After square dancing all night, Grayson helped Donika into his truck and asked her if she wanted to go home.

“I don't know if I can handle my family right now, to be honest,” she said.

“Why don't you come over to my house and relax for a while,” he said.

“That sounds nice.”

“I have a bottle of wine in the fridge waiting to be opened.”

They drove to his house and when they walked inside, Grayson gathered Donika in his arms and kissed her deeply. He never wanted to let her go. If he could, he would keep her here forever.

Their tongues slid over each other, and a hot pool of liquid desire gathered like a knot in his core. He grasped the back of her head and tilted her mouth to get a better angle. She groaned against his mouth, her tongue hot and wet on his. Her breasts smashed against the hard planes of his chest.

“What about that wine?” she said with a giggle, pulling away.

“Coming right up.”

They walked into the kitchen and he pulled the wine out of the fridge, grabbing a corkscrew from a drawer. He opened the bottle and poured them both a glass. She took hers with a smile and drew a long sip.

“This is good.”

“It's from one of my favorite wineries. I know the winemaker. He's in the Fate Valley Shifter Community Association.”

“Fate Valley is such a beautiful place,” she said, looking out the window onto the view of the lake from his kitchen. “I missed it sometimes. You know?”

“I know it would probably be even more beautiful if you lived here.”

“I lived here all my life, and it never made any difference.” She giggled, sipping her wine.

“It makes all the difference in the world to me.”

Donika swirled her wine in her glass and gazed into Grayson's eyes. He couldn't get enough of her admiring gaze. He could look into those eyes the rest of his life. He took her hand and led her into the living room, where he turned on some music.

“All of that square dancing, and I didn't get to slow dance with you once,” he said. “I think we need to remedy that.”

“I think that's exactly what we need,” she said.

He took her hand and slid his arm around her waist, cupping the small of her back. Her growing curves pressed against his hard chest, and it felt like heaven. She had been made just for him by the fates. Every time he felt her body close to his, he was surer of it.

The song played, and they danced slow and close to the rhythm of the music. He could feel her heart beating against his chest and her hot breath blowing over his neck. It made his inner bear rumble with desire. He needed her so badly. Now. He couldn't wait a second longer. She was all he had ever wanted and had ever hoped for. He needed her. He needed to claim her. There was no holding back anymore.

He gathered her in his arms and kissed her, picking her up like a bride on their wedding day. He carried her up the stairs and laid her across his bed, looking down at her beautiful form and bright face in the dim light of his room. He pulled off his shirt and threw it on the ground, prowling over her and resting his hard cock against her soft core. He unsnapped her pink fluffy shirt, revealing her beautiful breasts. She smelled heavenly, and her curves were growing fuller with each day she spent in Fate Valley.

He kissed her chest as her arms wrapped around his shoulders. Soft panting moans slipped from between her lips, and he claimed her mouth in a deep passionate kiss. She reached up and unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants as their tongues hungrily tasted each other.

“I’ll never let you go, sweet Donika.”

“Yes,” she said breathlessly.

“I'm going to claim you tonight.”

“I want it,” she said as his hands slipped under the full square-dancing skirt. He pulled her panties down her legs and over her cowboy boots before dipping between her thighs, and the billowing folds of gingham fabric.

He licked her pussy. Tasting it, devouring it, enjoying every nuance of her flavor and scent. She was gorgeous and tasted like cookies and cream. She was the most delicious thing he had ever consumed.

He ran the flat of his tongue over her clit and dipped the tip into her channel. She groaned above him as he grasped her thighs. She panted his name prettily, her breasts jiggling, making him wild with need. He reached up and tweaked her nipples, causing them to harden into stiff peaks.

He sucked her nipple into his mouth. She ran her fingers through his hair, groaning as she threw her head back. He slipped his fingers into her channel, feeling her wetness flowing around them. She was ready for him.

She pulled his pants down and grasped his cock. Her delicate fingers wrapped around his member, stroking up and down with her silky-smooth skin. It drove him mad.

She pulled him toward her, his pants down around his knees. He pressed the tip of his dick against her sopping wet pussy. Their mouths met, clashing ravenously as she pulled him closer. He slipped inside her naked. The head of his dick slid into her slick opening with no resistance.

Donika wrapped her legs around him, drawing him to her as he sank deeper inside. He held her hips as her skirts billowed around her. She ran her hands over his ass and gripped the flesh. He cupped her face in his hands. Light glowed in her eyes, her expression open with longing.

He spread her pussy open around him, sinking to the base of his cock into her wet need. She groaned when he found her depths, panting as her pussy clenched around his shaft.

He watched her as she came, holding her close, her eyes dilated, her beautiful lips parted. It was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen. He wanted to witness that again, over and over, for the rest of his life.

He drew back and thrust into her, watching her surprised expression as she squeezed her eyes closed. She groaned with pleasure as he thrust harder into her softness.

“Oh Grayson, I need you so much.”

“I need you, baby,” he whispered in her ear.

Her pussy gripped his dick, quivering and coming for him.

“I need to make you mine, baby. Mine forever.”

He licked her neck, where her pulse throbbed, quick and frantic as her pussy clenched him. His sharp canine teeth slid from deep within, and he ran them over her pulsing vein. With the claiming bite, she would be his. They would be bonded like two souls that had become one.

“I need to be yours, Grayson. I want to belong to you.”

As he thrust deeper into her core, he felt his climax gripping the base of his spine. He pumped his semen into her womb as he bit down hard on her jugular. She let out a screaming groan and went silent. He tasted her blood on his tongue, his mating venom sinking into her veins. He gripped her neck between his jaws, holding her still as their bodies clinched and throbbed with each other.

He could feel their connection like a tight thread, pulled from each end. It vibrated through the space between them with feelings, thoughts, and emotions. He could feel her love and desire, her need to belong, her vast deep need to be understood and wanted.

He wanted to fill that empty well of loneliness with his love. He sent his love to her in wave after wave of adoration. When he slid his teeth out from her neck, he licked the wound clean, causing it to heal quickly. He pulled out from inside her and wrapped her in his arms, holding her close.

“Grayson, I can feel you inside me,” she murmured.

“That's what it's like to be mated.”

“I had no idea it would be this close.”

“I feel your heart, my sweet Donika. I know how much you need to be loved.”

“I had no idea how lonely I was until now.”

“You need help. You've been sick, and you've been hiding it from everyone.”

“I've been better since I came home,” she said, a tear forming in her eyes. “You have to believe me.”

“You have to let me help you.”

“I feel like I can finally trust someone enough with my secrets,” she whispered.

“Whatever happened in New York is still haunting you.”

They climbed under the blankets and held each other as the sweat dried from their skin. Her warm, soft breath puffed against his chest. He patted her head and kissed her crown. Being with her like this was a dream come true. He could feel her inside him, and the new sense of connection they shared was overpowering.

All his life, he had been told by other shifters what it was like to claim your fated mate. He had never quite believed it. He had thought it had all been an exaggeration. But now that he had claimed Donika, he knew that it was all one hundred percent true.

He fell asleep, listening to the sound of her breathing. It was like a lullaby to the man and the bear. He felt renewed and innocent now that he had her. He would do anything in his power to protect her, no matter the cost. She was the most important thing in his world now. Yesterday was gone, and all that mattered was the many tomorrows that they would share.