by Cara Wylde
One second, he was a plump little boy, and the next, he was a ball of fur and tiny claws. When he shifted, he turned his clothes to shreds, and as Rosalie and I burst out laughing at his silliness, he growled at us, then jumped off the couch and went to sleep in my bed. Of course. He didn’t like his crib anymore. He’d almost outgrown it.
Rosalie wanted to get up. I wrapped my hand around her wrist and pulled her back down next to me. I opened my arms, and she fell against my chest. I held her close, cradling her gently.
“Do you really want me to stay?” she asked. “A few days ago, you said…”
“I know what I said. And if you want to leave after Milo has completely transitioned to solid food, then I won’t stop you. You can still have a life out there, among your people. And this…” I motioned at the small cabinets, the ancient oven, and the old, creaky bed my cub had snuck into. “I know this is not what any woman wants. Especially if she’s human, pretty, young, and can have any guy she chooses.”
“No. Oh my God, don’t ever think that. I love your place! I never wanted anything fancy myself. When I got married, I had nothing. Jack didn’t have much, either. We built our home from scratch. I was so naïve… I saw the red flags before we got married, but I went ahead and said ‘yes’ anyway. Because I was so desperate to have the kind of life I saw in movies and read about in books. I wanted to build a home with him, a family… And when things got from bad to worse, I kept hoping. I kept trying. God, he hated me so much.”
“Why would anyone ever hate you?”
She sniffed loudly and wiped a tear off her cheek. My heart ached for her. I couldn’t believe I’d had this woman in so many ways, fucked her until neither of us could move or breathe anymore, and I knew so little about her. She was finally opening herself to me, like a flower in bloom. She’d been too shy and scared to tell me about her past before. But now that she was in my arms and she knew I would never hurt her, she was ready to pour her heart out to me. And I was there to listen. I would never judge her. And what was there to judge? She’d done nothing wrong.
“He wanted children. And I wanted children, too. We tried and tried…” She shook her head. “Nothing. He blamed me. I suggested we should go see a doctor and find out exactly what was going on, but he refused. In his mind, I was the one at fault, and he didn’t need science to confirm it. Or infirm it. No, that was out of the question. In hindsight, maybe it was better that we didn’t do a fertility test. If he’d found out he was the one who couldn’t have children, he would’ve just beaten me harder. Because Jack could never be wrong. He could never be at fault.”
“But that’s… stupid.” I pulled her close and sniffed the top of her head.
“Stupid, cruel… I don’t know anymore. All that and more. He made no sense.”
I moved lower, burying my nose behind her ear.
“When we were young, I used to think he was so cool and collected. He was older than me and seemed to know what he wanted and how to get it. I hope my memory isn’t playing tricks on me now, because… well, I’ve heard that time tends to do this to people. Years pass, and we don’t remember the bad things we’ve gone through as vividly as they were. They fade, and only the good memories remain. So, I hope I’m not saying something completely ridiculous right now, but once upon a time, Jack was on okay guy. But then he was deployed to the Middle East, and when he came back, he was changed. I couldn’t recognize him at all. He started drinking, spending so much time with his buddies… We lived on a farm, but we didn’t grow any animals. He just used all that land to build himself a sort of training field. Almost every day of the week, he called his friends over, and they shot their guns and drank until they couldn’t see straight anymore. A few times, I remember I was genuinely scared they’d end up shooting each other by accident. God, they were awful!”
“I’m so sorry you had to go through all that,” I whispered as I moved even lower and sniffed her neck. “They didn’t touch you, did they?”
“No! Jack was so jealous and possessive! The guys knew. They never even looked at me. They treated me like furniture. And when they needed hot dogs and beer, they treated me like a servant. But they never touched me.”
“And he thought you couldn’t have children because of you…”
“That’s right.”
I inhaled deeply, then once I was convinced my nose wasn’t wrong, I pulled away and looked her deep in the eyes.
“You’re fertile.”
“What?”
“Right now. You’re fertile, and I can smell it.” The last words came out as a growl. I was hard. I took her hand and placed it over my erection. She gasped cutely. “So, if you want a cub of your own, this is the perfect time. Do you want me to seed you, Rosalie?”
She was at a loss for words. Good. Because words weren’t needed when my cock throbbed for her and I could smell her pussy getting soaked. I crushed her against my chest once more and devoured her mouth.
Nineteen
Colt
The minute I got back to the trailer park, I went to look for Fiona. Just as I thought, she was still around, chatting with a bunch of females as they were going about their usual business with the cubs, cleaning, cooking, and worrying about money. I was with Lincoln, and the idiot had the audacity to whistle appreciatively when he saw her.
“Hot! But she doesn’t compare to Rosalie. She doesn’t even come close.”
“Fuck off!”
“That I shall do. I need to take a shower anyway.”
I had to do that too, but first, I had to take care of Fiona. I went up to her, and the females fell silent when they saw me. Of course, they’d been talking about me. Fiona had probably told them all about what a massive jerk I was.
“Where were you?” She snapped at me. “You left me here with no way to get back home! I was trying to find a ride.” She looked me up and down, and finally realized two things: one, I was naked, and two, I was covered in blood and dirt. “What the hell happened to you?” Great. Now she sounded concerned. She really was a nice girl, and that made things even worse.
“Nothing. I’m fine.”
“You’re bleeding.”
“Not anymore.”
“Is that a gunshot wound?”
I sighed. “Please don’t do this. Please don’t get all worried about me and try to help me.”
“Jesus, okay! Idiot. I was just being a normal human being.”
“I’ll drive you back, if you just wait ten minutes so I can clean up.” She nodded, so I rushed to my trailer. She followed me, got inside, and as I slipped into the shower, she shouted at me: “What about that human girl? Rosalie was her name? Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she’s fine.”
“Is she…” She hesitated, and I thought she’d either changed her mind about whatever she’d wanted to say, or the shower was too loud and I’d just missed it. “Is she your mate?”
I froze under the hot spray. I didn’t know what to say to that, so I kept silent. Fiona didn’t insist. I got out of the shower, dried myself off, jumped into the first clothes I could find lying around, and grabbed my car keys. As I drove Fiona back, I couldn’t help but wonder… was Rosalie my mate? Was she Brooks’s mate? Was she Lincoln’s mate, too? Was that even a thing? Three men to share one soul mate? I dropped Fiona off, and she gave me her number. I didn’t want it, but she just smiled and shoved the piece of paper into my hand.
“If you ever need me. Not for a fuck, or a relationship, or whatever. In general. I think we can be friends.”
“Just friends?”
“Yeah, why not?” She wrapped her arms around her. It was in the middle of the day, and her outfit was just not adequate when the sun was up. “It was quite an adventure. Not what I expected. But that’s a good thing, you know? You’re crazy, Colt. But you’re a good guy.”
I bit the inside of my lip. “Do you really think that?”
“Sure. You only have to show it more often.”
“And how do I do that?�
�
She shrugged. “Be yourself. And be honest. If that human girl is your mate, then let her know. Let the entire world know.”
Well, that was a bit exaggerated, since the entire world didn’t need to know about Rosalie and her three bear mates, but I got the idea. I slipped her phone number into my back pocket, waved at her, and drove back to the trailer park. She was right. Brooks, Lincoln, and I had to tell the community about who Rosalie really was – our mate and Milo’s mother.
I got back as quickly as I could. It was already late, and the sky was darkening. But I didn’t want to postpone this. Fiona had told me what I had to do, and I knew I had to do it now. Especially since she’d talked to the females in the trailer park already, and at that time, she’d most certainly been mad at me and told them I’d left her hanging. I needed to make this right. I needed to set things straight, so everyone would accept Rosalie as part of our community. So, the second I got home, I banged on Lincoln’s door.
“What do you have in your freezer?”
“What?” He cocked an eyebrow at me. “Are you drunk?”
“No.” I grinned. “We’re going to have a barbecue. Everyone is invited. So, what do you have in your freezer?”
He laughed. “Plenty of stuff. You know I eat the most around here.”
I went around and told everyone they should prepare for the biggest barbecue we’d had in ages. Finally, I went to Brooks and Rosalie. As usual, his freezer was fucking empty. That was because Krista had always taken care of his food. But it didn’t matter. Everyone else had piled what they had in the middle of the trailer park, and while the males were making the fire, the females were preparing the meat, drenching it in grease and spices. It was going to be delicious. Lincoln had gone to get more things from the supermarket before it closed. We needed beer and wine. Maybe some champagne, too. I texted him to make sure he didn’t forget the champagne.
Two hours later, we were all gathered around the campfire, the barbecue ready and neatly placed onto large, round plates. We sat on the ground. Many of us had brought chairs out, and Brooks had brought one out for Rosalie, who had Milo on her lap, giggling and fussing about. The sense of community was strong, and I loved it. Seeing us all gathered around, eating and drinking together, chatting and laughing, made my heart swell. Lincoln was just handing Rosalie a plate, and she picked a juicy piece of meat. As usual, cutlery was optional, and I loved the fact that she had no issue with that. She just ate with her hands, and she was so sexy as she did it. She wasn’t fancy, she wasn’t pretentious… She just was. Beautiful, natural, genuine. Rosalie.
“Everyone, I need one minute of your attention.” I grabbed the bottle of champagne and stood up. They realized I was going to open it soon, and they started looking for glasses, so they’d be ready. When they settled back down, I cleared my throat and looked at Rosalie. “You came into our lives not long ago, but I feel like I’ve known you forever. And I know that Brooks and Lincoln feel the same.” They nodded, and Brooks even raised his beer. “I want you to know that you belong here. You belong with us.” I turned to the people around the fire. “And I want you all to know that Rosalie Olsen is our mate. My mate, Brooks’s mate, Lincoln’s mate. And from this day on, she is Milo’s mother. I hope that you can welcome her with the warmth that she deserves. She is here to stay.”
I wasn’t much of a speaker, but my words seemed to have an impact. Someone cheered in the back, and then more cheers exploded here and there. People started clapping, and before I knew it, the atmosphere changed from one of contentment and relaxation to one of pure joy. I could tell everyone was happy for us. I knelt beside Rosalie, and she wrapped her free arm around me. With the other, she still held on to Milo so he wouldn’t fall off. Not that he could hurt himself. She still had a long way to go until she was ready to accept that Milo wasn’t fragile like a human child.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “That was beautiful.”
I exchanged a glance with Brooks. He grinned at me and tipped his chin to the bottle I was still clutching in my hand.
“Forget about something?”
“Oh, right.”
I stood back up, opened the champagne, and everyone gathered around me with their glasses. I made sure to save some for Rosalie. Brooks and Lincoln hated champagne. In fact, Lincoln always said it was for girls. I didn’t care. I took a gulp right out of the bottle.
We partied until late at night. At some point, Milo fell asleep, and Brooks took him to his trailer. When he came back, he had his shirt off and he was working on undoing his belt. I saw Rosalie stare at him with wide, hungry eyes. She couldn’t help herself, could she?
“Let’s go for a run,” he told me and Lincoln. “Burn off the calories.”
Lincoln didn’t need to hear that twice. He started peeling off his clothes, not caring that we were in the middle of a small crowd. It didn’t matter, though, because around here, we were used to each other’s nakedness. We were bear shifters, not humans who thought that the body in its natural form was something to be ashamed of.
“You guys have fun,” Rosalie said as she stood up and got ready to join the cub in the trailer.
“You’re invited,” Brooks said.
She blinked in confusion. “What?”
“You’re invited.”
I immediately understood what he meant. “She can ride me!” I raised my hand before either Brooks or Lincoln offered. Lincoln growled at me, and I snickered. “She can ride me.”
“Ride you? How?” She covered her mouth with her hands.
“You know how.” I wiggled my brows at her. “But no, for real. I’m going to shift,” I explained as I took off my clothes, “and you’re going to jump on my back and hold on tight. I won’t drop you, I promise.”
“Is this for real? I can actually… ride you?”
“In more ways than one.” I couldn’t help myself. It was too easy.
Before her eyes, the three of us shifted. The other females and males stepped aside to give us space. It was nothing out of the ordinary, so they just returned to what they were doing. In my bear form, I was much larger than an actual bear. I walked up to Rosalie, and she reached out her hand and stroked the fur on my chin. Her touch was gentle and respectful. It was as if she saw us differently when we were like this. She saw the magic in us and our connection to nature.
I pressed myself to the ground, as flat as I could, and she climbed onto my back. I growled deep in my chest, and she understood that it was time for her to sink her hands into my fur and grab mercilessly. It wasn’t going to hurt me, and it was important for her to hold on to me as tightly as she could, because I was going to give her the ride of her life.
Twenty
Rosalie
“I’ve never experienced anything like this!” I shouted, feeling the soft fur beneath my fingers.
Colt had allowed me to ride him, but in the most spectacular way possible. I couldn’t believe how freeing this felt, and I couldn’t believe how none of them had dropped me yet!
I’d taken turns riding them all, but Colt was my favorite because he didn’t tease or jest with me. Lincoln had pretended to throw me off a couple of times, and I could swear Brooks got a sick kick out of making me think he was going to duck under a low branch and blacken my eye. I screamed in fear, then excitement, because none of them actually hurt me. It was like one of those amusement park-rides. Alluring in its danger, but completely safe in actuality.
I liked watching them shift and run, and tackle each other and sniff things like animals. They were part of nature, they were more attuned to this earth we all shared than any human. And I had the privilege of going with them, as part of their pack, as a member of their community, as their… mate.
It was more sublime and fantastic than anything I could have ever dreamed of.
Bear men.
Sexy, handsome, protective alpha bears – all mine.
The forest began to look a little more familiar, and soon enough, we found ourselve
s back at the cabin. I guessed they had gotten a little tired, especially if they had to carry my weight for part of their run.
I got off Colt, but that didn’t mean I was free of him. He shifted back, and instead of making another crude joke or teasing me about how I weighed less than a feather, he wrapped his arms around me and claimed my lips in a searing kiss. I felt hands grab my ass, pinching, squeezing.
“You drive us wild, woman,” Lincoln said. “Thank fuck Colt had the common sense to take you back here. My cock needs you.”
I smiled against Colt’s lips and wiggled my ass. When he released me, he grabbed my waist and holstered me up on the banister as he crouched down before me. We were outside, and I had no idea if they were going to drag me in. The windows were still covered from when they’d been afraid I might escape and divulge their secret.
“Spread your legs, Ro,” Colt said. I did as I was told, and the hunger in him drove his tongue directly inside my pussy. Wasting no time lapping about, he ate me with abandon and gusto.
Lincoln climbed the stairs, and I opened my mouth to receive my gift for being a good girl. I swirled my tongue around his swollen tip, tasting the precum. He wasn’t going to last long. He was too worked up, but the sooner the first orgasm took the edge off, the faster he could fuck me and shoot a second load inside my pussy.
I wanted to bear their cubs, as many as they’d give me. I wanted my pussy to milk their cocks of every precious drop, and then I wanted to build together with them a strong, beautiful family. These men made me feel desirable, wanted. They were giving me everything Jack had never been capable of offering me. Orgasms. Happiness. A sense of self-worth. A purpose in life. Security. Protection. A place in a world that was so unlike my own and so much better. And now… now they’d better be giving me sons and daughters.
I moaned around Lincoln’s cock, and Colt stuck two fingers in my pussy, moving them in and out as he licked my clit. My first orgasm was incoming. I could feel it build in my belly – the need for more, for faster, deeper thrusts. I pushed my hips to meet his hand, and he understood, working me up to three, then four fingers, with which he hoped to momentarily sate my hunger for him.
