Chapter 20
OLIVER
It wasn’t training. We didn’t call it that, and we never set a goal or pushed for any progress.
But since August had been so warm, Teddy had been shifting and carrying me down to where the creek widened in meanders, and I would strip and bathe with him while he was in his bear form.
I would swing my feet in the cool water, listening to birdsong, or we’d splash and goof around like kids.
He didn’t ask me to try to shift, didn’t look at me with expectation, or anything like that.
But one day, he was wading through the shallows, sniffing the air, and I watched the play of his magnificent muscles under his fur.
The sun warmed my back, and the crystal-clear water in the creek cooled my feet.
I saw Teddy’s barrel chest expand with breaths, and his furry tail quivered.
He moved his ears as he sniffed some more.
Then he looked at me with his big brown eyes, and he seemed to be smiling.
I exhaled, and a slow charge of energy rose up my spine. I didn’t have to push myself. It felt as if I tumbled into my other form with the help of gravity. Suddenly, I splashed into the creek on all fours, claws digging between the pebbles, and water sprayed everywhere.
I fell to my side, getting my fur soaked, but soon found my balance. Would I be able to walk? Because four legs? How did that even…
Oh. It wasn’t hard at all!
I sped up, running through the water, and rainbows flickered in the drops. All the scents, so sharp and distinct! And the sound of birdsong! Oh! Was that a trout?
I jumped after it, but it slinked away, and I ended up with my chin in the mud. I spluttered and wiped at my snout with my front paw.
Then I paused, looking at my paw.
An actual paw.
It was much smaller than Frey’s but pretty neat. I put it on the bottom of the creek and pressed. I felt strong, so I jumped. Cool. I could jump. I tried running again, up the bank and through the blueberry bushes.
Woo-hoo! That was awesome! I was so fast.
Look at me go!
I wanted to yell at Teddy, but it was almost as if I heard his voice in my head.
I see you, baby.
I turned around, and he was right behind me. Much bigger than me, heavier, he thudded through the forest, grinning with his tongue out.
I did it, Teddy! I shifted!
We ran together until the sun began to set, but I wasn’t tired at all.
To my glee, I found out I was faster than Teddy, even though he could probably crush me like a bug with his immense strength.
My bear was slim and small, my fur reddish brown, and I had the freakiest, long, sharp claws.
They dug into the ground as I ran up the slopes, stopping me from sliding back.
From a hill above town, I glimpsed my parents’ cottage, and an idea occurred to me. I couldn’t resist.
I heard Teddy behind me, following in my tracks.
As we neared the edge of town, I glanced back at him. Teddy’s ears were pricked up toward me.
What are you up to?
I winked and headed straight for my parents’ cottage.
The yard was empty, but the back door stood ajar, and the kitchen window was open. I could smell something cooking, something with bacon and cream.
I stood on my hind paws and looked through the window. My dad stood by the kitchen counter, cutting tomatoes, and Pa sat at the table, leafing through a book.
I snuffled and made a sound. Huh, I could growl. Good to know.
Pa lifted his head and gazed right at me, his mouth open.
I grinned, my tongue lolling out.
“What in the name…”
“What?” Dad turned to my pa, and Pa pointed at me.
Frozen in place, Dad stared at me. The knife clattered against the countertop.
A few seconds ticked by, during which my fathers studied me in confusion.
Beauville crawled with bear shifters, and my parents would recognize one, easily telling the difference between a shifter and a wild bear.
But we didn’t usually barge onto folks’ properties in fur without an invitation.
It would take them a while to put two and two together.
Would they be able to tell it was me? It was subtle, but the resemblance should be there in my eyes, around my muzzle, and even in the color of my fur.
My pa was the first to catch on. “Oliver? Is that you?”
I grinned wider.
Dad jolted as if electrocuted and strode out of the kitchen, disappearing around the corner, only to walk out into the yard.
I hopped down and went to meet him. I shoved my nose right into his chest. I was almost as tall as he was, even on all fours.
“My Ollie,” he breathed, sounding all choked up. Then his hands dove into my fur, scratching around my ears. That felt nice. I turned my head like a dog searching for more pets.
Pa stood in the doorway, smiling through tears. He waved at someone behind me, and I turned to spot Teddy waiting where my parents’ lawn ended and the forest began.
My dad hugged my head and sighed into my fur. “I guess you want to head back to your mate now, huh? But we’re going to go running together soon.”
Instead of a yes, I poked his scruffy cheek with my nose. I couldn’t wait to show him how fast I was. If I could outrun Teddy, I must be faster than Dad.
We couldn’t say goodbye, but we nodded and grunted, while my fathers waved.
When we returned to the creek, I had so much joy in me, I didn’t know what to do with it. I splashed in the water, scaring all the fish away.
Teddy had shifted back. In his human form, gloriously naked, he sat on the bank and watched me, the biggest smile on his face.
For a split second, I worried about shifting back, but it was easy. I barely thought of it, and I was human again. I rinsed my body in the water, plucking twigs and pine needles out of my hair, then I walked over to my mate.
The hungry look Teddy was giving me made me crave his cock. I wanted to make love under the open sky, but at this time of day, the mosquitoes would probably eat us alive.
“Let’s go home,” I said. “I want you naked in bed.”
Teddy gave me a soft smile. “I love you, Oliver. You’re amazing.”
I felt pretty amazing.
We found our clothes on the boulders by the creek, but everything was soaked. I must have splashed them when I was frolicking around in bear form.
Naked and giggling, we sneaked to Teddy’s cabin through the forest. We hung the wet clothes in his living room, and then there was nothing else for us to do but make love.
I straddled my alpha on the sofa, taking his cock into me to the hilt, and I rolled my hips slowly, savoring every second.
He caressed my underbelly where the curve filled out day by day, and I smiled, luxuriating.
“You like fucking your pregnant omega, Mr. Mayor?”
“My horny, insatiable pregnant omega.”
“Oh yes. You’ve stretched me on the inside, and now when you’re not in me, it aches.”
“Does it?”
“Mmhmm. I’m thinking about fucking fifty times a day. About your cock. Breeding. And in what way you could take me next time.”
“So horny.”
“It’s your fault. You’ve turned me into a nymphomaniac.”
Teddy hugged me to him and thrust up, pushing against the gate to my womb and making me arch in his arms.
“Good. Because I intend to fuck you every day for the rest of your life.”
He bucked up, and I exploded into an orgasm. When he flipped me over and drove into me again, he prolonged it, and I wailed with wave after wave of ecstasy.
After, we cuddled on the sofa, and Teddy sipped a small glass of whiskey while I played with his beard. My hole leaked his cum onto his thighs, but neither of us cared.
“Do you think you’ll be able to do it again?”
“Ride you? Sure. Give me five minutes, and we can fuck again.”
Teddy chuckled. “I’d love that, but that wasn’t what I meant.”
“Oh?”
“I meant shifting,” he said softly, gazing at me seriously. “Because I loved seeing you so happy. But if it never works again, it doesn’t matter to me. You know that?”
“I think… it’ll work. It kind of just happened, but I think I now know how to get myself into the right mindset. I have to stop thinking and let my body take over. When I was out there with you, with your bear, I felt such soul-deep calm that suddenly, it wasn’t hard at all.”
He cupped my cheek, studying me with deep focus. “Are you truly happy, Oliver? With me?”
“Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because I’m old and cranky, and maybe life with me in reality isn’t what you dreamed about. I see the glow in your cheeks and the curve of your lips, your eyes shining every morning, and I can barely believe my luck.”
“Teddy, I love you. With every cell of my being. I’ve always belonged to you, and now, you belong to me too. I’m walking on clouds.”
I pressed myself closer to his torso, making sure he felt my belly against his.
“And I want you so much,” I whispered. “I joke about it and play games, but the truth is, I crave you. The desire I feel for you is like a volcano deep inside me. The fire never goes out. It explodes in bursts and burns through me, and I need you so badly.”
Deliberately slowly, Teddy set the whiskey glass onto the coffee table. Then he kissed me, rolling on top of me and thrusting his tongue into my mouth while roughly spreading my legs. He filled me in one stroke, and I moaned into his mouth.
It would be one of those nights when we couldn’t get enough of each other and would spend hours joined, fucking like animals and leisurely making love. We would sleep till noon the next day.