“Chloe, she’s a guest at the lodge. She’s...she’s my mate.” Axel tells them.
All eating stops, and he hears the clatter of a utensil as Gunner drops his fork.
“Your mate?” Gunner asks. “What the fuck? Seriously?”
“Yes, she’s my mate. I recognized it immediately.”
“Are you sure? Really sure?” Jack asks in awe.
“Yes. Her scent is like honeysuckle. It’s made for me. She’s...my heart. It feels different now. I’ve never felt like this before.”
“Wow. I never thought we’d find mates,” Gunner says. “But she’s really your mate, huh?”
Axel nods yes and picks up his fork to eat again when Raif stands. He slams his plate down, and Axel is surprised it didn’t break. He can scent the anger rolling off of Raif as he storms out. He’s had it the hardest out of all of them. Raif is the type of bear shifter who needs a mate to complete them. That he’s listless and wandering without a mate to center him. Axel feels bad, wishing it were Raif who found a mate first.
“Jeez, a mate. Wow.” The disbelief is evident in Gunner’s voice. Axel can’t fault him. It’s hard for him to wrap his head around it himself. He knows nothing about her except that she’s all he’s ever wanted. He knows she’s perfect.
“So, you gonna tell her? That we’re shifters?” Jack asks. He feels Gunner stiffen next to him.
“Yes. I have to. I’m not sure when, but I have to.” Jack nods his head in understanding, but Gunner remains quiet. Axel knows what a big deal it is to tell an outsider. He hasn’t had to before and has no idea how to broach the subject with a woman he barely knows. His heart tells him his mate will accept him, that she will welcome him with open arms. That she will love him. But he doesn’t know, not really.
Gunner begins to eat again, and Jack and Axel follow his lead. There’s comfort in the silence. He knows they are probably wrapped up in their own thoughts, but they are his brothers, his family, and he knows they’ll support him. At least Jack and Gunner will, but he’s not too sure about Raif. Maybe it’s the fact that he found a mate first. Or the fact that after all these years, he’s been the only one of them who has. Raif’s departure from the table means he’s angry. At himself or Axel he’s not sure. But anger in a bear shifter isn’t a good sign. Axel will have to talk to him, maybe even put him in his place. Raif has walked around far too often lately with a chip on his shoulder. Hating the world around him. And they can’t live like that, none of them can.
Axel is tending to the front desk early the next day when he gets a whiff of honeysuckle. Instantly, he is calm, and his bear rumbles contentedly. Chloe. He can scent her before he sees her, but when he does, his heart picks up a little bit. She’s dressed for theoutdoors, long khaki pants with pockets and a maroon sweater, a bit too large for her frame. On anyone else, he would think they were just plain clothes, but on her, he thinks they’re stunning. The light from a window catches her as she walks, and her red hair lights up. She’s like the sun, and he’s inexplicably drawn to her.
Before he realizes it, he’s walking over to her. A big smile on his face, which she mirrors when she sees him.
“Chloe. How are you?” he sounds breathless, he knows he does. But she literally takes his breath away.
She blushes hard and looks at the ground. Her hair falls forward over her face, and his fingers itch to tuck it behind her ear. She moves it back and looks up at him. Her cheeks are still tinged pink, and he puffs out his chest a little, knowing he did that to her.
“I’m good. Just wanted to ask about the hiking trails.”
He wants to tell her he’ll take her. But he knows Levi is already out on a group hike, and Gunner has gone into town for some more feed for the horses. There is no one left to man the front desk, so he has to stay. He hasn’t seen Raif since the previous night and doesn’t dare ask him right now to greet any guests who might need something. Plus, two guests are checking in later.
“Sure, let me get you a map.” She follows Axel back to the front desk, and he pulls out a printed map with different trail heads. “Is Ms. Wilkshire going with you?”
“Yes,” Chloe nods. “She went yesterday when we were in town, but I want something a little easier. She has more experience than I do.”
He wonders if he could ask her on a date, if he could ask her to hike with him. Take her to dinner in town. Or make her something in his cabin, his den. But doubt creeps in. They don’t know each other, not really. He knows she’s from New York, and he knows her scent, it’s now embedded in his skull. And he knows she is his mate, but he doesn’t know much more. He wants to, though.
Axel points out a trail, it’s an easy beginner hike that most families with young kids take. It has a beautiful path with wild flowers on it, and his mate should be able to walk it. She smiles as he tells her about the wild flowers, and he wants her to smile always.
It’s when she leaves out the front door with Danielle that he feels alone. He knows it’s the feeling of being unbonded, having met your mate yet not bonded with them. He feels lost, listless, without her near. He needs to make a plan, not to fuck her, but to get to know her better. To earn one kiss or two. To have her heart beat with love for him. He has no idea how to go about those things.
Axel tidies up. It’s the only thing to do while he waits for the next two guests. He vacuums the sitting area. Refills the logs for the fireplace from outside. Sets out a plate of fresh cookies. He looks over the accounts again. But every time he looks, it makes him mad. Mad that things changed so much after his father died. That people stopped coming. That stories circulated about killers on the loose at Silver Lake Lodge and chased the families away. He wants it back the way it was, bustling and full of life. Now being open is more expensive than not. They may have to close the lodge completely for winter, and that wouldshut out the guests who choose to come in winter and snowshoe.
He’s lost in thought when he hears the whir of an engine. Not a car, and he goes outside to look. There is a helicopter pad that is very seldom used. Only maybe two times in Axel’s whole life has he seen it used. His parents put it in for medical emergencies or if a very important guest came to stay. He makes sure it always stays clear of any debris. And all helicopter landings are to be arranged beforehand for safety. He’s not expecting a helicopter and is pissed off when it touches down, spraying gravel and dirt everywhere.
He waits till the blades stop before he marches over to the pilot’s door.
“Hey, hey!” He raps his knuckles on the glass. The pilot looks at him with a bored look and focuses back on the control board.
“Hey. You’re supposed to radio in before landing. This isn’t a secure site.”
The pilot shrugs his one shoulder and doesn’t look at Axel again. The side door opens, and a lean man steps out with a briefcase in hand.
“Your pilot didn’t secure a landing with us beforehand,” Axel tells the man.
