Sugar & Spice

by Lorelei Moone

  "Hi... Mom?" Heidi tried her best to disguise the tremble in her voice.

  "Heidi, darling! It's been so long since we've heard from you? Where have you been? Are you all right? Your father kept saying she's old enough to know what she's doing, but I've been so worried!"

  "Yeah, all fine. I just wanted to say hello. We're all celebrating Christmas together." Heidi said.

  "Christmas? Isn't that a human thing?" The question made Heidi smile – it was just what she’d asked Aidan earlier.

  "Apparently not. Well... How is everything back home? Are you and Dad okay?" Heidi asked.

  "We're just fine, don't you worry, sweetie."

  "I have something to tell you, but I don't know if you should tell Dad, all right?" Heidi knew she was stalling, but she was scared of what the reaction might be. Still, it was inevitable. Her mother would know what to do with the information, whether it was something to pass along to Dad or not. Either way, Heidi simply couldn't take the secrecy anymore.

  "What's that?"

  Heidi took a deep breath, counted to three, and went for it. "I've found my mate."

  "Oh, honey, that's wonderful! Who is he? Which pack is he from? When do we get to meet him?"

  She closed her eyes. Her throat felt like it was closing up, but there was no turning back now.

  "He's... He's not from any pack."

  " Oh?"

  "It's a guy from work. A bear."

  The line fell silent. For a painful five – or perhaps ten – seconds, Heidi could hear nothing at all. "Hello?" she asked, wondering if the call had gotten disconnected.

  "Oh, darling... That's... well, that's unexpected, to say the least."

  "What's unexpected?" Heidi heard her dad's voice further away from the receiver. Oh, crap.

  "It's Heidi," her mother explained. "Heidi, will you give me a second?"

  "Sure," Heidi said, but her mom hadn't waited for her answer. Muffled voices were going back and forth in the background. She'd probably covered the receiver with her hand.

  This was a disaster. She hadn't even had the chance to explain properly before her dad got involved in the conversation. Then again, what was there to explain?

  She and Aidan were mates; their feelings had told them as much from the first time they saw each other. There was no questioning it, no fighting the pull they felt toward each other. Surely her parents would understand that?

  "Heidi," her dad's voice said on the other end.

  "Yes, Dad?"

  "Do you realize what this means?"

  "Umm... I have some idea," Heidi said.

  "Your mother and I had hoped you'd pair up with the next alpha, once I step down."

  "I understand. But..." She had nothing. There was nothing she could say that would help right now.

  Her dad took a deep breath on the other end.

  Heidi rested her head in her free hand. They were disappointed, of course they were.

  "Please be frank. Are you happy?" he asked at last.

  "I am... but..."

  "We've never told you this, but when your mother and I got together, it wasn't what our parents had in mind either. They had picked out a different mate for her."

  "Really?"

  "Her father was alpha at the time, and he'd picked his successor. Everything was set, and there was no convincing him. But we felt it. We felt the connection."

  "Yes! I feel it too – with him, I mean," Heidi agreed.

  "There was only one thing I could do to make things right. I had to prove my worth to her father. Do you know how I did that?" he asked.

  "The games?"

  "That's right. I trained for months and months, and won the games that year. That's when he finally accepted my claim on your mother."

  Heidi remained quiet. She'd never known how her parents had gotten together, but she always assumed that everyone had simply agreed to their match without any conflict or difficulty. It was a lot to take in. It seemed her parents weren't quite the people she thought they were.

  "Heidi, darling," her mother spoke into the receiver.

  "Yes, Mom?"

  "You know we love you, right?" she asked.

  "Me too..."

  "Things are a little difficult right now, but when things calm down, we'd rather like to meet him."

  "Sure. Just let me know." Heidi's lip started to shake and her eyes glazed over. As terrified as she'd been about telling them, the conversation had gone surprisingly well.

  "Please stay in touch, darling. We'll visit when we can." Her mom's voice cracked slightly on the other end. Or was that just some distortion in the line?

  "Okay."

  "How do they say it? Merry Christmas?"

  "Yeah. Merry Christmas, Mom." Tears ran down Heidi's face as she looked at the now suddenly very quiet receiver in her hand. She'd been putting this off for so long, and for what?

  Almost instantly, the door behind Heidi opened, and Aidan appeared. They didn't need words to discuss what had just happened. He simply took her into his arms and held her tight. Everything would be all right.

  They remained there, silent, for at least ten minutes.

  "Let's go back in. Have some dinner," Aidan said.

  Heidi swallowed the rest of her emotions and looked up at him. It was nice to be so completely understood by another person. She'd never had even a fraction of that until meeting Aidan. Her entire life she'd been a bit of an outsider, which was unusual for a wolf, considering they're pack animals.

  "Okay, I'm ready," Heidi said.

  Heidi and Aidan stuck around in the main farmhouse for as long as it seemed polite to, but finally, at nine, they made their excuses and retreated to the holiday cottage that had been prepared for them. But Heidi wasn't in any mood to rest just yet.

  "What?" Aidan asked when he noticed Heidi's stares.

  "You're not that tired, are you?" she asked while watching him organize his luggage.

  "I did drive all the way, you know," he teased.

  "Yeah, but... Don't you feel all stiff? Like you need to stretch your limbs?" Heidi cocked her head to the side.

  "I see where you're going with this." Aidan walked up to her and cupped her face with his hands. "You've seen the house I grew up in already, but how about I show you my special place?"

  "You have a special place?" Heidi asked.

  "Sure. Doesn't everyone?" Aidan smiled down at her.

  "Sounds great."

  "Now, it's quite a distance away so we'll have to run. You up for that?"

  "Always."

  Before Heidi could say anything else, Aidan was already out the door. They started off slow, tiptoeing around the garden and driveway in an attempt not to make too much noise, but as soon as they were past the main gate, they broke into a jog.

  Moments later, Aidan paused behind one of the bigger trees and started to undress. "We should be safe to change here."

  Heidi followed his example and folded both their things and hid them neatly beneath some fallen leaves. The air was icy cold against her skin.

  Aidan transformed first, so quickly that any casual observer would not have believed their eyes. In a fraction of a second, the naked man with the brown hair and chiseled abs had turned into a huge brown bear.

  Heidi focused, though she didn't really need to. The cold spurred her on to change equally quickly. As soon as her greyish-brown fur sprouted all over her body, she felt better. The cold could no longer harm her.

  Aidan looked back only once, then started to run east.

  It was a dark, starless night. The only light source, the full moon, was partially obscured by thick clouds. Still, Heidi could see just fine and expertly negotiated the uneven ground between the trees.

  As tempting as it was to let loose, she made sure to stay behind Aidan. He was fast for a bear, but wolves were faster.

  The trees thinned and finally made way for open heathland. It had a sort of desolate beauty, this island. There wasn't much cover, which Heidi only found unnerving unti
l she realized that there wasn't a soul anywhere within sight.

  They continued to run across the vast countryside, further and further, until they made it to a tall cliff at the edge of the island. Far down below, the waves battered against the rock, creating a deafening and yet very relaxing noise.

  Heidi had grown up on the mainland. The settlement at Rannoch was safely tucked away in a dense forest. The only water around belonged to a big loch nearby, but it was quite far away from the sea.

  Aidan sat down beside her as she stared down into the black depths of the sea.

  It was mesmerizing.

  Beautiful, isn't it? Aidan thought.

  Heidi nodded in agreement. From the corner of her eye, a pulsating light attracted her attention.

  What's that?

  A lighthouse.

  Heidi squinted to get a clearer picture of it, but it was too far away. Humans were amazing in their own way. These waters were so treacherous many lives would have been lost trying to navigate them. But rather than give up and let nature have its way, they'd build stronger ships and bigger lighthouses in order to conquer their environment.

  It's a beautiful place, Heidi thought.

  Aidan shuffled closer to her until she could feel the warmth of his fur against hers. That's not all.

  No?

  Aidan got up and nodded at her to follow. Off to the right, he made his way through a gap in the cliffs and started to climb.

  Down they went, this time with her following him a bit more carefully. She might be a faster runner, but bears were way better climbers.

  Finally they made it to a ledge about halfway down the cliff.

  Here.

  Heidi stepped ahead of Aidan and noticed the dark entrance in the rock. A cave.

  She entered first, drawn in by the familiar scent permeating the place. This was Aidan's special place.

  Inside waited a few old blankets and other assorted things he must have carried here years ago. It was cozy, of course it was.

  I always thought one day when I'm old enough I might come here and hibernate one winter. Just like they used to do in the old days.

  Heidi had to chuckle. Only bears could embrace a totally human concept like Christmas, while idealizing old fashioned ideas like hibernating.

  That's not funny!

  Heidi turned and grinned at Aidan. It is a little.

  Oh you wolves, you'll never understand.

  Did you ever think you'll bring a girl here to hibernate with you? Heidi teased.

  Aidan got up on his hind legs and let out a low growl.

  Heidi immediately got the signal and started to circle him just like her instinct told her to. The hair on the back of her neck stood to attention involuntarily.

  Bring a girl here? Yes, that crossed my mind. But not to hibernate, exactly!

  As soon as Aidan had fully formulated that thought, he lashed out. His paw hit Heidi on her flank and she rolled over onto one of the blankets. It was surprisingly soft.

  A split second later, Aidan was beside her, holding her down.

  They transformed back into their human forms instantly.

  Although it was freezing outside, the inside of the cave wasn't so bad. Aidan grabbed the corner of the blanket Heidi had landed on top of and wrapped it safely around her naked body.

  She giggled uncontrollably when he nuzzled the side of her neck and kissed her in that most sensitive, most ticklish spot below her ear.

  I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It's a lovely place you've got here! Heidi tried to appease him.

  "Damn right, it's lovely," Aidan whispered.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed deeply when she felt his body heat melt into her entire body. Despite feeling hesitant about the whole Christmas holiday idea, she was glad that she'd agreed to come. She wouldn't have wanted to miss this place – this moment, right now – for the world.

  They shared kiss after kiss, each one deeper and more passionate than the last.

  Together, their bodies heated the cave and each other even further.

  Heidi climbed on top of Aidan, straddling him as he steadied her. This was the view of him that she loved the most. He was on his back, but far from helpless.

  She leaned down, kissing and licking her way across his chest while he wrapped his arms around her again. He was hard for her, and impatient.

  Aidan reached down between them and teased her with his fingers, just for a moment, until she lost her patience as well. She lifted herself and allowed him to enter her.

  There was nothing she wanted more, nothing that could make this moment more perfect than it already was. They'd learned a lot about each other since they'd been together, but seeing his childhood home and now this place had been huge. Maybe one day she could return the favor.

  For now, though, all she had to offer was her body and mind.

  She thought of the sea below, of the roaring waves crashing into the rocks beneath the cave. Water, as dangerous as it was, had a strange erotic quality to it.

  Her visions of the sea mingled with glimpses of her past encounters with Aidan. How their bodies felt, crashing and mingling together, much like those same waves.

  Aidan joined in, fantasizing and feeding her images of how she looked to him. Her strawberry blond locks flying wildly when she rode him. The deep pink tint her lips took on after too many shared kisses. Her feminine curves, which he so admired.

  Heidi closed her eyes for better focus and just hung on while Aidan took her from underneath. It wasn't long before she felt the tension in her lower abdomen grow.

  He felt the same, she could feel it in her entire being.

  They were on fire, their shared pleasure coursing through their veins.

  I want to see you, someone thought. Heidi wasn't sure if it was her own thought or his. Maybe both of theirs.

  They opened their eyes at the same time, staring into each other's souls as they moved rhythmically towards a mutual release. Her orgasm washed over her like the water she'd admired earlier, as did his, causing them to nearly drown.

  Heidi collapsed into his arms, still, until they both caught their breath again. She wasn't sure just how long they'd stayed in that cave, safely tucked into those soft blankets that had survived years just to make tonight possible.

  By the time they got up and changed back into their animal selves for the return journey, the outside world had changed along with them. The previously deep black rocks were speckled with white. Soft white flakes were still falling from the sky.

  They climbed up the rocks back to the plateau on top of the cliff and ran back, catching snowflakes in their mouths on the way. Heidi sprinted for a few minutes, feeling the last bit of stiffness from the long car journey earlier leave her body.

  She waited for Aidan by the tree where they'd hidden their things. He showed up just minutes later.

  That was amazing, Heidi thought.

  I'm glad I got to share that with you. Aidan transformed into his human form and picked up the clothes from underneath the snow-dusted pile of leaves. "Here."

  Heidi underwent the same metamorphosis and gladly accepted her things. The snow had taken away the wind chill, but it was still quite cold. They hurriedly put their clothes back on and sneaked back through the woods and onto the driveway of McMillan Farm, where they rushed towards the cottage they were staying in.

  As if nothing had ever happened.

  But something had.

  And Heidi was glad for it, too.

  The End.

  Miracle: Clarice & Derek's Story

  This story contains spoilers for Scottish Werebear: An Unexpected Affair.

  Clarice Adler had been living at McMillan Farm for over two months already. Although she was over the moon to have found and fallen for Derek, she did look forward to a bit of a change come the holiday season. Christmas was going to be her chance to have a house full of guests, including her best friend, Lily.

  Her lifestyle had changed drastically ever since s
he'd decided to stay with Derek. Back in London, she would have thought nothing of living on ready-meals or take-out day after day. That was no longer an option now, but she didn't miss it. Living the good life at the farm had been an eye-opening experience.

  That wasn't to say that the transition had been easy for Clarice. Before coming to the farm, she'd never cooked anything more complicated than eggs or baked beans on toast, but with Derek's encouragement and help, she'd soon learned the basics.

  Christmas was going to be a test and a potential triumph. She wanted to handle it herself, taking only the minimum amount of input from Derek, and prove to herself more than anyone that she could roast a turkey and have it turn out edible too.

  The days leading up to the big one weren't smooth sailing, though. She'd written and re-written the menu plan multiple times. She'd read all the relevant books, even studied handwritten notes left behind by Derek's late mother, and discussed things with him ad nauseam as well. With all the preparations came a strange case of tinnitus; a rustle or noise would overwhelm her sometimes for a few seconds at a time. Stress, probably.

  Derek supported her efforts, even if he had shown some trepidation at the idea of a big Christmas celebration. But he'd agreed, and she could feel that he genuinely wanted her to have her perfect holiday. He'd even baked a big Christmas pudding already, weeks in advance, so that it had time to sit and mature.

  Yet every time she and Derek had agreed on something, there was still a little niggle or doubt that she couldn't ignore. Something felt wrong. It felt like, despite the best of plans, she wouldn't be able to manage, as though something or someone was out to sabotage her efforts. It was around the 23rd that the funny noise in her head took on a slightly different quality; no longer indistinct, every so often Clarice thought she could hear someone call out to her, whispering her name.

  But how could that be? It wasn't Derek, for sure; he sounded different when he was in her head.

  Still, the preparations were ongoing and she was making good progress. The tree had already been put up, decorated to perfection using some of the ornaments Clarice had found in the things left behind by Derek's parents. Everything was right on schedule. But there was still something tugging at her.