“I think so.” She frowned and stood up from her seat. Nova gave them both a little wave and went back to eating.
Savage wasn’t ready for sleep. All he was concerned with was holding his mate close. The thought of losing her was like a livewire in the back of his mind. Every time the thought popped into his head, a shock would roll down his spine. He couldn’t even imagine a world without Mary Grace in it. His mate never questioned him, nor did she argue about his precautions. She was the perfect female for him in all ways.
“Come,” he ordered, taking her hand. “Let’s get you to bed.”
When they entered the bedroom, Savage left her to go start the shower. When he turned around, she was standing in the doorway, watching him as he moved about the room. There were no words spoken as he set out fresh towels and adjusted the temperature.
Mary Grace lifted her shirt and dropped it to the floor. Next, she reached for his shirt, lifting it with ease. Savage pulled her close and used that moment to take her lips with his. Her tongue was rough and her eyes were sparking amber as he unhooked her bra, purring when her large breasts came into view.
The button fly on his jeans popped free when he snatched at it with one pull. His mate purred as his hardness sprang forward. Hands cupped him and she deepened the kiss, giving him a little push so that his back hit the wall next to the shower.
His head was spinning like a boulder gaining momentum as it rolled down a steep cliff. Her arousal hit him full force the moment her pants hit the ground. His snarl of need was the only warning she had before Savage picked her up into his arms and she wrapped her legs around his waist.
“I need you,” he mumbled as he kissed the puckered scar between her breasts.
“Please,” she moaned, allowing him to walk her into the hot spray without putting up a fuss. His back took the brunt of the water so that he knew it wasn’t too hot or too cold. Turning around, Savage pushed her head back to wet her hair.
“I’m going to care for you first,” he said, setting her to the ground. The soap lathered quickly, but his ministrations slowed as he worked his hand over her silky skin.
By the time she was clean, his cock had hardened painfully and the scent of her arousal was driving his animal insane. His fingers found her center, circling her entrance. She flexed her hips in silent encouragement for more, but he wanted to taste her.
His predatory snarl was the only warning he gave before he dropped to his knees, burying his face against her mound. Her leg raised, hooking over his shoulder. The first taste of her sweetness was as addictive as a drug. How the hell had he lived without her? If he’d known she’d been made exactly for him, Savage would’ve forced the touch months ago.
She turned the water off and buried her fingers in the hair on the top of his head, making a fist. “Take me to bed, Savage.”
There was no need for drying off because he planned on lapping up every drop of water from her skin. The need to mark her with his scent and seed was uncontrollable. He felt feral in his need to protect her and let the world know she was his in every way.
Their eyes glowed as the beasts inside them demanded the mating. Canines thickened and snarls ripped from their throats as Savage took her to bed, pushing her forward so she would fall to her knees. Mary Grace moaned as she dropped her face to the mattress.
He was in charge as he entered her from behind, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her up so his chest pressed to her back. His other hand moved the hair off of her neck. He pumped into her once…twice, and then he struck.
His hand covered her mouth the moment she climaxed. His teeth were still buried deep into the mating mark where her neck and shoulder met. Those sounds were his and he was selfish. No one heard his mate’s pleasure but him.
“You. Are. Mine,” he snarled as his teeth slid free of her neck. Blood trickled out of the wound, but he had no desire to close the puncture marks. His cock hardened as he felt her sex constrict around him, heat and desire pushing him to continue the mating. Blood trickled down her chest and over the mound of her breast.
“Savage,” she moaned, bucking against him. “Don’t stop. Please.”
“Never,” he promised, his voice muffled by the thickness of his teeth.
He was acting primal and she was accepting of his need. He pushed her forward, falling over her back as he continued to rut inside her, relishing her heavy moans and soft pleas for more.
As his panther recessed in his mind, Savage pulled free of her body, only to push her over onto her back. He lifted her leg over his hip and thrust back inside, only to slow down his lovemaking.
“Look into my eyes, Mary Grace,” he purred.
“Savage,” she moaned, opening her eyes wide when he found the spot that sent her body over the edge.
“Come with me,” he ordered, taking her lips when she broke free underneath him.
Talon pulled off the road and onto a slightly worn path leading back into dense forest. His hands tightened on the steering wheel as his eyes searched the area, looking for a threat hidden in the trees. He didn’t even try to be sneaky about his presence, because it didn’t matter. Those bears would’ve known the moment his tires touched their property line.
When his truck came into a clearing, a small log cabin met him, and on the porch were three men holding shotguns, aimed at him. Drake Morgan lowered his, but his brothers did not. Talon killed the engine and opened his door, making sure his hands were visible. The bears were allies of the pride, but their kind was easily agitated when a stranger was on their land.
“Drake,” Talon called out, stopping at the front of his truck.
The big bear took his steps slowly off the porch, his boots kicking up dust as he walked through the yard. Drake’s long corkscrew curls blew around his face when a hard breeze picked up out of the south.
“Looks like you have yourself a mess of trouble there, panther,” Drake smirked. “We don’t want any business with that.”
“Well, Drake,” Talon paused, gauging the men on the porch, “looks like you are a part of this mess, as well. It seems that Gunner’s picture is floating around the police station.”
“Picture?” Drake snarled, looking over his shoulder. His youngest brother was shifting nervously from one foot to the other. “What fucking picture?”
Talon reached into his back pocket, pulling out a folded copy of the photo the sheriff had left with him. Drake sauntered forward when Talon tossed it on the hood of his truck. The photo was of the young bear, laying on his side with a puddle of blood mixing with his short, dark brown hair.
“He was found at the county dump and taken to the Methodist Hospital after the police processed the crime scene.” Talon leaned against the side of his truck, looking as relaxed as possible. He didn’t want to anger the bears any more than his little announcement had.
“Fuck,” Drake sighed. “He told me that they took his blood and kept talking about how they were going to bring him a woman to mate.”
Gunner sat his gun beside an old rocking chair and made his way down toward his brother. Drake handed the photo over and turned back to address Talon.
“They won’t be taking any of our females,” Talon vowed. “We’ve tightened security around the pride until we can find out more about Rycon Industries.”
“They kept me in a cage,” the young bear stated, pointing to the photo. “When I shifted and went after them, they sedated me and I woke up at the hospital. I have no memory of being dumped.”
“Yeah, son.” Talon shook his head. “They got you on video leaving the hospital.”
“Damn,” Gunner swore, wiping a hand down his face. “I panicked.”
“I don’t blame you, brother,” Drake said, cupping Gunner’s shoulder.
“I need to know if there were any females there,” Talon asked. If they had females, his pride would go in immediately.
“No,” Gunner replied. “I was the only one that I know of. They kept me in a room and I was never le
t out.”
“What is the law doing about it?” Drake asked. The middle brother, Rex, stepped off the porch, but he still held his shotgun. He growled when he scooped the picture up to get a better look.
“Nothing right now,” Talon growled. “As far as anyone knows, they are a legitimate research facility.”
“Watch your back.” Drake nodded toward the truck, silently dismissing the alpha. “If we hear of anything, I’ll contact you.”
“I appreciate you speaking with me,” Talon replied, holding out his hand for a firm shake.
“Nice of you to stop by,” Drake smirked. “But don’t make a habit of coming on my land.”
“Understood.” Talon nodded, climbing into the cab of his truck. He didn’t look back as he left the bears to their hidden home.
The bears were much different than the panthers, but at least they were on the pride’s side when it came to protecting their families.
Mary Grace stretched lazily as her eyes opened. The sun was barely up in the sky as she looked toward the window. A smile tickled the corner of her lips as she remembered the night before. Savage had been wild in his need for her, and if she was being honest, she absolutely loved it.
She was sore and exhausted, but she wouldn’t change what happened between them. Savage’s need to connect with her was understandable. He was feeling out of control with the news that there could be people out there who wanted to harm them.
When she rolled over to her side, she pulled his pillow against her chest and the animal inside her purred loudly from his scent. She felt a little lethargic and her muscles just didn’t seem to want to work. I’m just tired.
She didn’t have to go into work that day. Liberty was going to have Cole and Luke run the lunch shift and her boss would go in to close down for the night. Talon was going to post a few Guardians there for security.
As far as she was concerned, Mary Grace would stay in bed for the entire day because moving just wasn’t an option right then. Her body felt like she’d run a million miles. Frowning, she wondered why she felt different…off. She rolled her eyes as she thought back to how insatiable Savage had been the night before.
Savage was meeting with the Guardians and other males in the pride and probably wouldn’t be back for a while yet. She decided to shower and look for something to eat before climbing back into the bed. Savage wouldn’t fault her for taking a day to herself. He’d been telling her to take it easy ever since she’d been changed.
The moment her feet hit the hardwood floor, a pain twisted in her gut. She ran for the bathroom and fell to her knees, retching up the contents of her stomach. She dropped to her ass as she slapped at the handle on the toilet.
“What did I eat?” she mumbled aloud. A flash of heat across her skin caused sweat to bead up on the back of her neck. Exhaustion reared its ugly head and all she wanted to do was lay her face on the cold floor.
And that was what she did.
“Oh, that feels amazing,” she sighed, closing her eyes.
Even though she was sick, Mary Grace felt at peace…like she was complete somehow.
She decided to force herself off of the bathroom floor in an attempt to head downstairs, hoping to find something to settle her stomach. She did nothing more than brush her teeth and throw on a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. When she looked in the mirror, she groaned and decided she really didn’t care what she looked like. Maybe some of the females were around and they’d fix her some toast. She just didn’t have it in her to do more than put one foot in front of the other.
Voices carried up the stairs as she made it into the hallway. Women were laughing and Mary Grace could feel the excitement in the air. Whatever was going on, the pride females were celebrating. When she rounded the corner, Nova was sitting in a chair. Her face looked no better than Mary Grace’s and she was surrounded by several females.
“What’s going on?” Mary Grace asked, freezing when all eyes swung to her.
“We should ask you the same thing,” Nova chuckled.
“I feel like death,” she replied, moving over to an empty seat. When all of the females gathered around her, she pulled back slightly. “You’re freaking me out. What are you doing?”
“Well,” Liberty laughed. “Seems that the males were a little overly concerned about some of you last night and felt the need to not only mark you with their scent, but their seed, too.”
“What?” Mary Grace blushed. She knew she smelled like Savage’s mating scent, and that he’d kept her up all night making sure that he marked her in every way possible, but this was just embarrassing.
“Do you feel different?” Nova asked, resting her forehead on the table. “I feel different…and sick…and tired.”
“Same with me,” Mary Grace replied, looking around the room. If the women weren’t smiling, she’d be freaking out. Okay, she was freaking out anyway, because they were looking at her like she was larger than life or something. “Why are we sick, Nova?”
“We’re pregnant, MG,” Nova moaned. “Our mates knocked us up last night.”
“What?” She jumped to her feet, but was grabbed by a few of the females when she swayed.
“We can scent pregnancies,” Marie, Evie’s mother, announced. “Your mates should’ve scented it this morning when they woke, but I’m assuming their minds were elsewhere today with everything that’s going on.”
“Where is Savage?” Mary Grace asked. I’m pregnant?
“I was just about to call Winter when you came in,” Liberty laughed, rubbing at her baby bump. “They are going to panic when I call Talon and tell him to get both of them home.”
“Don’t scare them.” Mary Grace frowned. “It can wait until they get home tonight. I think I just want to sleep today.”
“If Savage and Winter find out that you didn’t call them home the second you realized you were pregnant, those Guardians will go crazy,” Liberty informed her, raising a brow. “You know this.”
“Call them, sis,” Nova moaned, waving off the helping hands of the females in the room. “I’m going to lay down on the couch.”
Mary Grace sat at the table while Liberty called her mate and Marie made her a few pieces of toast. Pregnant? How the hell did they know she was pregnant?
“I’m so confused,” she whispered, but the women heard her. Marie and Liberty gathered around her, both women touching her shoulders.
“A shifter can scent a pregnancy within hours of conception.” Marie smiled. “The males will be overly protective of you and some of them will be drawn to your scent. Don’t let it bother you. It’s the way of our kind, Mary Grace. You still have a lot to learn, but I promise you, everything is going to be okay.”
“So, Savage will know by my scent?” Mary Grace asked, looking up into Liberty’s icy blue eyes.
“Yes, honey,” she winked. “He will be happy, too.”
“I hope so,” she mumbled, biting on her bottom lip. What if he didn’t want children? Well, it wasn’t like they’d done anything to prevent a pregnancy since she’d first had sex with him.
“Go in the living room and sit with Nova until your mates come home,” Marie suggested after Mary Grace had eaten her food.
Nova was sitting in the corner of the couch with her feet drawn up underneath her. Mary Grace took to the other end of the couch and sat down with a sigh. At least the toast was staying down.
“Oh, God,” Nova moaned. “This sucks.”
“Agreed,” Mary Grace replied, yawning and closing her eyes.
The sound of several trucks rushing up the driveway alerted them to the arrival of their mates. Liberty rushed to the door and stepped outside, but Mary Grace and Nova could hear her every word with their advanced hearing.
“Calm down,” Liberty urged. “They’re fine.”
“What’s wrong?” Savage snarled.
“Both of them are on the couch,” she said, pushing the door open.
The sun streamed in behind the two men standing in the do
orway. Winter and Savage must’ve caught their mates’ scents at the same time. They were larger than life and as they turned to both try to fit through the door, Mary Grace heard the rumbling purr coming from her mate’s chest. Mary Grace gasped as Savage rushed forward, dropping to his knees in front of her.
“My young,” he said in awe. “My mate.”
Winter said something similar before picking up Nova and taking her out the door he’d just entered. Liberty and Talon left the room quietly, leaving them alone.
“I guess I’m pregnant,” she said, touching the side of his face.
“Yes, you are,” he said as he smiled, a tear welling up at the corner of his eye. His eyes roamed her face for a moment before he frowned. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Not really,” she admitted, but pressed her lips together when his eyes widened.
“Let me call the healer,” he panicked. “What’s wrong? Are you in pain? What can I do?”
“Savage,” she chuckled. “I’m fine. I just got a little sick this morning when I woke up, but Marie made me some toast and it helped settle my stomach.”
“Toast?” he growled. “My cub needs meat. He needs to grow.”
“He?” she asked. “How do you know it’s a boy?”
“I don’t,” he grumbled. “It better be a boy, because I will kill any male who comes close to a daughter. I won’t be held responsible for what I do to a cub who wants to put his filthy hands on her.”
“You just jinxed it,” she teased. “I bet it’s a girl.”
“Mary Grace,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “That’s not funny.”
“Yes, it really is,” she giggled, but frowned when exhaustion hit her suddenly. His scent drifted across her senses, causing a peaceful feeling to envelop her.
“Let’s go upstairs,” he growled, pulling her from the couch. As soon as she was upright, a pain twisted in her gut again and she ran for the nearest bathroom. Savage was right behind her, but she pushed the door closed in his face.
“Go away,” she cursed. Tears sprang from her eyes as she slumped down against the wall. Everything was happening so fast. She had been changed into an animal, she’d been almost killed, and now she was pregnant…all in a span of weeks.
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