by Leela Ash
“Seven?” Julie linked her arm with hers and the two walked towards the front steps to their building.
“Sounds good.”
“Great,” Julie dropped her arm and skipped on ahead. “I better dash—I’ve got a million things to do beforehand. Don’t forget to dress up,” she winked. “Kellan will be there, remember!”
Freya felt a knot in her stomach but couldn’t keep the grin from her face.
“He’s hot for you,” Julie said over her shoulder as she reached the top of the steps. “And quite frankly, I’d love to have you as a sister-in-law.”
“Wow, jumping ahead there a bit, aren’t we?” Freya laughed.
“Nope,” Julie winked. “Anyway, catch you later.” She blew Freya a kiss and disappeared up the stairs.
Freya looked at her watch and realized it was five-thirty. She was going to have to get a move on too.
***
As Julie sped down the winding woodland roads, Freya’s nerves were mounting. She knew she was about to see Kellan again, and she couldn’t shake what Julie had said earlier. What if he was really serious about her? What if Julie had handpicked her for him? They approached a bend in the road and Julie slowed.
“We’re just up here over this rise,” she said, dimming the lights and turning off the main road and onto smaller lane that went up a hill. They were close and Freya could sense it—she could feel him near her. The feeling she got when he was around was so strange. It was as if they could smell each other and a wild instinct was pulling her to him.
“Here we are,” Julie said as they rounded a corner and the most incredible house loomed up out of the trees. A star-scattered sky swept out behind it, emphasizing its grandeur.
“Wow,” Freya gasped. “This is amazing.”
The house was more than a mansion. It was a full-on sprawling country estate hidden there in the trees. The private road they had been traveling on led to a huge set of wrought iron gates with stone statues or big, menacing bears on either side. Julie leant out of the driver’s window and pushed a code into the security keypad before the gates beeped and began to open. Freya had never seen a house like it. It was so secluded and protected. It was as if they didn’t want anyone in the world to know they were there, or risk them being discovered.
“What’s with all the security?” Freya asked.
“Like I said,” Julie shrugged, “My dad’s pretty strict.”
***
When they reached the top of the hill and Julie stopped the car, Freya almost didn’t dare get out. She felt intimidated, but she was also desperate to see Kellan. She looked up at the tall wooden double doors flanked by columns and one of them slowly opened and Kellan stepped outside.
“Welcome,” he called to her as he held his arms out with his palms upturned to the sky.
“Come on,” Julie whispered. “He’s excited to see you, I can tell.”
Kellan wrapped his arm around Freya and kissed her on the cheek. She couldn’t help but blush as her nerves crept back up inside of her. He was even more attractive than she remembered. He hooked his arm with hers as Julie had done earlier in the day and led her into the great entrance hall of their impressive home.
“I’m so glad you came,” Kellan said as Julie wandered off down a hallway behind them. “I’ve done nothing but think about you since I met you in the diner.”
Freya’s heart began to race. “Really?” she stammered.
“Yes,” he smiled, his brown eyes were warm and inviting and she suddenly became aware of the heat that rose from him again. It was intoxicating and pulled her in.
“Come on,” he said as he put an arm around her and guided her down the hall. “Let’s go and find the others.”
Chapter 6
They walked through the winding hallways and Freya found herself trying to catch glimpses of the art on the walls. The whole house was so opulent and dramatic, she couldn’t believe that her easy-going friend had a background like this, or that Kellan seemed totally besotted with her… She was just an ordinary girl, from an ordinary family… and here she was with Julie and Kellan, two people so interesting and removed from her own world that it was almost bewildering.
“Everyone’s outside,” Kellan said as he led her through a kitchen that could easily have been bigger than the entire bottom floor of her parent’s house. It was all marble and the ceilings were high with three massive chandeliers swinging from them. On the opposite side of the kitchen were two big double doors that opened to an outside terrace. A fire pit raged in the middle and all around it were big comfy couches and tiki torches. Julie was draped across one of the couches and two guys drinking beers were on another.
“Guys,” Kellan called as he led her out to them. “I’d like you to meet Freya. Freya this is Joe and Max.”
The two other boys got to their feet and came to shake Freya’s hand. She smiled meekly and greeted them before looking down at Julie and giving her the look that meant she wanted to talk to her. Julie smiled and looked away as if she was ignoring her request on purpose. She was definitely up to something and although Freya wanted to shout to her and ask, she couldn’t keep the smile from her face. She couldn’t believe her luck to be there at the incredible house with such a lovely group of people.
Kellan motioned for her to sit on one of the couches and Freya took up his offer and made herself comfortable. He sat next to her and slipped his arm discreetly along the back, around her shoulder.
“So,” Joe said, “how did you have the pleasure of meeting these two, Freya?”
“We go to college together,” Julie answered for her. “We met in our dorm’s communal bathroom,” she laughed.
“Yeah, and we just clicked straight away,” Freya added.
“And I had the pleasure of bumping into them both at the diner the other night and said Freya would have to come over and see us here at the house.”
“And I’m glad I came,” she smiled as she turned to Kellan and their eyes met.
Max and Joe got up and picked up a soccer ball. They jumped over the wall of the terrace and went down onto the perfectly manicured and sprawling gardens. As they kicked it and messed around, Julie leaned up on her elbows and whispered, “They’re pretty juvenile, but they’re harmless.”
“How do you know them?” Freya asked.
“Old family friends,” Kellan answered.
“Okay, guys,” Julie said as she got to her feet, “I’m going to head up to my room and root through a few things that I want to take back with me… I’ll leave you two to get better acquainted.” She raised an eyebrow and winked. As she walked past Freya, she squeezed her shoulder lightly and Kellan gave a low laugh and ran a hand through his hair.
Freya’s heart was pounding, and she was so nervous she didn’t know where to look. Kellan’s arm was still around her shoulder, and she could feel his heat oozing into her. She felt so safe in his arms.
The tension between them was mounting, and she could sense his eyes on her. She wanted to turn to look at him but knew that if she did, he would either kiss her or break her heart. She stared dead ahead and noticed another statue of a big grizzly bear in the trees.
“Your family like bears,” she whispered.
“Something like that,” Kellan said softly as he swept a strand of hair away from her eye.
Unable to stand it any longer, Freya turned to look at him and their eyes locked. It was as if she had known him forever and they had an unbreakable bond. It had come out of nowhere, and it was shocking her to the very core, but she knew that there was something between them that was bigger than anything she had ever experienced in her life.
“Freya,” he whispered. “How much did Julie tell you about me?” He was twisting her hair around his finger and staring at her deep in the eyes.
“What do you mean?” she asked, confused.
“I mean, did she talk at all about our family?” he asked, moving closer to her.
“Not really,” Freya cast her mind back and tried to remem
ber their conversations. When she thought about it properly, Julie hadn’t really told her much about her life with her family at all. Except that their father was strict and generous with the money.
“I’d love to tell you about us,” he said. “But I’m worried it will change things.”
“Change things?” Freya asked as she shuffled closer to him. “I don’t think anything could make me feel any different about you guys. I love Julie like a sister and it’s only been a week,” she let out a loud laugh and so did Kellan.
“Let’s go for a walk,” he said as he got to his feet and held out his hand for her to take. She slipped her palm into his and he pulled her up to meet him. Their chests bumped up against one another and Freya resisted the urge to wrap her arms around him and kiss him. The tension between them was too perfect, and she didn’t yet want to break it. She liked the feeling of not knowing.
Kellan walked down the stone staircase into the gardens, and Freya held onto his arm as she walked with him. She looked back over her shoulder at the house and as the lights were turning on and lighting it up, she really couldn’t believe how amazing it all looked.
“This house is unbelievable,” she sighed. “It must be incredible living here.”
“It has its moments,” Kellan smiled coyly. “It gets lonely though… Especially now Dad’s gone.”
“Gone?” Freya asked as she looked up at him.
“Yes,” he said as if he was about to confess something. “Dad died last year. Since then it’s just been me and Julie here, until she went off to college two weeks ago.”
“But…” Freya began, “you said your parents were away for the weekend?”
Kellan smiled as if he was recalling a fond memory and squeezed her hand.
“Yeah, that’s kind of a game Julie and I play… takes us back to our childhood, I suppose… Makes us feel less abandoned.”
“And your mother?”
“She died when Julie was ten and I was twelve.”
“Wow,” Freya said, “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Kellan said, more upbeat. “It’s just life… We’re doing okay now and we have each other.”
Freya looked up at him again, uncertain of what to say. She had no idea that they had been through such traumas. She had assumed they were so lucky and privileged that life must have just been easy for them.
“That’s why Julie didn’t go far for college,” he said. “She wanted to stay close by, help me with the house and things.”
“Yes,” Freya said. “That makes sense.”
He smiled and stopped walking. Because of the conversation, she hadn’t realized that they were now in the middle of a forest. She looked around at the tall, high trees and at the moon rising high in the sky.
“It’s lovely here,” she said. “I’d love to live out somewhere so quiet and peaceful… Did Julie tell you about my dorm room? Officially the worst in history.” She was babbling to stop herself from looking at him. They were facing each other, and he was running a hand through her hair.
“Shh,” he whispered with a light laugh.
She looked up and her eyes met his. They glinted in the twilight, and Freya couldn’t look away.
“Kellan,” she began but he shushed her again gently.
He leaned forward and kissed her powerfully on the mouth. He wrapped his big, manly arms around her and pulled her closer to him. His tongue slipped against hers and his heat filled her completely. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been kissed—it had been so long. And the feeling of being in a man’s arms was so warm and loving, she never wanted it to end.
Kellan ran a hand up the small of her back and squeezed her gently. The stubble on his chin was rough and wiry. Freya couldn’t help the smile creeping over her face.
“You’re so different,” he whispered. “When Julie said she’d found you I couldn’t believe it.”
“What do you mean?” Freya asked him as she opened her eyes and saw his again, boring into hers.
“I need you Freya,” he said seriously. “You’re perfect and I need you more than you could ever imagine…”
Chapter 7
He was holding her tight, as if he would never let her go. Freya looked up into his big, honest eyes and could sense the urgency. It was as if this moment was always supposed to happen. The stars had aligned to make it perfect for them, there in the woods, at that particular moment in time.
“Tell me,” she whispered. “What’s happening?”
They were in the center of a clearing and Kellan sat down on a large rock and sighed. Freya rushed to him and bent down. He looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“I want to tell you, but I don’t know what you’ll think of me… Of us…” he said.
“Tell me,” she said again as she squeezed his hand reassuringly.
Kellan sucked in some air and his eyes found hers. “Okay,” he began, “here goes…”
Freya sat down next to him and Kellan wrapped her hand in his.
“When Julie found you,” he said, “it was for me…” He paused and shook his head as if he couldn’t continue, but Freya nudged him and he nodded and continued.
“I need you Freya. You’re the perfect woman to continue my family’s legacy with… I know it sounds crazy, but we are a dying breed and I need someone like you, someone beautiful and strong to carry my child.”
Freya’s mouth dropped open. Of all the things she had been expecting to hear, that was not one of them.
“I…I…” she stammered, but Kellan continued.
“Julie knew you were the one, and the second I met you, so did I,” he said. “I know it sounds crazy. I never thought it would happen this way either, but you can’t deny what we have… There’s something between us. It was there instantly, and it’s only getting stronger.”
He took hold of her face and shivers of lust ran up her spine.
“Give yourself to me, Freya, and you’ll have everything you’ve ever wanted. We will be a family, we’ll be united, and all of this will be yours.”
“But I’m at college,” she stammered.
“And you can still finish,” he said. “I inherited this house and all of my parent’s fortune. I have more than enough money to keep you, support you and help you finish your studies if you give me a cub.”
“A what?” Freya said with disbelief.
“A cub,” he said again as he stroked her cheek. “Give me the heir I need, help me continue my family’s dynasty and you will be forever rewarded.”
Her whole skin was prickling and suddenly things all began to make sense. The statues of bears dotted around the estate, his gruffness and the heat that oozed from his pores. Kellan was a shifter and he needed to breed before his family line was extinguished. Freya looked up at the man in front of her and knew that she wanted nothing more than to help him. She loved him, and she loved Julie. He was right: In the short time they had known each other, their connection had been forged and was intensifying with each second they spent together.
She already couldn’t imagine her life without them… Could she be the one to help them in the way they needed?
As she looked up to the sky, she saw the moon was rising above the tops of the trees. It was full and casting silvery light all around them. Kellan’s eyes were growing darker and wider, and Freya could sense the change in him. He was turning.
“I want you so bad,” he said as he kissed her again. “I’ve never wanted anyone as much in my entire life. You’re my one true mate.”
Freya felt a knot of fear and lust in her belly and a wetness between her legs. She was aching for him and knew that she wanted to give herself to him, but she was so nervous, she was afraid to let go.
“You’re a virgin,” he whispered. “I can tell.”
Freya blushed and nodded. She could see the bulge in his pants getting bigger, and it was turning her on so much she could barely control herself.
“I can only breed with a vi
rgin,” he looked at her dead in the eyes again before he kissed her and led her back onto the rocks.
Freya wrapped her legs around him and let him pin her hands back high above her. He ran his hands up her side and cupped her big, bountiful breasts before kissing up the side of her neck. His touch was electric and as the passion flowed through him, the more animalistic he became.
The moon was directly over them and as he slipped Freya’s panties down and released his impressive manhood, a wave of power rolled over him as he tore out of his skin and into the great hulking beast in front of her. As he penetrated her for the first time, Freya screamed with pleasure and delight. She had never had a man inside of her before, never mind one as powerful as Kellan. As he shifted into his bear form, he continued to ravage her and thrust himself in and out of her. The feeling of fur against her skin was divine and as he ravished her soft and curvy body, his strokes became more intense and passionate.
Freya was on the verge of release, and she gripped him with her legs and moaned as his huge cock pounded her. As he fucked her, he grunted hard and fast and began cumming in a hot and powerful wave. He shot his load right up inside of her and Freya could feel it hitting her inside walls. She gasped as her own orgasm thundered through her. She was being taken by the bear and it was the most intense and amazing experience of her entire life.
As he emptied himself inside of her and they became one, she knew instantly that she would be his forever. Kellan had claimed her, and she was going to give him cubs. She could already feel the magic happening inside of her, and she nuzzled into him and breathed in the scent of his sweat and sex.
“I love you,” Kellan panted as he withdrew and his fur gave way to his human form. His strong and hulking frame was in front of her, his muscles glistening in the moonlight.
“I love you, too,” she smiled.
***
They walked back up to the house arm in arm, their passion strong and overflowing. There was no way Julie wouldn’t be able to tell the second she saw them that her plan had worked. As they emerged from the woods and Freya looked up at the amazing house, she couldn’t believe that it was about to become her home. She had fallen on her feet, taken in by an incredible family and made into one of their own… and now they were going to have a baby. It all seemed so surreal.