by Stella Night
“Say it,” he commanded. “Say that you’re mine.”
Noah was being so primal and possessive. It turned me on more than I’d ever been turned on in my life. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to be his, then and until the end of time.
“I’m yours,” I cried. “I’m all yours.”
He pumped into me harder, faster. My hips rose to meet him. Our bodies collided in a frenzied, wild rhythm. My body tightened up like a coiled spring, ready to explode. I felt myself slipping over the edge.
“Come for me, Rachel,” he commanded. I couldn’t have held back even if I wanted to.
A tidal wave of pleasure rolled over me, sweeping me away with its fury. My pussy clenched around his cock, and he tensed up. His body froze over mine as his cock spasmed inside me, filling me up with jets of hot cum.
Time seemed to stop as we came together. Nothing else in the world seemed to exist but the two of us in that room, trembling with passion.
Then he collapsed beside me, panting and sweaty. I curled up against his chest, feeling safe and satisfied and loved. We lay like that for a long time, just enjoying the moment of passion we’d shared together.
Finally, he spoke.
“I knew there was something special about you the first time I saw you,” he said. “Getting hit by your car is the best thing that ever happened to me.”
I laughed at that, and so did he. I could feel the rumble of his laughter in his chest, strong and unabashed. I’d never heard him laugh like this before. It was so different than the man I’d first met.
The man I’d met always seemed to be holding something back. Now some of Noah’s walls had come down. I felt really close to him then.
Things had moved quickly, but it just felt right being with Noah. I’d never really believed in destiny or fate, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were meant to meet and we were meant to be together.
It was a wonderful feeling. Still, I couldn’t help but feel a hint of doubt. I still felt like Noah was holding something back from me. Whatever it was, I just hoped it wouldn’t ruin things between us.
Chapter 11
Rachel
I awoke to the sound of a phone ringing. The sun was already high in the sky. The bedside clock said it was almost noon. Noah and I had stayed up late into the night, only leaving the bed when it was absolutely necessary. My limbs were tired and sore, but I felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction within me as I stretched like a cat beneath the sheets.
Noah got out of bed with a groan. I watched him walk naked to answer the phone. His hard muscles rippled as he moved, reminding me of a wild jungle cat.
He answered the phone brusquely. I wondered if he was in a bad mood for some reason. Was that even possible after a night like last night? He looked over at me, and he must have seen the concerned expression on my face because he smiled affectionately at me.
It occurred to me then that he wasn’t in a bad mood. His gruff demeanor was just the way he interacted with the rest of the world. His smiles and his laughter were reserved for me and me alone. The thought made me feel warm inside. It made me feel like we had something special.
Noah kept his voice low. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but judging from the tone of his voice, he wasn’t happy with whoever was on the other end of the call. When he finally hung up the phone, Noah’s expression was stormy and dark.
I slipped out of bed and went to his side. “What’s wrong, Noah?”
He shook his head. “I’ve gotta go meet someone.”
“Oh yeah? Who?”
He shrugged. “It’s just a business associate. He’s kind of a pain in the ass.”
The look on Noah’s face told me this was more than just a minor annoyance.
“Is everything all right?” I asked.
Noah smiled, but it felt forced. “It’s fine. I was just looking forward to spending the day with you.”
He pulled me into his arms. I leaned my head against his chest. “You know you can share your burdens with me. You don’t have to carry the weight alone.”
He lifted my chin gently so I looked up at him. His eyes gazed into mine warmly. “I appreciate that,” he said. “I really do. But this burden I have to carry for just a little bit longer. I promise I’ll explain everything when I get back later. You just have to trust me. Can you do that?”
I nodded. “I trust you.”
But even as I said it, I knew it wasn’t totally true. The fact that he was hiding something from me was troubling. It made it impossible to trust him one hundred percent, no matter how much I wanted to.
Still, it wasn’t like I had a choice.
“Good,” he said and kissed me on the forehead. “As much as it pains me to leave, I’m gonna have to go.”
He slipped away from me and started putting his clothes on.
“Any idea how long you’ll be gone?” I asked.
“A few hours maybe. Maybe less. I won’t be gone a second longer than is absolutely necessary. Believe me, I’d rather be here with you.”
He pulled his work boots on and grabbed his keys from the table. “Alright, gorgeous. Give me a kiss before I go.”
He kissed me long and hard until my head was buzzing and my knees felt weak. When he broke away, he shot me a grin. “To be continued.”
Then he was out the door and speeding away in his old pickup. I couldn’t help but feel troubled at his abrupt departure. Noah was something special. It was possible that I loved him, even though we’d only just met. But doubts nagged at me no matter how much I tried to put them out of my mind.
Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was everything. What was he hiding from me?
***
Noah
Fucking Maddox. The son of a bitch was ruthless. Today was the last day for me to declare a mate. He’d called a meeting of the Elder Council now, even though I technically had until the end of the day to meet their ridiculous deadline.
He was trying to force my hand. The man wouldn’t rest until I agreed to take Gillian as my mate. By moving up the deadline, he probably thought he could catch me off guard. Joke’s on him. He didn’t know about Rachel.
Sure, she hadn’t agreed to be my mate, but I was confident she would be on board. The connection between us was undeniable. I knew she felt it, too. She was the woman for me, and I’d bet my life that she felt the same way. In fact, that’s exactly what I was about to do.
I still had to tell her about being a shifter. My plan was to tell her today. Maddox’s call interrupted that, but it was only a temporary delay. I would tell her the truth when I got back. If she agreed— no, when she agreed, I would mark her as mine and Turn her.
Everything was going my way. I’d taken the plunge by going after Rachel, and my gamble had paid off. There was nothing Maddox and Gillian could do to get between us.
I pulled in to the Circle of Elders. It was an ancient and sacred place, hidden away from prying eyes in the Bear Haven Nature Preserve. As the name suggested, it was where the Elders convened for important matters.
They didn’t really have much power in the Clan, but Maddox made a point to wield that sliver of power as deftly as possible. He overstepped his place, but it was of little consequence now. Once this mate business was settled, I wouldn’t have to worry about the Elders challenging my place as Alpha ever again.
Maddox and the other two Elders stood within the circle of tall stones. I’d always thought the place looked like Stonehenge. It had a certain solemn grandeur to it. Important things happened here. Things like today, when I could finally tell Maddox to go fuck himself.
“Noah, thank you for coming,” Maddox intoned. “Now we can officially convene the Council.”
I nodded at him and the other two Elders. The other two men were older, like Maddox. They stayed silent, seemingly content to let Maddox run the show.
“So,” Maddox said. “Have you decided whether to take Gillian as your mate?”
I crossed my arms over my ches
t. “Your offer was kind, Head Elder, but I must decline.”
No sense in being rude to the man. I’d already won. I could be magnanimous in victory.
Maddox frowned. “That is most unfortunate. Have you found another suitable mate then?”
“I have. Her name is Rachel.”
He nodded as if he’d expected my reply. It was not the reaction I’d expected. I thought he would be surprised, but he seemed anything but.
“Rachel,” he said, as if her name were a curse word. “The human.”
I nodded. “Yes, she is human. But she will be my mate and I will make her one of us.”
“‘Will make her,’” Maddox repeated. “So you haven’t fulfilled the requirements of finding a suitable mate?”
“The deadline hasn’t passed yet,” I growled. “I’ll get it done by the end of the day.”
“Bah,” Maddox spat. “Taking a human as a mate will weaken the clan. Even if you turn her, you have to know she won’t be strong. She won’t make the clan better.”
“I’m well aware of your hatred for humans, Maddox. But it doesn’t matter. She’ll be a bear before the nightfall, meaning I’ll have fulfilled my obligation to the clan. Your personal opinions don’t mean shit to me.”
Maddox sighed. “If you insist on pursuing this course of action, I have no choice but to challenge you.”
I cocked my head at him. “Challenge me?”
“Yes, Noah Sinclair, I challenge you for the position of Alpha, to be decided by combat.”
***
Rachel
I sat on the porch with a bad feeling in my gut. The sky had darkened since Noah left. Angry purple clouds covered the sky, lit by flashes of lightning. It seemed like a bad sign. The day had started out so lovely. Now a storm was coming and it was going to be brutal.
The gloomy weather made me get up to go inside, but I noticed a car coming down the road towards the house. It was a bright red convertible. The words “flashy” and “trashy” popped into my mind. When I saw who was driving it, I knew I’d had the right impression.
Gillian parked and exited the car. Fear spiked my chest. Nothing good could come of this. Why did Noah have to be gone?
“What the fuck do you want?” I asked.
She spread her hands wide with her palms out. “Whoa, I’m not here to fight. I’m here to help.”
I crossed my arms over my breasts. “I don’t want to hear anything you have to say.”
She nodded. “I understand that. I was a bitch to you.” She grinned. “Hell, I am a bitch. There’s no denying it, but I still think you’re gonna want to hear me out.”
“Why on earth would I ever trust anything you say?”
“You don’t have to trust me. Just hear me out. Then decide. If you don’t care, I’ll leave.”
I exhaled heavily. “Fine, if it will get you to leave, say what you have to say then go.”
Gillian nodded. “Noah is hiding something from you,” she said simply.
The statement hit me like a punch to the gut. It was one of the only things she could have said to make me listen to her. It was like she could read my mind. All the doubts about what Noah was keeping from me churned inside me.
“Do you want to know what that secret is?” Gillian asked.
God damn her. She and Noah had history. Whatever his secret was, it was possible she had the answer. I hated that she knew something about him that I didn’t.
“What is it? What’s the secret?”
“Look, I can’t tell you. I have to show you.”
“Don’t play games with me, Gillian. If you have something to say, just say it.”
She shook her head firmly. “No can do. I seriously can’t tell you without breaking the rules.”
“What rules?” I asked, annoyed with all the mysteries.
“You can find that out, too, but you’re going to have to come with me.”
I made a disgusted sound. “This is bullshit. I don’t trust you. Whatever it is you’re trying to do here, I know you just want to get between Noah and me. You can go fuck yourself.”
Gillian’s face twisted with rage. “You’re goddamn right I want to get between you and Noah. He and I are meant to be together. I’ve known since we were kids. Just because he doesn’t see that yet doesn’t mean I’m wrong.”
“Please leave,” I said.
Gillian ignored my request. “But here’s the thing. If you knew the truth about Noah, if you let me show you what he’s doing right at this moment, you’d agree with me that you and him shouldn’t be together. Hell, you’ll probably thank me.”
I knew this was wrong. Gillian was a horrible, scheming bitch and nothing good would come of me going with her.
At the same time, I had to wonder if she was right. If Noah was harboring some dark secret that would make me run away from him, wasn’t it something I should know about? Shouldn’t I find out about it now before I let myself get hurt again?
“What’s it gonna be sweetheart? Do you want to know the truth or not?”
My heart trusted Noah. Too bad my brain didn’t. I’d been hurt by lies before. If there was a painful truth lurking in the darkness, I had to know what it was.
“Fine,” I said. “Where are we going?”
Gillian grinned. “A place called the Circle of Elders.”
Chapter 12
Noah
“You’re serious?” I asked, still shocked by his challenge.
“I am,” Maddox said. “I can’t stand by and watch you ruin our clan. Humans have no business mingling with our kind. I’d rather die than let that happen.”
I clenched my fists. “Don’t wish for death so easily. If you challenge me, you’ll get your wish.”
“Then I ask you to reconsider Gillian. It’s what’s best for the clan. Surely, you can see that.”
“Surely, you can see that I’ll never choose your daughter, no matter how much you try to push me. I’m the Alpha. I choose what’s best for the clan, and your daughter is the last thing this clan needs.”
“And the human woman is a better choice? You would go against centuries of tradition? Humans are weak, especially that one.”
“Don’t speak about her as if you know her. She wasn’t born a bear, but strength isn’t about the circumstances of our birth. Strength is who we are inside. And that woman is stronger than a coward like you could ever imagine.”
Something beeped. Maddox pulled his cell phone from his pocket. He read something and smiled.
“Really, Maddox? All this talk of tradition and you’re texting in the Circle of Elders?”
He put the phone away. “A matter of utmost importance. I assure you. I’ll give you one last chance. Change your mind about the human. Change your mind about Gillian. Or else my challenge stands.”
“My mind is made up.”
“Then I have nothing more to say to you.”
I turned to the Elders behind Maddox who had thus far remained silent. “Have you nothing to say?” I asked. “Will you just let Maddox challenge me over his insane hatred for humans?”
“His challenge is valid, regardless of his motivation behind it,” one of them said.
“You must fight him or back down,” said the other. “Those are the only options once a challenge is made.”
“Because those are the rules, right?” I asked.
“Exactly,” the first Elder said.
“Maybe it’s time we change some of these rules,” I said.
“The rules keep us strong,” the second Elder said.
“Fine,” I said. “Just remember that I tried to defuse the situation. Whatever happens next, the blood is on your hands.”
“No more talking,” Maddox said. “Change and fight.”
***
Rachel
“Who are you texting?” I asked Gillian.
We’d been walking through the woods for a few minutes. Gillian had parked her car on the side of a dirt road and said we had to walk from there.
I followed her quickly, my heart pounding in my chest. Whatever was waiting for me over the ridge was something that would change everything. I wasn’t sure if I could handle it, but I knew I couldn’t handle not knowing what Noah was hiding from me. I had no choice but to confront whatever it was.
I topped the ridge and saw Noah standing with three other men in a ring of stones. He seemed to be arguing with them. The oldest of the three shouted something, and what happened next shattered everything I knew about the world.
The older man seemed to blur and shift. It looked like the way heat shimmers off a hot road in summer, distorting the world behind it. What reappeared was no longer a man.
It was a bear.
The beast was big and gray. It snarled in rage at Noah, spit dripping from its evil looking fangs. My heart froze in my chest. That monster was going to kill Noah. It was going to kill the man I loved.
Then Noah blurred and shifted. My mouth dropped open in shock. He was a bear, too. Bigger than the other bear, with tawny brown fur. It lifted itself on its back legs and roared so loud I thought my ear drums would burst.
So this was it. This was Noah’s secret. He wasn’t a man at all. He was a monster, hiding in a man’s skin. My whole body trembled with fear at the sight of the massive beast. I would have run if I could find the strength in my frozen limbs.
All I could do was watch in horror as the two monsters began to circle each other with murder in their eyes.
***
Noah
I didn’t know what Maddox was thinking, challenging me for the Alpha position. His bear was weak compared to me. I could strike him down in my sleep. The thought of killing him didn’t sit well with me, though.
Taking a life is not an easy thing, even if it was Maddox. I hated the man, but he didn’t deserve to die for it. Being a pain in the ass wasn’t a capital offense. It was why I’d tried to reason with the other Elders. Too bad they were all stubborn about their precious rules. After I dealt with Maddox, I was going to have a serious talk with the Elders about the future of this clan.