A growl comes from the other side of the door. With a sigh, Torben gives me a final kiss on my forehead.
“They want to meet you.”
“Who?”
“Their bears want to meet their alpha’s new mate.”
I frown. “They’ve known me for a while now. Surely they haven’t forgotten that?”
He smiles. “No, but before you were a friend. Now you are someone different. As my mate, you’re automatically above them in the hierarchy. They want to show you their respect.” He chuckles. “And smell you.”
“Please don’t tell me I’m going to be sniffed again?”
He laughs and ignores my protests as he gets up, leaving me alone on the bed. I pull the duvet around my naked body. They can sniff that, but I’m not getting naked in front of them. Again.
He opens the door and three bears pour in. Ràn and Húnn have trouble squeezing through the door frame; this house isn’t made for bears to live in. Finn is lucky that he’s a bit smaller. Still big, but not compared to the two giant brown bears.
Finn jumps on the bed and I shriek, scrambling back so I won’t be squashed to death. In the process the duvet slips down and my boobs are out in the open. Oh well, let’s pretend it didn’t happen.
The honey-coloured bear looks at me curiously, then puts his snout between my breasts and sniffs. Seriously? Does he even know that it isn’t appropriate in the least?
“Get off!” I tell him sternly and to my surprise, he backs off with a whimper, retreating to end of the bed. “It’s bad to sniff a woman’s… body. Even a bear should know that.”
Torben is laughing so hard he’s gripping the door frame to steady himself.
I growl at him. “Don’t you teach them discipline?”
He shrugs and continues to laugh. “Bears don’t much care where they touch and sniff a female. All he wants is for you to recognise him and know that he exists.”
He grows a little more serious. “Did you know that in the wild, female bears take several mates? There’s a lot of competition for males, so they may show you much attention in the next few days. It’s instinct, they’ll have a hard time fighting it. They’ve not been around a female bear shifter for a long time.”
He grins and comes back to me and sits on the bed. “And neither have I. If I could, I’d lock you into this room and wouldn’t let you out for days until my bear is convinced you’re his.”
I stare at him and fight against the urge to take him here and now. Maybe I’ve turned into a bunny shifter rather than a bear? My sex drive certainly supports that conclusion.
Finn lies down and puts his large head on my lap. I gently stroke his soft fur. He growls which I interpret as a beary purr. The two brown bears have held back until now, but when they see me petting Finn, they approach me from both sides. Húnn gets up on his hind legs as if to present himself, then puts his front paws on the bed which creaks dangerously. Pretty sure it wasn’t made to hold the weight of two humans and three bears.
I stretch out a hand to Húnn and he licks it without warning.
“You were supposed to sniff it, not lick it,” I complain and wipe my hand on the duvet. Yucky.
Torben starts laughing again and I elbow him in the ribs.
“Not helping. Can we take this outside? I don’t think Bertrand and Arnold will be very happy if we break their bed.”
He sighs, then nods. And smiles wolfishly. “You should probably get dressed for that, but I think your clothes are still in the living room.”
Bastard. He wants me to walk naked around the house? No way. If it was just us two, maybe. Even then my sense of modesty would fight me with every step. But with the other bears, and our hosts… no chance.
Then I remember the wardrobe. When they brought me here yesterday, they gave me some of the clothes we had found in that other house down in the village. Torben is messing with me.
I smile at him sweetly. “Torben, darling, would you mind getting some clothes from the wardrobe over there? I’d be ever so grateful.” I lick my lips in a way that I hope looks vaguely seductive. I need to learn how to use my womanly charms, if I possess them at all.
I’ll teach you.
Thanks Alis, but I was thinking of my human assets. You can handle the bear side of things. If I can actually shift.
You can. I won’t give you a choice.
I can sense her determination and worry creeps up on me.
“Torben, does shifting hurt?”
He hands me some clothes and nods. “Yeah, the first time it does. It’s more of a mental pain though, while your human mind gets used to the idea of suddenly being in the wrong body. It helps if you let your bear take over. She knows what to do.”
“Maybe I’m not so keen on it now,” I mumble and he takes my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“I’ll be there with you. We all will be.”
* * *
It takes ages for me to shoo the bears out of the room so I can get changed. It takes even longer for me to persuade myself to go outside and stop kissing Torben. Not sure if I can blame it on the bond or just my desire for him. If I could, I’d take him up on the offer of staying locked in this room for the next few days. But somehow, I can feel the other bears’ excitement and don’t want to disappoint them. If Torben says it’s important for them to get to know the new me, then so be it.
They’re waiting for us outside the front door. Torben puts a coat around my shoulders, and while I’m tempted to remind him that I’m feeling very warm even without it, I’m touched by his gentlemanly behaviour. He really cares for me. How could I doubt that?
As before, Finn pounces towards us, circling me playfully. To me, nothing has changed; I’ve been around them in their bear shapes a lot. I rode on all of them on our journey to Inchbrach. But for them, the change must have been immense. Finn stops behind me and starts to sniff my feet, then works his way up. When his snout reaches my bum, I take a step forward.
“You don’t smell a lady’s bum,” I tell him and he pretends to look slightly guilty. When he’s done, Ràn steps forward and does the same. I feel awkward, standing there being sniffed by bears. If I didn’t know them, I’d assume they were figuring out what part of me was going to be the tastiest. Not that I was going to make a very big meal – growing up on an island with limited resources meant that I was skinnier than I’d like to be. My hips formed a curve that would have looked good had there been some meat on my bones. Maybe now that we seemed to have found a home where they had cake and baked beans would I be able to gain some weight.
Húnn is the last to do the sniffing. I’m relieved when he steps back. All three bears look satisfied. Torben puts an arm around my shoulders and looks at me proudly. As one, the bears bow their head slightly.
“They recognise you as my mate,” he says and pulls me closer. “They’ll protect you with their lives.”
“I wouldn’t want them to do that,” I reply and he smiles.
“And that is exactly why you fit into our little family so well. Now, do you want to try and shift?”
“Do I have to take off my clothes?” Please say no. Please say no.
“I’m afraid so. It will make it easier. Once you’re used to the shift, you can do it with your clothes on – although of course they’ll be unusable after.”
He takes the coat from my shoulders as an encouragement. “Guys, give her some space. She’s not used to nudity yet.”
And I don’t think I ever will be.
With a gentle bump against my legs, the bears run away and disappear behind the house. I’m alone with Torben and he’s looking at me expectantly. With a sigh, I start to take off my clothes. Why did I put them on in the first place? What a waste of time.
I’m tempted to cover myself, but it’s not like Torben hasn’t seen me naked before. Last time he saw a lot of me, and from all sorts of angles.
“Now you need to let your bear come to the surface. You’ll have to let her take over. I now it’s hard
to give up control, but she knows what to do. The more you disappear into the background, the less it will hurt.”
Why did he have to remind me of the pain? That’s just evil. I had pushed that from my mind on purpose.
Alis, are you ready?
I’ve been ready all my life.
What does that even mean? Did you exist before Torben and me… you know?
Oh yes. I’ve been watching you for a long time, knowing that I was destined to join with you.
That sounds a bit… over the top? Dramatic?
Oh sweetie, you have so much to learn. I’ve got a job to do and as my host, you’ll be responsible to help me do it.
What job?
Save the world, of course.
And with that dramatic statement, I’m suddenly pushed. A black haze descends over my vision and a tingling races through my muscles. I fight it out of instinct, gripping onto the hold I have on my body.
Let go, Alis hisses. Don’t fight it.
A sharp pain builds behind my eyes and I can feel my knees go in. That’s a good sign. As long as I still feel things, I exist.
The more you fight, the more it hurts.
She’s not going to take over.
My body.
Pain.
Me.
Isla.
Alis.
Chapter 13
Alis
Finally, I have a body again. It’s taken centuries, but now I’m corporeal once more. I stretch my four legs, getting used to that feeling again. It’s been too long. My white paws blend into the snowy landscape, although my black claws ruin the camouflage. I shake my massive head and feel the fur swirl through the air. I need to find a mirror soon to see if I’m still as magnificent as I used to be.
Isla is screaming at me in the background, but I am too excited to care. I’ve got a body, a real body! With fur and paws and a tongue that can lick the snowflakes off the ground. All the sensations, all the-
Isla hits me mentally and I growl.
Stay quiet, it’s my turn now.
She screams curses at me. That girl has some colourful language, I just wish she’d use it more often. She’s too nice, but no wonder with that upbringing. I’ve been watching her ever since she was born, smiling at her first steps, crying at the death of her parents, cursing her uncle whenever he lashed out at her. She’s pushed away a lot of her memories of his abuse, but I’ve watched it all. One day, I’m going to make him pay for what he did to Isla and the other women on the island. My human doesn’t know half of what crimes he committed.
When she ran away, I knew it wasn’t long until I was going to meet her properly. I never doubted that she would survive. They wouldn’t have let me wait for centuries just to let her be killed at the last moment.
She’s a bit immature still, but her heart is in the right place. She’ll do well as my host. As long as she lets me out often enough. I’ve missed the feeling of the ground beneath my feet. I take a tentative step forward and watch in delight when my paw sinks deep into the fresh snow. I know it’s spring now, but the weather has changed a lot. The snow will likely stay for a while.
When I was last walking on Earth, everything was different. The Drowning hadn’t happened yet, people weren’t dependent on technology and bear shifters were plentiful. I lost track of time after my last host died and didn’t watch as the world changed. Only when I was assigned to Isla did I start taking note of all that had changed. I was bound to her and couldn’t see far beyond where she was, but it was enough to notice how there were no bears left living among humans. On their fancy machines, they would talk about wolf shifters, which of course is an idiotic idea. Only bears are strong enough to share their mind with humans. Both of our species are strong-minded and stubborn, two characteristics necessary to be able to form that very special bond.
They told Isla that there are still some bears left in Scandinavia, but knowing my assignment, it’s clear that they won’t survive long. I didn’t lie when I said that I was going to save the world. Just not all of it. Just the bears’ world. Our females are no longer getting enough cubs to keep our population alive. While I was floating in the ether, more and more bears got expelled from their human hosts without warning. Something is wrong and I’m going to have to fix it.
I wish they’d given me some instructions though. It’s hard to fix something if you don’t know what’s broken. I’m going to make Isla read that book the old bears gave her. And talk to both of them. They’ve been around for a while, maybe they know something. And if Torben is correct, then Inchbrach holds some sort of secret that will help us get to the bottom of the problem.
But for now, I’m going to enjoy having a body.
I run through the snow, the wind cold on my face. My strides are getting larger until I’m almost flying. I can feel the other bears join me, but they’re having a hard time catching up. They don’t know it yet, but I’m stronger than any of them. Even Torben. He’s a toddler in my eyes and he’s got nothing on my mate. I get what Isla sees in him though. And as long as he loves her as much as he does, I’m fine with it. He’s a good human and a good bear. Just like any alpha, the two of them are close, almost distinguishable. I wonder if his bear even has a name. There’s a lot of bear in Torben even without being shifted. It’s often like that for alphas. Raoul was the same. But I shouldn’t think of him. He’s lost to me for now and there’s no point in being sad about our separation. I will need to make it clear to the bears that I am taken, though. They can have Isla, but not me.
But looking at their adoration for her, that shouldn’t be a problem. She’s lucky to have found them. I find it hard to believe it was a coincidence.
I become slower until I stop on top of a hill, panting heavily. I have to get used to this again. This new body has more limitations than my old one. Seems bears are not only getting rarer, but also weaker.
The others are finally catching up with me and I turn to welcome them. They are some magnificent males. Torben’s fur is almost entirely white with only a few pale yellow patches on his belly and legs. At first glance, Ràn and Húnn are identical, except for their slightly different fur colour, but I know that despite the fact they are brothers, they had very different upbringings.
There are scars beneath Ràn’s fur that Isla has yet to discover. Not that Húnn is completely undamaged. I can feel his sorrow whenever he looks at Isla. He’s been disappointed before and I’m not sure if he will have the courage to try and get close to her. I hope he does. He’s beautiful with his dark, shiny fur and his big eyes.
Finn is the youngest of the sleuth and the most playful. I’ve not yet been able to see beyond his jovial behaviour, but I’m wondering if there’s more to him than the easy-going boy I’ve seen so far. I hope that there is. Isla needs more than just a player and joker. He’d be too small for me, but luckily he’s average sized as a human.
Torben is the first to approach me. He bows his head when he’s in front of me, and when I nod, he rubs his cheek against mine. I shiver when I notice that this is the first time I’ve been touched in a long time. He walks along my flank and I feel his muscles as he presses against me. We’re exchanging scents; something that’s strictly speaking not necessary, but an ancient ritual back from the days when we were less conscious and more feral.
Satisfied, Torben steps back and I shake my fur, bringing it back into order.
The brothers approach at the same time, walking past me one on each side, their touch surprisingly gentle. I smile inside as it reminds me of these car washing machines I saw Isla explore before the Drowning. It’s like I’m stuck between two giant, furry brushes just now.
Isla chuckles in my mind. Looks like she’s getting used to the idea of being stuck inside, using my eyes to see the world. When she notices that I’m focussing on her, she starts shouting immediately. I smile and ignore her again, turning my gaze to Finn instead.
This time, he’s not as playful as he was earlier. Instead, he walks towards me slowl
y, almost reverently. I wonder if he realises who I am. None of them should know… yet. I’m going to tell them in a moment, once Finn is done exchanging scents. His fur is the softest of them all and I know now why Isla likes to stroke it. He does a full circle around me, never walking far enough to stop touching me. When he’s done, he rubs his nose against mine in a version of a human hug. I give him a gentle nudge to retreat. He shouldn’t get any wrong ideas.
I lie down in the snow, licking my paws. The four bears are looking at me hesitantly. As the female, I’m the one who needs to initiate communication. First with the alpha, then he can pass on the connection to the rest of his sleuth. But I’m in no hurry. The longer I prolong this, the longer I can stay in my bear form. I know Isla is getting impatient, but she needs to learn how to deal with it. I’ve been in her mind for long enough, now it’s my turn.
Torben exhales loudly and snow blows up from the ground. He’s getting impatient.
I sigh and reach out with my mind until I find his bear. As I assumed, he’s merged with his human. I shudder. I wouldn’t want to be in such close quarters with my human, as nice as Isla is. I like my own space, much to Raoul’s frustration.
I’m Alis.
I’m Torben.
They share a name. I shudder again. I’m glad I’m not an alpha. Females never are, even if they are more dominant. We live on our own, sometimes sharing our life with an alpha and maybe even the rest of his sleuth, but always staying independent. We’re only loyal to our cubs. I get a little sad at the thought of how I’ve never had cubs of my own. Raoul and I were separated before we ever got that far. It was me who wanted us to wait. Now I regret that immensely. Maybe I should tell Isla to get some, for both of us.
Introduce me to your sleuth, I demand. Torben resists a little but opens a channel to the other bears a moment later. He knows I’m stronger than him, even if he’s having a hard time getting used to the thought. He’s been the most dominant bear for such a long time that it’s a new thing for him.
Shifters Gone Wild; Collection Page 12