“I have to do something in response,” I said. “I can’t just let them get away with this narrative.”
“They don’t deserve a response.”
“Josie said they’re using this to push for anti-omega legislation. I can’t let them get away with it.”
“Baby, you’ve got enough going on right now,” Bear said, tugging me closer to his side. “Let the two suits in there figure it out.”
“How are you so calm about this?”
His hand twisted in my hair as he ran his nose down the side of my face. “I’m not fucking calm, baby. If your uncles were here right now, I would fucking end them. But they’re not here—you are. And you’re the one I care about right now.”
My lips quirked into an almost smile.
“If you call me sweet or romantic…” he growled.
“You’ll what?” I nipped at his jaw.
“Absolutely nothing,” he said with a chuckle.
My phone lit up on the coffee table with a notification and I leaned forward, trying to get a closer look. Bear’s arms tightened around me.
“Wait, I just got an idea,” I said. “I can post a response on social media so people know their version of the story isn’t true.”
He played with a strand of my hair, looking unsure, but I was feeling more and more confident about the idea. Bear was right that I didn’t have the time or energy to go on the news and do some sort of formal response right now, but social media would probably be more effective, anyway.
“Come on,” I said, standing and pulling at his arm. He cocked an eyebrow at my sad attempts to get him to move. “Bear,” I whined.
He grinned and got off the couch, following me into the bedroom. I stood in front of the dresser mirror and he came up behind me, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
“What’re you doing, baby?”
“Just put your arms around me.” I looked through my phone camera, adjusting our positioning until our torsos were the only thing in the frame. I angled the camera so my soft smile was visible, but not the rest of our faces, and snapped a bunch of photos.
“Why aren’t our faces in it?” Bear asked when I pulled away to look through the photos.
“It’s a soft launch of our relationship.”
“What the fuck is a soft launch?”
My lips twitched as I thought of how to explain the concept. “Um, well, it’s when you post a teaser on social media that shows you’re in a relationship, but you keep some mystery around it and don’t show the other person’s face.”
“What’s the point of that?” he asked, still looking confused.
I shrugged. “Maybe because you’re a more private person, or sometimes just because the relationship is new, and you don’t know if it will stick.”
Bear turned me in his arms so I was facing him, a deep scowl on his face. “You’re not sure we’ll stick?”
I squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze, but his hand gripped my chin and prevented me from looking away.
“It’s just a social media thing,” I said weakly.
Bear studied me and I was afraid he saw too much. “If you say so.”
I could scent the disappointment rolling off of him, and it made me want to cry. I wanted to tell him I was sure about us, that I was picturingforeveras a pack, but I couldn’t.
Not yet.
Bear sighed and pulled me to his chest, hugging me close.
