A Bride For The Bear (Bear Brides #1) (10 page)

Tony had narrowed his eyes at
Cole as he jerked his thumb at Abby. “You didn't have to
hunker down and put in the effort. Your mate came looking for you,
you lucky sod.”

Abby wasn't intimidated by
Tony's loud voice and scowling demeanor. The big, grumpy werebear
had been the first one to tell her gruffly, “Welcome to the
family, sister.”

Abby gingerly put the phone
back against her ear. “I took a bus to Moonstone Creek, and I
met him,” Abby repeated to her best friend.

“You should have called
me. I'd have gone with you! Do you...”

“You were away,”
Abby cut in quickly. “I'm here, and I'm fine, aren't I? Don't
worry, Terri. Cole is a great guy. I've met his clan, his family.
In fact, they're standing behind me in the kitchen right now.”

“You said Cole is a
bear shifter,” Terri said slowly.

“Yes. He's the Alpha
of the Nightfire clan.”

“You've had sex with
him?”

“Terri!”

“Has he marked you?”

“What...”

“Abby,” her
friend said seriously. “I've dated plenty of shifters. I know
that shifters love sex. Heck, who doesn't? But they only mark their
mates. And once you're marked, that's it. You're mated, bonded,
bound—for life! There's no escape, Abby.”

“I don't want to
escape. I love him, Terri!”

There was a collective intake
of breath behind her. Abby glanced over her shoulder and saw Dalton,
Tony and Brad staring at her with a mixture of surprise, delight and
approval on their faces. They grinned and clapped Cole on the back.

Abby turned away quickly so
they wouldn't see her blushing. Cupping her hand over the phone, she
whispered, “He's my mate, Terri. I never thought I'd find Mr
Right, but I did. I found him. And yes, I'm marked and mated, and
I've never been happier.”

There was a pause, and Abby
could picture her friend frowning and shaking her head. She heard
the clicking of keyboard keys and she heard Terri muttering to
herself as she typed something furiously.

“Terri, what are you
doing?” she hissed.

“I'm getting ordained.”

“What?”

“I'm getting myself
ordained over the internet,” Terri announced and Abby could
hear the smile in her voice. “It's Saturday morning now. Hmm,
it says here that I'll receive my certificate in a few hours. Great!
I'll print out my certificate and catch the evening bus out to
Moonstone Creek. You may be mated, my friend, but you'll be getting
married too. I'll be officiating at your wedding. This evening.
You have...exactly eight hours to prepare for your wedding. Wear
something nice. See you at six!”

Abby spluttered but Terri had
already hung up.

Slowly, she turned around and
gasped as she met the wall of Cole's broad chest. She blinked up at
him and opened and closed her mouth wordlessly. “I...I'm
getting...” she managed at last.

“Married,” Cole
finished for her. “I know. I heard.”

She blew out a shaky breath.
“Terri has...”

“The right idea,”
Cole answered with a smile. “She is right. We should get
married, properly, the human way. It's only right. My mate is
human. And I'm honored to have your friend officiate at our
wedding.”

Cole turned around, but
Dalton had already whipped out his phone. “I'm on it,”
Dalton grinned. “The clan will get everything ready by six.”

Abby gulped. “I...have
nothing to wear.”

“Don't worry about it,”
Brad said. “I know the guys are going to mobilize their mates,
sisters, mothers, aunts, grandmothers, all their females to help.
Everyone loves a wedding. The females will get you ready.”

“I'm pretty handy with
a makeup brush myself,” Tony deadpanned.

Abby cocked a brow at him.
“In that case, I'll put you in charge of my makeup.”

Tony paled. “I...”

“She called your
bluff,” Brad chortled. “She's a smart one.”

“Make yourself useful,
boys.” A harried-looking Dalton snapped at Brad and Tony. “Go
call up some bridal shops and drive Abby down to try on the gowns.
Call up some caterers as well. There's a lot to do. Go, go, go!”

“Yes, Beta!”
Tony and Brad snapped to attention.

“I'll drive her,”
Cole offered.

“No!” His
brother and cousins shouted together.

“It's bad luck for the
groom to see the bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony!”

“Human tradition.”

“You've got to do it
right,” Tony said severely.

Cole put up his hands.
“Okay, okay. You guys take care of her.”

“Of course we will!”
they answered huffily as if Cole had just insulted them.

Abby laughed. Excitement and
happiness bubbled up in her. Everything was happening so fast, but
everything was as it should be.

She had no time to feel
overwhelmed, anxious or nervous. The doorbell started ringing, and
members of the clan began arriving with sprightly grandmothers and
great-grandmothers in tow, all eager to see the bride and help get
the young woman ready for her big day.

***

Cole stood under the arc that
was adorned with dainty white flowers and tugged at the sleeve of his
tuxedo. His large garden had been transformed into a paradise of
flowers and ribbons. The she-bears had done a fantastic job,
descending on his house in droves and getting everything ready in a
matter of hours.

An elite force of grandmother
bears had been assigned the all-important, covert mission of
preparing and dressing the bride. They had hidden Abby away, and no
one would tell him where she was.

Not even her best friend
Terri.

He had managed to get Terri's
contact number from Abby before she disappeared with the females, and
he had driven out to the city to chauffeur her to Moonstone Creek.
He had already gotten his tuxedo ready, and he wanted to thank Abby's
friend for all she was doing for them.

He had to admit he liked
Terri, even though she was relentless and ruthless in her
interrogation. He had patiently answered all her questions during
the two-hour drive. From her probing, incisive questions, Cole could
tell that Terri genuinely cared for Abby. And anyone who loved his
Abby was family as far as he was concerned.

Terri had been escorted to
Abby's secret hideout by a trio of giggling she-bears. But when Cole
attempted to follow them, their giggling stopped and their claws came
out. He might be their Alpha, but they weren't letting him get past
them to the bride.

Cole looked out at the crowd
of happy, smiling faces. His entire clan was gathered here in his
garden. They had all worked tirelessly the whole day, and no one
would divulge the location of his bride or the design of her wedding
dress. He suspected that the females had hidden her in Brad's house,
but he knew better than to probe.

Everyone turned towards the
porch as the door opened and Abby stepped out with Dalton.

The sight of his bride took
his breath away.

Abby was beautiful,
resplendent in an off-shoulder white down. Her sheer veil and train
were decorated with delicate pink hearts and glittering crystals
which caught the light of the setting sun.

There were gasps and sniffles
as Dalton escorted her down the row of smiling werebears. Cole
stared at her, marveling at how lucky he was.

He was getting married, to
the most beautiful, perfect woman in the world.

Dalton handed his bride over
to him with a wink. Abby smiled at him shyly, and when he reached
out to touch her veil, Terri cleared her throat and glared at him.

Abby giggled at her friend,
who was dressed primly in a high-collared white blouse and a skirt
which reached to her ankles. From the look on Abby's face, Cole
suspected that this wasn't Terri's usual style of dressing.

“Dearly beloved, we are
gathered here today...” Terri began solemnly, officiating her
very first wedding with aplomb.

When Abby answered, “I
do,” Cole's heart almost burst with pride and joy. She had
declared her love and commitment to him before all these wonderful
witnesses gathered in his home.

“You may kiss the
bride.” Terri kept her stern, stiff demeanor right through
that sizzling, passionate kiss. Then she whooped and clapped.
“You're married!” She jumped down from the elevated
platform and hugged Abby. “Oh my God, you're married!
Congratulations! Gosh, you're such a beautiful bride!”

“Thank you, Terri,
thank you!” Abby hugged her friend and jumped up and down with
her.

Cole shook hands with Terri,
and laughed as his clan members crowded round to congratulate him and
tease him.

A long buffet table had been
set up at the side of his garden. Everyone began to make their way
to the table and load up their plates. His bears milled about,
eating, talking and laughing.

Abby had her arm linked with
Terri's and was chatting non-stop with all his clan members. She
looked so lovely, happy and relaxed, completely comfortable and
confident among his werebears.

Cole went up to his bride and
kissed her hair. She turned and nuzzled his neck lovingly.

“I'll drive you back to
your apartment to clear out your things. I'll pay your landlord an
extra month's rent and we'll terminate your lease immediately.
You're staying in Moonstone Creek, with me,” Cole said firmly.

“You can give me a lift
back to the city at the same time,” Terri cut in. “Beats
taking the bus.”

“But of course...”
Cole smiled at her.

“I'll drive her.”

They turned to see Tony
standing on the porch, leaning against a pillar. He spoke to the
group in general, but his eyes were fixed on Terri.

Cole turned to Terri and
asked, “You okay with that?”

Terri shrugged. “Is he
a good driver?”

Tony pushed off the pillar
and came right up to Terri. “The best,” he growled.

“We'll see about that,”
Terri smirked.

As Terri and Tony traded
taunts and dares, Cole pulled his bride away for a minute. He had
been apart from her the whole day, and he wanted to be alone with her
for a while.

“I missed you,”
he said, enfolding her in his arms.

“I missed you too,”
she whispered with a sigh. “But they said you shouldn't see me
before the ceremony.”

Cole chuckled. “They
sure did a good job guarding you.”

“They did. They were
great. Look at me. My dress, my makeup, my hair...they transformed
me into a beautiful bride!”

Cole held her firmly by the
shoulders. “You are beautiful, Abby.”

She blushed as he kissed her.

“I love you, Abby.
When I said 'I do', I meant it. I take my wedding vows very
seriously. I will forever love and cherish you, hold you and protect
you, want you and hunger for you,” he said, his voice low and
deep as he pulled her closer.

Abby gasped as she felt the
hard, throbbing evidence of his want and hunger. Cole growled and
swept her up in his arms. When she squealed, he heard laughter and
applause behind him. Cole turned to see his clan gathered round and
craning their necks to watch their Alpha carry his bride over the
threshold and into his house.

Cole leaned in and kissed his
bride long and hard. His bears cheered and whistled, egging him on.
Without a backward glance, he carried Abby into the house and up the
stairs to his bedroom.

“Cole!” Abby
squeaked. “Everyone...”

“They'll continue to
party without us,” he assured her. “But I would like to
start my party now.” He growled and grabbed her, tumbling her
onto the bed.

“I want my wife,”
Cole said, covering her mouth with his.

Abby melted beneath him, her
body undulating as he deepened his kiss. Her hands slid down his
back to his hips. She pressed him hard against her and moaned, “And
I want my husband.”

As Cole tugged the zipper at
the side of her wedding dress down, Abby sighed happily, contentedly
and stretched her arms over her head.

Cole laced his fingers
through his mate's, and they kissed again, their hearts and bodies
joined in a slow, sweet, loving dance.

~
End
~

About the Author

Natalie Kristen is a writer
who enjoys mixing the sweet with the spicy, the light with the dark,
the possibilities with the unimaginable. She enjoys exploring
paranormal and dystopian worlds, deep desires and inspiring romances.
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