by Cecilia Lane
“Alex!”
Liv arched into him and threaded her fingers into his hair. Feral sounds poured out of her mouth. Her hips bucked against him until he growled and slammed his hands down on her thighs, holding her steady. He licked and sucked mercilessly, groaning as her sweetness hit his tongue. She exploded around him, sharp scream ripping through the air and his restraint.
He needed her. Now.
Alex’s jeans hit the ground with a thud. Then he was back between her thighs, driving deep into her and riding through her release. Her body shook at the sudden invasion, rolling another orgasm through her right on the heels of the first and stealing her breath.
His cock slid home, filling her completely. Her body stretched to fit him and Liv buried her face in the crook of his neck.
Her heart burst wide open at their joining. She felt nearly complete, almost whole, part of something bigger for the first time in her entire life. This was what fate intended for her from the very beginning, and she was finally nearing those final steps.
He broke her heart once before and now he put the pieces back together. The years between, she’d always found a way to keep her walls up and everyone else on the outside. She’d been better alone, she’d lied to herself. He’d torn that idea to shreds long even before the run for her life. She wanted a way in, now. She wouldn’t give up on him for the world.
Liv hooked her ankles around Alex. Her mate. Something soft brushed against her mind and she grinned. Her thought, the spark of an inner animal, she didn’t know. The word was perfect, though. That was all that mattered.
He pushed himself up on his hands, black curls falling into his bright green eyes. Liv smoothed his hair back and rose up on her elbows to meet his mouth.
“Tell me what you want,” he breathed against her lips.
Goose bumps tingled to life up and down her arms.
“Mate me,” she whispered back. “Make me yours.”
Alex retreated and slammed home, jaw tight. “Say it again.”
His eyes caught hers. So bright. Trouble swirled in the green. Mischief. Determination. All the parts of him she adored combined together in a heated look that stole her breath.
“Yours. Always.” Liv cupped his cheek and dragged him down into a kiss.
He retreated again and drove into her, deeper than before. Every sliding thrust dragged against her skin and sparked her nerves. Her middle churned with the vast need he implanted in her, the desire to seal herself to him for the rest of their days.
Soft fur brushed against her mind again and a ragged growl tore out of her throat.
“Fuck, baby,” he groaned. He nipped at her neck. “Let me hear that again.”
She met him stroke for stroke. His hands slid over her skin, his fingers dug into her hips. His thrusts sped up, shortened, and he drove into her deeper and harder still. Liv panted and moaned under him, taking everything he gave until fire burned in her veins.
“Need you, Liv.” Deep desire coated his words. Smug satisfaction curved up his lips in a smirk. And love… love shined in his eyes.
All she could do was nod.
The low rumble of his voice added another stroking layer to all the other sensations building inside her. A need for more still buzzed in her head, making her feel a different sort of fire than her fast approaching release. Her head swam. Her vision wavered. She needed something…
“More,” she moaned, tilting her head to the side.
Alex brought his lips down against her throat. Teeth and tongue and lips burned against her skin with the biting, sucking kisses he trailed up the column of her neck.
“Tell me what you want,” he growled in her ear.
Her answer was the same as before. Notes of desperation colored her tone. “Mate me. Make me yours.”
Her hips danced under him as he continued thrusting deep into her. Lights sparked behind her eyelid with every blink. Pleasure bubbled in her blood, rising up with the impending combustion.
Liv threw her head back with a scream. Faint pain pierced her senses, followed by a bright surge of bliss.
More.
Liv turned her head. Her lips mouthed against his skin. And she bit.
Alex roared. His hand slammed into the bed next to her head. He locked his hips against hers and flooded her with warmth.
They both shook when he eased away from her shoulder and pressed his forehead against hers. Too many words swirled in her head, none of them more right than simply mingling their breath at that moment. Liv wrapped her arms around her mate’s neck and sighed with contentment.
Wild man. Her man.
Her mate.
With him, she’d never know what to expect. And she couldn’t wait to see what’d he’d do next.
Epilogue
Liv dug her hands into the dirt and sucked down another breath. Afternoon sun beat down on her back. Her hair hung in her face, each strand feeling like a thread of fire. Her skin itched worse than she ever remembered while also feeling strangely tight.
She logged the details while the sense of something more pushed outward across every inch of her body.
She knew the mechanics of what to expect, but knowing didn’t prepare her in the slightest for experiencing.
“Stop thinking so much,” Alex growled with rebuke. “Don’t fight her. Close your eyes and let go.”
Easy for him to say.
The grumble in her head came with affection. She’d spent the night and day in her mate’s arms, alternating between renewing their bond over and over and devouring everything he put in front of her.
The sense of something else inside her grew with every passing hour until Alex had stiffened and thumbed open her eyes, then ordered her outside.
Liv dragged down another breath and squeezed closed her eyes. The darkness behind her lids morphed or maybe dragged her further into herself, she didn’t know which. But slowly, she realized she wasn’t alone.
She turned inside herself and faced off against a giant bear.
Black fur covered her from front to back without a speck of color anywhere. A large head swiveled toward Liv and glowing green eyes latched onto hers. The beast stepped forward with pure confidence and shoved Liv out of the way.
The moment she let go, fur pressed against her mind.
Pain started in her fingers and toes and worked its way up her limbs and into her spine. Sharp cracks entered the air, then she was wrenched away from time and space.
When she plopped back into herself, she was a bear.
Liv stumbled to her paws, twisting around and around to try getting a better look at herself. Black fur. Four paws. Thick legs. Check, check, check.
Another smattering of pops and cracks jerked her attention to Alex. His form shifted and then his inner animal stood before her.
He lunged at her and she ran.
Wind rustled through her fur. Her claws dug into the earth. Sights and sounds pressed down around her, but the scents gave the world a whole new dimension.
Liv slammed to a stop and shoved her nose against the ground. Grass. Sweet grass and flowers with drops of water and loads of pollen. The air was thick with scents that made her stomach rumble.
Nearby, a cow loudly mooed.
Alex slowed next to her and rubbed his head against her shoulder. Reassurance and encouragement to keep on moving and figuring out her new self.
With another bump of his head, he chuffed at her and turned toward a group of trees. He stretched himself tall against one and dragged his claws down the bark, leaving a mark for all to see.
Liv copied him, rising up on her back legs and balancing against the strong trunk. Her claws dug into the wood just as he’d done. She pressed harder and softer, learning just what sort of damage she could inflict.
Important, that. The life of a shifter wasn’t entirely peaceful, as she’d learned firsthand.
A growl rattled in her throat. She turned toward the roaming cattle and startled them with a roar.
The noise
was a challenge to anyone who’d try to part her from her mate again. A demand to back off and never show their face. And a promise to stick by him for all her days.
No one would tear their world asunder again.
Not the asshole without a name or identification that ruined Alex’s life for six long years and completely changed her own. Their maker was a crazed mystery who’d been handed the ultimate price for his crimes.
Not the accomplices to hunter cells seeking to eradicate supernatural kind. Jenny and her bogus security guard were still on the run, but the serum team was determined to redouble their efforts, using Liv’s samples as the start of their new research.
Alex shoved his nose against her neck. A growl rumbled out of him, but he didn’t smell sharp or angry in the slightest. Liv sank into the relaxed feeling of him standing so close.
When he moved away, she followed.
He led her over Black Claw lands, letting her pick up different scent trails and following them until another snagged her attention. Along fences, chasing cows, near and far from the houses that sat in the very center of the territory. He introduced her to her lands, her clan, and her new life.
There was no one else she’d rather have by her side. The afternoon was perfect.
She wasn’t sure how long they spent in fur. Hours. Long enough for the sun to sink close to the horizon and streak oranges into the blue sky.
Liv’s ears twitched as they neared the houses again. The noise grew with a chorus of voices and laughter once they crested a final hill. Down in the middle of the yard between the main house and barn was the entire clan.
She rumbled her surprise and Alex nudged her forward, smelling amused.
Tansey and Joss directed where to place the spread of food on tables dragged from storage somewhere. Ethan and Hunter begrudgingly followed orders while Sloan, Lorne, and Jesse peppered them with suggestions and insults.
After one particularly insulting volley, Hunter slammed the tray of food in his hands to the table, grabbed a chicken wing, and threw it at Jesse. The other man simply shrugged and bit into the wing, raising a middle finger as thanks.
Liv laughed—chuffed—and stumbled to a startled stop. Alex swung his head into her side and urged her forward.
She was part of their exclusive club now. Her new instincts threatened to overwhelm her with happy pride.
Joss turned, her hand on a belly that seemed to grow larger every day. “There you are,” she greeted with an exasperated look over her shoulder. “Hurry up and change so we can properly welcome you to the clan. We might not have any food left!”
Liv turned with Alex for their hut, glad for the privacy. Shifting back to her human side went easier than becoming a bear, but she still struggled and needed several long minutes before her legs stopped feeling like jelly and she could stomach putting clothes against her skin.
Finally dressed and back on two feet, Alex sifted hands into her hair and gently kissed her lips. “You ready for this?”
She nodded and slipped her hand into his. “Let’s do it.”
The activity stopped as soon as they stepped back into the group. She didn’t know who was the first to clap, but they were welcomed into the middle of the group to the sound. Alex stayed by her side as Ethan stepped forward and crushed her into a hug.
“Welcome to the clan, Liv,” he rumbled. He pointed at Alex. “You make sure this one behaves.”
“Not likely,” she chuckled.
One after the other, they all stepped forward to give her a hug and welcome her to the clan. There was more to the greeting, she realized after Ethan. They were learning her scent, just as she was figuring out how to pick them apart by her nose alone.
Joss was the last to give her a hug. “Watch out for Hunter,” she warned.
Before Liv could ask why, the door banged open. The other man careened back outside, frustrated fury written all over his face as he waved a picture frame in the air.
“Alex!” Hunter shouted.
Joss sank her head into her hands and sighed. “Here we go.”
Alex snickered quietly and Liv turned. “What did you do?” she demanded sternly.
Wide-eyed innocence didn’t cover the lie in his scent. “Wasn’t me.”
“‘Wasn’t me. Wasn’t me.’” Hunter stomped off the porch and made a face. “Fuck you, dickhole, I can smell your stank all over the wood!”
“Must smell pretty nice, then,” Liv called back and popped a chip into her mouth. Joss jabbed her in the side with an elbow. Tansey and Sloan outright laughed.
Hunter narrowed his eyes at her and shook a finger. “I know this is your shifting party and clan welcome, but don’t take his damn side.”
“Well, what did he do?”
“Replaced pictures of Hunter,” Joss started.
“With that damn cow of his!” Hunter shook the frame again. “Every last one of them! Cow heads, cow asses, fuck, even damn cow shit! My wedding picture is this beautiful woman,” he gestured to Joss, who struggled to keep her smile contained, “standing next to a giant turd!”
Liv bit her lip to hold back her laughter. She leaned closer to Joss. “How long did that take?”
“Weeks, I think. I noticed the first one days ago.”
Alex glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. She knew what question he asked.
Liv waved him on. “Get it over with.”
Alex slammed a hand to his chest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t play dumb with me. I’m not waiting for you to eat.”
The other mates exchanged glances. “Us, either,” Joss proclaimed.
Grinning, Alex threw his arms wide and squared off against Hunter. “Figured your mate would want something nice to look at for a change.”
Liv laughed. He wasn’t perfect even on a good day. But he was more relaxed than ever. There was still a wildness to him, but his shoulders didn’t seem as tense and he was freer with proper, genuine smiles instead of clenched teeth and sarcasm.
Hunter’s bear ripped out of him with a roar. Alex’s followed half a second later. The two beasts crashed into one another while the rest of the clan went about their business like the brawl was nothing out of the ordinary.
No, Alex wasn’t perfect. But he was hers.
They were all hers.
Liv smiled to herself and joined her new clan.
Thank you for reading Wild Fate! I hope you loved Alex and Liv!
The Black Claw clan will return with Bucking Fate!
Next in Series
Bucking Fate: Black Claw Ranch Book Five
Her kidnapper will kill to keep her. So will her mate. She must decide—fight or flee.
Overcoming her torture. . .
Kidnapped and changed against her will, submissive Nora escapes to the small shifter town Bearden. There she rebuilds her courage and her shattered life.
But the kidnapper’s mark prevents her from mating Jesse, a sexy cowbear as kind as he is strong.
A man who gives her the encouragement to slay her fears and take back her independence.
When her past comes howling into town, she can plant her feet and fight or she can turn tail and run—saving everyone but herself.
Guarding her from peril. . .
Under Jesse’s stoic calm, the ghost of a grim childhood rages. When he meets the reserved Nora, he recognizes in her a kindred pain—and the spark of an undiscovered strength.
Strength they will need when a familiar enemy tracks her down and threatens not just her life, but their clan.
Nora’s instinct is to sacrifice herself to save the clan. Jesse’s is to tear down the enemy’s walls and salt the earth with their blood.
Bucking Fate, book 5 in the Black Claw Ranch series, is a steamy werewolf bear shifter paranormal romance for readers who love fated mates, heroines in peril, and tortured cowboy heroes who cherish the women they love.
Download now because you love the story of two tormented fated mates healing
and defeating an enemy—together.
Bucking Fate is available on Amazon!
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About the Author
Cecilia Lane grew up in a what most call paradise, but she insists is humid hell. She escaped the heat with weekly journeys to the library, where she learned the basics of slaying dragons, magical abilities, and grand adventures.
When it became apparent she wouldn’t be able to travel the high seas with princes or party with rock star vampires, Cecilia hunkered down to create her own worlds filled with sexy people in complicated situations. She now writes with the support of her own sexy man and many interruptions from her goofy dog.
Connect with Cecilia online!
www.cecilialane.com
Also by Cecilia Lane
Shifting Destinies: Black Claw Ranch
Wrangled Fate
Spurred Fate
Breaking Fate
Wild Fate
Bucking Fate
Shifting Destinies: Shifters of Bear’s Den
Forbidden Mate
Dangerous Mate
Hunted Mate
Runaway Mate
Stolen Mate
Untamed Mate
Shifting Destinies Standalone Stories
Her Christmas Wolf
Claiming the Wolf Princess
Wanted by the Bear
