Chapter 161 A Good Plan

The sounds of the birds in the trees stirred Bell from the best night of sleep she had experienced in a very long time. No dreams, but no nightmares either. Just restful sleep.

She adjusted her position ever so slightly, and Galen’s strong arm around her waist tightened. Just enough to hold her securely but not enough to make her feel restricted. She smiled and put her hand over his.

Galen let out a soft grumble, nuzzling against her shoulder blade and squeezing her closer.

Bell giggled.

“It’s time to wake up, handsome. It’s morning,” Bell called out gently. Patting Galen’s hand as she spoke.

He groaned and grumbled and then once more pulled her closer to him. She laughed as the big puppy insisted on staying in bed.

“Hmm…” she said, “for someone so well versed in the mating restrictions of Winter, you sure don’t seem to have a problem with sleeping together.”

“There are sleeping bags and layers of clothing keeping us very much safe from anything that breaks the rules,” Galen mumbled into her back.

“So… if I told you I wanted to break the rules….” Bell said with a devilish grin.

Galen let out a low growl.

“Don’t push me, woman,” his voice was thick. “I’m already struggling to hold back.”

Bell felt his desire hit her like a tidal wave. There was no bond to speak of between them, but the heavy vibrations in his voice melded together with her own strong desire for him. Craving and longing rolled over her body, forcing her to arch and stretch in a way that might have embarrassed her if she weren’t wrapped up in a sleeping bag.

She bit her lips between her teeth and held in the moan that threatened to expose her. Then, taking a shaky breath through her nose, Bell calmed herself, quenching the fires that suddenly roared to life..

He pulled away from her, she wanted to stop him, to keep his warm solid arms wrapped around her, but she was still recovering her own senses.

Galen moved across the tent; she didn’t turn to look at him until she heard him opening the zipper.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“To cool off,” he said as he left the tent.

She heard a distinct splatting sound dropping into the snow a moment later. Bell covered her mouth as she tried to stifle the giggles that came from imagining a big fluffy puppy flopping over in the snow.

She sure loved that big puppy.

They were all packed up and ready to head back down the mountain an hour later. The day was beautiful. The sun was bright in the blue sky, with only a few clouds in sight.

“Should we head down?” Galen asked, zipping up the last pouch on his bag and hoisting it onto his back.

Bell looked out over the view. She could see cars in the distance. The last of the alphas were leaving.

“Not yet,” she said.

She sat down on one of the logs and looked up at him.

“There is something I want to talk to you about.”

Galen put down the backpack and sat down beside her.

“Is everything alright?” he asked.

“Yea,” Bell smiled. She took Galen’s hand. “There is just something I want to share with you, while it is my choice to do so.”

Galen was confused, but he didn’t ask for clarification. Instead, he just waited for her to clarify on her own.

“When we talked last night about the potential for our true mates to appear in our lives… there was something I didn’t tell you,” she began.

“Ok,” Galen said. “You can tell me anything.”

“I know,” Bell smiled, running her thumb gently over the back of his hand.

She licked her lips and took a deep breath.

“The good news,” she smiled up at him. “Is that neither of us has to worry about a shiny new mate appearing to make us question our feelings about each other with the haunting allure of the magical bond.”

Her words were carefree, silly. She was making light of it. But the way she was struggling to say them while looking at him, the way she forced her smile. Galen looked at Bell carefully.

He reached his hand up to her cheek, and she looked away from him. Galen moved to his knees in front of her. He gently directed her chin back to look at him.

“Hey…” he said.

“Hey…” she answered.

“Tell me what you want to tell me,” Galen said quietly. “I’m listening.”

The tears had already begun to well in her eyes. Galen swallowed down his desire to simply hold her and comfort her. She had something she struggled to share with him, but she wanted to do it. He had to let her.

“The bad news,” she began, her voice weakening. “Is that my mate isn’t dead… and he isn’t shiny.”

Bell took another shaky breath.

“You lost your mate before you knew what it meant, but I know what it means…” she said with such sadness that he felt a deep pain in his heart. “The rules of Winter you mentioned before wouldn’t actually apply to me, not anymore. I have met my mate, and though I wasn’t yet eighteen….”

Bell felt her shoulders crumple in as the tears fell from her eyes.

Galen struggled to keep himself controlled. Every part of him ached to comfort her or scream and howl.

“…he made sure I was already mated, in every sense.”

Bell crumpled then, and Galen caught her.

She fell into his arms, and he wrapped her tightly in his embrace. She cried, letting the pain and the ache flow out of her as memories swirled. Every kind moment and every dark moment played in vivid detail across the viewscreen of her mind.

Galen said nothing, no words of kindness, vengeance, apology, or shared anger. He kept his mouth shut. Instead, he held her and poured every tiny piece of his heart into that embrace, holding her close and trying to make her feel safe without using his words.

He didn’t trust his mouth, he didn’t trust his throat, Galen didn’t trust his instincts not to take control and shout and scream to the Goddess with the rage he felt in his heart.

How could this have happened to her?

They stayed like that for a long time.

Bell cried and cried until she was too exhausted to cry anymore, and Galen continued to hold her long after his arms had grown tired and shaky.

When she was finally ready, she pulled away from him, and he let her.

They sat beside each other with their backs against the log.

After a few quiet moments, Bell attempted to break the silence.

“I…” she wanted to apologize. She felt suddenly that she had burdened him and regretted it. But she didn’t know what to say.

“Thank you,” Galen said.

“What?”

“Thank you,” he repeated. “For telling me. I know it couldn’t have been easy.”

Bell nodded.

“It wasn’t,” she answered and then looked at him. “But I wanted you to know.”

Galen took her hand and laced their fingers together.

Bell chewed her lip nervously.

“Did… is there… did you want to ask me anything?” she finally managed to say.

Galen shook his head.

“Not now,” he said quietly.

He turned to her. His eyes filled with love, affection, and heartache filled her with guilt.

“I just need a little time,” he smiled. “I don’t want to react in a way that hurts us.”

Bell nodded.

“I’m guessing you won’t be willing to tell me who he is,” Galen stated.

Bell shook her head.

“No,” she said. “Only three people know who he is. He and I are two of them. And I don’t plan for that number to change.”

Galen nodded.

“That’s a good plan,” he sighed. “As long as I never meet him.”