by Anya Nowlan
Kacey stood up and stepped in front of Warren, laying her hand on his chest.
“Warren, what are you doing? And what does he mean by me making a good mate for you?” she asked, her voice low and shaky. All the anger went out of Warren, seeing her big gray eyes filled with confusion. He exhaled deeply, putting a hand on her arm.
“I’m sorry for scaring you. I’ll explain everything,” he said apologetically. Wade’s snort made Warren look up again, the Alpha sneering at him over Cerise’s head.
“Oh, you haven’t told her yet, huh? Well, I hope she likes knowing that she’s a desperation lay, nothing more.”
“Wade, if you don’t shut your big trap I’ll really hit you where it hurts,” Cerise snarled, pushing Wade back a few steps – as small as the curvy diner owner was, she could pack a decent punch.
Warren felt a shockwave run through Kacey’s body, and her eyes brimmed with tears. It damn near broke his heart.
“Cerise,” he started, but she stopped him with a wave of her hand.
“Get out of here. We can settle it later. It’s fine,” she said, keeping her eyes on Wade. Warren nodded, putting an arm around Kacey and walking her quickly out of the diner. He went to open the door of his truck for her but she wouldn’t let him, tearing it open herself and jumping in without waiting.
You fucked up good now, Warren, he chided himself, his chin squared and his body pulsing with nervous energy. If Wade had just caused him to lose Kacey, he would never forgive himself.
The air was tense as he drove out of the town. Kacey’s lips were pressed together in a tight line, and from the corner of his eye, he could see her wordlessly staring out of the passenger side window. He reached over for her hand and it felt lifeless in his palm. A mile out of Shifter Grove, he killed the engine on the side of the road. He turned towards her and reached over, gently turning her chin to face him. Tears streaked her cheeks, and he wiped one of them away, her eyes fogged and shimmering.
“I owe you an explanation, Kacey.” She nodded, looking up at him. His heart constricted in his chest at seeing her anguish. He felt like he’d betrayed her, and if she’d said as much, he wouldn’t have disagreed. “Wade is the Alpha of my clan. I left home years ago because I didn’t agree with the way he runs things, but it doesn’t mean he mishandles things. We’ve just never seen eye-to-eye, and Sawtooth wasn’t big enough for the both of us. After I wrote to you on SassyDate, I thought we had something special. I was dying to meet you, but because I was out here in the middle of nowhere with barely a roof over my head and a town that wasn’t sure whether it was coming or going, I didn’t want to come on too hard. Then, Wade marked me.”
She listened to him quietly, but he could see the thoughts rushing back and forth in her head, and the shudders that went through her made him want to pull her into his lap and cradle her against his chest until she’d calmed down. But he needed to tell her everything. Before it got even worse than it already was.
“That means that I had to find a mate by the equinox or he’d choose one for me. It’s his right as an Alpha, and even though I don’t live with the clan anymore, I’m not a self-sufficient bear before I have chosen a mate. If he chose one for me, a Sawtooth bear, then I’d have to return home. Ancient rules apply to us as much as the new ones, and for the sake of my family, I couldn’t go against him. But I wanted to know if we could maybe become something. I drove to Timberwake to send you a message, and when you agreed to come visit me, I had new hope. I wasn’t going to tell you unless I was sure that you felt for me as I did for you and I… well, I was hoping to tell you soon.” He stuttered a little, something he never did. Nothing had ever made him shy back, but the possibility of hurting the woman he already thought of as his mate wrung a tight rope around his neck and threatened to choke his words.
“I love you, Kacey. It’s sudden, it’s too soon, and I know all of these things, but I love you. The first time I laid eyes on you, I knew it. My bear knew it. You are my mate, and there will never be a woman I love as much as I already love you. This has nothing to do with what Wade said. If this is something that I alone feel and if you wanted to leave right now, I’d do whatever you asked of me and let you walk out of my life. But I think you feel the same for me, and if I didn’t tell you, I would blame myself until the end of my days for letting the one woman who could make me happy leave without knowing what she meant to me.” Adrenaline coursed through his veins, pummeling loudly in his ears. His insides swelled and contracted, everything turning into a vortex of worry. It felt good saying those words, as he’d been thinking them since he kissed her for the first time. But the situation… well, it was far from ideal.
Her face was covered in shadows, the darkness intruding into their moment. The first drops of rain fell on the hood of the car, and the skies broke loose in angry tears, making the car throb under the downpour. She squeezed his hand and his heart leapt. Kacey nodded, her teeth grazing across her lower lip in that adorable way he couldn’t get enough of. He wanted to kiss her badly, but he restrained himself. He’d already piled too much on her for one night.
“I… I need to think, Warren. I care about you, more than I thought I ever would care for someone, but this is a lot to process. Just… I need a bit of time. Can you give me that?”
“I can give you anything you need,” he murmured. He leant in and kissed her gently on the cheek, drawing a small smile from her. It gave him hope, and at that very moment, hope was all he had. It would have to be enough.
CHAPTER SEVEN
It was far too early in the morning to be walking, but Kacey hadn’t been able to sleep all night. She’d tossed and turned in the guest bedroom, trying to rest in a bed she hadn’t slept a night in. Since she’d arrived in Idaho, every night had been spent in Warren’s protective arms, and now, trying to sleep without him snuggling against her back and neck seemed an impossible feat. Not only that, but her thoughts had kept her restless and wide awake.
Are you insane? Thinking that you want to say yes to a man you’ve barely spent a week with? Say yes to becoming his mate, essentially saying you trust him and yourself enough to never grow apart, to grow old together, to have a family together? Are you ready for a commitment like that? There were far more questions than there were answers. But that was because no matter how she put it, the answer kept coming back simply as ‘yes’. Yes, she was insane for thinking that way, but a good kind of insane. Yes, she hadn’t known him for very long, but she truly felt like she knew everything she needed to know. He was kind, a hard worker, honest and brave, and man enough to stand up for what was best for both him and her. He had a good heart, and merely touching him made her light up like a 4th of July parade, all lust and wanting for his body. What more could she ask for?
Though she had never seriously thought about settling down so early, she’d fallen in love with Shifter Grove. The air was full of hope and possibilities, and she drank from it greedily. It felt like just the place where she needed and wanted to be. Here, she had a chance to do something with her life, to truly help. There wasn’t a doctor in town, let alone a nurse, and she was sure that there would be plenty for her to do in order to help out. And it was a gorgeous place to raise children… many, many children. Kacey grinned at her thoughts, wrapping her shawl tighter around her neck and shoulders. It was the dead of summer, but so early in the morning that the sun was barely casting rays over the mountaintops, and it was still chilly.
She was walking down a small path leading into the forest, one that Warren often used to go on his runs in his bear form. The first time she’d seen him shift, she had expected to be terrified but no such emotion followed. Instead, she was awestruck by how much control Warren had to possess to control his man and his beast. The bear was a large, hefty grizzly, bigger than she’d expected. And the speed and power with which it moved was a direct reflection of Warren. She’d thrust her hands into his thick coat and latched her hands around his neck, not feeling anything but warmth and security. Chir
ping songbirds were waking up one by one, boosting her mood. Her steps seemed to grow easier the further she went, and the green forest gave her a sense of serenity she’d scarcely known in Texas.
Oh Liza, I wish you were here, she thought to herself, hugging her arms around her body. The familiar clearing that the power lines ran through was to her left, and she was just about to turn onto it before movement on the field made her stop dead in her tracks.
She recognized him immediately. Wade Sawtooth had stepped out of his truck. He considered the power lines above him for a moment and then in the space of a few seconds, he had transformed into a mighty grizzly. His muzzle grew longer, and powerful nails erupted from his hands and feet. His body undulated under the rapid change, growing wider and thicker, with dark hairs sprouting all over him. He was already climbing up the post before Kacey had a chance to catch her breath. She stared with wide-eyed astonishment as he scrambled up, climbing it like it was the easiest thing.
“Oh my god, it’s been Wade all along,” she whispered in shock. She felt a flash of anger and resentment towards the werebear, and then, clarity. There was no hesitation now. Kacey turned on her heel and ran back towards Warren’s cottage. She needed to tell him everything. No way was Wade going to destroy her town and have any say in how she and Warren were going to spend their lives. Nu-uh. She wasn’t going to allow for any of that.
***
The standoff was tense. Warren and Wade faced one another, their bears bristling with rage. Wade’s jaws were bared, and Warren had blocked his way to the truck. They hadn’t got there in time to save the power lines, and Warren had ran much faster than Kacey did, but she was relieved to find that neither one of them were sporting any gashes or wounds yet. She wanted to run to Warren, but it seemed like she would only make things worse by interfering. Her hands were pressed against the cool bark of an oak tree, peeking out from behind it. Making out the silent conversation going on between the werebears didn’t require her to be a shifter – she could understand when two men were trying to size one another up, no matter if they happened to be bears.
Her heart twisted with worry for Warren. She’d only had time to tell him that she’d found Wade causing destruction on their land. But she wanted badly to tell him that she wanted nothing more than to stay with him in Shifter Grove. After an agonizing few minutes, Warren took the first step. He shifted out of bear form, slightly raising his hands. His face was contorted with anger, but he’d shown restraint. After another moment, Wade turned as well. She breathed a sigh of relief, but perhaps it was a moment too soon. Just because they didn’t want to kill each other didn’t mean they wouldn’t jump at the chance to seriously hurt one another.
“Wade, why are you doing this?” Warren asked, almost spitting out the words.
“You know as well as I do that you belong back with the clan. Mate or no mate. That bitch of a human won’t last with you. You need a werebear by your side,” Wade grumbled, his eye black from the punch Warren had delivered the night before. Before she knew what she was doing, Kacey was running across the field and slammed into Warren’s chest, pushing him back a fraction of a step. She’d seen that look on his face before. He was going to punch Wade again.
“No! Warren, he’s not worth it,” she pleaded. Wade’s hands were balled into fists as well, but he hadn’t budged an inch since he’d noticed Kacey. Warren put his arm around her and let his hands fall slack. He gave Wade a good long look, and Kacey could feel his whole body trembling with barely contained rage.
“Wade, I never want to see you here again. If one more power line comes down or anything, anything questionable happens, I’ll know who to search for. And I don’t take kindly to cowards going behind my back,” he said, grinding out the words. Wade huffed, his chest filling with air. He glanced at Kacey and then Warren and shrugged, painting that smirk that made a cold shiver run down Kacey’s spine back on his lips.
“So be it. I’ll be waiting when you come crawling back to me when your human leaves you and this town falls apart. You’ll be back.” With that, Wade walked around Kacey and Warren, almost bumping into Warren’s shoulder. Kacey kept a hand on Warren’s chest and the other snaked into his palm, gripping it tightly.
“You’re better than that,” she whispered, and when Wade started the car and sped off, Warren finally exhaled.
Kacey was pulled into a tight bear hug, and she buried her head into his chest as he cradled her against him. Her heart was pounding loudly, just like his, but she felt safe and secure in his arms.
“Never wander off like that, babe. I was worried sick,” he murmured. She nodded her head, her fingers twisting around the fabric of his shirt.
“I just needed to clear my head. And when I saw Wade here, everything suddenly made sense. Warren, I need to tell you something.”
“Anything,” he said. She pulled back a little – just enough so she could look him straight in the eyes while not letting go of him. The sun was beginning to warm the ground, though it was still ungodly early in the morning. Though it did seem oddly poetic that the sun would come out just now.
“I thought about the things you said last night. I want to say that… that I love you too, Warren. And I want to stay here with you. You said you felt an immediate connection, and I did as well. It swept me off my feet, and I thought I was just dreaming it, believing what I wanted to believe, but it’s all clear now. When I saw Wade about to cause more harm to you and to the town, I felt this rush of anger. Like I already lived here, like all of your worries were mine. That’s when I knew. Warren, I want to be with you. No matter what happens. Even if it is a little bit crazy.” She quieted, searching his face for a reaction. He gazed down at her for a moment, his green eyes filling with warmth. And then, he kissed her. She fell into the kiss like it was the sweetest of things, relief and happiness washing over her in equal measure.
The kiss was tender and long, saying everything to her without words. Her hands went around his neck, and her fingers scuffed through his thick hair. He squeezed her ample butt, and she giggled into the kiss, making Warren finally give her a chance to catch her breath.
“Do you mean it? Even if it means we’re going to have to have a rather… impromptu wedding soon?” His voice betrayed a hint of doubt, but her eager nodding swept that right away.
“Never been more sure of anything in my life,” she said. And it was the truth. Back in Texas, she had constantly kept her thoughts to herself and never dared to step out in order to protect something that she wanted or needed, unless it was for the benefit of her patients. Here, by Warren’s side, she felt all the confidence in the world. She’d found her voice, and she wasn’t about to lose it. And it didn’t hurt that the newfound confidence came with the hottest, most loving man she’d ever met.
EPILOGUE
Her crème dress skirted to the floor, trailing behind her in a slight train. The bodice that hugged her showed off her gorgeous figure and the delicious swell of her breasts. She knew because Warren had had far too much trouble keeping his eyes off of her rack during the ceremony. They’d been wed in a small field near Shifter Grove on the day of the equinox, surrounded by the townsfolk and Liza. Only the werebears knew that the true ceremony had taken place in the early morning hours, right at dawn, and only Kacey and Warren had been there to witness it. A binding of two hearts and souls was a delicate and private matter only meant for the two lovers, but Warren was human enough to appreciate a good party when there was an opportunity for one. In any case, the first Shifter Grove wedding seemed to be an occasion to celebrate.
“I love you,” he whispered in her ear for the umpteenth time, making her blush and grin like a schoolgirl. It never got old. His hands rested on her stomach as he hugged her from behind, watching the festivities unfold before them. They’d set the tables and chairs up in a half circle, and a band of more musically gifted locals had volunteered to play. The party was going along swimmingly, and Kacey had spent the day bathed in the love and affection
of everyone in town. No matter what obstacles there were to face, she was safe in the knowledge that her man, her mate, had her back, and she was surrounded by people and shifters alike, who were more than willing to open their hearts to her.
“I love you too,” she said, looking up over her shoulder. Warren leant down, and they shared a kiss that wanted to linger far too long, as all of them did. Even Warren’s family had come, his younger brother, West having been his best man much to Deacon and Rake’s good-natured chagrin. Kacey was glad that the rest of the Sawtooths had had no problem accepting her into the family. Knowing Warren as well as she did, she was sure that the rest of the Sawtooth clan had to be bears with kind hearts and strong wills. She couldn’t wait to get to know them better (well, with one noticeable exception in the form of Wade, of course).
Kacey Sawtooth. I like the sound of that, she thought happily, resting her back against Warren’s wide, powerful chest. Warren’s strength surrounded her, and she basked in his love, her hand covering his as they gazed across the gathered people. She was finally home. And nothing was going to change that.
NO MORE LION
SASSY SHIFTER BRIDES
BOOK 2
BY
ANYA NOWLAN
CHAPTER ONE
“Shh, what if they hear us!” Liza gasped, pawing at Rake’s wide, painfully delicious chest. He didn’t pay her any heed though, and she bit into her lower lip, her body melting against his touch. A low growl tremored through her as he kissed her neck, and she couldn’t suppress the moan that he brought to her lips, his hands pressing into her lush hips. The swell and drop of the conversation and the music of the party reached them in waves, and the possibility of being found out just made it so much hotter. Her nails grazed across his bare arms, his muscles taut and bulging under her touch.