Ethan (Blackbeary Creek 1)

by Ruby Shae

  “Tee,” he said, taking a step toward her, “it's not a—”

  “Get away from me,” she shrieked, backing away from him.

  When he didn't move, she screamed.

  “Get away from me! Get out of here, and leave me alone! I hate you, and I hate what you've done!”

  The look on his face made her want to take everything back, but she knew it was all part of his act. She wasn’t his mate—she couldn’t be—not after all this time.

  He opened his mouth as if to say more, then closed it, turned away from her, and walked out of the cabin. A tiny thread of guilt suggested she allow him to put on clothes first, but she ignored it. He was a big, bad, black bear shifter, and he could shift and run all the way home for all she cared.

  Tegan followed him to the door, locked it behind him, and then ran down the hall to the bedroom. She pulled the dust cover off the bed, and then collapsed on the bare mattress in tears.

  She knew Ethan would defend Tristian with his last breath, but she never imagined he would do something so terrible for his alpha. Even though they’d drifted apart over the years, she’d always believed he was honorable.

  She was an idiot.

  Tegan covered her face with her arms, allowing the sleeves of her sweater to soak up most of her tears, and sobbed uncontrollably. She didn't know what hurt worse: Ethan's betrayal, or the fact that she wanted his declaration of love to be true.

  A couple hours later, all the tears had dried, and Tegan laid silently on the bed, staring at the ceiling. She knew she should air out the cabin, and unpack the SUV, but she couldn’t bring herself to move.

  Until her cell phone rang.

  The normally happy ringtone broke the silence of the room, and added irritation to her already foul mood. She almost ignored the call, but if it was Tristian, she wanted to give him a piece of her mind.

  She raced to the other room, grabbed her phone, and smiled when she saw the name on the caller ID. She knew Graham would be on her side.

  “Hey Graham,” she said.

  “Hey! So,” he said, drawing out the O. “Is there any news?”

  Graham's happiness was at odds with her prickly mood, in fact, he seemed almost too happy. If he knew about Tristian and Ethan's plan, and agreed with it, she didn't know if she could ever forgive him.

  “Did you know?” she asked him, point blank.

  “I'm the one that told him where you were,” Graham said. “He didn’t tell you?”

  “How could you?” she ground out, fighting back more tears.

  “Whoa,” Graham said. “He’s your mate, you love him, I thought it was the right thing to do. Why are you so sad?”

  “I'm not his mate Graham,” she said, wiping her eyes. “He's just saying that so I'll come home.”

  “What are you talking about? He told me specifically that you’re his mate.”

  “I'm not,” she said. “He's just sacrificing himself for Tristian.”

  “You don’t really believe that,” Graham said. “You know your brother, and you know Ethan almost as well. Hell, even I know neither one of them would ever do that. No bear shifter alive would take on a mate just because. Besides, when he told Tristian, your brother was pissed. He wanted blood, and Aiden, Zach, and I all watched him try to beat the shit out of the guy.”

  Some of her anger dissipated as Graham spoke, and a tiny strand of hope sprouted in its place.

  “They fought over me?”

  “Well, Tristian fought,” Graham laughed, “and Ethan took it. Didn't you notice is cracked ribs?”

  “Yeah,” she said, “but he told me it was from something else.”

  Suddenly, everything started to make sense.

  The way he’d treated her growing up, especially after her parents died, and the way he’d distanced himself later, but still always managed to be around. The way he looked at her when she thought he wasn’t looking, and the way he’d recently started calling her baby.

  “He loves me,” she said out loud, but more to herself.

  “You're his mate, Tee,” Graham said.

  Shit!

  “Graham, I have to go.”

  She ended the call, and went in search of her mate.

  ***

  Ethan left the cabin, and shifted into his bear form.

  Even though Tegan had told him to leave, he couldn't.

  Not without talking to her again.

  It hurt that she believed he would somehow lie about something so important, but he knew her feelings were justified. He’d kept his secret for over six years, and he understood why she found it hard to trust him. Especially since he hadn’t been all that nice to her during that time.

  His plan had been to roam around in his bear form, and give her a few hours to cool off, but when he heard the hysterical sobs coming from the cabin, his heart nearly shattered.

  They weren’t the normal cries of a woman wronged, they were the wails of an animal in pain. Tegan might not be able to change into a bear, but she'd never been fully human either. It was probably why she’d never really fit in anywhere.

  Ethan laid down in front of the cabin door, curled into a ball, and endured her sobs. Knowing he was the cause of her pain made his heart hurt, but he deserved it. He didn't know what would happen next, but he hoped one day she would forgive him for deceiving her.

  Eventually, the crying stopped, and silence stretched out over the mountain for nearly an hour.

  He’d been about to shift, and go back inside to check on her, when he heard the shrill ringing of her cell-phone. When she answered the call, he couldn’t understand the muffled words, but he didn’t care. Unless it was an emergency, the fact that she’d answered, and agreed to talk to someone, probably meant she was feeling better.

  Suddenly, the muffled words ended, and the door to the cabin flew open.

  “Ethan!”

  Tegan yelled his name, stepped onto the porch, and then tripped over his big bear body. He rolled his body under her, to soften her landing, and caught her against his chest. Once they were still, she stood up easily, as if being held by a bear was the most natural thing in the world.

  “Shift back,” she said, turning away from him.

  She walked back into the house, and left the door open behind her.

  Ethan followed without thinking twice.

  “Here, put these on,” she said, throwing him a pair of pants.

  He pulled the jeans over his legs, and zipped the zipper slowly when he caught her watching him.

  “Graham said you and Tristian fought over me. Is that true?”

  “Yeah, it's true. He figured everything out before I could tell him. That’s why he sent me to Hancock that day.”

  “Is that how you got the bruises and cracked ribs?”

  “Yeah, he was really pissed,” Ethan said, “and an angry Tristian is not someone you want on your bad side. He’s dealing with it, though, and we’ll be okay. Honestly, I don’t even think he was that surprised, but he wasn’t happy I lied. I’m more concerned about you, though. Do you think you can forgive me, baby?”

  He held his breath, anxious to hear her answer.

  “So this really is a mate thing, and not a trick to get me to go home?”

  The fuck?

  He would never stoop so low, and the fact that she didn’t know that confirmed how badly he’d fucked up. Regret swamped him, but he refused to give up.

  “No, baby, it’s not a trick,” he said. “I don't give a shit where we live, I just want to be with you.”

  “When we found out I couldn’t shift, and you stopped being my friend, I thought you hated me…,” she said, tears filling her eyes. “I’ve been hiding my feelings for you forever.”

  Her admission bolstered his confidence.

  “I know I fucked up,” Ethan said, taking a step toward her. “But I love you, Tee, and if you give me a chance, I’ll love you forever.”

  “Me, too,” she said, wiping her eyes and smiling. “I’ll love you forever,
too.”

  Ethan walked toward her slowly, as if stalking his prey, and his dick hardened when Tee didn’t back away or run. When they stood only inches apart, he slid his hand into her hair, and looked into her beautiful brown eyes.

  As if she were afraid he would bolt, Tegan slowly placed her hands on his waist, and his skin burned where her fingers touched his naked torso.

  “Do you mean it?” he asked, needing to hear the words. “Say you'll be mine, baby.”

  “I'm yours, Ethan. I’ve always been yours.”

  He crashed his lips down on hers in a desperate, frantic kiss. Six years was too long to wait to kiss and touch your mate, and he knew he should go slow, but he couldn’t make himself stop. He was like a man dying of thirst, and she was an oasis in the middle of the dessert.

  Luckily, Tegan seemed just as desperate.

  He shoved his tongue into her mouth, and Tegan met him stroke for stroke, begging for more. As their tongues tangled, he smoothed his hands down her back, grabbed the hem of her tee, and pulled it over her head.

  Tegan raised her hands up high, helping him get rid of the tee, and then she continued branding him with her touch. She traced every sinewy line, every bulge, and every dip on his chest, back and arms, and her exploring soothed and excited both him and his animal.

  Her bra opened in the front, and when he undid the clasp and her large, gorgeous breasts fell out, he nearly came in his pants. He lifted the ample flesh in both palms, and scrapped his thumbs across her already hard nipples. Tegan moaned, and her animal-like response caused him to repeat the action.

  She reached for his jeans, lowered the zipper, and wrapped her fingers around his thick, aching cock. He immediately let go of her breasts and backed away, pushing his jeans down his legs.

  “Sorry, baby,” he said. “I’ve dreamt of your hands on my cock more times than I can count, but it will have to wait. I need to come inside you this first time, and if you touch me again, I’m going to explode.”

  He looked up to see she’d already removed her shorts and panties.

  “So come inside me.”

  The words came out in a whisper, betraying her bravado, but Ethan didn’t care. By the end of the night, she’d know how much she owned him, and her words would be loud and clear.

  He took two steps toward her, grabbed her ass, and lifted her high into the air. Tegan instinctively wrapped her legs around him, and he kept walking until her back hit the wall, and then he entered her soft, wet pussy in one swift thrust.

  Tegan cried out in pleasure, but when he grunted in satisfaction, she stopped him from moving.

  “Are you okay?” she asked. “What about your ribs?”

  “Trust me, baby, they are the furthest thing from my mind right now. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fantastic, but I’ll be even better when you start to move.”

  She didn’t have to tell him twice.

  Ethan pulled almost all the way out of her wet channel, and then slammed his cock back into her. Her her cunt clenched around him like a vice, her sweet honey coated his dick, and her breasts bounced wildly with every stroke.

  Her moans filled the room, and his cock throbbed wildly, threatening to spill any minute.

  “Grab your breasts, baby,” he said. “Pull on those beautiful, hard nipples.”

  Tegan followed his orders, and he slid a hand between them and pressed his thumb against her clit. He moved faster, forcing his thumb to move up and down the hard nub as he pounded into her, and Tegan exploded.

  Her scream echoed around the cabin, causing his canines to elongate, and a second later, he sank his teeth into the juncture between her neck and shoulder. Tegan came again, her pussy gripping his cock harder, unyielding, and he couldn’t take it anymore. A second later, he released her flesh, and roared as he emptied his cock inside her.

  As their breathing returned to normal, he licked her wounds closed, planted a chaste kiss on her lips, and then rested his forehead against hers.

  “That was amazing,” she whispered.

  “You’re amazing,” he said. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  He carried her to the bedroom, set her down next to the bed, and walked back to the linen closet—at her insistence—for something to cover the mattress. He returned with a flat sheet, two pillows already in cases, and a light blanket to cover them with.

  He’d do anything to make her happy, but he refused to fight with a fitted sheet right now. Not when the only thing he wanted to do was fall asleep holding her in his arms, and then wake up and take her again, multiple times, in every way possible.

  Hell, who was he kidding.

  Sleep could wait.

  Epilogue

  Tegan smiled as she felt Ethan’s hand sliding over her curves.

  The sun had been up for a few hours, and they’d spent most of the night making love. The man was insatiable, and she loved every minute of it.

  Unfortunately, something wasn’t right.

  She rolled out of his arms, and sat on the edge of the bed.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, suddenly alert.

  “I don’t know,” she said, wrapping her arms around her middle. “I feel weird.”

  “Weird how?” Ethan asked, sitting next to her.

  “I don’t know,” she said, standing. “I’m hot, like really hot, and my skin feels like it’s suddenly too small.” She took two steps away from him, suddenly needing to move, but the heat was nearly unbearable. “God, Ethan, I feel like I’m on fire.”

  “Go outside. It sounds like you’re going to change.”

  “What? How is that even possible? Your magic doesn’t work that way.”

  “Go,” he said, pointing toward the hall. “What you’re describing sounds like a first shift.”

  A first shift? Six years late?

  She raced down the hall with Ethan on her heels.

  Was a late shift even possible?

  She opened the door, and rushed out into the cool air. Goosebumps broke out all over her skin, along with a new sheen of sweat. Fear washed over her, and she started to hyperventilate.

  “Ethan, I’m scared,” she cried, between ragged breaths.

  “There’s no reason to be afraid,” he said, “but you need to steady your breathing. Close your eyes, and concentrate on deep, even breaths. Your animal won’t come if you’re stressed.”

  Tegan followed his directions, but nothing happened.

  A few minutes later, she felt his bear’s fur brush up against her leg, and suddenly, the change took over her body.

  She instantly shifted…and then fell over.

  Bear grunts filled the air as both she and Ethan laughed, and she rolled onto her back, and admired the color of her fur and her huge paws. A few seconds later, she tried to stand again…and then again.

  Once she was stable on her feet, Ethan nuzzled her neck with his head, and she loved the fact that he could make her feel good, even in their animal forms. He licked her muzzle, and then sat back, opened his mouth, and roared. Tegan followed his example, and smiled as the sound filled the air. When Ethan started walking toward the trees, she followed him on wobbly legs.

  Hours later, they burst through the trees next to the cabin, running at high speed, and Ethan tumbled her to the ground. They shifted back into their human forms, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently on the lips.

  “That was awesome,” she said. “Thank you.”

  “It was, but why are you thanking me, baby?”

  “Because,” she explained, “you had to be the key. Whatever was stopping my shift, my mate was able to break through. It really happened, right? It wasn’t a dream?”

  “It really happened, baby,” Ethan said. “I would have loved you either way, you know that, but I’m happy that you’re happy. Do you think the suppression had something to do with the way you lost your parents?”

  “Maybe,” she said, thoughtfully. “I hadn’t really thought abou
t it, but I was afraid for a long time after their deaths. It’s one of the reasons Tristian moved us to Blackbeary Creek.”

  “I remember,” he said.

  “I’m glad you came with us.”

  “Me, too.”

  The shrill ring of Ethan’s phone met them outside, and they both smiled. She couldn’t wait to show Tristian, and the rest of the clan, her bear.

  “I bet that was Tristian,” he said, standing. “He’s been waiting for an update.”

  He held out his hand, and helped her off the ground.

  “Have you decided where you want to live yet, baby?”

  “I left because the thought of watching you find a mate was too much to bear,” she said. “But Blackbeary Creek is our home, and with you as my mate, I want to live there forever.”

  “Me too,” he said.

  They walked hand-in-hand into the cabin, and Ethan grabbed his cell.

  “Tristian left a text message. What should I say?”

  “Tell him we have a surprise, and to have everyone meet at the main house for dinner on Friday at six.”

  “This is going to be fun,” he said. “Wait, Friday? That’s four days away.”

  “Yep,” she smiled, walking toward the bedroom. “I need time to get used to my bear, and my mate.”

  She heard the swift ticking of the message being typed, and then Ethan was behind her. He scooped her up in his arms, threw her on the bed, and crawled on top of her. She loved the feel of his big, hard body on top of her soft, curvy one.

  “Are you sure four days is enough, mate?” he growled.

  “Never,” she laughed, “but it’s a start. We have to go back sometime.”

  “Well then,” he said, kissing her. “We’d better make the most of it.”

  The End

  From the Author

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