Furever After (BBW Paranormal Romance)

by Arielle Lewenhart

  Furever After

  By Arielle Lewenhart

  Copyright 2015 Arielle Lewenhart

  All Rights Reserved

  Lions and tigers and bears, oh my my.

  Brought to you by…

  Furever After

  Mason knew his role in the world. He was the Brimstone Bear, leader of the Tartarus MC. He had ascended to his position of Alpha through power and cunning. No one could tell him he didn't deserve his position. However, according to ancient tradition, Mason must take a mate within the next year to retain his position and guide the pack into a new era. And he had absolutely no idea what to do, so he asks his best friend and second in command, Jackson, to take care of it.

  Katya Sharapova is a lonely girl dreaming of a better future, but she knows her options are limited. When her friend points her to a mail order bride website, Katya signs up hoping to for a new start. She never expects a man like Mason to want her.

  But things are never as clear as they seem, and Jackson finds himself drawn to this quiet, lovely girl from a distant land. When he and Katya find themselves alone, he must do everything in his power to resist his impulses...and Katya must make a choice between the two men that will determine her entire future.

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  The snow drifted from the overcast sky, a silent reminder of my isolation. The clouds, sleet gray, reached as far as I could see in every direction. There was not a sound to be heard anywhere; even the fire burning in the fireplace seemed quiet. I knew that outside the walls of my home, it would be no different; the snow would muffle my footsteps, mask my presence, and make it seem as though I were the last person on the planet.

  Even if I were desperate for sound, walking through the snow would provide me with nothing but the still crunch of the powder as it compressed underneath my boots — and even my foot print would be gone within a few minutes. The winter was a stark reminder that I was moving through this world without leaving a trace of myself behind. If I were to vanish today, no one would notice.

  I am lonely.

  My name is Katya Sharapova. I’ve lived here, in the isolated reaches in northern Russia, a few degrees south of the Arctic Circle, for all of my twenty-one years on this Earth. Despite having a rather lively childhood and upbringing, I’ve always known my future would be different than I hoped.

  As a young girl, I dreamed of living an exciting life — traveling around the globe, seeing these locales I’ve read about so many times in books and stories. I wanted to meet a nice man who would be not only a good husband, but also my best friend throughout life.

  But then my sister married her long-time boyfriend and moved with him to Moscow. We rarely saw her after that. My aging parents became unable to move with the ease they once did, and I took over as caretaker, not only of the house, but also of them.

  When they passed away, I was left with my childhood home, but little else. My village was so remote that we did not have access to the internet; it’s only been in the past several years that cable lines reached this far, connecting us to the rest of the world. Many of the villagers are elderly and refuse to use computers, not understanding the way electricity works and viewing it almost as a form of magic.

  My parents were always very straightforward with me and encouraged education, something which was nearly unheard of for girls in my village. I understand how these things work, and I’ve begun to use my new-found internet access to learn more, as well as to pick up small-time jobs through various web organizations. It’s not much money, but it’s enough to get by on.

  I fend for myself well enough, but it does get lonely here. With so few people my own age in the village, there isn’t much chance for socialization…or for meeting men my age. I’m in no rush to have children, but I would like the chance to start a family, to start a new life somewhere away from this tiny town. I just don’t know how that’s possible.

  Mason felt the glass shatter in his hand, ignoring the searing pain as a shard broke the flesh. “What did you say?” His voice emerged in a growl, low and dangerous, and Jackson took an involuntary step backwards.

  “I said that you have to choose a mate. And soon.”

  Mason glared at his friend for a moment longer, then spun and walked out of the room. He was angry, and it wasn’t Jackson’s fault. He didn’t want to take his rage out on his friend. Instead, he would love to find the Elders and tear their heads from their bodies. Those hidebound old fogies didn’t know when to let go of long-outdated traditions and embrace the new age.

  Mason did. He was the Alpha now. He was leader of the Tartarus MC. His enemies knew him as the Brimstone Bear. And yet he was supposed to bow to a 300 year old tradition, choosing a mate when he by no means wanted one? What kind of foolishness was that?

  Blood began to drip from his hand, and Mason stared at it in disgust. The idea of forced mates was abhorrent to begin with, and it didn’t help that the types of women who hung around Tartarus were the last ones he would choose as a partner. Some of his men may have enjoyed their…companionship, but Mason wanted nothing to do with it. He’d even put a stop to much of the insanity that took place within the group.

  When he had risen to power, eliminating the previous alpha in a fight, Mason had vowed to change the club. For too long it had been known as a den of thieves and shady characters, but he knew better than that. The last leader had been too lenient, allowing crimes to take place that should have been stopped long before. He had grown corrupt from the money and power, choosing to ignore indiscretions that put them all at risk.

  Mason had finally snapped. Three years ago, at just twenty-four years old, he stood up during a pack meeting and stared down the old leader. Although the man was in his late 60s, he had years of fighting experience and was arguably the most powerful member there. It was suicide to fight him, but Mason hadn’t cared. He knew things needed to change.

  “You aren’t fit to serve as our leader anymore,” Mason said, his jaw clenched so tightly that he thought his teeth would shatter. “And you have cowed this pack into submission, turned brave men into cowards. You have no right to power.” He drew a deep breath and spoke words he could never turn back from. “Amat victoria curam.”

  A wave of murmurs rose around the room, punctuated by a few gasps. Jackson had met Mason’s eyes from across the room, staring at him without comprehending.

  Mason had just challenged the leader for his position, and it was an almost unheard-of act. The leader had risen from his seat, turned on a heel, and walked outside. Mason followed him wordlessly, as the entire group of people rose and followed them both out to see
what would happen.

  When Mason reached the exterior of the building, it had not been a man waiting for him, but a massive black bear.

  I rubbed my eyes, weary and heavy after spending the evening working. I had been trying to finish a last-minute assignment from one of my American clients, and it had taken everything I had to stay awake long enough to wrap up the final leg of the project. The pay would be well worth it, but I suffered through sleep deprivation in order to get it done.

  My phone rang, and I nearly jumped out of my seat; after living the first half of my life without a phone, I still wasn’t used to the unfamiliar warble of the device. I picked it up and answered; my friend, Maria, was on the other line. She was one of the few people I could consider to be my friend; we’d known each other since childhood. “Kat! What’s up?” she asked, her bubbly voice bleeding enthusiasm, even through the phone. I couldn’t help but smile when I talked to her.

  “Me, but only barely. I just managed to finish up a project for one of my clients, and I’m going to be going to sleep pretty soon.”

  I could hear her tsking on the other end. “You work entirely too hard, you know that?”

  I shrugged. “Can’t help it. There’s not exactly many job opportunities around here, after all.”

  “That’s true,” Maria said. “But I have something for you that may be of interest. Or maybe not.”

  Well, that piqued my interest. “What do you mean?”

  “Have you heard of mail order brides?”

  The term rang a bell, but I was entirely sure what it meant. “I think so, but I don’t exactly know how that applies.”

  “Mail order brides are women who essentially sell themselves. You find a man, and if you like him, the two of you get married — and he takes care of you.”

  The whole idea sounded preposterous to me. Who would actually do that? “What kind of men use mail order brides?” I asked. “Probably only old perverts.”

  I cold almost hear Maria shrug. “It’s worth a shot. You should consider it; it could be your ticket out of Russia and to a better life, after all.”

  We spoke for a little while longer over mostly banal topics, but the call ended shortly after that. At first, I didn’t give much though to what Maria had suggested; sure, it seemed like it might work, but it also sounded like a bad idea. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it had promise.

  After all, if I could choose the man, then I wouldn’t have to settle for someone I didn’t like. I could find a man who would care for me. But that would mean I’d need to give them all a chance…but that wouldn’t be such a terrible price to pay, all things considered.

  I sat back down at my computer, willing myself to stay awake just a little bit longer and fill out the form on the website. I uploaded the best photograph I had of myself, answered a few questions about my age, height, and weight, and filled out a short bio: I’m 22 years old. I grew up in a small village in northern Russia, and I’m looking for a new life full of adventure and fulfillment.

  Now the only thing to do was wait and see what happened.

  Mason still felt a surge of excitement at the memory. He had only seen the former leader transform once before, and it had been to deal with a traitor to the group. It had also been extremely messy when he was done.

  But the sight of that massive black bear waiting for him hadn’t made him run in fear — in fact, it had ignited a bloodlust in Mason he didn’t know he possessed. The sight of his enemy made Mason surge with excitement, every nerve alive with the anticipation of combat.

  Mason’s transformation had been swift. While most of the pack took several minutes to shift completely, Mason did so in mere seconds, his clothes falling to shreds around him as he turned into the Grizzly that he was. And unlike many others in the pack, Mason retained his humanity while in bear form — he could control himself, and his urges. Most of the others could not.

  The black bear had charged him, hardly waiting for Mason to regain his bearings — but Mason had sidestepped, using the beast’s inertia against him. Mason pivoted, a snarl escaping from his lips as he faced his former leader, before he launched himself from powerful hind legs and slammed into the older bear, bowling him sideways before a savage swipe landed across his snout.

  Mason showed no mercy. Once his leader was down, he tore into him, pummeling him with blow after blow, the sheer force of his swipes more than enough to render the older bear unconscious. It wasn’t until Jackson had shouted, “Enough!” that Mason stopped.

  His former leader lay on the ground, slowly phasing out of bear form and back into his human state. He bled from hundreds of different cuts, and Mason’s paws were covered in blood. He paused, turned to the crowd gathered before him, and roared.

  As Mason shifted back into his human form, all of the onlookers dropped to one knee and inclined their heads towards him. He had won. He was the alpha now.

  Even standing naked before his pack, he knew he had earned their respect. No one wanted to test a man who could so completely destroy his enemies — even so, Mason knew that it would likely mean someone would try to overthrow his rule one day. He knew he had to change the way the Tartarus MC operated before that could happen.

  That had been his mission ever since, and he’d made truly massive progress. But now his entire pack was rallying for him to find a mate. Mason understood why; should something happen to him, leadership would go to his children. If he had none, the power struggle could destroy his entire pack.

  But he didn’t want to settle down. Not yet. Jackson was following at a distance behind him, he knew; Mason was familiar with his friend’s habits, and Jackson served as his voice of reason in most circumstances. He turned to face his friend.

  “Jackson. Find me a mate.”

  I stirred from my sleep, disturbed by the incessant beeping on my computer. I thought I’d shut it off, but I guess not; a small green light across the room told me the speakers were turned on, and apparently I had a message. I glanced at the clock; it was 7 AM.

  I cursed softly. If one of my American clients had sent me another last-minute project, I’d scream. I was already wiped out from the previous day. I didn’t have time to take on another mind-numbing task. I stood and strode across the room, my nipples hardening from the chill.

  I always slept naked; it was more comfortable, and felt more natural. However, rising this early in the morning often left me with goosebumps racing up and down my arms as a result of the temperature.

  The screen of the computer came to life as soon as I touched the mouse, and much to my surprise, it was an email from a man named Jackson. According to his email, he had found me on a mail order bride website, and was interested in meeting me to evaluate me.

  I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I was excited to have a response to my query. Attached to his email were plane tickets — first class, no less — and instructions on what to do once I arrived in America. I read over them quickly, and with a start, realized I would be going to New York.

  I’d always dreamed of visiting the Big Apple, and here was my chance. Maybe Maria’s idea of becoming a mail order bride was a better one than I thought. After reading the letter, excitement filled me. There wasn’t even a slight chance of going back to sleep.

  Instead, I went to my closet and flung it open, taking out the best clothing I had in preparation for the trip. Being so far removed from the rest of the world meant that I didn’t have a huge wardrobe to choose from, but I had managed to buy a few items that I thought looked beautiful. I laid out my shirts, pants, and dresses on the bed, along with a few pairs of shoes, and packed them all very carefully into a suitcase. I actually owned so little that I wouldn’t even need a carry on bag, but I hoped it would be enough to make a good first impression on this man when he and I met.

  He didn’t include any details about himself, and the way he had phrased the question led me to wonder whether or not he was actually the man I would meet…it almost seemed as though he w
as acting as the middle man for someone else. The entire situation put me a bit on edge, but at the same time, deep sense of excitement ran through me.

  After I finished packing, I sat down to make a bit of breakfast. As soon as dawn broke, I would go to the airport and redeem my ticket. The thought that I’d be in America by this time tomorrow as an exciting one.

  Jackson stood at the arrivals gate of the airport, waiting on the girl he had found online to arrive. Katya seemed perfect — intelligent, down to earth, and beautiful. Everything that Mason would enjoy and appreciate in a woman, without the drama that came with most of the women involved in the Tartarus MC. Jackson hoped so, anyway.

  Finding a mate for his best friend and pack leader was a task easier said than done. Mason was a very selective man. A good man, yes, but one who was rather picky about the types of women he associated with. When the elders had approached Jackson with the news that Mason needed to find a mate in order to hold his position as leader, Jackson had balked.

  He knew exactly how his friend would react to the news, and it hadn’t been good. At least Mason had come around, Jackson thought; it made things easier on everyone when these sorts of deals went through without a problem. When Jackson had found Katya’s photo online, he had been blown away by the girl he saw. She was curvy, with a twinkle of life in her eyes he didn’t often see in girls that age.