Chapter One
Remi
Panthers are supposed to have passion—the words from my partner Davis as he left my house for the last time. Over a year ago. They shouldn’t still be ringing in my ears, yet they were.
“You’re gonna drown it,” my sister Noel said, nudging my arm with hers.
“You’re right.”
Early morning and for the first time since winter hit, it was warmer. The sun had only begun to rise in the horizon. The murmur of spring. I moved on to the next row of flowers, bursting with blush and plum and sunshine petals.
My favorite time of year. April showers did bring May flowers but, in our huge greenhouse, we had flowers at all times. We sold the bouquets for Valentine’s Day and, now, people would come in, wanting to spruce up their garden beds or get the lawn ready for selling their houses.
Nettles’ Nursery and Gardening Supply was the only one in three counties not a big-box store. We grew everything from seed and used heirloom varieties as much as possible, even developing some new varieties of our own. People came in lately wanting something they’d seen on social media or online, viral types, but we didn’t have many of those. Noel wanted us to expand to more popular things, but even though she was family and worked here, my say as the sole owner ended all discussions.
Noel didn’t want a role in management, and our brother Seth had gone off to explore the city and find himself.
I found myself right here. No other place I wanted to be. Watering plants. Seeing children come in for the specialty gardening sets. Watching budding farmers buy all kinds of seedsand plants, determined to become more self-sufficient and grow their own food.
A slow life. A simple life.
I loved every second of it.
But it wasn’t for everyone.
And apparently, neither was I.
“Penny for your thoughts.” Noel hummed as she moved on to the tulips, her favorite flower. I didn’t have one. They were all magnificent in their own way.
“Too expensive,” I replied. Noel knew how Davis leaving affected me. Under no delusions he was my fated mate, I loved him. He had big aspirations but insisted he was fine with this life I’d created.
Fine with me not being like the bad boy rebels he usually dated. The ones who had hurt him emotionally. One of them physically.
He was a bear shifter.
I thought we were happy in ourboring routine, his words, not mine. We did the same things every day and I tried to create some sparks of surprise and whimsy out of love, but it wasn’t enough.
I wasn’t enough.
Being nice and kind were not the qualities he sought in a mate. He wanted someone to challenge him and called me dull and unimaginative in bed.
After he left, Noel and Seth encouraged me to date, but the apps led to propositions for one- night stands and casual flings. The omegas at the bars, at least the ones I’d met, wanted the same thing.
Davis made me scared to try again but at the same time, no one wanted to, anyway.
I wanted something real.
My panther wanted his fated mate.
“Don’t give up on finding your mate.” Noel was sometimes so spot-on with her intuition. She always had been, even when we were kids.
“That’s easy for you to say. You’ve already found your mate.”
She turned the water off and began reeling the hose back into the holder. “It’s not easy. Trust me. It’s hard to see you alone especially after the grizzly did you so dirty. I could throttle him for the way he treated you.”
She showed me exactly what that meant with the nozzle of the hose.
I snorted. There was no end to my sister’s wrath. Even against an inanimate object. “Ha! I made you laugh.”
