Finding His Mate (Bare Bites #3) - Mila Crawford Page 0,25

an alpha, so bowing down to anyone was hard on him, but he couldn’t deny that I was his superior. Maybe Tom didn’t approve, but all of my reason was gone; the man in me had been stripped away long ago, and the animal was crawling to get out. I would destroy anyone in my path in order to get to her. Fifteen years. I’d waited fifteen fuckin’ years for her, and I was going to do everything in my power to find her.

“Gavin!” Mercy called out to me from the forest. Her call was desperate and urgent, and the bear in me ran. When I got to the clearing, I saw Mercy standing there looking helpless, trying to coax the young girl to come to her. I leaped toward them, and for the first time in a long time, I finally heard the true center of my heartbeat. Her scent wasn’t foreign, but she wasn’t a bear shifter either—she was a wolf.

I would never forget the sight of her.. She was curled up on the cold ground, shivering uncontrollably, huddled up to a tree and blanketed by fresh snow. I knew, without a doubt, that I’d found her. My mate. She seemed fragile and helpless and didn’t look a day older than eighteen. Rage boiled within me. What kind of a pack leaves one of their own alone and defenseless? I walked up to her, careful not to startle her. I had to coax her; the scent of her fear may block her other instincts. She might not recognize my scent and run. If she did run, I knew I’d chase her. She couldn’t be left alone, no matter the cost. The bear in me wouldn’t let me leave her, and neither would the man.

“Hey, sweetheart,” I whispered softly. I was holding the growl at bay, but it was demanding to get out. I was trying desperately to keep the animal out of my eyes. I knew she needed to only see the man. She slowly looked up at me, and her eyes made me stop in my tracks. One was blue and the other green, and they were beautiful.

Out of nowhere, she leaped straight into my arms. Her fragile arms held on tightly to my neck. I cradled her against my body as the relief flooded through me and calmed my bear. She nuzzled her face in my jacket, and I could feel her petite body shivering. I opened my jacket and let her curl up farther into my chest, seeing as she’d already imprinted herself onto my heart. I looked down at the sweet angel in my arms.

“My name is Gavin. What’s your name sweetheart?”

“Liza,” she whispered softly. In that moment I knew she felt it too. She knew who I was. She knew I’d keep her safe and let her into my inner circle. She knew too that we were destined to be together.

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Claiming His Mate (Bare Bites Book 2)

CHAPTER ONE

Mia

“I’m going for a run. I can’t take any more of this,” I spat at my father, putting on my shoes.

“You can’t run away, Mia. We aren’t done here,” he said, barreling toward me, trying to use his massive body as a form of intimidation.

“That won’t work on me. You forget that I’m your cub. You’d rather die than hurt me or break my spirit. I’m not one of your damn lieutenants.” I stared my father down, something that he only got from my mother and me. Everyone else in the community wouldn’t dare to speak out against him for fear of the consequences.

My father scrubbed his face, his shoulders moving in rapid succession.

“Mia, you just go for your run, honey. Gavin…” My mother turned to my father. “Let’s give everything time to cool down before things get out of hand.” She placed her hand on my father’s back, rubbing gently.

Seeing my parents together solidified the power of a mated bond. Nothing in the entire world could tame my father’s bear like my mother’s touch. I smiled at my mother, grateful for her intervention. Before my father got a chance to say anything else, I rushed out the door, slamming it behind me.

Being the daughter of an overbearing bear alpha wasn't easy. From the moment that I screamed my way into the world, I was a ward of the most ferocious leader the Bare Mountain Clan had ever had.

My father was beyond controlling—I knew he didn’t do it just to make me crazy but also