Bear Naked and Bite Marks (5 page)

His muscles swelled from the increased
blood flow, his bones popped as his body grew exponentially, and the change
came over him like a fucking tsunami. He no longer stood on his back deck as a
man, but as his massive grizzly. Although his thoughts were purely controlled
by his animal right now, the human side of Declan was still conscious, still
able to understand what was going on, but not having the kind of control he
normally craved. He shook his big body, felt his flesh move over his muscles
and bones, and excitement moved through him. He needed this run like he needed
to breathe. He took off toward the thick line of trees that surrounded three
sides of his home, climbing the steep incline, going higher and higher, until
he sensed the air thin from the increased altitude. He didn’t stop, not even
when he huffed for oxygen. The trees thinned out the higher he went, and when
the softer ground turned rocky he stopped and turned around. He was pretty high
up in the Sweet Water Mountains, and the timberline was visible from his
vantage point. His cabin looked small and minute, and he turned his big head
from left to right, taking in the small, seemingly picturesque town of Sweet
Water. His mate was somewhere down there, probably still cursing his ass and
his domineering ways. A low rumble left him, and the sound of a twig snapping
to his side had him turning around quickly and looking around. His senses were
attuned and heightened to everything when he was in his shifted form. A rabbit
scurried across the ground, far too fast for him to go after. He huffed out
again, which caused the little animal to race into a hole in the ground.
Running would let out all of his aggression, to a point, but wouldn’t release
his arousal that thrummed through him like another being.
 

He ran for another hour until there was
nothing left inside of him and he was moving slowly back down the mountain and
to his cabin. He was exhausted, but even that didn’t completely dim how he felt
inside. Once on his back deck he sat down and breathed in and out deeply until
his heart beat a normal rhythm, and his lungs weren’t burning. He shifted back
into his human body, the sensation slightly uncomfortable as he became much
smaller than a grizzly. Declan sat on one of the chairs, not caring that he was
naked, that a light sheen of sweat covered his flesh from the shift and run, or
that the breeze felt even more chilled than before. The night was still, the
sky completely open and the stars bright. He couldn’t count the number of times
he had been on a mission, looked into the sky that appeared the same no matter
where he was in the world, and wondered if anyone else was doing the exact same
thing, just at a different part of the world. He may have his emotions and
feelings under lockdown, but that didn’t mean he didn’t think about a lot of
things that were deep.

****

Melissa couldn’t sleep, not when all she
could do was stare at the ceiling and picture the bear. God, he had been so
big, so, masculine, and the feminine part of her ached. Her pussy was wet and
swollen, and the hot shower she had taken less than an hour ago hadn’t done
shit to ease the ache between her thighs. She was hot, even only wearing her
panties and bra. The wetness covering her stuck to her body, a dampness that
had nothing to do with the shower she took, and everything to do with her blood
rushing right below her skin and causing these hot flashes inside of her.
 
She slipped her hand under the covers, over
her belly and down to her pussy. Moving her hand under the material of her
panties, she slid her fingers along her clit, and couldn’t stop the moan that
came from her. She was just so worked up, and although she felt like a teenager
touching herself, it was something she had to do. Her lust for her mate was like
a ticking bomb inside of her, and the grizzly had lit the end of her fuse to
start what was going to be a monumental explosion inside of her. She rubbed
herself, and only seconds later felt the tendrils of an orgasm tighten at the
base of her spine before moving through her whole body. Her toes and fingers
tingled, and the sweet release that had been building since she first looked at
her mate washed through her. But when the pleasure faded, Melissa was left
lying on that bed still aroused. That orgasm had been like a tease, and her
arousal started to grow harder inside of her. Damn that bear for making her
feel this way, for opening up the gates of bonded mates so she felt helpless to
stop any of it, and double damn
her
for walking away when she could have easily been so exhausted right now from
letting him fuck her that she couldn’t walk. But on the heels of that thought
was the fact that his overbearing attitude had been so strong that Melissa was
taken aback by it, and was sure as hell not used to being spoken to that way.
Well, it seemed her mate was just as hardheaded as she could
be,
which would certainly prove to be one interesting turn of events.

Chapter Four

“You’re shitting me.” Melissa glared at
Ary, who wore a huge grin on her face.

“No, I’m not shitting anyone.” She
glanced at Candace, Kettah, and Alice who sat across from her. Melissa had
called Ary this morning wanting to get together. A few hours later, Ary,
Candace, Kettah, Alice, Kenzie, Talia, and Olive—the females Melissa was
closest with—sat around the table at Luke and Alice’s home. The children played
out back, and their screams of excitement and happy laughter could be heard
through the open kitchen window. Alice stood and grabbed a carafe of lemonade
from the refrigerator, but Melissa didn’t miss how she glanced out the window
to check on the children. Even after this long of being mated with Luke, Sweet
Water’s cougar shifting physician, and healing exponentially from her past
abuse, Alice still was a mother hen. Melissa couldn’t help but smile as she
glanced down at the starting baby bump on Alice. She was glad Luke and Alice
were having a baby, glad that there was this bright light behind Alice’s eyes
every time she rubbed a hand over her belly. She came back over with the lemonade
and refilled everyone’s glass.

When Alice was seated once more Melissa
exhaled and knew that spilling all of this might not have been the best idea,
especially where Ary and Candace were concerned. Although she had known Ary and
Candace practically her whole life, the other females were like family to her
as well. They had all been through their own shit, and because of that had
bonded with one another over it.

“So, spill the beans.” Candace leaned
back, her belly big and round as well, and her expression one of exhaustion. It
was like a freaking hormonal convention in the kitchen with Candace and Alice
pregnant, and last she heard Ary and Kenzie were trying for more kids. It just
made Melissa feel even older than she already did.

“I pretty much told you everything. He
didn’t even ask my name, didn’t do anything but bark orders and expect me to
just go with him and complete the ‘claiming’.” Kettah snorted and brought her
glass to her mouth. “Yeah, yeah, I know all of you are very aware of what I’m
talking about, and have to deal with that bullshit every day, but you all know
I’m not into the guys ordering me around.” Ary gave her a bland look, and
Melissa rolled her eyes. “Okay, I am, and can admit I like a male that can take
charge, but that doesn’t mean I’m used to men expecting me to just do as I’m
told without even questioning them.”

“Welcome to the club, honey.” Olive
smiled, but she knew that as much as they all bitched about the fact their
mates were clear alpha males, dominating and possessive, they wouldn’t have had
it any other way. The only difference between Melissa and them was the fact she
had always been a bit assertive herself. Sure, each of them had their own
strength, but Melissa liked to push it even more, or so she had been told. This
was just her, and since her mate was clearly the type of male that wasn’t used
to hearing the word no, he and Melissa might have a bit of a problem.

“So you don’t even know his name?” Alice
asked after she finished taking a sip of her drink.

“No.” It sounded crazy even to her, and
she had experienced the damn situation firsthand. “We didn’t even have time to
get that far. He was all telling me to get in his car so we could ‘talk’ about
what was happening. At that point I was beyond pissed, and took off.” There
were a few soft chuckles that came from Candace and Ary, and Melissa sliced a
glare at them.

“Hey, don’t be getting all
pissy
with us. You deserve this for giving us a hard time
about Charlie and Trace.”

Eh.
Melissa couldn’t really argue that point, but that had just been superficial.
Deep down, she had yearned for her own mate. It was a natural reaction, one
that came from her wolf and her human side.

“Was he all
He-Man
,
hear me roar?” Kettah lifted a brow in question, and when Melissa nodded but
also rolled her eyes, Kettah chuckled. “Well, you are definitely now a member
of the club. I won’t lie and say I don’t like the way Bram gets all huffy if
another male even glances my way innocently, but there are also plenty of times
where I have to tell him to calm down, because he is acting a bit irrational.”

“It’s the nature of the beast, no pun
intended.” They all glanced at Talia and started laughing. The red fox shifter
had nailed it on the head pretty accurately.

“What do you plan on doing?” Candace asked
as she rubbed her belly. There was a slight pinched expression on her face, and
Melissa knew it was because the little bear growing inside of her had one
painful kick. The doctor had told her the little bear would be a big one. Then
again, judging by the size of his father Trace, and his older brother Liam,
that really wasn’t a surprise.

“I don’t know. Running last night might
have been a dumb move, because I sure as hell know that he won’t just walk
away.” Melissa rested her elbows on the table and stared into her glass at the
little bits of lemon floating in her drink. “I’m not getting any younger, and
believe it or not, I would like children.” She looked up at the females, and
saw all of them had their rapt attention on her. Their expressions were a mix
of empathy and understanding. They had all been in this situation at one point,
and she was glad that she had been able to talk to them about this. “I don’t
know his name, or where he is, but I’m not stupid enough to think that he
probably doesn’t already know who I am and will be finding me soon enough.” She
rubbed her eyes, knowing that this situation wasn’t as difficult as she was
making it out. “I guess I’m going to have to talk to him, and let him know that
I am not like the other females he has clearly been with that have lifted tail
for him when he snapped his fingers.” There was a collective snort from the
females, and Melissa knew that it was the universal noise for “good luck with
that”.

****

Before Melissa even left the office she
knew that
he
was waiting outside for
her. She hadn’t seen or heard him, hadn’t scented the wild bear in him, but she
just knew, and felt it right down to her bones. But to cement that fact when
she locked up the front doors and stood on the sidewalk, it was to see her mate
leaning against a very black and shiny Tahoe. Even after she had talked to the
girls yesterday, Melissa hadn’t actively sought him out. For one thing she
didn’t even know where to start. She assumed going over to Dakota Dark’s and
asking around would have been a start, but then again she also knew he’d find
her sooner or later. Mates were persistent, and she knew that from watching her
friends find theirs. He wore distressed jeans that showed how muscular his legs
were, but not tight enough to show off a bulge like she had seen some of the Wrangler-wearing
citizens of Sweet Water walk around in. Melissa had never been one that liked a
man that wore pants tighter than ones she owned, but
to each
his own
. His t-shirt was black and snug enough that every bump and ridge
of his extremely well defined muscular chest was on display. Now
that
was a sight Melissa had no problem
staring at. His baseball cap had the symbol of some nationally recognized team.
And to top off the entire “look” he had on a pair of dark sunglasses that made
him look so damn sexy it should have been illegal. His arms were crossed and
his biceps bulging from the act. He had one leg propped up behind him on the
SUV, and when he pushed off he walked toward her like there was nothing that
could touch him, and deep down Melissa knew it wasn’t just an act. This male
screamed deadly, powerful, and downright frightening to anyone that crossed his
path. How did she know that? It was this feeling in the pit of her belly, the
way her animal paced inside of her—not frightened, but certainly aware that
this male was no stranger to violence or death.

He stopped a few feet in front of her,
but didn’t smile or say anything in greeting. The heat that came from him, the
scent of his bear that was right there, told Melissa that he was not totally
human right now. He took off his glasses, and when she looked into his eyes her
pulse raced. The night she’d met him the shadows had been too thick for her to
really see any distinguishing features on him, but out in the open with the sun
above them showed that his eyes flashed from a dark brown to a blue so light
they were almost eerie in appearance. They reminded her of Talia’s eyes, but
there was coldness behind his that had a shiver racing up her spine. When his
eyes flashed back to a deep chocolate color she knew his bear was trying to
take control. Clearly he was having a pretty hard time holding back, and when
she got a concentrated scent of the arousal that came to him she actually took
a step back from the force. Instantly she became wet, and she felt her nipples
harden beneath her silk blouse. The grin he gave her wasn’t sweet and kind, but
one of animal satisfaction. It was a flash of his straight white teeth, and the
hint of his canines starting to lengthen as his bear scented her lust. He took
a step forward, and she took one back. Although the sun was still high, it
would be dusk in a few short hours, and there wasn’t a lot of foot traffic on
the sidewalks.