Claimed By Two Werebears (BBW Paranormal Romance)

by T. S. Ryder

  Elena opened her mouth to snap at the redhead, but at that moment the door downstairs banged open and Will's voice came up the stairs. Elena's heart jumped to her throat and she raced from the room. She had to resist the urge to jump over the banister when she ran down the stairs.

  Both Will and Lukas were in the sitting room. Will was laying on the couch, Lukas sprawled on the floor. Vivid black bruises were raising on various parts of their bodies. A third Alpha was with them, slumped in a chair. Xavier Knight, his dark skin gleaming with sweat. All three parties were stark naked, but Elena didn't care. Nudity seemed part of the parcel when dealing with Shifters and she was getting used to it.

  "You're back," she said, standing awkwardly in the doorway. "Do you need water? Something to eat? I can throw something together quickly."

  "Water," Lukas rasped. "Room temperature, please."

  "Same," Will grunted.

  Elena glanced at Xavier. "And you?"

  "Please."

  She hurried to get them all water, although by that time Catherine had joined her. Harriet was gone, presumably off to pout, but the redhead helped Elena carry the water back to the three Alphas. She took her glass of water to Xavier–showing Elena she wasn't stepping on her toes. Elena was grateful to that. All three had covered themselves by this time as well.

  "How did it go?" Elena sat beside Will and he swung up to drink his water.

  The tattooed Alpha grunted. "Could you head back upstairs? I really need a smoke… Ah, hell. Maybe I ought to give that up."

  "You really are a miracle worker," Catherine said to Elena. "I always tried to get him to stop, but he never would."

  "Thank you," Will gave her an annoyed glance. "You can go now, Catherine."

  She nodded and skirted out of the room. Xavier stood. "I should be going as well. Amelia and Timothy are waiting for me. Apparently, the baby cried all night, asking for me. But as for you two, you have to remember that the Geisterwolf will only get stronger the closer we get to the time for the ceremony, and I won't be able to help you during the actual ceremony."

  "Yep," Lukas said. "Thanks."

  Xavier looked a little troubled, but nodded and took his departure. Now that they were alone, Elena started to feel a little shy about the Alpha's nudity. It wasn't that she didn't like to see what they had to offer–the problem was she liked it a little too much. And yeah, she was a virgin but that didn't mean she wasn't a sexual person. Whenever she started thinking of them and her, whether one at a time or both at once, a deep, aching heat began to build in her lady parts.

  Kind of like it was doing right now.

  But it wasn't right to act on it, not when the question of whether they were mates or not was still up in the air. Lukas didn't have a choice, but that didn't mean they couldn't find a way around it. And Will… well, it was hard to read him.

  "Did either of you get hurt?" she asked.

  "Just bruised. But they'll heal up in half an hour." Will set down his glass and gave her a cocky grin. "So now that we've returned victorious, is our lady fairy going to reward us for a job well done?"

  "Reward—" Elena's jaw dropped. "You can't possibly have fought all night and still want to… you know."

  "Claim you?" Will seized her around her waist and pulled her into his very naked lap. She gasped. "What do you think?"

  It was obvious that he wanted it. His mouth caught hers hungrily, hands roaming her body. The spark that was already there flared, and she leaned into his touch, moaning with desire.

  Chapter Six – Lukas

  If the sight of Will embracing Elena felt Lukas shaking with anger, the sounds of her moans lit something else entirely inside of him. She held nothing back from the other Alpha, wrapping her arms around his head, bringing her body as close to his as possible. The dust on her pink coveralls smeared onto Will's chest, but neither seemed to notice.

  Lukas' grip on his glass of water tightened. He didn't have the same experience with women that Will did. He'd never strung along girls like the other Alpha; he'd been completely faithful to the mate he never met. But now watching the two of them, he couldn't help but wonder–could a virgin like him really please her?

  He'd been ecstatic when she accidently revealed she was a virgin as well because he thought it put them on the same footing. Now, however, he couldn’t help but wonder if she wanted somebody with more experience for her first time.

  Elena's head fell back, her eyes sliding half-shut with ecstasy. Will unbuttoned the first few buttons on her coveralls, kissing the delicate skin that was revealed. Lukas jumped to his feet. Enough was enough! He marched over to them and easily pulled Elena away from Will. He didn't bother with buttons, merely grabbing either side of her coveralls and tearing them apart.

  "Whoa," Elena gasped, but when he buried his face in her cleavage, pushing her lacy bra out of the way, she moaned again and wrapped her arms around him.

  "Let me have some," Will growled.

  Elena's body was pushed against Lukas', letting him know that Will was pressing on her from behind. His hands got in Lukas' way and the Alpha glared up at him. He tried to pull Elena away, but Will wouldn't let him.

  "You get to give her her first baby," Lukas growled. "It's only fair that I should get her virginity."

  Elena stiffened. She shoved at his chest. "What did you just say?"

  A look of alarm passed over Will's face, and Lukas felt his own heart seize with dread. So far he had been surprised with how well Elena had taken everything, but there was pure fury in Elena's voice. She pulled away from the two Alphas and clasped her coveralls shut.

  "I asked you a question. What's this about my babies and virginity?"

  "I… part of the deal I made with Will to join our packs was that he would give you a child first." Lukas never thought he was much of a coward. If anything, he took to fighting too quickly at times. But right now under Elena's furious gaze, he felt himself quailing.

  "You think you can just auction off my babies and my virginity just like that? As if I have no say in the matter? At the moment I'm not sure I want to have children with either of you. I'm not your property, I make my own choices when it comes to who has my body and when I'm going to have children. Not you!"

  Will put a hand on her shoulder. "Elena—"

  "No." She held up a hand and shook her head. "I don't want to hear either of your excuses. This is unacceptable."

  "I'm a virgin, too," Lukas blurted. "I only wanted—"

  "I said I don't want to hear it." Elena stormed from the room, leaving the two Alphas behind.

  Lukas stared after her, his stomach knotting in on itself. This wasn't what he wanted. This was so beyond what he wanted that he wasn't sure what to do now. He could go after her and beg for her to listen, but he somehow doubted that it would be at all useful.

  "Why did you have to go and say that?" Will snatched a pack of cigarettes from the table. "Just when things were looking up. Don't you know women at all?"

  Lukas whirled on him. "Well, I'm sorry that I'm not as good a liar as you are."

  "Liar?"

  "You said you were going to quit smoking just for her to like you better, but here you are, already lighting up again!"

  Will glanced at the cigarette and lighter in his hands. He looked stunned, as though he hadn't realized that he was holding them, but Lukas wasn't fooled. He clenched his hands. A growl rose up his throat, and it took all of his strength not to start beating the other Alpha on the spot.

  "Why do you think you own everything? I've made compromises for this partnership, but you act as though you're king of the castle and deserve it all. Well, you don't. You're nothing but a sad, arrogant, useless man who has never done anything in his life! Why do you have to have Elena, when you already have two beautiful women who are more than willing to share you? If two Alphas can share the same Alpha female, it's not like two Alpha females can't share the same Alpha. Why don't you just go back to them and continue on with your self-indulgent life?"
>
  Will's face was expressionless by the time Lukas was finished. He snorted. "You're the one who offered her to me, remember? You're the one who was willing to sell off his mate because you were so desperate for money. I know why. Your father embezzled millions from the pack to spend on his gambling habits and his prostitutes."

  Lukas lunged, howling, but even as his fist connected with Will's face, a scream broke the air. Lukas' heart stopped. Elena.

  Both Alphas raced towards the sound of the scream, stumbling a little from the punch Lukas had thrown. Elena's scream cut off abruptly, replaced by another feminine cry. Lukas' heart pounded in his chest. Why had they sent the patrol back to their families so soon?

  Will got through the door first, Lukas following close behind. There was nothing in sight. No sign of Elena. Only Catherine laying on the ground, clutching her arm as blood seeped through her fingers. The female trembled where she was, and when Will rushed to her side, she grasped at him and began sobbing.

  "I couldn't stop him. He took her. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

  "Stop who? Who took her?"

  Catherine shuddered as Lukas joined them, standing over the female and other Alpha. He had to resist the urge to drop to his knees and shake her. She was still sobbing.

  "Where is Elena?" he roared.

  Catherine flinched.

  Will gave him a black glare and put an arm around the female. "Catherine, please. Tell us what happened."

  "It was a man. He just… appeared out of nowhere. He grabbed her and said that he would have his love again, and then he transformed into a giant white wolf. It was the Geisterwolf. I don't know how, but the Geisterwolf took her."

  Chapter Seven – Will

  Catherine shook like a leaf, but Will was too consumed in his own mind to pay much heed to her. As soon as she had told them what happened, both he and Lukas had transformed, searching for any sign of the Geisterwolf and Elena. Just like during its nightly attacks, it left no scents and no trail to follow. There was a faint scent of Elena, but even that disappeared shortly after it got into the forest.

  And so they had come back to the house, to get as much information as possible from Catherine. Not that she was being much use. She was as distraught as they were, and just kept repeating what she had already told them.

  "He appeared as a man first. What did he look like?" Lukas asked, his gaze intent on Catherine's face.

  "Tall. Brown-haired. He had a scar on his cheek."

  Will picked up the cigarette and lighter that he had dropped before they ran out at Elena's scream. His hands shook as he lit the cigarette and pulled in a deep drag. Lukas shot him an annoyed, angry glance, but the other Alpha ignored it. Knowing what the Geisterwolf's human form looked like wasn't going to help them at all.

  "Call Xavier." He strove to keep his own fear from his voice. "He should know why the Geisterwolf was able to attack after sunup. It's never done that before."

  "How can you be so nonchalant about this?"

  "What?" Will glanced up to see Lukas now glaring at him. "You think I'm being nonchalant?"

  "You are being nonchalant." Lukas stepped forward, fists clenched. "You're sitting there smoking as though there is nothing wrong! I should never have approached you to join the packs, it's clear that you care nothing for Elena!"

  Will got to her feet, a growl rising in his throat. "I care nothing? You're the one who said to her face that he'd rather have another mate!"

  Lukas roared, springing forward. His fists flew, but Will was not caught off guard this time. He sidestepped the blows, sinking a fist into Lukas' stomach. A rush filled him and he bared his teeth in a snarl. It felt good to act on his impulses, rather than always burying them and acting like he didn't care. Lukas huffed out a breath and stumbled back, face paling, but Will followed up, punching hard into the other Alpha's face. Will felt something crack.

  "Stop!" Catherine screamed. She jumped to her feet and grabbed her own face, eyes wide. "Will, stop, you'll hurt him!"

  "That’s the point!"

  Blood poured down Lukas' face. He slammed his palm into Will's sternum. His breath whooshed out of his lung and his heart did a strange double beat. The other Alpha's face was twisted in fury. Another blow, but this one Will blocked. Every frustrated, helpless feeling that had been building in Will since the Geisterwolf first arrived came pouring out as they traded blows, snarls and growls filling the air as their teeth lengthened and fur began to sprout along their backs.

  "Stop it! Stop! This wasn't supposed to happen!" Catherine turned away, hiding her face.

  Will shoved Lukas away from him and bent over panting. The other Alpha did the same. The features of the Wolf in them both faded as they stared at one another.

  "We can't fight." Will shook his head. "This isn't helping Elena. We need to find a way to get her back before the Geisterwolf kills her. Fighting each other is just a waste of time."

  Lukas straightened and nodded. "You're right. I'll phone Xavier, see if he knows anything. You have a good point, it shouldn't have been able to attack after sunrise. The only think I can think that when we made her angry it grew stronger…"

  "We can deliberate that when Elena is back with us, safe."

  Catherine grasped Will's arm. "But surely she'd be dead already by now."

  Something in her voice made a red flag go up in Will's head. He turned towards her, frowning, as Lukas made for the telephone. Catherine stared at him with uncertainty in her eyes as he studied her. Why were she and Harriet here in the first place? He told them to stay away.

  He'd taken away their keys and told them that it was over. Catherine never did anything without Harriet's approval, and Harriet would never have come here to show her support towards Elena as his mate. She was a beautiful woman, but full of her own ambition. She was willing to use everyone around her for her own means.

  "You said that this wasn't supposed to happen. What did you mean by that?"

  Catherine swallowed hard and stepped back from him. Her eyes darted around the room. She was an awful liar. It was one of the things Will liked about her, that he could see through her head to whatever plots Harriet was cooking up. So what was making her look so pale now?

  "Answer me. Are you and Harriet involved in this?"

  "I…" Catherine shrank from before him. "Harriet said she was just using you, and I could see the way she acted she doesn't love you like we do."

  Lukas strode over and shook Catherine. "What did you do?"

  "Harriet took her away. You deserve a proper mate, one that will give you everything you desire, not demand her own way constantly. And you were always fighting for her, the Geisterwolf will kill you if you keep defending her. I don't want her to die, but it's the only way to keep you safe."

  Will couldn't breathe. Out of everything that had been going through his head of late, he hadn't thought much about how his actions would affect Catherine and Harriet. He hadn't thought they would come after Elena.

  But now as he stared at Catherine's pleading eyes, he saw the truth. He wasn't some sort of impressive, rebel Alpha who did his own thing. He was a monster that used people for his own ends. His blood ran cold. He would have used Elena the same way, as a broodmare to give him children. Even though his feelings had been changing towards her, those thoughts had remained the forefront of his mind.

  It was his carelessness with the feelings of those around him that had caused this. Harriet had taken Elena because of it.

  Lukas gripped his shoulder. "Will, snap out of it! We need to get Elena back before sundown."

  Will shook himself from his horror and nodded. There would be time for regrets later, but not now. It was morning, which meant that they had lots of time before the Geisterwolf returned for Elena, but they didn't have any time to waste. He didn't think that Harriet would kill her herself, but did he really know her all that well? She never really let him know her. She was too cunning for that.

  "Where did Harriet take her?" Will asked Catherine.
>
  "But she's no good for you."

  "Maybe not," Will said, not wanting to waste time on arguing with her. "But she is Lukas' mate. Does he deserve to lose her? Does she deserve to die for something she didn't ask for? Her father signed her away as a baby for a piece of land. She didn't ask for any this! Catherine, please."

  His ex-girlfriend's face was pale. She swallowed heavily. "Harriet was taking her to the old abandoned sawmill by the lake."

  Relief broke over Will. He nodded. "Thank you. Lukas, we'll take my car. It's faster."

  "I'm the better driver."

  Will knew it was true. After he retrieved his keys, he tossed them to the other Alpha. As they headed out to the car, Catherine followed. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

  "Will?"

  He turned.

  "You never loved me, did you?"

  Will shook his head. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for using you the way I did, and I'm sorry for using Harriet. You both deserved better than how I treated you. I blame myself for all of this. You're a great girl, Catherine. Don't every let a man treat you the way I did again."

  "I loved you."

  "I know. And I'm sorry."

  Lukas leaned out the window. "We don't have time for this."

  Will slid into the car. They headed off, and all he could do was sit and stare out the window, hoping they wouldn't be too late. The old sawmill was several hours away, and with all the equipment there… well, if Harriet did have a homicide on her mind, then they needed to move quickly in order to get there in time. And if they didn't…

  "I love her," he blurted.

  Lukas was silent.

  "I didn't think I was capable of love. But I love Elena."

  "I love her, too. I have since the first time I saw her picture. I had such dreams built in my head… I thought I could handle the three of us because you'd be her mate in name only. But I don't know anymore."

  Will sighed. "We need to get her back. That's the most important thing. Everything else… We'll have to discuss with her."