The Bear's Reluctant Wolf

by Jenika Snow

  “Trace, funny seeing you here.” He stiffened, and a dark mask covered his face. Candace glanced over her shoulder, and her mouth went dry. The woman right behind her looked like she had been ridden hard and put away wet. Her blonde hair was in a high ponytail, and her dark roots were about an inch in growth. The make-up she wore was so thick Candace could have painted a freaking canvas with it. The outfit she had on looked more like she was going clubbing than walking around the quaint little town in the middle of the day. The blonde cut her eyes to Candace, and they narrowed in disgust.

  The female was a human, but boy did she have a pair of balls to be glaring at a shifter like that, even one that had never gotten into a fight before.

  “And who is your little friend?” Candace wasn’t blind to the fact it was a stab at her size, because compared to this chick she looked like the Marshmallow Man.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” Trace’s words were a low growl, and Candace felt really, really out of place.

  “What, I can’t come back to this shitty little town after five years to see my son?”

  Son? Shit, this was way too heavy, and Candace was in the thick of it. Yeah, it was about time for her to be leaving.

  “Uh, maybe I should just leave you two alone.” She went to stand, but the blonde’s voice cut her like a serrated blade.

  “I see you’re fucking them a hell of a lot younger these days, Trace. I’m surprised you can even get it up seeing as you’re what, forty-five now?” Candace’s eyes widened when Trace slowly stood to his full six-foot-three height. His pupils had taken up most of his irises, and low vibrations were coming from him, one that spoke of the fact he’d be shifting very soon.

  “Sit down, Candace.” His voice was filled with authority, but it didn’t make her feel like a scolded child.

  “I can also see that you’re still a pompous asshole.” Candace hadn’t sat back down, but she did move off to the side so she didn’t have to look over her shoulder to see the female. Something inside of her told her that turning her back on the blonde wasn’t a very smart move.

  Before she knew what he was doing he took hold of her wrist and hauled her next to him, plastering her to his side. The blonde narrowed her eyes at Candace, and the touch of jealousy and rage that came from the human wrapped around her like a toxic blanket.

  “You need to call before showing up, Karla, because I know damn well Liam wants nothing to do with you.” The sequin encrusted purse the blonde had hanging from her shoulder caught the light and momentarily blinded Candace. “So, since we both know I don’t want you here, and neither does Liam, why don’t you tell me why the fuck you are really here?” Candace looked up at Trace, saw that he showed nothing on his face in the form of emotions, but kept his hand wrapped around her waist. It was clear he didn’t want her to go, but it was equally clear these two had a past, one that included a kid.

  Trace has a son? That really is the least of your worries.

  The blonde huffed out a breath and rolled her eyes. “Jacko and I are just passing through, and I thought I’d stop and see my son since it has been five years.” Candace might have felt empathy for the woman seeing as she hadn’t seen her kid in so long, but this human rubbed her the wrong way, had her wolf rising up in defense, and just looked like trash that was a whole lot of trouble.

  “Liam doesn’t want to see you, Karla. I think he made that perfectly clear when you left town. Besides, you haven’t cared about getting in touch with him in the last five years.”

  Trace grabbed his wallet from his back pocket, threw a few bills on the table, and started to walk past his ex with Candace in tow, but before she made it clear of the human, the blonde grabbed her arm and whispered in a hurried, soft voice, “You better watch it, bitch. Trace has a mean temper, and doesn’t really like to stick with one pussy, if you get my drift.”

  Candace yanked her arm out of the human’s grasp and curled her lip. “Don’t touch me.” Her wolf was now in the driver’s seat, taking control and sensing the threat from this female. There was no sincerity or concern coming from Karla where Candace was concerned. In fact, all Candace scented was hatred and foul deceit. This woman was bad news all around.

  “Touchy little bitch, aren’t you?” Karla should have been frightened given the fact Candace’s wolf was right there, barely growling in warning. Never had her animal come to the forefront so powerfully. Candace had always been the wallflower, the shy and quiet girl, but all of that changed when she met Trace. In just these three days, and only when she was around him, her wolf bristled at his tone, yet melted all at the same time. The last thing she wanted was trouble or confrontation, but here was this human, throwing off all kinds of vile and nasty emotions, and Candace knew she should have gone with her gut and steered clear of the alpha polar bear. Just being in his presence raised her hackles, and now it seemed he had quite a back-story, one that was bumpy and filled with this trashy, psycho human female.

  Trace pulled her behind the protection of his big body, which didn’t make her feel comforted, but pissed her off even more. Yeah, she knew he wanted to protect her, but she could handle herself. Karla started spouting a bunch of very personal things at Trace, ones that insulted his manhood and inner animal. He didn’t respond to any of them, and when everyone cast their glances in their direction, and she spotted the owner of the deli making his way out to investigate the scene being done right in front of his business, Candace knew it was time to get the hell out of there. If he wanted to continue this verbal battle with his ex, that was fine, but Candace didn’t want any part of it. She turned, about to do just that, but then Trace had her hand in his and was leading them back to his bike. Candace didn’t try to get out of his grasp because, well, she did need a ride, and she also was curious about what in the hell that had been about, even if she shouldn’t care.

  He handed her the helmet without looking at her or saying anything. The rage that came from him was like a living entity, and several shifters passing by actually moved farther away from him and cast wary glances in their direction.

  “Trace.” Candace had just wanted to get away from him and the clear drama that human had brought, but now, standing so close to him all she could feel was his turbulent emotions like they were her own. He was pissed, no doubt about it, but what he tried to hide, and failed since she picked up on it so strongly, was the fact he was hurting. What had that woman done to him to have a male as potent as Trace Dakota feeling defeat?

  “Candace, just get on the fucking bike.” There was no malice in his words when he spoke to her, just wariness and a need to escape. She climbed on the back, put the helmet on that he handed her, and wrapped her arms around his waist. He started the engine, and she looked over at Karla, who still stood on the patio, her arms crossed, her eyes narrowed, and her teeth bared. And all of that was directed right at Candace. Okay, so clearly she was still upset over whatever happened between her and Trace, even though it had supposedly been five years ago.

  Trace took off, speeding away from everyone and everything until the city of Sweet Water no longer surrounded them. Big spruce trees and massive pines lined each side of them, looking more like brown and green blurs as Trace drove faster. Candace tightened her hold around him and squeezed her thighs closer to his body as adrenalin pumped through her veins.

  He took a sharp left, and drove up a steep incline before making another right. The Sweet Water Lake came into view only minutes later. Pulling to a stop and cutting the engine, he didn’t make a move to dismount right away. The sound of the wind going through the trees and of the wildlife scurrying around filled her ears. After just staring ahead for several minutes he climbed off and turned to help her off the bike, but he didn’t stay at her side after that. Instead he moved to the edge of the cliff that overlooked the lake. Candace glanced around. The scenery was breathtaking, and although she had been to the lake many times over, she had never been to this particular spot, or seen the lake from this vantage point. Mov
ing a little closer to the cliff and where he stood, she still kept a few feet between them. The emotions that came from him were stormy and tremulous, and even though she didn’t really know much about him, Candace could tell he was not a male who wore his heart on his sleeve. Opening her mouth to say something, although she didn’t know what that something was, his deep, painful voice stopped her.

  “First I’d like to apologize for Karla’s behavior. I don’t have to tell you she is unstable and an all-around mega bitch.” He glanced over at her, but he looked detached, phlegmatic. He faced forward again and crossed his arms, staring at the picturesque scene before him.

  “You don’t need to explain anything to me, Trace.” Of course she was curious, but that didn’t mean she wanted to put him in a position to relive something that was clearly very hard for him.

  “You deserve to know, not only because you had to witness her crazy ass, but because you’re my mate, and I will not hide anything from you.” The way he said the last part was as if it was set in stone.

  “Okay.” That lone word was soft, hesitant, but accepting. He turned around, and she waited for whatever it was he was going to tell her, because she knew it would change how she felt for him. Hell, she was already feeling the weakening of her resolve to keep her distance from the male that was destined to be her mate, because she had sensed his true and agonizingly real emotions. This was going to be one hell of a ride.

  Chapter Six

  “I have a son, obviously as Karla had thrust it in your face.” Trace looked at the ground and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “I was going to tell you everything because I have nothing to hide, but then that shit had gone down…” Breathing out roughly he still felt his blood boiling with rage from when he had seen Karla stop right behind Candace. Not only had she fucked up their almost kiss, she had also been a bitch, put his mate down, and insulted him. Trace could handle a lot of bullshit, but his ex-wife was insane in more ways than one, and had showed a very small sample of that to Candace today. He glanced up at his mate, and even if she fought him, showed her strength and willpower, she was sweet and gentle, and a true submissive in every sense of the word. “I certainly didn’t plan on airing everything out like this, but it is what it is.” She nodded once, and so he continued. “I had no intentions of marrying Karla, because I knew the two of us were just too toxic together. We were oil and water, gasoline and fire, and the violence that came from her when things didn’t go her way rivaled some of the meanest shifters I have met, me included.” No way was he going to sugarcoat any of this for Candace.

  “You included?” She stood still, not showing her emotions on her face, but she couldn’t hide the scent of her uncertainty from him.

  “I like to fight, Candace, to release all this anger I have inside of me. I have always been this way, but when I found Karla in our bed with Dale, the male I considered a very close friend, something inside of me snapped, and I know I will always be like this. I may not have loved her, and may have only stayed with her, married her even because she was pregnant with my kid, but I was loyal to her, and expected the same fucking thing in return.” He started pacing and could feel rage climb higher inside of him like a tornado getting ready to touch down.

  “I’m sorry.” Her voice was soft, and it broke his fucking heart. He didn’t want her feeling those things for him. He had done a lot of bad shit in his lifetime: hurt a lot of fucking people, slept with random and faceless women, and had a total disregard for everything and everyone. He was a fucker in the worst kind of way. But Trace prided himself on his loyalty, on the fact he had never screwed a friend over, and that he protected what was his.

  “You have nothing to apologize for, Candace. You got stuck with an asshole for a mate.” He swallowed roughly and took a step closer to her. The scent of peaches filled his nose, and he inhaled deeply, wanting to have it seep into his very cells.

  “Maybe.” She licked her lips, but he forced himself to stare into her eyes. “But you’re a pretty protective and honest mate at that.” His heart was pounding fast and hard in his chest. And her words played over and over again in his head. “Besides, I kind of like this prickly side of you. It makes fighting you more fun.” She was good at calming the situation and bringing his bear down a few notches, but that didn’t mean her words were true. Trace knew what he was, and this was the first time in his life where he wished he wasn’t so hard, wasn’t so rage-filled, and was able to be the softly spoken mate she deserved.

  He wanted to kiss her like no other, but he needed to finish telling her everything. “I went ballistic over it, Candace, tore my best friend out of the bed and beat him until he was within an inch of his life. And the only reason I didn’t finish him off was because Karla called Maverick, and he got there in time to drag me off the motherfucker.” She didn’t flinch at the way he spoke about Dale, about the way he growled the last word, letting it be absolutely clear that he wished Maverick hadn’t pulled him off of the human male he had once been close with. “Do you understand what I’m saying, Candace?” He didn’t give her a chance to answer, just took another step toward her until their chests brushed together. “If it wasn’t for Maverick stopping me, I’d be in jail because I would have ripped Dale’s fucking throat out.” He lowered his eyes to her mouth, saw her lips part, and knew that what he was about to do, after he had just told her, was fucked up. “And I wouldn’t have fucking cared that I took his life. In fact, I would have felt pretty damn good about it.” He lifted his eyes to look into hers, saw the bone-searing need reflected back at him, and knew she wouldn’t stop what he was about to do. He reached out, gripped a chunk of her hair, and tilted her head back. The bear in him rose up, growled and bared its teeth as he took in the long, graceful arch of her neck. His canines lengthened, and he moved closer, running the tip of his nose up her throat. His mark would look really fucking good on her. He inhaled again and again, and knew he would never get enough. She smelled sweet and clean, and all fucking his.

  “Mine.” He tightened his hold, knowing that there was a flash of pain in his grip, but also scenting that she was growing wetter by the minute. “Do you hear me, Candace?” She gasped, and he said, “You’re fucking mine, baby. All. Mine.” He ran his canines over her flesh, loved that she reached out and held onto his arms, and pulled her closer. “You feel how hard I am for you?” She nodded, and he fucking loved that she closed her eyes, as if they were too heavy for her to keep open. “You see what kind of bastard I am, to be hard for you after I told you I almost killed a man that betrayed my trust?” The sound of her heart beating fast, like a frightened little rabbit, shouldn’t have turned him on, but it did. “I would scare the fuck out of you if I told you all the things I want to do to your body.” She slowly opened her eyes, piercing him with the crystalline color.

  “What do you want to do to me?” Her voice was so low that he had to strain to hear, but he understood her well enough. His bear rose up violently. Trace’s nails grew into claws, his body got bigger, and his muscles expanded as the animal inside of him fought for ultimate supremacy. He would have shifted right then if his human self wasn’t just as strong as the alpha bastard inside of him.

  “I’d rip every single piece of clothing that covers your body, bend you over my bike, and fuck you until you couldn’t walk straight for a damn week.” Her chest rose and fell frantically, and he dipped his gaze down to see her large breasts press against her shirt. The material was snug against her body, and even though he could see the outline of her bra, the constraint did nothing to hide her hard nipples just aching for his mouth. “And when you couldn’t take anymore—” He wrapped his other hand around her hip and moved them backward until she was forced to sit on the seat of his Harley. Letting go of her hair and taking a small step back allowed Trace to get a grip on himself. Her thighs were slightly spread, and although her jeans made it impossible to see her pussy, he scented her arousal and the fact she was wet for him. His dick punched out, hard and alrea
dy wet at the tip. Fuck, he wanted her right now. Would she let him kiss her, touch her, do all the filthy things he wanted to do, but hadn’t uttered? “When you begged me to stop, I’d give you more, little wolf.” He reached down and rubbed himself through his pants, loving that she had to look down and watch the act. “Mmm, I can think of so many things I’d like to do to you, and I’m pretty sure that they would leave marks. Beautiful, red and raised marks that belonged to me.” He really wasn’t trying to scare her, but dammit, he had never felt this excited, this aroused, or this fucking feral before. And it was all because of her.

  “Trace, you should hear the things you’re saying.”

  Oh, he fucking knew what he was saying, and wasn’t about to stop. “I’d take every part of you, baby, claim it all until there would be no mistake that you are mine, irrevocably.” Bracing his hands on the seat on either side of her body, he leaned in until only an inch separated their mouths. “And you’d let me do whatever I wanted, wouldn’t you?” Small mewling noise left her, and Trace knew Candace was putty in his hands. “Go on, say it. Just say it.”

  Her eyes fluttered, and she said, “I do, but I shouldn’t.” He bared his teeth, wanting to nip at her, break her flesh, draw blood, and lick the wound. He needed his scent in her, needed his mark on her, and wanted to prove that she was his.

  The need to be with his mate, and the fact that with every passing day that desire to succumb to each other only grew, told him that she wouldn’t be able resist him for much longer. She was strong and had willpower to rival any grown shifter male, but he was her mate, and chemistry, biology, and fate dictated that they were made for each other in every way possible. There was no denying, no backtracking, and no running when it came to them coming together eventually. It was inevitable.

  He didn’t deny himself any longer. Taking the back of her head again, twisting the strands in his hand, he pulled her head and claimed her mouth for the first time. A grunt of pleasure left him at the first touch of his lips to hers. She gasped, which had her mouth opening further and allowing him to delve his tongue inside. Sweet and saltiness invaded his tastes buds, filling his mouth, and having him crave more. Over and over he fucked her with his lips and tongue, stroking every part that made her up, and loved that she rubbed against him, as if she needed to get even closer. Trace kept kissing her, unable to stop. He moved his hands down her back, over the nice, big and round curve of her ass, and slipped a palm under each cheek. In one move Trace lifted her off the bike and turned. He sat in the seat and brought her over his lap.