Obeying the Bear: BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance (The Callaghan Clan Book 1) (6 page)

M
y bear needed this
. He hated when I let the human world weigh on us and always asked me to free him when things got too stressful. It had been a constant power struggle between us since I was a toddler.

We ran as fast as we could, knowing that Emma could keep up. She was fast. And strong. Stronger than she ever gave herself credit for. Even her decision to leave had shown her strength. A female grizzly on her own didn’t usually survive very long. I’d hated that she left, but she’d found a way to do something I’d only dreamed of and that proved just how tough she was. We both loved her for that.

Crashing over the branches and dodging tree limbs, I ducked and slid until finally hearing the rushing water. While Emma and I had claimed the waterfalls as our escape location, this was a place I’d very rarely come to. During the day, there would be locals here. But sometimes, in the middle of the night, we had the spot to ourselves.

Emma skidded into me when I stopped. I grunted a laugh as she shook her large head, trying to get her bearings again. With a single thought, I shrunk back into my human form, acutely aware of how much easier my transitions were now that I was almost alpha. Emma watched me for several moments, her yellow bear eyes studying me and every single part of my body. I felt my cock hardened under her gaze.

“You coming?” I asked, voice low and gravelly.

She huffed and I swear I could see a smile form on her bear snout. Dropping to the ground she roared as her body shifted back to human. Had that hurt her? Was she fighting her bear? I wanted to protect her, yet each shifter had their own way of handling the change. Emma and I had decided long ago not to judge or worry about each other’s process.

Emma stood, her naked body glistening in the moonlight, curves lasting for miles and exciting me even more. Her auburn hair hung over her back, matted with knots and leaves from the ground. A little bit of dirt covered her cheek and I reached up to brush it away. She melted under my touch and I almost took her right then and there.

She cleared her throat. “I haven’t been here in years.” While her gaze stayed locked with mine, I could see her listening to the sound of the water nearby.

“Neither have I.”

“Really?” she asked in genuine surprise.

I shrugged. “No time.”

Her eyes softened, her lips parting in a slight frown. I could sense her guilt and knew she felt like some of my issues had been caused by her departure. It was partially true, but most of the craziness in my life had been caused by clan obligations and not just from the aftermath of her leaving.

Weaving my fingers through hers, I forced a smile. “Come on. We should have the spring to ourselves.”

The warmth of her skin on mine excited my bear. His mate had returned and he wanted nothing more than to protect her and mate with her. I’d felt him come alive again the moment we saw her at the funeral. As though a part of him had been sitting dormant since Emma had left, the full, powerful grizzly was back and ready to tackle anything that was thrown at him.

If only I had that much confidence in my human life.

“I forgot how beautiful this place was,” Emma breathed when we reached the rocky ledge overlooking the only hot spring in this part of the Kenai Peninsula. Most people didn’t know about it at all, which left the site relatively pristine and untouched.

Steam wafted off the water’s surface in an eerie fog. In the moonlight, it looked like something our ancestors would have seen—same landscape untouched by time. Emma didn’t wait for me and instead jumped down over the boulders to get to the pool first. I laughed at her eagerness and secretly thanked her for getting me out of the house.

She splashed into the water’s edge, her naked body glowing with excitement. I had to shift my gait just to account for my growing erection. I wondered if Emma realized just how much she could impact me without trying at all. Floating on her back, she kicked her feet and then disappeared under the water. I wanted to watch her all night long. I’d loved Emma as long as I could remember. When we were teenagers, I told her as much. She had reciprocated and I’d believed our lives would be spent by each other’s sides until we no longer breathed.

“Get that sad look off your face and get down here,” Emma said with a teasing warning.

I swallowed the gnawing thoughts of Emma and climbed down into the pool. She let me soak my body for just a few minutes before I found her hovering over my face.

“Feeling better yet?” she asked, kissing my forehead and letting her breasts hang so close to my chest.

“Maybe,” I teased.

She grabbed my thigh and slowly started rubbing her fingers up and down my leg. “How about now?”

I closed my eyes. “That’s a little better.”

Her lips pressed lightly against my own and I tried to snag them between my teeth. But she was too quick and giggled as she pulled away. “Oh no. I’m in charge tonight.”

My erection hardened even more. My bear didn’t like to be dominated but my human side certainly loved to let go every once in a while. Only Emma was allowed to have that kind of power over me. Over us. The bear settled slightly as I promised him this was acceptable.

Emma pushed me backward against a boulder that acted as a chair under the water. My back rubbed against the granite and I growled low in my chest with the pleasure of her dominance. She stepped away from me and I instinctively reached out for her.

But with a shaking head she smiled. “Not yet,” she breathed. Dipping her body under the water, she emerged with her hair out of her face and water dripping off her ample breasts. When she opened her eyes, they had a hint of her bear inside—yellowing around the edges of the light blue. Her bear was also right at the surface, giving her more power than she probably realized. Low rumbles reverberated from her chest and once again my cock hardened.

Emma sauntered back over to me, dragging her hands behind her in the water and arching her back slightly. She looked like a siren. A beautiful, powerful siren that put me under her spell in seconds. Without saying a word, she climbed on top of me so that her breasts were in my face. Grabbing the back of my head, she pulled me against her, my mouth covering her nipple and clamping down. I flicked my tongue back and forth over her hardened nub, sinking my hands into her ass cheeks and holding her tight.

Emma moaned under my touch, my arousal wanting to be inside. But she stayed high on her knees, preventing me from finding her sex but allowing me to explore other parts of her. With a forceful move, Emma yanked my head back and leaned forward to kiss me. She pushed her tongue in my mouth and I reciprocated in kind. Rubbing my hands along her hips, I found myself moaning in the pleasure of having her take control.

With a smile, Emma pulled back and then slowly lowered herself until the head of my dick pushed against her folds. Even under the water I could feel her wetness inside. She bit her lip and I almost lost it. “Are you feeling better?” she asked.

“Perhaps,” I said.

Her mouth turned up into a grin, her eyes dancing with anticipation. “Good.”

I thought she was going to lower herself even more, but instead, she stood. Legs straddled on either side of me, she balanced on the rock. My nose brushed down her stomach as she stood, finishing right between her legs when she stopped. Her small patch of hair tickled my nose, the smell of her sex so enticing I wanted to bury myself in it right now. But Emma was in charge and, even if it killed me, I would let her dictate the pace.

She lifted her right leg to rest on the small boulder behind me. I glanced up at her and she smiled—a wicked smile that spoke a thousand messages about what she was expecting me to do. And then she dug her fingers into my hair and pressed my face into her sex.

Growling my content, I didn’t waste any time. My nose brushed against her clit while I used my tongue to lick her folds—her wet folds that smelled of arousal and ripped the bear from my chest. She called out into the evening air each time my tongue reached further and further inside. With fingers grinding into my head, I felt her left leg weaken with the pleasure of an impending orgasm. Her center rocked back and forth in time with the rhythm of my tongue. I cupped her ass, letting one finger slide between her legs so I could tease her clit. Her moans increased and my mouth was covered in her wetness.

Pushing my face even deeper between her legs, Emma cried out the moment her orgasm rocked through her. Her hole pulsed around my tongue, her sex throbbing with aftershocks. I continued to tease her with my mouth, sucking on her clit and inducing more waves of pleasure from deep inside. My balls ached for release, my cock hard enough to break the rock I sat on. Squeezing her tight, I could only wish she would fuck me until the sun came up.

As her body relaxed a little bit, Emma pulled my head away from her core. She looked down at me and smiled, the sweat glittering on her forehead. But she didn’t say anything. Instead she lowered her leg and then her body directly on top of my erection. She was so wet, it didn’t matter that we were in the water—her folds slipped right over the tip of my head until I was resting deep inside. Emma’s breasts rubbed up against my chest as she wrapped her hands around the back of my head and kissed me. Our mouths danced around each other while she moved her hips back and forth and up and down over my cock.

Lifting her ass, I encouraged her to move faster. She complied, and in no time at all I felt my orgasm rushing to the surface. I hardened more, Emma biting my shoulder when she felt the same inside. Her teeth sank into my skin, drawing blood and pulling the orgasm from deep within my core. With one final pulse against my arousal, I released into her. I couldn’t control the roar that escaped my lips, claiming my mate and loving her for giving me this kind of pleasure.

Emma called out into the air again, her folds tightening around mine as she climaxed for the second time. We shook together, pulsing with each other until the final wave subsided. Emma sank lower onto me. Resting her forehead against mine, she cupped my face and focused on my eyes.

“Better now?”

I chuckled. I could help it. “Much.”

Kissing me gently she smiled into my lips. “I love you so much.”

I never prided myself on being an emotional man, but I wasn’t ashamed when I felt the burn of tears behind my eyes. My life wasn’t whole until Emma returned. And now that she was here to stay, I couldn’t imagine ever being so lonely again.

“I love you, too.” I said as we sat in the hot spring wrapped in each other’s arms and enjoying the feel of our skin pressed against one another.

B
randt
and I stayed in the spring until we began to fall asleep. My body had never felt so content to be with him. Not even before I left had I ever remembered being so complete. Perhaps I needed the time away to truly appreciate how wonderful and perfect Brandt was for me. There was no denying our mates any longer—we would be together for the rest of our lives.

I woke to his large, yet soft hand brushing against my shoulder. We’d slept in
our
room once we returned and although it was only for a few hours, it was the best sleep I’d had in a long time.

“Emma, wake up,” he whispered.

“Do I have to?” I grumbled.

Though his laughter he kissed my cheek. “Yes.”

I opened one eye just wide enough to see that it wasn’t very bright outside yet. “What time is it?”

“Seven.”

“In the morning?”

He laughed again. “Yes. Get up.” I mumbled something incoherent so he shook me again. “Please, it’s important.”

Curiosity getting the best of me, I pushed the covers back and exposed my naked body to Brandt. He watched me closely, eyes eating up every inch like he’d never be filled. I was on my side, but I slowly rolled onto my back and spread my legs a little wider, pushing my hips up into the air.

He cleared his throat and bit his lip. I heard the low rumble and found myself getting wet already.

“Can I interest you in something else?” I teased.

Brandt let out a moan and dropped his head into his hands. A piece of paper dangled from his fingers while he stayed crouched on the floor next to the bed. “You’re killing me, Emma.”

“I know.”

He looked up at me with such a brilliant smile, my insides melted away into mush. Heart pounding and sex throbbing for him, I wished we could stay locked up in this room forever.

Brandt let his hand, the one not holding the paper, fall onto my stomach and he slowly slid it down between my legs. When his finger slipped in my wetness he sucked in a quick breath. He gently rubbed back and forth, covering my whole area and I closed my eyes to enjoy the moment. But it ended too quickly when Brandt jumped to his feet and walked to the end of the bed.

“What are you doing?” I pleaded. My body craved his so badly right now it physically hurt to have him be so far away.

“Believe me, there’s nothing else I’d rather do more than to jump on that bed and fuck you into oblivion.”

My sex throbbed again with his words and I saw his nostrils flare with the amount of pheromones I was releasing.

“But I found this attached to the mailbox this morning and I need to take care of it now.” He held out the letter, the worried look in his eyes telling me that this was something serious.

“Oh no, what happened?” I asked, sitting up and crawling to the end of the bed so I could grab the letter. “Is someone else hurt?”

He shook his head. “No.”

Scanning the hand-written note, I read it two times before saying anything. “Scarlett Kani? The enforcer of the Tik’a pack?”

“Looks like it.” Brandt took back the letter and examined it again. “She’s good people. And this,” he flicked the paper, “this could give us the answers we need to find Dixon’s killer.”

While I hadn’t forgotten about Dixon’s death, after the events of last night it felt like it had been more than a day. A deep sadness took hold of my chest and I did my best to push it back down now. Being sad wouldn’t bring Dixon back, but I could at least help Brandt get some answers and feel like I was contributing to the clan again.

“Can you trust her?”

“What do you mean?” Brandt said, distracted by something else.

“I mean she’s asking you to come onto their territory and speak with them. It could be a trap.”

He sighed and passed his gaze over my breasts. They tingled with that look. “I don’t know. Do you think it’s a trap?”

I shook my head. “Scarlett’s never been a liar. She’s robotic and practical, not a schemer.” While I hadn’t talked to Scarlett in many years, her reputation as a fair leader and enforcer had always taken precedence. Her uncle was the pack alpha, but rumor had it that she was really the one running the show.

“That’s what I think too.” Brandt read the letter again. “If she’s suggesting a meeting, I think we need to go.”

“Have you told your brothers or Derrick?”

“No.”

“Are you going to?”

“No,” he said a little too quickly. “I’m telling you.”

My heart swelled with warmth and pride. Brandt, the presumed alpha and my mate, trusted me with this news before all others. Bo had been right, I would need to be a strong partner for Brandt because Brandt would actually treat me as an equal. And I loved him so much for that right now.

“All right. We should go then,” I said, jumping out of bed and running into the closet where I’d stored my bag. In a few minutes, I had my jeans and tee shirt on, pulled my hair back into a pony tail, and slipped on my sandals.

When I emerged, Brandt stood still, smiling down at me in that hungry way again. “What?” I asked.

“I love you,” he said.

“Well good,” I teased, pressing up to my toes so I could kiss him, “because I love you too.” Slapping his tight ass, I walked past him and stepped into the hallway. “Come on, let’s go talk to a werewolf.”

* * *

T
he pack’s
land bordered our own, but with the lack of roads traveling between the two areas, it took us a little more than an hour before we arrived outside the trailer park where most of their members lived. Brandt pulled to a stop near the sign that said
Bristling Pine Estates
. Carved out in a single piece of cedar, the letters had been burned into the wood and the ground around it landscaped with fresh flowers in full bloom for the summer.

“Are we sure about this?” Brandt asked.

I reached over and squeezed his thigh. “Yes. We have to trust someone.”

Brandt pulled forward and the second we crossed into the park, I swear I felt a tingle in the air. Like magic, only not. I didn’t say anything, fearing that Brandt would just laugh at me and say I was being overly cautious.

Each trailer had been covered in wood siding, making the buildings look like they’d always been a part of the forest. Small, yet manicured plots of grass surrounded every trailer, the only difference being the color of the doors on each house. As we rounded the first turn in the road, several tall but skinny men stepped into the road in front of us. Their dark hair, bright green eyes, and warning glares had Brandt stopping as soon as he could.

“Here we go,” he muttered.

“Yep,” I added, trying to make myself leave his truck and face whatever it was Scarlett wanted us here for.

Brandt opened his door and had one foot on the dirt road before his cell phone rang. Pulling it from his back pocket, he glanced at the screen and then quickly silenced the call. He placed the phone in the center console and turned away from me.

“Who was that?” I asked.

“Derrick.”

“Should you answer?”

Brandt glanced up ahead at the crowd of wolf shifters gathering in front of us. “It would be rude.”

With a nod, I agreed with his point and jumped out the door. We met in front of the truck where Brandt grabbed my hand and held on tight. At least twenty wolves in human form stood in front of us but my bear sensed a few animals lingering in the woods nearby. I suddenly felt uneasy and wanted to shift into my bear so that I could protect us if anything went wrong.

“There is no need to be frightened,” a sharp female voice said from somewhere up ahead. “You are an invited guest and you have my word no harm will come to you here.”

“Scarlett?” Brandt asked.

The men didn’t move when a tall, slim but athletic Kenaitze female with a long, dark braid hanging on one side of her body weaved her way through them. She wore all black from her shoes to her leather vest and her eyes glowed a greenish-yellowish color when the sunlight hit them just right. “Brandt Callaghan,” she nodded. “Thank you for coming.”

He replied with a slight head bob and squeezed my hand even tighter. “Can we speak somewhere private?” he asked.

Scarlett smiled, her perfect teeth showing through. She was beautiful and despite being the pack enforcer appeared to have the confidence of a successful woman as well. “Please, follow me.” She waved us forward and then turned her back—a sign that even two grizzlies didn’t concern her.

The men parted as we stepped through. Scarlett led us toward the last trailer on the end of the road. She walked with only one other, a teenage boy who spoke closely to her ear so that we couldn’t hear. A group of young children rushed up to our sides and quickly surrounded us in a circle of laughter and squeals. They chatted in their native Dena’ina language, a dialect only a small number of Kenaitze still spoke. I had known that they kept their language alive in this particular shifter pack and I’d always loved that the elders had passed all traditions on to their young ones—both animal and human traditions alike.

An elderly woman shuffled over from the front porch of one of the trailers and yelled at the children. She shooed them away and after a few minutes they complied. Smiling kindly at us, her eyes traveled to our clasped hands and then focused just on me. She lifted her hands to the sky and twirled in a circle three times, chanting the same few words over and over. I only caught one of them,
chadaka’a
, and knew that it was one of their words for bear.

Brandt leaned in to me and whispered in my ear. “I think we’re being blessed.”

“Really?” I asked, eyes still on the woman.

She continued to chant and stomp her feet and then finally she came to a rest by my side. Suddenly, she rested one hand on our clasped hands and one hand on my stomach. “
Un niłqetni. Qaduniłhdetnesh.
”

A shiver jolted from my neck to my toes as the woman’s hand seemed to warm on my belly. Brandt tensed beside me but he didn’t chase her off. She repeated the same words several times and then bowed her head and backed away. I continued to stare at her even as Scarlett waved us forward again. She was waiting on the porch of the only trailer with a red door. When we got close enough, I could see her smiling down at both of us.

“Looks like Fedosina has given you her blessing,” she said, her words coming out like silk.

“Told you,” Brandt whispered and kissed the side of my head.

My free hand rested across my stomach. Why had the old woman touched me there? Was she trying to tell me something? Was I pregnant? I immediately shook that thought from my mind. There was absolutely no way I could deal with that right now. And as we followed Scarlett inside, I swear I could feel something different deep within my soul.

The trailer was lighter than I’d expected. White wash walls and large windows on the side let in ample sunlight and helped make me feel at ease. Scarlett gestured for us to sit down at the small kitchen table and disappeared into the hallway.

“Do you know what she’s doing?” I asked.

“Getting her alpha I suspect.”

“Oh.” I whispered and sank back into the chair closer to Brandt.

A moment later Scarlett helped an older man out of a room and into the kitchen where we waited. His chin-length black hair was mostly gray, his face wrinkled from old age. He seemed frail and in pain, but the moment he saw us he stood tall on his own. “Brandt Callaghan. It’s been a long time,” the man said.

Brandt rose and extended his hand across the table. “Peter Kani. Thank you for having us.”

My bear cringed at the contact between the wolf and the grizzly, but I pushed her down the second Peter snapped his head in my direction.

“This is Emma Davis. My mate.” Brandt said, trying to alleviate some of the tension.

Peter nodded and Scarlett helped him sit. I was very surprised that Peter would allow us to see the extent of his frailty. I also wondered why no one had challenged him for alpha yet.

“Scarlett has informed me that you recently lost two of your own, including your father.” Brandt nodded. “And she has also told me that someone is making it look like we are responsible for their deaths.”