by J. L. Beck
“I know a lot about you. I know you’ve never felt like you belong like you’re an outsider. That you’ve never had a boyfriend because the thought of another man touching you is sickening. I know that you don’t know what to do with your life, and you probably study something safe because you have no real passion.”
I’m shocked.
Utterly shocked.
Every single word he just said is true. How the hell can he know that? I’ve never told anyone how I feel.
“I know what this must sound like to you, but I’m going to keep my word. Spend the night with me, let me between those soft thighs, and if you still want to leave in the morning, I will let you go. I’ll drive you wherever you want. No stipulation whatsoever.”
Baffled by the offer, I weigh my options.
He can easily overpower me and has proven that he is faster than me as well. My chances of getting away are slim. What if he really lets me go? My virginity in exchange for my life doesn’t seem like a bad deal. Weirdly enough, I’m not repulsed by him like I normally am when guys come on to me.
He’s as handsome as he is crazy. I think I could do it if it wasn’t for one thing. Fear.
“I’m scared,” I confess.
“About what?”
My cheeks burn to the degree of the sun. “You are huge, your… thing is huge. I know you’re going to hurt me whether you intend to or not.”
His chest rumbles with laughter when I call his penis a thing.
“I’ll be as gentle as I can. I promise by the end of it, you’re going to be begging me to fuck you again.”
“That’s a lot of promises for one night.”
“I intend on keeping every single one.”
6
Ezra
I have no problem promising her all of those things and more because I know that she’s not going to want to leave as soon as the mating is done.
She wiggles in my grasp, and I let her sit up, so she is straddling me. Blinking, she peers around, but I know she can’t see anything. It’s too dark for her eyes in here. She feels around for the hem of the shirt she is wearing. When she finds it, she pulls it up and over her body.
For the second time today, I’m graced with the sight of her glorious breasts. I want to rub my face in them, suck on the pink nipple, and massage them in my palm, but I also don’t want to take her virginity in this smelly old basement.
“I want to take you back upstairs to my bed. Your first time isn’t going to be in this cold, dark basement. It’s going to be in my bed, our bed. However, you have to promise not to run from me again. It drives me insane when you try to get away.”
“Okay.” She nods.
I didn’t expect her to take that so well, but she’s under the impression that tomorrow she will want to walk out of this mansion and carry on with her life. I know it’s wrong to deceive her in such a way, but she will understand once the matting is complete.
I get up, and she wraps her arms and legs around me like a monkey. One hand grabs onto her ass, holding her to me as I use my other to disengage the latch at the top of the door. As if she is weightless, I carry her up to the bedroom, taking two steps at a time. She clings to me, her face buried in the crook of my neck, and I wonder if she is starting to feel the mating bond. If she can sense me the way, I sense her.
Back in the bedroom, I place her on the mattress. Her hands move to cover her breasts and pussy, almost shyly, but I shake my head and pull her hands away.
“I’ve waited so long for you, don’t deprive me of looking at you now.”
“No one’s ever seen me naked,” she confesses, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip. With her blonde curls spread out across the pillow, she looks as if she has a halo above her head. So fucking beautiful and perfect. I’ve waited for her for an eternity, and I would do it all over again.
“Good, this is only for my eyes anyway. If someone had touched you before me, his days would be numbered.” The thought alone has anger simmering deep inside of me. That anger is only soothed by the sight in front of me.
She is here, finally. Sprawled out in my bed, offering her body to me.
“Why are you looking at me like you’re about to eat me?” Summer questions.
“Actually, that’s not a bad idea. Spread those legs for me, so I can eat your pussy until you’re a quivering wet mess beneath my lips.”
“W-what?” Her blue eyes go wide as I grab one of her knees. Parting her legs, I move between her thighs, my massive shoulders spreading her even wider. Slowly, I lower my head. Her arousal is potent, her scent overwhelming, and all I can do is bring my lips to her pussy and lose myself in her.
Fuck… I run my tongue through her folds, only to realize that she tastes even better than she smells—like honey and nectar. I’m never going to get enough of her. One taste and my mind is buzzing with ways to keep her inside this room for the rest of eternity.
“Oh…” She gasps and starts to move her hips, grinding her pussy against my face.
My fingers dig into her skin, pulling her thighs further apart to give me better access. I lick, suck, and nibble on her clit. Each action, driving her more insane until I can feel her little clit throb, begging for release.
I flatten my tongue on her clit and snake my hand between her legs. With my tongue working her clit, I dip my finger into her tight hole, and that’s the deciding factor that drives her over the edge. She comes with a loud moan, her sweet juices gush onto my tongue, and I lick up every last drop. When her swollen clit stops pulsing, I sit up and look up at her face.
A lazy smile has formed on her lips. She looks at me through hooded eyes, and if I had to describe her in one word right now, it would be sated.
“Wow,” she whispers.
“Yes, wow. You taste so fucking good. I want to eat you every morning for breakfast and every night for dinner… Maybe as a late-night snack as well. I could die between your legs.”
“Mhhh,” she hums, and her eyes fall shut like she’s about to fall asleep.
“Sorry, sweetheart, but you won’t get to sleep any time soon. We’re going to be too busy fucking.” At my words, her eyes fly open, and her legs try to close around me.
“None of that, either,” I growl, prying her thighs apart.
Fear flashes in her eyes. I have the urge to calm her, but my bear is screaming at me to take her, to claim her now, and make her mine forever, so she won’t want to leave anymore.
“I told you that I’ll try to be gentle, but after tasting you, I’m not sure how gentle I can be,” I tell her honestly. It doesn’t help with easing her fear, but I need to be honest with her.
I can feel myself losing control, and there is only one way to regain it. I need to let nature happen. I need to take her, let my bear take her. Primal need rushes through my veins like lava through a volcano ready to erupt.
My bear surges forward, and I can see the moment Summer must see my eyes glow. The orgasmic haze washes from her eyes, and full-fledged terror appears. She tries to scoot backward, to get away from me, but I grab her hips and hold her in place.
“I’m sorry,” I say, but it comes out more as a growl. “It won’t hurt for long.”
I position myself between her legs, lining up my hard cock with her entrance. She tries to wiggle out of my hold, struggling like a wildcat, which makes my bear roar inside my chest.
Even after everything, she is still trying to get away. Not for long, though. After this, she will know who she belongs to, and she will never want to escape me.
With one savage thrust, I bury myself inside of her, ripping through her virginity.
A painful cry escapes her lips, and an ache throbs in my chest. Any other time, I would tend to her needs first. I would soothe her and make sure she is okay.
This is the only exception. The mating has only just begun. I can’t stop what’s going to happen, and I wouldn’t want to even if I could.
I pull out, just to thrust back into her with equal force. Her v
elvety channel squeezes me tight, and I can feel her heartbeat throbbing through me.
Her screams grow louder, her face scrunches with pain, and her tiny fingernails dig into the skin on my forearms. My entire body burns with need. I have to have her again and again.
All I can do is pound into her like a wild beast, the smell of her virgin blood on my cock, driving me to the brink of insanity.
Her head tips back into the mattress, exposing her slender neck to me—it’s time. My cock hardens further if that’s even possible. Without thought, I bend down and sink my teeth into her tender flesh until her blood fills my mouth. A calmness washes over me, and a rope forms, braiding us together for the rest of our lives.
Screams become moans as her body arches, and her cunt tightens around my cock like she is trying to suck my come out of it. And that’s exactly what she is doing. Her body knows what she needs to do now. Her orgasm continues as I come, thrusting deep inside of her until I’ve emptied every last drop of my seed into her womb.
Sighing, we come back down to earth together. Instead of pushing me away, her hands are now grabbing me, desperately trying to get us closer. I smile against her throat while I continue to fuck her with lazy strokes.
The beast inside me is calm. My bear is happy and satisfied now that our mate is marked.
For the first time in my life, I feel complete.
I feel content.
I feel loved.
7
Summer
I can’t believe how I feel, how real this suddenly all is. He was right about everything. We are made for each other. I don’t understand how, but I already love him.
My brain wonders if he drugged me, and that’s why I’m feeling all of this, but my heart and body know the truth. I’m his, and he is mine. We’re mated forever.
“Did it hurt badly? Are you sore?” The concern in his voice is obvious.
He must feel sorry for taking me in such a savage manner, but there is nothing to be sorry about.
“I’m not sore… and it only hurt for a few moments,” I tell him.
When he first took me, it felt like he was splitting me in half, but that pain was soon washed away with the most incredible orgasm of my life. More than that, I felt this weird connection forming between us. I’ve never experienced anything like it. It’s like an unbreakable bond had occurred, tethering us together.
“An hour ago, all I could think about was getting away from you. Now, the thought of leaving you is like a stab to the chest,” I admit.
“I know, that’s how I felt from the first moment I saw you. That’s why I got so angry when you wanted to get away from me,” he explains, and I suddenly feel terrible for trying to escape.
“Oh, I’m sorry. If you ever tried to get away from me… I’d be heartbroken.”
“I know.” He leans down and kisses my forehead. “Don’t worry, I would never try to get away from you. If it was up to me, you would never leave my side, not even to go to the other room.”
“I can live with that.” I snuggle into his chest, wanting to become one with him.
“We’re mates, Summer. Soulmates.”
“That makes sense.” I feel like he is my soulmate. “How did you know before I did?”
“You’re human, and humans don’t feel the bond until after we mate.”
I pop up my head to look at his face. “What do you mean, human? You are saying it like you are not human.”
“I’m not. At least not completely. I’m a shifter.”
“Shifter of what?”
That makes him smile. “I can shift into a bear. A bear lives inside of me, he is part of me, and he loves you too. He will never hurt you. Only protect and love you.”
As I’m trying to digest what he is saying, the urge to meet this bear of his nags at me. “Can I… can I see your bear?”
“Of course. When? Now?”
All I can do is nod my head since my mouth doesn’t seem to work at the moment. He gently peels away from me, and I sit up on the bed, watching him in awe.
He comes to stand next to me, and I can’t help but let my gaze wander up and down his naked body. When I meet his eyes once more, he gives me a little wink before his body starts to vibrate. I gasp as his human form changes right before my eyes and into a giant bear.
My eyes go wide with shock, and my mouth falls open as the reality of it all sinks in. Ezra just turned into a wild animal. A bear… a huge bear. I’ve actually never come face to face with a real-life bear before, but somehow, I doubt they’re this large in nature.
Even stranger, I am not scared that there is a bear in front of me who could very easily rip me to shreds. My gaze falls onto his sharp claws, and again, I feel nothing but safe. I’m protected and loved by this man, and his er… bear.
Ezra’s bear is so big, I have to tip my head to look into his eyes. Eyes that are familiar now. Dropping the sheet from my body, I stand up on the bed. Even with me standing on the mattress, Ezra is slightly taller than me.
I reach out and run my hand through his russet brown fur, causing his chest to rumble in appreciation. His fur is softer than I expected, and somehow, I have the urge to touch him all over. As if he can read my mind, he opens his arms. I take his invitation without thought and lunge myself at him. He wraps his arms around me and lets himself fall to the ground. I giggle and bury my face into his fuzzy fur.
“You smell good,” I murmur and cuddle deeper into him.
My eyes finally fall closed, and I know I won’t be able to stay awake much longer. Apparently, Ezra is okay with me going to sleep now because his bear lets out a content sigh, almost as if to say, he too, is sleepy.
I can’t help but smile. I’ve never felt so protected and loved in my life.
Before I know it, I’m falling into a deep, blissful sleep.
8
Ezra
Days pass in a blur and soon turn into weeks. Now that I have my mate by my side, time seems to move faster than before. Every moment is spent with happiness, and I don’t know how I survived so long without her. It’s as if my life has just begun, and before her, there was only darkness.
She hasn’t asked to leave again, just like I knew she wouldn’t. Now that the mating bond is complete, it would physically hurt us to be apart for long.
Summer is sitting on my lap, letting me feed her grapes. My cock hardens every time her pouty bottom lip touches my finger.
Grinning, she runs her tongue along the corner of her mouth. This little temptress knows exactly what she is doing.
I’m about to sit her ass on the table and fuck her senseless when the doorbell rings.
What the hell?
No one comes out here and disturbs me.
“Stay here,” I order Summer. My instinct to protect her at all cost takes over, telling me to keep her away from everyone that’s not me.
She simply nods, and I sit her down on the chair beside me, so I can get up.
I’m only wearing a pair of boxers, but I don’t waste time getting dressed. Don’t show up at my house and expect me to welcome you. As I make my way to the front door, I can hear someone banging on the door, their fists rattling the wooden frame.
Who the fuck is this person?
By the time I pull the heavy door open, I’m pissed and agitated and ready to rip someone’s throat out for interrupting breakfast with my mate.
“What?” I growl at the two men in front of my door.
“Um… are you the owner of this place? I mean, do you live here?” One of the men asks, trying to avoid looking at my chest.
“Would I be answering the door if I wasn’t?” I reply with a question while looking the two of them up and down. They are both much shorter than me but of bulky build. I notice they both carry gun holsters at the side of their pants, and there is a shiny badge on their belts as well.
“All right then.” One of them frowns, clearly offended by my rudeness. “We’re with the local police department, and we are looking into a
missing person’s report. Did you happen to see this woman?” The guy holds up his phone. The screen lights up, and a picture of Summer appears on it.
“Yes, I’ve seen her. She is not missing. She is mine, and you can’t have her—”
I’ve barely finished my sentence before both of the police officers have pulled out their guns and pointed them at my chest.
“Stop!” Summer’s high-pitched voice booms through the foyer. “He’s telling the truth. I’m not missing. I’m here because I want to be here.”
The cops briefly exchange glances before lowering their guns.
My bear is raging inside, threatening to shift and kill these two men. They are staring at my mate, who is wearing nothing but one of my T-shirts.
“We apologize for the misunderstanding. It’s just… the report led us to believe something happened to you. Your friends reported you missing. Your family hasn’t heard from you. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes.” Summer smiles, stepping forward. “Never been better. I’ll make sure to call my family and explain.”
“Okay, if you’re sure.”
The cops give Summer one last look before turning around and walking back down the driveway. The uneasy feeling and rage in my chest lessen with every step they take away from us. Once they’re out of sight, I close the door and turn my full attention back to Summer.
“Didn’t I tell you to stay in the kitchen?” I raise my eyebrow at her.
“You did.” Summer nods, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
“Not only did you follow me, but you also let other males see you like this.” I glance down at her half-naked body. “I guess I’ll have to punish you for misbehaving, don’t you think?”
Her eyes widen, but she can’t stop her lips from turning up into a grin. I can hear her heartbeat pick up and see her nipples tighten through the thin shirt.
