau had to laugh. Nothing got past Miss Bea.
“And maybe you were,” she kept right on talking. “From some people.” Pointing at her chest, she leveled her gaze. “But not me. I’ve seen it a thousand times. Heck, I saw it in your momma and your daddy. Lucy’s your mate. Might as well resign yourself to that fact.” Laying the papers in her other hand on the desk, she went on. “And you need to get on with it. Cleland’s an asshole, but not even he can deny fate.”
Chapter Six
Holding up her hand as Beau started to speak, Miss Bea shook her head. “I know, you’re gonna say that he’s stopped others from being with the one their soul calls to, but that was different. This is his daughter.”
Leaning forward and motioning with her index finger for him to do the same, the elder bear confided, “Have I never told you what happens if a Luna wolf princess is not mated to the one who calls to her soul?”
Great. Now she was making up fairy stories to make him feel better, just like she used to with the little cubs when they couldn’t sleep. Beau sat back and slowly shook his head. “Nope, don’t think I’ve ever heard that one.”
How can there be something I don’t know about the mating between shifters? It’s all written in my DNA, isn’t it? Gotta have the tools to lead my people.
“Well, buckle up, buttercup. You need to hear this.”
Sitting up straight, her eyes twinkling with knowledge, Miss Bea laid both her palms on the top of his desk. “It’s not some fairy tale or something anyone made up, this comes straight from the top.” Giving a single, sharp nod, she went on. “Lucy’s dear mother, Bethany.”
“When were you ever friends with her?”
“Oh, boy, I’m friends with everybody.”
“I know that.” He tried to quickly recover from the hole he’d just dug and fallen into. “But I didn’t think Cleland let his wife socialize with anyone outside their pack.”
“Please,” she scoffed, chuckling so much that her shoulders bounced. “Nobody, especially Cleland, ever dared to tell Bethany Benton who she could or could not speak to,” she said solemnly, shaking her head and never losing eye contact. “And that included your momma.”
“Mom?” He was shocked. “Really?”
“You betcha. They were fast friends. We all were. Losing Bethany and then your mom so close together damn near did me in.” Taking a deep breath, she finished as she exhaled, “But I’m a tough old bear.”
“Yes, you are, Miss Bea. Yes, you are.”
The tiniest of sniffs escaped. “Well, thank you, Beau,” she kept right on going, hurrying to cover her sorrow. “But that’s not what’s important. What you need to know…” She poked her finger in the air between them, emphasizing every word. “…is that if a Luna wolf does not mate the alpha who calls to her soul, no matter of his species, she will never bear children, and her heart will never be full.”
“What? Say that again.” Working not to roar, or jump to his feet, or both, Beau gripped the arms of his chair until his knuckles turned white. “Slowly.”
“If you and Lucy don’t stop pussy-footin’ around, Cleland’s gonna marry her off to someone who…” Her index finger lifted, indicating number one. “…she can’t have children with.” The middle finger joined the other for her second point. “And she will never know true love. Her mating might be happy. She will have someone in her bed, but she will never be in love with him.”
On his feet like he was shot out of a cannon, palms slamming the top of his desk with such force that the crack of wood echoed through the room, Beau growled, “Why did I not know about this?”
“Wrong question,” Miss Bea snapped, instantly getting to her feet, mirroring his stance, and looking him right in the eye. “What you should be asking is does Cleland’s approval matter to Lucy more than being truly happy, having real love with a man who loves her back, and having a family?”
“Damn straight.” Slamming his hands on his desk one more time, Beau growled, “Time to make shit happen.”
Chapter Seven
Shifting back as her front paws hit the soil of the garden behind the house, Lucy let out the breath she’d been holding for the last quarter mile. Fluffing her hair and pulling down the hem of her T-shirt, nervous habits she’d had since she was little, the Luna wolf marched toward the back door.
Spine straight and shoulders back, she stalked into the kitchen, through the dining room, and down the hall. The closer she got to her father’s office, the more she dreaded having to enter.