by DJ Bryce
Everything just felt… right.
“Yeah,” I replied just as softly, the laziness of laying around all day making me drowsy. “My father was the Chief, and his father before him, and so on… So, I was raised to take charge of the clan once he no longer could. When my parents were killed in a car accident, I’d just turned twenty-two, and although technically an adult, I was not ready. To lose my parents, or to take over as head of our clan.”
“I’m so sorry,” Natasha said, lifting her head to look into my eyes. Hers had filled with unshed tears, and the despair on her face caused my chest to ache.
“Thank you. It was a long time ago, but it’s not something you ever really get over.”
Natasha leaned down and kissed my chest sweetly, before placing her head back down.
I continued, “Luckily, my father had made sure I had the tools I needed, and my clan rallied around me as I found my way. I couldn’t have done it without Derrik and Marta.”
“Derrik and Marta?” Natasha prodded after I was silent for a few seconds as memories assailed me.
“Derrik is my best friend, and second in command, and Marta is his mate. They’ve been together almost as long as I’ve known them, since we were kids, and they’ve always been the people I could count on in any situation.”
“I’m glad you have that,” Natasha murmured.
“Now, I have so much more,” I admitted gruffly, wanting her to know that her place in my life was number one.
She hugged me tightly, then made me smile when she said, “I’d love to meet them.”
“Really?” I asked, pleased that she was ready to start getting to know my clan, which would soon be her clan. “It’s not too soon?”
“Really,” Natasha replied, and I could feel her lips curve against my chin. “We should have them over for dinner.”
This time I hugged her tightly and said, “Okay, I’ll give Derrik a call. We may have to go shopping though.”
“I love shopping, and I’d love to see more of your town.”
This pleased me immensely, and although I wanted to show Natasha how much, by slipping inside of her again, I knew we had to get out of bed and get ready for our day, if we were going to have time to go shopping and get a meal prepared in time for dinner.
Still, I thought before I could suggest we get up and take a shower, I was sure I had enough time to at least give her a glimpse of how happy she made me.
I rolled us over until Natasha was beneath me, then allowed my hands to explore the length of her naked form, enjoying the way she melted in response. She began to shift slightly, moving to give me better access to where we were both eager for my exploration to lead.
My fingers reached her core first, and I began to stroke, stoking the fire as I watched her face. Natasha bit down on her lower lip as she arched into me, a soft, sexy moan escaping her lips as I slid the first finger inside of her. She bucked, telling me wordlessly what she wanted, and I complied, a second finger joining the first as she began to writhe beneath me.
“Logan,” she panted, already close, and the need to see her come became as necessary as breathing. Pumping my fingers faster, I bent my head to suck her nipple into my mouth, biting down gently on the hard peak.
Natasha’s fist in my hair, her body moving as my fingers fucked her, and the little whimpering sounds she was making, told me she was close.
I moved my fingers faster, twirled my tongue around her nipple once more, then lifted my head and ran my finger across her parted lips. Natasha’s tongue darted out to lick my finger, then she opened her mouth wider and sucked the tip inside. I closed my eyes for a moment, enjoying the feel of the fingers on both of my hands surrounded by Natasha’s wet heat, then removed my finger from her mouth and shifted so that I was on my knees in front of her.
Natasha opened her legs wider, allowing me to watch as I thrust my fingers in and out of her, then move my other hand over her thigh, and down to her ass, where I inserted my still damp finger slowly inside. Just a small touch, enough to have her eyes flying open and her hips to buck.
Her lips parted on a cry and her head fell to the side as she came apart in front of me, the sight more exquisite than anything I’d ever laid eyes on.
My dick throbbed painfully, jumping against my stomach as I ached to come as well. I was able to control myself, promising my cock I’d jack off as soon as I got in the shower, then finished enjoying the way my mate looked, all pink and dazed from her orgasm.
Once her breathing returned to normal, I bent down and dropped a quick kiss on her still sensitive clit, and lifted my head to catch her gaze.
“We need to shower and head out if we’re going to have guests for dinner,” I informed her.
Natasha’s eyes lowered to my hard as steel cock and asked, “What about you?”
“I’ll take care of it, we don’t have time,” I said, even though I wanted to kick my own ass for not moving in and taking what she was offering.
Natasha frowned for a second, then brightened and said, “If we shower together, I could take care of it for you and we’d still be getting ready to go. Two birds…”
I chuckled at her hopeful expression and replied, “I’d be a fool to pass that offer up,” then bent down to lift her up, and walked us both toward the shower.
Chapter 14
Natasha
Logan’s town was absolutely charming. Small shops and restaurants lined the downtown area. Boutiques, a flower shop, Mexican, Italian, and French Restaurants, along with a diner, and even a butcher shop. At the end of the row of stores, a marina welcomed boaters and weekenders to enjoy the lake, and across from the marina stood a movie theater that had to have been there since the fifties.
I could imagine it decorated for the holidays, prettily covered in snow in the winter, and I just knew in the summer, that ice cream parlor would have a line around the block.
As we drove through and past the downtown area, I longed to stop and park. To walk hand in hand with Logan down main street and check out each business in person, but Logan was a man on a mission.
He’d gotten ahold of his friend Derrik and told him about me. I could tell when, seconds later, Marta took the phone from him and started peppering Logan with questions. He’d started to laugh, his eyes catching mine as he answered her.
Needless to say, they’d agreed to come over, probably to interrogate me, but I was okay with that. I was eager to meet the most important people in Logan’s life.
That was why, I was getting a windshield tour of the town as Logan barreled toward the outskirts where their grocery store had been built. He held my hand in his as I watched the scenery out the window, eagerly taking in every aspect of his land, his clan, and him, that I could.
“So, steak and potatoes should be easy enough,” Logan suggested as he pulled into the parking lot. “Maybe some asparagus?”
“Sounds good to me,” I said with a smile. “I’m not picky, and if that’s what our guests like, then that’s what we’ll make them.”
Logan grinned at me, then pulled the key out of the ignition and jumped gracefully out of the truck. I watched as he rounded the hood, waiting for him to come and open my door, like he’d requested when he’d opened the door for me earlier.
I’d never been with a gentleman before, and I had to say, although some may see it as old fashioned, I really, really liked it.
It made me feel cared for. Respected.
“Thank you,” I said as I took his offered hand and let him help me down.
“Always,” Logan said gruffly, bending to put his face in the crook of my neck. I felt him breath me in, then kiss my neck softly, before he stood back to his full height, tucked my hand in his arm, and led me to the grocery store.
Once we were inside, Logan reluctantly let me go so that he could grab a cart and push it, then told me, “If there’s anything else you like, or need, grab it. I want you to have what you want in our home.”
I stopped momentarily stunned at
his words. Our home. Oh my God…
“You okay?” Logan asked, turning his head toward me when he realized I wasn’t right beside him.
I shook off my stupor and hoped I gave a convincing smile as I nodded. “Yes.”
I hurried to catch up, but only listened partially as we walked through the aisles. As suggested, I grabbed a few items I liked, or needed. Toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, and other toiletries, as well as some yogurt, sandwich stuff and Doritos, but on the inside, I was freaking out.
Obviously, I knew what it meant to find my mate. That I’d move in with him, we’d have a claiming ceremony, and I’d have his cubs. Of course, I did, but it hadn’t really hit me what it all meant until he’d called his cabin our home.
I had to move.
To leave the house I loved, my family, my friends, my job… my pack.
I was excited about me and Logan, about meeting his friends, his clan, and seeing his town, but the gravity of what was actually happening hadn’t hit me. I’d found my mate, my person, the other half of me who I’d be with for the rest of my days, but there was a catch. I had to give up everything to be with him.
I nodded and made noises of agreement while he picked out the steaks, grabbed a back of potatoes and added asparagus and bacon to the cart. I smiled when he picked up a bottle of Pinot Noir and asked if I’d like it, and chuckled when he added a twelve pack of beer.
But I was in a fog, only half in the conversation, and I knew that Logan could tell.
His eyes were questioning, and his lips turned down in a frown, but he didn’t say anything about it, or ask me again what was wrong until he’d loaded our bags up in the truck, let me inside, then got in the driver’s seat.
Once we were in the cab of his truck, and it was running with the stereo on low, Logan turned to me, his arm resting on the back of the seat and asked, “What’s up, Natasha?”
I shifted so I was facing him, hating the look of uncertainty on his face.
“It’s just that, I realized, I have to move,” I began quickly, wanting to get it all out. “It’s not that I don’t want to, don’t want to be with you, it’s only that I hadn’t considered what all I had to leave behind.”
Understanding filled Logan’s eyes, and his hand came to caress my cheek.
“You can see your family, your friends, anytime you want,” he assured me.
“I know,” I said, begging him to understand. “But I won’t work with Gilly at Howlers every day, or watch Gilly and Max get closer. I won’t be there to see if anything happens between Mateo and Brick, or even get to see my parents all the time. Although that last one, I’m sorry to say I’m not that sad about. Plus, my house, my things…”
“We’ll pack up your things and move them here. We can figure out what stays and what goes, hell, we can move out all my stuff and fill it will all of yours, whatever you want… As for Howlers, no, it wouldn’t make sense for you to work there and live here, but if it’s a job you want, we’ll find you one here. As for Gilly, Max, Mateo and Brick, we’ll see them. They can come here, we’ll go there. I promise, babe, I don’t want to cut you off from everyone you love.”
“I know, I just… freaked out a little bit. I’ll miss my pack. My home.”
“I understand,” Logan said, scooting closer to kiss me softly before pulling back and saying, “But I’ll give you a new home, and a clan, who, I swear, will become your family as well. You’ll have more friends and family in your life than you know what to do with.”
“I know, I’m sorry, I just need a little time.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about, Natasha. You can say anything to me, I want you to always tell me if there’s something bothering you, and I’ll do the same. I love you.”
“I will, I promise,” I replied, then placed my hands on his cheeks and said, “I love you, too.”
Chapter 15
Logan
I’d felt the change in Natasha immediately, and when she’d voiced her concerns, it hit me right in the gut. The thought that anything could keep us apart was terrifying, and even though I knew that wasn’t what she’d been saying, that she was unwilling to move, it still killed that she had a moment of unhappiness about our relationship.
As Chief of my clan, there was no way I could give up my position to move and be with her pack. I’d already touched on this when explaining about Mateo, although I’m not sure she’d understood that the same applied to me as well.
So, I’d make sure she had as much time as possible with her family and friends, maybe find her a job with the clan that she’ll love, and ensure that she always knows what she means to me, and how much I appreciate her being with me.
As soon as we got home, we unpacked the groceries and got start prepping dinner. I seasoned the steaks and she salted and oiled the potatoes for baking, then we both started wrapping the asparagus in bacon.
“Do Derrik and Marta have kids?” Natasha asked suddenly.
I shook my head sadly.
“No, they’ve tried, but have been unable to have any. It caused some issues for them early on, with Marta trying to convince Derrik that he should leave her for someone who could give him cubs, as if that would ever happen… But, over time they’ve seemed to come to terms with it.”
“Oh, that’s so sad, I’m sorry,” she said, knowing how important procreation was to shifter, having been around them her whole life. “Have they thought about adopting?”
“Adopting? No, not that I know of, but I know how badly they wanted cubs…”
“There’s a place in Montana, run by the Kline’s I believe… it’s an orphanage of sorts for abandoned shifter children. We had a couple adopt from them a while back in our pack,” she said, and my heart lurched at the thought.
“Abandoned shifter children?” I asked, unable to comprehend such a thing. Shifters loved and nurtured their young, and I’d never heard of any children being unwelcome in their own families.
It was unfathomable to me.
“Well, I don’t know if they’re all abandoned, I’m sure they each have different circumstances that brought them there, but the place does exist.”
After my initial upset passed, I comprehended what she was saying, and I placed my hand over hers. “Thank you, I’ll tell Derrik about it. And, not to freak you out even more about how fast this is going, but although I do want to see you with my child growing in your belly one day, I wouldn’t be averse to giving a few of those children a loving home.”
Natasha paused and dropped the asparagus she’d held in her free hand, before slowly turning to me. At first, I worried that I’d said too much and, maybe, should have waited to tell her this on a day when she hadn’t already been stressing over the changes in her life. But, when she faced me, I saw tears glittering in her eyes and a huge smile on her face.
“I’d love that,” she exclaimed, before launching herself into my arms.
I hugged her tightly, then lowered my head to brush my lips against hers, before pulling back slightly and running the tip of my nose along the length of her.
“Good,” I murmured, then lifted my head fully at the sound of my front door opening.
“Hey, hey,” Derrik called, at the same time I heard Marta say, “We’re here, ready or not!”
“Kitchen,” I shouted back, and a few seconds later, my best friends rounded the corner.
Marta stopped in her tracks so quickly that Derrik ran right in to her, his hands coming to steady her before she could fall over. Marta’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped as she took in the site of Natasha in my arms.
“Holy, shit balls,” she whispered, causing me to chuckle.
“What the hell?” Derrik asked with a scowl, then followed her gaze and puffed out his cheeks. Once he let out a long breath, he said, “Well, shit. I guess you weren’t exaggerating.”
I noticed Natasha was blushing when she pulled away from me. I grabbed her right back and put my hand on her chin. Once I had her attention, I kissed her so
undly and whispered, “It’s going to be great.”
Natasha smiled gratefully, then took a deep breath and broke away again. This time I let her.
“Hi,” she said cheerfully. “I’m Natasha.”
She stepped forward with her arm extended, and when Marta continued to watch her like she was a rare breed of animal, which she totally was, Derrik gave his wife a little shove Marta shook out of it.
“Oh, sorry, hi. I’m Marta, and this is my man, Derrik,” she returned, reaching out to accept Natasha’s hand.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” my mate responded, which made Marta flash a huge smile at me over Natasha’s shoulder, before looking back at her and saying, “No, believe me, it’s ours.”
Natasha flushed, then turned to shake Derrik’s hand.
“Nice to meet you,” Derrik said, simply, then turned to me and asked, “What’s for food?”
“T-bone’s, baked potatoes, and bacon wrapped asparagus,” I replied.
“Shoot, Derrik, we left the pie in the car, be a sweetheart and go grab it?” Marta asked.
“Yes, dear,” Derrik replied, and turned to get the dessert.
“Would you like something to drink?” Natasha offered, already my perfect hostess. “A glass of wine, or beer perhaps?”
Marta grinned at me again, then said, “I’d love some wine.”
“Derrik will take a beer, babe,” I added, as Natasha turned to go get the drinks.
She nodded and walked past, and I turned to Marta.
“She’s gorgeous,” Marta said in a hushed tone, her eyes glistening. “You’re gorgeous together.”
I let loose a large grin in response and admitted, “I can’t believe it, Marta. She walked into Mateo’s house and I knew… instantly. I’ve never felt anything like it.”