Smooth, pale skin. Nothing out of the ordinary, yet it was still sensitive, as if a jolt of electricity was stationed in just that one spot.
I was going insane, that had to be it. Why else had I been feeling especially on edge these past few days? Maybe I was working too hard? Maybe work was finally getting to me?
Maybe I just needed to get away from it all. And that was something I really needed to think about. Going off for a few days on my own, just relaxing, not worrying about anyone or anything. I could focus on myself. It might do me a world of good.
Or maybe it would make everything worse.
Chapter Three
Oli
The sun was already setting as I headed off the beach and toward my rental truck. I’d been in California for a week now, ready to move on to the next spot in my journey. I didn’t know what I expected to find when I’d decided to travel and be the one to find my mate.
But I’d assumed if my mate was close, I’d have been able to sense her, to feel something other than this longing.
I’d pushed off the diner sensation to my impatient bear, to the fact I was jealous of what my brothers had, their mates completing them. But I’d never admit that to anyone, not even saying those words out loud.
I ran my hand over my jaw, the several days’ worth of stubble scraping along my palm. My thoughts were on my next plans, on if I’d go up north and spend a day or two in the mountains, shifting and letting my bear work off this energy.
My bear paced, clawed to get out. Freedom. It wanted fucking freedom.
I set the surfboard I’d rented for the last few days in the back of my truck. Honestly, I had no fucking clue what I was doing out there, couldn’t even stand up long enough to catch a wave. But the feeling of floating on that board, my feet dangling on either side of it, of the sights, sounds, and smells surrounding me, had this calm settling over me.
I was about to get in my truck when I felt this tingling start at the base of my spine. It was the same sensation that had filled me in the diner. At first it wasn’t overly noticeable, but as the seconds moved by, my muscles tightened, and the hairs on my arms stood on end.
I looked around the nearly deserted parking lot, not seeing anything right away, but then my gaze stopped when I saw it.
The medical van I’d seen before.
I couldn’t ignore it, not when I felt that sensation move through me again.
There wasn’t anyone around the van, and aside from a small light above the side door, darkness surrounded it.
I found myself walking toward the van before I realized what I was doing. It was as if my body—my animal—propelled me forward, taking control.
And then I heard the sound of heavy breathing—frantic, with fear laced in it. Then glass shattering echoed around me. Footsteps started retreating, the sound of someone running having me walk faster.
This panic settled in my chest, this tightening under my ribs. Fuck, what was going on? I placed a hand over my heart and rubbed my chest, the discomfort intensifying.
I walked around the side and saw the source of the sound, what looked like a few broken beer bottles, shattered pieces on the parking lot asphalt. The scent of desperation and addiction hung in the air. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply again. Their scent was ingrained in my memory.
My bear rose up, becoming angry, restless.
I looked around, still not seeing anyone, but the idea of going back to my truck wasn’t something I could physically do. And then I heard a soft feminine whimper.
It was as if the world opened up and swallowed me whole. All it had taken was that soft sound, this one moment, to have every single piece of my life fall right into place. My bear snapped and growled, pacing, wanting out. It had him extending his claws and gripping me from the inside out, trying to tear free, forcing me to shift.
But I was stronger than he was, and I wasn’t about to let him have this first encounter, this first meeting with the one person we had been waiting for our entire life.
Our mate.
But as everything settled in me, I realized the whimper I’d heard was one of fear. I inhaled deeply, the crisp, tangy scent filling the air. I growled low, felt the shift almost take over. My bear wanted out to protect what was ours.
I stalked toward the door of the van, which was already open. I could see medical supplies scattered all along the floor. As I climbed into the interior, I knew where she was instantly. It was as if my body was being pulled toward her, two opposite ends of a magnet that couldn’t be kept apart.
I turned my head to the right, not seeing her at first but knowing she was in this direction. I could smell her, the slight, floral scent that was mixed with the fear she felt. I walked further into the van, stepping on rolls of tape and squares of gauze.
And then I saw her, pressed against the wall, an outcropping hiding her initially. She looked up at me with wide eyes, tears streaming down her face. Her fear spiked as she looked at me, this bitter scent that filled my head and instantly had me than my six-three height. She was so fragile … so human.