by Jenika Snow
My mouth salivated to do just that, my canines aching to pierce the tender flesh of her skin and create the mark that would let all others know she was mine, that she was forever taken.
I took a step closer to her, a twig snapping under my paw. But she didn’t look up. She knew I was still here. As I inhaled deeply and took in the scent of her human side, I also smelled the bear inside her trying to come out.
She was half shifter, yet her human genetics were dominant. Her bear was being drowned, submerged by her human DNA. It stopped her from shifting. I could smell she’d never done it, never experienced that pleasure of letting your bear out and having it run free.
But I knew that would change once I mated with her. I knew once my mark was on her, she’d feel her animal rise up, ripping, clawing from the dark depths within her. She’d shift. Not just for herself, but for me. She’d give me the pleasure, the privilege of seeing her animal finally break free, finally experience the joys of being able to run in the woods, feel the air, the wind move across her fur.
And every thought made me harder, more aroused. It made me want to just go over to her right now and take her.
“I know you’re out there,” she called as she stared at the fire, spearing a peach with the prongs of her fork and bringing it to her mouth.
I watched some of that peach juice slip down her full bottom lip, and a low growl of arousal and approval left me.
“I know you’re a shifter, so you might as well come out and stop hiding.” She lifted her head and looked in my direction then, and although it was pitch black, and even though she was only half-shifter, I knew she could see me watching her. “I didn’t come here to be watched and stalked while I’m on vacation.”
I found myself moving closer, unable to stop myself from going to what was mine. When I broke through the tree line, she slowly stood and set her bowl down. I didn’t miss the gun she had in her hand. She’d gone into the tent an hour before, rustled around, and had come back out empty-handed. She must have been hiding the weapon. I couldn’t blame her though. I wanted her to be safe, to feel safe.
I didn’t like that she was out here all alone for God knew how long. It wasn’t safe in the woods, and even though this was property that belonged to my family—belonged to her, because she was my mate—that didn’t mean it was safe. The elements, the wild animals. She could get hurt, lost.
And when I finally stepped into the clearing, staring at her, watching as her throat worked when she swallowed, smelling her nerves, her anxiousness, I hated that I was the reason she felt this way. I lowered my gaze to her hand, where she held the gun. Her fingers were wrapped tightly around the butt, her hand slightly shaking. She was trying to appear strong, and although she was nervous, she wasn’t afraid in the face of clear danger.
Although I wasn’t dangerous to her per se, she didn’t really know that. Maybe she didn’t know I was her mate. Maybe she didn’t know we belonged together irrevocably.
She was half-bear, so in hindsight, those kinds of instincts could’ve been dulled, muted. But the way she looked at me and the scent of her curiosity had this need telling me she felt something more. It might not be as ingrained in her as what I felt, this undeniable bond and irrefutable love I felt for her.
But she would.
I would never walk away from her, no matter what.
Chapter Five
Mena
In front of me stood a massive eight-foot grizzly, his fur dark-brown, almost black in color. His body was powerful. I could smell the Alpha come from him. The realization he wasn’t just an animal but a shifter who no doubt lived in these woods made me… warm. I held the gun tightly in my hand, knowing I wouldn’t actually use it but having it for show, as well as letting him know if it came down to it I would protect myself at all costs.
“Why don’t you shift back? I assume you have something to say to me, because that’s surely why you’ve been lurking in the woods by my campsite this whole time.” I was trying not to show him how anxious I was, that his massive size and presence put me on edge. But even so, I didn’t feel like he would hurt me. I didn’t feel any kind of anxiety that I was in danger.
In fact, I felt the opposite. I felt safe around him, as if anything that tried to harm me, he would come up against as my massive protector. And that was a strange thought given the fact that I didn’t know who this person was, who the shifter really was beneath the fur and the power and the height and weight of his bear.
He didn’t move for long moments, and I didn’t even think he breathed. But then he finally let out of huff, air blowing out his nose as if he were sighing, maybe nervous himself.
I felt the air change, become thicker, hotter. I felt electricity move over me, causing the hair on my arms to stand on end. I watched as his body morphed, shifted from a powerful grizzly bear to the man who stood in front of me. He was still big and massive, his human height close to six and a half feet. He had muscles stacked on each other, and his skin was covered in tattoos. So much ink that I actually felt this tightness pool in my belly. Never had I felt such desire. Never had I thought a man covered in tattoos would be so incredibly sexy.
In fact, I never thought any man was remotely attractive, had never had any desire. And although it was a little strange if I really thought about it, a twenty-something-year-old virgin who had never wanted a relationship, it had never really bothered me, because it had felt right to be alone.
But I looked at this man and all I felt was desire, arousal, and so much need I couldn’t breathe.
What was it about him that made me feel this way?
I refused to lower my gaze down to the intimate part of him, but it was hard. It was really damn hard.
And then despite myself saying I wouldn’t, I looked down, felt my throat tighten, my eyes widen. There he stood in all his naked glory, hard muscles packed upon each other, tattoos trailing along his abdomen, down his hips, and over his thighs. There was so much ink, more tattoo than his tanned skin.
I felt my body heat, my face blush. My nipples hardened, pressing against the material of my shirt. And my pussy… God, I was getting so wet. And his dick—his dick was massive and long... as thick as my wrist.
My mouth dried.
He was starting to get hard, and I felt my eyes widen even more. This was obscene, me staring at him, him getting aroused. And still I couldn’t look away.
I lifted my gaze back up, trying to keep my cool, like there wasn’t some naked shifter standing right in front of me getting a hard-on. I blinked a few times and snapped back to reality, looked behind me at my tent, and started walking backward until I could reach down and grab a blanket. I tossed it to him, and when he caught it effortlessly, not saying anything as he wrapped it around his waist, I breathed out slowly. The material was tented in front from his growing erection, and I could see his brow lift at me in maybe curiosity, or almost a challenge.
I gathered my resolve, pushing everything away. The fact that he was gorgeous and naked made me want to go to him and throw myself against his body. I was acting insane, my bear pacing inside me, wanting out for the first time in her life.
“Why are you hiding in the forest just watching me?” I had to give myself credit. I thought I was handling my shit pretty damn well, not freaking out, even though I wanted to. He said nothing, didn’t respond, didn’t even move. I watched as his massive chest moved up and down slightly as he breathed, his focus trained right on me.
I lifted up the gun to show him, even though I knew I wouldn’t use it, and he probably did as well. “This is fully loaded and I’m not afraid to use it if need be. So why don’t you tell me what you want, why you’re lurking in the woods like a fucking creep, and then we can both be on our way.” My voice was hard and even. I should’ve won an Emmy for how brave I was acting.
I saw the way the corner of his mouth kicked up in a smirk, and despite how I was acting all collected and calm, my emotions gave me away. He inhaled deeply, this slow sound leav
ing him. I was afraid—not of him or that he would hurt me, but of this unusual situation. It wasn’t that I was a sheltered little girl, but then again, I’d never been up against a massive grizzly shifter before, not counting my father.
I was out of my element and nervous of the situation. And my default setting was to act tough even though I really wasn’t.
“You have some fire in your veins, don’t you?” His voice was deep and husky and sent an unusual feeling throughout every single part of my body. “I like it.” He took a step closer. “My bear fucking loves it.”
God. What was happening right now?
My heart started racing even faster, beads of sweat pooling along the length of my spine, between my breasts. I felt those droplets on my temple, as if I’d run a marathon and was trying to catch my breath. What was it about this shifter? I asked myself that over and over again.
I couldn’t place it, but it felt… right. And my bear—my animal—she kept pacing, crying out for more. She wanted to escape me. I’d never felt this kind of power from her before. It was exhilarating, exciting, liberating.
“You didn’t answer my question.” I licked my lips, my voice a little tight.
He cleared his throat and went to lift his hand to rub the back of his neck, as if he were a little bit sheepish over the fact that he’d been caught and called out for creeping on me. I didn’t know why I found that endearing.
“I didn’t mean to be a fucking creep.” He dropped his arm to the side, his other hand still wrapped tightly around the blanket, covering himself, covering the massive erection he still sported.
It took a hell of a lot of self-control not to stare at it, trying not to notice how he tented the material of the blanket.
“I’m on vacation. I don’t know what you want….” My voice was nothing more than a whisper, because the truth was, I didn’t want him to go, and I didn’t know why that was.
“This property is owned by myself and my brothers.” He didn’t say those words as an accusation, not as a judgment, just a fact.
“I—I didn’t know. I didn’t know this was private property.” And I hadn’t, hadn’t seen any signs posted, didn’t even think about it. I felt like a fucking idiot now, my cheeks heating in embarrassment. “I’ll leave.” That was the first thing I thought of, the only thing I could say now. Here I was giving him shit for hiding in the woods, yet this was his property and I was the one trespassing.
“I don’t want you to leave.” His words had me freezing, had my eyebrows lifting up in shock.
“But you said it was private property. I’m trespassing.” Truth be told, I didn’t want to leave either.
We didn’t speak for several long seconds, just stared at each other. I wondered what he was thinking. Did he wonder the same, questioning what was going through my mind? Did he feel the same way I did?
I inhaled deeply and could smell his arousal, his desire for me. But there was something else deep down, something that was overpowering, that had taken control even more than his lust was.
And that was possessiveness.
Toward me.
He took a step forward and I took one back. I didn’t know I was retreating. There was a different kind of fear settling in me. It had this feeling of the future, of all kinds of possibilities, of how far things would go, filling me.
But still, he kept coming closer, almost stalking me, his head slightly lowered, his eyes trained on me. I took one more step back, my foot catching something on the ground, my body propelling backward as I fell. A startled cry left me, and just as I expected to feel the hard ground greet me, he was right in front of me, his big, strong arms wrapped around my waist, stopping me from falling, pulling me toward his wide, expansive chest.
I dropped my gaze and surprise filled me as I noticed I had my palms flat on his chest, instinctively placed on his pectoral muscles to steady myself.
It felt good to touch him.
His skin was warm, hotter than what I thought it would be. Maybe because he had just shifted from his bear form.
I had to tilt my head back to look into his face, his focus still trained on me, his pupils dilated so much they almost ate up his blue irises. I felt myself fall even deeper, even harder for him.
“I don’t know what’s going on,” I whispered more to myself than to him. I didn’t know why I was saying this stuff, having this verbal regurgitation, this messy commentary. It’s not like I wanted to say anything at all, because I was confused as hell.
My bear was so powerful right now, stronger than she’d ever been in my entire life. It felt right in his arms. And as she clawed forward, upward, I felt the hair on my arms stand on end, felt my muscles tighten for a moment.
I thought maybe I would actually shift.
But that was impossible. I was too much of a human.
I blinked a few times, reality and common sense slamming into me. I let go of his chest and took a step back, although everything inside of me screamed that I needed to be pressed right to him.
“Maybe I should just go?” Honestly, I was asking myself more than I was him. But he slowly shook his head.
“I told you I don’t want you to go.”
I took a step back and he followed me one forward. The tent now stopped me from retreating any farther, and I reached out and grabbed the bar that held the structure in place and kept its form.
“I don’t know what’s happening here.” Those words were nothing more than a whisper, meant to stay in my head, but they spilled out, moving between us. I knew he could hear them clear as day despite them being nearly inaudible.
He let this slow growl out and took one more step forward, crowding me. But I liked it. I yearned for more.
“Do you want me to tell you what’s going on, little bear?” The way he said that endearment had everything in me clinching, had the most intimate part of me softening… getting wet. He closed his eyes and I saw his nostrils flare slightly as he inhaled deeply. “Do you?”
I licked my lips and I swore I could taste him, this masculine, woodsy, and potent flavor that came from him like a shot of liquor straight to my veins. “Yes.” I all but moaned that word and felt my cheeks heat, humiliation flooding me. I’d never acted so out of character before.
“What’s your name?”
His voice had my pussy clenching. I was so wet, my panties soaked. I licked my lips again, my mouth so dry, my tongue feeling so thick I didn’t even know if I could answer. “Mena,” I whispered slightly, wondering if he heard me.
When he opened his eyes, they were completely black, the pupils swallowing up the blue and whiteness. He looked very primal right now, nearly ready to shift again, to show me how powerful his bear really was. And my inner animal was right at the surface, closer to escaping than she’d ever been in my entire life.
“Mena,” he said, and it rolled off his tongue almost seductively, as if he drew pleasure from the act. “I’m Cason.”
I played his name around in my head over and over again, and it felt so good. It felt so fucking right.
My hands were shaking, my nails feeling like they were getting longer, turning into claws. “Oh. God.”
“No, little bear.” He leaned an inch closer, and I swore a piece of paper couldn’t have fit between our lips. “Not God. What you’ve found is your mate.”
Chapter Six
Cason
I looked over my shoulder at where she stood in my living room, her eyes bigger as she looked around. The fact that she was actually standing in my home was surreal to me. When I told her she was my mate, I expected shock, maybe even fear. I didn’t know much about her, didn’t even know if she fully knew her shifter side.
I’d smelled her surprise at how close her bear was to the surface.
She looked at me, this realization, this feeling coming from her and slamming into me. I knew one thing for certain. She accepted it. And so I had given her an ultimatum.
She could stay and camp, and I would stay nearby to watch
over, to protect her, because there was no way I was fucking leaving her alone. Or, she could come back to my cabin just a few miles away and we could get to know each other, to figure this out together.
This was new to me just as it was to her. And what shocked the fuck out of me was that she agreed to come home with me. She didn’t know who I was, didn’t know anything about me, but her heart and soul, her animal, knew she belonged to me as I belonged to her. It was ingrained in us, this undeniable proof that would never go away. We would be linked, connected for the rest of our lives, until we took our last breath.
“Are you thirsty, hungry?” I turned to face her, watching as she seemed a little awestruck at her surroundings. I’d feed her from my hand, make her whatever she wanted. I’d make sure she was full, sated. I wanted that desperately.
So we walked back to my cabin, and then I’d driven her back so we could pack up her camping gear, and now here we were. In any other situation, this probably would have sent red flags up for her, especially in the human world, but with fated mates, it was different. She might be half-human, but she knew me and I knew her. It was this integral feeling we had, this pull and security we both felt. She knew I’d never hurt her. I could see that in her face as she looked at me. I could smell her ease around me.
“I am a little thirsty, if you have any water.”
I stared at her a moment, at the arch of her throat as she tipped her head back to look at the ceiling beams and loft. I felt my bear fighting for supremacy, felt my canines elongated, saliva filling my mouth. My nails turned into claws, my body slightly bigger with my impending transformation. And although this wasn’t unusual, given the fact that I was starting to become more animal than human, more feral and primal, the reason I was like this right now was because my mate stood just feet from me, in my home, surrounded by my things, by my scent.
I kept picturing tearing off her clothes in a frenzy of passion, tattered remains of material laying across the ground as I lifted her small frame up, my hands cupping her ass, and walked us over to the breakfast counter. I’d set her on it and spread her thighs, step between them. I could practically smell how aroused she’d be, how sweet and musky she’d be for me. All me.