Chapter 1
~Trevor~
I didn't think I would ever meet my one, my soul mate. Those bitches that control Fate have always laughed at me and jerked my life strings to and fro, from being raised in an orphanage because my mom couldn't handle a young shifter male without my father until I was found by Marcus close to my twelfth birthday to thinking I had found my mate as a young adult. I blame my raging hormones for that shit show. I had just turned nineteen, and she was beautiful, but that beauty hid grasping, greedy, evil thoughts and deeds behind her facade. She was almost the death of me, and when I found out she had been sent to infiltrate our clan and spy for Hatchet when Ian and Lauren were just mated, I lost what little hope I had forever. Almost two years later, the clan is still trying to mend from her deviousness. And I am still alone. I have my clan, who is like a family, but I don’t have my one. I am starting to think I lost my chance. I was not prepared for what happened next. Not one little bit.
I was sent into Fall City, Washington, to get supplies for the week. While there, I visited The Roadhouse Restaurant and Inn, a small clapboard building that dated back to 1916, and that's when it happened. Instant hard-on and not just because she was beautiful, but because she was mine. She smiled at me as she walked up to my table to take my order, and my polar bear rushed to the surface. Yep, a polar in a grizzly clan. Not something you see everyday, but Marcus, the clan’s leader and all around giant grizzly, is my pseudo-dad figure, and once you are in, that's it. Your clan, your family. I had to concentrate on holding my bear back. I got a whiff of her scent, like fresh snow and pine trees, and I had to grip the table sides to keep myself in my seat. My polar, and if I am honest, my human self, wanted to grab up this vision and take her away to keep her to myself.
“Hey, I'm Rebecca and I'll be your server,” she said. “What can I get you today?” the vision in front of me asked.
“Ummm, uhh, a beer would be great,” I stuttered out.
“What's your poison, handsome?” she laughingly inquired. “We have Bud, Miller, or we have some great microbrews.”
“Bottle of Bud, please,” I told her.
“You got it,” she said. “Did you want anything to eat with that?”
“No thanks,” I said.
She turned to get my beer, and I watched her ass as she walked away. And what an ass it was, just enough to hold onto and worship, but not so much that it was too large. I could imagine myself caressing and slapping that ass as we fucked.
~Rebecca~
I could feel my customer’s eyes on my backside as I walked away, so I put a little extra wiggle into my walk. Let's face it, extra tips were nothing to sneer at. I had the bartender get me the bottle of Bud and returned to the table to deliver it.
“Here ya go, handsome,” I said. “Can I get you anything else?”
“Your phone number would be nice,” he playfully said, seeming to recover from his earlier starstruck immaturity.
“Sorry, no can do, sir,” I said.
********
~Trevor~
She turned to go to the next customer when a giant hand was wrapped around her wrist in a light grip. She looked down at his hand and said,
“I'm gonna need you to let go, please.”
“I just want to get to know you better, darling,” Trevor was anxious to make sure she didn't get away without some way to contact her.
“Look… What's your name?” she asked.
“Trevor, I'm Trevor Mannus,” was his reply.
“Look, Trevor, it's really busy right now, and I need to get back to work. Let me go, please,” Rebecca huffed.
Trevor looked to where his hand encircled her wrist. “Oops, sorry. Can we meet up when you are off shift?” he asked.
“Maybe. I get off at ten tonight,” she told him.
“I'll be here, beautiful,” Trevor said, releasing her wrist to let her get back to work.
“Okay, then,” she turned to go again, heading for her next table. When she saw who was sitting there, she wished she had just stayed with Trevor.
It was her ex, Alan. He had been in the last several times she had worked, harassing her to no end. It was getting really old. He thought he wanted her back, but that wasn't gonna happen. It's not every day you walk into your shared apartment to see your supposed best friend bent over your couch with your boyfriend’s dick buried in his ass. Yep, apparently Alan liked both teams. He just forgot to mention it to Rebecca.
“Alan, what can I get for you?” she shuddered slightly.
“I want you back, babe,” he slurred. Great, he was already lit.
********
~Rebecca~
“Not happening, Alan,” I gritted out.
I walked away to give myself some time before I did something to lose my job. I walked towards the hallway where the restrooms were to cool off. I leaned my forehead against the side wall and took two deep breaths. I felt more than saw a very large, warm presence. I knew it wasn't Alan; he was only a couple inches taller than my 5'5”. This person was at least a foot taller than me. I turned my head without leaving the wall. It was Trevor. I closed my eyes again and groaned.
“Darling, you look frustrated,” Trevor stated as he put his large warm hand on my shoulder. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Unless you can make someone disappear without a trace, then no,” I muttered.
“Babe, for you, I could do anything,” he replied.
I looked up into eyes the color of the sky on a stormy day, such a dark gray that they were almost black. His hair was a dark chocolate brown, like my favorite candy bar. And he was tall, so tall.
“Jesus, how tall are you?” rushed out of my mouth before I could pull it back.
He husked out a laugh, sounding like he didn't laugh often.
“6'4”, babe,” he said.
He gently pulled me into him and hugged me to his front. I was in heaven. It was amazing. I felt safe, so I let my eyes close as I savored the moment, knowing that I would have to let go sooner rather than later. But a girl needs comfort when confronted by her cheating ex.
“Hey, let her go, Neanderthal,” I heard shouted from the entrance to the hallway. Shit, it was Alan. I tried to pull Trevor closer, to no avail. He leaned away from me and looked at Alan.
“Dude, we are having a private conversation,” Trevor said. “You need to get off.”
“That's my girlfriend, dick. Let her go,” Alan ordered.
“Alan, I am not your girlfriend. You lost the right to call me that when your dick was stuck up Jerry's ass,” I spewed venomously at him as I glared. If looks could kill, he would have died right then.
Trevor looked back down at me and searched my eyes. He then turned and angled his body in front of mine, out of protection or so it seemed.
“I'm only going to ask you once,” Trevor growled. “Then we are gonna have a problem.”
Alan made to move closer, and I heard what sounded like an animal's growl come from Trevor. Alan stopped and then went to take another step.
“Not a good idea, dude,” I told him from behind Trevor. I could feel the pent up rage radiating off of Trevor like waves of energy. It was otherworldly. It didn’t concern me. I actually wanted to shift closer to his back to feel more of the magnetic power I could sense.
Alan took another step towards us. He was now only about two feet from Trevor. Trevor's hands fisted, and I heard another growl come from deep within him. He blocked more of me with his large body. Oddly, I wasn't freaking out. I felt safe, protected.
Alan advanced again, and that's when Trevor threw the first and last punch. Alan hit the ground like a bag of bricks. I stared down at my ex, not really happy that he was out, but relieved that I wouldn't have to deal with him anymore.
“Come on, babe,” Trevor soothed. “Let's get out of here, yeah?”
I nodded my head in agreement. We walked back to the bar, where I told the bartender and our manager that I wasn't feeling well and I needed to go for the rest of the night. I was waved off and told to feel better.
We walked out the front of the building and headed towards the parking lot. My beater was parked at the back of the lot. I started to head towards my car when Trevor stopped me by gently taking my hand.
“Rebecca, wait,” he began. “I want you to come home with me, please.”
I looked at him like he had grown an extra head. “I can't go home with you, crazy man.”
Trevor chuckled. “I meant come home with me to my family compound. I want to keep you safe. That guy doesn't seem the type to give up.”
“You're right, he's not, but I’ll be fine. He won’t do anything else tonight. I doubt he’ll be up for much of anything after that hit. I can't go home with you,” I told him earnestly.
“Babe, you can stay with my best friend, Ian, and his wife, Lauren. They won't mind,” he said.
“I can't stay with your friends either. What is your damage?” I scoffed.
“Just, please, come home with me,” he leaned in and captured my lips in a searing kiss. My knees weakened, as did my resolve. Trevor pulled away from my lips, causing me to whimper. He looked into my eyes, gently holding me in his large grip, like a fragile piece of glass.
“Okay, but only for tonight,” I acquiesced.
Trevor broke out into a shit eating grin, larger than any I had ever seen. As we walked hand in hand, he led me to a motorcycle sitting close to the front of the parking lot. I stopped. “Ummm, Trevor, I can't ride a motorcycle,” I started to say.
“It's all good, babe. I have an extra helmet.” Trevor stopped at the side of his bike that was black as sin and probably just as dangerous. He removed the helmets strapped to the back.
“Here, babe. This one is for you.” Trevor tried to hand me the smaller of the two helmets. I looked at him, askance.
“I'm not sure about this, Trevor,” I began again. “I've never ridden a motorcycle before and my granny always said ‘Rebecca Ann, you stay off those devil machines.’ ”
“Rebecca Ann, huh?” Trevor asked. “I like it, babe.”
“Of what I just said, that is what you zero in on, my full name,” she said. “Really?”
“Baby, no worries. If you’re lucky, it will be the second best thing between your legs tonight, beautiful,” he teasingly said as he straddled the seat of his bike, buckling his helmet into place. “Come on, babe. We haven't got all night.” He grinned over at me as he patted the seat behind him.
I huffed out a breath and put the helmet on. I wasn't afraid, just cautious. Oh who was I kidding, I was totally scared out of my mind and turned on maybe a little too much. I wanted to stay the night with Trevor, but I didn’t want to be another notch on his bedpost. Of course, I didn’t know him well enough to make those judgements. I only had to go on my previous experience. None of it was very good. Alan cheated on me with Jerry. Before that it was Ben and Lila, another one of my so called friends. But I think the most consistent and well rehearsed of all the crappy things people have ever done or said belongs to my mother, Lisa. My mother, who should have been my greatest protector and champion, was actually the worst offender of all. It started when I was a pre-teen with digs about the baby fat, which I couldn’t seem to lose, and about my hair, which never met a brush that could tame it. In my teen years, it got worse. While I wasn’t exactly skinny, my curves were pretty dangerous, and that was like a threat to my mother. In retrospect, I should have caught on when she started flirting with my teenage boyfriends. I moved out as soon as the ink was dry on my diploma. Unfortunately, I moved in with Lila. She and Ben were humping behind my back for almost six months before I caught on. Humiliating, to say the least. The coffee cups that were left in our shared apartment walls cost me my half of the security deposit. Then I moved on to Alan, who is still apparently in the closet.
“Babe, you gotta get on the bike,” Trevor laughingly said, “or we can’t go anywhere.”
“Ha, ha, Trevor,” I said as I took the helmet from him with a slight glare.
I strapped the helmet on and awkwardly mounted the bike, gripping Trevor's shoulders once I was settled on the seat.
“Baby, you are gonna need to hold on to my waist or you're gonna go flying off the back of my bike,” he told me, laughing as he pulled me closer to his back with his hand on my hip, a hand that burned like fire. His large hands felt so good, I wanted to purr and arch into his back like a cat in heat. Instead, I scooched closer to him. I breathed in his manly scent. It was like forest and moonlight. Pine and a touch of magic.
“Stop sniffing me, darling, or we won't make it to my house,” he gruffly said.
“Sorry, but you smell so good,” I said. Oh lord, my mouth was gonna get me in so much trouble. I was sure I was beet red. Good thing it was dark. Trevor wouldn’t be able to see my rosy red cheeks.
Trevor grinned over his shoulder at me. “You smell amazing too, baby. Wait til I get you to my house.”
“Trevor, we are not staying together. You said I could stay with your friends and THAT is what I agreed to,” I angrily hissed.
“I know, babe. I’m just yanking your chain.” Trevor gunned the engine of the bike, and we were off with a squeal of tires on asphalt.
I let out a very unladylike “Oh, Shit!” as I gripped Trevor's waist ever tighter. I would never tell him, but this was the best thing I had ever done. We sped through the night, the wind whipping and the trees flying by at top speed. We came to a closed gate that was attached to a large stone wall. Trevor stopped and pushed a button on the handlebars of his bike, and the gate slowly swung open to reveal a very large compound with several flood lights around the perimeter.
I stared in awe, wondering why they needed so much security. But I didn't voice my concerns. Instead, we pulled up to a small one story cabin with a large front porch.
“Is this your friend's place?” I asked Trevor, looking at the darkened windows pensively.
“No, baby. This is my cabin,” Trevor said. “I just need to check on some things before we go over to Ian's.” Trevor pointed across the large parking area to another darkened cabin.
While Trevor walked toward the front porch, I thought about what I really wanted. Did I want to stay with his friends? Did I really want to stay away from him? I knew the answers to both the questions. I took a deep fortifying breath and then I said,
“Trevor, I don't want to bother your friends this late. It looks like they are sleeping.” I nervously watched as he grinned down at me.
“They won't mind, babe. Come on, I'll give you the nickel tour, and then we can head across the compound,” Trevor told me.
Trevor opened the front door to reveal my dream. The cabin was decorated with rustic log furniture. I loved the outdoorsy feel of the living room. To one side, the couch sat with cushy pillows and throw blankets, the extra fuzzy ones. I loved those on cold nights. Across from the couch was a large open hearth fireplace with a stack of logs ready to burn. It was a chilly night. I thought that maybe I should just stay with Trevor so that we didn't bother his friends, so I stated as much. Trevor's response was to eye me up and down, twice, as if he was gauging my honesty.
I walked towards him. I stopped within a hair’s breadth of his body. I looked up into his eyes, riveted in place by the look of dominance that I saw there. I took a shaky breath and said,
“Trevor, I don't want to bother Ian and his wife. I want to stay here. With you, if the offer is still open. I can sleep on your couch.”
“You aren't sleeping on the couch if you are staying here, babe. Not happening,” Trevor growled.
He pulled me to him and we collided. I tilted my head, and Trevor bent towards me. This kiss was not as all-consuming as the first, but it still left a mark on my soul. I had never had a kiss as sweet. Before, it was always this wet, messy tangle that was more dead fish than sexy. Alan was not the best lover. Of course, now I knew why, but at the time, it was self-esteem killing. He had always blamed my looks and personality for his ineptness. Trevor kissed me with reverence, like he wasn't sure if I was real. I gasped into his mouth as he deepened our kiss. It was like chocolate and cinnamon combined together to create this perfect moment of bliss.
Trevor pulled back, and I smiled shyly up at him with a blush. I was never this forward. I was not that girl who slept with any Tom, Dick, or cock, but there was something about Trevor that lent itself to safety and comfort. I needed him like an alcoholic needs a drink or an addict needs their next fix.
“I love when you smile. That was the first thing I noticed about you at the pub,” Trevor admitted.
Trevor then led me down the hall, kissing me as we went. “Tour later, yeah?” he whispered between kisses.
“Definitely,” I replied.
He led me to the stairs that led to the loft above and flipped the light on, flooding the room in a soft glow from the fixture above the bed, the very large bed. It was the prettiest thing I had ever seen, constructed of split logs and large enough for a small family. It rose up off the floor almost three feet and shone with the sheen of age and use. Trevor gave me a small push to get me further into the loft area. I looked over my shoulder at him and smiled.
********
~Trevor~
Trevor watched over Rebecca Ann’s shoulder as the smile started to spread on her face. It was the only thing he could see at that moment. He slowly turned her in his arms and lowered his head, watching as her smile widened even more. It was a beacon, drawing him closer. The moment their lips touched, it was like coming home for him. It was everything he never thought he would have after what had happened to him with Janet. He knew that this was it, that Rebecca was his one. It was different than any other kiss he had experienced before. Trevor broke the kiss and said,
“Rebecca Ann, we don’t have to do anything you don’t want. This is for you. I just want to spend time with you, with or without our clothes on.”
“Trevor, I don’t know what I really want,” she replied. “At this point, I am so conflicted. I definitely don’t want Alan back, but I am not sure if I want to start a new relationship either.”
“I get that,” Trevor said. “I can wait. Let me get a pillow and blanket, and I will sleep in on the couch.”
“No! I can’t let you give up your bed,” Rebecca practically yelled. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“Nope, sorry, babe. I want you in my bed, even if I’m not there,” he replied.
“Fine, but you are staying in here with me then,” Rebecca ordered. “I refuse to let you sleep on the couch. Besides, you’re too tall for it anyway.”
“You have a point, babe,” Trevor chuckled. “Then I will sleep on top of the covers.”
“I am gonna take a shower,” Trevor told her. “You can do the same. I will use the guest bath, and you can use the shower in here.”
“Okay, sounds good,” she said. “Ummmm, do you have something I can sleep in?”
Trevor walked to his dresser and pulled open the third drawer down. He reached in and grabbed out a tee shirt for her to wear. Handing the shirt to Rebecca, he kissed her cheek and headed out the door. Rebecca heard a door down the hall open and then close.
Rebecca headed into the restroom and started the shower. While it warmed, she looked at herself in the mirror, looking to see what Trevor saw in her. She knew he wanted her, as she had felt his erection while they were making out like a couple of horny teenagers on their third date. All she could see was the woman that Alan had cheated on. A little overweight, long brown hair, and too large blue eyes. While she didn’t think she was an ugly old hag, she didn’t feel as if she was anything special. Rebecca shook her head and started to undress. What followed was the world's fastest shower. Once she was dry, she put Trevor’s shirt on and headed out to the bedroom. Once there, she got into the bed to wait. It must have taken Trevor a while to finish up. She never felt him get into the bed, her eyes closing almost immediately in sleep.
Trevor entered his bedroom and stopped, looking at Rebecca Ann in his bed and wanting her to stay there for eternity. He couldn’t reconcile that this beautiful, funny, and strong creature was chosen specifically for him by the Fates, as those bitches didn’t like him that much. He was in awe. He settled onto the bed, staying above the covers just like he told Rebecca he would. He turned onto his side and watched her as she slept. She wiggled in her sleep, so he pulled her to him and continued to watch her. As she rested on him, he could hear a slight snore come from her. It was cute as fuck. Trevor hoped that this time he was reading the signs correctly; he would hate to be wrong for a second time. He wouldn’t survive a second betrayal.
Trevor fell asleep thinking of how to tell Rebecca about his animal, his clan, and his disastrous time with Janet. That last one would take the most courage. It was a very dark time in his life. He was just glad that he had survived long enough to find Rebecca.