chapter 14

There’s a bear outside,” said Brian. There was no fear in his voice, only annoyance. This was really happening. He’d never had issues with wolves or coyotes, but bears were out of their damn minds. He should be focused on his woman, not worrying about bear drama and politics.

Caleb left Bethany on his bed. She’d passed out from sheer exhaustion. If only she knew he felt the same intense desire to fuck. He’d shown the restraint of the century.

She’d begged him to claim her, and all he’d wanted to do was end her suffering. But he’d programmed himself to court like a human male, complete with jewels and dating. Her heat had thrown all his best-laid plans off-kilter.

He pushed open the front door and faced off with the bear. “Don’t be fucking rude. If you want to seek refuge here, do it in your skin.”

Joe shifted forms, morphing into the human who’d quickly become a real pain in the ass. Caleb reached into the barrel near the door and tossed him a pair of sweatpants.

“I don’t know what you’ve got going on over here, but the scent is attracting half the forest. This house is going to be a beacon to that rogue bear,” said Joe.

It had to be Bethany. The scent of her heat was irresistible. He had to claim her for their own safety.

And his own sanity. The last thing he needed was some coyote creeping in when he wasn’t there. Bethany was his virgin prize to claim, no one else’s.

“It’s my mate.” “Bethany?”

“Yes, Bethany. She’s in heat.” Caleb ran both hands through his hair. He’d wanted to do things right, and now everything was happening in a whirlwind.

As much as he wanted to wait things out, he needed to claim Bethany now. If he left her in her current state for long, it could drive her mad.

“And you left her like that? What’s the problem? I thought you wanted her as your mate,” said Joe. “Need me to help out?” The cocky bear winked, and Caleb wanted to crush him into the earth.

Caleb exhaled in a huff. “I was trying to be a gentleman. She doesn’t know shifters exist. Now I have to fuck her to keep your crazy bear friend away from my pack.”

“He’s no friend of mine.”

“Just … stay out here for now. My pack isn’t too keen on having a bear on our property.” He second-guessed himself about allowing an enemy refuge.

“I can do that,” said Joe. “And thanks again for letting me come here. Until that rogue is dead, I’ll have to keep the diner closed. That’s not good for the bottom line.”

Caleb headed back inside.

Joe was more worried about his diner than losing his life. He knew a lot of shifters blended seamlessly with the human world, some even choosing to stay exclusively in their skin. Others only shifted during the full moon. Caleb preferred his feral existence.

Of course, now everything had changed—he had a human mate. “Everyone out,” he said. “I need to take care of Bethany.

Keep patrols, don’t wander too far. Joe said that rogue bear is heading in this direction. It nearly wiped out their entire sleuth, so don’t do anything stupid.”

His pack could shift during the full moon and usually days before and after. Once they had mates, they’d have control of when they could shift regardless of the moon’s strength.

“How does he know where we live?” asked Reese.

“It’s Bethany’s heat. The scent is spreading.” Caleb opened the door to the bedroom, turning around to face his men before entering.

“If I don’t end this now, it could get bad. I’m going to claim my mate, and you know what that means for all of you.”

After tonight, all his men would be free to find their mates. There would be no more weight on his shoulders to find a woman and free his pack of the curse. He hated being responsible for their happiness, but that would end before the night was over.

Caleb worried about his own relationship with Bethany. When the heat passed, how would she take this? Would she accept that her boyfriend was a werewolf? He felt a headache coming on just thinking about it.

He crawled onto the bed after closing the door tight.

She was passed out cold, and he didn’t have the heart to wake her. Caleb tugged off his t-shirt and lay by her side, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest. He studied her face, the spattering of freckles, the soft curves of her lips. She was perfect.

He took a deep breath, letting the scent of her heat fill him. It was exquisite. But she was just for him, not the entire forest.

Once he claimed her, fucked her, gave her his love bite—this spectacle would be over. They’d be bonded and every male would know she belonged to him. He couldn’t wait to sink his fangs into her neck. He salivated just thinking about it.

“I’ve been looking for you for decades,” he whispered, brushing stray hairs from her face. “I never realized how much I needed you until we met. Now you’re all I can think about. All that matters.”

Her eyes fluttered open, surprising him. “I had another dream,” she said.

“Tell me.”

“There were wolves. So many wolves. It was dark and I was scared.

But then you were there, and everything was okay.” “What did I look like?”

This time, she made direct eye contact with him. “You were a wolf,too.”

He swallowed hard, unable to decipher how she felt about that. Was it just a dream for her, or was she beginning to believe? “Am I going to turn into a wolf, Caleb?”

He couldn’t help but smile. She was so fucking adorable. And surprisingly calm.

“No, baby. You’ll always be human.”

Unlike movies made by humankind, a wolf bite didn’t turn humans into animals. If you weren’t born a shifter, you never would be.

“And you?”

“I’m the same as you, but I can also change my body. Like when I need to keep you safe. Remember I promised I’d protect you from anything? I meant that.”

She nodded. “And the scratch. Why is it making me feel like this?” “It started the bonding process. It’s supposed to happen when I bite you during … mating.”

“Mating? Like you taking my virginity?”

He licked his lips. His cock was a fucking rock just talking about mating with his woman. “And being together forever. I’m not just after your body, Bethany. I want it all.”

“I think I understand.”