Axel can feel himself losing control. The audacity that the men from Harvey Group would have to print documents showing his financial demise from his own computer makes him see red. His teeth itch in his mouth. His skin feels too tight.
“You need us, Mr. Henderson, not just to buy up the land. But this hotel reservation, you need us here,right now. You can’t afford to pay your staff if you ask us to leave.”
Axel hates it, but he’s right. He hasn’t told them to leave yet because they booked the biggest cabin. He needs that income, needs their reservation. It makes him feel pathetic. Even more pathetic that Russell knows it and is throwing it in his face.
He slams open the glass door. He has to leave, get out. His vision is going red, and he knows he needs to get out of sight. He hasn’t had this poor control of his shift in, well, ever. He runs. Miles of running till he realizes he’s far away from the lodge. Axel strips and shifts, launching and shifting mid-air so he lands on all fours in his grizzly form. He shakes out his fur, shakes out the anger and the feeling of wrongness in his skin.
Chloe. He whines deep in his throat. He wants to go to her, wants her to see him in his bear form, and snuggle and pet him. Wants her to love him. But it’s too soon, they’ve barely spoken. He knows he feels drawn to her because she’s his mate. It’s instinctual. Mates always find relief in stressful times when they’re with their other half. And that’s what she is, isn’t she? His other half, the other half of his soul.
His father used to describe it as being incomplete. Until you met your mate, your soul was incomplete. That you would never be truly fulfilled without the other person. A mate was supposed to complement you perfectly. Be the other half of everything you need. He believes Chloe will be that for him, and he for her.
He runs through the forest in his bear form till it’s dark. He doesn’t know where he is exactly, but knows he’s still on his family’s land and can track back towhere he left his clothes. He sits on a boulder and looks up at the night sky. It’s beautiful, peaceful. He can’t imagine living anywhere else. Here, the night is lit up by the moon. Chloe said the city is lit up by lights. He can’t imagine what that would look like.
He feels stupid for running. A bear shifter and leader of his family shouldn’t run off when he gets angry. His father would have stood his ground. He also wouldn’t have let those two assholes stay at the lodge. He wishes his father were still alive. He always wishes that, but in times like these, he wishes it the most. He could use his father’s wisdom. The strong hand on his shoulder. He misses his dad, who was his best friend. He wonders how he can make everything right. How can he save the lodge and bring his brothers' mates? How can he make beautiful, sweet Chloe see how much he could love her? Because he does, he loves her now and forever.
Chapter Ten
Chloe
It’s so beautiful out here. Chloe can’t believe how calm everything is. She feels like she can finally breathe here. Like she had been subconsciously holding her breath in New York for years, holding in all the tension and fear of failure. But here in Montana, she can finally breathe.
Her entire life was spent in New York City. She was used to the hustle and bustle. The rude people, the sadness, and the stress that went along with being a New Yorker. But here it’s like everything is different. It’s slower, eating, sleeping, and even showering. There isn’t the constant rush, the forever running from one place to another. It’s calm, relaxing. And she feels like she can get used to it.
She had taken a book with her on what she deemed was her new favorite hike. Nestled on a boulder with her back against a tree, she reads for hours till the sun starts to fall, and she knows she needs to head back. Her stomach grumbles, and sherealizes she hasn’t eaten since breakfast. Axel had told her to let Jack or Mary Lou know, and they would pack her lunch to take with her, but she just wanted to go. Didn’t want to waste even a moment of her vacation.
Chloe didn’t think she would like it. The trip had started off so terribly, but Axel had fixed it, he had saved the day. Carrying her, holding her, taking her to the store. He was a man unlike any she had met before. Kind, gentle. He looked at her like she was the sole focus of his attention. Like he wanted to know everything about her. But she had barely seen him the past two days. Two new guests had arrived, businessmen who continuously wore suits and seemed unhappy with everything around them. She wondered if they had anything to do with Axel being out of sight for the past two days.
She missed him as much as one person could miss another when they didn’t really know them. She felt drawn to him. Like she was meant to know him, like they were meant to be together. But that was probably just her mind romancing the kindness of a man. It had been so long, so very long since she’d been cared for. Hugged even. And Axel, carrying her around, had made her feel like a princess, like she was worthy.
Making her way back down the trail, she is soon back at the lodge. She peeks in the front, hoping to see Axel manning the desk, but it is Gunner instead.
“Can I help you with something, ma’am?”
She is embarrassed immediately, and knows she was caught looking for something.
“I was wondering if you knew where Axel is? I hadn’t seen him in a couple of days.”
Gunner smiles like he knows a secret and tells her to hold on, disappearing down a hallway to the side.Chloe clutches her book between both hands. She’s nervous, she doesn’t really have a reason to see Axel. Doesn’t know if he’s interested in her, so many men aren’t. Doesn’t know if he’s single or even likes women, or if he would ever look at her that way.
After a minute, Axel comes around the corner. His hair looks wet like he recently showered, and she has to stop herself from going to him to run her fingers through it.
“Did you need something, Chloe? Everything ok?”
“Oh. Yes, everything’s fine. I just hadn’t seen you in a while.”
His face lights up, and she wants to melt a little at how great his smile is. It’s warm and bright and directed at her. She blushes furiously and dips her head to look at the ground. She can hear him step closer, and she raises her head back up to look at him, meeting his gaze head-on. His eyes are gold like always, brilliant and beautiful.
“I did say I would take you on a horseback ride.”
“Yes, the activities. I haven’t signed up for any yet.”
“No, ma’am. Not an activity.Iwould like to take you on a horseback ride. If it’s not too presumptuous.”
She can feel her face flame even hotter, and his eyes flit all over it. She shakes her head no. “A horseback ride would be nice, I would like that very much.”
His wide smile gets even wider, and she loves that she did that to him.
“Great, great.” He clasps his palms together. “We can meet here tomorrow after breakfast, say nine? I’ll have everything ready to go.”
