Bear raised his brows."Wait. A big red book, right?"
"Yes! How did you know?"
"I must have read the same book. I found it as a cub after—"Bear paused then continued."I taught myself from it. Hold on."
Bear got up and rummaged through the back corner of the hollow behind his herb stores. When he returned, I couldn't believe my eyes. It was old, dusty, and yellowed with age, but there was no doubt about it. It was the same book I recognized from over two decades ago when Starry and I were little.
That explainedwhy I understood most of Bear’s signs. He learned from the exact source that Starry did. Literally from the same book!
"Wow," I murmured, carefully running my hand over the cover. "What a crazy twist of fate. What are the odds, huh?"
"Tiny." The corners of Bear's eyes wrinkled in amusement. "Like you."
I crossed my arms. "Excuse me? I'm not tiny."
"You're smaller than me. That makes you tiny."
"Well, you're huge. I don't know if you noticed, but you're a grizzly bear."
Bear rolled his eyes. "My name is B-E-A-R. I've noticed."
Despite him poking fun at me, I chuckled. It usually annoyed me when people commented on my size—I wasn't that small, thank you very much—but it didn't seem malicious when Bear did it.
The curious part of me was intrigued about his name, but the last time I commented on it, he got upset. I kept my questions to myself for now.
Bear scooped up a glob of poultice. "Can I keep going?"
Oh, right. I was injured. I'd forgotten all about it while talking to Bear. I glanced down at my sides and winced at the wounds. They looked bad.
"Go ahead," I said.
"Lean back,"he ordered.
I did as he asked, resting my head against the wall of the hollow. I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath as Bear applied the poultice. I knew it was going to make me feel better eventually, but the cold jelly-like consistency felt weird.
As I inhaled, the smell of Bear flooded my nostrils. For a naked man who lived in a dirt hole, he sure did smell amazing. Something about his scent made my throat tighten and my heart pick up speed.
My body stiffened as Bear began his treatment. But as his fingers gently grazed my wounds, I relaxed under his soothing touch. The kindness of Bear’s hands overcame the pain. It was odd. I’d only just met Bear, yet I was calm under his hands. I doubted I would ever let any other stranger touch me this way.
As Bear moved, his sent shifted, tickling my nose. It jolted me. There was that spicy, musky note again, the one that sent an electric tingle down my spine. I sucked in a breath. My skin felt warm and sensitive, and it wasn't because of my injuries.
Wait, I thought.Is Bear an alpha?
It was impossible to tell by appearance alone, unless he was aroused and sporting a knot. Did bear shifters even have knots? I doubted Bear was turned on by this whole affair, but just in case, I risked a peek downwards and hoped he was too focused on his work to notice me.
I nearly choked. Yep, his dick was definitely proportionate to the rest of his large body. It wasn't even hard but it was still big enough to make my mouth water.
I quickly slammed the brakes on that particular train of thought. Nope, not happening. Bear was sexy and he smelled incredible but that didn't mean anything. No need to get ahead of myself. Besides, the guy was in the middle of healing me. I wasn't about to make things inappropriate and make him feel uncomfortable.
I subtly sniffed the air again. Bear definitely smelled like an alpha with that rich, thick scent. But scent wasn't always definitive either. On top of that, his identity could be different from his biological scent. My uncle Red switched fluidly between being an alpha and an omega, so I figured the easiest option was to just ask.
"So, Bear," I began, clearing my throat. "Are you... an alpha?"
Since his hands were busy applying the poultice, he nodded.
My heart flipped for some reason. Why did I even care?
"Cool," I said, then immediately felt dumb.
