Page 94 of Trusting Her Bear
“Captured me?” I narrow my eyes.
“I was disappointed to see the bond at work again,” she sighs. “It controls us.”
“Have you seen Dad?”
“Of course not; that was the point. I had to get away from him,” she snarls. “The stupid universe thinks they know everything. They force us to conform, fall in line, have babies, and stay with who they choose for the rest of our lives. I was tired of it. Tired of being stuck in a family I didn’t want to be in.” Her face is twisted in disgust.
My whole childhood is crashing down. “You didn’t love him? Love us?” I take a step forward.
“Love,” she snorts. “The mating bond has nothing to do with love. Just because someone's scent calls to you doesn’t mean you should be forced to mate and be trapped in a union worse than marriage.”
“You left us because you didn’t love us?” A sharp pain radiates from my heart, spreading through my veins.
She looks away. “I thought I did,” she whispers. “The bond tricks you into thinking you are in love.” Her face is cold when she looks back. “I woke up.” She snaps her fingers. “One day, a light clicked. I didn’t have to stay. I didn’t have to play the doting mother and loyal wife. I could leave and find the life I wanted, that I deserved. I can travel the world without the crutch of a mate and kids.” She pounds her chest. “My animal needed to be free.”
“Play?” I ask faintly. “That’s what we are to you…a role you played?”
“Quinn, wake up,” she shouts, throwing out her arms. “You could be free. You don’t have to be tied down to a mate. Join us. Be with me. We can do anything we want and go anywhere we want. Fuck the universe.” Her carefree laugh rings out, and she twirls once. “You have no idea the happiness it brings.”
“I don’t want to leave my mate,” I growl. “How aren’t you in pain? After all those years with Dad, severing the bond had to be difficult.”
“It was excruciating.” She shivers. “But as the days passed, it got easier, and soon I felt nothing.”
“How the fuck can you say that?” I shout. “Why would you want to leave?”
“It was day after day of the same thing. Clean. Make food. Miss your dad when he was at work. Take care of kids.” She spins her finger. “Over and over and over. Every fucking day,” she screams. “Being in heat. It demanded the attention of your dad. My body wasn’t under my control. I hated it. I hated him.” She steps closer. “I hated you,” she snarls.
I stagger back. I blink twice, hoping the fury in her eyes goes away. Hoping this is some kind of sick joke. How is this possible? I’ve seen shifters go off the deep end, but as far as I know, it has never happened because they didn’t want to be mated anymore.
I suddenly remember an incident that happened in Heath’s fight club. The shifter woman was mated and killed her whole family, including the daughter she birthed.
“How many people have you killed?” I ask.
“Quinn, I won’t tell you our secrets unless you agree to join us.” She pretends to zip her mouth and throw away the key. I would have laughed if I wasn’t terrified by her actions.
“You have more people working for you?”
“Of course. There are plenty of shifters who believe as we do.”
“Including the coyote you sent to my house,” I say, and she narrows her eyes.
“How do you know about him?” I look at the shifter beside us, and he bounces back. “Your friend.”
“You told him,” she shouts.
“I had to kill time. He was going to hurt me,” he whines.
“Pathetic,” she spits. “I wanted to surprise you with your dead mate,” she pouts.
“She is not dead,” I sneer. “Did you think I left her without protection?”
“Pity.” She suddenly swings her arm, the knife clutched in her hand, entering through her man's eye. She follows him to the ground, straddling him, stabbing his face repeatedly. His screams are ear-piercing. “You don’t follow orders. You are worthless to me.” She jumps up and wipes her blade on her skirt. “It’s very hard to find good help.” She looks at him with disgust. “He might heal.”
I stare at her in shock, confusion, and sadness. “How did you know I found my mate?”
“I check in once in a while.” She lifts a shoulder.
“Why would you? You hate us.”