Bearing It All

by Tl Reeve

  It was detailed plans for a surprise wedding for Hayden and Nico during their stay in Window Rock. They’d all known Nico had proposed to Hayden on Valentine’s Day, but what they hadn’t realized was Hayden’s desire to get married so soon. 'What I can do,' had been written at the top of the page in Emma's looping handwriting. Around the words were the doodles, he'd noticed on the ride up, she had a penchant for making. Obviously, she'd been thinking long and hard about her friend and what she could do for Hayden.

  “Emma,” he growled, snatching the book right out of her hands. If anything, his Emma was thorough and very detailed-orientated.

  “Bodhi,” she cried jumping up from where she’d been perched on the couch, trying to grab the book out of his hands.

  He gulped, the book in his hands long forgotten as he took in Emma’s outfit. She never wore anything like this at school. He’d have noticed. His dick would have noticed. It had right then and there; currently pushing against the zipper of his jeans to the point of causing pain.

  Is she even wearing a bra? Didn’t look like it to him. The snug, sheer, light-pink tank hugged her breasts and the curve of her hips. He could even see her nipples. The hard, puckered peaks, poked through the material. The large, berry-colored areolas tempted him beyond reason. He ran the back of his hand across his chin, afraid he’d drooled all over himself. Fuck.

  “Give it to me,” Emma cried out, running toward him. The bounce of her breasts entranced him.

  Holy. Shit.

  “Where ... where is everyone?” he croaked out, struggling to bring his gaze off her tits.

  “Your aunt Keeley said she had a dispute to deal with, so your aunt Danielle went with her. Everyone just seemed to disappear after they drove away. Now, give me my journal,” she demanded, holding her hand out.

  He didn’t give a shit about the book or her plans. All he cared about was the curvy, little sex goddess standing before him.

  “So, we’re alone?” He wanted to push her up against the wall and get to second or third base with her.

  “Yeah. Even Cassidy is gone.” She wiggled her fingers at him, demanding the book.

  Bingo. He could, and he would, take advantage of their situation.

  “What were you doing?” He needed a distraction for a minute. If he didn’t get control of himself, he’d pounce, taking her to the floor, and mount her like a wild animal.

  Emma cocked her head to the side and looked at him like he had two heads. “I was writing in my journal, while I waited for you,” she admitted, pointing to the book in his hands.

  He chuckled, as his dick throbbed and a drop of pre-cum pooled at the tip. “No, baby. I meant why’d you stop short of me?”

  Her dark-brown eyes went wide with desire. “Oh. Umm, because I wanted my book, and I saw you with no shirt on.”

  “You saw me with no shirt on, this afternoon.”

  Emma nodded.

  “You want me to kiss you?” Bodhi’s tone turned decidedly dark and snarly as desire for his mate pulsed through his blood.

  She nodded. Her gaze became heavy-lidded.

  “C’mere.” He threw her book on the couch and crooked his fingers at her, wanting to see if she’d come to him on her own.

  “I, uh ... thought, um ... we were going to do something before dinner,” she said, her voice breathy and wobbly.

  “We are. But first, I want to kiss you.”

  Emma glanced up at him, the uncertainty showing in her lovely eyes while she nibbled on her bottom lip, undid him. His timid, little bear, needed a little encouragement. He opened his arms and waited, hoping to set her mind at ease.

  “Come on, pinky, it’s just a couple steps,” he encouraged.

  Even from here, he could see her debating on what she should do. He wouldn't push her. He wanted her to come to him of her own free will. With a shake of her shoulders and a bounce, she took a hesitant step toward him, then another until he could wrap her in his arms.

  The aches and pains of earlier disappeared when he inhaled deeply, taking in her sweet, seductive scent.

  His wolf tried to push to the surface, wanting to claim it's mate, but Bodhi knew now wasn't the time. Reasoning with a half-feral beast hadn't been easy, but he won, pushing his wolf down. He promised the animal they'd be able to claim their mate sooner rather than later.

  “I’m all dirty and sweaty,” he said, nuzzling her hair. The sweat on his body would drive her bear nuts.

  “Mmm,” she mumbled into his chest.

  Bodhi smirked when she rubbed her nose across his skin, and her fingers slid along his side.

  “I think you said something about kissing me,” she stated boldly, startling him.

  “I did and I am,” he groaned into her ear as he turned her, pushing her back up against the side wall. He pinned her there and stared down at her. “Wrap your legs around my hips.”

  “Too heavy, Bodhi,” she whispered.

  “Bullshit. Wrap them around me, pinky,” he demanded.

  “No, Bodhi,” she cried, pushing at his chest, struggling to get away from him.

  He tightened his hold on her. “Why not?”

  “I’m too fat.”

  He let loose a deep growl. In those few moments, he realized she believed all the stupid shit Laney and her trollop patrol said about her behind her back—which got back to Emma.

  “Ah, baby. You so aren't. Don't you get it? Those sexy little curves tempt me. Makes my dick ache to sink into what I know is the sweetest, tightest pussy in the world,” he admitted then pressed his lips to her temple.

  She groaned softly, rolling her hips, pushing her sex closer to the ridge of his dick. “You don’t have to be nice to me.”

  “You don't get it yet, pinky. It's okay, I'll prove it. Men are simple creatures. They like what they like. I like tits and ass. Emma, your tits and ass are spectacular.” He easily hefted her up in his arms, till they were eye-level. The rightness of her lush body in his arms washed over him. “Don't let me ever hear you call yourself fat again. If I do, I might just be enticed to spank your ass, before I fuck it. Got it?” He'd been blunt, crass even. Yet, he didn't seem to give a shit.

  “Bodhi,” she whimpered.

  Actions sometimes worked better than words, at least it seemed with his stubborn, little mate. Capturing both her wrists in one hand, Bodhi slammed them against the wall, above her head and cupped her ass in his other. Light as a feather.

  “It’s a yes or no answer,” he snarled, moving deeper between her thighs till nothing separated their sexes but the clothes they wore. He could feel the heat of her pussy through the layers, and it seared his dick.

  “Yes,” she mewled.

  “This is going to happen, Emma. We both understand it. We also realize the closer we get to the full moon, the harder it will get for both of us to resist each other. Need, pinky.” Leaning down, he gently nipped the area where he planned to mark her in the future. “Need will rule us, and we will mate in the woods, under the full moon. I will knot your pussy, and you will take it. But for now, I’ll settle for a kiss.” He rubbed her nose with his before capturing her lips.

  Shit. He ground against her. The instant passion and pleasure he experienced the minute her tongue took a tentative swipe over his, threatened to unman him. It took all of his willpower to keep from pushing the issue when he understood his little mate needed more time. Even if it killed him. Bodhi swallowed her soft moans while she rubbed against him. Yes. Fuck, yes. Sparks of lust lit up his system. He'd allow her to dry hump him to orgasm if it meant she'd finally accept him as hers.

  Bodhi heard Cassidy before he saw her. She kicked at the gravel and dirt in front of the porch before climbing the stairs. Nevertheless, it didn't stop him from kissing Emma. At least, until Cassidy flung the front door open, and she stormed inside yelling for her sister.

  “Emma. I know you’re here,” Cassidy huffed, stomping her foot. “I need you!”

  Bodhi noticed the young bear's scent was off and wondere
d if Emma did as well. Oh. Fuck. Me. He recognized those two scents, immediately. This shit was about to get interesting.

  As if sensing he was distracted, Emma jerked her hands, trying to get him to release his hold. He allowed it, only because his mate’s sixteen-year-old sister didn’t need to see the state Emma had been in. It also meant he’d have to remove himself from between her legs. Something he did with regret.

  “I’m here,” Emma answered, pulling her top back down before her sister located them. He snickered, it’d do her no good. His little bear looked thoroughly kissed. “What’s wrong?”

  Cassidy’s face was flushed. Her pupils were slightly dilated. Bodhi could also sense the younger bear’s heightened heart rate. Emma’s appearance mirrored her sister’s, which worried him even more.

  “I don’t feel right,” Cassidy admitted, flopping down on the couch in a display of drama that could win her an Academy Award.

  Emma rushed to her side, touching her forehead with the back of her hand. “Was it something you ate? You’re flushed, and your skin feels clammy.”

  “It’s nothing she ate,” Bodhi said, unable to fathom how both were so damn clueless. “What were you doing with Aiden and Nic?”

  Cassidy’s head turned to him. “Ahh ... nothing.”

  The stench of her lie, and her hesitation, gave her away. Gods, these two were going to be the death of him. Maybe he needed to try a different approach.

  “What would Aiden and Nic say if I asked them the exact same question?” he pondered, watching Cassidy’s face turn a deeper shade of red.

  Thought so.

  “Cassidy, kidding aside. Were you intimate with them?”

  “Bodhi,” Emma gasped, smacking the same arm Nico had punched earlier. “She is sixteen!”

  Are you serious? He had sex the first time at fourteen. Obviously, it had been over almost as quickly as it started. But, didn't Emma realize she ... they, could have sex without being mated?

  “Stay here,” he ordered Cassidy before wrapping his hand around Emma’s arm and pulling her into the kitchen. “Did you happen to notice she smells different?”

  “Yeah ... I mean, maybe?”

  Bodhi ran his hand down his face in frustration. “Are you telling me or asking me? ’Cause I’m not sure.”

  He bit back a smile at the indignant look flashing across her face. Emma squared her shoulders, pushing her amazing tits against the straining tank. The sight had all the blood in his head rushing to fill his still semi-hard dick. Focus, asshole.

  “What are you insinuating?” she snapped.

  Not wanting to let on how her burst of anger turned him on, especially in this situation, he touched his forehead to hers. Bodhi let out a sigh before whispering so Cassidy couldn’t hear him. “Oh, I’m not suggesting anything. I know. I smell Aiden and Nic on her.”

  “She’s sixteen,” Emma hissed.

  “And, I was fourteen my first time,” he admitted. Emma jerked back, eye wide with shock as she glanced from him to her sister. “We need to find out exactly what happened. Because what I am scenting goes deeper than sex.”

  “You mean—”

  “Mates.”

  “But, the full moon is days away,” she cried.

  “Do you think if Cassidy hadn’t come in when she did, I wouldn’t have taken you against the wall?” The lack of intrinsic knowledge of mating staggered him, leaving him a little more than dumbfounded. Had no one ever explained mating to them ... Emma?

  “We would’ve been mates?”

  “Fuck me, pinky. Yeah, mates. I’d just have to wait to the full moon to knot you and every month, thereafter,” he informed her.

  Emma blinked once, twice, then jerked out of his arms and rushed to sit on the coffee table in front of the couch, where her sister sat. Cassidy had her eyes closed, her head thrown back, and her arm dramatically draped over her eyes.

  “Cassidy,” Emma said, grabbing her sister’s shoulders and giving her a good shake to get her attention. “This is one of those times where I need you to be open and honest with me. What happened with Nic and Aiden?”

  The younger bear’s bottom lip began to quiver, and he knew he was going to have to beat the shit out of his younger cousins before even talking to their father. It’d piss off his aunt, his uncle, and most likely his alpha, but it had to be done. Cassidy as far as he was concerned, would be his responsibility, now.

  “I swear, Ems it wasn't what you're thinking,” Cassidy pleaded. “I swear. They took me to an old watering hole. We swam, sunbathed, and ... and ... and ... Aiden kissed me. And so, did Nic.” She dropped her gaze to the hem of her shirt where she picked at some invisible defect.

  “That’s it?” Bodhi demanded.

  “Kind of.”

  “Be specific, Cassidy. What you say may end up saving me from beating both within an inch of their lives. You’re not of age to mate,” Bodhi snarled.

  “What!? Neither of them mated me. I swear. Oh, my gosh, Emma, I swear!” the young bear proclaimed, her voice filled with panic. “After we kissed, all three of us laid down on the blanket, and I fell asleep. I swear that was it!”

  It was then Bodhi realized what the brothers had done to his mate’s sister. “Those little fuckers,” he growled. The boys had done the one thing they should have talked to Cassidy about first—scent marked her. “I’m going to beat their asses.”

  “Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on,” Emma snapped.

  “They’re older, not by much, and they must’ve recognized the signs,” Bodhi informed them, hedging a bit because he was unsure how to inform them what took him a moment to process.

  “What signs?” Emma pushed.

  How should he tell them? Gently, or did he just give her the facts and let them process it. Uncle Kal always told him to be a straight shooter, be quick and efficient. It made sense, and his uncle had never steered him wrong before.

  “They scent marked her so other shifters would know she's claimed.” He watched both Monte females for their reactions. Both were gobsmacked, and he didn't blame either of them a damn bit. “Like my parents, and like Bell, Christoph, and Jackson,” he added for further clarification in case Emma still hadn't figured it out.

  “Oh, shit.” Emma’s eyes went wide when what he said finally sank in. “We’re going to have to leave.”

  “No. Neither of you are going to leave. Cassidy is safe. Nic and Aiden are aware they can’t mate Cassidy till she is of age of consent. To mate her would bring their father’s, mother’s, uncles’, and alpha’s wrath down on them. They’re not stupid. If anything.” Bodhi looked at a shell-shocked Cassidy. “They’re pretty fucking smart.”

  “What do I do?” Emma moaned, clearly overwhelmed from planning Nico and Hayden’s nuptials, dealing with his persistent ass wanting to mate with her, and now, this shit with her younger sister.

  “Leave it to me. You take care of that.” He gestured to the book next to Cassidy and her, aware giving Emma something to focus on would help calm her. “I'll deal with everything else.” Including the wedding and another surprise, he was slowly working out for his mate.

  Chapter Seven

  The next morning, Bodhi made his way across the creek to Caden and Dani’s house. He’d thought about everything last night. Talking about Nic and Aiden marking Cassidy in front of their friends wouldn’t fly. He realized in those scant moments, the little bear curled into a ball, and waves of embarrassment rolled off her that he couldn’t embarrass her any more than she already was. Doing so would hurt her.

  Both boys had a shit-load to explain, but he also understood it. They were kids. They didn’t want anyone touching their girl. He’d been half tempted to do the same with Emma, however, he’d held himself in check. The girls had had rough lives and neither of them, he slowly figured out, understood what being a shifter meant. At least, being part of the Raferty pack gave him a sense of unity.

  Before he could even knock, the door opened and Caden ushered him ins
ide. The place was eerily quiet. Usually, Dani stood by the stove making everyone breakfast, while his cousins sat waiting for food or trampled around the house getting ready for school. So, what had changed? Bodhi glanced at his uncle. The man appeared completely relaxed. He donned his uniform shirt before grabbing his mug. Still, no one entered the kitchen.

  “I knotted your aunt last night—first fucking time ever. We're trying for another pup. Everyone is with Royce and Charisma,” Caden said as if reading Bodhi's mind.

  Fantastic, just want he wanted to hear. “Well, I have a situation we need to deal with.”

  “Aiden and Nic. We are aware. They came home stinking of a bear.” His uncle handed him a cup of coffee. “Sit.”

  Bodhi took the mug from him and went to the small nook area where his aunt sat most mornings. He glanced out over the desert landscape and sighed. “What the fuck am I supposed to do? Neither Emma nor Cassidy know the basics. They weren’t raised like us.”

  “Or like you. Your father, Kalkin, Mac and I, also learned on the fly. If it weren’t for the Martins we’d have walked the same fucked up path Emma and Cassidy did.”

  “How do you know?” Bodhi sat back in his chair and let out a grunt of frustration.

  “Do you think we didn’t check out all of your friends before we decided to help Christoph and Jackson?” Caden chuckled. “Too many things have happened here over the years. We didn’t want any more shit popping up. We’re too old.”

  Bodhi snorted. None of his uncles nor his father looked near forty, let alone pushing sixty. “How much did your digging tell you?”

  He shrugged. “Everything.”

  Bodhi took another sip of his coffee. “So, what do you suggest I do now?”

  Caden sat down across from him. “There is no magical right answer. You do what you think you should do and wait. It sucks. Trust me. But, you can’t force the issue in either direction. If the boys marked her as well as I think they have, then their intention is clear. They want her.” He finished off his coffee. “I blame your father.”