The Complete Series

by Elena Aitken

  She pressed herself into him, and there was no holding back. He couldn’t go slow. With one solid thrust, he was inside her. She squeezed her eyes shut, and groaned her pleasure as he sat inside for a moment, allowing her to grow used to his size. The moment she opened her eyes, he started to move inside her. Slowly at first, allowing the passion between them to build.

  “Kade?” He paused and leaned down so he could hear what she needed to say. “Tu eres mio.” He opened his mouth to ask her what that meant, but in the next second, her teeth sank into the flesh over his shoulder blade, and he knew exactly what it meant because he felt it too.

  “Gabriella, I want you, too.” And not to be outdone, Kade bared his teeth and sank them into the flesh just above her collarbone. Just as she’d done to him, he finally claimed his mate.

  Epilogue

  June

  * * *

  Walking along the ridge was still one of Gabriella’s favorite things to do. Especially now that the snow had melted. It was June already, but Chloe still liked to remind her that when it came to the mountains of Montana, snow could happen at any time. She tried not to think about that. The winter had been long.

  But it had also been pretty damn cozy. Gabriella stole a glance at her mate, who walked next to her.

  Winters in Montana might be a whole lot different than what she was used to, but she didn’t mind the cold too much as long as she had Kade to cuddle up to and keep her warm. And that had definitely helped her winter go by quickly. Very quickly.

  Since they’d finally mated and she’d claimed him, followed very quickly by him claiming her, their life had been almost like a fairy tale. With all their secrets out in the open, they were free to be together without the weight of past lives weighting them down. And it had been easy and fun and just…more than she ever would have thought.

  The sun was out, making the afternoon even warmer than normal, and Kade had shed his jacket. She couldn’t help it; Gabriella felt a little thrill every time she saw her mate in only a t-shirt because she could see the very edge of the mark she left on him when she’d claimed him. Her hand instinctively went to her own shoulder blade. The scar almost seemed to heat up at the very memory of the night when she’d decided to take matters into her own hands.

  “Are you thinking about it again?” Gabriella hadn’t noticed Kade coming up beside her until she was in his arms. “I can see it in your eyes.”

  “I’m not,” she lied, knowing he could see right through her.

  He kissed her before he worked his mouth down her neck to the collar of her shirt. With a growl, he pushed it aside and revealed her mark. His claim on her. “Don’t forget, babe. I have my claim on you, too.”

  “But I did it first,” she teased. They’d been through this before, and she had no doubt, they’d go through it again. Many times. And she knew he didn’t mind that in a completely unorthodox move, she’d laid her claim first. In fact, secretly, Gabriella was pretty sure Kade liked the fact that she’d broken tradition. Because everything about their relationship went against tradition. Which, to her, was just one more thing that made it so special.

  “And I did it last,” he said, the way he always did as he pulled her close for a kiss. It didn’t matter who did it first, or last, because the only thing that mattered was that he had a claim on her, and she had one on him. They were mated, and that would never change.

  “It’s a beautiful day,” Gabriella said when he pulled away. “And you know I love these little hikes, but how would you feel about going for a run? Luke has the guests down at Blackwood Ranch today, so it’s safe.” She squeezed his arm, hoping he’d agree to run with her, but she knew he wouldn’t. He clearly had something he wanted to talk about, which was why he’d convinced her to come out for a walk when they both had bread to bake and a meal to prepare for dinner.

  “Maybe later.” He shifted so he held her hand while they continued to walk. “I’ve been thinking a lot lately.”

  She smiled to herself. Finally, he was going to tell her what was on his mind. “Yes?”

  “I want to visit Kira.”

  “Kira?” Of all the things she’d thought he’d say, that wasn’t one of them, although she had to admit, she wasn’t surprised to hear that he wanted to see Kira. Ever since his confrontation with his grandfather, there had been questions. There was no doubt that the brothers believed their mother had experienced the love of a fated mate, but there did seem to be more than a little doubt surrounding Kira’s situation. Kade didn’t like to talk about it, but when Gabriella did bring it up, more and more, he wasn’t shutting it down. She knew he was thinking about it. “I think it would be a great idea to go visit her,” she said honestly. “Why now?”

  “Do you know much about the bond between twins?”

  She shook her head. “Not much, really. There weren’t many twins in my clan.”

  “We have a stronger bond. A much stronger bond. We can sense things with each other, kind of like with a mate, but not quite. It’s different.”

  She nodded. “And do you sense something with Kira?”

  “That’s the thing.” He let go of her hand and walked a few steps away. “I’m not sure. After she left, I didn’t shift for so long that I suppressed all of my instincts.”

  “I remember.” Gabriella smiled wryly.

  “But now…” He turned and reached for her hand again. “Now that I’ve embraced my bear again, things are starting to come back. At first, it was all about you and learning our connection.” He squeezed her hands. “But now that I have a handle on that, there’s something else. I keep getting this feeling.”

  “Kira?”

  He nodded. “I think so. Yes.”

  “And is she in trouble?” She dreaded to ask the question. But at the same time, if there was even the slightest chance that Kade’s sister was in trouble, they needed to go to her. Without question.

  “That’s the thing, babe. I don’t know.”

  She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his nose. “Then we’ll go. As soon as we can.”

  “Kade! Ella?”

  A shout rang through the woods. A deer who’d been resting only a few feet away startled and ran into the trees.

  “Chloe’s got a set of lungs on her.” Kade shook his head and laughed, but Gabriella could hear the panic in her friend’s voice.

  “We’re here,” she called.

  A moment later, Chloe showed up, looking as if she’d run a marathon. “Where’s your radio?” She pointed her own radio at Kade’s chest in accusation. “You’re supposed to have it on you at all times. Especially now with Harper—”

  “Is she…?” Gabriella interrupted. “Is Harper okay?” She’d been released from the hospital a few weeks after Ella’s attack, and for the last few months had been taking it easy.

  Chloe nodded and then grabbed her into a big hug. “She is. It’s time. Axel took her down to the hospital for their checkup, and she started having contractions. They’re a month early still, but Axel called and said they were taking her into the delivery room.”

  “Now?”

  “Now!” Chloe glanced at her watch. “Well, thirty minutes ago. Maybe if we hurry, we can be there in time to meet the baby.”

  “The baby!”

  Gabriella linked arms with Chloe and started off toward the Den. She was only a few steps away when she realized that Kade wasn’t with her. “Are you coming, Kade?”

  He nodded but didn’t move.

  “Kade?” Chloe had stopped along with her and looked at both of them expectantly. “Come on,” she said. “It’s time.”

  “There’s going to be a baby?” He looked dumbfounded, as if he’d just made the connection that yes, Axel and Harper were going to have a baby. There would be a little cub at the ridge and everything would change.

  Gabriella held her breath. They hadn’t talked about cubs yet.

  “There is,” she said slowly. “How do you feel about that? Cubs, I mean.”

  He exhaled
a long breath and a smile crept across his handsome face. “I think it’s going to be pretty awesome,” he said after a moment.

  Joy bloomed through her at his words. She crossed the distance between them and kissed his lips hard and fast. “I’m glad you said that,” she said. “And you’re really going to think it’s awesome when it’s your cub.” She added the last part before she twirled on her foot and ran back to Chloe.

  The women had already started skipping down the trail toward the Den and the promise of a new life when Kade finally realized what she’d said. “Wait!” he called after her. “Does that mean what I think it means?”

  Joy filled her and without breaking her stride, Gabriella turned and blew her mate a kiss. It was the only answer he was going to get.

  For now.

  THE END

  I hope you loved Kade’s story! I think he more than found his match with Ella. Do you think she’s teasing him about a cub? Or maybe she is pregnant? You can find out and meet the Jackson’s little sister, Kira in Hers to Take.

  You can read a sneak peek right after this…

  * * *

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  Hers to Take

  Her family or her heart? She made the wrong choice once before. Can she survive it a second time?

  From the moment Nash lays eyes on the curvy, sassy she-bear, he knows she’s something special. She’s also trouble, because Kira is the exact opposite of what he should be looking for in a mate. With every instinct in his body going wild, his animal is unleashed with a ferocity Nash has never experienced before. He’s not just attracted to her, Nash needs her.

  Kira can’t deny the attraction between them, but she can never let anything happen with Nash. Certainly nothing serious. While the man is a sexy as sin, he’s too cocky for his own good, and worst of all…a wolf.

  If Kira gives in to the need that runs through her veins, she’ll put everything at risk—including the possibility of ever reuniting with her clan again. Faced with the impossible choice between love and family, Kira must learn whether to trust her instincts or whether she’s destined to make the same mistake all over again.

  * * *

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  You can join me here —>

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  Chapter One

  “I really am sorry, ma’am. But as I’ve tried to explain, we just don’t have any riverfront sites available for a unit your size.” Kira Jackson spoke as sweetly as she could. Not that it mattered, because the woman who’d been demanding Kira upgrade her family’s campsite to one of the premium spots still didn’t look as though she was prepared to take no for an answer.

  The truth was, even if Kira did have a campsite available in May—the start of the summer season—that would fit the nasty woman’s monstrosity of an apartment on wheels, she likely still wouldn’t have given it to her. Not that she was vindictive; it was just that reserving the prime spots for nice families who were on their once-in-a-lifetime family vacations to Yellowstone National Park was definitely more rewarding than giving them out to people like the woman in front of her, who’d been spewing all kinds of venom from the moment she’d walked up to Kira’s window.

  “I demand to speak to your manager.” The woman slammed her fist on the counter.

  With her practiced smile still on her face, Kira took a step back and turned away. She could speak to a manager all right. Too bad Kira was the manager. Not that she was about to volunteer that information. Because Kira seriously doubted it would make any difference to the woman.

  “Sasha, there’s a woman who would like to speak to you.” Kira spoke through clenched teeth to her co-worker, who’d just returned from a break. Sasha instantly identified the problem. Sadly, it was a little too common for either of their liking.

  “I’ll handle this.” Sasha patted Kira on the shoulder as she walked by. “Why don’t you go check the wood supply?”

  Kira knew enough to take the out when it was offered. With a sigh of relief, she left Sasha and the unreasonable woman behind and headed outside where they kept the overpriced boxes of wood they sold to the tourists who, despite the cramped campgrounds, wanted to feel as if they were really camping in Yellowstone.

  Not that it was a bad place. Not at all. And besides the occasional bad guest, for the most part Kira enjoyed her job in Yellowstone. It was the perfect place for a bear shifter to hang out. Well, maybe not the perfect place. That would be back home in Jackson Valley with her family. But that was no longer an option.

  She sighed and straightened her shoulders. There was no point dwelling on the fact that she likely wasn’t welcome at home anymore. Especially considering it was her own fault. No. Yellowstone was her home now. And as far as places she could have picked to start over, it was pretty good.

  Her job allowed her to work in the woods, where she could sneak off to let her bear run free when she needed to, which was less and less these days. She was relatively left alone to manage the Riverside campground on her own. As long as she was doing her job well, and running things efficiently, her bosses didn’t seem to care what she did. The people she worked with were nice enough, which was a good thing because they lived together in a small grouping of even smaller cabins behind the registration office.

  She inhaled deeply and let out the breath slowly before she walked toward the wood pile. Selling the boxes for twenty dollars each didn’t deter the tourists from buying them up, and the office was getting low. With the holiday weekend around the corner, they would definitely need to stock up. Which meant Kira needed to split the logs and fill the boxes.

  Sasha thought Kira was crazy for always volunteering for the job, but ever since she was a little girl, Kira had always loved splitting wood. Her two oldest brothers, Axel and Luke, always tried to tell her she was too little, and girls shouldn’t try to do a boy’s job. A theory their grandfather subscribed to as well. It was Kade, her twin brother, who’d let her try his ax for the first time and taught her how to hold it. They’d always had a special relationship. A twin bond.

  They used to be inseparable.

  Used to be.

  Kira shook it off and forced herself to focus on the present. It was getting harder and harder to avoid thinking of her brothers, especially Kade, but she’d made her choice and she’d live with it. No matter what.

  She picked up the ax, set up the first log and hefted the ax over her head before she swung her arms down. Hard.

  The log split easily. She picked up the smaller piece and repeated the action again and again, until finally her arms began to strain from the effort. She could have kept going, but Sasha’s voice stopped her.

  “You’re a machine.”

  Kira turned to see her friend leaning against the wall, watching with wide eyes. She made a show of wiping her brow, despite the fact that she’d barely worked up a sweat.

  “You’ve barely been out here twenty minutes.” Sasha walked toward her. “How did you do that so fast?”

  Kira shrugged. “Once I get going, I just get into a groove or something. Besides, we needed wood, so…”

  “Still.” Sasha shook her head in disbelief. “You must have had some aggression to work out after Mrs. McCarthy.”

  “Was that her name?” Kira propped the ax up against the chopping block. “She was something else. How did you manage to make her happy?”

  Sasha laughed. “I told her a riverfront spot had just opened up that you didn’t know about.”

  Kira raised her eyebrows and listened with interest.

  “I gave her site 58.”

  “Site 58? The one behind the old outhouses?”

  Sasha nodded and Kira couldn’t help but laugh.
“But did you see the size of their trailer? It would only—”

  “Just fit?” Sasha smiled an evil grin. “Exactly. They’d be able to back in, nice and tight to the toilets. I’d be surprised if they could see the lake at all once they get in there.”

  “You’re evil.”

  “I think you mean evil genius.”

  “Of course that’s what I meant.” Kira laughed. “Thanks for taking care of that for me.”

  “That’s what I’m here for. Besides, I was kind of hoping you’d be so thankful that you’d go out and meet the maintenance guy for me in the shower house.”

  Inwardly, Kira groaned. Dealing with Cranky Carl, as he was referred to by the campsite staff, was typically a job they drew straws for and it was Sasha’s turn. The old guy was fairly handy, but he far preferred to complain about it first. For at least an hour.

  “You owe me,” Sasha reminded her.

  “Okay.” She pulled the elastic out of her thick black hair and refastened it into a ponytail. She hoped she didn’t have too many wood chips stuck in her hair. “But you’re boxing the wood.”

  “Deal.” Sasha tossed her the keys to the quad they used to get around the campground and disappeared back inside. Likely before Kira could change her mind.

  She’d done a lot worse, and Cranky Carl wasn’t nearly as bad as her grandfather used to get when he got mad at her brothers when they were cubs. The three of them always could fire up the old man, almost as if they made a sport of it. Come to think of it, they probably did. Not that they would have told Kira. She had definitely been her grandfather’s little princess. She could do no wrong.