She pressed her hand to his cheek and lifted her head to give him a kiss.She’d never felt so connected to someone in her life.It was an amazing feeling.
He was hers and she was his.
Matings were forever.
They talked for a little while about the night ahead, and then they showered together and dressed.
Once the park was closed, she wanted to check in with Fallon before they left to help with the sleuth’s dinner.
“I’m okay,” Fallon said when she opened the door.“Oh, you’re mated now!That’s great, I’m happy for you both.”
“Thanks,” Sunny said.“We’re going to dinner with the sleuth here in the park.Did you order food for dinner from the market?”
“Yeah, someone named Heidi brought the food to me, but she didn’t smell like a bear.”
“Heidi’s a wolf,” Seneca said.“They probably sent her to bring it to you if they were busy down in the market with the dinner rush.”
“Oh, okay.She was very sweet.”
Sunny gave her a hug.“I’ll check in with you tomorrow, we’ll be back late tonight.”
“Yeah, don’t worry about me.You’re on your mating weekend.”
“I know, but I do worry about you.”
“That’s because you’re my best friend, and that’s what best friends do.I’m fine, I swear.I’m going to eat dinner and watch TV.Have a fun night.Love you, bestie.”
“I love you too.”
Fallon shut the door and Sunny stared at it for a long moment, then turned and took Seneca’s hand.As they walked away from the apartment complex, she saw several security team members standing nearby on patrol and was thankful for them.
“You okay?”Seneca asked.
“Yeah, just a little worried about her.I feel kind of selfish.”
“What on earth for?”
“Well, because she came here in a panic on the run from an arranged mating and lost everything because Dario’s an asshole.Then she finds me mated and moving on quickly.Part of me feels like I should be focusing on her, but there isn’t anything I can do for her, you know?I can’t make her mom staying behind okay, and I can’t make Fallon’s worry disappear.But I’m also not there for her, because you and I took the weekend off from everything to spend alone together.”
He opened his mouth to say something, but she elbowed him gently and smiled.“I absolutely don’t want you to think that I haven’t enjoyed our time together.But there’s just this tiny part of me that feels guilty about it.Like Fallon’s life fell apart and I’m not there for her.”
“I understand.But I think she’s fine and is just working through everything.And you’re right, she has to do that on her own.Maybe her mom will join her here someday.”
“That would be nice.”She hummed and then said, “I just want to enjoy the rest of our weekend and focus on us.Because you’re the most important person in the world to me.”
“You’re the most important person in the world to me too.”
Sunny pushed away the tiny part of her that felt guilty for finding her soulmate and moving on with her life.It wasn’t her fault that Dario had kicked her out for being half-human any more than it was Fallon’s fault for Dario deciding she was a female he could use to secure an alliance.Fallon would land on her feet once she got over the shock of things, and until then, Sunny would be there for her as best she could.
But not this weekend.
This time was for her and Seneca, and she decided that focusing on her mate wasn’t selfish, it was the right thing to do.
* * *
She and Seneca helped set up for the big meal in the bears’ paddock.A firepit glowed brightly, skewers of meat roasting.There were chunks of cheese and meat and crackers for grazing, along with supplies for sweet s’mores for dessert.
The females grabbed her arm and brought her to their small group—Trina the human, Rory the red fox, and Lucy the albino doe were the sweetest females and so welcoming.“We’ve got a surprise for you,” Lucy said.
