by R. E. Butler
“Yeah. I just…it’s happening so fast.”
Celeste put down the frosting and walked over to Lexy. She gave her a hug and said, “I understand completely, but trust me when I say that it’s worth it. It’s not just the shifters who feel complete when they find their soulmate; it’s the same for us, too. I didn’t think anything was missing from my life until Jupiter came roaring into it. Now, I can’t imagine being without him.”
“Thanks,” Lexy said.
She returned her attention to the dough, her mind drifting to Win. He hadn’t asked her to move in with him officially. She suspected he was taking his time so he didn’t scare her off. Things moved quickly between them, but she was unable to deny that her heart was telling her that being with him was the right thing. She couldn’t picture her life without him in it, and if that meant she needed to be at the park and lie to her family about her life then she’d do that.
It hadn’t been in her plans to find the guy she was going to spend the rest of her life with, but for the first time in her life, she was thankful for a flat tire.
Chapter 7
Win had been away from Lexy for nearly two hours. His beast was going crazy, banging in his skull and demanding to go back to her. He trusted Jupiter to look after her, but it wasn’t right to split mates up.
After joining the council in the meeting hall, Win had told them about meeting Lexy and feeling connected to her, and then his accidental shift during the night. Then they’d sent him to stand outside the room for well over an hour while they discussed what happened and decided on his punishment. He wasn’t particularly worried about the punishment. It wasn’t as if he’d purposely exposed his shift to his soulmate; it had been out of his control. Despite the odd occurrence, no one except Lexy had witnessed the shift and she’d agreed to come to the zoo with him.
The door to the meeting hall opened and Atticus gestured him inside. The alphas met his gaze and he thought it was a good sign that they weren’t visibly pissed off. Atticus took his seat at the table and Win moved to the end of the table but stayed standing.
Joss, the wolf alpha, said, “Has the human agreed to be your soulmate?”
“Not officially,” Win admitted. “I believe she understands that we’re meant to be together, but she’s got family that she’s worried about.”
Atticus said, “She’s here, though. She didn’t run to the police at the first opportunity.”
“I agree,” Alastair, the alpha elephant said. “I think it speaks volumes about her intentions that she came here willingly and brought an overnight bag.”
Caesar, the alpha lion, cleared his throat. “Every time one of our people finds their soulmate, we end up having to rewrite the rules. Win is the first male to find his soulmate outside of the park.”
“I hadn’t planned to share my shift with her until I knew she understood we were meant to be together,” Win said. “I would have spent time getting to know her until I could trust her.”
“I’m not sure you would have been able to leave her,” Atticus said. “But regardless, she’s here and you’re soulmates. You still have to answer for breaking the law.”
Atticus looked at Joss who nodded. “I vote for twenty-four hours of house arrest, followed by one week of double duty in the garage.”
Win’s brows rose. He’d get to spend a full day with Lexy in his house, which was exactly what he’d wanted to do. As far as punishments went, it wasn’t bad. Even if they were adding a week of double shifts. He loved working on the Jeeps that went on the VIP tours. The only downfall would be that it would cut into his time with Lexy. He’d just have to make the most of the house arrest.
The other alphas verbally agreed with the punishment.
Atticus said, “Your house arrest starts immediately. Go collect your soulmate and take her down to your home. After the twenty-four hours is up tomorrow, you’ll start your first day of double shifts.”
Win tried to hide his grin but he knew he was failing because Atticus shook his head with a smile. “Thank you,” Win said to the alphas.
He hurried from the room and headed for the stairs that led up into the employee-only cafeteria. There were several ways to get into the park secretly – the cafeteria, a shed in each animal paddock, and the garage where the vehicles were repaired. The cafeteria was closest to the security center, so he chose that. After entering a code and unlocking the door, he took the stairs two at a time and entered the security code into the door that led to a hallway. A final security door opened after he entered the code, and he walked out into the cafeteria.
When the park was open, workers often ate in the cafeteria during their shift. Food made by the bears was kept in large refrigerators. Sometimes Win ate in the cafeteria, and sometimes he ate in the market underground or in his home.
He walked out of the cafeteria. The park was still an hour from opening, so it was empty of everyone except the shifters. When he reached the security office, he knew immediately that Lexy wasn’t inside.
“Where is she?” he demanded of Jupiter who was seated at the desk with the security monitors.
“My mate and Justus took her to the kitchen. There was a problem with today’s dessert and Lexy offered to help.”
“Oh. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“It was smart, actually,” he said as he turned to face Win fully. “She’s been there nearly the whole time you were gone, and knowing my mate, Lexy has gotten an earful on how wonderful it is to be mated to a shifter.”
Win nodded. “I’ll be sure to thank Celeste.”
“What did the council decide?”
“Twenty-four hours of house arrest followed by one week of double shifts.”
“I’m sure it will be a real hardship to stay confined with your mate for a whole day,” Jupiter said with a wry smile.
“You know it,” Win said.
Win left the security office and headed for the commercial kitchen where the bears cooked and baked for the park visitors. When he opened the door, he was greeted with the sweet scent of cinnamon and sugar. Lexy looked up at him from behind one counter, where she was drizzling something white onto a pan of cookies.
“Win!” She put down the bowl and spoon and brushed off her hands as she rushed around the counter toward him.
He met her halfway, lifting her into his arms and holding her close. “I missed you.”
“Me, too,” she said, her voice muffled against his throat.
“You’ve been busy,” he said as he put her on the floor but didn’t release his tight hold on her.
“They usually have cinnamon rolls, but there was an oversight and they didn’t get made. I had a recipe for cinnamon roll cookies, and we’ve been working hard to make as many batches as we could.”
He followed her to the counter and she handed him a cookie that looked like a cinnamon roll, with white frosting lines across the top. Taking a bite of the still-warm cookie, he let out a happy moan. He finished the cookie in two bites, and said, “Delicious, sweetheart.”
She smiled broadly, showing a hidden dimple in one cheek. “I’m so glad you like it! I know it’s not bananas, though.”
“Are you close to being finished?”
“Yes. Is everything okay? What happened?”
He explained about his punishment.
“I guess that’s not too bad,” she said. “I was worried it would be worse.”
“I wasn’t. But even if it was, you’re worth it.”
Her cheeks pinked. “You’re too sweet.”
She returned to her frosting task and Justus motioned Win to the side.
“Lexy mentioned that she had planned to start her own bake shop,” Justus said.
“She was supposed to meet with the owner of a storefront today. She’s disappointed, but she’s putting on a brave face.”
“I’ve already talked to Tayme and Tarquin, and they want her to help out here.”
Win’s gorilla made an aggravated noise. He wasn’t sure he wanted
his soulmate working in close quarters with unmated males, but he would never deny her the opportunity to follow her dreams.
“If that’s what she wants, I support her one hundred percent.”
Justus looked at Win for a long moment, and then said, “Did you know that there used to be a bakery here?”
“No. When was that?”
“Back when I was a kid. There was a mated pair who used to make all kinds of candy and baked goods to sell. There’s even an old taffy making machine in the storage barn.”
Win’s mind spun. Was it possible that he could give Lexy exactly what she wanted – a place of her own?
“After my house arrest, I’ll talk to Atticus. Thanks for the heads up.”
“Hey, she helped us out a ton today. The cookies are amazing, and she’s a natural leader in the kitchen. For having our backs today, we will have her back in the future. And maybe someday, you can return the favor and help me and my soulmate out.”
“I’d be happy to.”
Lexy joined them. “Thanks for letting me hang out, Justus.”
“I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around,” he said.
“Are you ready to go be under house arrest?” she asked, looking up at Win with a smile.
“I don’t think the council expected me to be looking forward to it.”
“But there’s nothing wrong with taking advantage of the opportunity.”
Celeste joined him and Lexy as they left the kitchen. She held a small bag of the cinnamon roll cookies which she said she might share with Jupiter. When they reached the office, Win picked up Lexy’s bag and she lifted the box of banana cream pies from the counter. They said goodbye to Celeste and Jupiter, and Win led the way to the employee cafeteria.
“I’ll give you the official tour tomorrow after the house arrest is over,” he said.
When they were underground, he led her to the gorilla’s private living area. He unlocked the security door and held it open for her. She stepped inside and gasped.
“Each group has their own private living quarters,” he said as he shut the door. “We don’t share our security codes with the other groups.”
Inside the band’s private living area, were seven fake trees with cabins built on sturdy platforms. The cabins were similar, with a front porch, several bedrooms, kitchen, and family room. Each gorilla had their own home, and Win was thankful to finally have someone to share his home with. The floor of their private area was covered with a soft, dark green carpet, and the walls were painted with greens and blues to represent the forest and sky of the habitat of non-shifting gorillas.
“The trees are made of steel and concrete, and covered with a bark-like material that feels real. The leaves are silk,” he said. “It’s meant to mimic a real gorilla habitat.”
“This is so cool,” she said.
He led her to his tree, in between Zane’s and Neo’s.
“Um, you don’t have a ladder?” she asked as she looked up at the cabin nestled in the tree.
He put her bag down and took the box from her, setting it next to the bag. Then he dropped to one knee and said, “Climb on.”
“Are you serious?”
He looked over his shoulder at her and said, “This way is more fun.”
She climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging his sides with her legs. He stood and said, “Hold on.”
Her grip tightened, and he leaped up, grabbing the lowest branch. He moved up into the canopy and dropped onto the front porch.
“Holy crap!” she said breathlessly.
He helped her down and then he swung her up into his arms and carried her inside. “There is a ladder that can be pulled down to make it easier to get up. I’m sure you don’t want to try to leap and catch that bottom branch.”
“Not unless you also happen to have a hospital underground here.”
He chuckled and kissed her. “Welcome to our home, Lexy.”
Putting her on her feet, he headed back to the ground floor and brought up her bag and the box of pies. He found her standing in the center of the family room, looking at a framed photo of him and his parents the last time he visited them.
“Have you told your parents about me yet?”
“No. I’m going to call them later. If you’re interested, we can video chat with them so you can meet them.”
“Will they mind that I’m human?”
“Why would they care?”
She turned to face him. “We’re different.”
“It’s not in my people’s nature to suggest that soulmates are wrong for each other. You’re mine and I’m yours.”
“You say that word a lot.”
“Which one?”
“Mine.”
A growl rumbled in his chest, and he closed the distance between them, grabbing her around the waist and tugging her flush to his hard body.
“I want to build a life with you, Lexy, here in the zoo. I know it won’t be easy because of your family, but being with you is worth anything and everything to me.”
She blinked up at him, and he could tell she was thinking hard. His soulmate was a worrier, that much was clear. And she had plenty going on in her life to think about at this point – her plans for a bakery of her own, the cousin she lived with, and her parents and other family members. It was true that Win’s parents wouldn’t care that she was human because she was his soulmate, but he didn’t have to keep a secret from them as Lexy did with her family. He hated the thought of her lying, but so much of their life had to be kept secret.
“It’ll be worth it,” he murmured.
“Take me to bed, Win,” she whispered, her voice hoarse with emotion.
He lifted her against him, her lush curves and sweet scent driving him wild. He carried her to the bedroom. He would show her now how amazing their life together could be, and then he would do everything in his power to make sure that all her dreams came true, and she never felt as though she’d given up on her future for him.
Chapter 8
Lexy drummed her fingers on her knees as Win set his laptop on the coffee table and pressed the power button. They’d spent the day in bed, and she was as deliciously worn out as she’d ever been in her life. He made her feel like she was the only woman in the world for him. Cherished. Loved. Protected.
Then he’d made her dinner and wouldn’t let her lift a finger in the kitchen. She’d never had a guy cook for her before, but then again, she’d never been with a guy like Win. He was the whole package – everything she’d ever wanted in a guy plus a whole lot of other things she hadn’t even known she’d been missing out on. It wasn’t just that her stomach flipped when he smiled at her, or that he had a great sense of humor, or that he’d devoured one of the two banana cream pies and declared she was the world’s best baker – it was everything about him. She was falling for him, and they’d only known each other for a day. It seemed impossible that she could feel so strongly for him already, but she couldn’t deny that the feelings were honest and sincere.
When he’d first told her that she would need to live with him at the zoo, all she’d been able to think about was what she would be giving up. Not having her own bakery, not living with Trina, and keeping a big secret from her family. Spending the day with him had changed her opinion on what was important. The zoo was a safe haven for the shifters. Win didn’t belong on the outside because it wasn’t safe for him. She’d never do anything to bring harm to him or his people, and if that meant she had to fudge the truth about her life to her family to keep him safe then she’d do that. Happily.
“Ready, sweetheart?” he asked, his finger hovering over the app to open the video program.
“Yes.”
She swallowed hard and pushed back everything that was spinning in her mind except for meeting his parents. The app opened, and a pinging sound came from the speakers, and then two people appeared on the screen. Win looked just like his dad. They both had the same dark hair and eyes, but when his mom sm
iled, Lexy thought that Win got his smile from her.
“Hi Mom. Hi Dad. I want you to meet my soulmate, Lexy. Sweetheart, these are my parents, Ira and Filene.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Lexy said.
Ira said, “Our son told us a little about you. You’re from the area?”
“I grew up in Rhode Island, but now I live about a half hour away.”
“And you like to cook?” Filene asked.
“Yes, but mostly I bake.”
“You didn’t meet on the tour?” Ira asked.
“What tour?” Lexy asked.
Win shook his head. “I’ll tell you about it later. But no, we met on the side of the road when she had a flat tire.”
“I bet you’re glad that your knight in shining armor could change a tire,” Filene said.
Lexy smiled. “I’m definitely lucky.”
The conversation flowed easily between them. His parents were curious about her life and family, and she answered all their questions. Before the call ended, Filene asked if Win would bring her up to visit.
“Sure,” Win said.
“I’d love to,” Lexy said. “I’ve never been to Canada.”
“Hopefully we’ll see you soon,” Filene said.
After ending the call, Lexy sat back against the couch and let out a deep sigh of relief.
Win settled next to her and kissed her. “I told you that they’d love you.”
“Do you think they do?”
“Of course. Aside from the simple fact that you’re beautiful and sweet, you’re my soulmate. It honestly doesn’t matter to them whether you shift or not, only that we’re meant to be together.”
“Humans don’t necessarily believe in soulmates,” she said.
He hummed. “How do you feel about it?”
“I never thought much about it. My parents met in college and got married when they graduated. They love each other, and family is very important to them. I expected the same thing would happen with me. But once I got in culinary school, all I wanted to do was learn. If it wasn’t for Trina, I would have only left the apartment for work, school, and baking competitions.”