Thorian drew Cici into his embrace, pulling her against his hard, masculine chest. She felt herself swoon at the feeling of him against her softness. His hands roved her body, and she felt a flush of desire rise up inside her core. He leaned down and cupped her face in his hand, tilting her mouth up toward his. He was so much taller than her that he had to lean down to kiss her. He cradled her face in his hand, kissing her lips slowly and affectionately. Cici felt so adored in that moment, she could barely breathe as her heart pounded in her chest. He pulled back and looked into her eyes, running the pad of his thumb over her cheekbone.

"You are so beautiful, my little mate," he said. "I want you so badly."

"What are you waiting for?" she teased, biting her lip and running her hand over his lapel.

"I don't know if I can stop once I start," he said, pulling her to his chest and growling low in his throat.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested against his heart, feeling it thumping on her temple. Their heartbeats seemed to pound in time and she let out a long, contented breath. He wrapped his arm around her waist and cupped the back of her head, holding her close as he released a long sigh into the top of her head.

He reached down and picked her up in his arms and cradled her like she weighed nothing, carrying her through the house and up the stairs to the second floor. He kicked the door open with his foot and carried her inside. She gasped and giggled as he tossed her on the bed, playfully kicking the door closed behind him. They were in a tidy guestroom that smelled of cleaning products and Thorian’s cologne. There was almost nothing in there except a laptop on the desk, a lamp beside the bed and a few books on a shelf. His clothes were tucked away neatly in the closet and in the chest of drawers on the other side of the room.

He kissed her forehead and her lips as she tugged his shirt up over his head and threw it on the floor. She gazed at his tight muscled chest and his strong arms, running her hands over his skin and exploring the tattoos she found there.

His body was so gorgeous it made her quiver every time she saw it. He pulled her dress over her head and growled at the sight of her body. She was wearing a pretty black lace underwear and bra set. By the look on his face, she could tell he appreciated it. He quickly pulled off the rest of their clothes, leaving them in their underwear on his fresh smelling sheets. He growled as he looked at her, kissing, nipping and licking her neck and earlobes.

"This is so hard for me," he said.

"What's hard for you?" she asked, feeling insecure.

"Not taking you and claiming you immediately.”

"Oh, that," she giggled.

He unhooked her bra and pulled it away, kissing down her chest and sucking her nipples into his mouth. His tongue circled the rosy peak and bit down ever so gently. Cici groaned and leaned her head back, arching her back and gasping at the ceiling. He ravished her body, squeezing her breasts and pinching her nipples as his mouth descended down her chest and over her round stomach, his tongue trailing circles around her navel. He hooked his fingers in the waistband of her panties and pulled them down, slowly descending between her legs until he had pulled them all the way off.

He crawled between her legs, gazing at her glistening pussy.

"This is my favorite place in the world," he said, licking her up and down.

She ran her fingers through his hair as he lapped his thick wet tongue over her core, teasing out all the deep desire building inside her. She was sopping wet and starving for his touch to go deeper. Just when she didn't think she could stand it anymore, he slid his fingers inside her and rubbed against her G-spot while sucking on her clit. She exploded with orgasm, her nipples peaking hard and her body clenching in ecstasy.

He continued to rub her clit with his thumb and move his fingers in and out of her core as he gazed up into her eyes. He watched her come over and over again. She could see the bright yellow glow of his bear behind his human façade. She could tell he relished the sight of her pleasure as she groaned and gripped the bedsheets, pulling them tight in her hands as she arched her back, her body spasming with ecstasy. She growled and reached out to him, pulling him toward her when the pleasure became too much. He sank between her legs and kissed her, the sweet flavor of her body on his lips. She lapped at his tongue, feeling his hardness slide between her legs and over her wet core. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he kissed her deeper.

"I need this," he said. “I can’t hold back."

He slid the head of his cock just inside her entrance, holding still as he kissed her neck and her chest.

"I want to feel you bare," he growled, nipping at her ear. "I want to put a cub inside you when I claim you."

"A cub?" Cici said in a soft voice.

The idea of having Thorian’s cub in her womb filled her with ecstasy. She pulled him deeper with her legs at the mere thought of it.

"I want to give you everything. My life, my home, my ring. I want to marry you. I want us to be together forever. Will you let me claim you tonight?” he said as his sharp teeth ran over her neck.

"Yes, to all of it," she said as he slid just a bit deeper.

She wanted his cub. She wanted to be his wife. She wanted to move into his old house and help him fix it up. She had never wanted anything more in her life. He slid deeper, sinking himself fully inside her core. Her body clenched and spasmed around him as she came. It was the most blissful feeling she'd ever had. He filled her so perfectly, the feeling of his naked shaft in her pussy was like heaven. He began to slide in and out of her in a mind-numbingly slow rhythm. She growled into his ear and bit his earlobe as he began to pick up the pace.

"I love you, Cici," he said. “I never imagined I’d be lucky enough to have a woman like you. I love you so damn much.”

"I love you too, Thorian. I'm the luckiest woman in the world. I want you to put a baby inside me."

Just as she said it. Her body spasmed with another orgasm, teasing his cock and milking him to come inside her.

"Oh, I’ll put a cub inside you, all right," he said, thrusting harder against the flesh of her thighs.

“Make me like you, Thorian. I want to be a bear too. I want us all to be shifters.”

He looked at her with those glowing yellow eyes and growled. Pulling her wrists behind her head, he fondled her breasts with the other, kissing her deeply. His sharp teeth brushed over her lips and nearly punctured one as he nipped her bottom lip. He growled and moved his mouth to her neck, sucking tight over her jugular vein. He licked her flesh and his fangs brushed hard over her skin. He growled as he pumped into her, thrusting harder and harder until he groaned, his cock growing wider and more rigid in her channel. He bit down on her neck, cutting off her breath as his teeth gripped her flash.

His seed erupted inside her, hitting her cervix and making her orgasm again, while his teeth bit deep into her neck. The sensation of pleasure and pain mixed into a mind shattering explosion of need and its fulfillment.

It was as if the world was ripped apart all at once, just to be put back together anew. Their minds mingled, and she felt everything that was Thorian. He was her mate. Her one and only. A good, honest, and true man with so much life and humor and love to share.

She felt his bear reaching out to her over the vast reaches of space, like a constellation had dropped out of the sky and became a living thing. The power of her animal surged inside her, and a tiny growl sounded at the back of her brain. So small and immature, yet growing by the minute. Her bear. The animal inside that had been there all along.

In that moment, their love was pure perfection, and she didn't want to let it go. As the seconds ticked past, he released her neck and licked the wound to heal it. She gasped for breath as he moved away from her and lay on his back, pulling her against his chest. Her animal growled softly, deep inside her mind.

“I can hear it,” she whispered. “It’s coming to life.”

“Soon you’ll be able to shift like me. I’ll be here to help you every step of the way, my love.”

They snuggled together under the covers in the dim light of his room, not speaking, but sharing the depth of their new bond. A while later, Thorian leaned over and pulled something out of the bedside table. As he held it under the light, Cici could see it was a sparkling diamond ring.

“This ring belonged to my grandmother,” he said, slipping it on her finger. It fit just right. “Will you be my wife?"

"Oh yes, Thorian," she said, looking up at him. “I’d be honored to be your wife."