by Aurora Reid
Jax had to laugh.
“What’s funny?” Her tone was slightly annoyed, a little questioning too.
How could he explain that a mate was forever? That girlfriend paled in comparison? Not even wife could compare to being mates, at least, not with the divorce rate at what it was at. A mate was a life time, and if you believed in the spirits like Keith, forever after that too.
“Let’s keep walking,” he said.
They held hands, walking through the misty morning. Their stroll ended on top of the overhang that looked out onto Jax’s front lawn. The sun was strong, far too strong for that position, and they needed to turn away and face each other instead.
“We’ll figure this out together,” he promised her.
Mia went in for a short, sweet kiss, but it lingered. Their hands started to caress each other again, and then roamed wildly — grasping, pulling, rubbing, until they were making out on top of that peak.
Her hardened nipples brushed against him, plus the softness of her breasts and her hips brushed against him too, and he lost it. Jax almost claimed her there.
Thankfully, Mia broke away.
They needed to get back to his cabin.
Or did they? Jax’s cock started to throb.
Head held up high, thinking pure thoughts, Jax walked with Mia back to his cabin. On the way back, however, Mia stopped, he asked her what was up, and then she raced off toward the trees.
At the foot of the forest, she pointed at it with a wild smile. “I just got an idea.” She began to clap. Then she hugged Jax and gave him a squeeze.
“Oh?”
“I need your help to do it, though.” She unwrapped her hands, swiped a stray hair from her eyes, and looked like she made a mistake with her hug.
It hadn’t been a mistake to him. It was fine for her to open up. It was welcome.
“How do you need my help?” he asked.
“Could you build a few more homes like the one you’ve built for yourself?”
Jax pondered the question. Not long, he came to the conclusion, “It wouldn’t be many if we wanted to save the woods.”
“No, but you could build a couple? A few every year?”
“One or two, yes. Cabin-style, like the one I made, although that did take a lot of hard work. I’m sure I could do it.” For you.
Mia leapt up again. “And could you also...carve the same type of furnishings? With that same special wood? Has anyone sold it here in the Park?” Mia burst with questions. Jax couldn’t keep up.
“Yes, we could. We’ve got a lot of lumber left over. Too much, in fact. We fell trees when they’re ready, and we’ve got plenty to take down each year. Even taking one of those beasts down can be a days, let alone a week’s worth of work.”
Mia rubbed her hands together methodically. “Do you know what this means? We can save this place. We can do it...together, like you said. Do you think your clan would be up for it?”
Up for what, exactly? Jax was having a hard time following. He scratched his head. “Sorry, I’m not following.”
She clasped his hands and shook it, trying to get him to understand her excitement. “I don’t have to take over the land. I can sell a few cabins a year, and sell some of the furnishings from the excess lumber. With the rarity of it, and the craftsmanship, it can command a high price and it’ll be sold only to the highest bidder. We’ll do it together.” He was beginning to get excited as well.
Would his clan go for it? It was a compromise. And to be honest, they’d not done much with the excess lumber as they all had the furnishings they’d needed for their own homes. Bears could get lazy too, and this would give them clear motivation.
With pride bristling in his chest, he swept Mia by her thighs into him. He leaned down to her lips, snatched them, and took her breath away.
“Like I said, we’ll do it together.”
Like always, the clan would have to listen to their alpha.
Two Weeks Later
Worked over, Jax hauled his gear from the cutting site and dropped it on the main path to take a breather. The others passed him by. Keith and Claude were in high spirits. They were two bears that Jax could count on. Right away, they agreed with his conclusion.
They would work with the non shifters, work with Mia, and her team, and they would keep their land.
Some weren’t happy with associating with the Marchini family. They still didn’t trust them. But they didn’t know Mia like Jax knew Mia. It would take time. Eventually, they would learn her true nature.
Troy, who still distrusted them the most, lugged his pack over his leather jacket. He still had bruises and marks from their fight. One claw mark from his chin down to his throat had never fully healed, nor did it look like it ever would.
He nodded to Jax and kept walking.
For all of Jax’s intuition, he couldn’t sense any hostility in the nod.
“Take it easy, Troy,” Jax called to him.
He tossed his arms up and smiled at him as he was still walking backward. “You know, it’d be easy to push one of those big trees on you, if I really wanted to. If you trust me enough to work the job with you, that’s saying something, you don’t have to try to make it better forever, you know?”
Jax frowned. “You’re right. You’ve got my approval.” Except, he wouldn’t end it there. His nostril twitched. “I’m still keeping my eye on you, though.”
“I don’t blame ya,” Troy shouted back, and he turned around, no doubt still grinning like a fool as he headed back home after a long work day. “You keep on watching. I’ll keep on working. And before we know it, you’ll trust me again.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Jax yelled back.
With his acute hearing, Troy could probably hear him a mile away if he wanted to. Troy just kept going.
It had been awkward at first. Jax wondered if he should let Troy back on the bearjack crew. He didn’t have the heart to kick him out. The loner bear didn’t have any family, and though he didn’t want to admit it, the work was what kept him going.
The others, too, hadn’t been much trouble after their fight. They trusted him. Jax sometimes doubted he was a good alpha, but he certainly felt acknowledged once he’d united the two factions who had been warring since before Mia was born.
His acute senses picked up rubber, gas, and exhaust. A car pulled up the main path. Jax was there to meet Mia as soon as she arrived. She leapt out and embraced him, and he now smelled the sweet vanilla and flowery scent of her perfume, and took an even deeper inhale.
They had been working a lot together. Mia had been gone the past week to the city in order to draw up the necessary plans.
“It’s so good to see you again. I missed you.”
Was this the same girl who he’d fought with? Now she was admitting she missed him dearly after a week? His heart swelled with pride, but also, a nagging like an itch he simply couldn't scratch came over him.
She wore a tight-fitting, curve hugging, black and white dress. Her smooth legs looked lickable. Her hair was curled and styled. An outfit like that wasn’t fit for the rugged lands they’d be traveling, but Jax didn’t have the heart to admonish her for it.
Mia knew what she was doing. She knew Jax would be admiring her the entire time.
Ahh...that ass...that lovely ass, wagging in front of him. His primal thoughts were already skyrocketing.
“How was Boston?”
“I like it better here. More space, less stress. As for work, it went well. There’s some who are opposed to it, mainly my father’s yes men, but there’s some who are very optimistic and believe it to be a better choice.”
That made him happy. Mia deserved major respect. If they didn't give her respect, his bear would crush them.
“Show me what’s going on with the tree?”
“Sure.” It was now customary for Jax to hold her hand.
Into the Big Trees they went with Jax leading the way until they got to the tree that they’d cut down together. Or at le
ast, Mia had helped by delivering a few blows of the ax. The rest needed to be done by the crew, but she’d been there the entire time, watching with fascination as they took down the behemoth.
The moment it crashed Mia screamed for her life. For your first time, standing below an ancient tumbling down to the Earth, it was to be expected.
Now there was ember seedlings scattered where the tree had been taken. New roots began to spread. She ran her fingers across the new bed of life.
Mia hopped up. “Let’s go and see the lumber.”
“Wait.” Jax held up a single finger to stop her.
She’d been in such a rush that she pressed right against his finger. It was against her shoulder now, so close to her chest. Jax flinched and took a step back.
He needed space for this. “The lumber has already been taken care of. Sorry, you were gone too long.”
She looked pretty sad, until Jax reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace.
“Go on,” he said, and she bent, letting him place the necklace on her.
“Jax, what is this?”
“It’s from the tree. I carved it myself.”
Mia needed to lift it up in order to gaze at it. He’d done a fine job on it. That wasn’t just his opinion. Jax had been showing it off around Black Bear Park to anyone who would critique his craftsmanship. He’d been a little worried that Mia wouldn’t like it.
Usually, he was sure of his skill, so he was pleased to see Mia’s eyes shimmer with tears of joy.
“It’s beautiful.” Mia seemed not to understand though. “It’s for me?” Are you sure?”
“Yes,” he said, chuckling now. “It’s for you. If you’d like to wear it.”
“I’d love to,” she yelled.
She leapt onto her toes and kissed him. For once, he was taken by surprise, and she smothered him with that kiss. Once she landed on her heels, she already had the necklace off so she could inspect it in her palms.
“Thank you. I haven’t ever received a piece of jewelry from a man before.”
Jax’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“Never.” She rocked with the necklace, so happy to receive it. Jax was proud of himself again.
Then angry, that she’d never been shown any affection.
“You should be adorn in gifts, Mia.”
“Adorn in gifts? Sounds good to me.” She thought about that. “Why does it feel like I’ve already been given a gift? Before this, I’d been so stressed out and worried about my future, but it all seems to be falling in place. I’m not worried. I’m excited.”
“Good, because there’s a lot more business for us to discuss.”
“I’m ready.”
The alpha bear smirked and took her hand, taking her to the next magical place in the Park.
“It’ll have to wait. We’ve got dinner first.”
They sat on a soft circle of grass below the waterfall near his cabin. It was dark by the time they arrived, and it was a chilly night, but made warm by their passion and the small heater that Jax had placed close by.
She sat on her knees and ate from the dinner he'd prepared for her — pork cutlets in cranberry wine sauce with a side of mashed potatoes, and for dessert some locally picked berries drizzled in raspberry and chocolate.
Dessert hadn't come out yet, but she was looking forward to that.
"I thought romantic men were extinct."
Jax shook his head as he shoveled more of his home cooked meal into his mouth. "You've just got to know where to find them."
"I didn't think I would find one in Black Bear Park. And he’d be a bearjack. No offense."
"None taken," he said, with a slight smirk, followed by more eating.
"It's a beautiful night too," she commented, looking around her. The stars burned brightly up on the mountain. The waterfall calmed them with the slow and steady trickling of the shallow stream over the rocks.
And then there was below, a spectacular view of the Park, illuminated by the full moon and cloudless night. Jax and Mia also had an ember glow from the portable heater. She had never seen one like it.
"Why do you live all the way up here away from everyone else?" she asked suddenly.
Jax pushed around his mashed potatoes. He didn't really feel like answering that. But Mia could get him talking. She could get him talking about anything.
"I don't usually like to talk about this."
Mia placed her hand on his. He peered up at her comforting face. He decided to go through with it.
"My father, he messed up like yours, and I've been living with it for a long time. He was alpha of the clan as well, and he did a good job, for a while. He wed my mom, had me, but then he left her. He went off with another woman. A woman who wasn't his mate. He slowly went crazy because of it."
"Crazy? My dad's not officially crazy, but he might as well be when he's on the drink."
"Crazy. Worse than bat shit crazy. He became violent. Feral." He said the words with disgust.
Mia put her plate down. Then she leaned forward as if to hug Jax, but he was far too distant. He winced as he remembered those early, painful memories.
"He lived alone up here in the mountains. His home isn't here though. It was destroyed when they found him in the end. The woman who he stayed with, she eventually got tired of his crazy shit, and she took off, leaving him alone, until one day, he came down from the mountains. Not as a man, but as a bear...a feral bear, and he headed right into town."
"And...you think...why are you up here, though? You're not crazy like your dad. From what I heard, you're not like him at all."
But he wasn't listening. He continued, rambling now, "He rolled into town. No one knew what he was doing. He ended up attacking two innocent people. He killed them. Then he ran back to the mountains, and they came after him, shot him, and bulldozed over his property. The rest of the clan were threatened. Protests for days, all because of him. Our clan became tainted, and we were ostracized by the other bear clans for a while. When I was eventually given alpha status, there were a lot of complaints."
"They ended up sticking with you, though."
"Yes, they did." He nodded. "They're loyal. Fiercely loyal. For some reason."
"I find it hard to believe you're this unsure and still alpha of a group of bears," she said with a laugh.
Jax straightened, waved his hand through his thick hair, and then smiled as well. "Sorry, that got away from me. I don't usually talk about this. The only time is with my sister."
"I understand. What I was saying is...it's clear that your clan believes you to be sane. They trust you. They put all their faith into you."
Jax gazed off into the night as if shrouded in it now. "I began to not trust myself after a while." He reached out and took Mia's hand. "Then I met you."
She avoided his heady stare. Was he coming on too strong?
Too strong to Jax right now meant taking her to the ground, tearing her clothes off, and worshiping her with his tongue. He wanted to cover every inch of her.
When, oh when, would he get the chance to do so?
His bear, silenced for so long, began to wrestle uncomfortably with him.
"If you remember, I wasn't too keen on my abilities as well, until I met you,” she reminded him.
He agreed. "Looks like we both needed each other.”
She twisted a strand of hair in front of him. "You've got me so sappy, Jax. I apologize."
"Don't apologize."
She turned toward the rest of the meal. "Can I apologize for interrupting the meal?"
"Yes, you can. You know a bear has to eat...and you should too."
"There'll be no problems there. Trust me," she said, and she picked up her fork.
"I like your body. Your curves. Your hips. And...I can go on, but I think I'd be distracting us from the dinner even more."
"You can go on another time. Definitely. I'd like to hear it," she said, but she also leaned forward on her knees to look closer at dessert.
Jax held up the plate with the berries. She clapped happily upon seeing it, and then she opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out for the chocolate covered strawberry.
"Ooh, feed me."
Ugh, a dullness rocked Jax's gut as he picked up the strawberry and reached with it to her open mouth, his cock hardened, and he was too horny to stop.
Warm chocolate coated her lips. Then she sucked it in, took a bite, her juicy lips producing a moan as she swallowed.
Jax had enough. She'd have to feed herself, or else he'd need to feed her his cock.
"That's delicious," she groaned.
Jax hadn't said anything. He still held the half strawberry like he'd been frozen the moment she bit it.
"More. Feed me more," she groaned next.
"Sure." Jax picked up the next strawberry. He placed it to her lips, but couldn't watch. The moans after still got his balls surging, tightening, needing to release.
"You're killing me," he finally admitted.
Mia beamed. "It was your idea, big bear. Why else would you cover up those strawberries in chocolate unless you intended to feed me?"
"Good point." He shrugged his shoulders. Jax handed the plate over to her right after. "I expected that I would be able to control myself. It's like being a cub again. It's hard to keep my bear and my human in check around you, Mia."
They gobbled up the rest of the plate.
Mia moaned once more. "That was satisfying." She kicked her legs out. Jax did as well. They sat and looked out at the view and remembered all the delicious tastes they'd experienced.
"Do you like your job? Do you like working here?" Mia asked him.
A good question. Jax leaned back and stretched. "It became lonely here before. We don't have many travelers. We tend to keep to ourselves. That should all change now."
"You just might have the opposite complaint soon."
"I don't think so. I'll be busy constructing new designs. To be honest, that's what I like doing the most. Taking the trees down is just something that must be done, but creating something out of it, that's the fun part. That's the part when I can use my brain.”
She bit her lip when he said this. She'd been checking him out the entire time he leaned back and stretched. Did she know that Jax could sense her arousal?