by Maxi MacNair
He filled the doorway as she yanked her panties on. She whirled to face him, breasts bobbing. The blanket slipped from her fingers.
“You’re up,” he said. He was up, too. At the sight of her, his cock sprung to life. Ruby and her delightfully sore pussy both vividly remembered his cock from last night, and in spite of herself, she grew wet again.
“What the hell was that?”
“You saw that?”
“Yeah. I saw.”
“Well I guess you’re in the situation now, so I guess this is as good a way as any to find out.”
A new realization slammed into her. “You. You were the bear that scared Mac off.”
“You’re too good for him. I hoped to get to you two before he marked you, but I was too late.”
“Marked me?” She planted her hands on her hips and faced him.
Travis sighed. “God you’re hot when you’re angry.”
Ruby realized how she was standing and crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly wishing she’d worn more sensible underwear. Maybe some granny panties. Her sheer, red G string probably wasn’t helping her make her point.
It took a few steps for Travis to cross the room to her, running his hands up and down her fleshy middle.
“Stop it,” she said.
He shook his head. “You want me. I can smell it. Bears can smell a hundred times better than a person.”
“It’s how you knew I slept with Mac last night.”
“His smell was all over you.”
“Marking me?” Ruby’s voice shuddered as he rubbed strong hands down her thighs, to her calves, touching her bare feet.
“Marking you. Unfortunately,” he said, as he worked his way back up her, the insides of her thighs this time, “now we’ve both marked you. It might get kind of unpleasant.” As he said ‘unpleasant’ he ran a hand along her cleft.
“Come upstairs with me.”
“No way, Travis. This is seriously weird.”
“Ruby, your lust is pouring off you in waves. I’m drunk on it. Don’t lie to me and tell me you don’t want it.”
He was right, of course, she did want it. Badly. Her mind kept replaying what she’d seen out in the yard. She had always assumed those were old weird stories her uncle told her because he thought it would be funny to scare her.
“What do you mean it’ll get unpleasant?”
He pulled her crossed arms from across her chest and kissed between her breasts. “Can’t I just tell you about it afterwards?”
Ruby breathed loudly through her nose but managed to tell him. “No I need to know now what’s going on here.”
“I’m an alpha bear. Mac’s an alpha bear. Only one of us can have you, and now that we’ve both marked you one of us needs to leave or die fighting for you.”
She pushed his head away, but he was strong and caught her arms. She loved the feel of his hands, hard as manacles, on her wrists. “Mac’s a bear too?”
Travis nodded, and went back to her breasts. Kissing the underneath of them, their sides, staying away from her nipples. Ruby’s body betrayed her, and the dark tips of her breasts went hard and ready.
“No seriously, what are you talking about? He’s another bear? Are there any others?”
Travis licked up her breast, finally running his tongue across her nipple, causing her to gasp. He pulled back and looked up at her face. “Other bears? Just about every man in town.”
“My uncle?”
“No. He’s been here so long, he’s like an honorary one of us.”
“It’s why he told me to stay away from the guys here.”
Travis nodded. “You can clearly handle it, though. Some of the skinnier girls…I thought about it but I was worried I was going to break them. Not you, though.” He moaned his next words. “Now I’m going to carry you up the stairs and fuck you again.”
His words and breath sent prickly tingles through her body. He scooped her up and effortlessly threw her over one shoulder. He didn’t break a sweat as he carried her up the stairs and dropped her onto his unmade king sized bed. The sheets smelled like line-dried laundry, but also a bit like Travis. She bounced on the soft mattress, and he climbed on top of her.
His skin on hers felt so good, but she was feeling everything in a new way now. There was no way to resist him even though the questions where steadily flashing through her head there was no way to give voice to them.
At this point, every nerve in Ruby’s body was on fire. She needed him. Needed his thick manhood to fill her once again. “Lie down.”
He obeyed. The alpha bear, doing her command. She crawled on top of him. “What else can I make you do?”
He grinned, so handsome in the pink morning light. “Anything you say, darlin’. I’m yours.”
She climbed on top of his face, lowering herself to his lips. She held the headboard of the bed for support as Travis’ tongue eagerly quested into her depths. It plunged it into her again and again, sucking up her juices, pausing every now and then to tease the rest of her opening. Ruby bobbed up and down on his face, panting. She couldn’t take it anymore. She pulled back, positioned herself over his ready cock, and speared herself on it.
He groaned in pleasure as she took all of him inside her. He reached up for her tits, grabbing onto her nipples, pinching and twisting them. She urged him to do it harder, and he complied. She rode him like he was an unbroken stallion—though she knew she’d never hope to break Travis Johnson. She bounced on top of him, her tits bobbing up and down. He bucked his hips below her, and it took everything she had to stay on him. They were smashing into each other and not holding back even a little. Ruby wasn’t afraid of being too hard or too rough with Travis. He would gladly take whatever she gave him.
The head of his member managed to rub itself against her g-spot, and the hardest orgasm she’d ever had brought her to screaming climax on top of him. She pulled him over the edge with her as they pressed into each other and he spurted inside her. She collapsed onto his hard body, panting and shuddering.
She called her uncle, told him she was at Sandy’s, but she wasn’t feeling well. She could tell he was skeptical, but she hadn’t called out or missed a day of work yet this summer, so he didn’t push. Frankly, he was probably just surprised a call like this hadn’t happened sooner.
Travis brought her into his shower, a big stand up stall walled in glass. He soaped her up, and cleaned all his seed off her. He paid particular attention to her breasts and her pussy, and she came again in the shower, sagging against the glass wall.
Travis gave her a pair of gym shorts and one of his t-shirts to wear after the shower, and quickly soaped himself off to leave her to linger by herself in the hot steamy shower. By the time she made her way downstairs, she could smell bacon frying and could heard the bubbling of a percolator. Her stomach growled. God, she was hungry. Travis thrust a plate to her, brimming with eggs, bacon, and generously buttered toast. He gave her a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice. She dug in, not stopping to lift her head or to talk until her plate was cleared, the last yolk drippings blotted up with the toast and devoured.
“I can’t stand picky eaters. Women who only eat salad. So boring.”
“Well, you’re in luck. I love to eat. Sometimes I wish I only liked salad. Then I eat ice cream, and I realize I wouldn’t give it up for anything.”
Travis laughed. “My kinda girl.”
“This was delicious. Totally unexpected. You didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to. I’ve really enjoyed your company, and this is going to be a big day for both of us I suspect.”
Ruby smiled, and felt color coming to her cheeks. Screwing was one thing. These kinds of conversations were another, and even though she had a million questions she didn’t know if she wanted the moment spoiled with what the actual truth was of what was happening.
Travis took a deep breath. “I know you don’t know what’s going on, but you should at least know that we have a problem.”
“So it’s not
just me or just you, but both of us with a problem?”
“Yeah, Alpha bears don’t share well, and last night you were marked by two of us.”
“Well problem solved. I choose you. Mac left me out in the middle of the night with a wild animal. It’s only a nice coincidence that I don’t mind being attacked by the wild animal.”
A smile flitted across Travis’ face, but he tamped it down. “It’s not that simple.”
“What do you mean? I don’t want to be with him.”
“Should have listened to me when I told you to stay away from him.”
Ruby pulled away from him. “That’s not fair. You didn’t tell me anything real. Just weird, vague threats. How was I supposed to put two and two together?”
“You think I should have told you about bear shifters while we were sitting in a bar on a Thursday night?”
“Someone should have told me about them! I’ve been here almost a month, and you say most of the town is like this? It was a matter of time before I stumbled into one of you.”
“We hoped you would go without ever finding out. The more people who know, the more we’re in danger of the world finding out our clan exists. You can never tell anyone.”
“I won’t.” She was a little offended felt like he needed to tell her. Besides, who would believe her? Ruby spent a moment imagining what it would be like telling Jessie and Kari, her college roommates, about bear shifters. They would think she’d gone mad and call campus mental health on her.
“You can’t.”
“I said I won’t, what don’t you understand about that?”
Travis sighed. “What Mac did to you wasn’t fair.”
“What Mac did? What about what you did?”
“You had already been marked. There was no other way. I didn’t want you to have to wind up with him.”
Ruby let out a long, exasperated breath. “What about what I want? I’m gone in a few months. It’s not like Mac was going to stop that from happening.”
“He would’ve tried.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s the natural laws of the clan. You were marked by him and you were his mate. You can’t just walk away from it.”
“Like hell I couldn’t.”
“No one would find you if you tried to get away.”
Ruby was stunned silent when he said that. “You guys are monsters. Who the fuck do you think you are telling me what I can and cannot do.”
“Alpha Bears mate for life Ruby. He marked you for life, and that is very serious in our clan. Although I have no idea why. You are nothing like the girls he has gone after before.”
“That still does not explain why you think some guy can cum on me and tell me I need to marry him now.”
“It’s not easy to understand, but what he did was an insult to you and our clan. The Alphas only mark who they know will be their life mates. What he did to you was to get to me.”
“How did he know it would get to you?”
“Everyone senses it in town. I know you can’t tell, but it’s your scent. It’s what I dream about. You don’t notice it, but when we are in the room together our smells mix and become something magical. I know you don’t understand, but everyone who has been in a room with us at the same time knows. Even your uncle has heard people talking about it even though he does not sense it himself.”
Ruby was taken aback by all of this. “So we are meant to be together?”
“We are mates for life in my eyes.”
Travis, I need you to tell me everything from the beginning. What exactly does it mean that I’m marked by two alpha bears?” She paused a moment. “Why was Mac so afraid of you?”
Travis tackled her second question first. “I don’t know what his plan is, but all I can think is he didn’t want you knowing about the bears yet. If he fought me, he would have to turn into a bear in front of you, which I guess he didn’t want to do. Plus I would have kicked his ass, because I’m bigger and stronger. Which left running as his only option.”
“So what do I do now that I’m marked?”
He paused a moment. “We have to fight for you.”
“Fight?”
“Yeah. Show of dominance. Victor takes the spoils.”
Red anger poured through Ruby’s veins. “Spoils? Are you kidding? This is 2016. I’m not some prize to be won. I’m a woman.”
Travis ran his gaze over her rubenesque curves. “Oh I know you are, baby.”
“Shut up. This isn’t funny. Isn’t a joke. I’m out of here.”
“I don’t think you want to do that.”
“I don’t care what you think I do or do not want to do. I can’t stand being around you a moment longer.”
Travis sighed, stood, and picked up his car keys.
“No.” Ruby yanked on her sneakers. “You’re not driving me home. I can walk just fine.”
“Come on, at least—”
“I don’t want to hear another word from you, Travis Johnson.”
Travis sighed, threw his hands up, and sat back down.
“Do you at least have my number?” he said.
“Your Number? Why on earth would I want that? I never want to see or talk to you again.”
“If Mac wins, you might get your wish. If not, you’re stuck with me, baby.”
The final ‘baby’ threw her over the edge and she stalked out of the cabin.
* * *
Ruby got back to her uncle’s house about two hours later. Blisters burned on her feet, sweat soaked through Travis’ t-shirt, and she was exhausted. And terrified. Marked. What did he mean? Why couldn’t he just tell her? Why was it all riddles and doublespeak? She thought about reaching out to Mac, but she didn’t want to see or talk to him either. She took another shower, and let herself cry as the hot water sluiced over her. She was sore from all her love-making, and before she’d thought it was a good hurt, now she wasn’t so sure. She blow dried her hair, did her make-up—there was no crying after the mascara and eyeliner went on. Finally she put on a bra. She dressed in a checkered button down shirt, lots of cleavage, but then again she had yet to find many shirts suitable for summer weather that didn’t.
Hungry again, she headed out to the one place in town where she could get a sandwich.
No one in town would look at her. Nostrils flared as she walked past. She grabbed a sandwich from the cooler at the gas station, and Betty behind the counter took her money like it was diseased. What had she done? She scarfed her sandwich in the parking lot, not wanting to get the cold shoulder if she tried to eat at the picnic table outside.
Sandy, who had lived here all her life, worked at the Cozy Cup coffee shop. Maybe she would help Ruby figure out what was going on. She took a table in the corner, and from where she sat, she could see the other waitress, the cook, and Sandy with their heads together, occasionally casting glances her way. The only other patron was an old man who didn’t look at her at all.
Sandy came over to her table at last, walking like she tread on broken glass.
“Ruby, what have you done?”
Despite her make-up, the shocked look on her friend’s face made her start to cry again. “I don’t know! No one will tell me.”
“You have to leave, now. You can’t be out here until they fight and your match is made.”
“My match?”
“Alphas mate for life. Ruby, I like you a lot, and I’m happy to hang with you and stuff, but I can’t do it until you and the alpha are mated properly. I have to ask you to leave.”
“What do you mean? I had sex with them is all. What does this have to do with matches and being a mate? I get that you people are different and all that, but not me. I’m not in your clan.”
“It’s not a choice for you now Ruby.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Look, I’m not even supposed to be talking to you at all right now, but I can see you don’t really understand what’s happening here right now.”
“Exact
ly! I need someone to fucking tell me already!”
The entire room looked up when Ruby screamed out, but quickly went back to whatever they were doing before. Sandy sat down in the seat across from her.
“Mac shouldn’t have done what he did to you.”
“What did he do, we had sex was all. I wanted to do it.”
“It was a little different than just sex. He marked you.”
Ruby opened her mouth to ask another question but Sandy put up her finger to stop her.
“I know you have a lot of questions, but I don’t have time for a conversation so just listen to me for a bit.” Sandy looked over her shoulder and leaned in closer to Ruby. “What Mac did was a little different than just sex. He chose to mark you. It’s something only Alpha bears can do.”
“So are Alpha bears different? I mean different from the rest of you?”
“I told you to just be quiet and listen, but yes, and only the guys here are born this way. Alpha bears are another story. They are born only so often, and when they are born it’s basically a give-in that they’ll grow up to be the protector of the clan. It’s really scary for everyone to have two of the same age here. Frankly, everyone knew something like this was going to happen sooner or later.”
Sandy raised her finger again to stop another question.
“When you get marked it’s on you for life. Even if you run away people will see you differently. They won’t even know why but people won’t want to talk to you. Frankly, they’ll be a little frightened of you, and you can’t change that. Usually the Alpha bear picks a woman from the clan to be their mate, and that’s a huge honor, but they are not supposed to mark someone until they have declared their intentions and the woman prepares herself.”
“But why me?”
“Look, you need to get back to your uncle’s place and hide out until this is sorted out. But to answer your question…I think Mac planned all this. He saw the way Travis and you matched like everyone else and saw marking you as a way to force Travis’ hand. He knows he’s going to be pushed out sooner rather than later by Travis because Travis is the bigger Alpha. Mac must have known that Travis wouldn’t just let you be claimed without you knowing. Really, the only thing he could have done after you were marked to stop it would be to mark you himself and challenge Mac for the right.
