What a Bear Wants

by Winter, Nikki

  “Rude!” Maddox bellowed, slapping Ransom’s hand off but he was too far gone into that scent.

  Standing, he searched through the hordes of people surrounding him, some human and some not, until his eyes locked on her. She strode towards him with a purpose in her steps, eyes straight ahead, shoulders back, head held high. She had the walk of an alpha with a lazy grace that was generally innate to felines. And yet she moved swiftly, a challenge in her gait that just about dared someone to interfere with whatever plans she had.

  Shoulder length chestnut brown hair was pulled up into a ponytail and stuffed under a cap. Her upper half covered in a simple grey V-neck t-shirt, her lower in dark wash jeans that hugged her hips and her considerably large wolf feet rested comfortably in laced up hiking boots. Her hands were stuffed in her front pockets and her pretty face fixed in a scowl that could scare legions of demons. God she was beautiful.

  And when those huge, brown, thickly lashed eyes landed on Ransom, he knew. He knew right then and there that he was a fucking liar. He’d lied to her. He’d lied to his brother. He’d lied to himself. Because business be damned. He didn’t want Wilder Lodge. He didn’t even want a rose bush from Wilder land. Oh no, Ransom McKenna wanted Fallon. All of Fallon.

  It was the stare she shot him, it had been the same one in her pictures; the one that made his bear perk up and take notice; the one that made him acknowledge the reason why he hadn’t used that goddamn black book in months. He didn’t want some interchangeable female who needed lit candles and three hundred count sheets. He wanted a female who could deal with a simple rough ride on the forest floor with nothing more than the moon overhead and growls and snarls echoing out into the night.

  Everything inside of Ransom told him that Fallon was that female. Then everything inside of him decided, in that moment, he would be finding out if it were true. And soon.

  She got closer, stopped in front of him and said, “Mr. McKenna?”

  That low, husky tone shot straight to his scrotum and he swallowed. Yeah...soon...really soon.

  ***

  Whatever she’d been expecting to see of Ransom...this was not it. Fallon had thought the seemingly luxury pampered bear would show up in a custom made Brooks Brothers suit with a dozen suitcases and a weighed down assistant by his side but...he didn’t. The man was wearing a tank, sweats and running shoes! All three items a size that she didn’t really want to calculate but he was wearing them nonetheless with a duffle bag thrown over one shoulder and a laptop case in his hand. He looked...normal.

  Not like the modelesque pretty boy she’d mentally marked him as. He was still breathtakingly handsome but a pretty boy? No. This wasn’t the man she’d seen on billboard after billboard. His hair was ruffled, he hadn’t shaved and he smelled like tea tree oil shampoo and body-wash. These things were appealing. Entirely too appealing. Rather than lick the corner of his luscious mouth or ask him to scratch behind her right ear where her happy spot was, Fallon simply stuck out her hand for him to shake.

  “Fallon Wilder.”

  Those intense green-flecked amber irises bore through her as one huge hand met hers, the roughness of his palm surprising her. “Hi.” He said quite simply and it was by the grace of God himself that she didn’t melt into the linoleum floor beneath their feet. The edgy, scratchiness of his tone washed over her like a strong wave, his calm cultured inflections lost on her in the wake of how that voice grated sandpaper, making the pulse between her thighs jump.

  “Hi.” Fallon softly replied, fascinated by the way those green flecks danced a little when he smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. His two top front teeth were a little crooked, turning in towards each other just a bit. His only imperfection. And yet, even that seemed to be perfect...adorable like a cub that hadn’t cut his first fang yet.

  The proportions of his shoulders and arms were unreal. Muscles rippled without any true effort as he shook her hand slowly, his gaze never once leaving her own. For the first time that Fallon could remember, her wolf wanted to roll over and behave...wanted to cry and whimper until it was given the proper attention to satisfy its needs.

  There was something about the way he watched her, about the way his nostrils flared ever so slightly when he inhaled—like he was specifically seeking out her scent—that made her swallow a little bit harder, exhale a little bit harsher.

  “So you’re the lovely canine my bastard of a brother has been complaining about for months on end.” A voice suddenly said, completely interrupting whatever had just transpired and causing Fallon to spin with a snarl towards its source.

  Said source ducked behind Ransom. “Not the face! Not the face!”

  Ransom’s lip curled a bit. “The little girl ducking behind me is my brother Maddox.”

  The other bear peeked at Fallon through incredibly long lashes from behind his sibling’s shoulder. He was just as tall and just as wide as Ransom and he was incredibly...good looking. That was the best way to describe him. Where were they manufacturing these men? Had they been custom ordered? Since when did grizzlies look like this?

  “He calls me a little girl because I’m pretty.” Maddox said, flashing her a smile that was all sparkling white teeth.

  “I call you a little girl because you’re dickless.” Ransom rejoined, his voice flat, his eyes still not off of Fallon. “He’s here to make sure someone can take my dismembered body back home to our mother if necessary.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Did you bring a ball gag?”

  He smirked. “Mebbe...”

  She turned her attention to Maddox. “I have a feeling your presence won’t be in vain.”

  “And I have a feeling that if there are more she-wolves who look like you back at Wilder Lodge...I won’t much care about my dear brother losing important parts of himself this week.” Maddox answered, that smile appearing again.

  Fallon almost wanted to smile back. It was like having a larger, lumbering version of Anoki around. “Aren’t you cute?” She leaned towards both bears. “Trust me, sweetheart, my pack females would chew you up and spit you back out in forms that not even the Kama Sutra could emulate.” Standing straight, she pivoted on the balls of her feet and started back towards the exit. “This way gentlemen.”

  She snorted just a bit when she heard Maddox whisper to his brother, “Guess I shouldn’t tell her I’m a little into the pain/pleasure dynamics should I?”

  ***

  “Do you want to keep those eyes?”

  Ransom’s brows drew downwards at his brother’s fiercely whispered question but he never took his gaze off of Fallon as she walked ahead of them, making her way past the surrounding shopping center and into the parking garage. He was too busy staring at the healthy golden glow of her creamy skin. It was like watching gold dusted milk chocolate when she moved. “What?”

  “If you don’t stop staring at her, she’s going to rip your eyes out of the sockets and roll them like dice.”

  “You’re so poetic, little brother. You should work for Hallmark.”

  “Do you not understand how temperamental she-wolves are? Do you not understand how temperamental this she-wolf is?”

  “We’ve been with her for five minutes. You don’t know shit about—” Both brothers suddenly pulled up short as Fallon halted , her head tilting back, nose in the air as if she smelled something odd. Then her line of sight suddenly went to the left where a few feet away two male wolves stood...staring.

  The snarl that came from her really shouldn’t have made his dick hard but it did.

  “Having a nice day, Wilder?” One of the males asked casually enough, taking a few steps towards her along with the man next to him. Both were a bit shorter and thicker. Clearly red wolves, unlike Fallon who was powerfully built and purely arctic.

  “I was until I caught sight of your face...which makes me want to maim.” One of her hands came up, claws slowly sliding out. “Now which one of you boys want to volunteer to cure that particular urge?”

  The bolder o
f the two smirked, staring at her with open resentment. “We allowed your two pets to get away with that shit they pulled but don’t think—”

  “Allowed?” Fallon interrupted, stepping forward. “The scars on your face and neck tell me that my betas fucked you up rather nicely. You should be grateful for that, Jericho...because had I been there, I’d still be picking bits of you from between my teeth.”

  “Tell me again that she’s not temperamental, I dare you.” Maddox whispered.

  “It won’t last for much longer.” The other one sneered, walking just that much closer.

  Ransom’s eyes narrowed on that one as he determined exactly how much effort it would take to pop his head off and play putt-putt with it. But before he could move Fallon was doing a double tap on the little bastard’s kidneys and bringing him to his knees before she brought her own knee up, breaking his nose. The sound of cartilage crumbling along with the spray of blood made Ransom pop his jaw.

  “I’m sorry, Aaron.” Fallon said with a saccharine sweetness. “Sometimes I’m just a bit clumsy.”

  The one she’d called Jericho stepped forward as if to reach for her and Ransom went to snatch her away but Maddox stopped him.

  “Do. Not. Get. In. The. Middle.” His brother warned him and he understood why when Fallon spun on the ball of her left foot and used the right one to come down on the male wolf’s thigh, buckling his leg and sending him to his knees along with what Ransom guessed was his pack mate.

  She gripped that one by the throat, digging her claws into the still healing flesh. “I allow you to live, boy. I allow you to breathe. I overlook the fact that you’re inbred, backwoods trash who has nothing better to do with himself than to scrimp and beg and whine over things that don’t belong to him but please do not ever believe that you can publicly disrespect me and there won’t be consequences. I suggest you find new stomping grounds really quickly, Mason Jericho, or I am going to break your neck in three distinct places and smile in joy when the light fades from your eyes.” Letting go, she allowed the now blue toned wolf to drop to his forearms, gasping for breath.

  With a deep inhale, she turned to look at Ransom and Maddox who were silently standing by, trying not to make any sudden moves as her eyes glittered from brown, to amber, to the brightest canine gold and back again. “Occasionally I have a problem with pests. As you can see, I’m capable of dealing with said pests.”

  “Unh-hunh.” He and Maddox murmured together.

  “That’s not an issue the two of you will have to worry about during your stay though. I’ve made sure of that.”

  “Unh-hunh.” They repeated again.

  “Hopefully you’ll take full advantage of all the amenities Wilder Lodge has to offer before our meeting, getting a chance to relax.”

  “Unh-hunh.”

  Fallon gave a curt nod before stepping over the prone, groaning bodies of what had to be her enemies and walking on.

  Ransom started to follow and when his brother drew in a breath to speak, he held up a hand, stopping him. “Don’t...just...don’t...”

  Chapter 5

  “Get up.” Mason Jericho snarled at his youngest brother, gripping him by the collar of his shirt to pull him off the concrete as he watched the headlights of that Wilder bitch’s vehicle fade.

  Rubbing his throat, he tried to tamp down on the urge to chase that truck down and...do what? He had no fucking game plan here, just knew he hated Fallon with everything in him. The cunt walked around like she owned more than just the land her family had stolen from his.

  Mason’s fists clenched at his sides. He’d had to scrap and fight for everything he’d gotten and something that didn’t even rightfully belong to her had fallen into her lap—his birthright. Long before Jericho land—a fourth of Glenwood springs—had been taken from his pack, his father’s father had been next in line to inherit it and so on. Eventually it would’ve reached him and he would’ve been not only an alpha but an alpha with substantial territory to call his own. Because of her family, because of her, The Jerichos were low on the totem pole of superior packs.

  He hadn’t gotten his father fatally injured for nothing goddammit! That land was supposed to be his!

  As a red wolf his kind was naturally smaller but they had numbers which compensated for the lack of physical stature yet she didn’t seem to be the least bit intimidated that Mason’s pack was almost sixty strong, the males outnumbering the females two to one. It was an insult that she’d not only humiliated him just moments ago but she’d turned her back on him; as if he weren’t even threat enough to be concerned about. As if she didn’t think he’d have the gall to attack her. She needed to know that he had more than just the gall! That he wasn’t afraid of her!

  “I’m going to kill her...” Mason whispered, eyes staring off at something that only he could see—the visual of Fallon slowly bleeding out on her precious land as he stood over her, jugular hanging from the tips of his claws.

  “What?” Aaron questioned, voice nasal due to the fact that his nose had been broken for the third time this month. The last time was attributed to that bitch’s pets. They’d caught him and Aaron sniffing around the lodge, looking for weak spots. Running into her today was unintentional. He and Aaron had a hustle going with tourists. They’d sell them some story about giving them a proper tour, take their cash, and give them some shitty, poetic display of downtown before making their way back to Glenwood Springs.

  Their pussy of an older brother Brody thought himself too good for any of this; too good to fight for what was rightfully theirs. The consummate golden pup, that one was. It made Mason’s back teeth ache. He hated that fucker with everything in him but there was something about his brother that always made him back away from the notion of challenging him. Brody was...off. He didn’t seem to give a shit one way or the other. There was no black or white to him, only gray. He was content with what he had and that was a strange quality to find in a wolf. A quality that made Mason question his brother’s ability to think and reason.

  “I’m going to kill her.” Mason repeated.

  “Kill who?”

  He snatched his brother by the scruff of his neck, shaking him. “Fallon Wilder! I’m going to kill Fallon Wilder, dumbass!”

  Mason almost blacked out in rage when the fucker snorted in laughter and said, “You? Kill her?”

  He slapped Aaron in the face.

  “You son of a bitch!”

  Grabbing him by his throat, Mason yanked him in closely. “She thinks she’s fucking invincible. I’m going to show her how wrong she really is.”

  “She is fucking invincible! Did you not see the bears?! I don’t think they were just standing around for their own amusement.”

  Mason slapped him again.

  “Motherfucker!”

  “I have one goal here!” He shouted in Aaron’s face. “And it’s to bring that bitch down to her knees. No one is going to stop me. Not her fucking pack, not those goddamn bears and definitely not her.” Letting his sibling go, he started off, his mind already plotting what he’d do and how he’d do it.

  “Where’re you going?” Aaron questioned.

  “Just shut the fuck up and follow. I’ve got plans.”

  ***

  “So,” Maddox suddenly said, cutting into the silence inside Fallon’s truck and causing her and Ransom to snarl agitatedly. “Should we be concerned that we may be called in for questioning down at the Sheriff’s office?”

  Ransom watched Fallon’s hands squeeze the steering wheel before she answered. “Everything in me is saying not to ask you why you wanna know that and yet, I still feel the need to.”

  Maddox sat up until his head was between the front seats. “Well you just finished assaulting pedestrians.”

  Her lips twisted. “That wasn’t assault.”

  The other man’s brows inched up towards his hairline. “That wasn’t assault?”

  “No.”

  “Then precisely what do you think it was because from whe
re I was standing, it looked like assault.” He turned his gaze to Ransom. “Was that not assault?”

  “It was an act of dominance.” Fallon replied through clenched teeth.

  “Oh...an act of...dominance.” Maddox repeated slowly.

  “Maddox—” Ransom started but his brother held up a hand.

  “Do these acts of dominance happen often?” The younger bear questioned. “Is this a weekly thing?”

  “It happens when I think it’s necessary.” She answered.

  “Unh-hunh...and when do you think it’s necessary? When you feel like someone’s been...bad?”

  Her brows drew downwards and Ransom tucked in his lips to stop from giving the little prick the reaction he was looking for.

  “Bad?” Fallon said. “No. But if I think someone needs to be dealt with then—”

  “You punish them?” Maddox hedged.

  “What?” Confusion was written all over her pretty face. “No. I—”

  “Make them call you Mistress and lick the pair of five inch stilettos that you have hidden in the back of your closet before you finally release them from their harness and start aftercare?”

  Ransom rolled his window down, fully sticking his head out as tears began to stream down his face. His chest hurt and the effort not to snort tickled the inside of his sensitive nose.

  “Oh fuck off!” Fallon barked, apparently catching on to Maddox’s ridiculousness.

  “I’m simply trying to learn more about you. I need to know what lines I can and can’t cross with you. Just like the rest of your subs...who you probably have somewhere right now waiting for permission to come.”

  “Oh. My. God.” She breathed as Ransom curled into himself, one hand gripping the center console. “What is wrong with you?”

  The brothers shared a glance before Maddox beamed and said, “I don’t like tense people. As a grizzly, tenseness makes me nervous. So I use my incredible charm to prevent said tenseness which prevents tragic, unfortunate maiming.” His head tilted a bit. “And look at that, you’re smiling.”