They spoke no words, the heat between them was all the conversation that was needed. Althea spread her legs wide as Minco grabbed her hips and pulled her down. Sliding his hands up to her waist he leaned back up on his knees and slowly pushed inside of her. Althea gasped, arching her back, her eyes rolling. Minco’s thrusts were hard, deep, and just like him, to the point. Every time his cock entered her, she moaned, gripping onto her breasts as they bounced up and back down again.
Althea watched his smooth strong body in the moonlight as every muscle tensed and released. She pulled her arms up over her head and gripped onto the headboard, crying out in ecstasy. Minco moved faster and faster, the heat sparking into flames all around them. Althea could feel the passion building to a peak inside of her, and her thighs tensed, awaiting the release. Minco leaned down, kissing her lips as his hips thrust, shorter and faster this time.
Althea put her arms over his shoulders and dug her fingers into his back. They locked eyes and her mouth fell open as he swished his hips against her clit. With one more thrust her lust boiled over. Lifting her chest and bowing her back, she took in a long deep breath. As the orgasm hit her, Minco pressed his mouth to hers. She moaned down his throat as he pounded into her, pushing his cock faster and faster. Her body pulsed and convulsed, clenching tightly to him. He groaned at the feeling, her wetness enveloping him.
His body swept downward, his feet digging into the mattress as he deepened his thrust. Clenching his eyes shut, Althea could feel his body go stiff as he came, growling deep like a Bear. They stayed tightly wrapped in one another for several moments before slowly releasing their muscles and sinking into the bed. This time, Minco curled up behind her, and pulled her into him, wrapping her in a cocoon of protection. It wasn’t long before they both fell soundly asleep.
The next morning, as the light filtered into the room, Althea awoke, reaching over to find an empty spot where Minco had fallen asleep. She opened her eyes and looked around, no sign of Minco and the door of the bedroom pulled to. The sound of voices echoed out from the living room, so she carefully pulled herself from the bed and dressed before attempting to tame the wild curls that were spiraling in every direction.
When she felt like she had done what she could, Althea cracked the door and peaked out, finding Minco, Billy, and Yansa standing in the living area, talking quietly. Smiling, she opened the door all the way, gathering their attention. Minco nodded, Yansa pressed his hands together and bowed, and Billy grinned. “Good morning, guys.”
“Morning,” Minco said.
“Beautiful day,” Yansa replied with a smile.
“We brought breakfast,” Billy crowed.
Althea laughed and walked out, finding the table covered in breads, cheeses, and fruit. They sat down, Billy pouring her a cup of coffee before taking a seat across from her. She took some bread and fruit and sighed, stuffing her mouth. “I was starving.”
Yansa chuckled. “We figured you would be. And we also wanted to talk to you about everything going on.”
Her eyes shifted up, stopping on each of the guys. “What happened?”
Billy shook his head. “Oh, nothing new. Thankfully. But Yansa and I did some snooping around last night and we think we know where the killer might be coming from.”
Althea looked over at Minco. He sipped his coffee. “We think it’s someone working for several of the Alpha Shifters… Earth Sigil.”
Althea’s face went flat. “My own Sigil?”
Yansa nodded calmly. “Unfortunately, yes. And we believe that the killer is hiding in the woods. They wouldn’t make one attempt, fail, and not try again. We believe he is lying in wait for his next opportunity to attack.”
Althea tossed her napkin on her plate and shrugged. “Well, I’m not going to sit here and just wait until he comes knocking. I’m going to go find him. These Alphas are sitting around, waiting, whispering, smiling to my face while they look for the chance to stab me in the back. I won’t be a victim. These Alphas will not disrupt the future of the Shifters for their own selfish gain or because of their own bias. They will be stopped.”
As Althea stood up, Yansa put his hand on hers. “Hold on. Remember what I told you about going alone. We are your mates and we are definitely not okay with you endangering your life like this. Not when you haven’t reached your peak powers yet.”
Before Althea could protest, Billy put up his hand, calming her. “BUT we do understand that this is part of your destiny. We’ve already talked about it. We knew this would be your response. So, we’ll go with you.”
Althea looked around at him surprised. “Really?”
Minco put his cup down and stood up, pushing in his chair. “Of course. How are you supposed to develop these new powers if you stay away from us? And who’s going to keep you safe?”
Althea smiled and bowed her head to the guys. “Thank you.”
Billy stood and stretched his arms over his head. “Well, if we’re going to go with you, we’ve got to get our stuff packed.”
Minco nodded. “Exactly what I was thinking. Yansa, could you stay here with Althea while we get things ready?”
Yansa gave a kind smile. “Of course, I can. Make sure to pack things for me too though.”
Althea walked the guys to the doors and thanked them again for closing it behind her. When she turned around Yansa was standing there with her cup of coffee and they walked into the living room, taking a seat by the fire. Althea stared at the flames for a few moments, before shaking the haze out of her head. Taking a deep breath, she turned to Yansa and gave him a smile. “So, tell me how you became a Shaman.”
Yansa ran his finger around the lid of the cup. “When I was a young boy, I would have prophetic dreams. When I was really young my mother took me to see the Shaman because of them. She realized very quickly they weren’t just nightmares. In those dreams, I could see you there with me just as you are today.”
Althea was shocked. “So, you knew it was me from the first moment you saw me.”
Yansa grinned as he sipped his coffee. “Of course, I did. But my brothers didn’t, and I had to keep it to myself until they figured it out. Until you figured it out. Those dreams I had were dreams of the future, obviously, but they struck me just like you have, and I’ve been waiting for you my whole life.”
With an embarrassed grin, Althea looked down at her coffee cup and let out a deep sigh. Yansa stared at her for a moment, tilting his head to the side as he studied her. “You miss your mother and your sisters, don’t you? I could feel it.”
Althea pulled back tight on the lump in her throat as she nodded her head. Yansa stood up and waved his arms. “Come here.”
She looked at him confused and put her coffee down, standing up and walking toward him. He put his arms out and wrapped them around her, hugging her tightly. At first, she just thought that he was trying to make her feel better, but as he squeezed her tighter, she felt the strange sensation surging into her body and through her chest. It was so strong that it almost vibrated her, but when that subsided, she could feel the same familiar warmth and comfort that she had every time she was with her sisters.
Althea had no other option but to let herself fall into it. She laid her head on Yansa shoulder and closed her eyes, making note of just how wonderful it felt to be with them. It was a reminder for her, to keep going when it got tough, to remember all the things that she would be fighting for. When he finally pulled away, breathing a bit heavier than normal, he grinned at her and moved another wild curl out of her face. “Your sisters are thinking of you as well. They miss you just as much.”
Althea shook her head, taking Yansa’s hands in hers. “That’s exactly what I needed. You don’t know how much that means to me.”
But somehow, Althea had a feeling that he did.
Chapter Eight
Minco’s large muscles glistened with sweat as he swung his machete over his head and through the thick brush and vines in front of them. The forest was alive with sounds and sights
and Althea couldn’t help but look around in amazement as she followed behind Billy and in front of Yansa. At first, Althea was a bit disappointed that the guys didn’t want to go in their Bear forms but once she got out there, she could completely understand. She didn’t know how the entire forest was going to be but the beginning of the track was very tight. Their animals were so cumbersome it would’ve been hard for them to get through the thick of everything around them.
Billy slowed and moved to the side as it opened up a bit, walking beside Althea. “When we were kids, our mom would bring us out here and let us run wild. As Cubs we were pretty small so we were able to shift and move around through the vines. Well, except for Minco, he’s always been a big one.”
“And now I do all the heavy lifting,” he grumbled as he cut through more vines.
Althea chuckled. “What was it like growing up on the Settlement? I guess you don’t know much of anything else, but for me I grew up everywhere. We lived in the castle but we got to travel a lot to the cities and see a lot of the world.”
Billy shrugged. “It was okay. We definitely got bored sometimes but there were plenty of kids to play with. I used to wonder what it was like outside of the forest but our father took us there when we were just about teenagers. After about ten minutes I was ready to come back to the Settlement.”
Althea chuckled. “I bet. I couldn’t imagine growing up in a place like this and then going out into the rest of the world. It would be a bit of a shock to the system. What does your dad do?”
Billy looked down at his hands and back up again, dodging a twig that shot out from ahead of them. “He died when I was just 13 years old. Yansa was 11 and Minco was 15. There were some intruders in the forest and they were getting really close to the Settlement. First, we thought that maybe they would just go away, but the closer they got the more it seemed like they were looking for us. My father, our father, went out with the party that was sent to either defend or greet them but there was no greeting to be had. He didn’t even have time to change into his Bear. My mother was so distraught by the passing of her mate, that five years later she died too.”
Althea reached over and rubbed her hand on his arm, feeling the urge to comfort him. “I’m sorry about that. It had to be hard, especially at that age.”
As they walked and talked, Althea felt a rush of energy. Every time she got closer to them, she felt stronger. She tried not to think about it, but she wondered if that had anything to do with building her new powers. Maybe they were starting to break free. Talking to the guys definitely gave her something to focus on instead of how many more miles they had to go or how tired her legs were getting.
When the forest began to darken, and dusk was upon them, Minco stopped and turned right, chopping out a rather large area of shrubs and vines. The other guys jumped in, clearing out the debris and smoothing things out on the ground. Althea looked at Minco confused. “What is this?”
Minco used his machete to point up toward the canopy. “We can’t walk through this forest at night, not as humans at least. Our Bears need to eat anyway, and we’re right on the edge of where the forest begins to open up a lot. We should camp here for the night and then continue on tomorrow.”
Althea nodded, walking into the cleared out area and setting her bag down. “We gotta be on watch. We can’t just let the camp sit without protection.”
Yansa brushed his hands-off walking toward them. “We’ll all take shifts watching the camp throughout the evening. Right beyond that wall of vines is the opening of the forest so we’ll be able to shift into our Bears. It’ll be the safest way to protect the camp.”
Billy walked out of the thick of it and dropped a pile of wood on the ground in the center of the clearing. “It’s going to be a cold night so we should start a fire.”
Althea opened up her bag. “I’ll get food ready.”
Yansa bent down next to the satchel he had brought with him. “I’ll pull out the blankets and get them situated.”
Minco walked toward the veil of vines. “I’ll clear a bit more so we can get through easily.”
They all went to work, getting things done as a team, without even talking. By the time everyone was done, they were starving and took a seat by the fire next to each other, passing the food around. As Billy chewed, he nodded at Althea. “We told you a little bit about us, why don’t you tell us about what your life was like.”
Althea shifted her eyebrows for a moment, not having thought about it for awhile. “Well, it was a bit different than yours. I’m the youngest of my sisters, and we were all born at the castle and raised there. When my mother went on trips to check on the other Shifter Clans, if it was a relatively safe area, she would take us with her. If not, we had to stay in and study. Even when we went with her, we had to study. I’m pretty sure all I did in my youth was study.”
Billy grimaced, Yansa nodded knowingly, and Minco grunted. She could tell studying wasn’t their favorite thing, except for Yansa who she had already imagined sitting in his cottage reading every book he could get his hands on. Althea laughed and shook her head. “It wasn’t that bad. I like to learn and I had to, especially knowing that one day I would be in this position. Well, not this exact position in the middle of the forest, but in a leadership role. My mother did whatever she could to make sure that we were happy.”
“I remember your mother,” Yansa said with a smile. “She came and visited here when we were children. Me and my brothers were allowed to come see her, especially with the dreams that Yansa had. That and the prophecy. I guess she just wanted to meet who might be protecting one of her daughters one day. I’m sure she assumed it was you considering we’re all Grizzlies.”
Althea was surprised to know that they met her, but at the same time comforted by it. She glanced around the camp, watching the guys eat, settling in for the long night ahead of them. She suddenly felt very thankful.
Clearing her throat, nervously, she looked down at the food she was eating. “In case I forget to later, I just want to thank you guys. Thank you for protecting me, for guiding me over the last few days, and for coming out here with me.”
Yansa reached over and touched Althea’s leg. “It’s our destiny, and we’ll always be here.”
Billy and Minco looked up, finishing up their food. As Althea stood so did the brothers, walking toward her and surrounding her. They put their arms out, pulling her into a hug of sorts. Althea felt so comforted and protected right there with them she almost didn’t want them to leave. As they began to separate, she reached out and hugged Minco, kissing him on the cheek. She turned, doing the same with Billy, and then with Yansa. It was a sweet moment, but at the same time Althea couldn’t help but focus in on all three of their hands touching her at once. It was a strange feeling. She was full of both excitement and emotion at the same time.
She couldn’t quite figure out exactly what was going on but it felt as if a burst of energy came from each one of them and trickled through every vein in her body. Even taking a deep breath she could feel the energy swirling around in her. It came from her core and moved in every direction. For just a moment it was so strong she felt like she would burst from it.
As the guys began to take their hands away, the feeling diminished some, but not all the way. Minco stretched his arms out and rolled his neck. “I guess I’ll take the first watch then. I’m not really tired.”
Althea realized it was going to be the first time she was going to get to see the guys change into their Bears. Things had been so crazy she hadn’t even taken a moment to think about it. Within the Bear Shifter community, that was a huge thing. Althea stood and watched as Minco took in a deep breath, his chest growing even larger than it already was, and then slowly let it out. As the air trickled from his lungs, his body began to twist and turn until it looked almost as if the Bear was leaping from his chest. They changed so much faster than she did, and it didn’t seem to be painful at all.
Althea’s eyes went wide, turning her head
upward to be able to see Minco’s. He was enormous, towering at least 7 feet tall, at least three of her in width, and his muscles could still be seen beneath his fur. He had long flowing brown hair, dark eyes, and a strength to him that couldn’t be ignored. As he lowered down on all fours, he looked over at Althea nodding his big Grizzly head. One thing that she hadn’t seen in other Grizzlies that she found very prominent in Minco was just how human his eyes looked.
With a glance he went running off into the forest. Yansa walked over and stood next Althea, putting on a sash made of brown material with small pictures of Bears sewn into it. “I’ve got some prayer work that I’ve got to do. Billy will be here with you.”
Althea tore her eyes away from the spot where Minco had disappeared into the woods and gave Yansa a kind smile. She walked over to the fire and took a seat next to Billy, leaning back against the brush and putting her hands out. Billy was very close to her and she could feel his body shift against hers, pulling in the heat from the fire. Althea was pretty sure though, the fire wasn’t the only thing burning in that moment. Her desire, it had gotten almost out of hand and she wasn’t going to lie to herself, she liked it.
Chapter Nine
Part of Althea knew that she should probably go to bed, but she wasn’t tired in the least. It was so beautiful sitting in the forest, listening to the sounds of the evening bugs, the crunching of leaves, and the world going on around them despite the current drama. There wasn’t any talking, no laughing or jokes, it was just Althea and Billy sitting together enjoying the moment. Althea pulled her knees to her chest, and stared into the fire, her hearing acute from her Bear, picking up on every single little snap of a twig around them in the forest.
She felt like a child, one that had never really been in the woods before. A city kid seeing the beach for the first time. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had been out there. But with all the noises, and all the darkness, Althea still didn’t feel any fear at all. In fact, she felt completely at home. She knew that was her Bear, feeling the freedom of the forest.
Her Earth Mates Page 5
