“Have you sustained any injuries, ma’am?” the EMT asked her.
“No. I don’t know. Is Tate all right?”
“I’m worried about you and the baby right now. We’re going to take care of you.” He put a warm blanket around her shoulders and checked Andrew again.
“I’m okay. I think my baby is okay, too.”
There was shouting and gunshots. Her heart pounded hard in her chest. She didn’t know what she would do if something happened to Tate. It was all her fault. She should have listened to him. She should have gone home with him and let him take care of her. Tears slid down her face as the EMT checked her pulse with a stethoscope.
Outside the crack in the door of the ambulance, she saw Shaw Montgomery walk past with a man in handcuffs behind his back. She needed to know what was happening. She had to know that Tate was all right. Ella handed Andrew to the EMT and hurried out of the ambulance.
“Ma’am. I can’t let you do that. Ma’am!”
She didn’t listen. Ella threw open the doors and jumped to the ground. As her feet hit the gravel, she looked up at the front door and saw Tate walk out, a blanket around his shoulders, his face bloody. Thank God! She ran to him and threw her arms around him. The troopers quickly took them both away from the scene and brought Tate to the ambulance where the EMT was holding Andrew.
Ella took the baby while the EMT checked Tate for injuries. Blood seeped from several deep wounds on his chest and hips. The EMT began to patch him up as Ella watched.
“These are going to need stitches,” he said.
“Just patch me up. I’m a shifter. I don’t need stitches.”
“Whatever you say, sir,” the EMT said, wrapping bandages over the wounds.
“Thank God you’re okay,” Ella whimpered. “I would never have forgiven myself if something had happened to you.”
“Ella. I’d give my life to protect you. When are you going to realize that?”
“I do, Tate. I do.”
“Really?”
“I’ve always known it. I’ve been so stubborn.”
Shaw opened the doors of the ambulance and looked at his cousin Tate. “Brock is here to drive you guys back to Tate’s house. Are you good with that Ella?”
“Yes.”
“I’m afraid your parents’ house is now a crime scene.”
“I know. They’re going to be pissed,” she said, a half giggle escaping her lips. “How did you know they were here?”
“You’re parents’ alarm system was still armed. We got it all on camera. We’ve got everything we need to book these guys now, Ella. They won’t be bothering you again. I’m only sorry that it took us so long to convince the Shifter Council that these men were a danger to good people like you and your child.”
Shaw helped her out of the ambulance. Brock’s truck was there and Ginger helped her put the baby in his car seat in the back. Tate climbed in beside her, and Brock turned the truck around and drove down the road toward town.
“Well, that sucked,” Ginger said, rubbing her swollen belly in the front seat.
“That is the understatement of the century,” Ella said, a nervous laugh bursting from within. Everyone laughed at that and the car went silent. There was so much to say. She had so much to tell Tate. She could barely keep it inside, but she didn’t want to tell him in front of his brother and sister-in-law. This required privacy, time, space for them to be together.
Brock and Ginger helped Ella, Tate, and the baby get inside. They made sure everyone was okay before taking off in the truck.
Ella put the baby down for a nap. The poor little guy was exhausted. As soon as he was down, she sat beside Tate on the couch and fell into his arms. She wanted to cry so hard it would soak his fresh shirt, but she had to hold herself together.
Now was not the time for crying. Now was time to be brave, to tell him the truth, to finally come clean.
“Tate. I realized something today.”
“Ella, you don’t have to explain anything. I understand. I’ve felt the way you have myself at times.”
“You have?”
“Yeah. Who wants to be told who they’re supposed to love? Even shifters have doubts sometimes.”
“You do? I always thought you were all one hundred percent sure about those kinds of things.”
He chuckled and then winced from pain. “No. We definitely aren’t one hundred percent sure about mating. Why do you think there are people like Babs Bula in the world, tirelessly meddling in other people’s love lives?”
“Babs talked to me when I first came to town. She was really rude.”
“That’s what I’ve heard about Babs. Sometimes she’s your best friend, like she was for Ginger. Sometimes she’s just a jerk.”
They both chuckled for a moment and went silent, staring into each other’s eyes. “Tate. When I had the gun pointed at my head, I had a memory of the day we met. I remembered that when I first saw you, I knew we belonged together. I knew you were meant for me. I must have blocked it out somehow. I forgot. Until today.”
“It only took a gun in your face to realize you love me,” Tate teased.
“I’m a stubborn idiot.”
“You’re not an idiot. I’m just teasing you.”
“I deserve it.”
“No. You deserve only the best. Now, come here my mate. Let me hold you.”
She snuggled into his arms, feeling the warmth of his body against hers. It was pure heaven. It had taken her all this time and all this trouble to realize that fate really did know best. Finally, she felt safe and content to let it work for her.
Chapter 15
Tate stood in the back room of the Montgomery lodge, as nervous as a kid on his first day of school. He’d put on the tuxedo Ginger insisted all the men wear, but he couldn’t stop sweating.
Marrying Ella was the only thing he’d wanted for as long as he could remember, but now that the day was finally here, all his insecurities came back to haunt him. Was he really ready to take on the responsibility of a woman and a child? He had to be. Even if he was in his early twenties, he was a father now. He and Ella both knew they were meant to be together.
None of that seemed to matter as he waited for Brock to tell him when it was time to come stand in front of the minister. They’d decided to have a small wedding at the lodge. The entire Montgomery clan insisted they do it on Christmas day, claiming it was two birds with one stone.
Tate knew that it wasn’t the clan’s way of multitasking. It was because they all wanted Tate happily married to his mate, and they didn’t want to wait any longer to see it happen. The first time his mother had met the baby, Tate had barely been able to keep the smile from cracking his face open.
Once Ella had accepted him, everything became easy for them. They were together in almost every way, but they’d both agreed to wait until their wedding night to truly claim each other.
Tate had never turned anyone, let alone claiming and turning his bride. He was as nervous about that as anything. No matter how many times Ella told him she wanted it, he still felt apprehension about all the years she’d run from him. Was she truly ready to accept him? He didn’t know what he would do if she changed her mind at the last minute.
Brock knocked on the door and waved for him to follow him to the main room of the lodge. He stood in front of the minister beside the stone fireplace. A fire raged within, warming the big log room. The whole clan was gathered, waiting to witness his marriage. Their happy faces filled him with contentment. He sure as hell hoped this worked out.
His mother held Andrew, who was wearing a baby-sized tuxedo matching his own. In the last month, he’d bonded with his baby son in a way he’d never expected possible. Every time he looked at the little boy, his heart burst with pride and joy.
Ella had given him so much. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on, but nothing had prepared him for what he saw when the double doors at the end of the room opened. His jaw dropped and a tear squeezed f
rom the corner of his eye as the wedding march played.
Ella wore a form fitting wedding dress that showed off her gorgeous curves in a way that made him both excited and jealous of any other man looking at her. Her dark hair was piled up in soft curls on her head and several hung around her bare shoulders. The off-the-shoulder dress showed the beautiful dark skin of her shoulders and cleavage.
Tate stifled a tear and an erection as he looked at her. Ella slowly marched toward him on her father’s arm. Her parents had been pissed about their house, but nothing had been broken that couldn’t be replaced by the insurance money or the help of the Montgomery clan. They were ecstatic that their daughter had finally come home and decided to settle down with a member of one of the town’s most prominent families.
He took Ella’s arm as she stepped forward with her father. They stood in front of the minister, who began the ceremony. Tate couldn’t focus on anything but her. She was so beautiful and soft and perfect. He wanted to sink his teeth into the exposed flesh of her neck and make her his forever in front of everyone.
His inner bear, who had been quiet for the past month, began to roar in agreement. Tonight, he would finally be allowed to claim his mate. They moved through the traditional human wedding ceremony, professing their love for each other in front of family and friends. Ginger stood as Ella’s matron of honor and had helped Ella arranged the whole wedding. He was grateful his brother had married such a nice girl.
When they finally said “I do,” Tate and Ella kissed each other with restrained passion. Both of them knew what was coming tonight. He could feel in her kiss that she was just as excited and nervous as he was about it.
As the clan cheered for them, the extra help they’d hired to assist with the reception dinner began to hurry about, arranging tables and chairs for the guests. After a few minutes, Tate and Ella were settled into a table near the fire, champagne in their glasses and appetizers on their plates.
“This definitely isn’t what I expected to happen when I came here a month ago,” Ella said, laughing.
“Me either,” Tate said. “I was spitting mad when I saw you.”
“You were?” she asked, picking up her champagne glass.
“I was. I couldn’t believe you had kept Andrew from me. Or that you’d left in the first place.”
“But now look at us,” she said. He picked up his own glass and they clinked them.
“To our future.”
“To our future.”
They both looked out at their families. His mom and her mom were both cooing at Andrew, who couldn’t be happier. His sweet little face was bright with joy. Tate’s brother Keaton strode forward, a bottle of beer in his hand.
“So you got roped into marriage, bro. Sucker.” Keaton’s tattooed forearms showed under his pushed back dress shirt.
“Just wait until you find your mate, Keaton. It’ll all be different then.”
“Not a chance. There is no one woman in the world who could handle me,” he said, folding his arms.
“You’re going to eat your words someday,” Tate said.
“That’s what you think. You and that woman Babs Bula. She insists she knows who my mate is. Can you believe that? She can’t stop meddling in other people’s lives.”
“If Babs says it, it’s true,” Ginger said, coming up beside Keaton. The little pregnant redhead slapped him on the back as hard as she could. Ella laughed as Keaton looked down at Ginger. Ginger just smirked when Brock, the clan alpha, joined them all.
“What are you pestering the newlyweds with, Keaton?” Brock asked.
“I’m not pestering them. I’m giving Tate my sympathies.”
“Sympathies? It’s his wedding day. Not a funeral,” Ginger laughed.
“Exactly my point,” Keaton said.
“Forget him. I’m going to play a song for you guys,” Ginger said. She was a talented violinist, whose injured hand had been healed when Brock had turned her.
Ginger opened the case of her violin and stood at the edge of the room. Everyone hushed as she struck the first note. The music lilted through the room, tugging at Tate’s heart.
“Wow, she’s good. I had no idea,” Ella whispered. “I knew she played…but…”
Ella gripped Tate’s hand as they listened to Ginger’s expert, emotion-filled playing. Tate had heard Ginger play before and knew his sister-in-law was a virtuoso. He could see the joy in Ella’s face as she watched her new friend play violin.
Everyone clapped for Ginger as she finished her song, even little Andrew clapped in his mother’s lap.
“Andrew is so cute in that tuxedo,” Ella said, giggling.
“I know. I have to keep pinching myself to make sure I’m not dreaming this is my life,” Tate said, looking into Ella’s big brown eyes. She let out a soft moan and kissed him on the cheek.
“I can’t wait until later,” she whispered.
Tate couldn’t wait either. The rest of the reception seemed to drag on. He kept looking down at Ella’s neck and the soft skin of her chest and could barely keep himself in his seat. His bear had been waiting for this day for so long. Tonight he would have her, he would make her his. He could put his seed and a bear inside her, bonding her to him for the rest of their lives.
Chapter 16
Ella had to squeeze her legs together for most of the reception. Tate looked delicious in his tuxedo, his dark hair swept back from his face, showing off his green eyes. She could see his excitement when he looked at her, which made her tingle deep in her core every time she noticed.
When she and Tate finally broke away from the reception, they kissed Andrew on the forehead before they left him with her mother for the night. They piled into Tate’s truck, Ella’s wedding dress bundled around her. They bumped down the gravel road, silence filling the cab.
The anticipation hung thick in the air. Even though she wasn’t a shifter yet, she could practically smell the arousal between them, taste it on her tongue. Her whole body buzzed, her blood pulsing in her ears. She licked her lips and looked at Tate. Her nipples pricked. He was wearing a tan workman’s jacket over his tuxedo. It was so freaking hot, she could barely contain herself.
Tate finally pulled up into the driveway of his house and cast his green eyes on her. They were full of desire and a hint of fear. He pursed his lips. “We’re home,” he said.
Ella whimpered. “Let’s go in.” Her voice was thick and throaty. She couldn’t even believe it was her own. She’d never been this excited. Tate slid out of the truck and came around to help her out. They held hands as they walked over the slick pathway covered in a light dusting of new snow.
They passed into the living room and took off their coats, hanging them in the closet without a word. Only a single lamp shone by the window, casting a low orange glow through the room. Tate turned to her and enclosed her in his arms, pulling her against his hard warmth.
He was so big and tall. Tate was a massive man, holding a little woman in his burly arms. She gushed as he lifted her, pulling her legs up around his waist. Ella had never been skinny and had gotten even curvier after the baby, but Tate lifted her up like she was a tiny baby doll. He turned her body so that her legs hung over one arm and he cradled her with the other. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.
“I never carried you across the threshold,” he growled.
“That’s fine. That isn’t what I’m after right now.”
“I’m going to carry you upstairs instead, bride.” His voice was low and gravelly. She could see the desire in his eyes, even in the low light of the room. She cupped his cheek in her hand as he walked quickly upstairs. The house was warm, and he laid her across the soft comforter of his bed. It was their bed now, really, ever since the day she’d realized how much she wanted him.
He ran his hand up the inside of her leg, standing over her in the dim room. “How the hell am I supposed to get this damn dress off?” he growled.
“Here, unbutton me.” She tu
rned over on her stomach, revealing the row of buttons down the back. Tate’s thick fingers began to pop open the buttons. He grumbled and growled above her. His breath blew on her neck as he drew closer.
“This is taking too long,” he whispered in her ear. His breath and words sent a surge of desire down her spine.
Tate gripped the sides of her dress and ripped. Ella screamed with excitement. The buttons popped off, and she was free of the dress. She could feel her nipples stiff against her bustier corset. Her pussy wept to be touched. Tate pulled the dress down over her hips with Ella still on her stomach. She gasped when he yanked it off her feet. Her heels fell on the floor.
Tate turned her over on her back, and she could see the wild gleam in his eyes. She drew back in shock, fear mingling with desire. “What the hell are you wearing now?” he grumbled.
“It’s a bustier corset for under the dress. It’s supposed to be sexy.”
“Let me see you, now.” His bear was coming through so much she could see his teeth already extending. Ella unclasped the bustier and peeled it away, feeling bashful under Tate’s intense gaze. He threw off his tuxedo, staring at her naked body laying across the bed.
He climbed over her, his erection firm and massive. She licked her lips when he slid his fingers into the waist of her panties and began to pull them down over her stockings and garter belt. He spread her legs, sniffing at her sex. Ella threw her head back when Tate lunged forward, taking her whole pussy in his mouth.
He thrust his tongue between her folds, licking up her slit to her hot mound. She mewled and grabbed his hair. Tate ran his hands up her sides and gripped her breasts, squeezing her nipples between his fingers.
Ella thrust her pelvis forward, wanting him deeper, closer. She could feel herself ready to come and pushed his head down against her arousal. Tate growled and climbed up over her, leaving her on the brink of orgasm. She growled his name and scratched his chest.
Tate pushed his cock against her opening, looking deep into her eyes. Ella held him tight to her. Tate was out of control, but it made her want him even more. She loved seeing him like this, untamed, unguarded, wild. He’d held back for so long, and she relished the sight and feel of him finally taking what he wanted from her.
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