by Zoe Jane Fox
"You already talked to Mark and Bailey about this, didn't you?" Monroe asks his mom.
“Yes, and they’re all on board with it. I knew you’d want to keep your mate safe, so I did my part in helping her. Now come on Penny we don’t have a lot of time before it’s time for the couple to leave.” She says as she waves her hand at me to come.
"Wait a minute, I have questions! What do you mean by mate? Why would this couple let me use their wedding dress and exit? And why is it I don't want to leave you, Monroe? I just met you, for Pete's sake!" I yelled the last part because that was what was bothering me the most. I met him half an hour ago, yet it feels like I have known him forever and need to be by his side always.
"Penelope, I promise to explain everything to you as soon as we get you to safety, but for now please go with Ma and get ready. Trust me, Mark and Bailey know what it feels like to have someone you care about in danger, willing to do anything to protect them." Monroe says.
I can tell that he is being honest so I nod my head to him. Before I leave I lean forward, pressing a small kiss to his beautiful lips. I'm grateful for everything he’s done for me also, I’ve been dying to feel his lips against mine again. He growls as I pull away, then gives me an encouraging smile. I get up to walk towards his Ma, but before I leave with her I throw over my shoulder, "Monroe, I'm holding you to your promise." I see him smile even bigger this time, it makes me want to take a picture of it and keep it with me for the rest of my life.
"I'm Natalie by the way, but you can call me Ma too, if you would like," Natalie says as we walk down a hallway.
"Thanks, but um, for now, I'll stick with Natalie," I say. She smiles at me while leading me into a small room that looks like it is used for the bridal party to get ready in. A woman in a bridal gown walks in and I'm assuming it is Bailey. She introduced herself to me then started stripping out of her gown and passing it to Natalie. She brings it over to me helping me change into it as quickly as possible. It’s a little bit too big, but it will work. "Bailey I can't tell you how much this means to me, that you're willing to let a stranger wear your wedding dress and use your exit plan to get away from this place safely," I tell Bailey once Natalie finishes up buttoning the back of the dress.
"Oh, no need to thank me. Helping each other is what we do" She says. Waving goodbye as she walks out the door. Natalie comes over trying to put the veil on me. When I try to say I don't need it, she tells me that it will hide my face in case the person after me is looking at the "bride and groom" exiting out of the building. I mumble ok, I still don't understand it, but I want to get back to Monroe, I feel safe when I'm around him. I let her fix up my hair and put the veil in place. He has the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes I've ever seen, a pretty shade of brown hair that is short but seems to curl around the sides. Big arms that would wrap nicely around me.
"There you are. Wow, you look stunning." Monroe says. He comes in the room, stopping my thoughts. Geeze I wasn't even paying attention to his mom anymore! I look over at her noticing that she has a giant smile on her face, then winks at me like she knows where my thoughts were going.
"Doesn't she? I can’t wait for you two, to get married, I bet she will look fabulous in the perfect dress!" Natalie says cheerfully. I'm shocked at what she implied so it takes me a minute to mumble "Thanks?" Although it comes out more like a question. I look back to Monroe to see what he thinks of what his mom said and he's smiling at me like he couldn't be any happier at the thought of getting married. I'm starting to freak out.
"Are you ready to do this?" Monroe asks.
I nod to him while he begins to tell me the plan. They had it planned where people were going to hold sparkler fireworks and create a tunnel for the bride and groom to run through and get into the limo waiting on them. It will be a perfect way for me to get away without risking being seen.
4
Monroe
I grab Penelope's hand, tugging it lightly bringing her towards me, while I have her there I give her another kiss. She relaxes into me, I deepen the kiss, sliding my tongue in her mouth. I growl at the taste. She tastes like peppermint and mine. I pull back sooner than I'd like, but we have to go. I wave to my mom and let her know that I'll be in touch. Ma tells me that she will let my dad know what's going on while informing my brothers. She normally would have my dad with her but my brother Rhys needed his help with something at his bar that was too important to blow off. I turn to pull Penelope behind me as we make our way through the building. Everyone is outside already setting up the exit plan. Since we are all shifters and trust one another Mark had discreetly informed everyone one by one what was going on. So that way no one would be surprised to see me running out as the groom, accidentally blowing our cover. We couldn't announce it, in the event the guy after my mate got inside and overheard our plan. I have some of my men hanging back looking out for the guy after everyone leaves, hoping he will come into the venue looking for her but instead will find my men. When the doors open, we duck our heads while running through the tunnel of fireworks while holding hands climbing into the limo. I close the door behind us and the driver takes off. I turn to get a look at Penelope, she's staring at me with a smile on her face.
"We did it!" She cheers happily. Then her face turns serious "Ok Monroe, you promised to tell me what's going and why I feel this crazy pull to you and why I have the need to be by your side." She finishes while staring at me like I hold all the answers to life, the universe, and everything.
"Baby, we're still not in the safety of my home." When she looks like she's about to get angry I continue "I won't break my promise, Now while we're waiting let's get to know each other better. What is your favorite color?"
"Tardis blue." She says then gets a horrified look on her face "Monroe, I have to go home! I need to get Doctor!" She yells at me while sitting up like she's looking for a way to get out of the car causing me to be confused.
“Doctor? What Doctor? Why would he be at your house? Are you sick?” I ask in a rush starting to freak out and my bear is right there along with me, starting to growl.
She snorts, then says “No, I’m not sick. My dog his name is Doctor. We have to get him before.. before that man gets him and... hurts him”
“It’s ok Penelope, I’ll get one of my men to go get him. But why did you name your dog that?” I ask while I pull out my phone, sending a message Hank, telling him to go get her dog. I ask her what her address is, then type it in for Hank. When he replies back letting me know he will call when it’s safe to bring him to my house, I shove my phone back in my pocket.
"Ok, Hank is getting Doctor. Now tell me why you named your dog that?" I ask, grabbing her hand rubbing my fingers over her soft skin relieved to know she is not sick.
"It's from my favorite show," she says with a shrug, then asks me what my favorite color is. I tell her my favorite color is red.
"How old are?" she asks me while shifting closer to me in the seat like she can't stay away, my bear loves it. It gives us hope that she won't reject us.
“Twenty-eight. You? I ask while reaching out, grabbing her hand, lacing our fingers.
"Twenty-four," she says shyly. While staring at our hands and I know I have to distract her before she pulls away. We go back and forth asking getting to know you questions until, finally, we make it to my house. I watch Penelope as she looks out the window, trying to see it. I built this house with my dad and my brothers, so it would be perfect when I found my mate. My four brothers and I all decided at a young age that we would build our homes out in the woods by our parents' home so we can be close. I help Penelope out of the limo and into my house.
"It's beautiful, Monroe!" she says as she looks around the open floor plan.
"Thank you. Come on, let's get you something to drink and then we'll talk" I tell her as I lead her in the kitchen. I grab a beer for myself while she gets a coke. We walk in the living room, sitting on my large sectional couch. I'm starting to get nervous, I don't know how this is goi
ng to go. She could get scared then run away from me. What if she gets repulsed by my bear. My bear whines at that thought, I'm starting to sweat, freaking out at the possibilities.
“Monroe?” She asks while looking at me like I’m a nervous little puppy. “What’s wrong?” she asks
“I promised I would tell you everything and I will but you have to promise me something first,” I say once I finally have the courage to say something.
"You're making me nervous, but I trust you, So whatever it is, just say it." She says
"Promise me, that no matter what you see and hear, that you won't run. That you'll stay and talk to me. Know whatever happens I'm still me, I would never hurt you." I say. Once again tonight I'm practically begging her not to leave me.
"I… I promise Monroe, I'll stay and talk." She says with a warm smile like she is comforting me when I should be the one comforting her after everything she has been through tonight. Ok, here goes nothing. I take a deep breath, getting up off the couch, I move to stand in front of the front door so she can't run away.
"I'm a bear" I blurt out. When all she raises an eyebrow at me, I take that my cue to keep going. "My family and I are bear shifters. I share my soul with a bear and can change into him whenever I want." I say
“You seriously want me to believe that?” She asks, throwing up her hands like she’s about to get mad. I don’t blame her, this is all new and sounds weird as shit for a human I bet.
"Remember your promise," I say. Right when she looks like she's about to say something is when I call upon my bear and shift. Her eyes bug out of her face, but all she does is stare at me. I realize this can be intimidating, so I sit back on my hunches, then wave to her hoping it makes me look less scary. It works, she looks like she wants to come forward to me. I sniff the air, not smelling any fear. So to help her a little more I decide to use her love for dogs and play dead. Only that was a mistake because my mate has hit her limits and faints.
5
Penelope
"Penelope, come on baby wake up. You're starting to scare me" I hear from a voice that sounds familiar. I try to remember where I know the voice from. I was at Ted's working when I left for the night. Oh god, everything comes back to me in a rush. The guy chasing me, meeting Monroe. Monroe! Monroe that can turn into a bear! I quickly open my eyes and see Monroe standing above me while I'm lying on his couch.
"There you are, baby. Don't do that, you had me so worried." Monroe says like I can help that I fainted.
"It was real, wasn't it?" I ask. He nods his head, letting me know it was real. But I can see that his eyes are a little misty like he's about to cry. How nervous he is, thinking he might lose me because he can shift into a bear. Holy shit I'm next to someone who can shift into a bear. Ok, calm down Penny it's not the worst thing in the world, it's not like he hurt me. He saved me from the crazy person chasing me.
“You’re quiet. Do you have any questions?” He asks still looking nervous. I know I need to reassure him I’m ok with everything. I sit up patting the seat next to me for him to sit down, he does while looking a little shocked.
“So you’re a bear. But that doesn’t explain why I feel safe with you and this pull, that makes me want to stay by your side.” I tell him while turning towards him.
“Wait you’re ok with me being a bear?” he asks still looking nervous, but I noticed his eyes aren’t misty anymore so that’s good.
“Yep. Now please explain” I say.
"OK, but please don't faint again. I don't think I can handle it," he says while moving closer to me, picking me up off the couch, putting me on his lap.
"You're my mate, you see bear shifters have one mate that is their soul mate that makes both the man and bear completely happy. There is no one else before or after meeting them. Once they bond and mate, they become their everything. We're not immortal, but we live a really long time and our bodies age slower than humans. But if our mate dies, then we soon follow after our mates." He says while wrapping his arms around me, squeezing tightly like he doesn't want me to run away. I take a minute to think about everything he said.
"What does being your mate mean exactly?" I ask.
"Being my mate means I will love and protect you always. I'm yours and you're mine," he says and he seems like he's holding back something and not telling me.
"Is there a special way to become your mate or is it as simple as saying I'm your mate?" I ask.
"I would bite you on the neck during sex, leaving my mate mark so everyone knows you're mine and it will turn you into a shifter like me," he says. While going back to looking nervous.
This is a lot to consider and I do know that I feel this pull to him and when I think about walking away from him and not being with him makes my heart hurt. I need to think on this before I agree. I would turn into a giant fluffy bear! I notice he is getting more anxious about what I'm going to say.
"I appreciate you being honest and keeping your promise to me. I'm not turning you down, but it's a lot to take in, I need to think about it." I tell him. I see he's a little sad, so I lean forward, kissing his forehead.
"I understand, you had a hard night and its a lot to take in. Let's get you off to bed and we can talk more tomorrow if you're up to it," he says.
We get up off the couch, I follow him up the stairs, he takes me into what I assume is his bedroom. The room is big with a large king size bed in the middle of the room. He shows me to the master bathroom that's attached, just off to the left. It's huge with a nice walk in shower that looks big enough for two people. He notices me looking at the shower, telling me to take a shower, that he'll leave me some clean clothes to wear on the bed.
“I… uh, need some help with the buttons on the back of the dress please,” I say in a whisper.
I watch as Monroe’s eyes get big like he can’t believe I’m asking him for help but I can’t reach back there and no one else is here. Slowly he walks over to me so I turn around giving him my back, I can see him in the mirror as he leans down towards my neck, sniffing me like he’s trying to capture my scent before going to the buttons. I feel his hot breath against my skin, I have to bite my lip from moaning out, I hear him groan as he undoes the last button then gruffly says “All done.” before walking out of the bathroom without another glance at me. Once I'm out of the shower I go in the bedroom, changing into the clothes he left out for me. They are big, but they will work. He comes back in the room looking like he has showered as well. I'm glad he came back, I don't want to be alone tonight.
As if he knows what I was thinking, he says "I hope you don't mind me sleeping in here with you, but my bear wants to be close to you and I had a feeling you wouldn't want to be alone."
"Yes, Thank you," I tell him. We crawl in the bed and I roll towards him laying my head on his chest, it feels like we have been doing this for years instead of being the first time. I listen to him breathing for a few minutes, then I'm drifting off to sleep with thoughts of bears and mates.
6
Monroe
I wake up a few hours later to my phone going off. I quietly slip out from underneath Penelope kissing her forehead while trying not to wake her. Knowing whoever is calling this late must be important. I grab my phone off the nightstand sneaking out of the room, going into my office. I finally look to see who called me, I see it's my best friend Bastian and wonder why he’s calling. I hit redial waiting for him to pick up.
“Hey man, I’m glad you called me back. I heard you found your mate, Congratulations,” he says but doesn’t sound very cheerful like I thought he would be.
"Thanks, now would you like to tell me why you're calling at three o'clock in the morning?" I ask grumpily I would rather be in bed with my mate.
"Yeah, But it's not good. It's about your mate and who was after her tonight. I'd rather talk face to face. I'm about ten minutes from your place. Let your guards know to expect me, you may want to have a little chat with your mate telling her who and what I am before she meets me." He say
s as he hangs up not waiting on an answer from me.
Knowing I need to get a move on everything I call down to the gate, letting my men know who's coming but to stay aware of their surroundings. I see I have a few missed texts. Some are from my brothers saying congrats on finding my mate, which I ignore, moving on to the text from my men, who stayed at the wedding venue. They said no one ever showed but they are staying there all night in case he shows up later. Then I head upstairs to wake Penelope. I open the bedroom door, just looking at her for a second. She is curled up in a ball, hugging my pillow. FUCK! I don't want to have this conversation, scared how she will take this new piece of information, but I know it needs to be done. I walk closer to the bed, gently run my hands down her back while saying "Penelope, it's time to wake up." She stirs a little bit then somehow tucks more into her little ball, it’s so fucking adorable.
"Penelope, baby, you have to wake up, Bastian will be here any minute, we have to talk before he gets here," I say while shaking her a little. Finally, she starts to wake up mumbling something about my manhood. So I take a step back, not quite sure if she really would hit me.
“Ok, I’m up what is so important?” she asks as she sits up in bed.
“My friend Bastian is on his way he says he needs to talk to us about who was chasing after you tonight,” I say. Before leaning down and placing a kiss on her soft lips. I notice her stiffen under me, pulling back, I tell her “I promise you’re safe, he will not get you here.”
When she whispers “Ok, ” I decide to tell her about Bastian so she’s not so shocked when we go downstairs. I sit down beside her before explaining to everything to her.
“Bastian is my best friend, we met while I was working on a case a few years ago. But what you need to know about Bastian is, he is a vampire.” I tell her. She looks scared and shocked at the same time, so I continue so she’s not so scared. “He will not hurt you. His job is to hunt down rogue vampires that are hurting humans.”