Luke’s palms were sweating. Actually sweating. All the missions he’d ever been sent on with his ranger team had no made him this nervous. He had faith in Quinn. Even without any proof she could win a match against Steele, he instinctively knew in a fair fight she could. However, she was someone who played by the rules. Trey Steele wasn’t. Luke knew that cowards were like cockroaches, they tended to survive.

He and Quinn had made love for hours before falling asleep in each other’s arms. He’d made good on his promise to bite her again, and she’d made good on her promise not to beg him to stop. On the contrary, his mate was insatiable. He hoped they had a long life together. Enough time to discover all their limits and beyond.

Now, at six o’clock in the morning, on his second cup of coffee, he watched with trepidation as Quinn and Trey stood on top of what they called Artio’s rock. It was a giant boulder shaped like breasts. Quinn had said it was shaped like bears head, but Luke still saw breasts.

John Wilkers, who Luke vowed to someday kill, stepped out into the circle of over eighty bear shifters. “You are gathered today, my fellow clansmen and women, to witness Quinn Orson relinquish all rights to the Orsino property and accounts.”

Wilkers nodded to Quinn, and Luke fantasized about ripping his eyeballs out of his head.

Quinn cleared her throat. “That’s not exactly true,” Quinn said. “I forfeited my rights as Ursula when I mated with a werewolf.”

Gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd.

Quinn raised her hand to silence them. “However, as is my right by clan rule, I challenge Trey Steele for the position of Chief of the Orsino Clan.”

Trey Steele looked incredulous. He smirked as if Quinn’s challenge was a joke.”

Shouts of protest resounded throughout. Wilkers yelled, “A woman can’t be chief!”

“There is nothing in our laws that say she can’t,” Melody Orson said. She stepped into the circle with Wilkers. “If Quinn wants to challenge Trey it is in her right.” She stared up at her daughter. Luke could see the same fear he felt. None of them wanted to lose Quinn, but she had the right to choose her destiny.

More shouts occurred, but these were of support. Followers loyal to Quinn’s father and family. Luke watched Trey’s expression turn grave. The man could see he had no other option.

“I accept,” he bellowed, his voice like thunder silencing the crowd. “If Quinn is ready to die, I am ready to give her a good death.”

“Let’s go,” Quinn said. “I’m going to mess up your world, big man.”

She untied her wrap around dress and let it drop to the rock. Trey took off his shirt and pants. They faced each other, both scowling.

You got this, baby, Luke told her. They’d concluded that the double mate marks had somehow bonded them psychically. At least it was the best explanation they could come up with on their own.

Quinn gave him a quick smile, then in seconds, she began her transformation. Where his short, curvaceously beautiful mate had been standing, seven foot tall, 1000 pound Kodiak bear now stood in her place.

Holy shit, babes.

He heard her voice say, Told you. Grower, not show-er.

Trey’s eyes goggled a little at Quinn’s bear form. Why would he be surprised? They were all the same clan.

Most of the clan are black bears. Quinn told him as she waited for Trey so shift. My father was a black bear. But my mom, she’s a Kodiak. Surprise.

That’s my girl.

Your queen, Quinn teased.

He loved her bravery, but he wished she was a little less bravado and more alert to her surroundings. He could see Trey’s men, the ones from the night before, begin to move closer to the rock. He’d given her pointers for the fight, but it would take longer than a conversation to get Quinn ready for more than a one-on-one fight.

“Get on with it!” someone in the clan shouted when Trey still hadn’t shifted. Several others picked up the chant. Luke watched as Trey’s eyes darted back on forth and wondered if the man was searching for an escape route.

Seeing his thugs so close to the fighting area must have bolstered something in Trey because he finally shifted. He was only about six feet tall, and Luke would have put his weight at about five hundred pounds. Quinn’s bear opened her mouth and roared so hard it was as if he could see the sound waves in her breath.

Trey took a half-hearted swipe and then jumped down from the rock. His band of jerks all began to shift around him until Luke could barely tell who was who.

I know which one is Trey, Quinn said. You take care of the rest.

You mean I get to fight?

And then some. You’ve had your eye on Wilkers. A little payback, perhaps.

Oh, baby, you do know how to get my blood pumping.

He could hear her laughter as she jumped down into the fray and singled out Trey from the others.

He clicked his com. “We’re a go. Everybody into the deep end.” Marigold, Brandon, Rick, and Sonya all shifted. The twins were black bears, Rick was a brown bear, and Sonya was a Kodiak like his Quinn. Three more Kodiak females jumped into the fight.

Luke’s wolf wrestled inside him, eager to be let out. He ditched his clothing and turned into his snowy arctic wolf. He howled, his bays reaching above the roaring bears.

Little bear, little bear, he sent out to Wilkers, let me in.

A black bear bounded out of the fight and charged Luke.

There you are. Luke leaped when the black bear stood on its hind legs and clamped down on his throat, rejoicing as his teeth passed fur and drank down blood. The blood of our enemies. Wilkers tried to shake Luke loose. He twisted, turned, his sharp bear claws brutalizing Luke’s body, but he didn’t let go. Not until Wilkers’ bear went down and stayed down. Nothing can live for very long without the ability to breathe, but damn, Luke had taken his share of damage in the process.

Luke! Quinn cried out. She must have seen him fall with the bear. He shook himself off and stood up, his white fur red with both his own and Wilkers’ blood.

I’m okay. Did you get Steele?

The jerk won’t hold still long enough for me to kill him.

Her presence in his head abruptly ceased. Quinn? She didn’t answer. Quinn! Panic filled Luke. His wolf scrambled to find their mate. He found her on the far side of the fight. Three black bears were attacking her at once. Her fur was matted with blood, including a gnarly gash over her eye. Quinn was batting them away, but with three of them, one always seemed to get in a hit before she could counter.

Luke called out to his team, and soon he was joined by the two black bears, one brown, and three Kodiaks. This was not going to be Steele’s lucky day.

When they all charged, he heard Quinn’s voice again. Trey is mine!

Quit playing with him then, woman, and end it.

The two black bears who’d helped Steele attack Quinn were dead in seconds. Seven against two was lousy odds. The fighting stopped as all of Trey’s men were either defeated, or they surrendered. The only battle left was the one that mattered.

Quinn swiped the black bear, flinging him sideways into Artie’s rock. Unlike, breasts, it did not provide a soft landing. She swung her large arm like a club and pounded his head into the ground. After a third blow, Trey shifted back to his human form.

“I give up,” he said. He used his bloodied, mangled arms as shields. “I surrender.”

Quinn half shifted, her body covered in fur, his claws wicked sharp and long. “You can’t surrender a challenge, Trey.” Her voice held no mercy. “But I will gladly put you out of your misery.” And with a hard downward thrust, she shoved her hand in his chest and crushed his heart. When life left their enemy’s eyes, Quinn changed back into her human form.

She looked up at Luke, her expression sober. Luke ran to her, shifting on the way. He wrapped his arms around Quinn and held his brave mate close to him. “I’m sorry you had to do that.”

Quinn sighed. Her tone resigned. “I’m sorry that killing him didn’t make me feel bad. He was a person, and I should have felt bad.”

“He was a psychopath.”

“Yeah,” she said. “He was that too.”

Marigold strolled over to them. “Well, Chief. What next?”

Luke felt Quinn’s smile against his skin. She leaned back and said, “You still want to be my second?”

“Hellz yeah.” She looked a Luke. “Sorry, boss. I’m giving you my two weeks’ notice.”

Luke laughed. “Noted.” He smoothed back Quinn’s wild hair so could see the warmth in her eyes. “I love you, Quinn. Marry me.”

“Oh, now that I got a big title you want to marry me,” she teased.

Luke leaned down, grabbed a handful of her ass, and gave it a light squeeze. “It’s not your big title I’m interested in.”

Quinn giggled. “In that case, yes, and hell yes.”

****

Two weeks later, Quinn and Luke were married in a ceremony in front of all their family and friends. Monica had been her maid of honor, and Rick had been Luke’s best man. Brandon still seemed clueless about Monica’s affection, but Quinn wondered if Mrs. Wilder might be able to help. She would ask her at the reception.

After they’d survived the reception line full of well-wishers, Quinn finally got to spend a moment alone with her husband.

“Mmmm, husband. I like the sound of that.”

“Me too,” Luke said. He dipped his head and kissed her, his tongue tasting her lips. “I can’t wait to be called Dad. That has a nice ring as well.”

“Dad?” Had Luke been waiting for the wedding to reveal this secret desire? If so, uhn-uh, no way. “If that’s a kink you have told me about, I can tell you without reserve that I will never call you dad or daddy or any of that in or out of bed, got it?”

“Relax, baby,” he told her. He placed his hand over her stomach. “You’re having my pup. I can smell the change.” He smiled when Quinn’s chin jerked back. “I can’t believe you didn’t know. I thought you were waiting to tell me.” He laughed. “I guess I’m the one who got to surprise you.”

“Are you sure?” Quinn rubbed her belly and took a deep breath. She did smell different, but so many things had changed about her scent since she accepted her bear’s alpha-ness. “We’re having a pup.” She brightened, knowing the baby would be a baby, a not an animal. But would it be a wolf? “What if he or she is a bear?”

Luke’s blue eyes sparkled as the afternoon sun shined across his face. He cupped Quinn’s face and kissed her so tenderly she wanted to weep with joy. “Cub or pup, it doesn’t matter to me, as long as the child is ours.”

“Thank you,” Quinn said.

“For what?”

Her heart felt like it would burst from sheer happiness. “For not just loving me, but loving me well.”

The End