by Alanea Alder
He blinked then smiled. He was beginning to love her little rambles. When she looked up at him, she looked so sweet he couldn't stay mad. Besides, it wasn't her fault. It was the damn cat!
"I was looking for you," he said simply and pushed the empty plate aside as his Ma came back with a breakfast for Liam and a second plate for him. He smiled at his Ma and then dug into his second breakfast.
"A word of warning for you, baby girl. All my boys except for Connor are grumpy bears first thing in the morning. For bears usually morning sex and a huge breakfast will make them more human and less grouchy," Ma said, pouring more coffee for Rebecca. Liam and Aleks's mouths dropped and Kate began to crack up behind them.
Rebecca nodded thoughtfully. "I'll have to remember that. 'Fuck him then feed him,' bear instruction number one," Rebecca said with a grin as she leaned down and dropped a slice of bacon on the floor for Sebastian, who started purring madly.
"That may just be shifter instructions, Rebecca, because I do the same for Bran," Kate said between bouts of laughter, wiping the tears off her cheeks. Bran turned scarlet.
"Rebecca, language," Ma said, grinning before winking at Kate.
"Becca!" Aleks said, shocked at her language. She turned and looked at him questioningly, her head tilted to one side. Liam dropped his head to his forearms, he was laughing so hard.
"You have no idea what you're in for." Liam laughed. "I've spent nearly the past twenty-four hours with Rebecca. I have a feeling she isn't as meek as everyone thinks she is. There is a definite spunkiness hidden there dying to come out."
"Liam and I are headed to the library. There is so much to do!" Rebecca said excitedly.
Aleks nodded. "Becca, how about after your work at the library I'll pick you up and I'll cook you that dinner I owe you," he said casually. Inside he was desperate to get some alone time with her.
"Sounds perfect," she said, smiling.
Feeling devilish, Aleks grinned as he pushed the second empty plate away. He stood up and swung her around on her bar stool until she faced him. He leaned forward and kissed her gently. When he felt her relax against him he ran his tongue along her lips until she opened for him and he caressed her tongue with his as he nibbled at her lips. When she gave a tiny whimper, he pulled back and kissed her forehead.
"Have a fun day at the library, Becca." He turned to Liam. "Watch over her, asshole," he said before walking out the door. From her half-vacant expression, he knew he had done well. Whistling, he started toward the sheriff's station.
"Goddamn bear!" He grinned as he heard Rebecca's frustrated voice carry over the traffic.
CHAPTER SEVEN
When Rebecca and Liam left the diner, he was still poking fun at her.
"You better watch out, Rebecca. It seems like all he has to do is kiss you to scramble your brains. All that higher education goes right out the window," he said, grinning.
"Har, har, very funny. I can't help it, that man knows how to kiss." She sighed happily.
"I'm just glad to see you happy, short stuff," Liam said, reaching down to ruffle her hair.
"Hey! Stop doing that!" she said, giggling.
She turned laughing and ran into another man.
"I'm sorry," she said automatically. Looking up, she quickly stepped back. It was the same man who tried to grab her at the restaurant. The man looked down at her and growled before he pushed her against the brick wall of the theater. She felt the air whoosh out of her lungs a second before her head slammed against the brick building.
"Hello again, little human." The voice growled. The man moved to grab her. Rebecca tried to scoot away and inhaled as sharp pains radiated from her breastbone.
Liam threw back his head and let out a roar that nearly blew out her eardrums. She had only heard him hiss and growl up to this point, but that was nothing compared to the soul-shaking male lion roar. People exited stores and buildings to see what was going on. Rebecca slid down the side of the theater and collapsed on the sidewalk. Sebastian stood in front of her with his back arched, hissing up at the man.
Ma exited the diner as Pa came running up behind Liam from the garage. When they both saw Rebecca on the ground, they let out enraged roars of their own. All seven of the Arkadion sons appeared from every corner of the town including Aleks.
Liam moved toward the man. "I'm so glad you came out to play, hyena," he said with a thick gravelly voice as he circled the stranger. The hyena looked around panicked. He obviously hadn't expected Liam to get involved.
Pa moved forward and carefully picked Rebecca up. She let out a whimper. The hyena's response to Liam was drowned out by Aleks' roar as he shifted to his bear form and knocked the man down. He stood over him and roared again. He swiped the hyena's face and chest with his six-inch bear claws.
Ma walked up and said, "Aleks, let him up. You need to tend to your mate." She turned her attention to the snarling hyena. Aleks padded over to where Pa stood with Rebecca. He got on his hind legs and pressed a large wet black nose into her neck. Hands shaking, she ran her small hand over the fur on his face.
"Your kind has been warned. Arkadia is open to all shifters as long as you do no harm to any of the residents. You have harmed one of our people. From this point on your clan is legally banned from Arkadia and all of her sister cities. There is nothing the council can do," Ma said, facing down the man.
"She is not one of our kind. She is only a human," he spat out, his lank blond hair hanging in sticky, bloody clumps around his face.
"That girl is my daughter." She growled. "She will bear my grandchildren, who will one day be the leaders of Arkadia. She will be the Alpha Mother and rule beside Aleks. She belongs here more than you do." She then turned to Liam.
"Liam, will you escort this animal out of town?" she asked.
"Mother Arkadion, it would be a pleasure and an honor," he said, grabbing the man by the hair, and literally started dragging him down the street, making sure to hit every hard object in their path.
Ma rushed over to where Pa cradled Rebecca. Aleks had shifted back to his human form and stood next to his father peering down at Rebecca.
"Aleks, you're naked," Rebecca said swallowing hard, she was beginning to feel sick.
Connor came running from his trip back to the diner. He handed Aleks a pair of sweats and a zip hoodie. Aleks smiled and nodded his thanks to Connor.
"Not for long, sweetheart. What happened?" He quickly dressed as his mother started checking Rebecca over.
"The hyena shoved me against the wall. I think he was trying to stun me, then he went to grab me, but Liam stepped in. He looked surprised that Liam was willing to defend me," she said, breathing shallowly.
Rebecca moved in Pa's arms and gasped as the sharp pains stole her breath.
"Ma!" Aleks exclaimed urgently.
"Quickly, Aaron, we need to get her to the clinic," she said, pushing Aleks forward.
Aleks stayed by her side as his father walked quickly but carefully across the street. Aleks was relieved to see Dr. Claybourne was waiting for them at the door.
"I heard the roars and figured someone would be heading my way. Who is my patient?" he asked, directing them towards the examination table.
"Maddox, it's Rebecca. She was the one you looked at last night. A hyena shifter threw her against the brick wall of the theater." Ma relayed the information to the doctor.
"Marg, I need for you to get everyone into the waiting room, including your son." He looked up where Aleks held Rebecca's hand.
"No!" Aleks argued.
"Do as the doctor says, Aleks. The quicker he can tend her, the better," Ma said.
"I'll be okay, Aleks. Don't forget our date. You're supposed to cook me dinner," Rebecca said, smiling weakly.
He nodded running his hand over her hair. "You just concentrate on getting better."
"Okay," she whispered. In truth she didn't want him to leave, but she had a feeling Aleks might accidentally maul Dr. Claybourne during her exam.
&nbs
p; "I'll be just outside," he called as the room emptied.
That alone warmed her heart. It had been a long time since someone was there for her, it felt good.
*****
Ma led him out of the examination room. Snarling at everyone, Aleks walked toward the waiting room. More than anything, he wanted to stay by his mate's side. He exhaled slowly, now that the threat had passed he felt drained. He collapsed into one of the waiting room chairs.
"She'll be okay, right, Ma?" he asked, desperately needing to hear her say yes. If Ma said Rebecca would be okay, then he knew she would be.
Ma looked at him and smiled sadly. Pa took the seat next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Each of his six brothers took up places in the waiting room like sentinels.
Liam walked in thirty minutes later, his knuckles bloody. When Aleks saw the state of his hands, he stood up and hugged Liam. Liam patted his back and they both sat down.
"How is she? She hit that wall hard," Liam asked quietly.
Aleks growled. "Doc hasn't come out yet. She could barely move when we brought her in. She is so damn fragile." His voice broke.
"She's a fighter though, you'll see." Liam sat back so they sat shoulder to shoulder. He turned to him in a low voice. "That bastard will be lucky to reach his car by sundown. I tried to break every bone in his body. Their clan may cause issues later." He rubbed his knuckles.
"Let them come," Bran said from the doorway. Kate rushed in and hugged Ma.
"No one comes into our town and hurts our girl," Kate said firmly. "You have the pack's support," she said. Bran nodded.
"You have the pride's support as well," Liam added. Rian and Damian had walked in behind Kate and Bran. Rian held a purring Sebastian. "I called some pride members in to help patrol the town."
"You have us too," Leona said, walking in last with Ashby and Nicholas. Ashby looked pale.
"Marg, hun, I didn't think you'd mind, I put up a 'Closed' sign at the diner," Leona said, hugging her friend.
Aleks stared at all the people in the waiting room.
"She's only been here a couple days. How...?" His voice trailed off as he looked at everyone.
"She's special," Ashby said simply.
"She's easy to love," Kate said and smiled at Ashby.
Aleks looked over as the doc walked out. "How is she, Doc?" he asked, jumping to his feet.
"She's in a lot of pain, but thankfully nothing is broken," Doc said, facing the room full of people.
"She won't die?"
The doctor smiled kindly. "No, Aleks, she will be just fine, just sore for the next couple days. Her breastbone is bruised, and it will make it painful for her to breathe tonight. I gave her something to help her sleep."
"I need to speak to her. I never got the chance to beg for forgiveness or to make her dinner," he said softly.
The doctor chuckled. Aleks's head snapped up.
"What could possibly be funny?" he demanded. The doctor looked at the angry bear-shifter his lips twitching.
"After I gave her medicine to relax her, all she kept saying was, 'I have a date with my goddamn grumpy-ass bear. I want to see my grumpy-ass bear'," The doc laughed at Aleks' expression.
"She said 'my' grumpy-ass bear?" Aleks asked. The doc nodded. Ma and Pa were smiling.
Aleks smiled widely. "I'm her grumpy-ass bear," he said loudly, causing his brothers to snort and laugh.
"Shit, I've been telling you that you were grumpy for years. You never listened to me," Liam said. Aleks punched his shoulder.
"Can I see her?" Aleks asked. The doc nodded.
"Just for a few minutes, she needs to rest," he said, and Aleks quickly stepped past him and through the swinging doors. He made his way to Rebecca's bedside.
"Hey, baby, I heard you were calling me your grumpy-ass bear," he said lightly brushing his fingers over her forehead.
"You are my bear. Don't forget our date. You owe me a home-cooked meal," she said drowsily.
Aleks swallowed against the lump in his throat. "I won't forget, but you have to get better first. Doc says you need to rest and you'll be better in no time. Liam is here. So is Kate and Bran and Leona and Ashby and Nicholas," he said, naming all of her new friends.
"I love Ashby. He is so cute I want to snuggle him," she said, smiling. Aleks' mouth dropped and he stared down at his mate horrified.
"I love his white fur. He's so soft," she continued. His heart began to beat again when he realized she meant his animal form.
"I'll tell him you said so."
"Take care of my Sebastian, my baby," she said and dozed off.
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead then went back to the waiting room.
"Ashby, she said that you are cute and wants to snuggle you," he said, frowning down at the smaller man. Ashby turned ashen as he stared up at the large shifter.
"Sir, I..." he started. Aleks held up his hand. "She also said that she loved your fur and it was soft."
Ashby blushed and Nicholas laughed.
He looked at the people in the room, his face darkening.
"Who in the hell is Sebastian?" he demanded.
CHAPTER EIGHT
"How did I get stuck with the cat?" Liam asked.
Aleks laughed. "Because the cat clearly likes you more than me," he replied.
"Because you already have a litter box at home." Connor smirked.
"We're lion shifters, you asshole, we don't use litter boxes!" Liam growled out.
The cat in question rubbed his face against Liam's chin and purred loudly. Connor and Aleks turned away to hide their smiles.
Connor and Liam were the last to leave the clinic. Ma, Bran, and Kate had already headed to the diner to discuss the possibility of hyena confrontations. Leona, Ashby, and Nicholas left earlier to return to their own places and Rian and Damian decided to patrol the town hoping to find some hyenas to play with.
"I'm heading home. Aleks, tell Rebecca I'll bring Sebastian by when she is feeling better." Liam put two fingers to his temple, gave a small salute, and walked out.
Connor turned to Aleks. "I'm going to the diner to help out with the dinner rush then I'll come back here to help keep an eye on things. Liam is right, the hyenas will be causing trouble. Dr. Claybourne rolled out two bear-sized cots for us," Connor said, pointing to where one cot was set up next to Rebecca and the other in the waiting room.
"Thanks, Connor, I really appreciate you coming back," Aleks said.
"No problem, I'll bring back some to-go boxes when I return for the night, it should tide us over till breakfast." He waved then jogged out the door.
Aleks walked to where Rebecca lay sleeping and looked at her face. With her eyes closed she looked different. He realized how much her large eyes dominated her face and how much of her heart you could see in her eyes. He sat down, took her small hand in his, and started telling her about himself.
* * * *
When Rebecca woke up later that evening, Aleks was speaking softly. She loved hearing his deep voice tell her stories of his childhood. She almost laughed out loud a few times when he was telling her stories about him and his brothers growing up. They sounded like they were still close and possibly still getting into trouble, especially the twins Duncan and Emmett.
When he fell silent, she shifted her legs and opened her eyes, pretending to wake up. He was sitting in the chair next to her, staring at her with a smile on his face. She smiled back.
"Are you hungry?" he asked, pointing to a couple of to-go boxes on her nightstand.
"I'm starved. What do we have?" she asked, looking around for the remote to her bed. Aleks lifted the remote and brought the bed up to a sitting position.
"Smells like Ma's meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes, and unless my nose deceives me, chocolate cream pie." He carefully opened the box to reveal a made-up plate and set it before her. She immediately went for the pie. He reached over her and lifted the pie out of reach. She gave a growl and reached for the pie. He grinned at her tiny gro
wl.
"Food first, then pie," he said, pushing the box forward.
"Fine," she said, lifting her fork. Her anger faded as she started moaning in appreciation. It was the best food she had ever had. Bite after bite she was in dining heaven. It wasn't until she had plowed through half her meatloaf and polished off all of her potatoes did she look up to find Aleks watching her with a pained look on his face.
"What?" she asked, her fork halfway between her plate and her mouth.
He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, growled, then continued eating.
"Nothing," he said.
She saw the reason for his discomfort and blushed. She didn't mean to get him hot and bothered by moaning over the food. It was just that damn good. She kept peeking over to where the evidence of his arousal was obviously straining the integrity of his uniform zipper. He caught her looking. She gave an impish grin as she blushed, and she saw the tips of his ears turn scarlet.
"Okay, all my food is gone. Pie!" She smiled and handed him her empty plate.
He grinned and passed the pie plate back to her. He still had his sly grin when she picked up her fork and bit into the pie.
"Oh my fucking God!" she yelled. Aleks' mouth dropped and Dr. Claybourne and Connor appeared in the doorway at a run.
"What is it?" Connor asked.
"Are you okay?" Dr.Claybourne asked, moving to her bedside he checked her pulse.
"I'm not mating you, Aleks, I'm mating with your mother. This is the most amazing pie I have ever had!" She wrapped her tongue around her fork and continued to writhe on her bed in foodgasm ecstasy. Connor watched in fascination as Rebecca inhaled her slice of pie. She looked up at the three men with a pout.
