Bear the Consequences

by Rochelle Paige

  She had the tall, lean frame and dark hair of most she-wolves. The memory of the suffering my father went through at the hands of his wolf mate almost had me backing out of the drive. Then her head lifted, the wind blew her hair away from her face, and our eyes locked. Before I knew what I was doing, I pulled the keys out of the ignition and threw the door open so I could climb out. Never allowing our gaze to break, I walked toward her, feeling a magnetism pulling me her way. Her body swayed as if she felt the same pull, shaking the ladder underneath her. As it started tipping toward the stairs, I sped up my pace. By the time she tumbled down, I was able to catch her in my arms.

  “Hi,” she breathed out. Her dark eyes smiled up at me and her face practically glowed with happiness—as though she didn’t even notice she’d almost broken her neck on the damn stairs.

  My arms tightened at the thought of what could have happened if I hadn’t been there to catch her. “You need to be more careful.”

  With my bear pushing hard for me to make her ours, my mouth dropped to hers. I licked her lips before pulling her bottom lip between my teeth and biting down on the plump flesh. Her mouth opened as she gasped at the sting of pain I was sure she felt. Her taste, somehow sweet and spicy at the same time, almost brought me to my knees until I felt her fingers digging into my chest.

  “Mine,” I groaned as one of my hands moved to slide her shirt up and over her head. Then I realized we were standing on the porch where anyone driving by could see us. There was no way in hell I wanted someone to see her like this. The front door was open, so I carried her inside, relieved to see the house appeared to be fully furnished. If it hadn’t been, I still would have taken her—there was no way I could stop now—but I preferred her to be comfortable.

  Dropping her down onto the couch, I quickly attacked the button of her jeans. A deep red flush crept across her skin and her breathing increased as I dragged her zipper down. I held her gaze, seeing the need flare in her eyes as I shoved her jeans down her hips before pulling them off completely, along with her pretty sandals, and tossing them onto the floor. I couldn’t stop myself from running my hands up her calves to her thighs before leaning down to breathe in the scent of her arousal through her panties. She smelled so damn good and looked fucking amazing spread out before me.

  I ripped my shirt from my body and flung it away, needing to be naked when I sank myself deep inside her for the first time. I didn’t want any barriers between us. I tore my shoes from my feet and my jeans quickly followed. Since I went commando today, my cock sprang free—harder than it had ever been before.

  “Holy crap, you’re huge,” she whispered, her eyes widening as they focused on my hard-on.

  Heat roared through my veins as I watched her reach out to trace a fingertip over my dick. With one light touch, she threatened my control like nothing ever had before. My bear pushed hard for me to claim our mate—now. She was mine. All mine.

  I slowly dragged her bra straps down her shoulders, exposing her tits to my hungry gaze. “And you’re fucking beautiful.”

  She gasped and yanked her hand away when my cock twitched under her graceful touch. Her startled eyes locked with mine as I dropped to the floor on my knees so her breasts were level with my face. Keeping our eyes locked, I rolled my tongue over a nipple before pulling it into my mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut, moaning deeply as her head fell back. Knowing how much she was enjoying my mouth on her body made me feel ten feet tall.

  “Eyes on me, princess,” I demanded, running my hands down her thighs and trailing my thumbs over her pussy on the outside of her panties. As soon as I felt the hot silk material covering what I now considered mine, her eyes popped open. The dazed look in them let me know she was damn close to an orgasm—the first of many I planned to give her.

  She shivered as I curled my fingertips into the crotch of her panties. “Lift up,” I ordered, happy as fuck when she raised her hips off the couch just enough for me to pull them down. Crawling between her legs, I noticed a hint of nervousness creep into her eyes. I had no doubt she wanted this as much as I did. The scent of her arousal was about to drive me insane, but my pretty little mate looked unsure about what was going to happen next. “Don’t be scared, princess. I’ll take care of you.”

  She bit her bottom lip before nodding and I pulled her mouth to mine, flicking my tongue over the same spot, soothing any sting her teeth might have left behind. Wrapping her hair around my fist, I couldn’t resist kissing her again before dragging my mouth away from her lips to lick a trail down her neck. Her tits were a perfect handful as I cupped them in my palms and circled my tongue around her nipple, biting down on it to leave a mark before moving to the other side. The scent of her need grew stronger as she writhed beneath me, her gasps and moans telling me she liked the sting of my teeth against her smooth skin.

  As I kissed down her stomach, I nipped the skin under her belly button and bit down again. I was careful not to break any of the skin—I wanted my cock deep inside her before I gave her my mating mark. Spreading her thighs farther apart, I ran my thumbs over her pussy lips before licking her from top to bottom and sinking my tongue inside.

  “Oh, God!” she cried out, one of her hands reaching out to grab my hair before she wrapped her legs around my shoulders. I kept at her, licking and fucking her with my mouth as she moved against me, searching for release. I put one finger inside her and she was so goddamn tight, I knew I needed her to come before I could take her.

  “Fuck,” I hissed out as her pussy squeezed my finger, wanting to feel her wrapped around my cock. Need rode me hard as I added another finger while ruthlessly licking and sucking her clit. I knew I couldn’t hold out much longer.

  Her legs tightened further and her nails dug into my scalp as her body suddenly stilled right before her pussy clamped down on my fingers even harder.

  “That’s right, princess. Come for me,” I murmured as her body shook beneath me. I leaned forward and kissed her deeply as I settled myself between her legs, my cock nudging her wet core.

  “You ready for my cock?” I asked against her mouth, swiveling my hips so I ground against her. My dick was throbbing, my balls pulled up tight—I was so close to exploding and I hadn’t even made it inside her yet.

  “Yes, please,” she begged, her nails biting into my ass as she tried to get closer.

  “Don’t worry, princess. You’re going to get it,” I promised.

  “Give it to me now,” she growled.

  I held my cock in one hand, sliding it through her wet folds before pressing myself slowly inside her. Tight heat wrapped around me as my head dropped onto her shoulder. “You feel so good.”

  Her hips jerked and I slid in another inch or so before I hit a barrier. My head jerked up and my eyes locked with hers as I realized what this meant. She was a virgin. No other man had ever been inside my little mate. She was mine and only mine.

  I gritted my teeth, fighting hard against the urge to power through the barrier and claim what was mine without any thought. “Princess, are you a virgin?” I asked as gently as I could.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “You know what this means, don’t you?” She didn’t say anything, merely shaking her head in response. “You’re mine, my little mate. Every single inch of you is mine and only mine.”

  Knowing this was going to hurt her no matter how I did it, I decided it was best to get the painful part over as quickly as possible. I thrust my hips and drove my cock completely inside her before holding completely still. She cried out in pain and a tear leaked from her eye and down her cheek. Careful not to move too much, I leaned down to lick the trail before kissing the corner of her mouth. Her wet heat was wrapped tightly around me and it took everything I had not to pull out and slam back in until I filled her with my cum.

  I watched her face as she adjusted to my size. After a few moments, the pain cleared from her eyes and a flush crept up her cheeks. When her hips started moving slowly against mine, I hoped like hell
that meant she was ready for more.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I think so,” she breathed into my ear.

  “Thank fuck. I’ve gotta move or I think I’m gonna die.” I started to move, slowly at first, my hand sliding down her side to lift her thigh around my waist as I licked at her lips and kissed her lightly. My strokes were deliberate, leisurely, since I didn’t want to hurt her. But when her pussy started to pull me deeper and her nails scored along my back, I started to lose what little control I had left.

  “I want you to come again,” I told her, my balls starting to tighten as my orgasm became harder to hold back.

  “I don’t think I can,” she panted.

  “You can,” I insisted. “Just trust me and let go, princess.”

  I pulled back and rolled my thumb over her clit, causing her to clench tighter.

  “Fuck,” I hissed, hammering my hips after her pussy began to pulse with her orgasm.

  “Mark me!” she cried out, rolling her hips up to meet mine.

  “Lean back,” I ordered, pulling her arms from around my neck so I could reach her tits. Palming the right one, I drew her nipple into my mouth before moving to the side and biting down hard. Her taste filled my senses and my breath seized in my chest.

  “Yes,” she sighed, her pussy clenching even tighter.

  My balls drew tight against my body and I growled out the words my family had used for generations to tie their mates to them.

  "Tá mo chroí istigh ionat,” I whispered into her ear right before I sank my fangs into her shoulder, not even trying to resist the urge to mark her a second time. The first marking was for my eyes alone. This one was for everyone else to see and know she was mine.

  Our bodies were slick with sweat and our breathing was heavy as I pounded into her, over and over again. A third orgasm hit her and she cried out again before her head lifted and her mouth locked down on my chest. Feeling her teeth sink into my skin triggered my release—one I felt all the way to my toes. With her pussy squeezing my cock and my come spurting inside, I slowed my strokes and claimed her mouth in another deep kiss until I was drained.

  “Are you in pain?”

  “It hurt a little bit. More than I thought it would because you’re so big. But toward the end, before you marked me even, it got so much better,” she admitted.

  “I swear to you, I’ll make sure it’s amazing for you next time, my little mate,” I promised.

  “If three orgasms isn’t amazing, then I’m pretty sure I won’t survive next time,” she sighed before reaching up to trace my lips.

  “I’ll take that as a challenge,” I growled before nipping at her finger, “since my job as your mate is to make sure you survive anything.”

  Chapter 4

  Finley

  “You’re really here,” I whispered, barely able to believe the wait was finally over even though I could feel the dull throb deep inside from him taking my virginity moments earlier. My fingers brushed over the mark on the side of my breast where his teeth had sunk into my flesh and I shivered from the tingling sensation.

  “I am,” he confirmed in a raspy tone that had my nipples puckering in response.

  “I don’t even know your name,” I breathed, my gaze dropping down as I felt heat searing my skin. I’d taken this man inside my body without knowing anything about him except he was my fated mate. It didn’t happen all the time, but it wasn’t rare for two fated shifters to mate before ever exchanging names. I just never thought mine was going to be one of those.

  His large hand firmly gripped my chin and lifted my face until I was looking up into his eyes again. “Alasdair. My name is Alasdair.”

  “I’m Finley,” I breathed out.

  “Rule number one, my Finley, never be embarrassed by anything that happens between us,” he ordered in a rumbly tone that made my stomach flip. Not in a bad way, however. It was more of an I-can’t-believe-this-gorgeous-guy-is-my-mate-and-has-been-inside-me kind of way.

  “I’m kind of new to all of this,” I admitted softly.

  His eyes flashed with heat before he pulled me into his arms again. “I never dreamed my mate would be a virgin when I found her.”

  I buried my face into his chest, trying to hide my blush. It was pretty much unheard of for a she-wolf to reach my age and remain untouched. “I’m sure you didn’t.”

  A deep purring sound erupted from his chest, surprising me. My wolf had smelled the bear in him, but I never knew bears could purr like that. “Knowing I’m the first, last, and only man to have you is better than anything I could ever have come up with on my own.”

  Leaning back in his embrace so I could rub my hands along the firm muscles of his chest, I tilted my head and peered into his eyes. “Really?”

  If the way he was looking at me was any indication, then he was telling the truth. When he palmed my cheeks with his large hands and brought his mouth down to mine, all my thoughts scattered. He nipped at my bottom lip a few times, enticing my mouth to open. I obliged willingly and he slipped his tongue past my lips, tangling it with my own. After a few long, delicious moments, he broke away and I swayed in his arms. If he weren’t holding me, I would have melted into the couch.

  “I guess I can take that as a yes,” I sighed.

  “That brings me to rule number two, my little mate. We never lie to each other. There may be times when I can’t share something with you, but if I tell you something, you can take it to the bank that it’s the honest to God truth.”

  I didn’t think I liked the sound of that. “If we’re mates, shouldn’t you be able to share everything with me?”

  “My dad serves on the council,” he said, as if that explained why he would keep secrets from me.

  “And that means there’s stuff you can’t tell me because why, exactly?” I drawled out.

  “Sometimes he needs help,” he admitted.

  “From you?” I gasped at the idea of my mate putting himself in danger.

  His arms tightened around me when I tensed up. “Yes.”

  “Is that why you’re here now? To help your dad with something for the council?”

  “I’m not here on a mission,” he assured me. “At least, not one for the council. This is family business.”

  “Family business with my pack? Business that brought you to an empty house?” I questioned. None of this made any sense to me. My dad would have told me if he were expecting strangers in town and he certainly wouldn’t have let me come here without guards if there were out-of-town visitors connected to this house.

  “I know it sounds strange, but it’s the truth,” he confirmed. “What about you? Why are you at Annora’s old house?”

  “You know Annora?” I gasped.

  Alasdair nodded his head and smirked slightly before answering. “I do, but that doesn’t explain what you’re doing at her house.”

  “Making sure it was cleaned and locked up,” I answered.

  Sitting up and pulling me with him, so I was sitting on his lap, he breathed deeply before scanning the room. “Smells like it’s already been cleaned pretty well. I can’t catch even the slightest trace of Annora left behind.”

  “It’s been a long time since she was here and the family who used it last just moved out,” I explained, although my wolf was irritated by the idea of him knowing the she-bear’s scent well enough that he thought he’d be able to catch it a year later.

  “What about Annora’s mom and her mate? Did they leave around the same time?” he asked.

  “Yeah. From what I heard, they disappeared in the middle of the night not too long after, taking their stuff and not telling anyone where they were going.”

  “You didn’t find any sign of them when you came to clean the first time?” he shot back, making me feel like I was being interrogated. He sat me on the couch next to him while he reached down to collect our clothes. When I shivered, he ran his hands up and down my arms before helping me get dressed and putting his own clothes back on. I’d
lost track of his question by the time he snapped out my name. “Finley?”

  “No,” I answered. “I haven’t found anything of theirs any time I’ve been here.”

  He glanced toward the front door and back at me again. “Since when does cleaning involve standing on a ladder with a hammer?”

  Seeing the protectiveness in his glare warmed my heart. “It doesn’t usually, but today was a special day.”

  “Damn special since it brought you to me,” he murmured before capturing my lips in a scorching kiss. “Unfortunately, I can’t lay around here with you all day like I want. My dad’s expecting me at the alpha’s house.”

  “Perfect! That will give me a chance to introduce you to my dad,” I said, happy to know his dad was visiting mine. If they had family business to attend to, that should help temper my dad’s reaction to my sudden mating. “As long as you’re okay with giving me a ride since I walked over and don’t have my car with me.”

  “I’d love to give you a ride,” he growled out before kissing me again. The feel of his mouth firm against mine, and his tongue sweeping inside, was something I could quickly become addicted to. By the time he pulled away, I was gasping for air and ready to tear my clothes off again.

  “If you want to make it out of here any time soon, then you better stop kissing me,” I warned.

  Tugging my hand, he pulled me from the coach and led me to the door. “Stop looking so damn hot and maybe I’ll be able to resist you for more than a couple minutes.”

  After I locked the door behind us, I followed my new mate to his truck. He helped me inside and I practically squealed to myself in glee as I watched him walk around to the driver’s side and climb in. Hot and chivalrous. I’d hit the jackpot in the mate lottery.

  I was happy to sit beside him as his hand held mine and his thumb rubbed my palm during the quick drive to my house. Pulling into the driveway, it dawned on me that this wouldn’t be my home anymore.

  “Where do you live? Is it far from here?”

  “It’s about a four-hour drive. A little town called Bear Creek.”