Grayslake: More than Mated: Secrets to Bear (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read Online Free Page A

wake up the best way possible, wrapped around his mate, but there was no one beside him. He opened his eyes and his smile vanished. Lira wasn't next to him. He patted the bed and pillow, but they were ice cold, as if she'd never been there. If it wasn't for her lingering scent he could have believed it was all a dream.
    No sounds came from the bathroom and her scent in the room was fading. She'd been gone for hours.
    His newly found mate had fled.
    He sat on the edge of the bed looking blearily around the room. The most amazing night of his life and she’d bolted. A hopeful spark jolted through him, maybe she left a note. She probably had things she had to do. Like a job. And he did sleep pretty heavily, like, well, a hibernating bear.
    He stalked around the room, scanning the tables for something. Anything. Nothing. His bear growled in disapproval. It wanted to tear the town apart brick by brick looking for her. Jake sank down into a chair with his head in his hands. Even if she was his mate, he had obligations. He couldn't hunt her down right this second.
    Ty sent him home to bring his errant family to Grayslake. His Itan was not going to want to hear about a missing mate until Jake had stuffed his cantankerous grandmother into the car and delivered her to the town’s little Bed and Breakfast.
    His mom and sister had cheerfully packed up, but Gran was having none of it. Jake could still hear the slap of Gran's cane against the floor through the phone and her bellowing, "If his Itan wants me to uproot my life, then Jake can damn well get his ass out here and bring me his own damn self."
    His mother had no sympathy for him. "Jake, you picked up the phone and demanded. Helen and I are ready for a clean start, but did you really think the Steel Grannie was going to ask 'how high?' when you said jump?"
    He'd never seen his new clan laugh harder than the moment he had to tell Ty that if he wanted to relocate Jake's family to Grayslake he was going to have to negotiate with Jake's grandmother. Of course Ty charmed her, but only conditionally. Jake was responsible for bringing Gran to Grayslake and he had no time to track down his errant mate.
    His bear was not happy with him and Jake considered calling Gran and seeing if she would at least start the drive with the rest of the family. For the possibility of him finally settling down, she might. He could at least give a call, after he made some coffee. He needed to check in and see if the movers had shown up to pack the truck.
    As he futzed with the coffee maker, Jake wondered if he should call his Itan. He wasn't keen on letting the clan know he'd even found a mate, let alone one that had managed to slip away so easily. He'd never get any peace. He had to laugh when he thought about his Gran browbeating Ty. After the call, Ty just shook his head, but Jake noticed Ty found a house for them that wasn't anywhere near the clan den.
    Smart man.
    Not like Jake, whose hand was shaking as he called his old home.
    Two rings and a young female voice answered, "Yallo, Helen's House of Horrors."
    He grinned. His sister. She'd give him the lowdown on how everything was going. "Hey sis. How goes the packing?"
    She whistled into the phone, "Whoooboy, am I glad you're driving Gran and we get a little quiet and a lot of peace."
    He winced, that was not what he wanted to hear. He had to convince Gran and his sister. He didn't even want to think about what his mom would have to say. "Packing is always stressful, you should be done, at least." He'd try placating first.
    Helen practically hissed, "She made me repack her thimble collection EIGHT TIMES, Jake. EIGHT. GODDAMN. TIMES. They aren't even fragile. I refuse to even speak about packing the perfume bottles. Or the figurines. She owns everything Lenox ever released!"
    Helen wasn't fooling. She might be a monster of a teenager, but she was a good kid, generally. "Come on now, it couldn't have been that bad, you must be exaggerating."
    "If Grayslake