by Jenika Snow
I fell onto what were now my front paws, giving a mighty shake, my fur moving over my bones. I curled my claws into the dirt, feeling energy rush through me. And then I made my way into the forest, picking up speed as I let my bear have control.
I didn’t know how long I ran, but I found myself closer to town then I liked when I was shifted. Hell, I didn’t even like being around people when I was in my human form, and that feeling was intensified when my bear was released.
I turned around, intent on heading back up the mountain, running the entire way to get this extra energy out of me, when the wind picked up and blew from the right. It was that scent, something sweet, addicting, that had every part of me freezing. I felt my muscles contract and relax, felt my heart start to pound harder.
There was one thing that came to mind.
Mine.
I dug my claws into the dirt even harder, this low growl leaving me. I swung my massive head in the direction that the scent came from and before I realized what was happening, I was making my way toward it, unable to stop myself.
Moving faster, I needed to be closer to that aroma. And then I stopped before the tree line broke, before I was stepping into a clearing where a small cabin was. The scent was diminishing the more the wind picked up, but it still lingered in the air, still had my heart beating wildly and my mouth watering for a taste.
Through the window on the back of the cabin, I saw the one thing that was meant to be mine.
Her.
My mate.
I could see her through the glass, just a thin pane keeping her from me. I was doing everything in my power to control myself, but I moved closer to the structure, needing her, unable to control myself.
My mate. I’d finally found her.
There was no stopping me, even if her seeing me like this would surely frighten her.
Once I was standing on the deck, my nails scraping against the wood, I inhaled deeply. I was letting out deep, animalistic sounds.
I moved closer to the window so I could see her more clearly. Long dark hair tumbled down in waves along her back. A body that was curvy, womanly… made for me. She lifted her head and looked out the window, her eyes this bright blue color.
For a moment she didn’t see me, not yet, but as she started to turn away, her gaze landed on me. I watched as her eyes widened in fear. And then she screamed, her fear making me feel like a bastard. But I couldn’t force myself to move, couldn’t find the strength to walk away.
Nothing was going to make me go from her.
I backed up, my big body hitting the railing of the porch, my claws leaving gouges in the wood of the deck. My bear was in full control right now, and I fucking hated that my human side wasn’t strong enough to force him to be calm, to make him realize that we were frightening our mate.
I butted my head against the back door, and the only thing on my mind was getting in there, claiming her, having her close.
Mine.
Get to her.
Be with her.
Over and over I slammed my big body into the door, wanting to be next to her, wanting to have her hands on my body, her fingers moving through my fur. I didn’t want to frighten her. I wanted her to know I’d never hurt her. All she saw was a wild animal trying to get in.
And then I scented her, stronger, more potent. She was outside.
She was trying to run from me.
I ran around the deck, seeing her making her way toward her car.
I won’t hurt you.
I’ll protect you.
You’re mine.
She was fast, but not as fast as I was. I growled out low, but it wasn’t one of danger, but one of need, one of protection. I’d make sure she was safe, make sure she knew no one would ever hurt her, especially me.
I was almost to her.
And then she turned around, a knife in her hand, her arm swinging out as she screamed. The blade landed in my front leg and I roared in pain, moving backward, falling to my side. The shift couldn’t hold with the pain, couldn’t keep me in my bear form. I felt myself start to turn, my human side rising up.
In a matter of seconds, I lay naked on the ground, the blade still lodged in my bicep, blood dripping down my arm. But that pain vanished as I looked into her face, saw that fear morph into shock, then into regret. She covered her mouth with her hands, took a step toward me, but then shook her head and moved two steps back.
“What the fuck?” she finally said, her hands now by her side, the scent of her anger clear. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Now it was my turn to feel my eyes widen, to feel my eyebrows lift up in surprise.
My mate had fire in her and that turned me on even more.
“What the fuck am I doing?” I pulled myself up, pleased that she looked down my body, her eyes widening when she noticed the massive erection I sported. But there was no use in hiding it, no trying to stop it. The fucker was rock hard and would stay that way until I finally made her mine.
“Yeah,” she huffed out.
“I’m the one who’s got the kitchen knife lodged in my arm.” I pointed to the knife to make my point.
“I could have easily stabbed you somewhere else.” She lifted a perfectly arched brow and crossed her arms over her chest. “Lucky, is what you are.” Her voice dripped with anger. “I ask again, what the fuck are you doing charging at me like you’re about to take me down?”
Because you’re mine.
I kept that to myself.
The wind picked up again and I inhaled deeply, smelling her anger, the lingering scent of her fear. But underneath all of that I smelled her realization that I wasn’t just a bear shifter, that I wasn’t just a random man. She knew who I was, or at least suspected something.
“Do you normally chase women out of their house in full shifter mode, scaring the shit out of them, and then having the balls to make it seem like it’s their fault you got stabbed?”
I couldn’t help but grin. Here I was, bleeding from this wound, the knife still lodged in my arm, but I felt nothing but happiness, nothing but joy.
I’d been searching for her, dreaming about her my entire life. The one person to make me whole, to complete me, and here she was standing in front of me, giving me the third degree because I’d scared the shit out of her.
God, it felt incredible having her so close, smelling the scent of mine fill the air.
“Well, you’ve nothing to say for yourself? You have nothing to say for scaring the shit out of me, in explaining why you were all but destroying the back door trying to get inside?”
All of a sudden, I felt sheepish and I lifted my hand, the one not attached to the arm with the blade in it, and rubbed the back of my neck. I looked behind me toward the cabin, knew that my actions had been wild and crazed. But if she knew why I’d acted like that, she’d understand.
I faced her again, noticing that her focus was right on my cock, the one that was still hard as steel and pointing straight at her from between my thighs. I smirked, clearing my throat to get her attention. I wanted her to know I’d caught her staring.
I inwardly groaned because it pleased me to no end.
She snapped her focus up, our gazes clashing. Her cheeks turned this pretty shade of pink, and she cleared her throat. I had embarrassed her because she’d been caught checking out my dick.
“I’m sorry about the door.” I wanted to move toward her but forced myself to stay still, to not scare her any more than I had. “I’ll fix it.”
She snorted and looked less than satisfied.
Oh, I’ll make her satisfied.
“And I don’t ever chase after women, certainly not when I’m in my bear form.” I offered her a smile, but she kept a stoic expression. “And I don’t go trying to break into people’s homes.”
“Oh, so I’m the lucky one?” There was sarcasm laced in her voice, and I realized it turned me on like nothing else ever had. “The owner of this place is going to be pissed about that door, just to let you know.�
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“I know Kurt and his wife. They’ll be fine as long as I fix it.” And I will, not just because it’s my responsibility, but because it’ll have me closer to you. “And I’d only ever act that way for one reason.”
“Yeah?” She moved her crossed arms a little higher under her breasts, popping up those twin mounds a little above her shirt so her cleavage peeked out from the V-neck collar. “And what reason is that?”
A moment of silence passed between us.
“I’d only ever act like this when I’ve found my mate.”
Chapter Five
Allison
I had no idea why I’d brought him into the cabin. Maybe it was guilt for the fact I’d stabbed him, even if he had been chasing me and I had been defending myself. He was a shifter, so he healed faster than the average human.
I looked over my shoulder at him sitting at the dining room table, and I felt this need consume me. His words played over in my head on repeat, a continuous loop that made me feel flushed and aroused, confused and excited.
“I’d only ever act like that when I’ve found my mate.”
I took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly.
Is this for real? Mated to a shifter?
What were the chances that I’d come up here for some relaxation, not even be here a full day, and found the man I was fated to be with?
I faced forward and dug around in the cabinets for a first aid kit. I hadn’t brought anything with me that would tend to his wound, but surely there had to be something in here from the owners.
I pushed a couple paper towel rolls out of the way, moved a few cans of corn to the side, and found a little red box with that white cross on the front that told me what I’d find inside.
When I pulled it out from the cupboard, it was covered in dust, probably hadn’t ever been used, but it was all I had so all he would get. I walked back over to the table and sat down in front of him, opening up the lid and seeing what I had to work with. I found a couple squares of gauze, a little container of saline, and some triple antibiotic ointment.
“This has to be expired,” I said to myself as I looked at the ointment.
“I don’t need it. Just slap on a bandage to stop the bleeding. It’ll be nearly healed by morning anyway.”
I glanced up at him, very aware of how close I actually was to him. His blond hair was on the longer side, a little on the wild side, but I had to assume that was because of the whole shifting experience. His eyes were blue, a bright azure color that had my pulse racing just a bit more. And his beard, a trimmed, yet thick blond one, made me think of some pretty dirty and explicit things, such as how it would feel between my thighs.
I felt my face get hot and inwardly cursed, quickly looking away and pretending to be fully interested in the contents of the first aid kit. I needed to control myself. But there was something about this man, this stranger, that had me being pulled toward him. The fact I couldn’t explain it or control it pissed me off.
And then I heard him inhale and I closed my eyes because my embarrassment went up another notch.
He can smell my arousal because he’s a shifter.
Well shit.
I didn’t want to look at him again because I knew he’d be able to see my reaction, which I felt stupid for worrying about because it was clear he already knew. But I found myself looking at his hand, which rested on the table. He was tattooed, covered in dark, swirling ink. He was like a masterpiece, not just because of those designs, but because of the whole package.
Although he had a blanket wrapped around his waist, one I’d tossed to him as soon as he’d stepped through my door, I could clearly see the hard, huge outline of his erection right under it.
I let my gaze travel up his abdomen, one that was hard and tight, with ridges and hills of muscles, a sight that had my panties soaked and my nipples hard. I knew I was so far gone in my arousal I was all but moaning out loud.
Cleaning my throat, I tried to get back to the task at hand.
I grabbed the saline and gauze and went to clean the wound. He’d already pulled the knife out and it currently lay in the kitchen sink. The towel I’d had him put over the wound was still in place, and I reached out with shaky fingers and pulled it away.
This whole situation had happened so fast that I didn’t even know who he was, where he had come from. I didn’t even know his name. But maybe that was a good thing?
I focused on cleaning his wound. I should’ve just taken him to the hospital, but he refused, and instead pulled the blade out of his arm like some kind of caveman unable to feel pain. The wound seemed deep to me, but he was a shifter, and if he said it would be healed by morning, I had no reason to doubt him.
Clearing my throat and trying to focus on tending to him took a hell of a lot of concentration and self-control.
I focused on cleaning and bandaging the laceration, very aware that he was staring at me. I could feel his gaze. But I refused to look up, refused to react.
“What did you mean by mate?” Yeah, I’d just gone ahead and brought it up. Although I wasn’t a fool and knew what he meant, I wanted more clarification. I wanted to know exactly what this all meant.
Already I was fighting my desire, trying to make it seem like he didn’t affect me in every single possible way.
“You know what it means,” he said in a deep, slightly growly voice.
I felt goosebumps pop out on my arms, and was thankful I was wearing long sleeves, hiding the fact he made me feel on edge, visually showing what he did to me.
Yeah, I do.
Once he was bandaged, I cleaned up the first aid kit, stood, and walked back to the cupboard to put it away. I stood there for a moment, my eyes closed, trying to gather my reserve, my control. I was breathing in and out deeply, trying to gather every last ounce of strength. It was only a couple seconds I stood there, but it felt like hours.
And then I felt him behind me, his body heat, the fact he was so much bigger than me, his very presence making me feel so feminine and small.
I gripped the edge of the counter and opened my eyes, staring at the countertop, tracing the granite lines and willing my heart to beat a slower, normal rhythm.
“What’s your name?”
His voice was dark, deep, and had goosebumps popping up all along my body. I turned, craning my neck back to look into his blue eyes.
I couldn’t speak for long, awkward seconds, but I was very aware of my body’s reaction to this stranger. My nipples were hard, my pussy incredibly wet. I licked my lips and saw he looked down and watched the act.
“Your name?” he repeated, and I swallowed, finally finding my voice.
“Allison,” I found myself whispering. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact I wanted to tell him every little detail about me.
I saw his nostrils flare ever so slightly, and my pussy clenched in response. It was like seeing him do that did something primal to me, had me wanting to tear my clothes away and give myself to him.
My body was on fire, as if flames danced along my skin, and it was only—all—because of his body close to mine, of his voice so deep and husky.
Of the way he watched me, like a predator so starved for the prey that he wouldn’t be stopped.
And I was that prey.
“What’s your name?” I whispered the question then promptly cleared my throat, trying to act like I had my shit together when in reality, I was a puddle at his feet.
He took a step closer so now our chests practically touched. “Maddix,” he said as he gazed at my mouth, his voice pitched low, this hint of something animalistic laced within it.
I could see this expression move across his face, could see how tense he’d become. He closed his eyes and took a step back, and I swore his body got bigger, his muscles thicker. I’d seen shifters in the city plenty of times, but when I’d seen Maddix change from bear to human, well, that had been the first time I’d ever witnessed them changing.
I should have been concerned by
the lack of self-control he had, but I couldn’t take my gaze off his body.
Hard lines and defined muscles took up my entire view. A dark blond trail of hair started below his navel and disappeared beneath the blanket wrapped around his waist. And Lord have mercy, I felt my throat tighten at the sight of what he was sporting, that part of his body that was currently tenting the blanket.
Thick.
Long.
Huge.
I clenched my thighs together as the image of his cock played on repeat in my mind.
Although he’d taken a couple steps back, I could still feel him, his body, his very presence surrounding me, blanketing every part of me in this safe warmth. This low rumble left him and I swore it was like a trigger inside of me, lighting off fireworks, having my arousal climb even higher, if that were possible.
I opened my eyes, not really realizing I’d closed them, feeling slightly embarrassed that he’d seen me all but lose control. I watched him breathe in deeply. And as he stared at me, as I looked into his eyes, I saw a flash of something move across his expression, as if his inner animal were trying to break free.
I reached behind me and gripped the counter for support. The very thought that he couldn’t control himself, that he could shift at any moment, that his bear wanted out, was such an aphrodisiac that I couldn’t help myself moaning.
The air left me on a soft whisper. I didn’t know what I was going to tell him, but inside of me, I was screaming for him to stay. I was yelling for him to take me.
“I’m trying real hard here, baby.” His voice was slightly distorted, as if he were trying not to shift in front of me, as if his animal was trying to take over.
Let it take over. Let your bear have control.
Those words played over and over in my head, and I was so confused by them, so confused on why I wanted that so much, why I needed it, that I couldn’t wrap my head around this reality.
“You have no idea how much I fucking want you,” he said and I felt my eyes widen. “But if I stay here, I’m going end up doing just that … taking you, claiming you, filling you up with my cum so it marks you, so you smell like me.”
