by Leela Ash
“Shh,” he whispered with a light laugh.
She looked up and her eyes met his. They glinted in the twilight, and Freya couldn’t look away.
“Kellan,” she began but he shushed her again gently.
He leaned forward and kissed her powerfully on the mouth. He wrapped his big, manly arms around her and pulled her closer to him. His tongue slipped against hers and his heat filled her completely. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been kissed—it had been so long. And the feeling of being in a man’s arms was so warm and loving, she never wanted it to end.
Kellan ran a hand up the small of her back and squeezed her gently. The stubble on his chin was rough and wiry. Freya couldn’t help the smile creeping over her face.
“You’re so different,” he whispered. “When Julie said she’d found you I couldn’t believe it.”
“What do you mean?” Freya asked him as she opened her eyes and saw his again, boring into hers.
“I need you Freya,” he said seriously. “You’re perfect and I need you more than you could ever imagine…”
Chapter 7
He was holding her tight, as if he would never let her go. Freya looked up into his big, honest eyes and could sense the urgency. It was as if this moment was always supposed to happen. The stars had aligned to make it perfect for them, there in the woods, at that particular moment in time.
“Tell me,” she whispered. “What’s happening?”
They were in the center of a clearing and Kellan sat down on a large rock and sighed. Freya rushed to him and bent down. He looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“I want to tell you, but I don’t know what you’ll think of me… Of us…” he said.
“Tell me,” she said again as she squeezed his hand reassuringly.
Kellan sucked in some air and his eyes found hers. “Okay,” he began, “here goes…”
Freya sat down next to him and Kellan wrapped her hand in his.
“When Julie found you,” he said, “it was for me…” He paused and shook his head as if he couldn’t continue, but Freya nudged him and he nodded and continued.
“I need you Freya. You’re the perfect woman to continue my family’s legacy with… I know it sounds crazy, but we are a dying breed and I need someone like you, someone beautiful and strong to carry my child.”
Freya’s mouth dropped open. Of all the things she had been expecting to hear, that was not one of them.
“I…I…” she stammered, but Kellan continued.
“Julie knew you were the one, and the second I met you, so did I,” he said. “I know it sounds crazy. I never thought it would happen this way either, but you can’t deny what we have… There’s something between us. It was there instantly, and it’s only getting stronger.”
He took hold of her face and shivers of lust ran up her spine.
“Give yourself to me, Freya, and you’ll have everything you’ve ever wanted. We will be a family, we’ll be united, and all of this will be yours.”
“But I’m at college,” she stammered.
“And you can still finish,” he said. “I inherited this house and all of my parent’s fortune. I have more than enough money to keep you, support you and help you finish your studies if you give me a cub.”
“A what?” Freya said with disbelief.
“A cub,” he said again as he stroked her cheek. “Give me the heir I need, help me continue my family’s dynasty and you will be forever rewarded.”
Her whole skin was prickling and suddenly things all began to make sense. The statues of bears dotted around the estate, his gruffness and the heat that oozed from his pores. Kellan was a shifter and he needed to breed before his family line was extinguished. Freya looked up at the man in front of her and knew that she wanted nothing more than to help him. She loved him, and she loved Julie. He was right: In the short time they had known each other, their connection had been forged and was intensifying with each second they spent together.
She already couldn’t imagine her life without them… Could she be the one to help them in the way they needed?
As she looked up to the sky, she saw the moon was rising above the tops of the trees. It was full and casting silvery light all around them. Kellan’s eyes were growing darker and wider, and Freya could sense the change in him. He was turning.
“I want you so bad,” he said as he kissed her again. “I’ve never wanted anyone as much in my entire life. You’re my one true mate.”
Freya felt a knot of fear and lust in her belly and a wetness between her legs. She was aching for him and knew that she wanted to give herself to him, but she was so nervous, she was afraid to let go.
“You’re a virgin,” he whispered. “I can tell.”
Freya blushed and nodded. She could see the bulge in his pants getting bigger, and it was turning her on so much she could barely control herself.
“I can only breed with a virgin,” he looked at her dead in the eyes again before he kissed her and led her back onto the rocks.
Freya wrapped her legs around him and let him pin her hands back high above her. He ran his hands up her side and cupped her big, bountiful breasts before kissing up the side of her neck. His touch was electric and as the passion flowed through him, the more animalistic he became.
The moon was directly over them and as he slipped Freya’s panties down and released his impressive manhood, a wave of power rolled over him as he tore out of his skin and into the great hulking beast in front of her. As he penetrated her for the first time, Freya screamed with pleasure and delight. She had never had a man inside of her before, never mind one as powerful as Kellan. As he shifted into his bear form, he continued to ravage her and thrust himself in and out of her. The feeling of fur against her skin was divine and as he ravished her soft and curvy body, his strokes became more intense and passionate.
Freya was on the verge of release, and she gripped him with her legs and moaned as his huge cock pounded her. As he fucked her, he grunted hard and fast and began cumming in a hot and powerful wave. He shot his load right up inside of her and Freya could feel it hitting her inside walls. She gasped as her own orgasm thundered through her. She was being taken by the bear and it was the most intense and amazing experience of her entire life.
As he emptied himself inside of her and they became one, she knew instantly that she would be his forever. Kellan had claimed her, and she was going to give him cubs. She could already feel the magic happening inside of her, and she nuzzled into him and breathed in the scent of his sweat and sex.
“I love you,” Kellan panted as he withdrew and his fur gave way to his human form. His strong and hulking frame was in front of her, his muscles glistening in the moonlight.
“I love you, too,” she smiled.
***
They walked back up to the house arm in arm, their passion strong and overflowing. There was no way Julie wouldn’t be able to tell the second she saw them that her plan had worked. As they emerged from the woods and Freya looked up at the amazing house, she couldn’t believe that it was about to become her home. She had fallen on her feet, taken in by an incredible family and made into one of their own… and now they were going to have a baby. It all seemed so surreal.
Julie stood up on the terrace as she saw them approaching and clapped her hands together excitedly.
“You two look amazing together,” she beamed. “I just knew the second I saw you that you were Kellan’s mate.”
Freya nuzzled into him again, and he wrapped his arm around her tightly.
“You did good, Sis,” he smiled. “And you’ll soon be an aunty so you better get practicing your babysitting skills.”
Julie squealed with glee and jumped on the spot.
“A cub for us,” she smiled. She rushed forward and hugged Freya. “You have no idea how much this means to us all.”
Freya nodded and smiled. She had no idea how, but she really did understand. This was her fate and s
he was welcoming it with open arms.
“This calls for a celebration,” Freya said as she looked up at Julie and Kellan.
Joe and Max came out of the house with a bottle of alcohol-free champagne and Max popped the cork. They all sat around the fire pit and chinked glasses as they looked up at the moon and watched the fireflies. It was such a beautiful night and the start of an incredible journey.
Freya looked up at Kellan and smiled. She was finally home.
THE END
Marked as the Alpha’s Mate
Pamela Avery
Copyright ©2015 by Pamela Avery. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic of mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Thank you so much for your interest in my work!
PROLOGUE
2012
Lisa Fuller jogged, her strides lengthening along the path in time to the music blaring over her earphones. She had decided to take the scenic route today, jogging down the forest path that was least popular among most joggers in Fidelity, Philadelphia.
It was quite early in the morning and the air was dewy, fresh, and invigorating. The smell of fresh pines tantalized her nostrils and she inhaled deeply as her feet pounded along the path. Her red hair was done up in a simple bun atop her head and she was clad in a skin-fitting exercise outfit that accentuated the generous curves of her waist and hips.
A noise like thunder rumbled overhead and she almost lost her footing as she looked around in amazement. It was still a bit too dark to tell but the skies didn’t seem to be cloudy. With a shrug, she resumed her jogging, humming in time to the music as a slight wind began to rustle the leaves of the trees lining the forest path. Lisa picked up her pace a little, almost running now.
She had gone almost a half mile along the forest path when she suddenly got the unmistakable feeling of being watched. Her eyes widened with irrepressible panic as she scanned the tall pine trees on either side of the path, extending in every direction as far as the eye could see. She saw no one. Fear coursed through her veins and almost automatically she started running, her breath burning in her lungs as she ran faster than she had ever run before.
Then she saw him. A huge, brown, absolutely beautiful, and deadly, bear with chestnut brown fur with flecks of gold. Its teeth were bared as it raced towards her. She almost froze in her terror. She couldn’t remember … are you supposed to freeze when you see a bear, or play dead, or run? While she tried to figure it out, he kept coming right at her in long lopping strides.
Raw fear clotted her blood in her veins and adrenaline burst through her in a rush as her terror took over and she faced forward and chose the “run away” option. He caught up to her effortlessly, his large paws closing about her waist as he lifted her in his great big paws and roared loud enough to wake the dead. She didn’t have to speak bear to recognize a roar of triumph when she heard it. His scent assailed her nostrils, surprisingly clean and nice. There was something strange about this bear. Why wasn’t she dead already? Her eyes fastened in fascinated horror on the pink inside of his mouth as he roared anew. The sound so loud she was almost afraid it would break her ear drums. Goosebumps erupted all over her hands and sweat poured down her body in rivulets. His paw encircled her entire waist effortlessly as he held her closer to his face and studied her.
Then things got even stranger as some deep survival instinct took over. This was a wild animal, but there was something different about it. There was an intelligence behind its eyes. Rather than scream she chose to speak.
“Please, please,” she panted, barely breathing through her fear. “Please don’t. I have little kids depending on me! Please don’t kill me!”
She was talking to a bear, her subconscious screamed. But even knowing that it couldn’t understand a word of what she was saying – or at least shouldn’t be able to, didn’t deter her as she continued to cry and plead for her life. Every nerve in Lisa’s body strained to breaking point as the beast kept her on level with its shiny white teeth, the size of small tusks.
Lisa struggled weakly in its arms, tears coursing down her cheeks as the animal stopped roaring long enough to look right at her out of strangely beautiful grey eyes flecked with bits of golden color. The animal seemed to freeze as it looked into her clear turquoise eyes. It blinked its great big eyes as though in confusion and Lisa wished desperately that she had a gun or tranquilizer.
The bear shook her slightly staring at her as though in wonder and she screamed anew. Then it extended one paw and unbelievably stroked her cheek gently. Lisa’s eyes widened in terror; was that the signal to begin eating her?
The beast made a low sound deep in its throat, its pale gaze fastened on hers. They stared at each other for a while and then with a grunt, it gently, almost reverently, with a deftness she did not think a bear could possess, placed her on her feet back onto the ground.
Lisa stared up at the immense bear, almost afraid to believe this was happening. The beast, as though understanding her disbelief, poked her slightly with one claw on its paw. She jerked backwards, almost falling over. Then with one last glance back at it, she turned and began to run, expecting every second to hear its feet thundering after her and the large furry paws closing around her neck again.
But with every step that took her farther away, the bear just stood watching her, an almost wistful expression on its face.
It let her go.
She ran for all she was worth, gasping as she stumbled and fell. Her alarmed gaze flew over her shoulder again and then widened in disbelief; the bear was gone! In its place, she saw a naked man walking away.
He turned for one last glance over his shoulder, the distance masking his features, and then he himself disappear. She fainted on the spot in mid-stride.
CHAPTER ONE
2015
Lisa Fuller grinned down at three-year old Emily, sharing the little girl’s happy laughter as they both threw more bread down to the swans floating around in the pond.
Emily was a little girl with a tangled mop of blonde hair, deep-set dimples, and the bluest pair of eyes she had ever seen on anyone. Emily had the sweetest smile possible and whenever she grinned at Lisa it felt as though all was immediately right with the world. You wouldn’t know it to look at her but she had known so much tragedy in her short life it was a wonder she even knew how to smile. Children really were resilient, Lisa decided.
“Lisa?” Emily chirped, in her little girl voice.
“Yes hon?” Lisa said, tossing a particularly large piece of bread to a giant swan at the far end of the pond.
“Who’s that man over there?”
“What man?”
“Over there. He’s been staring at us,” Emily said, pointing in the direction of another bench with the typical innocence of children.
“What man?” Lisa repeated craning her neck. In today’s world, a staring stranger could spell more danger than a rabid dog. “Stop pointing Emily,” she scolded gently as she finally saw the man who had caught the girl’s attention.
He was at least five-eight, slim with straggly strands of greasy black hair that fell all over his face and sunken cheekbones and hungry eyes that spelled ‘addict’. Lisa swallowed, her hands knotting together in her lap as a slight tendril of fear worked its way down her spine.
His gaze shifted imperceptibly to Emily and Lisa jerked to her feet immediately. She clutched the girl’s hand in a protective grasp as she turned and began to walk away.
The man followed immediately, a nasty grin on his face. Lisa quickened her steps automatically; so preoccupied with getting them both away from the man that she didn’t realize they had wandered into an almost deserted section of the park.
“Are we playing a game Lisa?” Emily chirped conspiratorially, her cheeks shining with good health.
“Yes sweetie.
We need to walk as fast as possible so that that man can’t catch us.”
“So why don’t we just run?” Emily suggested happily, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Lisa tried not to roll her eyes. Emily had only one speed; run! But on occasion, running was just what the doctor ordered. She bent a little at the waist as they walked and leaned down towards the little girl.
“Okay listen Emily, when I say ‘run’ I need you to run and hide okay? You remember where Coby hid the last time we were all here and no one could find him?” Emily nodded, her pigtails bouncing. “Okay sweetie. Run!” Lisa whispered to Emily and the little girl took off like a light.
Lisa also began to run, risking a quick glance over her shoulder. The man had also begun to run after her, his gaze trained on her. It wasn’t Emily he wanted then, she thought with relief as she picked up her pace, running in an almost opposite direction to lead him away from the little girl.
The man was closing in on her now. In fact he was so close his rank smell hit her nostrils almost choking her.
Just as the stranger was about to grab her from behind, someone dived at him and tackled him to the ground. Lisa slowed, unable to believe her eyes as the new man punched her pursuer right in the face, then flipped him effortlessly and tied his hands behind him with a trip of wire. She had never seen anyone move so fast in her entire life.
The cops showed up almost immediately and carted the man away. As he left, he spat contemptuously in Lisa’s direction, hatred burning in his eyes.
Lisa drew back, alarmed. What had she ever done to the man? She was certain she didn’t know him.
“Ex-boyfriend?” someone asked casually from behind her. She whirled; it was the man who had saved her. He stood about six feet away, his hands in his pockets as he stared after the police car.
