"Harper – you look stunning," he said, striding over to her and kissing her on both cheeks. Her face heated and her breath hitched in her throat.
"You don't look too bad yourself, Rocco," she replied, her dry tone belying the fact that her head was spinning and she seemed to have an electric charge running through her veins. They stared at each other wordlessly, Harper feeling like there was everything and nothing to say. I'm about to be mated to my worst enemy, she told herself. What can I say about that? The situation felt unreal, and she was suddenly overwhelmed. She took a step back and stumbled. Rocco immediately reached out a steadying arm.
"Harper, are you okay?" he said. Before she had time to think, she shook it off.
"I'm fine," she said, straightening her hair, and flashed him a thin smile.
Tarkus and her mom pulled up, and a moment later Xander and his mate and an older lady who was evidently their mom arrived too. Tarkus passed the bouquets and headdresses around, and everyone decorated their clothes, in high spirits and talking excitedly. She pulled herself together, forcing a smile back onto her face. It's just a ceremony, she told herself. I just have to get through it, and then the clan will have what they need. And then I can go to pieces.
"There's a clearing, deep in the forest, where all the mating ceremonies take place," Rocco explained, holding out his arm to her. She took it unwillingly, and the small party followed a narrow, overgrown trail into the woods.
After maybe twenty minutes, they arrived at the clearing, a priest in ceremonial robes waiting for them. The journey had been long. Rocco was trying to make small talk, and she'd never heard him so nervous before. She'd always loved the way that he was so relaxed. No matter what had happened when they were in high school, he'd greet it with that lazy grin, which convinced her that it couldn't be all that bad. That side of him had even shaped her own personality, helped turn her into the measured person she was. But now she felt that his body was rigid with tension. And she sensed his bear, hunched up, ready to run. Her own bear wanted him, of course. It was lively, scrabbling inside her, eager for the mating to be made official, and she squirmed at its disloyalty. She couldn't really blame it though. No-one was as handsome, as sexy as Rocco. Every time those blue-green eyes locked onto hers, she wobbled, and there was a half-second delay before she remembered that she hated him, and all the sexiness in the world wouldn't make up for what he'd done.
As the ceremony began, she felt like she was in a dream. Or a nightmare. Ever since she was a little girl, she'd dreamed about her mating ceremony, like most shifters did, and this was all so wrong. The priest spoke, then Rocco spoke, and then there was a long silence. Tarkus gently elbowed her. She jumped and looked up, realizing at the same time that a single tear was running down her cheek. She wiped it away guiltily, and chanted the necessary words. As the priest pronounced them mates, she forced herself to look into Rocco's eyes. His irises had turned stormy blue, and she frowned, thinking she saw an apology in them.
He took a step toward her, grasped her waist, and, before she knew what was happening, his mouth was on hers. Those lips that she once knew so well were pressed against her own. Instinctively, and completely against her will, her lips parted a little. And then, to her dismay, her bear let off a little purr. Their families made sounds of approval, and she tore herself away from him, trying not to make it look too obvious. As she stepped back, she didn't know who was more shocked. But then, that familiar little smile began to crook his lips, and she fought an urge to hit him. That asshole! He thinks I'm falling for him again, she thought, glaring at him.
"That was lovely," Tarkus boomed, clapping his huge hands together.
"Let's go back and celebrate!" Xander said, looking equally happy.
There was champagne and a giant barbecue with a hog roast. And, to her horror, what looked to be all of the Broken Hill clan. Of course they're all here. This is a big deal: the Alpha's brother has just found his mate. With a supreme effort, she put a smile on her face again, and greeted everyone and accepted their enthusiastic congratulations. They seemed like a nice bunch – friendly and eager to get to know her. Things could be a lot worse, she told herself.
When night fell, and all the bears were getting happily drunk, she slipped away to a quiet spot to spend some time with her parents, sad that she was leaving their love and care behind, in exchange for a loveless mating.
"Harper, my dear," Tarkus said, gathering her into his arms. "I think you'll be very happy with that young man. He's obviously crazy about you already." She stifled a snort, glad that the champagne had blunted her emotions somewhat.
At last, it was time to go to bed. The clan lined up on either side of the entrance to the cabin and joined hands, forming an arch. As was traditional, she and Rocco held hands and ran through it to cheers and shouts, before disappearing into the cabin.
Inside, Rocco kept hold of her hands.
"Thank you for this, for being so sweet to the clan, Harper," he said, his voice low and a little raspy. Against her will, she inhaled his spicy masculine scent, which filled her with nostalgia.
"Just doing my duty, Rocco," she said crisply, pulling her hands away from his. "Can you show me to my room?"
"Of course," he said, hurt flashing in his eyes, and led her through the cabin, pointing out the location of the kitchen and bathroom.
Her room was very nice – minimalist style, with whitewashed walls, exposed beams and stripped floorboards.
"I remembered what you liked, and I tried to have it decorated like that," he said.
"Thank you. I appreciate that." He lingered at her door, as if he wanted to say more, but she said goodnight and closed it firmly.
A moment later, she was lying on her bed facedown, her pillow stifling the sound of her crying.
6
The morning after the mating ceremony, Rocco awoke sunk in gloom. So this was going to be his life from now on? Sharing his home, his space with Harper. Seeing every day just how much she hated him? It was ironic, he thought, gazing at the empty side of the bed next to him. He'd always been the heartbreaker, the tearaway. And now it had come back to haunt him – being mated to the woman whose heart he'd broken, and bearing the weight of it every single day. He wished so much that things were different, and that he hadn't had to break her heart. If she knew the truth, she'd understand. But he could never tell her.
She'd looked so beautiful yesterday. The sight of her had taken his breath away. Her brown hair was so glossy and fragrant, and the simple dress she was wearing had done nothing to conceal her curves. At the thought of that ripe, luscious body, his bear let off a muted roar. As a teen, she'd been lithe and sexy, but now she'd filled out a little, she was off the charts. He could only imagine how that creamy flesh would feel beneath his hands. But her face had been like a sheet of marble – flawless and carefully devoid of expression. Harper was a mistress of self-control. It had always been her way of protecting herself, concealing her vulnerabilities, so you had to be very close to her to know what she was truly feeling. She's yours. She's your mate, his bear told him, with its usual lack of appreciation of the finer points of relationships. She's not mine, and she'll never forgive me, he retorted. But it didn't listen, scrabbling inside him, urging him to go and claim her. The pressure inside him was too much. He needed to release his bear and go out for a run; let off some steam.
Shifting quickly, he tiptoed out of the cabin, his claws clicking on the wooden floors, and headed into the woods.
An hour and a good hunt later, his mood had lifted a little. Being surrounded by nature had restored his inner balance. And, more importantly, without his bear nagging at him, he'd been able to think clearly, and he had a resolution: Harper wasn't a person to change her mind – he knew that. And the hurt he'd caused her ran too deep. He'd never have her heart again. But I'm going to do my best to ensure that she has a happy life with me, he told himself. I've got 90 days to make this mating work, and at the end of it, I'm not going to go to Xander and tell him I can't do it. Apart from everything else, he was very aware that an annulment of the mating would mean ruin for her clan. The shame of having a daughter mated to a Broken Hill Bear then sent home again would be immense. It's not going to happen. The things that had happened in the past, which had caused her so much pain, had been out of his control. But this he could control. He was going to be the best mate to her that he possibly could. And if she hated him until the end of their lives, then so be it. He was strong enough to deal with it. For the past five years, he'd been a tearaway, a bad boy, but he was going to face up to his responsibilities and become the best damn mate he could.