Chapter 11
11
BEAR
S everal Weeks Later
Bear stood on the rooftop of his loft, looking out over the city skyline as the first hints of morning stretched across the lake. Chicago woke up, oblivious to the war that had taken place right under its nose. The city remained oblivious to the bloodshed, the lost lives, and the underworld power shift that had occurred that night.
DeLuca was dead. His operation burned to the ground. The men who had taken Meri, who had profited off the suffering of women, were nothing but rotting corpses and whispers in dark alleys now. Fitz and Archer had wrapped up the last of the cleanup, and Cerberus had done what they always did—erased any trace of their involvement. No cops. No press. No loose ends.
Bear turned from the skyline, his gaze settling on the door leading back into the loft. Meri was inside, had been since they returned, but she wasn’t with him. Not really. He could feel her slipping through his fingers, and he sure as hell wasn’t about to let that happen.
Stepping inside, he moved through the loft with slow, deliberate steps. It was too quiet—the kind of silence that felt like distance. Like walls being built where there should be none. His jaw ticked as he found her standing near the massive windows, arms wrapped around herself, gaze locked on the city below.
She was shutting him out. He wasn’t having it.
“Meri,” he said, his voice a low rumble that usually had her snapping to attention.
This time, she didn’t turn.
Bear closed the space between them, his presence looming as he came to stand behind her, close but not touching. He knew better than to force his touch on her when she was like this, when she was in her head, spiraling into thoughts she wasn’t sharing.
“I can hear you thinking, little one,” he murmured.
She let out a sharp breath, arms tightening around herself. “I don’t know what to do now.”
Bear frowned, reaching out to brush his fingers down her arm, watching the way her muscles tensed. That was wrong. That wasn’t how she reacted to him. “Talk to me.”
Meri’s throat worked as she swallowed, shaking her head. “You don’t understand.”
“Then help me understand.”
Silence stretched between them, thick and unspoken, until finally, she turned to face him, her expression unreadable. “You don’t need me anymore.”
Bear’s brow furrowed. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Her fingers twisted in the hem of the hoodie she’d stolen from him earlier, her voice hesitant. “I needed you before. I felt broken and lost. I wouldn’t have made it without you. But now… I’m not that girl anymore. And I don’t know if I fit into your world now that I’m…”
Bear didn’t let her finish. He closed the last inch between them and gripped her chin, forcing her to look at him, his dominance wrapping around her like a vice. “Now that you’re what? Stronger? Whole? That’s what you think this was? Me wanting something shattered so I could piece it back together?”
Her lips parted, but she didn’t answer.
Bear’s grip tightened, his voice dropping to something dark and unyielding. “Let me make one thing fucking clear. You were always mine. Before this. After this. Nothing changes that.”
Meri blinked up at him, uncertainty flickering in her gaze. “But…”
“No buts, little one.” His other hand wrapped around her throat, not squeezing, just reminding. Grounding. “You think I wanted you weak? Wanted you dependent on me to have a place in my life? That’s not how this works.”
Her pulse fluttered beneath his fingers, her body swaying closer, instinctively seeking his control even as she fought the words.
Bear leaned in, his breath hot against her ear. “I wanted you the second I saw you, before I ever laid hands on you. And I’ll want you until I take my last goddamn breath.” His teeth scraped her jawline, a punishment, a warning. “Never doubt that again.”
Meri let out a shuddering breath, her body softening, the fight draining from her limbs. “I don’t know how to do this.”
Bear’s lips curved against her skin. “Do what?”
She swallowed. “Be normal. Live without looking over my shoulder.”
Bear exhaled through his nose. “Who the fuck said you had to be normal? You think I’m normal, little one?”
She huffed out something that might have been a laugh, her body relaxing in his grip.
“There she is,” Bear murmured, his fingers stroking over her throat before sliding into her hair, fisting it tight. “My girl. My warrior. The woman who just helped take down a goddamn human trafficking ring and thinks she doesn’t fit into my world.”
Meri bit her lip, looking up at him. “So what now?”
Bear’s grip in her hair tightened, tugging her head back as he studied her. “Now, you learn how to live without fear. And you do it with me.”
A slow, hesitant nod. “Okay.”
Bear’s grip turned gentle, his lips brushing over hers. “Good girl.”
Her breath hitched, her fingers digging into his chest, and Bear knew—he had her. Not just in his arms, but where she belonged… with him.
Bear sat in the lounge in Club Southside, watching as Meri moved through the dimly lit space. The club was quiet tonight, a contrast to the usual energy that pulsed through its walls. A few scenes played out across the dungeon floor—low murmurs of commands, the rhythmic crack of a flogger striking flesh, the quiet hum of submission that wove through the air. It was familiar, grounding, a place where power and surrender met in perfect equilibrium.
But none of it held his attention. Only she did.
Meri had agreed to come here, but she hadn’t asked why. Maybe part of her already knew. Maybe she understood exactly what tonight meant.
She wore black leggings and a soft sweater that still held his scent from when she’d taken it from his closet earlier that night. Nothing extravagant. Nothing designed to impress. Nothing she could wear on the dungeon floor. Just her… and she was stunning.
She had been watching the scenes, quiet and contemplative, her eyes darting to him every so often as if waiting for something. Waiting for him to tell her why they were here. Waiting for him to make a move.
Bear drained the last of his drink and stood, moving toward her with slow, deliberate steps. The moment she saw him approach, her lips parted, her pulse visibly fluttering at her throat. His little one was always aware of him, whether or not she admitted it.
Without a word, he took her hand and led her to the middle of the lounge. The lighting was dim, the ambiance quiet, intimate. He turned to face her, taking in the slight lift of her chin, the way her hands twitched at her sides like she was fighting the urge to reach for him.
"Kneel, little one. Do you know why we're here?" His voice was low, steady, letting the question settle between them.
Meri licked her lips as she sank to her knees, but she didn’t break eye contact. "You're testing me?"
Bear’s lips curled slightly. "I already tested you." His hand came up, brushing the side of her throat, where her pulse pounded beneath her skin. "You passed."
She swallowed hard. "Then what is this?"
Bear reached into his pocket, pulling out an exquisite collar made of titanium beads and polished square diamonds. No words. No symbols. Because she already knew what it meant.
Meri's breath hitched.
"This isn’t a claim," he told her, his voice unwavering. "This isn’t about ownership. It’s not about what you went through or what I pulled you out of. This is a promise."
She stayed perfectly still, her gaze darting between him and the collar resting in his palm. She didn’t flinch. Didn’t step back, but she didn’t reach for it, either.
"You were always mine," he murmured, stepping closer, letting his presence wrap around her like the control she craved. "Before this. After this. You kneel for me tonight, not because you feel lost. Not because you need saving. But because you want to."
The silence stretched between them, thick with the weight of everything they had been through, everything they had yet to say.
She was still watching him, her lips parted, her hands resting lightly on her thighs. She wasn’t trembling. She wasn’t hesitating. She was giving this to him. Not out of obligation. Not because she needed to find something solid in the storm. But because she was already steady. Already whole. And she wanted to give herself to him, anyway.
Bear sank to his haunches, cupping her face with both hands. "Look at you, little one," he murmured. "So fucking perfect."
Her breath hitched, and he felt her melt under his touch, just a fraction, just enough for him to know she was right where she wanted to be. Carefully, deliberately, he lifted the collar and wrapped it around her throat, locking it into place. It fit perfectly.
Meri let out a slow, shuddering breath as he traced a finger along the collar, his thumb brushing over the polished beads and gems. He leaned in, lips at her ear.
"This is my promise to you," he whispered. "Not to protect you. Not to keep you locked away. But to stand beside you. To lead you when you need it. To own your pleasure, your pain, your submission—not because you have to give it to me. But because you want to."
Meri exhaled sharply, her hands curling against her thighs. "I do," she whispered.
Bear’s fingers tightened slightly at her jaw. "Say it again."
Her eyes burned with something fierce. Something unshakable. "I want to be yours."
Bear’s chest went tight. His grip gentled, his lips brushing over hers before he pulled back just enough to look at her. "Then that’s the last time you ever doubt it."
A slow, satisfied smile curved her lips. "Yes, Daddy."
Bear groaned, dragging her up and into his arms, his mouth claiming hers in a way that left no room for uncertainty. He could taste the trust in her kiss, feel it in the way she pressed against him, in the way her fingers curled in his shirt like she never wanted to let go.
Bear didn’t rush her. He let the moment settle between them, let the quiet weight of it wrap around them like something sacred. Meri stood before him, steady, whole, not as a woman who needed saving, but as one who had chosen him in the purest, most undeniable way.
His. He hadn’t just claimed her, she’d claimed him back. The collar wasn’t a cage; it was a promise. And she’d accepted it without hesitation.
Bear let out a slow breath, his grip firming just enough to remind her he was still in control. "You look perfect like this, little one."
Meri’s lashes fluttered slightly, her lips parting, her body responding as it always did to his praise, his dominance. "Thank you, Daddy," she murmured.
Her lips curved up—not in disbelief nor in wariness, but in something soft and certain, something that told him she believed him. That she understood, finally, that this wasn’t about obligation, wasn’t about guilt or protection. This was just them.
"I love you," she whispered, and it wasn’t a question, wasn’t something she was afraid of anymore. It was fact. A truth as solid as the ground beneath them.
Bear’s fingers tightened in her hair as a growl rumbled deep in his chest. Mine. He surged forward, yanking her close against him, his mouth claiming hers in a deep, all-consuming kiss. Meri melted, her fingers gripping his shirt; she molded against him as if she fit nowhere else.
"Say it again," he demanded against her lips.
Her breath hitched. "I love you, Daddy."
“I love you too, little one.”
He kissed her harder, swallowing the words, the meaning, the everything between them. His hands roamed, palms spanning the length of her spine before he dragged her hard against him, his grip unrelenting.
Meri gasped into his mouth, arching into him, her body already begging for more, for him. And he would give it to her. Every goddamn thing. But before he could drag her to one of the playrooms and ruin her properly, his phone buzzed.
He ignored it.
It buzzed again.
Meri groaned in frustration against his lips, her fingers curling in his shirt. "Whoever that is, I hate them."
Bear let out a dark chuckle but didn’t release her. His hands smoothed down her back, fingers playing at the hem of her sweater, toying with the idea of stripping it off right there, when his phone vibrated again.
Muttering a curse, he pulled back just enough to glance at the screen. Fitz—that wasn’t a call he could ignore.
Bear sighed, gripping the back of Meri’s neck as he lifted the phone to his ear. "Talk."
"Problem." Fitz’s voice was sharp. No-nonsense. "I’m going to need you and Archer in London as soon as possible."
Bear narrowed his eyes. "Thought we handled all our problems."
"Yeah, well, turns out DeLuca’s little empire was just a piece of a much larger puzzle." There was a rustling sound in the background, voices, the hum of trouble on the horizon. "Someone else is making a move. Stepping into the power vacuum he left behind."
Meri tilted her head, watching his expression, eyes sharp, body already bracing for whatever came next. His perfect little warrior.
Bear huffed a laugh, rubbing a hand down his face. "Tell me we at least get a break first.
"You?” Fitz snorted. “A break? You’d be bored in a week."
Bear felt Meri shift closer, felt her fingers graze his belt as she leaned into his chest. Her voice was utterly shameless when she murmured, "We could be very busy for a week.” Obviously, she’d overheard the conversation.
Bear grinned. "Damn right we could."
Fitz let out a long-suffering sigh. "I hate to interrupt your lovey dovey little scene, but did you get the girl collared?”
“I did…”
“Good, then get a ring on her finger and get your ass to London."
Bear ended the call, shoving the phone back into his pocket.
Meri arched a brow. "More bad guys?"
"Seems like it."
She stretched, languid and satisfied like a well-fed kitten, before flashing him a wicked smile. "Good. I might have gotten bored."
Bear laughed, dark and possessive, reaching out to grab her ass and haul her up against him again. "Never happen, but it looks like we’re not done yet, little one."