Bearly Christmas

by Becca Fanning

  "I kept you safe," he spat in response. "You think anyone here can do that for you as well as I can? You think he can?"

  He gestured towards her fiancé derisively, and Dina reached out for her partner's hand, squeezing it tightly.

  "Better than you ever could," she whispered, her voice full of certainty. The man looked taken aback, but what other answer was he expecting?

  "Don't lie to me, Dina," he warned, approaching her once again. He was within a few feet of her now, and the wolves at either side of him weren't far behind. "I came all this way to prove to you that I still want you, that I'll do anything to have you. Isn't that worth something?"

  "It isn't worth a thing to me," Dina answered firmly. "You aren't worth a thing to me. I don't know how I can make that more clear than I already have."

  The man was so close now that Iris could see the look of disappointment flood his face as soon as the words came out of Dina's mouth. It looked like someone had punched him in the stomach, I couldn't imagine what would drive someone to do everything he had done to try and win Dina back, but clearly getting rejected had not even crossed his mind as a possibility.

  "I don't even know why you think coming here would change my mind," Dina continued, raising her voice, clearly on a roll. "What, you thought I would run away with you and leave all of this behind?"

  She gestured round at everyone, her husband-to-be, her wedding party, the hotel, and then looked back at him, her face set.

  "If you leave now, we won't call the police. But that's only if you leave now."

  Her voice was full of threat, and Iris had to admit she was impressed, she didn’t think Dina had it in her. Hell, she didn't know anyone who had it in themselves to stand up to a group of wolf-shifters the way she was right then. The man's face hardened, wiping away any trace of vulnerability that might once have been there. He pushed his head close to Dina's, and she stood firm, staring him dead in the eye.

  "And what are you going to do about it if we don't?"

  "What?" Dina shot back. Clearly this hadn't been in the game plan.

  "That storm isn't going to let up for at least another day. Nobody's getting on to the island, not even the police. So your threats don't mean anything to me. In fact, I would suggest you take them the fuck back before you piss one of us off." His voice was full of menace, and I saw Dina's steely façade drop in a moment. She closed her eyes, tilting her head down.

  "Please, just leave," she begged. "I don't want anyone else getting hurt and none of this…it's not going to change my mind. Do you get that yet, Freddy?"

  He stared down at her, his face twisted up into a sadistic smile, and shook his head.

  "It's not about changing your mind. It's about taking back what's mine."

  "I've told you, just because you turned me-"

  Iris would never have believed it if she hadn't heard it there and then, but an actual gasp came out of everyone in the wedding party. Iris looked to Dina's fiancé, his face didn't register any surprise, so he must have already known. Everyone else, though? Not so much.

  "I was going to give you everything. We could have been together forever, running this pack, but you left me. But I still own you." He cut across her.

  "You don't own anything about me," she spat in return. "You're a cheating, lying piece of shit, and I hope you rot in hell."

  "You really think you can make things work with some human?" Freddy gestured derisively towards Tom, and Tom flinched back.

  "Better than I ever could with you," she hissed in response, and in the moment that followed, it felt as if everything exploded into chaos.

  Freddy shifted in a matter of seconds, Iris had never seen it in person before, and she barely had a second to take it in before almost everyone else around her had changed too. The only people left standing were the bridesmaids, Tom, and, of course, Ian.

  Lorne, the bridesmaid with the short hair, quickly stepped in front of everyone and ushered them back a few paces. Iris stumbled over her feet, her senses working in overdrive as she tried to process everything around her. The wolves and bears came against each other hard and fast and furiously, the groomsmen were quick to deal with the wolves, but Dina was brawling angrily with Freddy, snapping and snarling and pacing around him. Iris couldn't take her eyes off of her, how had she not realized Dina was like that? How had no-one else? The bear pack seemed pretty attuned to the scent of other shifters, so how did Dina fly under the radar?

  There was no time to ponder on it for two long, as the battle broke out in full fury around then. The reception area was already destroyed, smashed glass, counters tipped over, plants crashing to the ground. Iris' eyes were darting round the room, trying to take it all in, but Ian was already hustling them up the stairs.

  "Come on, come on," he murmured, casting nervous glances over his shoulder as he drove them forward. "You'll get hurt down here, please."

  Lorne cocked an eyebrow at him, and stayed where she was, it didn't look like she was going anywhere. One of the other bridesmaids, Tom's sister, Iris thought, had run off to stand with her brother. But the three of us who remained took the steps two at a time, sprinting towards safety, or, at least, safety for now. The two bridesmaids ahead of her had already vanished into their rooms when Iris went over on her foot, coming to a standstill and grabbing her ankle.

  "Shit!" She hissed, and Ian stopped.

  "What is it?" He demanded, but before she had a chance to answer, his face dropped. Iris slowly turned her head, and saw that, just behind her, one of the wolves had followed them up the stairs. It's hackles were raised, and it had flecks of blood smattered along its teeth.

  In one motion, Ian grabbed Iris by the arm and pulled her up the stairs, she landed hard on her hurt foot, and turned to see where the wolf had gone. But by the time she looked, Ian had shifted, and his enormous bear form was blocking off the narrow corridor.

  Iris' eyes widened, and she scurried hastily up the stairs, her heart slamming against her ribs. He said he would never do it again. Why now? Was it her? She dragged herself back to Ian's room, finding the door unlocked, and collapsed inside. As soon as the door was shut, she pressed her ear up against the wood and tried to make out what was happening on the outside.

  She could hear snarling and snapping, but nothing conclusive, she couldn't tell whether the wolf or Ian had the upper hand. And the fight was still going on downstairs-she could make out the sounds of a conflict. She squeezed her eyes shut, and the first face that popped into her mind was Abby's, oh God, Abby. Panic washed over her like ice water. She needed to get back to her as soon as she could, she needed to cradle her in her arms and promise her than she would never let her get put in the danger she was in. Ellie had been right, and Iris wouldn't be surprised if she knew something was going on right at that very instant. How had it come to this? This was meant to be nothing more than a wedding, a trip away to give Iris a break from the banality of her life. But now all she wanted was the normalcy, the averageness. She would have given anything to have all of that back.

  Suddenly, the door burst open, she jumped back, landing on her bad ankle, and fell against the bed. She tried to scramble to her feet, reaching for a hairbrush that was sitting on the counter next to her, anything to defend herself with, until she felt a pair of familiar hands on her, comforting her.

  "Hey, hey, it's alright, it's me," Ian soothed her as she tried to twist out of his grip. It took a moment for the panic to dissipate-and then she looked up into his eyes, and she felt safe.

  "Are you, what happened-I-" She stuttered, unable to get a grip on her words.

  "It's fine. The wolves, they're gone. We don't think they're coming back." He spoke softly, holding her arms gently. She was glad for his grip, she felt as if she might have fallen to her knees without him holding her.

  "Really? Already?" She needed to hear it again, to be sure, before she could let go.

  "Yeah, already," he nodded. "I think Freddy had the wind knocked out of him, he expected Din
a to give in and go with him, considering…you know. Everything."

  With everything that had happened, Iris had almost forgotten the biggest revelation of the night, that Dina was a shifter. She shook her head in disbelief, falling back on the bed behind her.

  "How did none of us know she was…like that?" She murmured, half to herself and half to Ian. "I mean…we all…"

  "I've got no idea, but she's hidden it well," Ian agreed. "She's a fierce fighter, too. You should have seen her out there."

  "So where are the wolves now?"

  "Gone. Back to the caves, I think. And the storm's lifting, so we should be able to get away tomorrow morning." He explained. "Thank God."

  There was genuine relief in his voice, and Iris knew it was about more than just the wolves.

  "You shifted," she whispered, looking up at him, and he came and sat next to her on the bed.

  "Yeah."

  "For me."

  "I couldn't in good faith let someone's mother get hurt by one of those things," he shrugged. "It just sort of…came over me, all at once. I didn't have a chance to think about it, and by the time I had shifted, I just knew I had to take him down."

  "But you didn't lose control?" She prompted.

  "Not at anyone but that fucking wolf," he replied, his voice harsh. "It just confirmed to me what I already knew, I don't like the thing I become when I shift, and I don't want to make a habit of it."

  "Thank you," she murmured. "Thank you for protecting me."

  "What else was I going to do?" He shrugged. "Daughter of a bear shifter, I owe it to my kind."

  Iris cocked an eyebrow at him.

  "How do you know?"

  "I can smell it on you. I didn't know for sure until I had shifted, but I felt this…draw towards you. And that's when I knew."

  "Sorry I didn't tell you." She sighed. "I don't know why."

  "Hey, we all get to have our secrets," he smiled at her, and took her hand once again. She couldn't put her finger on why, but she felt calm with his hand covering hers. There was something comforting to his touch, and she savoured it. He skimmed his thumb over her knuckles, and a shiver danced down her spine, what was this? It had been such a long time since she'd felt those butterflies in her stomach that she'd practically forgotten what they felt like. But, as Ian leaned over to her and carefully placed his lips against her's, she knew exactly what she was feeling.

  The kiss was gentle, surprisingly tender, given the situation. She'd always imagined thank-God-we're-alive sex to be more passionate and wild and crazy, but all she wanted at that moment was to be cared for, to be looked after. She tentatively opened her mouth, twisting her head to allow him more access, and slid her tongue past his lips. He tasted good, God, she couldn't remember the last time she'd been kissed like this, the last time she'd felt truly desired. He slid his hands down from her arms and on to her waist, weirdly chaste yet at the same time intimidate. She shuffled a few inches closer to him, feeling like a teenager making out with the door open. She draped one leg over his and drew him closer, cupping his jaw in her hand, his stubble felt rough and satisfying against her skin.

  He deepened the kiss, letting out a long breath through his nose as he gently licked around her lips. It was a motion that made her shiver, made her feel as if she was entirely at his mercy-she ran a hand through his hair, enjoying the feeling of the gel and the spikes against her palm. Everything felt so new, but so familiar, and Iris couldn't get enough.

  The hands around her waist moved across her back, pulling her closer, till the two of them were chest-to-chest. Ian slowly pushed her down on to the bed, straddling her, and meshing a hand in her hair as he kissed her once again. Every single one of his movements was deliberate and careful, as if Iris was some delicate toy he didn't want to break. After everything that had happened that day, it was a relief to be with someone she trusted so implicitly, someone she knew would never hurt her, someone who would protect her. It was the fact that Ian had gone back on the one thing he had sworn he would never do again, shifting, just to protect her. That spoke to a connection beyond just the superficial, and Iris was happy to explore it.

  She pulled her legs up, resting her feet against him and grinding her body up against his. Waves of pleasure spread from between her legs and out across her entire body, and it felt different than the last time she'd done this, different from all the other times she'd done this. She couldn't put her finger on it for a moment, but then it clicked in her brain, it must have had something to do with him being a shifter. She had never (knowingly, at least) been with a shifter before, but here and now, it felt as if he was extra in-tune with her body, as if he knew exactly where to touch and move and stimulate. He slid his hand down her side, and it was as if his touched fulfilled some long-standing craving within her that she never even realized she had. Is this what she had been missing all along? Falling for a shifter?

  She barely had time to contemplate it further before he flipped her on top of him, leaving her staring seductively down into his eyes. She greedily took in his body, she wanted him naked, and she wanted it now. She slipped her hands underneath his t-shirt and pulled it up over his head, it got caught on his chin, somewhat ruining the sexy effect she had been going for, but he just laughed, and quickly threw it aside. She had to suppress the urge to lick her lips when she got a look at his body, it was as good as she had imagined, muscular and strong and toned. She ran a hand across his chest and along his arms, marvelling at the perfection beneath her.

  She could feel his erection straining against her through her dress, and she reached down to massage him through his jeans-she felt powerful, taking control like that, and couldn't help but smile as she saw the look of pleasure pass over his face. Feeling brave, she slipped her hand into her own panties, surprised by how wet she already was, she guessed that it had been so long that her body wasn't willing to wait another second to get what it wanted.

  She quickly undid his jeans and slid them down his body, moving her fingers against her pussy as she did so-usually, when she masturbated, it was a quick, perfunctory thing, but here she wanted to savour it, to lose herself in the feeling of her fingers against her clit. Pulling back his boxers, she wrapped her hand around his thick erection, and slowly began to jerk him off. He pulled her dress aside, so he could see her hands at work in her panties, and glanced between her and her busy fingers as his mouth fell slightly open.

  It wasn't long till she found herself teetering on the edge of an orgasm, it had been a long time since she'd felt turned on, really turned on like this, and she couldn't get enough of it. Even as she tried to stave it off for a few sweet moments longer, the orgasm crested and broke inside her, and she stilled her fingers as she allowed it to wash over her. She sighed softly, a sigh of relief and pleasure and a desire for more, and before she knew it Ian had taken the hand that was in her panties and raised it up to his mouth. Iris could do nothing but stare as he circled his tongue around her fingers, tasting her, licking her, sucking her. She immediately felt desire consume her once again and, before he'd so much as finished with her fingers, quickly straddled him, pulled her panties aside, and began to lower herself down on to him.

  "Condom..?" He began, but she shook her head.

  "I'm on the pill," she reassured him, unable to elaborate any more than that. She had been on strict birth control ever since condoms had failed her at a rather key point in her life, and she was glad for it at that moment. She was so lost in the flow that she wasn't sure she'd have been able to stop to get one either way.

  She slowly lowered herself down on to him until he was buried deep inside her. She paused for a moment, taking a long, slow, deep breath and exhaling, before she began to move. He grabbed her, one hand around her waist, one hand on her ass, and propped himself up on his elbows, staring up at her like she was some kind of goddess. She couldn't remember one point in her life when she'd felt more powerful than she did at that moment, with him inside her, spreading her open, her body coaxing
him in and desperate for more. She snatched at his hand and guided it to her clit, he quickly obliged, working his index finger expertly against her sensitive nub, and staring up at her as she lost herself to the sensation.