Elaina didn’t want to think about how Shauna had come into Cullen’s hut that night while he was away and Damon was comforting her after a nightmare. All she knew was this woman was dangerous. “What if she goes to the clan?”
“What possible harm can she cause now? The clan will be back after what happened today.”
“She’s capable of murdering someone.”
“I shouldn’t have gone near you that night, but the real reason I did was that I wanted you, and now I’m without my favorite. Would you have me mate with one of the old ones?”
“I’d like to see that,” Cullen said with a laugh. “I hardly think they’d go along with it.”
Elaina covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. “I’m sorry. I somehow envision Hannah making stew with you if you try that.”
Instead of responding, Damon darted from the hut, leaving a bemused Elaina to wonder what Cullen was thinking, until he loosened his clothing and stepped out of it, his hardness ready for her.
Elaina’s body responded without so much as a touch of his strong arms and hand. “Don’t we have plans to make?”
“Later. It’s not like the inspectors can get back to the north that fast.”
Cullen licked his lower lip and said, “Take off your frock, newcomer. I want to mount you.”
Elaina squeezed her large thighs together as her juices nearly dripped down at his suggestion. She pulled off the frock and felt tingly from head to toe under Cullen’s inspection. He crossed the small space in two strides and put his palms beneath Elaina’s mounds, testing them like he wondered how much they weighed as they generously filled his hands.
“I love your breasts.” His hands traveled south, his fingertips barely grazing Elaina’s skin as he moved them past her navel and stopped as they rested against the curls hiding her womanhood from his view. He worked one finger along her slit and Elaina had to grab both of Cullen’s strong arms to keep from falling as the sensations rippled over her shattered mind. She hadn’t expected to feel so much in need so soon after their last coupling, but she wanted to feel his fingers deep insider her, now! She bucked against his finger, trying to work it into her moist and now wet cavern.
Cullen chuckled. “What do you want, Elaina. Do you want me to touch you here?” he asked as his finger slipped alongside her love bud.
She cried out in pleasure, digging her nails into his shoulders. “Please. I-I want—”
“I know what you want, but you must be patient. It intensifies the sensations.”
He worked that one finger alongside her clit until Elaina thought she’d lose her mind, or pass out writhing in delight at this man’s feet. Ever so slowly, he changed his approach and pressed much harder as his hot mouth took a hold of a nipple. There was no gentle suckling like before; he latched onto it as he sucked it hard, grazing his fangs on the sensitive tip.
Elaina shuddered in delight as she pulsed between her legs, almost falling to the ground. Cullen released her and helped her to the cold floor instead of the soft and warm bed. Elaina whimpered momentarily until Cullen’s mouth found her essence and lapped at her with long strokes as his finger plunged deep inside her hot and tightening opening. She gripped her breasts and squeezed her nipples as an orgasm rippled through her body. Cullen removed his mouth and finger, poising above her. He plunged deep inside her and Elaina cried out at the forcefulness as she was pounded against the hard floor, but as uncomfortable as it was, she wrapped her legs around Cullen’s strong hips and moved against him. Her head rocked back and forth on the floor as her channel constricted, sending her spiraling on the other side of ecstasy.
Cullen pulled Elaina off the floor, knelt her on the bed and once again found her tightness. He changed his tactics and worked his shaft inside her more slowly, allowing her to feel every inch of him. Elaina cried out and pounded the fur-covered bed with her fists. “Please, oh!”
He increased his movements and began to pound into her until Elaina screamed Cullen’s name, and only then did he collapse atop her, his throbbing thickness still inside her for a moment before he removed it, and pulled her tight against him. He kissed her ever so gently on the forehead and whispered. “You’re my mate. I won’t share you with another.”
In response, Elaina hugged him tight, but even that admission on Cullen’s part meant nothing as they were faced with an uncertain future. She had a plan that she hoped to unleash tomorrow that she knew would change everything between them all forever.
Chapter Four
“You want us to do what?” Cullen asked as Damon looked on, equally aghast.
Elaina clutched the fabric of her frock in her fists. “I think you should ask the werewolves for help to fend off the clan.”
Cullen shook his head like he hadn’t heard her correctly. With a sarcastic smirk on his face, he shot back with, “Assuming that I’d even consider such an outlandish idea, what makes you think the werewolves would help us at all?”
“Well, I was raised by one, remember?”
“Yes, but you also said that your protector had left the pack. I’m no werewolf expert, but I can’t imagine that they’d even consider helping out, since this Samson isn’t in good standing with them. Knowing a werewolf doesn’t give you special favors with them.”
Elaina knew she’d have a fight on her hands when she suggested that they ask the werewolves to join forces with them. “But—he’s not the only werewolf I know. Samson’s grandson, Liam, was my childhood friend. He’s gone to live with the pack, and he’s next in line to become the alpha when the aging alpha, Damien, dies.”
Cullen’s eyes narrowed. “Liam, eh? And have you been to his wolf den before?”
“Yes. After I—”
“You what?” Damon demanded, his eyes shooting daggers.
Elaina wanted to shake the both of them. “I’d tell you if you two would stop interrupting me. Besides, I’m Cullen’s mate not yours.”
“We’ll see about that,” Damon said as his lips curled up, revealing his fangs. “This discussion will be postponed for another time, brother,” he hissed.
Cullen stared down his brother for a moment and then said, “Continue newcomer.”
Elaina’s hands went to her hips. “The night I escaped from the Bear Claw Pub I was injured. I fell in the darkness.”
“Why didn’t you escape in shifted form?”
“I can’t stay in bear form forever, and then I’d have been without clothing.”
“You shucked your clothing fast enough at the river when you thought nobody was watching,” Cullen said with an arched brow. “Luckily I was there and not another type of shifter or, worse yet, a human.” He paused for a moment and then asked, “Why didn’t you shift when you were swept downstream?”
“I-I don’t know. I just couldn’t. Samson discouraged me from shifting, but I’ve done it with Liam without his knowledge.”
“Why on earth would he tell you not to shift?”
“He was worried that the clan would find me. He was adamant that they were searching for me.”
“If this Samson was so worried, he should have encouraged you to shift and taught you how to defend yourself in the wild. You’re as helpless as a timid rabbit.”
“I-I know, but perhaps he wasn’t all wrong.” Elaina pulled off her frock and showed her shoulder to Cullen and Damon. She ripped off the bandage that she had been hiding the wound under, on the back of her shoulder, where three recently heeled claw marks were. The marks of a bear. “I shifted while Liam and I were playing in the woods and a bear came out of a clearing. I protected Liam, but while I fought with the bear, I was injured. That’s why Samson made us leave the comforts of the cabin for the Bear Claw Pub. He was sure it was the clan.”
“How were you not killed since you have minimal fighting skills?” Cullen asked suspiciously.
“I’m not sure. I swiped at him a few times, and when I roared at him, he left.”
Damon gingerly touched the claw marks. “Just like that?”
> Cullen jabbed his brother in the ribs. “Strange behavior for a bear, assuming it was one. It could have been a scout for the clan, but why you, Elaina? Are you sure you don’t remember how you came to be found by Samson?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m positive.”
“What did happen in the wolves’ den, Elaina? I know you were an intact virgin, but that doesn’t mean that Liam hadn’t put his dirty werewolf paws on you.”
Elaina whirled like she had gotten too close to a fire. Her cheeks felt hot as she admitted, “We kissed once, back at the Bear Claw Pub, but Samson found out and told me I’d never be allowed to see Liam again. It wasn’t totally my fault. Ever since this mating fever began, I have this fire burning deep inside of me that I can’t extinguish. Even though we have mated twice, Cullen, it still hasn’t quenched this fire inside of me.” Elaina glanced over at Damon and smiled shyly. She had to admit to herself that she wanted him, too.
Damon reached over and, standing close to Elaina, helped her pull her frock back down, his fingertips sending electricity to the juncture between her legs as they absently touched her waist.
Cullen took ahold of Elaina’s wrist and pulled her toward him. “Did this Liam put his hands on you in the wolves’ den? Tell me?”
“No. I was nursed back to heath. I was nearly assaulted by another werewolf, but I shifted and pinned him to the floor. Luckily I hadn’t hurt him, though, or the pups that I found when I tried to find a way out of the den.”
Cullen let go of Elaina’s wrist. “Is that why you left the wolves’ den?”
“Not exactly. I was only allowed to stay there until I regained my strength. I met the alpha, Damien, and truly his health is failing. I’m not sure of the strength of the pack, but I’m sure that Liam could be swayed to help us.”
Cullen lifted Elaina’s chin. “And how would you convince him to help us? Would you allow him to mount you?”
Elaina was confused by his assumption. “No, that’s forbidden. Besides, I’m your mate.”
Cullen distanced himself from Elaina. “You have many things to learn. We hate the werewolves and they hate us. Even if you spread yourself for this Liam, they won’t join forces with us. Of this I’m positive.”
“We don’t need them,” Damon said. “We might only have two men here, but we have plenty of females that can fight alongside us. I’ll go in search of Shauna and bring her back. She’s a strong werebear, and known as a good hunter.”
The color drained from Elaina’s face. “But she tried to kill you.”
“Oh, that. She didn’t mean any harm. She was just worried that I would mate with you is all. Her jealousy has gotten out of hand at times.”
“She pulled a knife on Elaina,” Cullen pointed out. “I assure you that she can’t be found. I’ve searched for her myself with the others. I’m certain that she’s left out territory. She might have found the inspectors from the clan by now, even. She can’t be trusted. Go ahead and search for her, brother, but she’ll be your responsibility.”
Damon smiled and sprinted through the village, shifting as he headed for the entranceway of the village that was concealed beneath a canopy of heavy branches.
“Do you think he’ll really find her, Cullen?”
“If he does, I’ll know for sure that he was responsible for Shauna’s escape, but she’s been his favorite for a long time now. In his own way, he cares for her even though she has yet to produce any cubs.”
Elaina watched as a squirrel scurried by. She couldn’t help herself and she just had to ask. “Have you also mated with Shauna?”
“Mated? No, but I’ve rutted with her before. Damon didn’t like it all that much, but we share the females so he understood. I much prefer to mate with Klesa who is quite skilled with her tongue. I should visit her one last time before she leaves,” he hinted.
“But I thought I was your mate?”
His brow furrowed. “I have no mate. Any werebear that would put her lips against a werewolf’s is no mate I’d call my own.”
Cullen strutted away, and Elaina was left reeling over his words as her chest throbbed. She felt like he had just stabbed her in the heart, although she didn’t know why in the world she should feel that way. Was he serious? Did he now find her unworthy as a mate? How would she be able to handle Cullen mating with Klesa, even if it was for the last time?
Elaina wandered back to the center of the village. The old ones quickly averted their eyes when she walked near them. “Is there something wrong?” she asked Hannah.
Hannah smacked her lips as she was sucking the marrow out of a bone, or gumming it as she had barely any teeth left in her mouth. She was the eldest of the old ones, and one that always had something to say if something displeased her. It wasn’t long before Hannah found her voice and said, “I pegged you right. Werewolf sympathizer.”
“What have the werewolves ever done to you, Hannah?”
“No werebear in their right mind would go near one for fear that the clan would find out. It would mean certain death.”
“Oh? And you’ve never been tempted to mate with another shifter besides a werebear?”
“No, of course not!” she said. “I’ve stayed amongst this village even when we lived in the north. There’s simply no way that I’d run into another shifter.”
“No? Not even in the woods. I’m sure you’ve hunted in the woods at one time or another.”
The old ones that were three strong all bobbed their heads in agreement. “Yes, we’ve all hunted before, but I haven’t seen any shifters.”
“So no wolves, panthers or foxes?”
“Panthers? Here in Alaska? Doubtful.”
“So you’ve never seen one other wild animal out in the woods in human form?” Elaina pressed.
“Sure, but they weren’t no shifters,” Hannah said. “I’d know a shifter if I smelled one. Us bears have a pretty good sense of smell.”
Elaina smiled. “Okay, so none of you’ll admit that you might have run into possibly a werewolf not in wolf form? Or that he might just look good enough to mate with?”
They all visibly fanned themselves. “If I did, I sure can’t remember it,” Hannah said with a laugh and the others joined her.
Elaina decided to let this drop because there was just no way that she’d ever be able to convince any of them that the werewolves might make good allies, and that they weren’t all that bad. Whoever had killed a bear from this village just couldn’t have been from the wolf pack she had met, unless she had threatened them in some way.
How was it possible that the werewolves and werebears had lived peacefully in this part of Alaska for so long without even one clash between them? She had to convince both the werebears and the werewolves that they needed each other, for all of their sakes.
Chapter Five
Damon came back to the village empty-handed, and Elaina met him halfway. She didn’t want to go near Cullen’s hut since Klesa had joined him there not long ago.
“So, no luck finding Shauna?”
Damon swept a hand through his hair. “Actually, I found her and she’s committed to help us when the time is right, but we decided it might be better if she stays elsewhere until the time is at hand. Too much has happened here and she doesn’t feel safe coming back. I’m afraid she thinks we still plan to execute her for her crimes. I admit that I might have trouble convincing the old ones that we need her help.”
Elaina had to agree with that. “It’s hard convincing them of anything. How ever will we explain asking the werewolves for help?”
Damon’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, when did we decide that we’d be doing that?”
“But I thought…”
“There’s no way that either Cullen or I will ask any werewolf for help, now or ever. I’m sure Cullen must have told you that.”
“Not exactly, but he’s not much for rational thought. I should never have told him that I had kissed Liam. He doesn’t like the thought that I did and has rescinded calling me his m
ate. I’m not sure what I’ll do now. Klesa is in Cullen’s hut with him.”
Damon cocked a brow. “Oh?”
Elaina bit her bottom lip. “Yes.” Tears threatened to fall, but Elaina was resolved to not show weakness in front of Damon. “Is there any way I can stay in your hut tonight?”
Damon coughed. “Wh-What?”
“It’s just that Cullen doesn’t want—”
“If you sleep in my hut tonight, Elaina, we won’t be getting much sleep. I’m just not sure that it’s the best idea. Cullen and I need to formulate a plan to resist the clan. Mating with you now would complicate matters.”
Elaina wasn’t having it. If Cullen could so easily dismiss her for Klesa, she could help ease the blow by losing herself in Damon’s arms. “But you said I was to be shared, Damon.”
“Cullen has spilled his seed in you already. Aren’t you concerned that you won’t know whose child you carry if we mate?”
“Yes, but what does it matter since you are both brothers. If I get pregnant, I’ll still bear the offspring you both so desperately want. It matters not who the real father is. You can both equally bear the responsibility of helping to rear the child.”
Damon stood erect and unmovable, but Elaina took his hand in hers. She didn’t know what she was doing, really, but how hard could it be for her to convince Damon to mate with her? Elaina’s limited knowledge told her that men, or werebears, weren’t able to control themselves when it came to a willing female. She needed to get the mental image of Klesa and Cullen coupled together out of her head, and from the noises coming from Cullen’s hut, she knew that’s what they were doing. Hopefully by mating with Damon, she’d be able to convince one of them to ask the werewolves for help.
Damon’s eyes locked with Elaina’s and she did her best to thrust her chest forward to make herself look more appealing. Cullen certainly enjoyed her breasts and she had no doubt that Damon would, too.
Elaina watched Damon’s face change from indecision to outright desire as he surveyed Elaina’s body. He pressed a hand against her shoulder. “Are you certain you want to do this, Elaina? There’s no going back and there’s no telling how Cullen will react.”
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