Bear with Me (#2, Completed)

9. It's on

CALLUM

I scanned the location as we got out of the car and couldn't believe that this was what Flame had in mind when she mentioned that she was picking what we were going to do next. The Alpha in me never backed down from any challenge but this activity was certainly not something that came naturally to a bear shifter. We very much preferred to have our feet on the ground than to be hanging off trees.

"Don't tell me you're scared," my fiery mate snickered. "Or are you worried that you can't keep up with me, big boy?"

Her eyes twinkled with daring sparks, clearly feeling confident that she was teaching me a lesson but she had no idea about the fire that she was playing with- I was going to paint that perky butt of hers a beautiful shade of red once we were mated. Yet, I had to admit that I did get a kick out of her ballsiness. If anything, it made me appreciate her even more.

As the mate of an Alpha- and especially as a human- there were always going to be others that were going to try to challenge her, to push her into a corner, and if I stepped in to protect her, it was going to be seen as a sign of weakness on our part. But seeing her like this, ready to not only not take shit from anyone but also be the one challenging the other side, I knew that she had what it took to be a formidable leader of our sleuth together with me. And either way, I did not want a submissive mate but someone who wanted us to be a team and who pushed me to be better, just like I was going to do with her. Yet in the bedroom, all bets were off.

"Go Ape? That's what you had in mind?" I looked again at the treetop ropes courses ahead of us. 

I was all up for outdoor adventure experiences but not so much for ones in the air. Tackling dangling obstacles and flying around on multiple ziplines from various heights was not my definition of fun.

We can't chicken out, Callum, Mahon pointed out through our mind link. I will not allow our mate to think that we are weak.

He had a point there and I was certainly not going to back out, the very least because of my pride.

"Oh, come on- it will be fun." Scarlett was glowing with excitement, itching to get started with the course.

Seeing her like this crushed any doubt that I still had about the whole thing. It was natural for a shifter to want to make their mate happy but I also couldn't shake off this feeling I had since meeting Scarlett again here in Scotland that behind all her smiles, there was also something troubling her. She needed this- to be carefree for a while and to enjoy herself.

And it could also work out in my favour. 

"Alright, alright. We are doing this but-"

Her beautiful face scrunched up in confusion. "But?"

"But we need to do this properly. A little competition, what do you say? If I win, I will take you for drinks after this."

Seeing her relax again reassured me that she was not completely opposed to the idea. A touch of anxiety still crept up in my mind as I waited for her response while she pondered the idea for a bit before she replied.

"It's on." Gathering her strawberry blonde mane into a messy bunch, she pulled her hair up in a high ponytail that made her look more determined, more fierce. Like a warrior about to go into a battle. "Shall we then?"

Fifteen minutes later, we were strapped into our harnesses and ready to go, much to my relief. The safety briefing that we had to go through tested all my patience when the annoying instructor was low-key flirting with my mate. I had to keep cool for the whole thing because neither of them would have understood why Mahon and I were growling and roaring on the inside.