Chapter Seven
Sierra threw the phone on the seat, and raced home. A myriad of emotions filled her head as, for the second time in a week, she ignored most of the posted speed limits.
She’d known Graham had planned on delivering the break-up speech today, but she hadn’t expected such an insane, elaborate story. In fact, it was so crazy, so out of character, that she almost believed him.
Except for the fact that shifters didn’t exist. Did they?
Hell!
She had to admit that her experience with the supernatural was limited to romance novels, and for all she knew, the idea was based on truth. Had some lucky author unintentionally uncovered the world of shifters and created the ultimate fantasy idea based on reality?
Damnit!
Why was she even entertaining his delusions?
She knew why, but she wasn’t ready to admit it yet.
The initial jolt of fear she’d felt when hearing his words had dissipated almost as soon as she’d reached her car, as did the hurt of his betrayal and the anger that had quickly followed.
His break-up speech had been good, except for one very obvious flaw. It hadn’t felt like a break-up speech at all. He’d said she was his mate, admitted that they were meant to be together forever, and asked her to say.
Those weren’t the words of someone who wanted her gone.
In truth, he was different, and she did feel connected to him in ways she didn’t understand, but he’d also lied and cost her a job. He’d done the same thing her parents had been doing for the past two years, maybe longer, but yet… If he was telling the truth, then it was different, and she could understand his reasons.
Could his story be true? Did he really have the ability to shift into a bear?
Aw hell!
She already knew the answer.
She pulled into her apartment’s assigned parking space, and grabbed her cell off the passenger seat. She pressed the home button and entered her password, but the box of words shook on the screen, indicating she’d entered the wrong information. She tried again, and then really looked at the phone. Flipping the device over confirmed her suspicions.
Graham had given her the wrong phone on purpose, and now she had no choice but to go back. It didn’t matter, though, because she wanted—no needed—to see him as soon as possible.
She backed out of the parking space, but before completing the return trip, she made a stop at Delilah’s. A dozen yummy cinnamon rolls would go a long way toward easing her return. Despite having a seemingly good reason, she’d run out on him again, after promising not to, and she knew she’d hurt him.
A few minutes later, she pulled into the clearing, and immediately noticed the entire clan assembled on Tegan and Ethan’s porch. The group of men and women might look harmless, but she’d instinctively known the men were deadly before Graham had shared his secret, and their faux-causal gathering didn’t fool her.
What surprised her though, was the fact that she didn’t care.
She knew that Graham sometimes felt isolated from the group, and though his importance to them was obvious in her eyes, he often failed to see it. She loved the fact that they had his back no matter what, even if they were falsely protecting him from her.
She grabbed the handles of the brown paper bag, exited her vehicle, and headed for the steps of Graham’s house.
It’s your house, too, now.
The assertion seemed arrogant, and premature, but she didn’t care. She was finally home, and she’d be moving in by the end of the week.
“Hey, guys,” she smiled, tossing a wave to the group.
Everyone but Aiden visibly relaxed, but she wasn’t surprised. The severe bear rarely eased his stern disposition, and along with Zach, he was responsible for their security. After Graham, the group was her new family, and she already saw them all differently than she had the day before.
“Welcome back, Sierra.” Tristian said. “It’s good to see you again.”
“He’s in the forest,” Tegan called. “Just walk straight back, and he’ll find you.”
“Thank you, both,” she smiled. “It’s good to be here.”
“Are those cinnamon rolls for us?” Zach asked, standing.
“Nope.”
She yelled the word over her shoulder matter-of-factly, and smiled to herself, amazed at how comfortable she felt with the group. Before the door closed, she heard Zach swearing at her blatant lie, and his mock-anger made her laugh.
It felt good to finally be home, but dealing with his family had been the easy part. She still had to find Graham, and make things right with him. Luckily, his family was supportive. While things might not be completely easy, their acceptance went a long way toward boosting her confidence.
She moved through the house quickly, dropped the bag of pastries and her purse on the kitchen counter, and left through the back door. Following Tegan’s advice, she walked straight back, toward the space in the trees he’d pointed out as his favorite, and stepped into the forest.
The first thing she noticed was a pile of clothes stacked neatly on a large root protruding through the earth at the base of a tree. The neat stack of clothes was topped with her phone and Graham’s glasses.
The fact that he was naked intrigued her, and she realized she had a lot to learn about the process of shifting. Did it hurt? Would he know her in his bear form? She had no idea. She also had no more time, because she wasn’t alone.
The sound of an animal huffing out a puff of air filled the silence, and she looked up to find a big black bear standing less than five feet away from her. Being so close to the deadly animal caused a moment of panic, but his rare violet eyes immediately doused her concerns.
She’d believed him, and yet, seeing his other form was simply astounding.
“You really can change into a bear,” she said, more to herself than him. “You were telling the truth.”
The change in forms was instant. One second the bear stood before her, and the next his naked, human form had taken the animal’s place.
***
Graham changed back into his human form, and motioned toward the pile of clothes next to Sierra.
“I need to get my glasses.”
She nodded, but she didn’t move, and he took it as a good sign. She’d come for her phone, as expected, but she wasn’t running away screaming, or treating him like he had the plague, so he remained positive.
Hopefully, she would give them a chance.
“You don’t need glasses in your bear form?”
“No,” he said, donning the frames. “I have perfect vision in my bear form. That’s why I can’t wear contacts. It’s too hard to remove them before a shift, and trying to put them back in after is a nightmare.”
He reached down, grabbed his jeans, and held the garment in front of him.
“Fascinating. Does it hurt to change forms?”
“Not at all. The change is instant, which you saw, and I don’t feel anything. By the way, I never lied to you, but I did leave out some stuff. Hopefully, you can see that I had no choice on some of it, and I had good intentions on the rest.”
“You gave me the wrong phone on purpose, didn’t you?”
“Yes. I knew you’d come for the phone, and I hoped that you’d stay for me.”
She nodded, and grabbed the hem of her shirt.
“I’ll stay.”
She quickly pulled the fabric over her head, dropped it on the forest floor, and reached her arms behind her back to unfasten her bra.
His dick swelled the moment she revealed the generous globes bursting out of the white, lacy demi-bra, but he hardened to the point of pain when she dropped the barrier, and her large, hard nipples bounced in front of him.
Still, he didn’t want her to have any regrets.
“What are you doing, honey?”
“I’m getting naked,” she laughed. “Drop the pants, Grandma.”
He smiled at the familiar nickname rolling off of her lips, and watched her remove the rest of her clothes.
“Not here, honey,” he said. “Let’s go to the house.”
“No,” she said, walking toward him. “Here and now.”
She placed her hands on his shoulders, rose up on her tiptoes, and kissed him. The touch of her lips was gentle and chaste at first, but it soon turned hungry. She moved one hand to the nape of his neck, and pulled him down as she shoved her tongue inside his mouth. He met her stroke for stroke, but he still held onto the barrier between them.
She broke the kiss and left a trail of kisses down his neck.
“Sierra…”
“Hmmm?”
God, he could hardly think with her mouth on him, but he needed to hear her say the words.
“Honey, are you sure about this? I won’t be able to go slow, and once I mark you, it’s permanent. You’ll be tied to me for the rest of your life.”
She stopped kissing him, and looked him in the eyes.
“I’m sure,” she said, soundly. “Mark me, Graham. Make me yours.”
He tossed the jeans aside, grabbed her waist, and hoisted her in the air. Sierra let out a startled yelp, and then laughed as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He walked them to the nearest tree, slammed her back against the jagged bark, and plunged his cock into her wet and ready core.
Holy fuck!
He was deep inside his mate, and her pussy hugged him so tight, he knew he wasn’t going to last. His canines started to elongate, and he was reminded of the animal inside. The desire to pound into her with abandon rode him hard, but he didn’t want to scare her.
“Are you okay?”
How he managed to ask the question was a mystery, but he needed to know.
“I’m perfect,” she breathed. “Fuck me, Graham.”
He moved his forearms under her thighs, and forced her legs further apart. She had no choice but to unhook her ankles from behind his waist, and the position pushed him deeper, forcing him over the edge.
He pulled his hips back and thrust into her hard and deep. Liquid heat immediately coated his cock and spilled down her thighs. He pounded into her again, and again, moving harder and faster with every thrust.
Sierra’s breasts bounced erratically, her calves swung wildly at the knee, and the sexy moans and mews she made grew louder the harder he thrust. The familiar tingling started at the base of his spine, and he didn’t hold back.
He sank his canines into the soft flesh between her neck and shoulder at the same time his orgasm rocketed through him, and Sierra screamed her release a second later. The barbaric, animalistic sound she made echoed around them and he knew their entire clan heard her cry of ecstasy.
He continued to thrust until their orgasms faded, and then he stayed buried deep in her core until their breathing returned to something recognizable. He removed his canines from her skin, and licked the bite marks lovingly.
Mine!
Beneath the surface, his bear nodded in approval, and he could feel the bond forming between him and his mate. He pulled back to see her beautiful face.
“I love you,” he said. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me for loving you,” she smiled, stealing his line from their first time. “And I love you, too.”
“Let’s go home.”
She nodded, and he let her down carefully.
As they gathered their clothes and got dressed, the red marks on her back filled him with a sense of satisfaction, and warred with his innate desire to protect her, but he wasn’t upset. He liked seeing the results of their mating on her body.
They walked back to his house hand-in-hand, and saw the clan gathered on Zach’s back porch. Zach held up a bag from Delilah’s, and pointed to it.
“That goofy bear stole our cinnamon rolls!”
Graham smiled at her apt description of Zach.
“Yeah, they do that,” he laughed. “Especially on brunch day.”
“Those were for you,” she said, in mock anger. “He’s going to pay for that.”
Graham couldn’t help but laugh. His mate had come back to him, she fit into his clan seamlessly, and he would never be alone again.
Life was good.