Chapter 774 Chapter 774
Bear was so lost in thought as he ran to where Beck was that he wasn’t even out of breath. Running had always been his escape, his time to think; usually, it was on four paws, but two feet worked almost as well. He knew he’d been told he couldn’t be there when she came out, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be nearby. He’d seen Calla a few times when she was transporting people, but watching her drive by wasn’t the same as seeing her now. All the years, he’d thought about what would happen if he met his mate. How he would meet her, and for months, they’d been working closely with the teams and had never come face to face. He’d heard her on coms during the ops, but she wasn’t a chatty woman, so it was hard to get a feel for a personality on a few words here and there. She didn’t sound like most of the females from his clan he knew. They were mostly blunt and gushy at the same time. It’s all about family and being surrounded by family. Too many bodies, in his opinion. He knew Quinn wasn’t that way. He’d known her for years and she’d spent more time away from home than at it, so maybe Calla was the same. She had to be, right? To be on one of the teams meant you had very little time back home. He didn’t know much about her clan, only that she wasn’t part of his.
He almost ran right by Beck. He slid to a stop and huffed out a breath.
“You made good time.”
Bear shrugged. “I didn’t want her to leave before you had these.” He got the knife and held it out, and then the phone.
Beck took them and turned back to watch the house. “There’s someone else out for a run right now. I think they only allow one at a time.”
Bear glanced toward the house and wished he’d brought the binoculars with him. “Easier to stay hidden that way.”
“I don’t know about that. Some of them are pretty large; they have to be bear clan; how do they stay hidden?”
Bear snorted. “There’s always a way.”
Beck glanced at him and grinned before looking back. “Yeah, I guess as a lion, you can’t just go for a quick run.”
“Not unless you want to be the headlines in tomorrow’s papers.”
Beck chuckled. “Makes me glad I’m wolf clan.” He cleared his throat. “All the more reason Leon needs to have his throat ripped out.”
Bear watched a light come on in one of the upper floors of the middle house. “I’m pretty sure that’s what will happen if Devin gets a hold of him.”
“Can you imagine being part of the king’s clan and doing this? I mean, I get that his father was responsible for the start of it, but how could his kid even think it’s the right thing to do?”
Bear unzipped his jacket. He was running hot after that sprint here. “What they did to Asher’s clan is unforgivable, never mind anything else they’ve been involved in.”
“Well, if the prince needs someone to hold him down, I’m his guy.”
Bear grinned. “I don’t think he will. You’ve met his second’s right? Calum and Gage?”
Beck laughed. “I have indeed. Oh, she’s outside.”
Bear squinted in the direction of the house but couldn’t see her.
“She’s talking to some guy who is pointing in different directions.”
“Telling her where the boundaries are probably.” Bear shoved his hands into his pockets so he couldn’t grab the binoculars out of his hands.
“Most likely.” Beck made a hissing sound. “Somethings up. She’s taking off her run pack.”
“What? She’s not going for a run?”
“She took her jacket off, too, so I think she is.”
Bear leaned closer to the tree and tried to see her.
“She’s not allowed to bring her run pack.” Beck blew out a breath. “I mean, I get it, can’t hide shit from them without it, but how is she going to get the phone back?”
Bear knew the main reason he’d just run to him was to get the phone to her, but his mind wasn’t stuck on that at all. The only thing he could think was if she didn’t have her pack, she’d have no shirt or anything to put on when she shifted and spoke to Beck. He swore and yanked his jacket off. Dropping it on the ground, he pulled his shirt over his head. “Here.” He held it out to Beck.
Beck took it and gave him a weird look.
“So she can put it on after she shifts.”
“Oh.” Beck hung it on a branch. “Yeah. Okay. She went into the shrubbery out back of the one house. I’m going to see if she’s in animal form when she comes out. Keep watch for Gideon, he’ll swoop down low if anyone is following her.”
Bear picked up his jacket and put it back on. He squatted down so he could see the sky without branches in the way. If anyone was following her, he was going to have to do some pleading with his animal so he didn’t go after anyone. “I’m supposed to make myself scarce.”
“When she—oh, there she is. She shifted.”
Bear’s animal wanted him to grab the binoculars now so they could see their mate. He kept his eyes upward. “Gideon is just doing slow circles.”
“That’s good. It means no one is following. I can barely keep up with her. She’s zigging a bit, which is smart. Running straight for us would be bad.”
Bear stood up. If he didn’t leave now, he wasn’t going to. “I’m going to fall back to those other trees and keep watch.”
“Sounds good. Break a branch if you see anything out of the ordinary or anyone else.”
“I will.” Bear jerked his body around so he was going away from wherever Calla was. He’d done some tough things in his life, but this was beyond that level. Each step was forced, his animal fighting him with every muscle movement.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. Taking it out, he read the message from Dane. He’d forgotten to join the call again. Jabbing the earbud into his ear, he tapped the link and dialed in.