Gunner pulled up the information on Tessa he'd found online. She'd been married to Bradley Ward for around three years before filing for divorce. There was no record of any arrests on either one of their parts during that time.

However, Bradley Ward had a laundry list of arrests after Tessa left him. His crimes were drug and violence related. He'd been charged with possession a few times, assault twice, and he was still out roaming the streets.

If that had been a bear shifter and he'd laid his hands on his mate, or any female for that matter, the clan would've killed him on the spot. They didn't treat women with anything other than the utmost respect. Hell, if Gunner had a mate, she'd be treated like a goddamn queen!

Tessa was a beautiful woman, and exactly what his big, grumpy brother needed. Gunner wouldn't say it out loud, because Drake would surely kick his ass, but since Tessa had showed up on their land, Drake had been calmer, less... well, grumpy. Whatever needed to be done to get those two to accept each other, he was all for making it happen.

This ex-husband of hers was going to be a problem, and if Drake kept his eye on Tessa, Rex and Gunner could find him and take him out without the female knowing. The last thing they wanted to do was upset the female in any way.

Gunner closed his laptop and grabbed his hat. It was time to get out into the field to plant, and he was already burning daylight. He'd have to work for the next few weeks to get the seeds in the ground while Drake watched over his mate.

"We need to be getting back to the land," Drake mumbled as Tessa walked away from the table they'd been at all morning.

"Gunner is already planting," Rex confirmed. "He's been out since five."

It was just coming up on noon, and Tessa was finishing her shift. Gaia, her boss and owner of the diner, came by and cleaned away what was left of their lunch. She gave Drake and Rex a nod, and the sparkle in her eye wasn't missed when she turned away.

"She's always watched out for us," Rex smiled.

"That she has," Drake replied, watching his mother's best friend move around as if she was still a young female. If he remembered right, Gaia was close to fifty, and had owned the diner since he was in his teens. She had to have been barely twenty when she acquired the place. Not once had she ever missed a day opening the diner in all the years she'd owned it.

"I'm ready," Tessa announced as she approached the table. Drake stood and took her hand. Tessa waved at Gaia over her shoulder and returned to her position close to Drake's side.

Outside, the sun was shining bright, but there was a slight chill to the air. Tessa shivered as she nervously looked around the parking lot. Rex took his keys and walked ahead to unlock the truck. Drake's eyes cautiously scanned the area. His bear wasn't on edge, and he trusted his beast to warn him if something was amiss. The only fear he felt was from Tessa.

A shifter's senses were heightened above what humans experienced, or at least that was what he'd been told. The humans couldn't smell lies and danger like his kind. In the heat of a fight with an enemy, bears could taste the fear of their opponent on their tongues. It was a taste of victory.

"In ya go, little one," Drake said, lifting Tessa into his tall truck. She buckled her seatbelt as he closed the door, remaining quiet while Rex shook Drake's hand and left them alone to drive his own truck back to the farm.

"Can I see him again? The bear?" she asked with a soft blush on her face.

"You like him?" Drake beamed, laughing when his bear made a satisfied sound in his mind.

"I do," she grinned. "I mean, if that's okay?"

"Yes, Tessa," he agreed, "it's okay. We can go play in the woods behind the house after dinner."

"I'd like that," she offered, and turned to look out the window of his truck. "I enjoy the forest. It soothes me."

If seeing his bear brought her peace, he would shift every day. Tessa didn't understand his world, but he knew she was going to be his end game. The human was his mate, regardless of how much he hated them and what they'd done to his family.

Maybe she was right. Maybe not all humans were bad. Tessa was kind and gentle. After watching her work today, he realized that the humans who ate at the diner were decent. Not once were there any altercations. Not that Gaia would allow any of that to happen in her business, but regardless, everyone greeted each other with a warm smile and a handshake.

Drake looked in the mirror as they pulled out of the lot. Gaia was standing by the door and nodded in his direction. She smiled and turned to walk away. He knew things about her that no one else did, and he and his brothers were tasked to keep that secret safe.

"How did your mother know Gaia?" Tessa asked, biting her lip. Drake stared at her for a moment before turning to look at the road.

"My mother worked for her at the diner for a few years," Drake explained. He wasn't lying. His mother had worked for Gaia when he was a teenager.

"What was her name?" Tessa continued.

"Maria." He swallowed hard. Just hearing her name fall from his lips caused a sadness to squeeze his heart. "My father's name was Amell."

"Thank you for telling me." She smiled and continued to stare out the window.

"Tulley has given you the week off with pay," Drake announced. He knew it was best not to tell her while she was at the diner. One thing he'd noticed about Tessa was that she was a proud female and wanted to earn everything she had.

"What?" she barked. "Oh, no, no, no. I can't accept that."

"Too late," Drake shrugged. "He's already put it in your account."

"Damn it," she swore. "Tulley has been so good to me. I don't know if I'll ever be able to repay him for the things he's done for me."

"I've known Tulley for a long time," Drake said as he turned south on the two-lane highway south of town. The drive would take a good twenty minutes, and his mate's scent of honeysuckle was already driving him insane with lust. Her soft sighs and thick legs in her denim jeans wasn't helping much either. "He's a good man."

"For a human?" she asked, looking over at him with a smirk.

"For a human," he agreed.

"See, you aren't as grumpy as you played it off when we first met," she teased, waving her hand to indicate his large body.

"Oh, no, little one," he grinned. "I assure you, I can be very, very grumpy."

"When?" she pressed. The little human was playing with fire. She didn't know not to test the beast, but she was, and he wanted to play.

"When I'm hungry," he began, ticking off all the things that irritated him. "When humans come on my land. Ahhh, and when my female teases me."

"I'm your female?" she asked with a grin. "Yes, Tessa Ward," he answered. "You are."

Tessa nodded and continued to stare out the window. Drake would occasionally glance over at her, and he swore he could see her mind churning. He chuckled to himself as he wondered what questions she'd have for him at dinner. He was surprised when he realized he was looking forward to whatever she had to say.

When they arrived at his home, Gunner was just coming from the barn. He'd been in the field all day, and Drake was anxious to find out what he'd learned about Tessa's ex. When his baby brother made eye contact, Drake frowned. Gunner shook his head slightly, telling him now was not a good time to talk about the male.

Whatever Gunner had found wasn't good.

Tessa walked ahead of Drake and entered the house. She made an excuse to shower, and he waited until she descended into his room to head back outside to meet his brother. Rex had arrived already, and the two of them were waiting on the porch.

"What did you find out?"

"All I could find was public records," Gunner cursed. "This guy has been in a lot of trouble the last three years. He's been arrested for minor drug charges and two fights. I don't know why the humans haven't kept him in jail."

"Because he hasn't hurt someone bad enough for them to keep him," Rex answered, his voice lowering to a deathly growl.

"I can't find anything about his current whereabouts," Gunner continued. "Our best hope would be to talk to the sheriff."

"Hmmm," Drake growled. He had weird trust issues with their sheriff. He didn't care that the male was a Watcher, a guardian angel sent to protect the panthers. Drake didn't care much for the male, but he needed him. It was more important to keep Tessa safe than his aversion to anyone coming on his land. "I guess I should call Sheriff Lynch."

"I would advise it," Gunner said, raising his hand when Drake started to speak. "He's our only hope of getting more information on the male."

"I'll see if I can get a face to face meeting with him," Drake promised. "Right now, my mate needs food and she wants to go for a walk in the woods before dark."

"We will leave you two alone," Rex offered.

"No," Tessa said from the door. All three men turned as she was coming out the door. "Please have dinner with us."

"Yes, have a meal with us," Drake agreed.

"Please?" Tessa repeated. "I haven't had much time to get to know you. I'd like to spend some time with everyone."

"We can do that." Rex nodded and pushed his brother playfully. "Go cook, little man."

"Man, fuck you," Gunner began, but stopped abruptly when Drake narrowed his eyes. "Sorry."

"No need to be sorry," she laughed. "I say ' fuck' a lot when I'm mad."

All three of them stared at her with wide eyes. Drake couldn't believe she had cursed like it was nothing. Maybe this human female really was meant to be in his and his brothers' lives? She sure was making him start to rethink his disgust of humans.

__________________________

I'm having hell with all the pending assignments and presentations.

I think I'm going to fail this semester 😭

But here's another update!