Mated to the Cougar

by Kristen Strassel

  Who was I kidding? There was no way I could even think about having sex right now. But maybe it would make the pain go away.

  “Come with me.” He sat on the edge of the couch and slowly unwrapped the blanket from me. I shivered, my body confused by the shift and wanting to have Dylan way before I was ready. Hugging my knees to my chest, I took a deep breath. “You look better already. The color is back in your cheeks,” he said as he brushed his fingers along my cheekbone.

  I shivered. “I don’t know if I can—“

  “Shh.” Dylan cut me off and pulled me to my feet. “I ran a bath for you.”

  Perfect. He put his arm around me and led me into the bathroom. Whoever had built this cabin had most likely enjoyed outdoor activity, skiing, snowboarding, or even hunting. All of that took its toll on a body, and they smartly put in a huge soaking tub. Steam fogged the mirrors in the room, and the water bubbled from the jets in the tub. Dylan stepped in the tub and then held out his hand to help me in.

  Sinking into the warm water, I pressed my body against Dylan’s. The jet pressure helped my muscles knit back themselves together, the pain floating away with the water. Dylan’s strong hands kneaded my shoulders.

  “How do you always know what to do?” I moaned as he continued to work the sore muscles in my arms, putting everything back together. His wet hair clung to my back.

  “It’s easy with you.” He kissed my shoulder. “I want you to be happy. Because you’re mine.”

  I turned around, slowly, since my body still fought movement, and straddled his lap. I pushed his hair away from his face, wrapping it around my fingers. He groaned then pressed his lips together in a smile. “And you do a very...” I stopped to kiss him. “Good...” Another kiss. “Job.”

  We kissed for a long time. Dylan ran his hand up and down my thigh, every movement getting a little closer to my sex. He slipped a finger inside me and I cried out. “Are you ready?” Dylan asked, his forehead pressed against mine.

  I nodded. Adrenaline had taken over, and I needed this—now. I was right; it was the one thing that could put me back together. I moved my hand up and down his shaft and he threw his head back, his hips bucking upward. I loved the way he looked when he was totally lost in the sensation of me touching his body. I’d never had such an effect on another person before, and it was a high I never expected to experience.

  Dylan’s eyes glimmered when he picked his head back up. His hands were on my hips, sure and steady, and he lifted me up easily, holding me above his cock. Slowly, he lowered me down so he was sheathed to the root. I started to push up so I could fuck him, but he held me down. He didn’t say a word, he shook his head. When he was ready, he started moving my body back and forth. I held on to his shoulders, leaning forward to kiss him. He nipped my lips and pulled away.

  Once more I tried to move, but Dylan grasped my hips, stilling me. Again, he shook his head. I could feel his cock throbbing inside me, and I was going crazy not being able to move. My breaths were shallow, and those little explosions started going off in a deep recess of my brain.

  Dylan lifted me up, bringing me back down his shaft slowly while he got the rhythm right, then sped up, moving me up and down like I weighed absolutely nothing. He was in total control of both of our bodies, and as the explosions got bigger, I was totally dissolving every time he moved me up and down his shaft.

  I cried out as my orgasm reached its peak. Dylan let go of my hip and I fell forward against his chest. His fingers slashed down my back, marking my ass cheek, and he threw his head back and roared. His voice thundered, and my own was lost in the echo. He shuddered and grew still underneath me, panting. My open skin stung, and from that moment on, I belonged to Dylan.

  And no one could change that.

  Chapter Fourteen

  THE FULL MOON KNEW the pride was waiting for it, and the next few weeks went by fast. There was no time to prepare for something like this. No way to do it. It was all going to be primal instinct, and whoever had the better intuition that night would walk away the victor.

  Belinda was so irritated with me. Now I had two stories I’d committed to that I didn’t want to report on. My videos about my workouts weren’t anything special. I don’t know what she was expecting. There was nothing exciting about the elliptical. Dylan and I were still meeting three times a week on company time, but I couldn’t tell all of Woodland Park what I was really doing to get in shape. The Park View was a family publication.

  I finally had to come clean with Belinda about Dylan and that reporting on the pride clash was a total conflict of interest.

  “I’ll take you off that story,” she grumbled. “But I’m still going to need you to talk to people. Shifters will only talk to shifters about certain things. And I might change your assignment from getting fit to finding love when you least expect it. The only reason I’m even letting you get away with this is because you’re so annoyingly happy.”

  I hated that idea, too. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Can I interview you?” Belinda’s face lit up. “I really think people would want to read your story. Finding love after forty. And especially with that hunk! There are so many women ready to give up on love. I bet we could get this to go to syndication!” She practically sang the last word. Nothing would ever be sexier to Belinda than having an article go out on syndication.

  It was going to be easier to give in. “Let me know what you come up with.” So many things had changed since I met Dylan, I hadn’t even had time to sort it all out for myself yet. After my pride’s reaction, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to share my story with the entire world. The people I trusted most rejected me. My own fucking sister! I hadn’t talked to Kat since she left my house after we celebrated her claiming. She didn’t even know about mine. Don’t even get me started about Linnea. I always knew she was a catty bitch. All I had was Dylan, and it made our bond stronger. Screw anyone who didn’t believe it. We didn’t need them.

  My body was in a constant state of flux. All the sex and the shifting were enough to make things go crazy before I even considered the workouts and the detox from all the food Dylan had thrown away. But I’d felt better than ever. Shifting was slowly getting easier, and otherwise, I hadn’t had this much energy in years.

  “I’m not going to be able to work on it right away.” Belinda rubbed her head. “Are you sure you can’t cover this doe thing with the pride? None of us know this stuff like you do, Ari.”

  “Not unless you want me to write an opinion piece.” My words sounded like a growl and two of the other reporters in the office jumped back. Even though the humans in Woodland Park lived side by side with the shifters, they weren’t always comfortable with what it actually meant. None of my coworkers had ever seen me in my cougar form. And now, if I didn’t cover the story, it was very possible I’d be causing the two worlds to cross.

  At one time, I would have cared. But now I had nothing to hide.

  It wasn’t a doe thing. Lions and cougars dated before we found our true mate, unlike the deer of the herd. But to be claimed was forever. I was fighting for tradition. Dylan and the pride would say the same exact thing.

  After work that Friday, Dylan came to pick me up. The full moon fell on a Saturday that month, which I was thankful for. I had no idea what was going to happen, and I didn’t want to worry about the human side of things.

  When I opened the door he handed me a helmet then leaned over and kissed me. “I thought you might like to try this, now that it’s a little warmer.”

  I took the helmet from him, biting my lip as I considered it. “I’m so excited to finally get to ride.” Any time I met someone with a bike, it was usually in a bar. They always offered to take me out after four or forty drinks, so I would always decline. We’d talk about getting together at some other time, but it was forgotten by the time we sobered up.

  Once I strapped myself into the helmet, I climbed on the back of the bike, leaning against Dylan and wrapping my arms around his
waist. That fresh snowy scent was everywhere, and I was purring like the engine when he kicked it over and headed back out to the forest.

  Riding was a lot like shifting. The freedom, being so close to nature, the danger and the control. I pressed myself against Dylan’s back, loving the way our bodies fit together, even like this.

  Once we got back to the cabin, we stood in the shadows of the living room, kissing and nuzzling lightly. I slid my hands under his leather jacket, his skin was so warm, and his lips so soft. I’d never get tired of this.

  “I want to shift tonight, under the moon,” Dylan said. “I can feel its power. It’s different tonight.” Something inside him rumbled.

  “Tonight?” I pulled away. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  Dylan wrinkled his nose. “Why not?”

  “Because we need to have every advantage tomorrow.” I turned toward the window, the last of the snow glowing almost blue under the moonlight.

  “We will have every advantage tomorrow,” Dylan growled, coming up behind me and putting his arms around my waist. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

  As much as he meant to comfort me, I knew that was a luxury I didn’t have. I’d seen Linnea fight before. She didn’t care about rules or tradition. She went after what she wanted. And if she couldn’t get her claws into Leo, she’d have no problem making a play for Dylan.

  “I’ll play outside with you.” I turned around and pulled him down to me, kissing him so he had no question what I had in mind. “But I think we should stay human.”

  “I can’t hold back on nights like this,” Dylan said against my lips. He brought his hand to my stomach, circling his fingers above my belt. I had to wear one now, my pants would fall off without it. Sensation rose below my skin, and I covered his hand with mine, stilling it. I looked back up at him, and his lips were parted. “A quick run.”

  Dylan slapped my ass and pulled away from me. He laid his jacket on the arm of the couch, and started to shed his clothes. I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist joining him once he was in his lion form. I’d wanted to be in top form for tomorrow. I couldn’t tell him what my plan was because he’d never go for it.

  He’d think I was going against him. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. I planned on fighting for him.

  Dylan’s mane blew in the breeze, and he waited in the yard for me to shift. If the worst-case scenario played out tomorrow night, I wasn’t going to be able to send everyone away while I shifted. I needed to get used to an audience. He circled me protectively as my claws broke through my skin, the fur following.

  Once I shifted, Dylan nestled against my neck, nibbling at the side of my face. He trotted down the hill, his ears up, alert. Something was different about him tonight. Even though he was affectionate, he wasn’t as playful as usual. I stuck close to him. It felt like the right thing to do. I didn’t want to ask him what was wrong, in case something actually was.

  “Shh.” Dylan’s voice was low, as if he could hear my thoughts. He stopped. The snow was a little deeper here, still completely covering our paws. It probably worked in our favor, muffling our footfall. I stepped closer to him. His body was tense. I followed his eyes into the woods, and then I saw what he did.

  Two shadows. We weren’t alone. Dylan took off toward the trees, roaring and snarling. One of the shadowy figure bounded off, but the other braced for the impact.

  Dylan went up on his hind legs when he met with the intruder. The other lion roared on impact, batting his massive paws at Dylan. I ran after him, but as Dylan tangled with the lion, he called out a warning to me. “Stay back, Ari.”

  The two lions continued to fight, rolling in the snow, ripping at each other with their teeth. There was no way I could stay out of it. I ran toward the two of them and pounced. The other lion roared and retreated once it was no longer a one on one fight.

  “I told you to stay back!” Dylan growled, trotting back up the hill toward the cabin without even looking at me. I’d probably challenged his masculinity, but he was going to have to get over it.

  “How could I?” I chased after him. He didn’t answer me. “Who was that, anyway?” I didn’t like that they were so close to the cabin. This wasn’t pride land. No other lion had any business here.

  “My brother.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  THERE WAS NO REASONING with Dylan about any of this.

  “Did he say anything to you?” I asked. Shifting back was even harder than usual tonight, and I headed straight to the bedroom. The moon might be messing with my body, and it was certainly messing with Dylan’s common sense.

  Which was exactly what I was afraid of.

  “No.” Dylan buried his face in my neck. His movements were more aggressive than usual, full moon fever coursed through his veins.

  I pulled away. One corner of Dylan’s mouth lifted in a smile as he crawled toward me. When I pushed at his shoulder, he caught my hand, kissing each of my fingers. I couldn’t let him distract me. “Maybe he wanted to talk to you before you attacked.”

  “He should have never come here unannounced.” His lips were back on my neck. “It’s a sign of disrespect.”

  “Do you think he brought Daphne with him?” It would make sense that the doe would run from two strange lions.

  “Yeah, that was her.” Dylan met my eyes and shook his head slightly. “It was stupid. Anyone could catch her out in the forest. You could have attacked her while he fought with me. He’s playing with fire with that girl.”

  Dylan started kissing my neck and chest, and I fought really hard not to give in to it. “What if he wants the same thing you do?” I pulled his face away from my breast by his hair. A low rumbling sound came from his belly, and it was all I could do to concentrate. “Maybe he brought her here as a truce. To start a new pride.”

  “My pride doesn’t have does in it,” he growled.

  “But you want your brother in it.” I sighed. “You can’t walk into his life and still expect to set the rules.”

  Like I’d let him do to mine. The difference between me and Leo was—I’d wanted to change.

  Dylan rolled back on his heels and dragged his hand through his hair. He did not like being challenged. If we were going to spend forever together, we were going to have to learn to work through these differences, or they’d destroy us faster than any challenge from the pride.

  I sat up and kissed him. Dylan returned it with the intensity I hoped for. He wrapped his fingers in my hair, pulling me in closer. I slid my hands down the front of his body, letting them fall to his ready shaft. I circled the tip with my thumb, and he moaned against my lips. It wasn’t easy to pull away from him, but I kissed the hollow of his neck, making his back bow, offering his cock to me.

  Dylan purred while I worked, cupping his balls, and licking his shaft. He came up off his heels when I hit the spot that made every man go wild, then pulled me away from him, flipping me down on the mattress, and holding my hands above my head.

  He nudged my legs apart with his knees, still holding me down. His hair tickled my face as he looked at me and smiled. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he said as he brushed my lips with his, his beard tickling my cheeks. “You’re so fucking mine.”

  Dylan swallowed my cry when he entered me. There wasn’t any going slow tonight. The moon had us both crazy. I wrapped my legs around his hips, pulling him into me. He crashed down on my body, and we both laughed, hardly breaking the kiss.

  My body began pulsing around his and I opened my eyes and saw nothing. Dylan wasn’t far behind, his cock swelled and he came, but he didn’t lift himself from my body. Instead, he picked up my arm, and pressed butterfly kisses all down the length of it.

  “You don’t have anything to worry about, baby.” He cradled me in his arms. “As long as you’re mine.”

  WE SLEPT IN THE NEXT morning, staying in bed half awake, cuddling and touching one another without saying a word. Once the sun went down, we were expected at S
oldier Mountain. I couldn’t stop thinking about Leo and Daphne coming here last night. Dylan had thought it was a show of disrespect, but I thought otherwise.

  Dylan followed me into the shower. “Stop worrying, Ari.” He wrapped his arms around me from behind, his wet hair draped on my chest as he rocked me back and forth. “It kills me to see you like this.”

  “I’ve always walked away from a fight.” I tipped my head back and kissed him. “This isn’t me.”

  “I always ran away from a fight, and I hated myself for it. I’m not going to kill my brother. But I need his respect. It’s the one thing I’ve never had and I’ve always wanted.”

  “I understand it, I really do.” I sighed. “I wish there was another way.”

  Dylan rubbed shampoo between his palms then started massaging my scalp. His fingers moved in little circles, meeting at the base of my neck. It felt so good I melted under his touch. Once the water ran clean again, he picked up his body wash and started rubbing it into my body. I purred, his scent and the hot steam together were intoxicating.

  “Your body is amazing,” he murmured in my ear as he cupped my ass. He ran his finger along the curve up to my hip. “I’ll never get enough of you.”

  I turned around so he could wash the rest of me, and I wrapped my hands around his neck, pulling him down. We both went down on our knees with the water raining down on us as we kissed.

  I wanted to stay here, at the cabin forever. We didn’t need any pride. We had each other.

  Dylan shut the water off and wrapped a towel around me. It didn’t take me long to get ready. I pulled my hair back in a ponytail after I dried it, and put on very little makeup. Even though I needed to be at my best, I didn’t need to impress anyone. So I went with my plaid flannel button down shirt with jeans and boots.