Chapter 11
Sitting beside Sophie, Cage was having a quiet discussion with his parents who were sitting on a couch under the window opposite the bed.
“Son, you know she’s going to be fine. This might have just been an accident,” his dad counseled.
“If it was a one-off I’d agree with you dad, but this has been happening more often. It’s one thing for those environmental terrorists to damage our equipment. But when they start hurting people I lov…” he shook his head not finishing that sentence.
“It’s okay son, I know that feeling. You do love her, your biology and the fates have assured that. No use fighting it or trying to understand how it works. The getting to know her part will happen eventually. What you feel now is real and true, but you may want to avoid blurting that out to her just yet. Humans tend to run a little scared when a stranger tells them they are fated mates and they are in love with them,” he said chuckling to himself.
“I want to rip someone’s arms off for hurting her.”
“I get that, but this is all new to her. She feels the pull to you, she doesn’t understand it and it probably terrifies her. Give her some time, be there for her and she won’t be able to fight the pull. Once you two start making babies, her biology will change and you’ll be able to let her know how old you really are. Don’t want her running away when you tell her you’re in your fifties,” his dad laughed quietly.
“I’m a little more worried about telling her I’m a bear, dad,” Cage said looking at him wryly.
“Oh, that’s no problem, dear,” his mom interjected. “You’d be surprised how many women already think their men are animals,” she said tittering.
Cage just shook his head at them both. Already planning cubs for him and he hadn’t even spent more than a few hours with his mate. Most of those she’d been unconscious.
He rubbed his hand across his beard in frustration. He didn’t want to waste time tracking down who had messed with the hydraulic hoses. His brother Conner had texted him that it looked like it had been tampered with.
He understood loving the forest and wanting to protect it. But these eco groups didn’t understand they were managing their forests. They never clear cut whole areas. They picked and chose specific locations, leaving surrounding tree coverage and habitat for the animals. They replanted and maintained their lands and the government lands they worked. He was proud of the work they did.
But now they had hurt someone he cared about. Someone he had been waiting a lifetime for and he was pissed. His bear was none too happy either.
Reaching for Sophie’s hand, he ran his thumb over the back of her soft skin. Not caring his parents were in the room, he leaned down and placed a kiss on the back of her hand. Breathing in her scent while he was there, appeased his bear. The animal didn’t like the antiseptic smell of the hospital, but he rumbled happily when Sophie’s sweet floral scent tinged with honey broke through the artificial soap.
Cage heard another contented sigh from his mother. He smiled a small smile, he was glad his mom was happy. He was over the moon himself. He wanted to pull Sophie into his arms, rub his scent all over her, kiss her, make love to her, and protect her always.
Sitting back in his chair, he let his eyes roam over her. Even beat up and looking miserable, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He couldn’t help but imagine her heavy with his cubs, sitting on the front porch of the cabin he’d built near his parents. The family owned two hundred acres of private land that butted up against government land. His brothers and he had all built cabins hoping to find their mates and keep their families close.
Cage never thought this day would come. That he could have a family of his own and a mate to love and protect. Now he just had to convince Sophie that it was okay to trust him with her heart. That he was unsure of how to do. This was new territory for him, he knew he could trust his parent’s advice, but something told him he needed to do this on his own.
Chapter 12
Sophie woke up slowly, her head just had a large horse sitting on it now instead of an elephant. She could feel the soreness in the back of her hand where the nurse had come earlier and removed her IV.
Her other hand was being gently rubbed, soothing and soft.
Turning her head and trying not to wince at the movement, she saw a tired looking Cage sitting in the chair he’d been in all night. She’d open her eyes a few times and he’d been in that chair, talking to his parents or just staring at her. She tried to be sneaky about her peeking, but she knew he was aware she was awake. He never called her on it, just kept talking to his parents or would give her a little smile when he saw her eyes.