by T. Cobbin
“Your type doesn’t love?” Brock asked. He had heard stories over the years. Bradley’s lot didn’t exactly love their women, they were treated like dirt, raped daily just to bear young to enlarge the pack.
“No, our women are...” The young male paused, his face blanching. “They aren’t treated well. It makes me sick thinking about it.”
Brock was close to making up his mind. If Bradley was part of a pack, the first time he’d seen Melanie and smelled shifter on her, he could have killed her. No. Brock shook his head a little. He didn’t want to go down that road.
“What if I choose not to help. What then?” Brock asked, sitting forward and staring the boy in the eyes.
“As I said, I’m tired. I’m fed up. I would rather be dead than be part of my father’s pack, or even seen the same way they are. Each time I moved recently, they were gaining ground. They will catch me soon enough.” The teenaged lad stood from his seat and fell to his knees and offered Brock the side of his neck. “If you don’t help me, then at least put me out of my misery… Please.”
Brock growled low. He wouldn’t take the boy’s life. If he did, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself.
“Why don’t you make some hot chocolate, my mate is going to need it when she returns.” If she does. “I have to go talk to my family. In the meantime, you stay here. Be quiet and wait patiently. Can you do that?”
The male nodded. Picking up a discarded t-shirt of Cole’s, Brock left the tent and followed his mates’ scent.
* * * *
“What’s going on?” Melanie whispered before stumbling over a large fallen branch.
Cole banded his arm around her waist, steadying her before she fell flat on her face.
“I can hardly see,” she grumbled.
“I’m here. I can see okay,” he assured her, gently pulling her against his body.
He could see perfectly well with his shifter eyesight, and the moonlight breaking through the trees helped quite a bit too. Looking around, he was happy that they were far away from any prying eyes at the campsite. He knew, with a heavy heart, that it was time to tell his little mate what he was. He had no shame being a shifter, what shamed him was he hadn’t told Melanie before he’d mated her.
His bear, however, disagreed. He was happily chuffing away inside Cole’s mind.
“Here, sit on this.” He picked Melanie up around her waist and sat her on a huge tree trunk that had fallen over. “I guess you want the whole story and not—”
“Well, of course,” she interrupted. “I’ve been sleeping with you all frigging day and you didn’t think to tell me anything about this whatchmahcallit that wassit mentioned.” She motioned back to the campsite.
Cole’s lips lifted in a tiny smile. He knew she’d heard most of their conversation with the young hyena male, but he needed to make sure first. “What did you hear?”
“Oh, no you don’t,” Melanie said, shaking her head. “You tell me what he was going on about. And don’t leave anything out.”
Cole sighed and sat next to her on the tree trunk. “Okay, well.” He inhaled a deep breath, stalling for time. Would she leave? Looking at her, he wasn’t sure, although something deep inside him said she wouldn’t. She was meant for him and Brock, otherwise why would she be their mate?
“Cough it up,” she prodded. “I’m cold.”
Staring down at his feet, Cole began. “Brock and I met eight years ago. He was working at Dragon’s Heart before me. When we met, we both knew we were destined to be together for the rest of our lives. But we were missing one person in our relationship. A female mate. You.”
He turned his head sideways to look at Melanie to see how she was taking this info so far. Not able to see or even feel her emotions, he turned his gaze back to his feet and carried on.
“The world is a lot bigger than you think, and being both mine and Brock’s mate, it’s about to get a whole lot bigger for you. Dragon’s Heart isn’t just a club for humans. It’s a club for shifters too.”
“You mentioned a bear thing earlier, but I didn’t think anything of it,” she murmured. Cole watched realization slip over his female’s face. “Oh shit, that’s why I thought Brock was angry. I get it now. But… No, you’re jesting with me.” Melanie slapped his arm in a joking manner with a smile on her face, but then it disappeared. Her forehead creased in the middle. “Shifter as in you turn into a bear and Bradley turns into a hyena? Oh my God, that would be quite funny to watch.” Her face changed again as she let out a giggle.
Cole couldn’t help but look at his mate with surprise. Did she think this was funny, or was that tiny giggle the start of hysterics?
“You understand that Brock and I turn into bears, right?”
“I’m sitting on a tree trunk in the middle of some woods after fucking two men all day.” She shook her head and went to climb off her perch. “Karma always comes and bites one on the arse. I’m being punished for…for…”
Quickly, Cole moved to stop her climbing down from her seat. “Wait there please.”
Melanie paused and stared at him. “You’re not even that fucking hairy,” she protested.
Getting down off the fallen tree, Cole began undressing. “It would be a darn site better if Brock was here to help,” he grumbled.
“Someone mention my name?” Brock remarked, stepping out from behind a tree.
“Shit,” Cole cursed, his heart thundering in his chest. “I didn’t even hear you were near.” His nerves were shot. He had just been about to show Melanie his bear and hadn’t even thought about checking the area first. What if another human had come across him?
“Good job it was me then and not someone else.” Brock winked.
Cole just let another grumble vibrate his chest, but silently, he couldn’t be more thankful Brock was there right now. Melanie shuffled and once again started to get down from the tree trunk she was sitting on. But Brock was there in an instant, walking across the small clearing and holding onto her. He whispered something into her ear that Cole couldn’t hear—not even with his shifter hearing—and his words had her halting.
Fully naked, Cole asked, “You ready for this?”
With a small nod from his woman—one he would have missed if he hadn’t been looking closely—Cole released his bear. Muscles realigned and the sound of bones cracking and popping filled the air. Fur slipped from every pore in Cole’s skin until finally a huge black bear stood before its two mates. Melanie’s eyes grew to the size of cup saucers. Five long, quiet minutes passed. She didn’t move, speak, or even twitch.
“As you have heard, we aren’t the only shifters,” Brock said, finally breaking the silence. He was still holding Melanie close to his side. “In fact, now that you know our secret, you will probably find out that some of your friends have a secret too—they’re mated to their own shifters.”
“What?” Melanie screeched. She lowered her voice and asked, “My friends? Wait, and what? Shifters… Oh. My. Frigging God. And that’s a real-life bear.” She turned her head to and fro between Cole’s bear and Brock.
Cole’s black bear sat on his hunches and waited patiently for Melanie to get her bearings. For her panic to either subside or grow. Cole admired her spunk, still sitting there. At least she hadn’t run away. Yet.
Chapter 16
“A black bear, and isn’t he gorgeous?” Brock said, admiring Cole’s bear. “Even though he is shifted to his bear, he’s still in there, inside the bear’s mind. He can still hear you, and if needed, he can take control over the bear.”
Cole noticed Brock seemed to be ignoring the panic on their little female’s face.
“Mine is a grizzly.” Brock stared at Melanie, who was still looking toward Cole. Her eyes were as wide as cup saucers, but scenting the air, Cole only scented a minute amount of fear coming from her.
“When you talk to your friends later,” Brock said, beginning to let go of Melanie as she moved off the tree trunk and began making her way toward Cole’s bear
, “you will find they are mated to some dragon shifters.”
“Dragon shifters,” Melanie repeated with no emotion, her saucer-like eyes growing smaller.
Walking toward Cole, she stood looking up at his face. Cole’s bear lowered itself to the ground, trying to make himself look less threatening, and all the time he was letting out a chuffing noise.
“I often read paranormal romance stories. I love them in fact. The thought of turning into an animal is fascinating. But here you are. Oh my God, I keep thinking I’m dreaming when I know I’m not. It’s so surreal.” She lifted a hand and pushed it toward Cole’s bear.
She touches me, his bear said excitedly.
Hold still now, don’t frighten her, Cole warned.
Pfft, you frighten, not me, I cuddly.
Teddy bear, Cole mocked.
His bear was really pleased, his happiness beaming away inside them both.
Melanie’s small hand touched his nose, making its way up his forehead until her fingers entangled themselves into his fur. His bear allowed a tiny purr before he made another cute noise that blew his large lips out for a second. Cole watched proudly inside his bear’s mind. She didn’t even flinch, she carried on stroking his fur, running her hands over his ears and then down his back. Awe was written all over her face. Searching for the tiny bond they now shared, he felt the same emotion coming from her.
“Bloody hell. Do you know what would happen if anyone saw a bear in Britain that’s not in a zoo? I can’t believe you guys can keep something like this so secret, we humans have no idea. And dragons you say? Geeze.” Melanie placed her head on the bear’s chest and wrapped her arms around its neck in a hug. “Oh my God,” she quietly squealed. “I’m hugging a full-size, real-life teddy bear.” She chuckled.
See, teddy bear, Cole’s bear purred.
Cole shook his head mentally inside his bear’s mind and grinned. He was glad their little female seemed to be taking this so well.
She spun around to Brock. “Well, since he hasn’t said anything I’m guessing he can’t talk in this form, right?”
Brock shook his head. “No. But all of us,” he said, motioning between the three of them, “will be able to tell each other’s emotions because we are bonded. If you close your eyes and think of Cole, you should be able to feel what he is feeling.”
Melanie turned back to Cole and closed her beautiful eyes. He could feel her awe, her happiness, fear, and all kinds of emotions that flittered through her at that precise moment. A small smile crept onto her face, lighting it up.
“He’s happy. I can feel his bear too.” Her eyes flashed open again. “Wow.” A frown appeared between her eyes. It was as if a lightbulb had lit up. “What is this mated stuff?”
“Can he shift back?” Brock motioned to Cole. “Just in case anyone else is around, we wouldn’t want to give them a shock, huh?”
“I get to see him again, right?” she asked, her hand still on Cole’s snout.
Brock looked both surprised and pleased. Cole couldn’t believe his ears either. All that worry, wondering if she would run, and yet there she was taking everything in as if it happened every day.
“Yes, you can see him as often as you wish. Wait until you see our home. No one bothers us there. We have enough space our bears can ramble around. I hope you will want to get to know my bear too,” Brock added. He wanted to feel his mate’s hands over his bear.
Melanie turned again to look Cole’s bear in the eyes. She was so beautiful, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight.
“I think you’re more handsome than Cole is,” Melanie whispered into Cole’s bear’s ear, mirth filling her voice.
Brock laughed behind her, his shifter hearing allowing him to hear her comment. Cole made a mental note to himself to get his mate back for that comment later. What his little female didn’t know yet was he was a pretty good prankster.
“See you soon,” she promised. Gently, she laid a kiss on the end of his bear’s nose. His bear chuffed and licked up the side of Melanie’s face, making her nose scrunch.
Once she had taken another step away from him, his bear relinquished its hold and Cole began the shift to his human self.
“That is just plain frigging awesome. You can change any time you want?” she asked.
“Yep, but too many changes in a day can be rather tiring. You seem to be taking all this in like…it’s normal,” Brock said as Cole finished shifting and began to get dressed.
“I know, I’m shocked myself. But I think with my life as it’s been, there is no normal. I would have loved to do such a thing as change into a bear. Going through the foster system, it would have made life a whole lot easier in some circumstances.” Melanie shrugged.
“But it could have been a whole lot harder too,” Brock growled. “Mind you, if you had been a bear shifter and something had happened to your family, you would have been taken care of by another bear family. We take care of our own.” Brock gathered Melanie in his arms, and Cole could feel the love from where he stood watching.
“If there are all kinds of shifters, do you think there are aliens too?” Melanie asked, her face lighting up.
Cole started laughing and shook his head. His mate was amazing.
“Now tell me the rest please—other shifters, my friends, and why Bradley asked to see you.” Her hand shot to the side of her neck, then her other hand did the same, as if she had suddenly remembered something. “He looked at my neck.” She located the bite marks they had left on either side of her neck and ran her fingers over each one. “You both bit me. According to the books I read, it means I’m marked as yours, right? As in married? Oh shit, what about work? I can’t go back to working at the nursery… You will want me to live with you? Oh, no…”
The scent of sudden panic coming from his little mate stung Cole’s nose.
“Slow down, sweetpea. One day at a time,” Brock placated. He pulled Melanie into his arms and held her tightly against his body. Cole joined them, hugging Melanie from the back, his arms wrapping around both of his mates. “Let us tell you a few things first. We can’t take too long though, Bradley is waiting for us.”
Cole looked over Melanie’s head with a questioning look on his face. Brock shook his head slightly, indicating they couldn’t discuss it at the moment, but he’d tell Cole later.
It was nearly two hours later before they all headed back to their tent. Once Brock and Cole knew Melanie had accepted who and what they were, each of them took turns holding her in their arms to keep her warm. She asked her questions and them answered them. She seemed to take the whole situation as if it were a normal everyday thing to not only learn her lovers were bear shifters, but to find out she was mated to them.
One thing that pleased both bears was she hadn’t threatened them with her superglue for mating her before telling her what they were, or even worse, packed her stuff and ran. Cole was more than happy to know he wouldn’t be waking up one morning with his arse, or something worse, stuck to something. But then again, he wouldn’t hold his breath on that. He decided to be a little wary, because something told him she wasn’t going to let them off that easy.
* * * *
Walking back to the campsite, Melanie’s mind kept going over everything. Bears. Wow. The image of Cole shifting. His bear. The black, glossy look he had. The softness she had felt while running her fingers through his fur. The fact she was now mated, which was like being married, to two bear shifters. She’d also just found out that her friends were mated to men who could change into dragons. Amy was getting married in a few weeks, and because the shifter world was so secret, Melanie would never have known Troy could change into a huge green dragon.
A finger touched the top of her hand. Lifting her gaze from the ground, she caught the look in Cole’s eyes. He looked worried and was offering her his hand. With a small smile, she placed her palm against his and their fingers entwined. Searching for that emotional bond she now shared with both males, she could feel he was worried. Bu
t why? Because she was quiet?
“I’m okay,” she assured him. “I’m just going over everything in my mind.”
They had all spoken about her job and their living arrangements. Although she didn’t want to give up her job, there was nothing stopping her from working somewhere else. Melanie felt it would be easier for her to move in with her men for several reasons. One being that the three of them living in the village together would be the death of her job. She knew that without a doubt.
Even if they did keep quiet about their relationship someone would see something eventually, or some parent, not pleased about a school report or maybe how she’d taught their child, could tell the school board or someone else what they had seen. It would be a vicious circle. Not to mention that the three of them living in her tiny cottage would be like living in a matchstick box. Her men were huge. Her men. She liked thinking of the men as hers, it was oddly comforting. For the second time in her whole life—meeting Bobbie and her friends was the first—she felt wanted, loved, and extremely happy.
Cole pulled her in for a tight hug. Had he sensed her happiness? Looking up into his beautiful dark eyes, she returned the love she was feeling from him. Who would have believed it, she was falling in love with two men, and so quickly too? And bear shifters at that!
“I’m glad you’re okay with this. I can tell you I...well, both of us, were terrified you would walk away, or run to be honest.”
Melanie shrugged. “I can be temperamental. Just wait ’til it’s PMS time. I’ll get you back then tenfold.”
The poor man paled, which made her giggle.
It was quiet when they re-entered the campsite. The noise from everybody cooking and excited children playing their games had ceased. Even the parents trying to get their children to sleep had gone quiet. Leaving only the noise of crickets rubbing their hind legs together or the occasional fox call. If she didn’t love this, it would seem rather eerie.
