Drake refused to let Tessa lift a finger when it came to dinner. She wanted nothing more than to help them since she was a guest in their home, but the brothers refused her help and Drake banished her to the small living room in the main part of the house.

She clicked on the television and found the local news station just as the weather was coming on. Rain was coming later in the week, and the temperatures were going to hover right around the sixty-degree mark. Spring was coming, and she was ready for the warmth of summer.

"Would you like some wine?" Drake asked from the kitchen.

"Actually, yes," she called out. "I would love some."

When was the last time she'd had a drink? It seemed like forever since she'd had a night where she could just relax. Since Tulley had given her the week off, Tessa was now off for the day after her shift at the diner ended at noon. Otherwise, she'd have not been home until six or seven, preferring to eat whatever she could find and go directly to bed.

Drake returned with a glass of white wine for her and a bottle of beer for himself. He sat next to her and rested his ankle on his knee. He was still wearing his dark-brown boots with the spurs attached. She'd noticed he wore them a lot, and she liked to hear them clang with each step he took. The rhythmic sound was soothing.

"So, bear man," Tessa joked, "I kinda like the spurs." She leaned over, and using just her index finger, spun the tarnished metal at the back of his heel.

"Well," Drake flirted, "you never know when you're going to need to mount something."

The laugh that bubbled up from her chest caused Drake to chuckle beside her. He was a slow-talking southern man with expressive eyes and a sexy smile. That was...whenever she could get him to smile.

"What's for dinner?" she asked, sniffing the air. She couldn't quite make out what it was, but it didn't matter. It smelled delicious.

"Chicken Marsala," he answered. "Gunner is a pretty damn good cook, and we've learned to trust him not to kill us. So, he's in charge of dinner."

"I'd like to cook for y'all one night," she offered. "If you don't mind."

"That would be welcomed," he began, "but you are on your feet all day. Gunner will cook." He said it like his words were final, and from what she'd learned about Drake Morgan, he liked things left alone. Change wasn't a part of his life.

"I can cook," she argued. "Gunner is working the fields while you watch me all day."

"It's in our nature to care for our females," he reminded her.

"Do your females do anything?" she asked. From the way Drake talked, the females of his den would be lazy and unproductive. Tessa didn't want to do nothing all day.

"They work," he assured her. "My mother worked at the diner, and eventually started working in the office once my father begged her. Our business was booming and he needed help. If a mate wants to work, she can, but we males prefer she rest when she's not."

"Well, that's just crazy," Tessa chuckled. "I will cook tomorrow night. Do you like pork?"

"We're bears, Tessa," he pointed out, his eyes heating as he looked her over. "We'll eat everything."

Tessa took her glass of wine and turned it up for a healthy gulp. She liked when he teased and flirted with her. The big, grumpy bear was growing on her.

"Food's ready!" Gunner hollered from the kitchen.

Drake held out his hand to help her up from the couch. He didn't release his hold as they walked. There was a warmth to his calloused hands that seeped into her body. His touch made her feel safe.

"Thank you," she said as Drake pulled out her chair. She took her seat and Drake slid into the one beside her. Rex and Gunner sat across from them. The two heads of the table were empty.

"Go ahead," Drake encouraged, relaxing in his seat.

Tessa remembered their pride at letting the women in their home eat first. She plated her food and cut into the first bite. When she looked up, the men were staring at her. Making a sound of approval, she nodded and quickly swallowed her food. "This is delicious. Please, eat."

Gunner smiled widely and waved for his brothers to go first. Satisfied with her response, Drake dug into his food. Rex kept his head down as he did the same.

"Tell us about your life before you met this human male," Gunner blurted, causing Drake to glare over his beer bottle. Tessa took a sip of wine and set her glass down with shaky hands.

"I'm from Chicago, but moved to the panhandle of Florida after my divorce," she began, taking a moment to keep from getting emotional over missing her family. Bonnie Holland, her mother, and Ross, her older brother, were the only family she had contact with anymore. "My mother and brother are there. They moved with me when the divorce from Bradley was final. He threatened to hurt them, as well. So, I moved to Tulsa to keep them safe."

"Have you talked to your family at all?" Rex asked, finally looking up from his plate. She hadn't spent much time with him, but she liked him. His eyes flashed gold, and she placed her hands in her lap to squeeze them together. She wouldn't show fear around them. She'd done too much of that with Bradley.

"I called my mother after Bradley attacked me in Tulsa," she admitted. God, her mother had been so upset, she flew straight from Pensacola to come help her. "She came to Oklahoma, and as soon as I was healed enough, I sent her home. I told my mom I was going to run again, and when things were okay, I would call her."

"Have you talked to her since you've been here?" Drake pressed, reaching over to take her hand under the table. He didn't mention anything about the way she wrung them with her nervousness.

"I have." She smiled sadly. "I only talk to her every few months, because I don't want anyone knowing where I am."

"What about your father?" Gunner asked as he paused in consuming his meal fit for a king.

"We don't speak," she said, gritting her teeth.

"Why not?" Drake asked, moving his body closer to her.

He held a protective posture as he waited for her reply.

"Because he is the one who told Bradley where I was in Tulsa," she growled.

The three men around her exploded out of their chairs. Drake, Rex, and Gunner started yelling about fathers taking care of their daughters. All three men bared their fangs as they cursed. The skin around their eyes bubbled as if they were on the verge of shifting like Drake had done the night before.

"Please," she begged, hoping she could stop them from turning into bears in their own home. "Sit down."

"Your own father sent that human to hurt you!" Drake was so angry. Tessa shivered from the power he gave off with his hatred of what she'd told him.

"There's more to the story," Tessa promised, reaching out to touch Drake's hand. He relaxed and looked down at her. "Please, sit."

Tessa held back the tears, because her own father had ratted her out to the man who was harming her. "My father didn't want me to divorce Bradley."

"Why?" Drake asked once he finally relaxed. His expression turned from anger to worry.

"I really don't know," she answered, shaking her head. "He just tried to tell me everything was going to be okay and I needed to stay with him, because he didn't want me to go through what my parents went through when they divorced."

"Divorce is so common with humans," Gunner snarled. "I really don't understand how you cannot find a true mate amongst yourselves."

"Some do find their mates," Tessa offered. "Mine just wasn't with the man I thought. He told me all the things I wanted to hear, and I fell for it."

"I assure you, Tessa," Rex nodded toward Drake, "we are bound by our paranormal nature. If his bear has claimed you, you were chosen by Mother Nature herself to be mated to my brother."

Why did she believe him?

"I need a moment," she said in a rush, standing up from her seat. All three men stood as she pushed her chair back in and ran toward Drake's room. She locked herself in the bathroom.

Tessa wiped away tears, kicking herself mentally for letting Rex's words freak her out. Drake's claim was valid. The shifters were different. Hell, everyone knew that. She hadn't really paid much attention to the news of their discovery, because she had been too busy running away from Bradley.

What little she'd read online was more speculation than truth. Tessa didn't blame them. She wouldn't want to be studied either.

"Tessa," Drake called out as he knocked softly on the door. "What's wrong, little one?"

"I'm sorry," she sniffled as she opened the door. She walked out and took a seat on the edge of his bed. "I'm just a little overwhelmed by everything you and your brothers are saying to me."

"About you being my mate?" he asked, taking her chin with the back of his index finger. He only gave her a nudge, but she knew to look into his eyes.

There was worry mixed with passion in his eyes. The dark-brown depths flickered gold as he released her to use his thumb to wipe away a lone tear that escaped her left eye. Once he was satisfied her face was void of tears, he returned his finger to the spot under her chin.

"He was a dominant male, correct?" Drake asked, his voice steady and sure.

"Yes, Sir," she replied in a whisper.

"He didn't respect you or your limits?" he continued. Tessa felt tears in her eyes again, but they didn't fall over her lashes this time. Drake's strength was enough for her to straighten her spine and continue to answer his questions.

"No, he did not," she sighed. "He got off on my fear." "Did he strike you every time?"

"Yes," she flinched, remembering the nights she'd be cowered in the corner of the kitchen as he took a belt to her body.

Drake growled, "Where did he strike you?"

"There wasn't a spot he didn't use the belt on me," she admitted, still looking into his eyes.

"I want you to tell me exactly what he did to you so that when I find him, I can return every strike to him before I take his life," Drake promised.

"My feet, legs, ass," she paused to take a deep breath, "my breasts, my face...everywhere, Drake."

"Thank you for trusting me with your past, Tessa," Drake whispered, and released her. "Come here."

Tessa stood, trusting Drake as he pulled her close. He used his large hand to cup the back of her head. He didn't hesitate as he brought her head to his chest. "Tessa, I vow to you, I will always take care of you, and at no time will I ever raise a hand to you in anger. Everything I have told you about my kind has been nothing but the truth. It took one touch to know you were to be mine, and I will protect you, even if that means laying my life down for yours."

"Oh, Drake," she cried. "Where have you been all this time?"

"Waiting for you," he said, ducking his head to capture her lips.