by Tyler, Jules
"The scars she has are her own fault, but they will suffice in showing others that she is mine," Alaric roared before crossing back to stand in front of Stella again. "You are mine, Stella. The sooner you accept that, the sooner I'll let the old broad go. But not before I make her watch me make you mine again. She will be the one to tell this Brady who you belong to. If you refuse, I'll kill her and make you watch before taking you back to Seattle with me. Either way you're coming with me, so choose her fate, Stella."
Alaric turned and walked out the door on the far side of the room, letting in a brief stream of light as he left her with her ultimatum. Tears streamed down Stella's face in frustration. She hated him with every fiber of her being. He ruined her body. He almost killed her. Now he wanted to take her freedom away from her and threatened to take Mama's life as well. There had to be another way.
"Be the dragon, Stella," Mama coughed from her corner. "There's no reason for you to have to make a choice here. Be brave, Sweetheart. There's got to be another way."
"Are you okay? When he kicked you, it didn't sound pretty," Stella worried as she leaned her head back against the wall her hands were cuffed to.
Mama groaned as she sat up straight, "Yeah, I think I'll be okay. The older one gets the less they have to shift so the longer it takes to heal. I'm not young like I once was. This wound will likely take me a few days to heal since it feels like he might have cracked my ribs."
"I'm going to figure out how to get us out of here, Mama, I promise," Stella pledged.
Time ticked by slower in the dark. What felt like eons was likely only a few hours of sitting in silence until Alaric would come back to check on them for a moment, and then he'd disappear back out the door again. After the fifth or sixth time of him checking on them, Mama voice perked up when she spoke.
"Stella, do you hear that?" Mama whispered excitedly.
Stella strained her ears but couldn't hear anything outside or inside, "No, what do you hear, Mama?"
"The rumble of a diesel engine, I'd recognize that sound anywhere. I'd bet my last dollar that's our Brady. He straight piped his truck last spring and I just about beat him. That stupid truck is too damn loud for our little piece of paradise. He just rolled his eyes at me when I told him to put the muffler back on it," Mama prattled on with glee.
"We don't know if it's him though, Mama," Stella frowned. Neither of them had a cell phone, so how was Brady supposed to track them down?
"Guess we'll just have to wait and see," Mama said.
As they sat together in silence, Stella's heart began to race faster and faster when the roar of a diesel engine finally reached her ears. Maybe Mama was right after all. After a few more moments though that single engine was joined by more. Stella shook her head in dismay. There was no way that was Brady. It was probably some of Alaric's peons coming to help him take care of business. There was no way that either of them were coming out of this alive now.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Brady checked his rear view mirror as he sped down the final stretch towards the address that Jesse had texted him. Behind him, he could see Jesse, Tyson, and Landon keeping pace with him on their motorcycles. As upset as he was that Jesse and the guys had lost track of Alaric today, he was glad to have them riding with him. There was no way he would come out of this without some major damage if it weren't for them having his back. He turned down the dirt road on his right and slowed down, rolling down his window so he could signal to Jesse to pull up next to him.
"I think if y'all don't want your bikes demolished during whatever is about to happen, you might want to park them here for now and hop in the bed of the truck," Brady suggested.
Jesse nodded in agreement before cutting the engine and kicking down the stand. The bikes would be fine here. Brady waited for them to get settled in the bed of the truck before accelerating down the road again. Several minutes later, they pulled up in front of the small gray house. The paint was worn and chipping around the sides, and the roof looked as though it was caving in. The windows were all boarded up too. Brady could see the glint off of the Escalade that was stowed out back, and he nodded to himself; this had to be the place.
As he exited the truck, Brady could see a man in an expensive-looking suit walking towards him. Scenting the air, he could tell something wasn't right with him. He smelled of fur, but he also smelled like death. This had to be Alaric.
"What can I help you boys with?" Alaric smiled, stuffing his hand into his pocket. As he sauntered up to him, Brady sensed immediately that he was being sized up. and sized him up.
"Where are they?" Brady demanded, skipping straight past the pleasantries of his bullshit act.
Alaric frowned, "I'm sorry. Did you lose something? I have no idea what you’re talking about. Would you mind filling me in here?"
Brady's hand clenched into a fist as he growled, "Tell me where they are. I have no patience for your sick games.”
A sick, twisted smile crept over Alaric's face as he said, "I recognize your scent now,” he said. “You're the one that's been sleeping with my mate. Killing you will be sweet justice."
"Listen here, fucker, Stella is mine. I’ll only ask you once to give her and my mother back," Brady growled, feeling his body shake as he fought his bear for control.
"Once you’re dead, she won't have another choice," Alaric snarled, his face starting to turn from man to bear.
As Brady kept his eyes trained on Alaric, he felt his bones crack and shift. “Go find them now! Get them out of here!” he ordered, as every part of his being shifted from man to beast. There was no holding back his bear now, and he didn’t even care. Alaric would fucking die to pay for what he had done.
Brady's bear exploded from within him, standing at a massive height on his hind legs, nearly eleven feet tall, and roared so loud it shook the trees. Alaric's dark brown grizzly was smaller, closer to eight feet tall, but surprisingly quick, and he crashed down onto all fours and rushed forward, knocking Brady in the chest with his blocky head, rolling him onto his back. Brady slapped a massive paw across Alaric's face, raking his claws deep through his skin. The pain from the impact caused Alaric to roar out in pain and lose focus, long enough for Brady to roll back over onto his feet. Taking notice of the fresh claw marks on Alaric's face, Brady chuffed in the small victory, but he knew the battle was just beginning.
Standing on their hind legs, they circled around, sizing each other up. The massive deadly beasts glared at one another, searching for weakness in the foe. Growing impatient, Alaric dove at Brady's neck. Anticipating him, Brady's claws connected with his face again, sending more fur flying and exposing more flesh. Taking advantage of Alaric's blind rage, Brady barreled into Alaric. Tackling Alaric to the ground, Brady dug his claws into Alaric's chest as he ripped and tore at his body. Brady could see Alaric slowly giving up, but he refused to let up until he seemed to concede to Brady’s advantageous grip on his neck.
Brady nodded, backing off of Alaric, but never letting him have his back. It was done, he had made his point. He could see a glimpse of Jesse and the boys carrying Mama and Stella to the truck. His eyes connected with Stella’s for just a moment, reminding him of the promise he had made to her. Turning his full attention back to Alaric, he could see the bear struggling to stand. He watched as he stood, shaking his head to clear his mind.
Alaric caught sight of Stella in Jesse’s arms and, before Brady could head him off, he was running right towards them. Brady willed his body to act quickly and turned to race after him. Gaining quickly on the injured bear, Brady was on him. Pushing off of the ground as hard as he could with his front paws, Brady lept onto Alaric’s back, sinking his claws into him as he wrestled him to the ground.
Alaric roared out in agony as he collapsed underneath Brady’s weight. Brady roared a warning at Jesse as he sunk his claws into Alaric’s body further. Brady’s bear was in a blind fury and failure wasn’t an option. Alaric struggled beneath Brady, pushing and shoving at Brady until he f
inally knocked to the ground. Both bears stood, huffing and chuffing, trying to gauge who would make the next move. Alaric charged Brady, head lowered, his intent clear to ram Brady to the ground; but Brady rushed forward, colliding with Alaric hard enough to send him sliding through the dirt on his back.
In an instant, Brady was on him, mighty claws slashing and ripping at Alaric, until finally, he felt the brown bear ease up on his attack. Brady wasted no time as he swiftly raised his paw and swiped it through the air once more, delivering the final killing blow to Alaric’s throat.
He watched as the life slowly faded from the eyes of the brown bear, seeing the light of recognition seep into the darkness of death. Brady shoved the lifeless body of Alaric forward, took in a deep and cleansing breath and roared victoriously. It was finally finished. Backing off of Alaric's lifeless body, Brady began to take stock of his now healing injuries, looking down at his own white coat.
He was covered in blood and would likely hurt for the next few days, but it was nothing compared to what the damage could've been. He thanked his lucky stars for his advanced healing, he’d rather be sore than have to wait weeks on end for these wounds to heal. Inspecting Alaric to triple check that he really was gone, Brady's bear agreed to give Brady back his body. He wouldn’t be bothering Stella again so both of them were satisfied.
It was time for him to take his mate home for good.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Stella and Mama had slept, wrapped up in the backseat of Brady's truck, the whole way home and now Stella couldn't sleep. All of her senses were on overload from the day's events, and she couldn't clear her mind. She didn't know whether to cry, laugh, or celebrate over what had happened. Brady didn't seem too fazed by his battle with Alaric. In fact, he seemed more at ease knowing that he was no longer a threat to him. He was hovering over her though much like a mother would a youngling. She was fairly certain he was just waiting for her to crack, but for now she just felt numb. Lying in bed with her head on his chest, she let him run his hand up and down her back awhile while she sorted through her emotions.
"Are you going to be okay?" Brady whispered.
Stella took a deep breath, "I'll be okay. I'm just a little shaken up right now, to be honest. It's all kind of surreal to be honest. One minute, Mama and I were having a blast and laughing, the next we were being abducted. Being taken wasn't even the worst part; the worst part was Alaric telling me if I didn't come willingly that he'd kill Mama. She may be your mother, but I love her as much as I loved Grandpa Buck and I didn't want her to die. Especially not by his hand. I just hoped that you were coming for us because being handcuffed to a pipe after being knocked out with chloroform by my ex and whoever was helping him is definitely not something I plan on reliving again."
"Yeah, you're not exactly what I would call a damsel in distress, my love. You're stronger than you know and handled that whole situation way better than anyone else in your situation could've. I'm so proud to call you my mate," Brady smiled, kissing her deeply.
"Your mate," Stella purred as Brady slid a hand up her thigh, then up further to her breast.
"Yes, my mate," Brady rumbled in agreement, rolling over so he was laying with his legs between hers.
Stella smiled up at him with a mischievous look on her face.
"What are you thinking about?" Brady asked as he slid a hand under her shirt and tweaked one of her nipples with his fingers.
"Two things actually," Stella grinned. "One, that not wearing pants or panties to bed under one of your shirts is the best decision I've probably ever made next to eating peanut butter Oreos. And two, that I'm ready for you to claim me."
Brady paused what he was doing and looked up at her to make sure he wasn't making up what he was hearing in his head. "You… You're sure?"
Stella nodded, "You found me today when I didn't think you'd be able to. You fought Alaric to keep me safe and won. You're my mate, Brady, in all senses of the word. I'm ready for you to claim me."
Sliding up her body, Brady pressed his lips to hers again before whispering in her ear, "You have no idea how happy you make me, Stella. But I promise, every single day I will work to show you."
Grabbing the bottom of the shirt Stella was wearing, Brady pulled it up over her head and looked down at her now naked body. "Fuck, baby, you're just so damn beautiful."
Leaning forward, Brady kissed his way down Stella's body to the sensitive mound between her legs. Slowly running his tongue between her folds, he pressed his tongue against the tender bud. Teasing it gently with his tongue, he slid a finger inside of her, causing Stella moaned out with pleasure.
"Fuuuck yes," Stella cried out as she erupted around the finger inside of her.
"So wet for me," Brady murmured as he laved at her more. "Tell me, baby, are you ready for my cock?"
"Mmmhmm," Stella nodded eagerly as Brady angled himself between her legs so that his member was positioned in front of her now soaking wet folds.
"You're mine," Brady growled as he plunged inside of her.
"I'm yours," Stella moaned in agreement as he rocked into her again and again.
With each stroke of his cock inside of her, Stella felt the same warm sensation ignite inside of her chest as she had every time they had made love. This time it felt stronger than any time it had before. Wrapping an arm around Stella's waist, Brady lifted her up just enough that he could kiss her neck. Stella felt as though she might explode from the pleasure as it continued to build inside of her.
Kissing the nape of her neck, Brady whispered in Stella's ear, "Come with me, love. Do it."
As the final word dripped off of Brady's lips, Stella felt his teeth grow long and press against the tender portion of her neck. Stella felt ecstasy flow through her veins as she climaxed together with Brady as he sank his teeth into her neck, sealing her to him.
After a moment, Brady released his hold on her and kissed at the wound gently, "This will be healed mostly by morning. It will scar, but only to show others you are mine."
"Mmm, yes, I am yours," Stella smiled sleepily, feeling intoxicated from the pleasure that was still rocking through her body in waves.
"Yes, and I am yours, my love," Brady agreed, kissing her lips before rolling onto his side so he could hold pull her against him again.
"Brady?" Stella yawned as she scooted closer to him, making sure she was snuggled back up to his chest.
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad I found my way back to you. I found sanctuary when I found you again," Stella sighed sleepily.
"I'm glad you found your way back to me too, sweetheart. Now get some rest, your body is tired,” Brady smiled.
Chapter Thirty
Brady walked out and sat down on the swinging bench next to Stella, handing off her favorite mug filled to the brim with hot cocoa and marshmallows. "What're you thinking about, my love?"
"Just that I think it'd be nice if Jesse and the guys stayed. They've been super helpful the last couple of weeks while you've been keeping an eye on me and Mama. If they stayed, we could take a weekend off every once in a while," Stella pondered, sipping at the dark liquid she equivalated to gold.
"Yeah, I won't lie, it's been nice to have some help around here for once. Plus having the guys around makes things more fun. They like to roam though, so I doubt they'd stay even if we asked them too," Brady frowned, watching his old friends fill their saddle bags on their motorcycles with provisions.
Jesse looked up from his bags and made eye contact with Brady. Brady could tell he wanted to stay, but his bear was restless. He felt bad for Jesse and the other guys, all three of them had the desire to wander. They were the definition of nomads. They kept very little with them and traveled the country, playing music here and there to make ends meet while they were on the road.
Once their bags were packed up, the group wandered over to the cabin. Brady looked over his friends. They were all so different in the way they looked and acted, but somehow they made it work. He had appreciation
for his friends. It was always the highlight of his year when they would roll through for a week or two and spend some time catching up with him. Then they would leave again, and he wouldn't see them for a year or so. Brady had accepted that was probably how their relationship would stay a long time ago.
Landon smiled politely and pat Brady on the back, "Tell your Mama thank you for the grub. I'm pretty sure I put on twenty pounds this trip thanks to her."
"I'll be sure to pass it on," Brady chuckled.
"Yeah, ya know, I honestly wish we could just stick around a little longer," Tyson sighed, running a hand through his black hair.
"You say that every time, Tyson. You know you'd be miserable staying put much longer," Brady rolled his eyes before looking at Stella, who had a sweet smile painted on.
Jesse stepped forward and looked between Brady and Stella, "We'll be back sooner than normal this time. Maybe a few months tops. We've got some things to straighten out back in Seattle first. You'll be sure to take care of this snowball, right?"