Read Chasing Paradise for Free Online

was mate to her otter. She’d never been more certain of anything in her life. But despite what his wolf wanted, the man didn’t want the woman. Their animals were made for each other, but that didn’t guarantee a happily-ever-after.
    Ignoring the staff, Gwen continued to listen as Ethan denied everything between them. She forced herself to stay, needing to hear this. All of it.
    After it appeared he had wound down, Gwen silently crept away, avoiding the gazes and concerned hands reaching for her. When she made it back to her room, she collapsed on the bed, allowing the sobs of grief to escape her at last. No one would hear her in her room as the weight of despair crushed her.
    In her darkest hours, she had imagined not finding her mate, or finding him after she was too old to have children. Never did she imagine not being good enough for her mate once she found him.
    With fierce resolve, Gwen rose to a sitting position, wiping the tears off her cheeks. Screw that! He wasn’t good enough for her . She was successful and smart and had a good sense of humor. She managed one of the most successful shifter resorts in the world. Who the hell was he to claim she wasn’t good enough?
    A knock at the door interrupted her silent rant. She thought about ignoring it, but as if reading her thoughts, the knocking became more insistent.
    “Gwen, I can hear you crying. You’d better open this door right now or I’m breaking it down.” Alyssa’s voice drifted through the solid panel of wood. It figured her best friend would find her eventually. Gossip among the staff always spread quickly. Why would her failure be any different?
    Throwing open the door, Gwen took one look at her friend and burst into renewed sobs. Strong arms encircled her small frame and eased the door shut, enclosing them in Gwen’s room. Alyssa was her rock, the one person she knew without a doubt would always be there for her. They’d been inseparable since childhood, despite Gwen being older by three years.
    “Oh, sweetheart. What happened?”
    Gwen sniveled out the whole sordid affair between sobs, letting her anger and frustration bleed through. Shocked silence met her story until Gwen revealed what she heard in the bar.
    “Bastard!” Gwen smiled at the affronted anger expressed on her behalf. “You deserve so much better. Want me to beat him up for you? Say the word, I’ll do it. I may not look like much but I have a mean right hook.”
    “You’re a good friend, you know that?” Alyssa always knew how to cheer her up.
    “Of course I do.” Both women sat, lost in their own thoughts for a moment. “So what are you going to do now?” The quiet question hung in the air, taunting Gwen.
    What was she going to do? The thought of watching Ethan flirt with other guests and staff for the next two weeks was more painful than she could bear. She feared she wouldn’t be able to stand it. Would beg him to come back to her, destroyingher pride along with everything else. Or worse, that he’d use her and she’d be unable to resist. She couldn’t let that happen.
    Seeming to sense her distress, Alyssa bumped shoulders with her. “Don’t worry. I give him one day before he’s banging on your door again, crawling back.”
    “No.” The statement was quiet but resolved. “He doesn’t want me, Lyssa. It’s not just him denying I’m his mate. He doesn’t want a ‘woman like me’ as his mate. I’m better than that. Damn it, I deserve more than that.” Gwen was quiet for a moment, contemplating her next course of action.
    “I have some vacation days saved up. Maybe I’ll go visit Ty’s ranch in Nevada I haven’t seen him in a while.” Ty had worked at the resort for a summer a few years ago and the three had become fast friends. Gwen and Ty had even dated for a while, but it had never been serious. Both had known the other wasn’t a mate, simply good company. After he left to make his own way in the world, she’d kept in contact and they