He started first, tugging at her knitted sweater, almost tearing it off her. Meanwhile, her hands traveled straight to where it mattered most: the zip of his jeans.
Within seconds, they were naked. Despite the freezing conditions outside, the two of them were red hot. Kyle paced around her for a couple of seconds, with her tracking his every move. Like two animals, raring for a fight.
But violence wasn't what they were after.
Her eyes and her posture challenged him. He didn't know why, but something in her spoke to him to assert himself. He made the first move.
Kyle grabbed her hips, pulled her against him and took her into his arms again. Her skin was soft as silk; he couldn't imagine ever growing tired of touching her.
Full breasts crowned with pink nipples. He needed a taste, and he knew from the last time that she loved that kind of affection, so he didn't hold back.
Meanwhile, her hand sought to explore the much harsher and more angular contours of his body; a muscular back, buff chest and defined abs. He wasn't as tall as the brown bears they'd spent time with earlier, but he wasn't any less built. Such was the advantage of being a bear. There was no such thing as an unfit one, even if said bear preferred computers over more active or outdoorsy pursuits.
She moaned loudly when he ran his tongue over the very tip of her hard nipple. The rawness in her voice gave him shivers. It also made him ever more impatient to move on to the main course.
He let go of her, but before she had the chance to protest, fell to his knees in front of her and kissed her folds. He loved how the soft curls of her mound brushed against his face, and the sweet taste of her nectar tickled his tongue.
Her moans turned to groans. He felt her legs tremble, so he held her steady.
She had other ideas though, and she stumbled back a couple of steps away from him and fell onto the bed.
He followed, like a predator undeterred by his prey's retreat. It wasn't much of a chase, considering she lay spread-eagle in front of him, surrendering completely.
Fine, if she wanted it like that...
I do! Her thoughts confirmed what he already knew.
She reached out for him, guiding his thick, pulsating manhood exactly where she needed it the most.
She'd been eager the first time around, but this time, their union was even more intense, like an itch that hadn't been scratched in months. Indeed, it had been too long since their first night together. He hoped that he'd never have to wait as long for her again.
He entered her, and her fingernails drew blood on his back.
The pain just aroused him further, so he plunged into her deeply, relishing the tight grip of her sheath.
She was so beyond control; she could barely keep her eyes open. If he kept staring at her expressions, he wouldn't be able to keep it together either. He pulled away and with one swift move turned her over by hooking his arm under her knee.
The two lush curves of her behind looked delicious enough to bite into. But he didn't give in to that particular temptation, instead mounted her again, groaning with pleasure when he was welcomed back inside her slick pussy.
"Oh God!" she all but screamed into her pillow.
"You like that, do you?"
"Shit, just...just don't stop!"
He didn't.
Every time he buried himself deep inside her, she ground her hips up against him. But he wasn't fully satisfied yet. While leaning on one hand, he slipped the other one underneath her and kept her steady as he sped up.
Helplessly restrained, Lily could do nothing but moan with each of his strokes, and shudder at the sudden emptiness she must have felt when he withdrew almost all the way. She didn't struggle against his firm hold on her. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his, unwilling to let go of whatever part of him was within her reach.
"Faster," she begged, almost inaudibly.
He didn't need to hear that again and did as asked. Pressed up against him, this beautiful woman, this goddess, was writhing in pleasure. Kyle wasn't much of a ladies' man, but right at this moment, he knew exactly how to handle himself and his partner.
Her hair smelled so sweet he couldn't resist it. He buried his face in it and let the scent overwhelm his senses. Her skin was so soft, he nibbled and sucked on her neck until in his enthusiasm he left behind marks. She was delicious all over.
He could hardly breathe, but couldn't stand the idea of stopping either. She reached the precipice of her release first, covering her mouth with one of her hands as she let out a moan-turned-scream. Her body seemed intent on keeping him inside of her, twitching and pulsating around his cock, while the rest of her muscles turned utterly limp.
That was it, all he needed. He felt his hot seed burn its way through him and into her and lost control of his own body. They both sank into the mattress, a hot sweaty mess of limbs and tussled sheets.
It was beautiful, and a little bit dirty.
He slipped off her a few seconds later and turned onto his back for a breather.
It took her a little longer to find the will to move, but then she nestled into him, tucked into the space he'd left between his arm and torso.
"You really aren't like other guys," Lily sighed as she rested her head against his shoulder.
"I'm not," Kyle confirmed. He didn't know how he would explain it to her in words, so he closed his eyes and concentrated on creating the perfect image for her. With his mind, he captured the exact moment between man and bear. The shift.
She flinched and pushed herself back against his naked torso, broadening the space between them.
"That's not possible!" she mumbled.
"I know it's a lot to take in," Kyle said. She had to be okay with this, right? It wasn't possible that she was his mate and yet would be unable to accept his true nature?
"More than you know." Lily leaned up on her elbows and stared straight ahead. "When I was little, my grandmother used to tell me these stories. Of course, we didn't take her seriously."
Kyle sat up next to her while she filled her as well as his mind with images of her own. He took her hand, and the visions they shared became even clearer. Her grandmother had been different as well.
Through Lily's veins ran not bear blood, but another species altogether. Her late grandma was a fox shifter who upon meeting her mate - Lily's grandpa - had turned her back on her own kind and instead chosen a human life. She'd told Lily and her cousins stories which sounded like fairy tales at the time.
Her stories told of fox people who lived in secret exactly like bears did. They'd been hunted almost to extinction by wealthy landowners and aristocrats who'd enjoyed killing the foxes for sport. Those that were left either made sure to keep to themselves, never shifting in places where they might be discovered by trigger-happy humans, or they suppressed their animal selves like Lily's grandmother had done, and adopted human ways as their own.
"I never knew about fox shifters," Kyle remarked. "But it certainly explains a lot."
"Does it?" Lily still looked frazzled.
"Yeah. Our intense connection, and the fact that we're able to communicate so well already. It must be because you're part shifter!"
"I guess that does make sense."
Lily took a deep breath and let herself fall back into his waiting arms. "I never thought today would end quite like this."
"Me neither."
"So...the others, are they like you?" Lily asked.
"Close enough, yeah," Kyle confirmed.
"That does explain a lot as well."
Kyle glanced over at her, then couldn't suppress a smile. "You're really cute when you're confused."
"That's funny." Lily crossed her arms and glared at him. Seems she couldn't stay mad at him for long, though, because a smile quickly broke through her lips as well. "I guess at least now I know grandma wasn't crazy after all."
"That's a good silver lining."
"Right?" She picked up his arm and tucked it across her chest tighter. "And I also know I'm ho
pelessly stuck."
"Oh?"
"There's no way I'm going back to my old life of boredom and loneliness now that I've had another taste of super-hot shifter sex." Her tone had changed, gone was the seriousness that had washed over her just now, replaced by her usual much more playful self.
"Again, I don't see the downside," Kyle remarked.
"So how is Edinburgh at this time of year?" she asked.
"I imagine it's pretty much like London, except wetter."
"I should have known. Oh well... I guess a change would be nice, as well as timely."
"Is that what you want to do? Move to Edinburgh?"
Lily shrugged, then turned onto her side and smiled at him. "I've heard it's a nice enough place. Is it?"
"I suppose so."
"So it's settled then."
"I think I love you," Kyle whispered. He'd never been the emotional type, and tended to get uneasy when hearing other people utter these words to each other, but right now it felt completely right.
Lily stared at him for a second, then smiled again. "I love you too."
The End
Acceptance: Heidi's Story.
This story contains spoilers for Scottish Werebear: A Dangerous Business.
"So how does this work exactly?" Heidi asked, looking up from her partially packed suitcase.
Aidan zipped up his own bag and glanced up at her. "How do you mean?"
"Well, Christmas. What's going to happen?"
"You guys don't celebrate Christmas?" Aidan exclaimed.
"Don't sound so shocked! It's much weirder that you people actually do celebrate it. I always thought it was a human thing." Heidi folded her arms and cocked her head to the side. Although they'd been together for a couple of months now, bears often still seemed like a mystery to her.
"Well, it is and knowing Derek, the entire thing will have been Clarice's idea, not his. But if you ignore the religious aspect for a moment, what's not to like? You come together and enjoy some good food, exchange gifts, etc."
"Gifts? You never said anything about gifts before, and now I don't have anything to give!" Heidi's confusion about the entire affair instantly turned to panic.
Aidan let out a chuckle. "Relax, sweetheart. That's just what people generally do. You're not expected to give anyone anything."
Heidi wasn't convinced. Perhaps he was just trying to make her feel better. "Are you sure?"
"Really. It'll be fine." He reached out to her, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand. The amusement at her outburst was still written all over his face. "Look. We're just spending a few days at the farm where I grew up. I promise it'll be fun."
Heidi smiled. "I am rather curious to see that."
"You'll love it. It's really quiet, perfect to go for a bit of a run, even hunt some small game if you want."
It sounded idyllic, almost like home. It had been just over two months since she'd left the wolf settlement in Rannoch Forest to come work for the Alliance in Edinburgh. Previously she'd loved nothing more than to go out and lose herself in the woods, but that just wasn't possible in the city. Even Aidan's favorite escape, Holyrood Park, wasn't much of a stand-in for the vast countryside to which she was accustomed.
There were two reasons she'd fought the urge to run off somewhere quieter. The Alliance's work to protect all shifters against the illustrious Sons of Domnall was too important to leave behind, and of course, there was Aidan. They were mates – despite their differences – and inseparable. The work they did together was even more important to him than it was to her.
"All right then. But if someone mentions gifts, I'll say you told me not to get anything," Heidi warned him.
Aidan laughed again. "Deal. So, don't you wolves celebrate any holidays?"
"Of course we do!" Heidi said. "Midwinter is a big one."
"So what do you do for Midwinter?"
"It's a time for new beginnings, so a lot of couples have their mating ceremony at Midwinter. All able-bodied pack members take part in the Midwinter Games; it’s how the new hierarchy is decided. To keep things fair they divide the pack into two groups, youth and adult. The grown-up winner of the games can choose to challenge the alpha to take his spot if he wants to, although that hasn't happened in a long time," she explained.
Heidi was a little sad about missing the games this year, and every year to come. Her interspecies relationship with Aidan had made a return to Rannoch unlikely, if not impossible. Before setting off, she'd had a few hunches about who might win this year's games, and would have liked to see the outcome for herself.
"Did you ever take part?"
"What, in the Midwinter Games?" Heidi looked down at her hands. "Only males can compete."
"Oh." Aidan ran his hand through his hair. "That's too bad, I guess they don't want to risk losing to a girl, huh?"
"Probably." She looked back up at him, his brown eyes full of warmth. Although he couldn't relate to the gender inequality that was prevalent in wolf society, she was grateful that he'd always been tactful about it.
"So tell me what kind of things they do during the games?" Aidan grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him while he sat down on the bed.
Heidi didn't resist, and sat down on his lap while telling him about the different challenges. Combat, tracking, hunting... All the while, his touch warmed her to her core, making her feel just a little bit less wistful about being so far away from it all.
"You know we have something like that, a competition, but it takes place in the spring or summer," Aidan remarked when she was finished.
"Oh yeah? I had no idea."
"Ever heard of the Highland Games? It's not quite as varied as your games though, mainly about physical strength."
"You're joking – I thought that was a human thing, too?" Heidi turned and scrutinized Aidan's face, looking for any sign that he was just pulling her leg.
"That's just what we want everyone to think." Aidan grinned. "Anyone can enter, humans included, but I'm sure you can guess which species tends to win..."
"No kidding."
"How about I take you next year?" Aidan said, running his fingers through Heidi's hair.
"That would be nice." She closed her eyes, enjoying his continuing affections.
"But first I'm taking you to Skye to celebrate Christmas with my little brother and his human." Aidan leaned in for a kiss that sent shivers down Heidi's spine.
"Indeed," she whispered against his lips.
"Let's go then."
They shared another kiss, then Heidi got up off Aidan's lap and collected the remainder of her things. They still had to swing by Jamie Abbott's place, who would join them along with his very own human mate, Alison.
What a strange bunch they would be – three bears, two humans, and a wolf – celebrating what was essentially a human holiday. It was a funny coincidence that this little group had formed in which every couple had gone against the grain, necessitating a certain amount of discretion and secrecy.
Traditionally, bears mate with bears, wolves with wolves, and humans don't even get into it. If anyone else found out about the lot of them, there'd be hell to pay.
A long drive later, Heidi found herself at Aidan's childhood home. It was every bit as idyllic as it had sounded. The little woodland around the farm was practically calling out to her, but this wasn't the time to run off.
Instead they were invited inside and pampered by Clarice, the human Aidan's brother Derek had paired up with. Tea, cake, cookies, everything was laid out for them. Two months at the Alliance had helped Heidi acclimate to the sweet tooth bears seemed to have, though she couldn't quite keep up with any of them. She stuck to her unsweetened tea and some nuts as a snack, leaving the confections aside.
Heidi had found a surprising amount of common ground with Jamie's mate, Alison, whose background was even more different than her own. The two women had started chatting in the car, and it seemed like the beginnings of a friendship were starting to develop.
Heidi had left her family when her father had sent her to work with the Alliance, and now everything back home was probably just how she left it. If she wanted to, Heidi could go back for a visit any time she liked. Her own feelings were the only thing standing in her way. She hadn't found the courage to tell them about Aidan and as such had avoided contact.
Alison, meanwhile, had lost her whole family permanently and irreparably. She was the daughter of the enemy, essentially. He'd sent her in to pose as an informant for the Alliance, to covertly gather information for the Sons of Domnall. That was when she'd found herself intensely drawn to Jamie and switched sides, directly resulting in the capture of her father and brother, who were still being held by the Alliance Council.
There was no going back for Alison. This handful of unlikely people was the closest thing to family she would have now. Heidi admired the woman and the strength and resolve she had shown, despite having her world turned upside down this past month.
The same pretty much applied to Aidan and his brother, Derek, whose parents had died in a car crash so many years ago. They never even got to say goodbye.
Perhaps Heidi ought to suck it up and call her parents. At least she still had that option, even though the prospect filled her with dread.
Through the laughter and conversation, Heidi noticed Aidan staring at her.
All okay? She heard his voice in her head.
She shot a quick smile in his direction. I'll be right back.
Heidi removed her phone from her pocket, but upon switching it on immediately realized she had no network.
There's a phone in the entrance hall, Aidan suggested.
Although she'd have preferred to go outside for a bit more privacy, she took a deep breath and decided to make do with what she had before she lost her nerve altogether. She closed the door behind her and flexed her fists a couple of times. You can do this! What's the worst that'll happen?
Heidi dialed the number and waited, her heart beating in her throat.
"Hello?" her mother answered the phone like she usually did. It was a bit of a relief. Heidi had wanted to speak to her rather than her dad anyway.
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