Chapter Thirty-Six
Carl
I had planned to stay and help the guys paint, but none of that mattered once Gwyn said she wanted me to claim her. Nothing was going to stop my bear from dragging her back to our den and doing exactly that.
I barely noticed the wind whipping my beard everywhere, all of my focus on the omega huddled against my back. I knew she’d been worried about riding my motorcycle, and the way she clutched me tight might make someone think she was still scared, but I didn’t miss her little gasps, or the way the wind teased me with the scent of slick whenever it swirled around us.
The vibrations were getting to her.
I probably looked like a madman, riding down the road with a grin on my face, but that wasn’t going to stop me. My dick was throbbing against my jeans, ready to be unleashed and buried in her as soon as possible. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to hold back long enough for her to build a nest, but I knew it was important for her to have one, so I was going to do my best.
“Almost there.”
I called the words over my shoulder as I turned off the main road onto the side street that would lead to my house. I still lived in Hell, but my house was a little way from The Hangout.
If Gwyn responded I couldn’t hear her over the engine and the sound of the wind rushing by, but it was only a couple minutes before I was slowing to take the turn into my driveway. Since we likely wouldn’t be coming back out for a couple days, I hit the button to open the garage door so I could pull straight in.
After I cut the engine I could feel the way Gwyn was gasping against my back, and for a moment worry cut through me, making me turn to look at her. Her thighs trembled where they bracketed my hips, her cheeks flushed bright red, but it was the little mewl that escaped as she blinked her eyes open that had my grin returning. She was so close to the edge I could have blown on her clit and push her over.
“Everything okay?”
I didn’t bother to hide the amusement in my voice, and she narrowed her eyes at me, making a laugh escape.
I usually would have waited for her to dismount first, but I was too eager to get her inside, so I climbed off and turned to pick her up again. If my bear had his way she’d never have to take another step, his drive to coddle her riding me hard, but I knew she’d only put up with it for so long before I’d have to back off. In the meantime, I was going to enjoy giving her all the pampering and attention she deserved.
“Watch your head,” I warned as I turned to walk us through the door separating the garage from the main part of the house.
I didn’t waste any time trying to show her around, walking through the darkened space until I reached my bedroom. Freeing a hand to click on the light, it wasn’t until then that part of me grimaced at the state of my home, and my room especially.
Blankets hung half off the bed, the pillows mashed up against the headboard with one on the floor. Rips in the sheet did nothing to hide the similar state of the mattress beneath, and my bear withdrew inside me as warmth crept up my neck into my cheeks.
Releasing her legs, I let Gwyn slide down until her feet touched the floor.
“I, uh, I’m sorry about the mess. I don’t spend a lot of time here, and I wasn’t expecting to bring you over yet.”
The words felt lame even as I said them, the sorry excuse doing nothing to make me feel any better about Gwyn being witness to the destruction. Reluctant as I was to release her, I let her go and hung back as she approached the bed and fingered the edge of a large tear.
“What happened?”
The words were quiet, her eyes concerned when she looked back at me, waiting for an explanation. Rubbing the back of my neck, I couldn’t meet her gaze.
“I have nightmares. Sometimes. And sometimes my claws come out before I wake up.”
Admitting that I lost control, even that little bit, had my stomach churning. Who would want to be with someone who might end up hurting them while they slept?
I sucked in a breath when her palm pressed again my cheek, forcing me to turn and look at her. Her scent was still heavy with slick, but her eyes were clear, and there was nothing but understanding on her face.
“It’s okay. It’s nothing a few quilts can’t cover.”
It felt like I’d been kicked in the chest, all of the air leaving me. She was so trusting. As much as I wanted her, her safety was more important than my desires, and while nothing had happened when I stayed at her place, I couldn’t be sure I wouldn’t have a nightmare with her at some point. If I accidentally hurt her, it would kill me.
“But—”
She placed her fingers over my lips, cutting me off before I could say what was going through my mind.
“It’s okay. We’ll work through it together. You’re not getting rid of me that easy.”
Huffing a laugh, my lips lifted up before I pursed them and pressed a kiss to the inside of her fingers. She pulled them away with an arched brow, and my cock reminded me it was still trapped in my jeans instead of being inside her.
“I’ll find new sheets.”
Smiling, she nodded and turned to face my bed as I backed out of the room. Since I tended to shred sheets regularly I had a stash in the laundry room, but I was reluctant to leave her even for the minute or two it would take to fetch them.
Forcing myself to move, I practically sprinted back to where we’d entered, slipping into the door beside the one that led to the garage. Originally the washer hookups had been inside the garage, but one of the projects I’d used to distract myself between other jobs had been to build a wall to separate them.
I raided the cabinet beside my dryer, pulling out the extra sheets and comforters I had stashed in there. They were a mix of dark, earthy tones, since that was what my bear preferred. I tended to grab a bunch when I caught them on sale, so I hoped I had enough to satisfy her urge to nest, and I even had a few spare pillows for when one of them became a casualty of my nightmares.
There were still worries poking at me that it wouldn’t be as simple as she was trying to make it, but I ignored them. Even if I ended up having to sleep separately from her, I was willing to do it to have her the rest of the time. She’d finally opened up to me, so I was going to have to do the same.
I thought about the other thing we hadn’t discussed as I made my way back to my room, wondering if she’d be as accepting of that. A knot was one thing, omegas were built for them, but being a shifter meant having other features she likely wasn’t aware of yet.
Squaring my shoulders, I decided the only way to find out was to go for it, so I strode through the doorway and dropped the blankets, almost getting derailed by the sight of Gwyn in the middle of my bed. Instead of removing the damaged sheets, she’d doubled them over and laid them out over the mattress, stuffing one of my pillows into a particularly large gash in the mattress. She was still fussing with a corner that didn’t want to lay flat, and seeing her there, nesting in my den, stirred instincts it was hard to hold in check.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I reminded myself I needed to get the last hurdle out of the way before we went any further.
“Gwyn.”
I waited until she looked up at me, her brows drawn together, and her pupils dilated. They weren’t as large as they’d be when she truly fell into heat, but she was getting closer to being lost by the minute.
“Gwyn, there’s something else I need to tell you before we do this.”
She straightened until she was kneeling on my bed, resting back on her heels. I had a deep mattress and a tall frame, so it put her at about the same height as when she was standing.
“There’s nothing you can say that’s going to change my mind. I’ve made my decision.”
The tone she used made my lips lift on one side. It was a tone you only found once you were a mom, and especially a mom of rambunctious alphas. It wasn’t the first time it had been used on me, and probably wouldn’t be the last if I didn’t scare her away.
“Shifters are different than humans. I’m sure you’ve at least heard of our were-forms. When we claim an omega, we do it in that form.”
Her brows rose and her head tipped to the side as she eyed me up and down before shrugging.
“Okay. It’s still you, and you won’t be like a regular bear.”
She shrugged again and I couldn’t help shaking my head as I let out a laugh.
“I don’t take my were-form often. It has features like my bear. I’ll be bigger than I already am, and I won’t look human at all.”
Sucking in a deep breath, Gwyn nodded.
“Okay.”
Closing the distance between us, I put my hands on her hips before dropping a kiss to her mouth. She said okay, but I knew she wasn’t fully understanding.
“Bears have a baculum, Beautiful. A piece of cartilage in our cock, that runs along the bottom and pushes forward to lock in your cervix when we knot.”
Eyes rounding, her mouth dropped open, and I laughed again. It wasn’t too unusual for shifters to take humans or different shifters as mates, but it was a little less common with bears. The potential mates tended to get scared off when they learned what they’d have to take.
My chest felt hollow to even consider it after she’d given me hope, but I had to give her the other option.
“We can always go back to what you wanted before. I can help you through your heat without claiming you.”
Mouth snapping shut, she glared up at me as she curled her fingers into my shirt.
“No. I want this, and I’m tired of being too scared to take what I want. I know you won’t hurt me, so if this is what it takes for you to claim me, then so be it.”
I was ready to come in my pants from her fierceness, and I pulled her tight against me to kiss her again. Anyone who tried to claim Gwyn wasn’t strong was a fool and clearly didn’t know her.
“I’m going to make you mine, Gwyn. My mate. My omega.”
I whispered the words against her mouth, a low growl rumbling through my chest. She let loose a purr, taking my mouth again before sitting back on her heels once more.
“Then do it.”
The challenge made my growl deepen, my bear writhing inside me at the tight constraints I had on him. Knowing we were going to merge had him pushing for it to happen, but I had to be sure she was ready.
“You don’t have a nest yet. Make us a place for me to claim you.”
Shivering, her eyes went dark before they darted behind me to the pile of bedding I’d left by the door. That was all the invitation I needed to step back and grab it, bringing it closer so she could get to work.