by Kim Fox
Finch knew that it wasn’t that easy. An inner bear always wants to obey his alpha. It took a real struggle for a human to resist the urge to follow a direct order.
Matteo crossed and then uncrossed his arms. Finch decided that he wouldn’t fight his old friend if he chose to turn him in. He would go with Matteo peacefully and try to talk Kai into accepting Jessica and his choice to be mates.
Matteo shook his head. “I’ll let you go this time,” he said. “I don’t want to see you hurt Finch but if you come back I’ll have to tell my alpha.”
Finch nodded. His heart started to break as he looked to Jessica chained to that old, springy cot and realized that there was a strong possibility that this was the last time that he would ever see her.
Matteo turned his back to them, giving them one last moment. Finch approached her, on the verge of breaking down.
There was nothing to say. No words to describe what he was feeling. They gazed in each other’s watery eyes one last time and the look said everything. They were mates. And they would be forever.
He kissed her soft lips, trying to memorize their feel, their taste, and then turned away. Matteo placed his hand on his shoulder and walked him to the window.
“Sorry bud,” he said, and boosted him out of the basement.
five
Finch sat on his bed and pushed play on the VCR. The old TV burst to life and his blurry image looked back at him. He looked nervous. Scared straight actually.
He had been analyzing the video of the Bear Blasting all morning. Trying to see where he went wrong. Trying to see where he could improve.
Finch had decided to try to speak with Kai. He would tell him his feelings for Jessica and hope that he would get his blessing in return. This was just a little bit of homework in case Kai decided to kill him instead.
Finch sat on his bed and cringed as the tree flew out of his hands and disappeared off the TV. Keene stepped towards him and swung the oak tree. It hit him like a car crash and Finch flew through the air like a pinãta with a broken string.
What could I have done differently?
He rewound it and watched it again. His arms and legs flailed as he sailed through the air. If he would have fought Keene one hundred times he would have lost one hundred times.
And even Keene had trouble fighting Kai with the help of Beckett.
I’m so screwed.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Ryder asked Finch.
Finch strolled towards the mill in the middle of the afternoon with his hands on his head. He wasn’t looking for trouble. He just wanted a chance to speak with Kai.
“I have to talk to your alpha.”
Ryder lunged forward and grabbed Finch’s wrist. He pulled it behind his back and wrenched his arm up. Finch winced in pain. But he didn’t resist.
“Are you trying to join us like Matteo?” he sneered. “Come to join a real crew and leave those bunch of pussies?”
“I just need to speak with Kai,” Finch said calmly.
Ryder pushed him into the mill, wrenching his arm up behind him painfully. They walked down a long corridor and into an office.
Kai was sitting at the desk spinning a knife on the tip of his index finger. He grabbed it by the handle and sat up in his chair when he saw them enter.
“Look who I captured sneaking around,” Ryder said.
“You didn’t capture me. I came peacefully,” Finch said. He looked back to Kai. He sat there breathing heavily, his large frame heaving up and down. His green eyes were stunning and fierce. He had a big, thick head with a long beard. He oozed dominance. He was scary as hell. Finch would rather fight two of Keene then face him.
“This should be good,” Kai said with an evil grin. “Leave us,” he ordered.
Ryder backed out of the door looking down, showing complete submission.
“Stay close,” Kai ordered. “I might need you to clean up a mess later.” He grinned at Finch.
Ryder nodded and disappeared into the hallway.
“I guess this is about my whore sister?” Kai said. “I was wondering when you would show up.”
Finch jerked his head back. He knows? He remembered the day when he first saw Jessica in the parking lot. The day that they bonded. Kai chased him out of there with murder on his mind. He saw them bond. Of course he knows.
Finch lowered his hands and opened his palms; a show of submission. The last thing he wanted to do was antagonize Kai. He would do this with words if he could.
“I have come to ask for her hand in marriage.”
“Ha!” Kai laughed. He sunk the knife into his desk with a thud. “I’d kill her first. Would you like to marry her dead body? Because maybe we could arrange that.”
Butterflies filled Finch’s stomach. There was no reasoning with this maniac.
“Ryder,” Kai yelled.
Ryder ran back in the office awaiting orders.
“Go get the slut,” Kai ordered.
“Who?” Ryder asked looking confused.
“My sister you idiot!”
“Oh,” Ryder said and ran out the door.
“There’s no reason to bring her into this,” Finch said. “I was just asking between us.”
Kai grinned, his incredible green eyes sparkling. “I have to teach her a lesson for being a little whore.” He picked up the dagger and stared at the blade, testing the sharpness with his thumb. “She won’t be attracting any guys if her face is full of scars don’t you think?”
They stared at each other in silence, tension filling the room. Finch squeezed his hands into fists. This wasn’t going to end well.
Ryder returned with Jessica and broke the silence of the room. He threw her into the office and slunk back out the door into the hallway.
Kai stood up and walked around his desk flipping the knife in the air and catching it. Jessica stood up and stared at her feet. She looked terrified, completely frozen in fear.
Kai pointed the dagger from Jessica to Finch and back again. “Which one should I punish first?” he said to himself. “The slut or the fool.”
He stepped towards Jessica and Finch snapped. “Get away from her,” he roared. His body was growing, his face contorted in pain and rage as his inner bear rose to the surface.
Finch tried to tell Kai that he would never hurt her again as long as he was living, that they were mates through and through and that he would kill him if he ever even looked in Jessica’s direction again, but the only thing that came out was the loud, raging roar of a pissed off black bear.
Jessica stared at her bare feet. Her toenails needed to be clipped. Especially the little one on her right foot.
Kai stepped away from her and faced the angry black bear in the room. So Finlay was a black bear. She had wondered about that.
Kai tossed the dagger on the desk and stepped towards the bear, laughing. “It’s not even worth phasing.”
He lunged forward, fighting the black bear in his human form. The familiar sound of a baseball bat hitting a slab of meat brought her back to that horrible afternoon when Kai beat up Lucas. Here it was happening all over again and once again, Jessica was frozen with fear.
She stared at her feet, the dirt from the other night still a little bit visible on the side of her foot.
She didn’t look up but she could tell that Finch was losing. His bear was roaring in pain. Kai was so powerful that he didn’t even have to phase. He could win a fight with a bear in his human form.
Pick up the knife Jessica. But her body wouldn’t obey any commands. She just stood there as useless and hopeless as she was when she was thirteen down by the river.
There was a crash in the hallway and Ryder’s unconscious body came flying into the office, landing at her feet. His eyes were blurred over and his legs were stiff.
Matteo burst into the office and exploded into a grizzly bear. Jessica was so shocked that it broke her out of her fear. She looked up and Finch was on his back, trying to get up. His fur was matted in blood.
Kai turned and backed away from Finlay. “Alright another ass to kick,” he said staring at Matteo.
Long brown hairs began to sprout from Kai’s skin and his body began to bubble and enlarge. A massive Kodiak bear burst from his body.
Jessica backed up against the wall as the two bears collided into one another. Their large mouths were open, their long fangs trying to sink into the other one.
The bears were moving so fast. Jessica rubbed her wet palms on her thighs and blinked rapidly. Everything was moving to quickly to process.
Finlay managed to get up and he jumped into the fight. Jessica glanced at the hallway, wanting to flee, wanting to hide. She wanted the safety of her bedroom. She wanted to hide under the sheets.
There is no safety as long as he is alive.
She turned back to the fight. The images started to come back into focus. Kai was winning. Of course. Matteo was down, Finch was barely holding his own.
A beaten and bloodied Lucas flashed into her mind. She could have helped him. She could have fought off Kai then. But she was too afraid.
I’m not a helpless little girl anymore. I’m a werebear.
Her heart thumped, no longer from fear but out of anger. Her nostrils flared. Her brother had ruined her life with fear. He took away any shred of happiness she had. He destroyed every relationship in her life. He had to be stopped.
Her fingers curled into her palm. Burning pain seared through them as claws extended through her fingertips.
She wasn’t going to wait for a knight in silver armor to save her anymore. She wasn’t going to live her life in pain and misery. She would put an end to his control over her once and for all. If she couldn’t than she would die trying.
Her black bear surged to the surface. She stared at the back of her brother and roared for blood.
This was going even worse than Finch had feared. Matteo was lying on the floor almost broken beside him. Finch barely had any strength left and Kai didn’t even look tired.
The three of them would be dead by dinner time.
Kai stood up on his back hind legs and brought his monster right paw thundering down. It smashed into Finch’s cheek, the claws slicing into his skin. The blow sent him to the floor, dazed, with watery eyes.
He got a glimpse of a third bear rushing behind Kai. It was Jessica. He knew it immediately.
She crashed into her brother’s back and sent him flying, off balanced by the unexpected hit. She pounced on him slashing and bitting with a fury that Finch didn’t know was in her.
She had him on the ropes. Finch shook the stars out of his head and jumped in the fight. He slashed Kai’s chest as Jessica attacked his head, growling like a rabid monster.
Matteo rose to his wobbly feet and joined the fight with a new vigor boosted by the sudden turn of events.
The three of them fought with everything they had and it wasn’t long before Kai’s bear went limp under them.
Matteo backed away and then Finch. Jessica struck him one last time with her paw and then stepped back.
The long brown hairs on Kai’s body began to retreat and the massive black bear curled in on itself, shrinking and turning pink. The unconscious Kai’s body automatically phased back into his human form so that it could heal.
Matteo, Finch and Jessica phased back into their human forms as well. Jessica never took her angry eyes off her brother. He was groaning and beginning to stir.
Finch glanced at Matteo and nodded. There would be time for thanks later.
“Let’s go home,” Finch said. He wrapped his arm around Jessica and tried to guide her to the door.
She wouldn’t move. “He’s going to come after us,” she said.
Finch glanced back at her defeated brother lying on the floor. “No he won’t.” She had broken the fear that he had on her. Kai had nothing left. He would never be able to abuse her or dominate her again. She was no longer afraid.
“Let’s go,” Finch repeated. This time she followed.
The three of them headed towards the door when a deep, hate-filled voice broke the air. “I will find you Jess,” Kai warned. “And you too Finch. You haven’t seen anything yet. When I get through with you you’ll be begging to die.”
Matteo stopped and turned his head back to Kai.
“I’m your alpha,” Kai screamed. “I order you to kill them.”
“You were never my alpha.”
“I’ll kill you too,” he screamed, trying to get up but falling back to the ground. “I’ll slice your throat in your sleep Finch. You messed with the wrong fucking werebear.”
“That’s my brother you’re threatening,” Matteo hissed.
“Your brother will be skinned alive when I’m through with him. I’m going to make that little whore watch and then I’ll do the same to her!”
Finch pulled Jessica closer. Matteo handed him a set of car keys. “Go wait in my truck,” he said.
Finch guided Jessica into the hallway. He glanced back over his shoulder before turning the corner. Matteo grabbed the dagger off of the desk and disappeared towards Kai.
six
Jessica stretched out in the soft bed curling her toes in the cool, crisp sheets. She gazed at the soothing sun shinning through the tree tops and took a long, slow, relaxed breath.
Finlay flushed the toilet in the bathroom. She smiled. She had a surprise for him this morning.
She was finally ready.
It had been ten glorious days since she had left the Flint Crew and came to live with the Hudson Crew. She had never realized how nice men could be. They were fun and playful and attended to her every need. She had been spoiled and completely taken care of. And on top of that they were all hot as hell! She even got along with Amanda and Alexi, the two women at camp.
Yesterday Finlay was giving her a foot massage while Sander brought her a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Keene sprinted to the kitchen to get her a glass of cold milk when she said that they were nice and hot. It was definitely the life and beat being a prisoner, locked in a cold, damp basement.
She felt much better. Lighter. Happier now that there was no more fear of Kai. He was gone. She was thankful for that. It was time to put that part of her life behind her and move on to better times.
With Finlay.
Finlay had been wonderful. Tender and sweet. He listened to her stories with enthusiasm, he encouraged her to be herself and was always there with a hug if she was feeling afraid or sad.
Water ran into the sink as he washed his hands.
They had slept in the same bed for ten days but still hadn’t had sex. Jessica was a virgin and just wasn’t ready. She wanted to take it slow and Finlay had been a gentleman about it. He never pressured her once or tried to take it further than she was comfortable with.
But today, now, she was ready.
The Crew went out for breakfast at the diner and she asked Finlay if he wanted to stay back so she could sleep in. A touch of disappointment crossed his face, he was looking forward to some waffles, but agreed to stay home. He just smiled and said whatever she wanted was what he wanted too.
She smiled to herself knowing that what she was going to give him was better than waffles.
Finlay walked out of the bathroom in his pajama pants. His body was ripped. Big and muscular with soft skin and a tender heart. Light blond hair dusted his chest and trailed down to his hard abs.
“Come here,” she said, opening her arms for him. He crawled onto the bed in between her arms and kissed her lips. His early morning stubble scratched her upper lip.
“I’m sorry you didn’t get waffles,” she said.
“This is better than waffles.”
She kissed his lips again. His tongue tasted minty, like toothpaste.
“I want you,” she whispered into his ear.
He jerked back on his arms and looked at her with raised eyebrows. “Really?”
Jessica laughed and pulled him back down. “I want to feel you inside me.”
Finlay kissed her lips with a ferocity that wasn’t there seconds ago. His kiss was strong and forceful, overwhelming and passionate. She felt her panties wetten from being the object of that desire. She had never had such an effect on a man and it was making her hotter.
She hooked her fingers into the waistband of his pants, his rough pubic hair grazing her hand, and pulled down. His erection bumped into her thumb, catching her by surprise. She reached out for it, cradling it in her fingers and stroking the tip. She stretched to touch the shaft but she couldn’t reach.
Finlay kissed a sensuous trail down her neck as his hand slid up her shirt. She wasn’t wearing a bra and he cupped her breast, stroking his thumb over her hardening nipple.
She wanted him to see her chest as no man had before. Naked. He gasped as she let go of his erection and slid off her shirt.
Her breasts were large and full and he was on them at once, kissing them, caressing them and leaving no part of them untouched. Jessica ran her hands through his hair and moaned as his wet, silky tongue slid over her nipple. He devoured it in his mouth and sucked, sending shivers through her aroused body. He put the slightest amount of pressure with a graze of his teeth and Jessica gasped.
Finlay shifted his hips between her legs and his hard cock was on her, pressing down on her throbbing clit and swollen lips.
He rolled off, sudden and unexpected and Jessica moaned in frustration. What was happening?
Finlay lifted his legs up and yanked off his pajama pants. Jessica caught sight of his cock, hard and beautiful. It was so long. She bit her lip wondering how it would fit inside her.
“I want to see you,” she said sitting up. Jessica had never seen a penis in real life before.
Finlay sat on the bed as she moved onto her knees and took him in her hands. It looked so big in her small hands. She kissed the tip and he moaned. She smiled, never having that effect on a man before. She wanted more. She wanted him to scream her name.