by T. S. Ryder
There had been some legal entanglements with Percy's death, given the arrest that had happened, but once the cops actually listened to him and Rose–helped along by the lawyer that he hired–it was determined that this was one of those cases where the law had failed to protect its citizens. Those cops who had refused to listen to Rose's complaints about Percy before he got violent were an internal investigation.
It turned out that what Percy had told Rose was the truth. He did have a brain tumor. A psychologist that they talked to about it theorized that the tumor was the cause for all of Percy's behavior before his death. The threat of imminent death made him cling to the thought of what he had when he was healthy–Rose. It also exerted enough pressure on his brain that it changed his personality enough to make him buy that gun. The psychologist was convinced that if Rose had gone with him to the hotel room, Percy would have killed the both of them. He wanted her to suffer; that was why he turned the gun on others instead of her in the lobby. He would have shot her before he shot himself if Devon hadn't been right there. The thought still made Devon's blood run cold.
But that was in the past, and Devon, Rose and Jamie were happy being together as a family. Devon grinned as he slid his hands up under Rose's shirt. Her skin was warm and soft and he leaned in to nibble at the back of her neck. As odd as it was, though they had been sleeping in the same bed for months now, they'd never actually gone further than some heavy petting… Rose always drew back, and while she didn't say why, the fact that she wasn't comfortable going all the way was something that Devon accepted.
That didn't mean he didn't want more, though. Just that he was willing to wait to get it.
Rose moaned as he traced his hand down her curves to slip between her legs, probing against her clothing. She pressed herself against him, making a pleasant buzzing start in his center. "Don't you think we should go back to sleep? You have to work early tomorrow morning."
Devon glanced at the clock. "I'd have to be up in two hours anyway. If I try to sleep now I'll just end up in the wrong part of the sleep cycle when I get up… unless you want to sleep."
"I'll let you know," she moaned.
"Remember we're going out for dinner tonight. Maybe you can go out today and buy yourself a new dress."
"A new dress? But I already have a lot of pretty clothes."
"I know. I just want tonight to be special."
Rose wiggled her rump against him, making everything tighten inside of him. Devon gasped in delight, searching for her waistband. She slid her leg up his thigh to give him better access. His heart pounded with excitement. Maybe this time… He buried his face into her neck, eagerly nibbling at her. Rose jerked and gasped under his ministrations.
"Tonight should be special, then?" she asked. "I mean, you want tonight to be special?"
"Yeah. You realize it's our five-month anniversary since we moved out here?"
Rose responded with a moan, and Devon started moving her pajama pants down off her hips. Her hands found him. He let out a mighty moan and jerked hard against her, causing the whole bed to tremble beneath them. Rose giggled.
"If you want tonight to be so special, then maybe we should save this for then, instead of doing it right now."
Devon groaned in disappointment. He stroked her a couple more times before he withdrew. "If that's what you want."
Rose rolled over, putting his arms around his neck. She kissed him gently. "You really do want tonight to be special. Why, are you going to propose?"
"Uh…" Devon realized too late that she was joking. In the moonlight, he saw her eyes widen.
"You are?"
Devon winced and nodded. "Yeah. That was the plan… Actually, that's still the plan. You're not allowed to say yes or no or see the ring until—"
Rose threw herself at him, rolling him over onto his back. Her mouth caught his hard. He chuckled at her passion, grinning. She straddled his hips, grinding herself hard against him. Already semi-aroused, everything was kicked up another notch. He wrapped his arms around her waist, crushing her against him, and Rose moved to his neck, eagerly kissing and sucking at his skin.
Well, I think I know what her answer is going to be.
The shifter rolled her over, the bed wobbling dangerously under their movements, and pinned his mate beneath him. Rose's eyes sparkled as she gazed up at him, her hands twisting into his hair. He returned to her mouth as he explored her body with his hands. When he found her breasts, he moaned and ripped open her pajama tops. The buttons hit him on the chest, but he ignored them, moving down to feast on her beautiful body. Rose shivered beneath him, moaning.
"You're fixing that," she said, pulling him closer. "Later."
"Of course."
Her fingers dug into his shoulders as he moved his hand down between her legs again. He loved the way she shivered at his touch, the way her hips rolled up towards him, begging for more. He loved the way she gasped out his name, and the sweet taste of his skin while he kissed between her breasts. But most of all he loved the smile on her face, the pure love radiating from her eyes as she gazed down at him.
"How did I ever get so lucky?" he whispered, removing her pants to have better access to pleasure her properly. "You are the most amazing, wonderful, compassionate, sexy, beautiful, kind-hearted—"
"Don't lay it on too thick. I'm already taking off my clothes."
Her back arched and her shoulders shimmied from side to side as he adjusted his strokes against her. Her jaw hung open a little, her eyes sliding closed. Devon's own body ached with need as he watched her, filling to the brim with a desire to be as close to her as possible. He checked to see how ready she was and grinned when he found her perfect. He kissed her once more as he removed his pants. Her hands found him, and he let her work her to readiness before he laid over her again.
Both of them cried out, clutching at one another, as he entered. Devon kissed her gently, giving her a moment to adjust to him–but apparently, she didn't want to wait. She planted her feet onto the bed and brought her hips up hard. Devon gasped, then laughed and joined her rhythm. The pace was impossible to keep up, but he ground his teeth and tried, their bodies slick with sweat, writhing together as the heat built between them.
Soon it was too much to hold back; as Rose bucked and screamed beneath him, Devon was drawn with her to climax. His body jerked and writhed from side to side before he collapsed. He heard Rose's labored breathing and was just able to make himself to roll off her.
They lay there, hands twined, for quite some time before Rose stirred. She pushed herself to her elbow and smiled at him. "Well. That was an experience."
"A good one, I hope," Devon said, suddenly worried. "Did you—"
"I loved it." She kissed him. "I love you. I don't know why I waited for so long… I can't wait until tonight when I can tell you yes."
Devon chuckled. He pulled her against him and kissed her again. He glanced at the clock. "Look at that… we still have an hour left… want to go again?"
Rose gave him a wicked grin and straddled him. "My turn."
Devon was all too happy to let her give him what she wanted. He smiled as the heat began building again. He had a lifetime of this to look forward to… and it could only get better from here.
*****
THE END
The Wolf's Mate
Description
What do you do when your mate isn’t looking for a mate?
Bear shifter and virgin Iduna Hudson doesn’t want a mate. But she wants a baby. So she has herself artificially inseminated and is ready for life as a single mom. Who needs a man anyway?
Werewolf Stephen Jackson knows his one chance to have a family is to track down the woman who received his sperm. His wolf knows he’s found his mate the moment he sees her.
But love isn’t an option. Iduna is much younger than Stephen, and the relationship between wolves and bears is strained at the best of times. And these aren't the best of times.
Things turn deadly when Ste
phan and Iduna come face-to-face with anti-shifter zealots who are out to kill every shifter that crosses their path.
But Stephen has been searching for his mate for decades and isn’t going to give up when he’s finally found her. Even if it means fighting the fight of his life.
Can Stephan and Iduna escape their enemies? Can they save themselves and their baby? Will love conquer hate?
Chapter One – Iduna
It was a beautiful day in the southern interior of British Columbia. The mountains were dappled green-and-yellow, the contrast between the deciduous and coniferous trees painting a picture of the transition between summer and winter. Iduna Hudson sat on a bench just outside the library in a rare moment of enjoying the beauty around her, rather than keeping her nose in a book
It helped that there wasn't anyone around to try to draw her into conversation and then act like they didn't want to talk just as she was explaining why leaves turned color in the fall.
Her baby kicked her, making her wince, and the Bear put a hand over her belly. At eight months pregnant, she couldn't wait for the next month to pass by. She was tired of being pregnant. As much as she enjoyed the sensation of being a little person move inside her, the backaches and swollen feet and her body's refusal to get comfortable at night was wearing on her nerves.
But she didn't regret the decision to get pregnant. She wanted a baby, and she was going to have one.
Iduna inhaled the fresh air. Her small Bear Shifter community was fairly isolated, made up mostly of farmers and orchardists, and they preferred to go about their business on foot or with their Bears. Rarely did people around here use vehicles, even though everybody had a car. The result was that the air was clean and fresh, and the community cozy and quiet. It was one of the reasons why Iduna enjoyed living here so much. She could breathe without worrying about the effects of pollution on her lungs.
An unfamiliar scent caught her nose and she turned.
Her eyes widened and her heart rate spiked when she saw the man walking towards her. He wasn't a Bear. That was clear. He walked with a certain amount of dominance and grace, not the heavy-footed steps that she was accustomed to. His dark hair was just starting to gray at the ends, and crow's feet spread from the corner of his eyes. Iduna guessed he was around forty. His skin was a milky color, indicating he was more of an office worker than an outdoorsman.
And he was beautiful. Iduna willed her heart to slow down, a little concerned about her reaction. There were plenty of good-looking men in the community, so why were hormones flooding her system now? That in itself was odd. She could count on one hand the amount of times she had been sexually attracted to someone.
Well, it would be over soon enough. As soon as they started talking he'd start sounding like an idiot and her attraction would die as suddenly as it had blossomed.
"Hello," she said.
"Hello." He took off his ball cap. "Are you Iduna Hudson?"
Iduna blinked in surprise. "Do I know you?"
"No. I… this is weird, I know, and I apologize if I make you uncomfortable. But I'm the donor."
What donor? Iduna gasped as her baby kicked again, eyes going wide. Of course. "You mean the sperm donor that I chose when I was artificially impregnated?"
"Yeah. I'm that donor."
"I see." She peered at him closely and nodded once. He was just as she had been assured of at the clinic. "How did you find me?"
"You signed some papers that let the clinic tell me how to contact you. May I sit?"
Iduna nodded, shifting to give him room. The man sat. Now that he was closer, the Bear could smell ink toner and a spicy scent to him. She leaned forward unconsciously, sniffing. Her heart rate picked up again and she felt her hands start to tremble. Her reaction surprised her and frightened her a little bit.
She had ultimately decided to go ahead with AI at her young age because she wanted to be able to do the things with her baby that her parents had never been able to do with her. Everybody had asked why she chose AI instead of finding her mate. The answer was simple. She had met every Bear shifter for miles around, and quite a few humans, too. None of them were for her. None of them had her blood roaring like this man.
And she didn't even know what his name was.
"You're a Wolf!" she cried in surprise, detecting the distinctive scent of dog around him. "Or you live with one."
"I'm a Wolf," he confirmed. "Didn't the clinic tell you?"
She shook her head. She had requested a Bear Shifter's donation, but apparently either the sperm samples had gotten mixed up, or they didn't care. Given the way she was treated after revealing she was a Bear herself, the latter wouldn't surprise Iduna. Anti-Shifter tensions were high around here.
"So." Iduna looked at him. "Who are you?"
"I'm sorry. My name is Stephen Jackson."
"Stephen. It means crown, honor. A kingly title. It's Greek."
"Is it? I never knew." Stephen's smile was relaxed. "I don't think I have any Greek ancestry, but my grandfather's name was Stephen. Strange, come to think of it. The way names end up so far from their origins."
Iduna nodded. "Yeah, it’s strange how names can spread through cultures. But why are you here? All your donation records were sealed. I thought it meant you didn't want to be contacted."
"I didn't. When I made the donation I was feeling… frustrated. I don't have a mate, and the idea of having a child anyway was appealing to me."
"And why look me up now?"
Stephen looked away. "I was in an accident recently. It left me infertile."
"Oh." Iduna clasped her hands on her knees. A rush of sympathy went through her, mixed with some disappointment as well. But what did she have to be disappointed about? "Just infertile or impotent as well?"
Stephen's jaw dropped. "What?"
"Are you still able to have sex?"
Iduna's brow furrowed. It was a simple, straightforward question, wasn't it? Why was he shocked? Sometimes people baffled her.
"I, uh…"
"I said something wrong, didn't I?" Iduna bit her lip. "I'm always doing this. Mommy says I don't have a filter."
"Mommy? How old are you?"
"Twenty-five. I like the phonetics of Mommy better than other maternal nicknames."
"I… see." Stephen ran a hand through his dark, graying hair. "Well, to answer your question… I can't have children anymore. And that's why I sought you out. I was hoping that I could be part of this baby's life somehow. I always wanted kids, and this is my only chance now."
Iduna bit on her lip, stopping herself from blurting out an immediate yes. She couldn't just answer based on the sexual attraction she felt towards him. A commitment based on hormones was not a chance worth taking.
"We need to get to know each other better first," she decided. "If you are going to be a part of the baby's life, you'll be a part of my life as well, and I want to make sure that our personalities are compatible before any decision is made."
"Fair enough," Stephen said. " I mean, I understand if you don't want to. You must have a reason why you chose to go with AI rather than with your mate…"
A scowl crossed her face. Her parents had made her wait two years after she decided to go with AI to make sure that she was certain she didn't want to wait for her mate. The fact was that everybody else she knew already had found their mates by the time they were her age. Twenty-five wasn't old by any means, but she had her life planned out and it didn't involve pining around for somebody she didn't even know. The chances that there was even a mate out there for her were slim to none.
Besides, she didn't like to be around people. She would want to share everything with him, and she'd drive him crazy like she drove everybody crazy. A mate would only be one more person who didn't really understand her.
"I don't have a mate and I'm not looking for one," she replied, a little more harshly than necessary. "I was just heading home. You can come meet my parents."
Stephen had the familiar surprised look that
people had after talking with her for a little while, but he smiled at her invitation.
"Good." Iduna nodded. "Let's go, then."
***
The Hudson home was in the middle of town. Well, the residential area of town, at least. It was only a ten-minute walk from the grocery store, fifteen minutes from Main Street, twenty to Iduna's favorite restaurant, and forty from the library. Sixty-five if Mrs. Hart saw her walking and decided to demand to know every little detail of how her father's business was going.
Stephen insisted that he drive her, even though Iduna had told him that exercise was vital to a healthy pregnancy and that she was far enough along that if labor was induced the baby would still be plenty developed. For some reason, that didn't change his mind at all.
Her parents were working in the greenhouse garden like they did every day since the two of them retired as teachers at the local high school and started a flower nursery. Both her parents looked alarmed when Iduna introduced Stephen to them and told them who he was and why he was there. Her mother, Charity, shook her head when Iduna was finished.
"I know that this is all a surprise," Stephen said. "It's a surprise for me as well. But I want you to know that everything is up to Iduna. I'll respect her decision, no matter what decision she makes."
Iduna clasped her mother's hand. "I invited Stephen to stay for supper."
"I hate to intrude," Stephen said. "I don't want to put you out at all."
Iduna's father, Tyson, made a low noise in his throat the way he did when he was upset, but her mother intervened, smiling at Stephen.
"It's no trouble. And you," her mother pointed at Iduna. "Go sit down and put up your feet. Don't argue with me, just because you've read every baby book written doesn't mean I don't know what I'm talking about. I hope you've been drinking water today."
Iduna sighed but went inside as her mother followed. Her father and Stephen lingered outside.