The Omega's Mate: (15 page)

Chapter Nineteen

1
st
February

The fight was over.  The polar bear danced around the ring, playing to the crowd as he was named the winner.  Cain’s bear grumbled at the other male’s antics, but otherwise remained quiet.

Cain slowly climbed to his feet, his bruised and bloody body straining with the effort.  He held out his fist to the polar bear, who reluctantly fist-bumped him.

Cain staggered out of the cage; Hans and Don tried to support him but Cain batted them away.  The cheering men and women ignored him as he pushed his way to the locker room; he was invisible to them.

He found his mate already waiting for him, pacing anxiously and wringing her tiny hands.  His bear sighed contentedly;
she was truly beautiful
.

After Carly’s ordeal, Cain had wanted to cancel the fight, but Carly insisted she was fine, and told him he should stand by his promise to fight.

Ethan had been arrested, now awaiting psychiatric evaluation.  Cain wanted to tear the young bear’s throat out, but Carly had demurred.  She said Ethan was probably sick, and didn’t know what he was doing.  Cain couldn’t forgive him so easily, but Carly was glad that Ethan was getting help.  Cain harrumphed but was ultimately just thankful his mate had not been permanently hurt.

Carly was on cloud nine at the moment.  Her shop was due to have its grand opening in a couple of days, and she was particularly thrilled by Rosalee’s mural, which thankfully had been salvaged from when the shop was trashed. 
It was a wolf and a bear howling to the moon; Cain loved it too
.

Carly paled when she saw him, her wolf whining piteously for their mate.  “Oh lord!  Come and sit down quickly.”

Cain did as he was told, sinking onto a bench as his mate clucked over his wounds.  She got a wet towel and started washing the blood away.  The bear groaned at her soft touch, forgetting his aches and pains.

Carly frowned.  “Why did you do that?  You could have won.”

He could have if he wanted.  Carly forced herself to watch the entire fight, and it hadn’t been easy.  There was a moment in the third and final round when Cain was winning.  Both bears were weary, and battered, but Cain was going to win.  She could sense it.  But then Cain just gave up, and let the other bear win.

Cain took one of her hands and kissed her fingers.  “If I had, people would have wanted me to fight again.  My fans would have hounded me, and I don’t want that.  I just want a quiet life with you.”

“What happened with Ethan…”

Cain held back a snarl.  “It’s not about that… well not entirely.  Winning isn’t important anymore, because I’ve already won the only thing that’s important, you.”

Carly arched an eyebrow.

“Not that I think you’re an object or anything,” he said quickly.  “What I meant is, I used to love having fans who adored me, but I don’t give a fuck about that anymore.  I already have the love of the only person in the world that matters, so I don’t care if everyone else thinks I’m a loser.  Plus I had Hans put a large bet on me going down in the third round.”

“Cain!”

Cain shrugged.  “What?  I have to provide for my lady, don’t I?  Who knows how long it will be before I find someone willing to hire me.”

Carly stood between his legs, her hands on either side of his head.  “I already told you that I can support us.”

He started to grumble as his bear growled; she tutted at him.  “Don’t give me any of that garbage about it being a man’s job to provide for his weak, helpless female.”

Cain pouted; something she found adorable on a huge, seven foot bear.  “I wasn’t going to say that.”

“Umm hmm, besides you already have a job.”

Cain creased his brow.  “I do?”

“Yep, you’re my bodyguard.”

Cain threw back his head and laughed.  “I wouldn’t say that was a job, more like a… like a…”

“Labor of love?” she offered, eyes twinkling.

“Got that right, beautiful.”

He drew her in for bone-melting kiss, her wolf moaning contentedly.  She snaked her arms round his neck, tightly clinging to him as his strong, protective arms wrapped round her body.

She reflected that after all her dreams and fantasies, her mate and her happily ever after weren’t anything like she expected.  They were even better.

Mate. Mine.

The end

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List of novellas currently available:

Grey Wolf Pack Romance Novellas
:

A Mate for the Beta – Book 1

The Alpha’s Mate – Book 2

The Librarian and the Wolf – Book 3

Running from the Vampire into the Arms of the Wolf – Book 4

Wolves for the Bears – Book 5

The Witch, the Wolf and the Snowstorm – Book 6

Patient Mates - Book 7

The Omega’s Mate – Book 8

Supernatural Bounty Hunter Romance Novellas:

Foxy On the Run – Book One