“Melena, there you are. Sorry for the delay.” Doctor James, Lionheart’s vet, called out to me. I spun around to greet him.
“Here.” He handed me a small white cooler box, a bright-red cross painted on the side.
“Doctor Keller asked for these. I couldn’t find all the antibiotics he wanted, though. Can I get those to you next week?”
“How much were you able to get?” I asked, distractedly lifting the lid to peek inside.
My gaze landed on the familiar yellow label. I picked up the top bottle, revealing another one beneath it.
“This should last us until next week. Thanks, Doctor,” I said, quickly scanning the rest of the box’s contents.
“Everything else is in there, plus some extra blood bags,” he said, returning Doctor Keller’s handwritten list to me.
“Thank you so much, Doctor.” I extended my hand.
He shook it with enthusiasm and gave me a slight nod. “Always a pleasure doing business with you all. Don’t forget to send the proof of payment to my private secretary, not the zoo,” he reminded me before walking away.
Just as I was about to leave, I noticed the zookeeper from earlier exiting the building with a black plastic bucket in his hand.
For a moment, I debated whether I should rush the meds to Doctor Keller or follow my heart.
Before I knew it, my feet were leading me toward my mate as he navigated the paved pathways to a quiet section of the zoo, away from the public.
He stopped in front of one of the cages and began fumbling with a large cluster of keys on his belt. I halted at a safe distance.
I watched as he unlocked the heavy metal door and stepped into the enclosure.
I waited a few seconds, but when he didn’t reappear, I approached the cage to look inside.
What I saw took me by surprise.
Conner was inside, a large brown bear chasing him around.
The only thing that eased my racing heart was the sound of his hearty laughter. He paused to ruffle the bear’s fur before darting off in another direction.
They were playing.
It was an incredible sight.
I’d never seen anyone play with a bear like that before, let alone my mate. I stood there, awestruck, watching them play, completely unnoticed.
After a while, I lifted my nose to take a deep breath. I couldn’t detect my mate’s wolf scent at all. It must have been masked by the other animal scents.
Honestly, it kind of stank among all the cages.
“All right, big guy, I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t eat your treats too fast, you don’t want to choke again, do you?” Conner spoke to the bear, emptying the contents of the plastic bucket onto the feeding area.
I couldn’t wipe the goofy smile off my face as I watched them.
The bear immediately rushed to the food, devouring it like the beast he was.
“Yeah, sure, ignore me, why don’t you?” Conner’s deep, husky voice echoed as he picked up the empty bucket and started heading my way.
I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to stifle my giggle, but a squeaky sound escaped, and he looked up at me in surprise.
Clearly, he thought they were alone.
“Oh, uh, I didn’t see you there,” he said awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck as he pulled open the heavy metal door to step out.
I watched Conner’s movements with amusement, leaning casually against the safety rail, openly checking him out. Bold, I know, but what can I say? He was my mate, and he was absolutely stunning.
His khaki uniform fit him perfectly, hugging his thick upper arms as he pulled the heavy gate shut behind him.
I could hardly breathe as I gawked at his muscular form beneath the thin fabric of his shirt.
My mouth watered as Conner turned his back to me, quickly locking the enclosure and tugging on the latch to ensure it was secure.
“Is he always like that?” I asked, pointing to the bear who had nearly finished the pile of vegetables.
Conner followed my gesture and a smile tugged at his lips. “Who, Big Al over there? Never!” he replied sarcastically, dragging out the last word.
I watched the greedy bear, completely entertained, and when I turned back to Conner, I found his eyes locked on me.
Unable to hide my emotions, I grinned, satisfied that I’d caught him staring.
“He, uh, tends to eat so fast I had to Heimlich him once,” Conner explained, walking closer to me. Clearly, he was trying to keep the conversation going.
I raised my eyebrows at this new piece of information. “Really?”
Conner chuckled and continued to approach until he was only a foot or two away.
His eyes were captivating, a hint of mischief behind them, and I couldn’t look away from those intoxicating emerald orbs.
“Yeah, bears have remarkably similar body structures to ours, so when it happened, I panicked and the first thing that came to mind was the Heimlich,” he said, a shy smile on his handsome face.
“It worked,” he added, gesturing playfully toward the greedy animal.
We both leaned against the rail, side by side, watching Big Al in comfortable silence.
With Conner so close, I could smell all of him, and man, did he smell good.
I closed my eyes for a moment, inhaling deeply to imprint the wonderful scent of my mate in my mind forever.
Then it hit me.
Startled, I turned to face him, and he cocked a brow at me in question.
“Don’t you…can’t you smell me?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper as I leaned in closer to him.
“Huh?” His face was a picture of confusion.
“I just thought”—I paused, studying his face, trying to decipher his expression—“you weren’t a…?”
His eyebrows shot up even higher as he turned to fully face me. “Not a?”
“Damn,” I muttered under my breath.
“You okay?” he asked, reaching out to touch my arm.
The second our skin made contact, a faint spark of electricity passed between us, and he yanked his hand back as if he’d been burned.
We both stared at each other, our eyes wide with shock.
Overwhelmed by confusion and frustration, I spun on my heel and started to walk away.
“Hey, hold up,” he called after me, but I didn’t stop or turn back.
My mind was a whirlwind, and my wolf was clawing at the surface, desperate for me to shift so she could claim our mate.
I heard the sound of heavy footsteps behind me, and then he was walking beside me, matching my pace.
I didn’t dare look at him, so I kept my gaze fixed on the ground, clutching the box of medical supplies in my hand.
“Can I see you again?” he asked as I practically ran toward the exit.
I didn’t answer.
I didn’t know what to say.
“Did I do something wrong?” He asked just as I was about to step into the revolving door that would take me out of the zoo.
I stopped in my tracks and turned to face him. He looked flustered and slightly out of place.
“No, you were perfect,” I managed to say, forcing a sad smile onto my face. Then I stepped into the revolving door and walked out, leaving my handsome mate behind.
