The cabin was much bigger than it appeared from the outside, it was like a Tardis. From the exterior, it easily could have been just one room, but once you stepped inside, it opened up and a myriad of rooms, with big open windows, overlooked the lake positioned behind.
“Here you go,” Mason said kindly to Harper as he passed her a cuddly blanket and pointed to a door a little further down the hallway. “Do you want to lie on the bed in the spare room?”
Chloe nodded in answer for her daughter and walked with her to the room. She opened the door and looked inside. It was small but it was lovely. Simple and plain, but the bed looked freshly made and clean, and Harper crawled in, yawned and fell into the pillows, a snore almost escaping her lips before her head had even touched them.
Chloe smiled and pulled the cover up around her and then tiptoed out of the room and closed the door.
When she turned around and looked into the living area, Mason was standing at the end of the hallway with a stern look on his face and his arms crossed over his chest.
“What’s going on?” he asked, and he appeared to sniff the air.
Chloe’s lip began to tremble and so did her shoulders as she burst into tears.
Mason softened for a moment and he came toward her, wrapping his arms around her but then flinching again.
“What’s happened to you?” he asked as he stood back and held her at arm’s length. He looked her over, trying to figure out what on Earth was happening, and each time he started to look her over again, his eyes kept traveling to her wrist and then the marks on her cheek.
“I have to tell you something,” she whispered, stepping further away from the bedroom door, just in case Harper was, in any way, still awake.
Mason took her hand and led her into the living area where he had a big, L-shaped leather couch facing the windows with a view of the lake.
They sat in the half-light as the sun continued to rise, but this time, he didn’t hold her hand. He sat back and let her talk.
“What do you see when you look at me?” she asked nervously.
“Something different than what I saw yesterday,” he said sadly. “But I can’t figure out what… It’s like… It’s like evil has touched you.”
A tear rolled down Chloe’s cheek and she took a deep breath. This was going to be so much harder than she had anticipated, and she was starting to wish she had just told him the moment they had met, to save her all this pain.
“You know I came from Bridge Hollow,” she said.
Mason nodded.
“And you were right when you asked if I was running from something.” She stopped and swallowed nervously.
Mason didn’t say a word, his eyes remained fixed on her and she could see a glint to his too, as if he were on alert. The bear within him was ready to come forward if he needed it to.
“I was running from something bad, Mason. Something very bad. I know you asked me if it was from Harper’s father, but no, like I said it, wasn’t from him.”
“Who was it from?” he asked deadpan.
She could see he was wary of her and it was breaking her heart. After all she had been through, and how far she had come to escape her past, it had finally caught up with her, and somehow, in some inexplicable way, it had marked her, and he could sense it.
“I was running from a man who I thought I loved once,” she said and took a deep breath. “But he wasn’t a man… He wasn’t anything pure or good. He was evil, corrupted… Sent from hell.”
She felt her emotions overcome her and she sobbed and had to take a moment.
She could sense that Mason wasn’t as suspicious as he had been when she walked in, but she could also see his eyes fixed on either her wrist where she had been touched or on the marks on her cheek.
“You heard about the things that happened in Bridge Hollow over the past year,” she continued, and Mason nodded. “Well, this man, this thing, he was the cause of all that.”
Mason’s eyes widened.
“I met him in a completely innocent way, and he cast some kind of curse on me, some kind of spell. He used me, drained the life out of me, while he began his plan to flood Bridge Hollow and our sacred land with death and decay.”
Mason sat forward and reached for her hand. This time, he didn’t flinch.
“I didn’t know anything about the shifter world… Or about the paranormal world. But when I met him, that changed. He tried to take me to the dark side. He used me to stay close to where he needed to be, he fed on me, and he was going to kill me, but luckily, before he had the chance, the shifters from that town found him and ended him.”
“So, you didn’t know?” Mason asked.
“I didn’t have a clue of what or who he was…” She swallowed. “He was a vampire… a terrible, terrible one.”
Mason nodded slowly.
“I’ve heard the stories through the pack grapevine of what happened there… And when you said you were from Bridge Hollow, I didn’t really think to connect the two in this much detail.”
“Well, why would you?” she half-laughed. “What are the chances of the one person you meet from there being the chosen one from an evil entity who tried to destroy humanity?”
Mason shook his head in disbelief but moved a little closer to her.
“He always scared me,” she whispered. “So, once he was banished and, I believe, taken back to the dimension from where he came, I knew that was my chance to escape for good. I tried to stay there in town, but every night, I had nightmares, I woke up feeling like I do today, as if he were close by, waiting to find his way back and kill me.”
She sobbed, and Mason wrapped his arms around her.
“I can’t believe this,” he whispered. “You could have told me…”
“I was scared to,” she said. “What if you didn’t want me?”
“I told you, you could tell me anything and it wouldn’t have made any difference.”
He pulled back and looked into her eyes, cupping her face with his hands.
“Shifters stopped that thing… And you’re with one now. As long as you’re with me, you’re safe, Chloe.”
She nodded.
“This is why fate brought us together,” he smiled. “I’m your protector, your mate… And once I’ve imprinted on you, he won’t be able to find you or hurt you anymore.”
He looked at her wrist and then turned her head to study the puncture wounds on her cheek and the scratch.
“How did he do this? Is he here?” he asked.
Chloe shook her head.
“It was a dream I had… It was so real,” she sobbed. “He was about to bite my neck and finish me off but I woke up screaming… But I could feel him all over me, and the injuries were there.”
Mason nodded.
“I could smell death and evil all over you the moment I opened the door,” he said as he rubbed his chin and sighed.
“I’m scared, Mason,” she whispered. “Scared for Harper…”
“He’s not going to make his way back over to this side to get either of you, Chloe,” he said. “I can make sure of that. He’s clearly stuck there, and he’s trying to get close to you when you’re in your most vulnerable state because he’s weak. It’s all he’s got. He’s drank your blood, so he can get in your head. But Harper, she’s completely safe. Don’t worry.”
He looked into her eyes and cupped her cheek again and kissed her hard on the mouth. He wrapped his hands in her hair and she was so full of tension and emotion that she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back just as passionately as they rolled onto the couch and gently bumped noses.
“I was so afraid for you,” he whispered as their lips broke apart. “When you came in, I thought I had lost you.”
The tears in Chloe’s eyes were still glistening and one rolled down her cheek. Mason used his index finger to wipe it away and he smiled warmly.
“You’re my woman,” he said. “And I want you to know you’ll be safe.”
She n
odded.
“He can’t hurt you if we are connected,” he whispered. “He must have sensed you were moving on and another, stronger entity was making their mark on you. It will have been his last-ditch attempt to claim you.”
Chloe looked up into Mason’s deep eyes, and the green sparkled in them again as he held her there.
“He can’t get you, baby,” he said. “I promise.”
She let him cradle her there until the sun had fully come up and Harper was beginning to stir. It had been a crazy night and one that had shaken them both to their core. But now, it was time to look at the next steps they had to take to insure all their safety.
It was the beginning of a long road, but it was time to start traveling it.
14.
With Harper safely at school, Chloe and Mason drove back to the cabin, and he locked the doors. She could barely keep her hands off him; everything about him was making her need to be close to him, and she could tell something had changed in the air between them.
“What’s happening to me?” she asked as she breathed deeply and let him push her gently against the wall of the cabin.
He was so big and strong.
So grizzly.
And she ached to be with him.
“This is what happens,” he said, “when you’re ready to be claimed.”
She gasped and went weak at the knees as he kissed her neck. He was so tall and strong; his arms were thick and powerful, and he took hold of her hands and pinned them above her head as his kiss moved down her neck to her chest.
This was love.
This is what it must feel like.
She had never experienced such passion before, such an animalistic need to be with someone.
She let him lift her and she wrapped her legs around his waist and he pressed against her sweet spot as he stared into her eyes.
“This,” he said. “This is why fate brought us here… Why we met on the road in the snow and the middle of the night… So we would end up right here, together, at this moment, when we both needed each other the most.”
She kissed him deeply and he took her breath away. In this moment, she didn’t know how she had resisted him for so long. They had known each other for a couple of weeks, and they had dated and been around each other so many times, but this was different.
His need to protect her, to claim her, was turning them both into animals.
She reached up and ran her hands through his hair as he panted and smiled down at her. He kissed her and carried her to the table in the kitchen, sitting on it while he unbuttoned her jacket and pulled it off slowly.
Just looking at him was making her wet. She bit her bottom lip and tried not to moan as his hands began to peel away her clothes. Her nipples were so hard and erect, and she could see the bulge in his jeans was so big it was frightening.
Mason kissed her neck again and then pulled back while he took her top off. She pulled at his t-shirt, doing the same, and exposing the most incredible abs and muscles she had ever seen. They were big and firm, making him look like a god.
He was an alpha.
Her alpha.
And now, she was ready to be claimed as his mate, so he could protect her for the rest of time.
Mason reached down and slipped his hand into her underwear, searching for her pussy. When he found her sweet spot, he grunted and slipped a big, rough finger inside her. She groaned and moaned, it felt so good.
She gasped and fell into him, never wanting this moment to end, but knowing he had something much bigger and more powerful waiting for her in his pants.
She undid the buttons on his jeans and pulled them down, taking his underwear with them, and exposing his huge, hard cock. She took hold of it in her hand and gasped again, feeling its immense girth and length. He was going to absolutely destroy her, but she wanted him to.
She was his woman, and she wanted him to take her roughly, right there on the table.
He kissed her neck and turned her around, holding her hips as he slid her panties and jeans down, helping her kick them off and sending them scattering across the room.
He let one hand creep between her legs at the front and he started to rub her clit gently, making her so wet and engorged she couldn’t take it any longer.
“I need you inside me,” she gasped.
Mason took hold of the back of her neck and bent her forward, pushing her onto the table and taking hold of her hips. She could feel the tip of his cock, hard and wet, on the side of her thigh, and when one hand moved away and she felt him take hold of himself and position his tip at her opening, she barely dared breathe.
This was it.
Her protector was going to claim her. She would be his mate until the end of time.
When he pushed himself inside her and opened her wider than she ever had been before, Chloe gasped and rode the wave of pleasure Mason was taking her on.
Her whole body felt light as air, and each time he thrust into her, he hit her in places she didn’t know existed. He was so deep, and so hard, it was as if the bear inside him was there with them, claiming her too. The heat powering into her and rising inside was so intense that it was only a matter of seconds before she was coming and screaming with ecstasy, as Mason took hold of her hair and pulled her head back slightly, so he could kiss her as he kept fucking her slowly from behind.
She gasped and panted, her legs wobbling and eyes unable to focus. Her orgasm may have come and gone, but as his cock thrust in and out of her so hard and slow, she felt herself on the edge of another and she screamed as his thrusts got harder and closer together.
She could feel the roars and the power within him, and she heard the growls. Inside of him was an animal that was desperate to spring free, he was letting it come to the surface, and then he was hiding it away, not wanting to lose this feeling of power and dominance, he rode it in perfect time, his cock claiming her and making her his with each push inside her.
When he started to come, he pushed her forward and roared so loudly she couldn’t hold on anymore. She dug her hands into the table and her nails scratched the wood, leaving claw marks as if she were a bear too.
Mason’s cock jerked and spilled his seed, and he growled and roared as they were bonded together for the rest of time.
Chloe came again, her hips bucking and her back bending, pushing her ass against his groin as he held her there and the last few bursts of cum left him and settled in her.
He leaned forward and kissed her neck, still inside her, and panted into her ear. She was floppy, like a rag doll, and when he withdrew from her, he quickly swept her up in his arms and carried her to his bedroom.
He lay her gently on the bed and climbed in next to her, running his fingertips up and down her body, worshipping each inch of her, and committing her to memory, so he would never forget this moment.
Her heart was racing, and she could still barely breathe, but she was his now, he had claimed her.
“Wow,” she finally managed to whisper.
Mason smiled and cupped his hand to her cheek as he stared deeply into her eyes.
“You can say that again,” he said before he touched his nose against hers and kissed her softly on the lips. “That was life changing,” he said. “Never before have I been like that…”
She smiled and cuddled into him. It felt good to be the one to appeal to his alpha, to be the one to bring out the best and most powerful in him.
He had chosen her, and she had chosen him.
They were mates now, forever.
Mason kissed her neck and she pulled the covers up around them and looked into his eyes as he leaned back and ran his fingers through her hair.
It had felt like such a long time ago that they had met on the road in the middle of the night, when he had saved her and brought her and Harper to Lone Reach, and they had done their best to avoid each other. But they had been crazy to deny themselves this. This was all that mattered. This was where they both needed to be.
“He
can’t hurt you now,” Mason said as the green glinted in his eyes and made Chloe’s legs tremble again.
Just seeing a hint of the bear within him made her pussy throb. Now that she knew what he was capable of, she was turned on just looking at him.
“You’re mine,” he said. “My woman, my mate… I’ve imprinted on you.”
She nodded.
“Now, if you’re ever in even a tiny bit of trouble, I’ll be able to sense it and I can be with you in minutes,” he said. “I’ll know, I’ll feel it in here.”
He placed his hand over his heart, and Chloe put hers on top of his.
“And that ex of yours…” He shook his head. “He won’t come looking for you again. I can promise you that.”
Chloe smiled and rested her eyes for a moment. She was so completely exhausted, being claimed by an alpha bear had certainly taken it out of her, but she wanted to bask in the aftermath of it forever.
It was the most incredible feeling.
Mason held her tightly as her weary body fell to sleep. She may have been newly claimed, but she was going to need to regain her strength. Being the chosen mate of an alpha bear was going to be tiring work, and now that she had had a taste, she knew she would be keen to show up for the job every day.
They lay together, completely in love, and so incredibly lucky to have found one another.
For two people who didn’t believe in fate, both Mason and Chloe had certainly had their faith tested and were newly converted to their own cause.
The course of true love never did run smooth… but these two, they were more than ready to enjoy the bumpy ride.
15.
Lone Reach, One Month Later
Chloe waited by the school gates and watched the doors intently. The bell hadn’t gone yet, and she was sure it was a couple of minutes over. She checked her watch impatiently, and then she tapped her foot and bit her lip. This school was wonderful, but whoever rang the bell, rarely did it on time.
The trill shrieked out all around her and she sighed and clasped her hands together with relief. If they were quick, they could still make it.
Bear For Her (Lone Reach Shifters Book 1) Page 10