Chapter 9
I watched as Audrey headed back into the house.
I couldn’t have looked away even if I had wanted to.
The way her ass swayed made my cock rock-fucking-hard.
After the whirlwind trip to meet Audrey and the drive back, trapped in the truck with her scent all around me, my bear was pressing to stretch his legs.
He was wound just as tight as I was after our sexy little dip in the pool.
After a full day with Audrey, I felt like I was going to snap at any given moment, and my bear felt the same. If I didn’t shift soon, he was going to force the issue. That wouldn’t be a pretty event.
Though she’d only been there for a few hours, it seemed like Audrey was everywhere. Her scent lingering in the halls, her laugh echoing in the kitchen, that bright spark in her blue eyes.
My bear was restless, pacing inside me, itching for a much-needed release. I needed to run, to let the animal side of me burn off some of this energy before I said or did something I couldn’t take back.
“Let’s go, Mack. I need out. We need to run,” my bear grumbled, hot and impatient.
I put the leftover food in the fridge and slipped out the back door, letting the familiar hush of the night settle over my skin.
The forest beyond my cabin was calling. With a practiced breath, I let the shift come.
Muscles bunched, bones reformed, and fur rippled over my skin until I was on all fours, massive and wild.
My senses flared. I could smell every pine needle, every trace of deer and fox, but most of all, Audrey.
Sweet, electric, tempting. I could smell her even from the edge of the woods, her scent curling through my mind and stirring something wild and raw deep inside me.
I crashed through the trees, running hard and fast, digging my claws into the earth, losing myself to the night.
Branches whipped past me. I leapt over fallen logs and barreled through the underbrush, letting the moonlight cool the fire in my veins.
The wind in my fur, the strength in my muscles. This was what freedom felt like.
Every stride, every surge of muscle, felt like a raw release. I let out a deep-chested growl, the sound echoing through the trees. The powerful animal inside me was alive and hungry and wild. My bear roared with joy as I raced through the darkness, paws thudding against the ground.
“She’s our mate, Mack,” my bear rumbled, his voice thick with longing. “We need to claim her. Need her close. No more waiting.”
“She’s human. We need to take this slowly, or we will lose her. She doesn’t understand our world—our rules.”
I pushed myself faster, as if running for miles on fucking end could chase away the aching need that I had for her.
The truth was, I’d never felt anything like this.
The way Audrey looked at me made every inch of my body ache—from my heart to my cock and everything in between.
The way she trusted me, her vulnerability, her laughter.
It all called to something ancient and protective in me.
I wanted to wrap her up, keep her safe, show her everything I was, both man and beast.
But it wasn’t just desire. It was deeper. It was a primal urge that I couldn’t ignore. She was my mate, chosen by the Fates, and every cell in my body not just wanted but needed her to know it. I could almost picture her in the woods with me, fearless and fierce, running by my side.
I slowed near the creek, lowering my head to drink from the fresh, icy water. The moonlight glimmered on the surface, and I saw my reflection—a massive bear with golden eyes burning with something both tender and wild.
“We’ll keep her safe. Protect her. But she needs to know who we are,” my bear insisted.
“Not yet,” I answered. “She’s only just arrived. I can’t drop that on her—not until she’s ready.”
“She’ll understand. She’s meant for us,” he countered.
The beast didn’t understand the human element. He had no desire to. With him, it was all about the primal urges and wild instincts, and mating was at the very top of that list.
The urge to circle back to the cabin and check on her was overwhelming.
I rose from the creek, shook the water from my fur, and trotted through the trees, scenting the air for any sign of trouble.
A deer bolted at the edge of the clearing, but I ignored it.
Any other night, I would have given chase, but tonight, my mind was on Audrey.
As I neared the house, I heard the distant sound of the pool filter humming and caught the sharp, comforting scent of chlorine.
And then—Muffin. The little black cat was out by the pool, tail high, stalking some imaginary prey.
I padded over, careful to keep my movements slow and gentle.
The last thing I wanted was to scare her, especially since Audrey had made it very clear Muffin was family.
I lowered my head and sniffed at her. Muffin paused, her tail flicking, and then stared at me with those big, unblinking eyes. She didn’t run. If anything, she seemed almost unimpressed by my size. Such a brave and foolish little thing. We were going to get along just fine.
“Funny creature,” my bear mused, “Not scared at all.”
Suddenly, a shriek split the night. “Mack! Bear! Oh my god—Mack, there’s a bear! Muffin!” Audrey’s panic was unmistakable, her fear slicing through the quiet like a blade.
I jerked my head up and saw her at the sliding door, wide-eyed and frantic. She banged on the glass, trying to get out. “Muffin, get away from it before it eats you! Mack! Help!”
I sat down beside Muffin, trying to look as harmless as a seven-hundred-pound bear possibly could, but that only made her more hysterical.
“Shoo! Go away! Get away from my freaking cat, you beast!” Audrey screamed, rushing outside to scoop Muffin up. Her fear radiated off her in waves, and I felt a pang of guilt.
Muffin, for her part, seemed entirely unconcerned. She let herself be scooped up, but not before shooting me one more curious look.
“Should we let her in on the secret?” my bear rumbled, half amused, half longing.
“Not tonight,” I thought, backing away toward the tree line. “She needs time.”
Audrey clutched Muffin to her chest, backing away from me, glaring daggers as I lumbered off toward the woods.
“It’s okay, Muffin. You’re safe now. Mack, if you don’t call animal control, I will!” Audrey shouted.
I melted into the shadows of the forest, letting my magic shift me back into my human form. Bones, flesh, muscle, until I was just Mack again. I stood behind a tree, catching my breath and running a hand through my hair, torn between laughter and frustration.
Soon, I’d have to tell her the truth. About what and who I am, and what she means to me. But for now, as I watched Audrey carry Muffin inside and lock the door behind her, I knew I’d do whatever it took to protect them both. No matter how wild things got.
“Is everything okay?” I asked as I stepped back into the house through the side door.
“You have a bear problem!” Audrey was beside herself. “It almost ate Muffin!”
“Really? Bears don’t normally dine on house cats,” I laughed
“Very funny! Ha ha! How would you know? I’m serious, Mack. That thing was huge! And Muffin! My God, she has no sense of self-preservation. I think she actually kissed it!” Audrey’s pitch got higher with every sentence. “Didn’t you see it? Where were you? Why are you all sweaty?”
“I—uhh went for a quick run. I like to do that in the evenings sometimes.” It was the best I could come up with off the top of my head, and technically, not a word of it was a lie.
“You’re lucky you didn’t get eaten by the giant bear. I didn’t even know that grizzly bears lived in Texas. I thought they only lived in Alaska or somewhere up north!”
“They are rare in this area, but definitely around.”
She turned her attention toward Muffin. “And you! You stay away from bears, young lady! You may think that you’re a panther, but I assure you, you are not!”
“Meow.” Muffin sprang from her arms as if to say, “Whatever.”