by Alexis Davie
“How did you do it?” Paul asked, surprising Levi into answering his question with one of his own.
“How did I do what?” he said.
“Get her to believe your story,” Paul said.
Levi had no idea what he was talking about, and engaging in casual conversation with the man wasn’t his idea of a fun time, but his curiosity got the better of him.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he admitted.
“Oh, come on,” Paul said. “Piper, my lawyer? One minute she’s defending me all guns blazing and then she drops me out of the blue. I know you got to her and told her what really happened. I just can’t fathom how you got her to believe you and drop the case.”
Levi’s heart skipped a beat. This changed everything. Paul didn’t know about Piper. He wasn’t here for her. He never had been. But now he had put her in danger by getting her to drop the case. Paul wouldn’t have to be a genius to put two and two together, and now that he was out of jail, Levi thought he was likely going to start thinking things through.
“I showed her the body,” Levi lied. “And she didn’t want to represent a client who lied to her.”
“Well, fuck me. She can’t do much business, then,” Paul laughed.
Levi ignored him. They were already stepping into the lobby now and Levi had no intention of hanging around chatting. Paul’s new lawyer stood up and walked across to them.
“The desk sergeant will deal with you from here,” Levi said.
He nodded to his desk sergeant, who gave him a thumbs up, and then he stepped out into the street. He went to his car and drove straight to Piper’s place. He stood for a moment looking at Piper’s house. It was painted white, and it stood right on the beach. He looked out to the sea, seeing instantly why Piper had chosen this place. The views alone made it a good choice.
He moved to the door and knocked, waiting nervously. The door opened fairly quickly. Piper stood before him in a short, red nightshirt. Her legs were long and toned and Levi knew he was staring at them, but he couldn’t help himself. All he could think of was those legs wrapped around him.
“Umm, hi,” Piper said, pulling Levi’s attention away from her legs and making him blush, knowing he had been caught staring.
“I need to talk to you about something. Can I come in?” Levi asked.
Piper nodded and stepped back, letting him into the house. She led him to the living room and nodded at the couch. Levi sat down on one end of it.
“Would you like a beer?” she asked.
Levi thought he should probably say no. He was having enough trouble controlling himself around Piper without adding more temptation into the mix, but he found himself nodding. Piper disappeared for a moment and returned quickly with two bottles of Bud. She handed one to him and sat down on the other end of the couch with hers.
“So, what’s the emergency?” she smiled.
“I… okay, this is both good and bad,” Levi said. “The good news is you can stop feeling guilty at all about Mal. No matter how misguided that guilt was, there’s no need for it. Paul didn’t come to the town looking for you. The bad news is, I think I’ve most likely given you away and he’s going to come looking for you.”
“Whoa, slow down there,” Piper said. “What are you talking about?”
Levi explained about Paul’s bail and how he hadn’t known Piper was a bear at all, and finally, his suspicion that Paul would put it all together soon enough and come looking for Piper. Piper shook her head.
“Well, shit,” she said. “I don’t even know what to do with that.”
“Yeah. Same here,” Levi said.
They fell silent for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. It was Piper who broke the silence.
“So that’s how Paul’s story ends,” she said. She smiled at Levi and looked at him through almost closed eyelids, her lashes long. “How do you think ours might have ended if we hadn’t been interrupted yesterday?”
“I think I would have kissed you,” Levi said, feeling his heart starting to beat a little faster as the air between him and Piper became charged with sexual energy and their bears prowled. “And then I think I would have slowly stripped you and caressed every inch of your body. I would have brought you right to the edge, and then I would have made you come so hard, you would have been begging me for more.”
Piper stood up and Levi jumped to his feet, worried he’d gone too far. Piper walked to the doorway and looked back over her shoulder with a grin.
“Well, don’t just stand there,” she said. “I kind of like the idea of a live-action replay of those words.”
She kept walking and Levi heard her feet on the stairs. He pulled himself out of his stupor, relieved he hadn’t offended her, and followed her quickly. He caught up with her as she stepped into the bedroom.
She turned to face him and this time, there was no messing around. Their lips were on each other within seconds, their clothes coming off in a frenzy of ripping hands and frantic tugs. Levi ran his hands over Piper’s body, turning her and moving her toward the bed in the center of the room.
They reached the bed, and Levi pushed Piper onto her back on the bed. He missed the warmth of her in his arms instantly. He climbed onto the bed with her, kneeling between her legs. He leaned forward and kissed her breasts, running his tongue down her flat stomach and moving back slightly until he was lying on his belly between Piper’s thighs.
He pushed his tongue against her clit, feeling her tense up beneath him as pleasure moved through her body. She moaned loudly as he licked her, putting on enough pressure to tease her, but not enough to bring her to climax. As he licked her, he ran his hands over her thighs, over her hips, feeling the goosebumps that rose to the surface of her skin at his touch.
His cock was rock-hard, uncomfortable. His bear was going wild, demanding he claim Piper. He ignored his pulsing cock, ignored his frenzied bear, and concentrated only on bringing Piper pleasure.
He upped the intensity of his licking, making Piper gasp in a series of tortured breaths as he went through on his promise and brought her to the edge and pushed her right over it. He pulled back slightly from her, watching her face as it contorted with pleasure.
He licked his way back up her stomach and her chest, pausing long enough to suck first one nipple and then the other, bringing them to life. Piper was still gasping beneath him, still coming down from her orgasm when Levi pushed inside of her.
His cock slipped into her warm, tight center, and his bear growled deep within him as he claimed Piper as his own. He moved inside of her, fast, hard strokes that made Piper cry out with each thrust.
Her hands moved down his back, over his ass, and back up again, never staying still for a second as she matched his thrusts with urgent thrusts of her own. She moaned his name as she came again, and Levi felt her tighten around his erection, holding him still for a second. As she released him, he pounded into her faster, chasing his own orgasm now.
When he came, he came hard, filling Piper with his seed, his juices mixing with hers and cementing them as one. He pressed his face against her neck, whispering her name as his body was consumed by pleasure. It started in his cock and the bottom of his stomach, but it soon spread through his full body, lighting him up and making him feel like he was invincible.
When the feeling passed, he rolled off Piper and lay on the bed beside her.
“I like how our story went,” Piper said after a few minutes when she had her breath mostly back.
“Oh, me too,” Levi said. “Me too.”
13
Piper lay in Levi’s arms, enjoying the weight of them around her, enjoying feeling the rhythmic movement of his chest against her back. His deep, even breaths told Piper he had fallen asleep. She wasn’t far from sleep herself, but she wanted to experience this a minute longer before she let herself drop off.
She felt contented, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders now that she had the answers she had craved about Levi’s
strange treatment of her. His answers had brought sense to a senseless series of events, but more than that, they had lifted her, shown her that he felt the same way about her that she had been growing to feel about him. She had been right about fate bringing her here. She saw that now.
Her eyes slipped closed, and this time, she didn’t open them again. She fell slowly down into sleep. She was just starting to dream when a loud crashing sound brought her fully awake. She sat up quickly, her instincts on high alert.
Levi was already halfway out of the bed, telling her that the noise hadn’t been in her dream. It had been exactly what it sounded like. Breaking glass from the ground floor of her house. She jumped up out of bed as Levi pulled on his boxer shorts.
“Stay here,” he commanded.
Piper ignored his command. She had never been one to follow orders, and she wasn’t about to start now. Not when Levi would be putting himself in danger. She was already at the top of the stairs as she pulled her nightshirt back over her head and she descended the stairs as she slipped her arms into the sleeves.
Her heart was racing. She could clearly hear someone moving about in the living room. Levi paused as he reached the living room door, glancing back at her. He looked frustrated to see she had ignored his orders, but she knew as well as he did he couldn’t exactly argue with her about it now. Instead of trying to, he put his finger to his lips.
Piper stayed silent, seeing the sense of this order and choosing to follow it. Levi leaned his ear against the door. He moved back from the door and grabbed the handle. He threw the door open.
“Stop! Police!” he shouted.
Piper saw instantly who was in her living room. Paul. She had known it in her heart before the door opened, but until she saw him there, she had allowed herself to believe that maybe it was just a burglar, a coincidence. Suddenly, she was glad Levi was here for more reasons than one.
Levi was already starting to turn. Dark tufts of fur were springing out over his back, and when he opened his mouth again, it wasn’t words that came out, but a roar. Paul fumbled, trying to get his crossbow from his belt, but he saw the same thing Piper saw. He was too late.
He gave up trying to get the crossbow out as Levi was almost fully turned. He darted past Levi, his movements quick and graceful, catching Piper unaware. Before she really knew what was happening, Paul was behind her, his arm around her throat. He pressed down on her throat hard enough to make breathing uncomfortable, but not quite hard enough to make it impossible.
Piper reached up, clawing at his arm, but he was stronger than he looked and he held fast to her.
“Turn back to a man and give yourself up or I’ll kill her,” Paul said.
Piper felt his hot breath on her ear and she moved her head, disgusted by the intimacy of it. Paul pressed down harder on her throat and she stopped trying to move, feeling the cold steel of a blade on her jugular.
Levi looked at her and she began to quickly form a plan. Paul still didn’t seem to know she was a bear, or he would know how ineffective his knife would be against her. She gave Levi a barely perceptible nod. He began to turn back and Paul gave a soft laugh.
His laugh died in his throat as he felt Piper beginning to turn in his grip. Within seconds, he was no longer holding a woman. He was holding a large, light brown bear.
14
Levi watched as Piper turned in Paul’s arms. With a ferocious roar that made the hairs on Levi’s arms stand on edge, she bent at the waist, her body weight as a bear too much for Paul. He was dragged over her shoulder and slammed down hard on the ground. Piper didn’t waste any time. She followed him and stood over him, snarling.
Her claws pressed against his throat, saliva dripping from her snapping jaws. Levi smelt the tang of ammonia in the air as Paul’s bladder gave out. Paul was whimpering beneath Piper, begging for his life. Part of Levi wanted to let Piper do her thing, tear Paul’s throat out, and end this.
But he knew it would take too much explaining. And he knew that if he did things by the book, everything Ria had said would come to pass. Letting Piper kill Paul was too good for him. He stepped forward and put his hand on Piper’s back, feeling the silky softness of her fur.
“Piper? Listen to me. We’re not savages and despite what Paul might think, we’re not about to become them either. Turn back and let me handle this the official way,” he said.
Piper had turned her head to face Levi as he talked. He looked into her eyes as he spoke, seeing the humanity beneath the animal. Her almost-white eyes were even more striking in her bear form and Levi took a second to really appreciate their beauty. Piper slowly started to turn back into a human again. She backed away from Paul as she transitioned, grabbing her torn nightshirt and pulling the rags of it over herself.
“Go upstairs and go in my jacket pocket. I have handcuffs there. Please bring them to me. And my clothes would be good too,” he said with a grin.
He waited until Piper was out of earshot and then he rounded on Paul, who remained on the ground, curled up in a fetal position.
“You know, you hunters think you’re the humane ones and that we’re the monsters. While you’re rotting in jail, I want you to think about this moment. I want you to think about how you killed one of my pack in cold blood. How you came here tonight looking to do the same thing to Piper. And how, when I could have killed you, I showed you mercy. Ask yourself who the monster really is.”
“I didn’t come here to kill Piper. I came here to make sure she was safe. From you. And she turned out to be one of you,” Paul snapped.
“Yes, she did. It’s funny how you didn’t think she was a monster because you didn’t know what she was. Doesn’t that tell you anything?” Levi said.
Paul didn’t answer. He just lay on the ground, accepting his fate. Piper returned quickly, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt now. She had Levi’s clothes in one hand, his handcuffs in the other. She held the handcuffs out and he cuffed Paul, being a little rougher than he technically needed to be as he got Paul’s hands into position behind his back.
“Paul Brackenstone, you are under arrest for breaking and entering, for the attempted murder of myself and Ms. Lee, and for breaking the conditions of your bail. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you do say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can’t afford an attorney, one will be provided to you. Do you understand these rights?”
Paul nodded slowly. Levi considered saying more, but he’d said what he’d needed to say. Paul was beaten and he knew it. They all did. Instead of taunting Paul, Levi looked up at Piper. She held his clothes out and he smiled at her and took them. He dressed quickly.
“I’m going to call this in.”
He called the station and quickly gave the desk sergeant the story. Obviously he missed out the part about the bears, saying simply that he had been at a friend’s house when someone broke in and threatened both him and Piper. She said she’d send a squad over straight away, laughing at the thought of someone breaking into a house only to find the chief of police there.
Piper and Levi sat side by side on the couch. There was a lot for them to discuss, but neither of them wanted to discuss their relationship in front of Paul. They didn’t have long to wait before the deputies showed up.
“I’ll put a call in to the town’s glazier. He’s a friend of mine. You’ll get mate’s rates,” one of them said to Piper as the other one hauled Paul to his feet and began to lead him outside.
“Thank you,” Piper said.
“Has he been read his Miranda rights, Chief?” the deputy leading Paul from the house asked.
Levi nodded.
“You guys handle booking him in. Put him in a cell and have his lawyer come in tomorrow. I’ll question him then,” Levi said. “And have forensics come out here now, please.”
“Got it, Chief,” the deputies chorused.
They left as quickly as they had come. Levi turned to Piper.
“Are you a
lright?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “I really am. I’m just glad you were here.”
“Me too,” Levi said. “And if it’s up to me, I never want to be anywhere but by your side again.”
Piper smiled warmly at him.
“I’d like that,” she said.
Levi felt his bear stirring within him. He knew even without his bear’s approval that he had made the right decision about Piper. Now he needed her to know just how serious he was about her.
“I know this is quick, Piper, but I… well, I’ve kind of fallen for you,” he said.
She smiled again.
“Good, because all of my instincts are telling me that you are the one,” she said.
He closed the gap between them and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her full on the mouth. He drew back after a couple of minutes and grinned at her.
“You know, the forensics team won’t be here for at least a half hour,” he grinned.
Piper laughed and shook her head, but she made no effort to stop him when he began to peel the T-shirt off her. Whatever happened next, Levi knew it would happen with Piper by his side.
Epilogue
Two Months Later
Piper’s face was aching from smiling. She had been accepted by Levi’s pack from day one. She thought it helped a lot when they learned that rather than her leading the hunter to them, they had almost led him to her. Today was still special, though. Today, their acceptance of her had become official when she had officially joined their pack.
And that wasn’t even the best part. That was still to come. She paced back and forth, excited and nervous all at once. She checked her watch. Levi was due to come home any minute. After the ceremony where she had joined the pack, Levi had to go to work. He had promised her he wouldn’t be late, wanting to celebrate the ceremony with her, and she trusted him to keep his word.
