by Jade Alters
There’s a second of silence where neither of us say anything, and then she lunges at me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders as she hugs me tight.
“Yes!” she cries, her tears breaking free to stream down her cheeks. My own neck is soon wet with them. “Yes! I’ll marry you. Oh, my God! I love you. I love you so much!”
She pulls back from hugging me to rain kisses along my face and jaw. I laugh, ecstatic by her reply.
“I love you to,” I tell her, catching her lips with mine. I realize I have tears rolling down my cheeks as well, but I don’t care. I let them flow as I kiss the woman who is going to be my wife. The woman who makes my heart sing every time I see her. Who once tried to earn my friendship with tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.
It doesn’t matter whether it was fate that brought us together or not, because I know in my heart that we are the ones who will continued to choose to love one another for the rest of our lives, however long or short they might be. We are not bound by instinct, but by love and our free will, and because of that, I know that we will be able to face whatever obstacles life chooses to throw at us. And I, for one, am looking forward to every moment, good or bad, our future has in store.
I hope you enjoyed the Samantha and Aleixo’s story. For more irresistibly steamy shifter adventures, check out my best-selling Special Bear Protectors series.
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Special Ops bear shifter Jace doesn't date human women. But when Julie's plane is shot down, Jace rushes to her rescue and discovers a burning desire he never expected. White-hot passion ignites amid a raging Alaskan Blizzard!
His life was simple. Nothing stood in the way of his duty to his country. Jace was alone, but he accepted it; there was no place for him among humans.
His mission: find the Russians and stop them from harming our country. He found them alright but no one warned him Julie would be involved.
Jace had always looked from far but now that he’s felt her searing touch, she’s all that he wants.
Their worlds were separate. That’s the way it’s always been.
To build a life together, they have to break all the rules. If they get out alive, will Julie accept his bear as her mate?
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SPECIAL FORCES BEAR SHIFTER MATE
JADE ALTERS
Julie
Heavy gusts of wind whipped the hull of my floatplane. An incoming snowstorm threatened to lower visibility to zero.
I wasn’t turning back. Flying in Alaska was rarely easy.
I wasn’t interested in easy.
I wanted out of this city and into the sky. I gripped the steering yoke and accelerated for take- off. “Good riddance, Anchorage.”
I checked the controls and set my flight destination to Fairbanks where the weather was clear. For now. Late spring storms always brought a little adventure with them.
A call buzzed my phone. A photo of my grandmother appeared, requesting a video chat. I hit the button to accept. Several faces jammed onto the screen, all talking at once. None of their words were intelligible.
I knew how this conversation would go. “Hi everyone. Yes, I’m going to be careful.” I waved at the toddler who grabbed the phone away from my grandmother. “I’m sorry I’m missing the drum festival.” I blew a kiss at the screen. “Yes. I’ll hurry back. Gotta go.”
I disconnected the call to focus on steering as I veered into the air.
Another successful family call. I’d even managed to escape before they launched into all the reasons why I needed a man.
The members of my close-knit Inuit family weren’t wild about my lack of dating. They also weren’t wild about my job. In their minds, kids stuck close to home. And by home, they didn’t mean the state of Alaska, they meant the neighborhood where we all lived.
Trapped inside an office, classroom, or clinic all day? Never gonna happen.
Roughly an hour later, I landed in Fairbanks. I got the mail delivered and the paperwork completed at top speed.
The guys were waiting on me.
‘The guys’ were a group of helicopter pilots stationed at Fort Wainwright near Fairbanks. They were part of a special task force they refused to talk about, but they loved flying like I did.
They were also hot. Very hot. I was well-aware of how gorgeous they were, but I wasn’t attracted to them. Dylan had hit on me a few years back. Flattered, I’d kissed him, but there was no spark.
My mother, aunts and grandmother had been aghast. They freaked out in unison.
“No spark! Sparks don’t pay the bills. Sparks don’t hunt or fish. That man is a soldier. You take him up on his offer.”
They didn’t understand what Dylan had offered wasn’t marriage, but a good time. That might have stopped their enthusiasm. Maybe. As the only single adult in my family, I was their only target until the next generation was ready to date.
Dylan’s broad build, with his curly brown hair and olive skin, appealed to the general female population of Fairbanks. He’d left us at the bar more than once to go home with a woman and he didn’t have to put in much work to make it happen.
James hadn’t come on to me outright, but he’d insinuated that he’d be up to hitting the sheets with me. Again, no chemistry.
His southern accent made him stand out around here, just as much as his red hair, fair skin, and toned body, so he wasn’t without female company—when he decided he wanted it.
Sam was Inuit like me. He was lean with thick black hair, tan skin, and brown eyes. He hadn’t hit on me at all. Probably because his family would react like mine and go into orbit if they detected that he’d looked twice at an Inuit woman. My family welcomed all in-laws, Inuit or not, but they definitely got excited when an in-law came preloaded with all the traditions and customs.
Like me, the guys valued their freedom. None of us were looking to settle down.
But if I was honest, there was one guy around here that did give me that certain spark.
I’d never talked to him. Never touched him. Our eyes had met, though. And I’d never forgotten it. Cheesy and overly dramatic, yes, but the first time I saw him years ago, electricity had moved in the air around him.
Sounds crazy?
Yep. But the guy was gorgeous, with a killer body thanks to being a special forces soldier. I didn’t mention him to the guys much; I didn’t want to hurt their feelings. Jace Branton was just a cut above any other guy I’d ever seen. Comparing him to others was not fair.
So yeah, I wasn’t looking. But if Jace came up to me? Well. That would be a different story.
Hey Julie, it’s kinda rude to fantasize about a guy you’ve never met when three of your best friends are standing right in front of you. Back to reality.
I gave myself a mental kick and smiled big at my guys.
James dropped his arm over my shoulders. “Julie! We’re going to Timber Ridge Bar!”
We went there nearly every week. Their enthusiasm never dampened. I was glad to see the crew, but I wanted to get back in the air as soon as my plane was loaded. While I was in Wales, I planned to hike the National Preserve. Maybe I’d even squeeze in some cross-country skiing. “Guys, I need to get moving.”
Dylan gave me a steady grin. “You can take a break.”
Sam took my backpack and threw it over his shoulder. “Yeah. We’re off duty, and we want to get the hell out of here.” Sam tugged on my arm. “We’ll buy you some cheese fries.”
I laughed. “You’re gonna have to try harder than that.”
“We’ll throw in the Italian cream cake.”
“Sold.” I was often in remote areas, so when I was in town, I enjoyed my food.
Dylan and James sat in the back of Sam’s jeep. I climbed in the front with Sam. While the guys argued over which satellite sports channel was the best, I studied the list of best hiking areas in the Federal Reserve.
My planning was interrupted when we arrived at the Timber Ridge Bar. A cozy mix of grimy bar and decent steakhouse, i
t was packed, but we got in within fifteen minutes.
The guys got a round of beers and I stuck with Coke.
Once the fries were delivered, we were so busy eating that no one spoke until Dylan dropped his phone on the table with a loud clunk. “Shit.”
I pulled a half-eaten fry from my mouth. “What is it?”
Dylan’s eyes stayed glued to his phone. “Storm’s coming. Big one.”
I pulled up my app. We were all trained to watch the weather. “There wasn’t anything in this area on the radar when I left Anchorage. It was all down south.”
He pointed a fry at me. “It’s newly formed. Moving fast.”
James put his beer down and frowned at me. “Jules, you better stay put. I wouldn’t go to Wales. Storm’s coming in from that direction.”
“No way. If I wait, I’ll end up snowed in here for a week with you losers. ”
Dylan refilled his beer from the pitcher. “Wales is the ass-end of nowhere. They’ll be fine without mail. They’re used to roughing it.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Guys, you know I love you, but I have enough brothers. I don’t need any more.”
I wouldn’t be waiting it out. If I stayed, I’d be climbing the walls.
I calculated the time it would take me to get there versus how fast the storm was developing.
I could beat this.
Jace
The bar was packed.
Damn it. Too many people, but I craved the steak that Timber Ridge Bar served. It was one of the few places that left the meat as rare as I liked it.
My bear liked raw meat. He preferred to hunt and eat deer, squirrels and rabbits, but when I was on base, I had to settle for slightly cooked.
The bar was full of soldiers from the base. Human soldiers. Not shifters. For years they’d been trying to talk to me.
There was no point.
I walked past them without stopping. Solitude was the reason I’d asked to be stationed in Alaska. They did not take the hint. One of them waved at me. “Branton! Come have a beer.”
I kept walking.
They had the woman with them again today.
Julie Teslo.
She wasn’t military, but she was a pilot. She flew a flimsy little seaplane all over the state, covering military bases and the customs outpost.
My bear wasn’t wild about that. It wanted her safe, not taking risks.
But since we hadn’t so much as said hello, it wasn’t my business.
I’d made the decision to live a bachelor’s life and I was sticking to it.
The only empty table was very close to Julie’s. The server was prompt and showed up quickly even with the crowd. “Will anyone else be joining you?”
“No.” A server asked me that question every time I ate here. No one had ever joined me. I planned to keep it that way. “I’ll take a ribeye steak. Very rare. And water.”
I took the seat facing Julie.
She caught my eye the first time I’d ever seen her, years ago.
She was striking, with shiny black hair, smooth skin, and dark brown eyes. She had a small frame, and a toned, fit body. Her backside filled out her jeans perfectly, and her small round breasts were visible under her sweater.
They looked like a perfect handful each. When I was alone at home, I thought about the way her pert ass would feel in my hands. Or the way her olive skin would look laid out across my black sheets. I laid my napkin over my lap.
I never failed to get hard when I saw her.
As gorgeous as she was, that wasn’t the reason I noticed her.
Her smile always got me. When she smiled, it showed all over her face. Her eyes lit up, her dimples appeared, and she tilted her head to one side.
She was always with the soldiers, but she didn’t seem to be dating any of them. Her interactions with them, as far as I could tell, were those of a friend.
It didn’t matter if she was dating one of them. Or even if she was married to one of them. She wasn’t mine.
We would never be together.
My bear did not like that idea at all. He wanted her to belong to me. I liked watching her move; she moved with confidence, like she knew what she wanted and how she was going to get it.
None of that mattered. She was human. I was part bear. It would never be possible.
The server placed my steak in front of me. If meat had to be cooked, then this steak looked perfect, exactly as I wanted it.
I savored the aroma of butter, garlic, and salt mixed with the scent of a rare ribeye.
I looked at Julie.
Shit. She was looking right at me.
As usual, her eyes were bright. She smiled her lovely smile. This time it was directed at me.
My bear wanted to grab her and take her to my cabin so we could be alone. I wanted her body below mine so I could possess her. So I could stare down at her beautiful face and her dark pretty eyes. But that was ludicrous. And wrong too...unless she wanted it.
I had no idea what she wanted because I’d never spoken to her.
And I wouldn’t. She was human.
I was not.
I was proud to be a shifter, but I often ran on instinct. I didn’t always think like a human. And she was so small and delicate. She was probably a foot shorter than I was.
I’d been with women before. Always anonymous, always short-term. I wouldn’t risk hurting them. I wouldn’t risk them learning anything about my bear.
It was all so fucking complicated. We shifters weren’t allowed to date humans. If we did, we weren’t allowed to tell them about our true nature. If we wanted to marry a human and let them in on our secret, we needed permission from a clan elder.
Even permission didn’t make you safe. Permission didn’t mean humans wouldn’t turn on you.
If you spend enough time with someone, the little quirks show up. A partner would take note. A partner might tell someone else.
And that someone else might expose my special forces unit. Or that someone else might kill me or the shifters in my unit.
It had happened before. Twenty years ago, a wolf shifter from another special ops group had been murdered by his girlfriend’s father who’d been aghast when he found out his daughter was sleeping with a shifter. He hadn’t bothered to talk to the shifter.
He only saw the animal.
The father hadn’t bothered to find out that the soldier wasn’t a mindless animal while in wolf form, but a highly trained member of the armed forces who loved his girlfriend.
The father had handcuffed him to a chair inside their barn and set the barn on fire. Wolves can survive a lot, but not that.
Not wanting to expose other shifters, the army kept it quiet. His murderer went free.
Faced with being shunned by her village, the girlfriend stood by her father.
After that tragedy, the shifter community took action and formalized a set of strict rules. Now, clans, tribes, and packs forbid their members to marry a human without permission. We can date, but if the relationship becomes long term, the clan will intervene. If we want to marry and reproduce, the elders must investigate both the shifter and the human.
I was glad someone took action and tried to help the unwitting shifters who often did fall in love with humans, but no. Not for me.
No way would I allow that level of scrutiny into my life.
Short hook-ups were all I had. And the last one had been a year ago. It was easier that way. Spending time with a woman might put me and my special ops unit at risk. But it was even more likely that I’d get comfortable with a human, she’d get comfortable with me, and I’d get careless.
Then she’d get hurt, or worse.
That was assuming the human I dated accepted the bear part of me.
There were scads of stories about humans who’d rejected their mates the moment they discovered the truth. It happened to my cousin. The clan elders granted him permission to marry a human woman and thereby show her his bear.
The woman was disgusted. She said
he was an animal and it would be bestiality to touch him again. She’d immediately filed a restraining order.
My bear crowded at my senses.
Julie’s different. I can tell.
I scoffed. Bear instincts were finely tuned. They were good for a lot of stuff. But that? Not a fucking chance. A bear couldn’t know if someone was honest or not.
Humans got scared.
They did stupid shit.
I fixed my eyes back on my plate. Before I could cut into my steak, a menu flapped in the air close to my face.
I bit back a growl.
The same soldier was talking to me again. “Man! Come on. You’re off duty! Try this new beer. It tastes like—”
My phone rang. It was my commanding officer. The soldier was wrong. Unlike him, I was always on the clock. My duty to my special ops unit and to my country was paramount. It came before trivial things like tasting beer and hanging out with friends. I knew what I was getting into when I took the oath. There were some tasks that shifters just did better.
And I was glad to get some distance from Julie. She was a distraction I didn’t need right now.
I’d never have a mate, but I had my job.
I nodded at my phone. “Work call.”
The guys grumbled but they shut up. Julie watched as I walked past her table.
“Branton here.”
I stepped outside and made my way into the empty field by the restaurant.
“Are you somewhere secure?”
“Just stepped outside of a restaurant.” Eager for a mission, I pulled a black device from my bag. “I’ve got my jammer on. I’m ready.”
“We’ve got a situation. According to some chatter we’ve picked up, a Russian sleeper cell of spies has been activated.”
Fucking spies. The steak I’d craved so badly sat uneaten inside the restaurant. I was primed for a mission, but I wanted to eat too. “Where do you need me?”
“We want you to sniff around and see if you can find out who they are. Start at the border of Russia and Alaska, near Wales. The intel pins them as close to Wales.”