I must have introduced myself because he called me by my name.
“Do you know who I am?”
“You’re a unicorn shifter and I’m a bear.”
Roland brought his water bottle to my lips, and I drank, though water dribbled over my chin.
“Mmmm, but I’m more than that.”
Oh, was he the Alpha? Was I destined to be the Alpha Omega? But I was rogue, so he’d have to keep me hidden, though as Alpha, he could remove my rogue designation.
“You didn’t sense anything when I came near?”
He was talking about us being mates, and he was attempting to get me to acknowledge it.
“You’re my fated mate.”
He sighed. Not in a sad kinda way but as if a hurdle had been removed.
“Yeah. Weird way for us to meet.”
He didn’t go into the logistics of mating with a rogue shifter, and I needed to sleep.
“I have to go because I’m expected back and someone will come looking for me if I don’t.”
He stroked my cheek, and I leaned into his touch.
“But I promise I’ll be back tomorrow as soon as it’s light.”
As my fated mate, he wouldn’t be able to stay away unless someone restrained him, but there was truth in his voice, and I didn’t doubt he’d return.
Roland placed his lips on my brow, and I trembled. They didn’t appear to contain the power of his horn. I wasn’t magically healed, but as my mate, that connection between us was as powerful as any modern medicine or shifter magic.
“Sleep well and restore your strength.”
He moved to the entrance of the cave and the remaining light silhouetted his body. And with one final wave, he was gone.
5
ROLAND
Leaving my mate was one of the hardest things, and leaving twice nearly broke me, but I had no choice. He needed antibiotics. What I gave him had been sitting in that backpack for years and wasn’t enough even if they had been new. That meant I had to go back to the herd. There was no other way to get them.
When I reached my cabin, the first thing I longed to do was collapse on my bed and sleep. The impact of the day was setting in hard now that the adrenaline had worn off. Sleep would have to wait, I needed to shower first. I’d used the last of my skunk spray on my way back, and far too much of it had gotten back on me thanks to the odd wind patterns.
I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed. When I couldn’t take the cold water anymore, I grabbed the robe I kept out there and went inside, shutting the door behind me.
The exhaustion took over. I couldn’t do anything now to help my mate until morning, and if I didn’t sleep, I’d be useless to him. I reminded myself there was no way to get what I needed untilthen, and that was the permission I needed to collapse on my bed.
I thought sleep would come quickly, but instead, my mind raced with questions.
Did I do it now?
Was my mate okay?
Why was my unicorn being so quiet? He hadn’t spoken to me since we left.
What was my mate doing now and was he healing well?
