by Hope Ford
Lust builds inside me and I don’t know what to do with it. I’ve made a point of staying away from any females that make me want to consider settling down. I don’t want any part of that. She laughs then and it lights up her whole face. My bear jolts inside of me, fighting to get out, to go to her. But I rein him in barely. I feel my veins expanding and my muscles stretching, but I bear down, holding him inside. I kick the gravel with my boot and watch it spray across the lot. Pissed at Sayer, pissed at myself for not being able to stop myself from staring at Bree, I decide right now that I need to stay as far away as possible from her.
I walk across the lawn to the other side and join my brother. But my eyes keep straying over to her. Bruin introduces her to everyone and she has a smile for them all. I barely hold it together when Sayer walks up and throws his arm around her. Fuck. Me.
She turns then and out of all the people here, her gaze goes directly to mine. When she sees me and notices I’m staring back at her, her eyes widen. She looks away and lifts Sayer’s arm off her shoulder and steps away from him.
“Good girl,” I whisper and her eyes jolt back to me. It’s almost like she heard me, but I shake my head. There’s no way.
We stare at each other for I don’t know how long before Lola slides up next to me, cupping my hard dick in my pants. “You miss me, Ronan?”
I jerk away from her, but when I look back at the cousin, her back is turned to me, making me wonder if she saw. But immediately I want to kick myself. Why should I care if she saw? I’m not hers and I never will be.
4
Ronan
I try to push Lola away, but instead of that, I’m more interested in watching Bruin and his cousin as he walks her around to the members. My breaths are almost coming out as gasps when they stop in front of me.
Bruin points at his cousin. “Ronan, this is my cousin, Bree. Bree, this is Ronan. He’s the VP.”
She blushes prettily and I nod my head at her, not trusting my voice right now.
Lola runs her hands across my chest. “And I’m Lola. We were just about to sneak back to Ronan’s room so we’ll catch you later.”
If I wasn’t staring at her I would have missed it. Anger flares in Bree’s face. She tamps it down, but barely. I want to say something, tell her it’s a lie, but I don’t. I don’t owe her anything.
“Lola, I can’t right now. I have club business. Go check on Sayer, I think he’s needing some attention.” She doesn’t want to, but she knows better than to not listen to me. She walks away but not before I see the dirty look she gives Bree.
But Bree doesn’t back down. She smiles at her and gives her a nod, like telling her to go before she smiles slyly at her. If anything, my dick gets even harder and I can feel the precum dripping from my tip. She doesn’t back down from Lola. That’s a sight to see because most of these women here are scared of her. Well, everyone but Mom. Nobody messes with Mom.
“I heard you had a run-in with an Eater today.”
She doesn’t say anything but instead just nods her head. I wish she would talk; already I’m missing her voice. I point to her neck. “Did Solos do that to you?”
Her hand goes up to her neck and caresses the faint bruise before she whispers, “Yes. Well, I don’t know his name, but yes, it was from today.”
The light lines on her neck make me think how bad it must have been. We’re fast healers and if she still has marks, it had to be bad. My fists clench at my sides. The thought that one of the Eaters had their filthy hands on her makes me want to go to Eater territory right now and finish this.
“Deator’s watching us. You ready to meet the president?” Bruin asks her.
She takes a deep breath, and if I wasn’t watching her so close, I would never have guessed that she is nervous. “Yes.”
Bruin wraps his arm around her and a growl escapes my lips. They both look at me in surprise but I just look away and lead the way to my dad. I could kick myself. The whole walk over, I remind myself I don’t want to settle down. She’s definitely not a club slut. She’s the type to settle down and I. Don’t. Want. That. I say it over and over, almost making myself believe it until I get to where my dad’s standing and turn back around to face Bree and Bruin. One look at her and I know my little talk to myself was a waste of time. I’m fucked.
I look over at my dad, see the anger in his face, and notice it’s directed at Bree. I know I can’t just walk away from this girl. In order to convince my dad to protect her, I’m going to have to be one hundred percent on board.
I know with Dad and Klaus’ history, he’s not going to want to put his hand out for a stranger. No, he’s been burned before and he’s not going to put the club in that situation again. And the last time we went against the Eaters, we were the victors then, but barely.
Bruin finally breaks the silence. “Bree, this is Deator, the president of the New Law. And this is his ol’ lady, Kass.”
Bree surprises us all when she gasps and dirty-looks her cousin. “Bruin, you don’t call her an ol’ lady.” She swats him across his stomach and then turns to my mom. “I’m so sorry. I swear we were raised better than that.”
We all start laughing then, even Deator. He tries to stop it, but I see his lips curving up on the sides.
My mom laughs, bringing Bree in for a hug. “Honey, he didn’t mean anything by it. I promise, I’m Deator’s ol’ lady. That’s what we call a woman that is tied to one man. It just means he claimed me.” Mom reaches over and pats Dad’s stomach. “And don’t let the white hair fool you… I definitely want him to claim me.”
My stomach lurches as she says it. “Mom! C’mon, no one wants to hear that.”
Bree looks at me with a smile on her face and I can’t help but match it. We stare at each other for so long, I know my mom notices. She’s looking between the two of us and she smirks at me. Yeah, she knows. On that cue, I excuse myself. I remind myself that even though I want to help her, I don’t want to settle down. There’s no sense adding fuel to the fire and standing around gawking at her.
I walk off from them and the pull I have to stay is strong. Once I’m far away, I stop and turn around to watch her. Bree’s gaze lands on me in an instant and it’s then I realize that there’s no distance now that will break it. Already our bond is there.
Lola walks over to me and slides her hand down my back and across my ass. I’m used to having her on me. It’s become more common recently, not really because I want it, but because I never really had a reason to turn her away. But now I feel it, deep in my gut. Betrayal… I’m not even mated to Bree—we shared one look—but she’s already controlling how I feel and what I think. I step away from Lola and she’s pissed.
“Lola, I’m not dealing with this shit right now. We aren’t together and you need to calm the fuck down,” I tell her, never taking my eyes off Bree.
She’s watching me, but when she saw Lola walk up to me, she tried to act like she wasn’t. Her back went ramrod straight and even across the yard, I know she’s pissed.
I watch as Sayer joins Deator, Kass, Bree and Bruin. He’s sniffing around her and I know he’s on the hunt.
Turning to Lola, I tell her, “Look, I know Sayer is lusting for you. Go to him. You and I are done.”
She wants to argue with me, but I turn to her with the “look.” It’s the same look I use to stare down any and every adversary. She lifts her chin at me defiantly and walks away. But she walks toward Sayer. As soon as Lola reaches Sayer, she drags him away from the crowd and Bree turns to me, knowing it’s my handiwork. The expression on her face tells me she’s trying to figure me out, but I look away. Hell, I don’t know what I’m doing exactly.
The party goes on and when Bruin finally walks away from Bree, she goes to the outer ring with her back to the party, looking out at the forest.
She starts walking, never turning back, almost like she’s drawn to the wooded area. So I follow her.
5
Bree
It’s official, the se
xiest man alive is the VP of New Law. I felt him studying me, staring at me, and even across the yard, I felt his attraction to me. Too bad he’s got a bitch of a girlfriend in Lola. They’re all drinking and having a good time, but I’ve put in my appearance. No one is going to miss me if I go for a bear-stretching session.
The expansive forest in front of me beckons me, calling for me to come and run. I feel like I’ve been cooped up my whole life and right now in this moment, I can’t put it off any longer.
As soon as I get far enough and the music from the party is barely audible, I start to take off my clothes. With my hands on the hem of my shirt, I stop suddenly. I smell him before I see him. Surprise hits me. Even with all the bears gathered together, I’m still able to identify Ronan’s scent. My body tautens and there’s a pull in my lower belly. Hating the reaction my body is having to him, I take a deep breath to calm my nerves. I put aside my attraction, because even now, even with this attraction I know he feels for me, he could still mean to harm me. Just like the Eaters. I release my shirt and turn around to face him.
He must have taken off his leather vest with the New Law patch back at the clubhouse, because he’s not wearing it or a T-shirt. He’s standing there staring at me, and even from here, I can see his nostrils flare, and I know he’s smelling me, memorizing my scent.
His chest is massive and it rises deeply with every inhale. I want to walk over to him and put my hand over his heart. I want to feel the steady beat of it under my palm.
I rub my hands down my jean shorts, fighting the feeling of wanting to go to him.
He surprises me when his face softens and he smiles. “I’ll show you my bear if you show me yours.”
It makes me smile, because I really need to shift. The pull is so much stronger in the wilderness of Klamath than in the city. Ronan isn’t shy as he strips off his shoes and pants. When he’s left in only his boxers, I can’t take my eyes off him. He puts his thumbs in the waistband of his shorts and pulls them over his hips and down his legs.
When he stands back up, he’s hard… everywhere. I know that I’m blushing from head to toe. This is my first time seeing a naked man’s—you know—and, well, I can’t believe how big it is.
His hands go to his hips and he cocks his head at me. There’s no shame in him. He’s proud and I can’t say he shouldn’t be. I step behind a tree and start to undress. I know as soon as I unbutton my shorts, he’s moved so he can see me. I can feel his eyes on me. I keep my back to him, refusing to stop and let my insecurities take over. Pulling my shorts down over my curvy hips, I undress slower than I planned, feeling more nervous than I have in a while.
Once I’m nude, I shift into my black bear. It’s freeing and already I feel stronger and more confident. I turn to face him and instead of Ronan, I’m standing face to face with the biggest black grizzly bear I’ve ever seen.
We stand there on all fours, staring at each other. He walks closer to me and rubs his face along my neck, either nudging me to go or nuzzling me, I’m not sure. He takes off running and I follow behind him.
We run for I don’t know how long, chasing after one another. The only sounds are our gasping breaths and the breaking twigs under our feet. He shows me the land and I have to say it’s one of the best and most freeing experiences I’ve ever had.
Ronan
It’s been a while since I’ve run these hills and felt the freedom I feel right now. With so much responsibility and everything I do with the club, I never take the time to let my bear run free.
I lead Bree back to where we left our clothes and we’re both panting. I shift first, going back to my human form. I don’t walk away to get dressed. I stand there staring at her black bear, daring her to shift while I’m looking at her.
I expect her to go behind the tree and get dressed, but she surprises me by shifting right in front of me. I openly watch her. I couldn’t look away even if I tried. I stand there, eating up every detail of her curvy body. My cock springs up between my legs. Her gaze instantly goes to it and her blush is everything. I should be a gentleman and apologize, but I can’t and I don’t want to. I want her to know what she does to me, how she makes me feel. I’m so hot for her I’m practically panting.
I don’t know who takes the first step. Maybe it’s me but she meets me in the middle until we’re standing toe to toe. I lean down and press my cheek to hers, nuzzling her against me. If she was any other woman, I would have already picked her up and leaned her against the side of a tree and had my way with her. But Bree, well, she’s different. And she makes me different.
I pull back until our faces are only inches apart. She’s staring at my lips and I know she wants them on her. I know she does.
I lean farther down until we’re barely touching, when the sounds of people shouting our names has her breaking away and running behind the tree. I don’t go to my clothes; I stand guard in front of her, not wanting anyone else to see her.
Bruin and Klaus come through the trees, telling me it’s time for church. They’re not surprised to see me standing here naked. All of us find our freedom in these woods.
When Bree comes up behind me, she walks past me and toward Bruin. He’s eyeing her and I’m waiting on him to give her shit but he doesn’t. He walks back with her while I get dressed and follow behind them with Klaus. It’s time for church.
6
Bree
When we get to the clubhouse, it seems that church is already in session. I can hear Deator from the hallway and Bruin and I both freeze at his words. It’s obvious he doesn’t want to protect me. When we walk into the room, it goes silent. Lola and a few other women are standing in the corner and I don’t miss the snide look on her face. Looking around the room, hardly any of the men will meet my eyes.
I straighten my back. I’m not going to beg. I can take care of myself if I have to… even against a damn Eater.
Ronan walks into the room wearing his leather vest again and goes to the table, taking the seat next to his dad. I notice that Klaus goes and stands against the wall. There’s a dynamic there, something’s not right, but I can’t bother myself with it now. It seems the fate of my life is in the men’s hands at the table right now.
On the walk here, Bruin already told me that they may have to get to know me better before they agree to protect me, so I’m not expecting much at this moment really.
Deator stands before the club and his voice is commanding when he starts talking. “Brothers, we’re here to take a vote. Should the New Law offer Bree McGuire our protection against the Eaters? We’ve had run-ins with the Eaters before and let’s just say our numbers are down since then. Should we take on a fight that isn’t ours? You know where I stand.” He looks in the eye of every man in the room. “You know where I stand.”
He sits down and the room is so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Already, I know I’ve lost. These men obviously respect their president and they’re not going to go against him.
Ronan stands up and addresses the room. “I don’t mean to disrespect my dad, but I don’t think we can back down from the Eaters. We need to show them we’re not afraid of them. Plus, we are not fighting a battle that is not ours. She is ours. She’s one of us. She is the cousin of a patched member.” He points to Bruin standing next to me. His eyes find mine for a split second and then he looks back at the men staring at him. “Plus, I’m claiming her. She’s one of us now. She’s mine.”
I gasp. I don’t know what it all means, but when he growls the words “She’s mine,” I feel it to the very core of my body. A commotion breaks out into the room. Everyone is talking at once and they’re all looking at me now. I’m still trying to make sense of what just happened when Deator stands back up and instantly the room is quiet. He looks at Ronan. But after I look closer, I realize he’s not looking at Ronan, he’s looking at Kass, his wife, or ol’ lady. She smiles at him, nodding her head. There’s a silent exchange between the two of them.
Deator tells the room, “Okay, we are t
aking a vote to protect Bree McGuire, Bruin’s cousin and my son’s—” He stops and looks at Ronan, almost questioningly. Ronan nods his head before Deator continues, “my son’s mate. This is to mean we would protect her against the Eaters and all others. Choose wisely, men.”
Ronan calls for the vote. “Everyone in favor?”
The room calls out, “Aye.”
His voice hardens. “Against?”
It’s as if he looks around the room, daring anyone to say a word. The room is silent.
He confirms to everyone, “The ayes have it. We will protect Bree with everything we have… or die trying.”
Ronan
Deator then appoints me to watch over Bree. I agree easily. There’s no one else I would trust.
When I walked into this room, I knew exactly what I was going to do. There’s no way I could turn my back on her or let my club, either. I wasn’t lying when I told them I was claiming her. I am. She was mine when I had her against me out in the forest.
Bree is looking around the room still trying to figure out what just happened. I don’t know if she fully understands what it means that I claimed her. But she’s about to find out.
I walk over to Bruin and shake his hand. I know he wants to say something to me, but he doesn’t. He just nods his head as if giving me a blessing. Not that I needed one, but it’s going to make this easier for sure.
I grab Bree’s hand and walk her out to my bike. I sit down and nod my head at her. “Get on.”
She doesn’t move. “Where are you taking me?”
“Home.”
She blinks her big brown eyes at me before getting onto the back of my bike. She gives me the address to her house and I realize she’s only a few miles down the road.
