Beary Guarded (Polar Bliss Book 2) by Ruby Shae

he understood her fear, but he wasn’t her ex. He was her mate, and her blatant lack of trust had left him hurt and angry. He planned to find her, tell her about his sister, give her a phone, and then turn around and leave her behind.
    She could stay with her brother for as long as she wanted, but he wouldn’t let her get away with ignoring him.

Chapter Six
     
    Riley sat on the couch and held her best friend’s hand as they both watched Reid on the phone with Ryker. Jillian rubbed her back, and whispered words of encouragement, but all three of her brothers were outraged.
    Not only had she left home without a word to Ridge or Ryker, but she’d left her cell behind. No one had been able to contact her for eight whole hours, and they were going crazy. In hindsight, it had been stupid not to take her phone, but there was nothing she could do about it now. At the time, she’d only been thinking about how to avoid Nate; safety, or contacting her brothers, hadn’t crossed her mind.
    Jillian and Reid had been relieved to see her, but after waiting on her for most of the day, Reid had been fuming. They’d expected her hours ago, and she’d only been in their apartment a little over thirty minutes.
    Instead of driving straight to Charity, she’d stopped and had breakfast at a pancake house far from Longmeadow, and then she’d shifted and ran for nearly an hour. Her bear had been edgy and demanding, and the same thing had happened at lunch. A drive that could have been done in five hours had taken her over eight, and her whole family had been worried.
    Reid had yelled seconds after he’d ensured her safety, then he’d forced her to call Ryker and her older brother had yelled as well. When she’d asked about Ridge taking a turn, Ryker growled and she’d passed the phone back to Reid. His side of the conversation was full of grunts and growls while they discussed her as if she weren’t even in the room.
    Out of the three alpha males, two of them had already yelled at her, and the magnitude of what she’d done weighed heavy on her shoulders. She’d driven across an entire state, and shifted twice, alone. If something had happened, no one would know until it was too late. 
    She appreciated Jillian’s calm, soothing presence, but she was having a hard time holding back the tears. She’d run to get away from everyone and everything, but she hadn’t meant to hurt her family.
    Reid hung up the phone, but before he could lay into her again, something hit the door so hard it rattled on the hinges. It took her a minute to realize the sound was someone knocking, but Reid crossed the room as if he’d expected to see an angry wolf on the other side.
    Nate must have talked to Ryker.
    “Is she here?” Nate growled.
    In response, Reid stepped back and opened the door wider until she came into view. Nate scowled, but he didn’t enter the apartment.
    “Nate…” she whispered his name.
    “Oh, good,” he scolded, “you’re safe.”
    He was completely in control of his emotions, but she knew his rage was close to the surface.
    “I didn’t cheat on you, Riley, not that I ever could,” Nate lectured. “Even though I haven’t marked you yet, we’ve bonded, and nothing will ever change that. My family flew in for a surprise visit to meet you, and the woman you saw me hugging was my sister. If you had listened to any of my messages, you would have known that. I’m staying at the Rosepoint Resort tonight, and going back to Longmeadow in the morning. I’ll call you before I leave, but do not leave here until you hear from me. Do you understand?”
    “Yes,” she said, blinking back the tears again.
    “Thank you for taking care of her,” he said, facing Reid.
    Reid nodded and Nate turned and left.
    Somewhere, deep down inside, she’d known the truth all along, but fear had guided her actions instead of common sense. Through fear, she’d convinced herself that because she’d let him touch her, Nate had moved on and