Brave Bear

by K L King

  “It’s fine. Wolves like contact. In fact, I think he may like it a bit too much,” Deacon said. He was unable to stop a low growl from leaving him while Heath chuckled.

  “What?” Iris asked as Riley gave Deacon his throat.

  “See what he did?” Heath asked Iris. “He understands that Deacon is higher ranked in the pack so he gave him his throat. It’s a sign of respect.” Heath was in jeans and a green T-shirt, appearing much younger than usual and less like the town’s police chief. Deacon thought it was good for his brother to appear less threatening to Iris. His mate still seemed to go on high alert whenever the alpha was in the same room. Her posture became more rigid, her jaw clenched, and it was as if she were scanning for signs of trouble.

  “I didn’t know that. He’s always done that to me, too.” Iris said. “I just thought it was something he did. Just a nervous behavior.”

  “Shifters do that to other more dominant shifters. They even do it in human form, but it’s less obvious. But you know what’s interesting?” Heath asked, flopping down on the couch.

  Iris shook her head. She stood up as Deacon kneeled to scratch Riley’s head.

  “You never did that to me or Deacon. Deacon’s your mate, so that’s understandable, but I’m an alpha. You should have showed submission to me as well as my dad.”

  “I didn’t know I was a shifter. I still don’t know it’s true for sure. Maybe I won’t be able to shift. And have you seen me? I’m a pretty submissive person in general.”

  “You don’t look submissive right now,” Heath said with a smile.

  Iris blinked. “What do you mean?” She glanced around the room. She was no longer standing next to Deacon. She had moved in front of where Deacon was crouched petting Riley. She now stood between them and Heath. To a casual observer of the situation it appeared like she was defending them both from Heath.

  “Whoa,” Deacon whispered, standing up.

  “What? I don’t know any of this shifter stuff. What’s going on?” Iris asked Deacon, voice cracking.

  He wrapped his arms around her in a hug and then pulled away to gaze into her eyes. “It seems like while you, the human part of you, may appear timid or submissive as you say, your bear may be a dominant shifter,” he explained.

  “That’s a good thing?” she asked.

  “Yes, of course. It doesn’t matter if you are submissive or dominant. There is a role for both personalities in all shifter groups. You can’t have a pack of all dominants, or they’d be fighting all the time. The submissives keep the peace among the packs. They have a vital role in keeping packs a solid community, helping everyone work together. Our pack has a mix of both types of shifters, but we don’t have a dominant bear in our pack, or at least we didn’t ’til today. Of course, it’s incredible.”

  “Why? I’m not going to have to fight people, am I?” she asked.

  “Hell no!” Deacon said raising his voice. “My wolf would go crazy if he saw you fighting, but it means you’ll be able to protect yourself and the physically weaker pack members if attacked. It also explains why you feel uneasy around my dad and Heath. It’s because you’re a dominant, too. Your bear doesn’t like when they try to give orders. I think she gets pissed off.”

  Iris cuddled in closer to Deacon, nestling her head against his chest. He rubbed long, slow circles over her back trying to soothe her. She started chuckling. “No one in my family would ever believe I was anything more than a meek little human pushover. This would surprise the hell out of all of them.” She pulled away from Deacon and turned to where Heath was still sprawled on the couch. “Are you upset I’m not submissive?”

  “Nope. Just like Deke said, it’s a huge advantage having a dominant black bear in the pack. I bet you’re going to be an amazing protector. Dad agrees. Tessa thinks so, too.”

  “So, Tessa knows about all of this?” Iris asked.

  “Yes. I thought you might be dominant, and Tessa thought that might be the case as well.”

  “Did she have any new ideas about Riley?”

  “No. She just thought since I was coming over here, it might be nice for him to have a little visit. I’ll bring him back to her house, though, so you guys can have some ‘alone time.’” He used air quotes when he said the last bit.

  Iris rubbed the wolf’s head. “Again, I’m so sorry I made you eat dog food. I didn’t know. Never again, I promise. Once I bring you back home, it will only be meat from now on.”

  Deacon growled again, and Heath laughed at his jealousy.

  Iris glanced up at Deacon as Riley whimpered and bared his neck. “What’s wrong?”

  “And that is my cue to leave. Nice seeing you again.” He turned to Deacon. “I would like to introduce Iris to the pack at some point soon, though. I’ll be in touch in a day or two.” Heath left Deacon’s home with Riley in tow. Heath’s large rig roared to life and pulled out of the driveway.

  Iris sat down on the couch that Heath had vacated. “What’s wrong?”

  Deacon was agitated. He started pacing back and forth across the room. He turned to face her.

  “Deacon, your eyes! They’re yellow again.”

  Deacon closed his eyes and shook his head. “I’m sorry. Just seeing you here in my home is making me happy and sad.” He continued to pace around. He felt like a caged animal.

  “What do you mean?” Iris asked quietly.

  “You mentioned going home. I was hoping you—and Riley—could stay here with me. That this could be your home, too.” He said, “I want you to stay with me and at the same time I don’t want you to.”

  “What? Explain,” she said. She seemed hurt, stricken.

  He pulled her to sit next to him on the couch. “My family, my real family that is, was really messed up. I want to be with you, but I don’t deserve someone like you. You’re too good for me.” He bent and rested his head in his hands. “I was trying to be good by keeping away from you, but I don’t think my wolf will let me leave you. I gave you a mating bite. I—I couldn’t stop myself.”

  “Wait a minute. What do you mean? Why don’t you deserve me? Do you regret making me your mate?” She sounded pissed.

  He lifted his head from his hands and stared deep into her eyes. “No, no. I’m glad you’re my mate. I don’t regret it. I never wanted anyone as badly in my whole life. I’m just scared…just worried. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Tell me about your family. Why do they make you think you’re not good enough?”

  “It’s hard to talk about.”

  She sat down next to him, close enough their legs and arms were touching. “You’ve helped me with so much. Let me help you. Tell me what happened,” Iris said softly, putting her hand on his thigh and squeezing.

  Deacon exhaled a ragged breath and turned his head to face her. His eyes were rimmed with moisture. “It’s hard and embarrassing to talk about, but I’ll try because it’s tearing my insides up.”

  Iris squeezed his thigh again and gave him the smallest of smiles. “Then let me take some of the burden. Tell me, please.”

  He let loose a deep breath. “We shifters, I mean the male wolf shifters because that’s what I know, are born to be protectors. At least the good ones. We feel like we need to protect the weaker members of the pack. We actually feel pain when someone hurts a pack member under our protection. I failed to protect someone important, and she died.”

  “What happened?”

  “I told you that my mother died when I was little and my dad died a couple of years later, but I didn’t tell you any specifics.”

  Iris nodded.

  “Well, the reason I didn’t tell you is that only Heath and his family know the truth. It’s an awful truth.”

  He turned to look at her again briefly and then turned away. This sucked. He slowed his breathing and began. “My dad was a policeman, but he was also a monster. He beat my mother to death,” he spit out.

  Iris gasped, then quickly covered her mouth with both hands. “I’m so sorry.�
� She squeezed his thigh gently and quietly sat as if waiting for him to continue.

  “I watched him slap her, punch her, kick her. It seems like he was always hurting her from the time I was real small. When I cried or tried to help her, he threatened me. My mom would yell at me to get away. He was gone a lot, working and doing god knows what else. When he was gone, it was just me and mom. She was happy when it was just us.”

  Iris rubbed his leg. Deacon put his hand over hers, seeking her warmth and her strength. “What was her name?” Iris asked.

  “Julie,” his voice cracked. “When he wasn’t there, she would smile. We would work side by side in her garden. She called me her apprentice gardener. She loved to watch her plants flourish. Kind of like Annie.” He coughed.

  “She sounds like she was a special woman,” Iris said.

  Deacon nodded, eyes gleaming. “She was a gentle soul. She loved just spending time in her garden or in the kitchen or with me. She was the one who helped me with my homework, read me bedtime stories, you know that kind of stuff. We would make cookies and watch movies together. It was nice when he wasn’t there.”

  He turned back toward her. “When he was out of the house, she taught me what to do when he started hitting her. When he raised his voice, I was supposed to go into the closet in my bedroom and hide. ‘Stay out of the way,’ she said. ‘As long as you’re safe, I’ve done my job.’”

  “She never told anyone?” Iris asked quietly. “No one else knew?”

  “No. My dad was Ted’s beta. He was a cop too, remember? He knew how to cover up what he did. If anyone found out what he was doing, my family would be disgraced. She was terrified of that happening. She wanted me to be safe and protected by the pack. Her parents had died long before, and she had no other family. I don’t think she ever thought he would end up killing her. She was a wolf shifter so she had accelerated healing like all shifters. I think she always thought she’d be OK.”

  “So, what happened?” Iris asked.

  “One night he just hit her so much she never woke up. I think she must have known something bad was going to happen because she hid me under her bed instead of in the closet. My dad found out I hid in the closet. The few times she tried to fight back, he used to drag me out of the closet to show me what she made him do to her, at least that’s what he said.” He stopped to wipe his eyes.

  He saw that Iris was crying silently now as well.

  “That night she hid me under her bed behind some blankets and old clothes. The bed was against the wall so I was protected by a big pile of comforters. She sprayed perfume in her room to try to mask my scent as well. That night, he hit her and hit her until she stopped begging him to stop. Then he shifted and ran out through the bedroom window. He crashed right through it. As soon as he was gone, I tried to wake her up. I knew it was bad. There was blood everywhere. And her head… There was blood coming out of her ears…” He stopped to take a deep breath. “I ran next door and Ted answered. I told him my mom was hurt.” He stopped talking and put his head in his hands.

  After a few deep breaths, he sat back up. “An ambulance brought her to the hospital, but there was nothing they could do. She had a nonsurvivable head injury.”

  “Deacon, how old were you?” Iris asked gently as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

  “Ten,” he gritted out.

  “What did your dad say happened?”

  “He said he was out all-night patrolling in his wolf form. He said someone must have broken in. I think Ted knew something was up, but he didn’t have any evidence. He had to leave me with dad, but he kept a close eye on me. I didn’t know it at the time, but he was gathering evidence. Dad didn’t hurt me, but I was scared to tell anyone. About two years later, the pack confronted my dad about his behavior. You see, even after my mom, he didn’t stop beating women. He began seeing different women; first it was humans from out of town. Then he started seeing some of the women in the pack. That’s when things started to fall apart for him. One of the women’s brothers reported him to Ted. Even without asking me, Ted finally had enough evidence to confront him. He was even able to force my dad to confess about my mom. He was such a coward. He cried and said it was a sickness and he couldn’t help himself. When that didn’t work, he tried to blame the women, anyone but himself. Ted put him down and then moved me in with his family.”

  “You know there is nothing you could have done. You were a little kid, almost a baby. Your dad was a monster. Why do you think this makes you unworthy?”

  “I could have told someone. Even after she was gone, I could have told Ted, but I was a coward.”

  “That’s bullshit. You were a scared little kid living with the man who killed your mother. You did what you had to do to survive. Is that the reason you don’t want me as a mate?” Iris asked.

  “Not the only reason,” Deacon said glumly. “I’m also afraid I will become him—a monster. He wasn’t always bad; he couldn’t have been for my mom to marry him. Something happened to change him. I’m afraid that will happen to me.”

  “No, don’t you dare think that,” Iris said angrily. She pulled his face up so he was forced to look her in the eyes. “You are a protector. From the first time I saw you, I knew I was safe. You work your ass off to protect the people in this town. You are not a monster. Don’t you ever think you are,” she said firmly.

  Deacon pulled away from her grasp and stared down at the floor, trying to gather himself. After a minute, he loosed a shaky breath. “I love you,” he whispered, still with his head down. “I think I did from the first time I saw you in the woods that day. Even when I was furious at you.” He finally raised his head and smiled at her.

  “I thought you were bossy, but gorgeous. I wanted to slap you and then lick you everywhere. Do you have any idea how strange a feeling that was for me? I just drove into this new town, this new world, and I immediately get all hot and bothered for a cop who yelled at me!” She grinned back. “I love you, too. No more feeling like you are unworthy, though. I don’t want to hear that nonsense again.”

  He stood up and pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tucked her head into his shoulder. “So, you love me too, huh?” he asked as he nuzzled her head with his chin.

  She pulled back from his embrace so she could see his face. “I know, right. It doesn’t make any sense. I mean, I’ve only been in Grey Lake for about a month. But I feel stronger, braver, with you. This”—she gestured between them with a hand—“between us, just seems right.”

  Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, Deacon’s lips crashed against hers. He held her head, running his hands through the thick, silky tresses. He needed to show her how much he loved her. She released a moan as he ravaged her soft, lush lips. He pulled away with a growl and then looked into her warm eyes, now a brilliant silver. “C’mon with me. You’ll want to see this,” he gently urged her along.

  She followed him, hand in his as he walked toward his en suite bathroom and positioned her in front of the large mirror. He stood behind her, hands on her shoulders. “Take a look, beautiful.”

  Iris let out a gasp. “My eyes,” she whispered, “I have gray eyes.”

  “I would say they’re more like silver.” He kissed the side of her forehead as she continued to stare at her bear’s eyes in wonder. He rubbed his cheek against hers. “A stunning, molten metallic silver.”

  Her eyes were gleaming as he stared. She dashed a tear as it ran down one cheek. “She must feel safe,” she smiled brightly, “I know I do.” She reached up with one arm and wrapped it around the side of Deacon’s neck, nuzzling him.

  He turned her around and held her at arms’ length. He cupped one of her soft, wet cheeks in his hand and tenderly rubbed the tears away. She put a hand over his and grinned at him. “She must agree with my choice of a mate.” She stared up at him with wide eyes and licked her lips.

  He zeroed in on her mouth and growled, drawing her closer.

  “Ooh, Deacon, you
r eyes,” she whispered, as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

  He knew his eyes were probably the yellow of his wolf as he could feel the beast pushing closer to the surface. His felt his teeth sharpen and elongate. “My wolf is very pleased to see more of his beautiful mate’s eyes.” He leaned down and trailed kisses behind one ear and then down her neck, breathing her in. His cock hardened as he heard her breath hitch. She pressed her body against him, writhing.

  “That’s it,” he snarled, lifting her up in one quick motion. Iris wrapped her legs tightly around his waist and held onto him as he moved, panting loudly down the hall. Deacon groaned as Iris nipped him gently on his lower lip.

  Deacon placed her swiftly, but delicately, onto a bed covered with a pillow-soft comforter then stepped back, staring at her. His blue eyes roved over her body slowly. He wanted to memorize how perfect she looked in this moment—his sweet mate who accepted his horrible family history with love. He moved over her and then lifted her T-shirt and bra up over her full breasts. He stared at them and then looked to her.

  “Please,” Iris said barely above a whisper.

  Deacon moaned then captured one nipple hungrily in his mouth, while his fingers teased her other, rubbing and tugging with just enough pressure. She arched her back as he licked around the now taut peak, alternating long, slow strokes with light, quick ones. He sucked and pulled, his cock now hard as steel against the zipper of his jeans. “You taste so, so good,” he mumbled and switched to the other side. Iris whimpered and pulled his hair, as if urging him on. She was panting and clawing at his shoulders.

  Deacon released her breast with a pop and then ripped her shorts and panties off her body with one clawed hand. Iris’s eyes widened as she stared at where his nails had become claws. He rapidly shifted from claw back to hand. He pulled his own clothes off and moved his body on top of hers. He loosed a deep, low growl that rumbled deep in his chest as he pressed against her. Deacon nudged her legs apart and raised his eyes to hers. Iris nipped his lips and mewed, “Now.”