His to Bear (3 page)

see the man to know who it was. Holloway. Holt had called him Koby. He was the

one who’d demanded she be handed to him.

She rose without thought, moving to crouch over her sleeping man. Claws

sprouted from the tips of her fingers as she felt the comforting press of her bear.

“Whoa, now,” Murphy said, all his casualness vanishing as he straightened. “No

need for claws. We’re all friends here. Right, Koby?”

She met the fierce gaze of the grizzly shifter and refused to back down beneath

the intensity of his stare. Under other circumstances, she would most likely bow to

him as the stronger alpha male, her bear willing to submit in hopes of gaining

protection. Unless she had a mate, and at present, the man Jaeda was claiming as hers

lay defenseless on the bed. This Koby would back off or blood would be shed.

“Move away from him,” Koby commanded with a rumble.

Jaeda’s response was a deep growl resonating up from her chest.

“Back off, Koby,” Murphy ordered, and there was no mistaking the sound of the

beast inside him.

“Jesus! What the hell is going on?”

Her Holt moved, sitting up on the bed. He easily lifted her off him and set her to

his side before standing. He braced his feet apart and placed his fists on his hips while he glared at the other two men. She immediately moved closer to him, wrapping one

arm around his thigh and leaning her cheek against the outside of his leg. He raised

his hand and rubbed it over her hair without transferring his gaze from the men. She

tilted her head to glance up at him, and he pressed her back to his thigh. His touch

spoke volumes. He accepted her. It was all she needed to move forward.

Koby inhaled deeply, and Jaeda knew what he was picking up on. She grinned

even as he bared his teeth and all but roared his anger. It was too late. The bond was

already forming. It helped that she must have slept on him, enabling her bear to begin

marking him.

“Hell, no!” Koby roared and surged forward as if he planned to rip her from her

mate.

Murphy moved to intercept, but it was her Holt who had Koby Holloway

stopping midstride.

“Enough.”

In contrast to the others, Holt spoke softly. There was no roar or rumble heavily

laced in testosterone to fill the room. There was only a man who appeared fed up with

the posturing going on around him.

“You’re scaring her, Koby. I don’t know exactly what’s going on with you, but

you need to gain some control,” Holt told him, fingers still tangled in her hair. “Or

you need to leave.”

Koby shook his head. There was a look of confusion on his face as he stared at

Jaeda. She had no idea what he was picking up on, but the anger he was putting off

was evident. He titled his head, closed his eyes and roared his displeasure. Then

without another word, he turned and left.

Holt finally glanced down at her. “You okay?” he asked softly.

She nodded. She would always be okay as long as she was with him.

Murphy shook his head. “You’ve done it now.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Holt demanded. “Up until a few minutes

ago, I was sleeping.”

“Not you,” Murphy corrected, his gaze on Jaeda. “The lass.”

Holt glanced down at her again, but she didn’t say anything. She sensed the

others coming, most likely alerted by Koby’s roar. She must have made a sound

anyway as Holt immediately began crooning to her. He tugged her away then sat back

on the edge of the bed beside her. She immediately climbed into his lap and wrapped

around him, holding tightly and burying her face in his neck. She rubbed against him,

unable to stop the motion her bear demanded.

“No one’s going to hurt you,” Holt whispered against her hair. “I promise.

What’s your name?”

“Jaeda.”

“You’re safe here, Jaeda.”

“Will you protect me?” she asked.

He nodded.

“Tell me,” she urged.

“Yes. Of course, I’ll protect you. We all—”

“Will you care for me? Make sure all my needs are met?” she interrupted him

before he could add more than was required.

Holt gave her a funny look but nodded. “Yes, of course. You won’t be

mistreated.”

“And will you allow me to stay at your side? Go where you go?”

“For as long as you need to feel safe here,” he agreed with a nod.

She shook her head. “Yes or no.”

She could tell from his expression, he thought she was afraid. She was, but it

wasn’t the reason for her deception, at least not the sole reason. She could only hope

that he’d forgive her when it all came to light. Besides, he’d made his choice the first moment they’d met. He’d accepted her and agreed to keep her safe. She’d passed out

before he could answer the first time she’d asked if he’d protect her, but she knew in

her heart his answer had been yes then, as well.

“Holt.” His name was a whisper. The scent of the others got stronger. They were

getting closer, and she was running out of time. The entire place reeked of grizzly.

She needed her man’s agreement now, before they arrived and put a firm stop to what

she was doing. Her Holt had no clue just how binding his yeses were. Not yet,

anyway.

“Yes, of course.”

It was done. There was no hiding the triumph in her eyes from him. Before he

could comment further, she leaned up and kissed him softly on the lips, sealing the

ceremony. There was another phrase needed, one only he could give. Regardless, he

was now hers. He seemed surprised by her kiss but didn’t offer any resistance to her

caress. She pulled away before giving into the temptation to slip her tongue inside and

nuzzled his neck again, needing the scent she secreted to taint his flesh and sink deep, continuing to mark him from the inside out.

She felt Holt tense, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing her closer as

others joined them. She hid her face in her mate’s neck. It was done. Though the

Holloway’s might be angry with her, there was nothing they could do. The choice was

hers, and she’d made it at the bidding of her bear. Even now, her scent cloaked Holt.

Soon, he would smell almost completely like her.

“So this is why Koby stormed out.”

The voice was deceptively calm, but the commanding tone had her moving her

head to see him. When she glanced over at the blond giant filling the doorway, there

was no missing the anger that lit his eyes and stained his cheeks a ruddy hue.

“Come to me,” he ordered then lifted a brow when she shook her head in denial.

“Now.” His voice held a wealth of command, and she knew without asking this was

the oldest, the Kodiak. Laramie.

“It’s too late,” she finally admitted. “I’m claimed.”

Laramie shook his head. “No, little bear. You’re not. You’ve marked him with

your scent, but until the ceremony takes place, you’re not his.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Who’s marked? What ceremony?” Holt

demanded.

Jaeda quivered, but his arms stayed tightly wrapped around her, and she nuzzled

him again, seeking to soothe him. He ran one hand up and down her back while the

other rested on her hip.

“Her scent covers you,” Murphy informed her Holt.

Grumbles filled the hallway, and Jaeda knew the rest of the Holloways were out

there, waiting to pounce.

“The ceremony is done. He agreed.” Jaeda pulled her head up long enough to

declare then ducked it back into Holt at the look of fury on the eldest Holloway’s face.

She felt it the moment Laramie took a step toward them, heard the deep inhale

and knew exactly what he was taking note of. Her scent more than covered Holt. The

constant rubbing, especially around his neck where the skin was thin and blood

flowed so close to the surface, allowed the oil she secreted to absorb deep within him

and start making subtle changes to him. He didn’t just smell like her. Soon, they

would be difficult to distinguish between. There was only one other place that allowed

such easy markability—his groin. She was looking forward to rubbing against him

there.

“You mated her without permission?” Laramie roared the question at Holt, and

Jaeda was ashamed that she shook a bit.

She glanced up at her Holt’s face. He didn’t even flinch, though he did drop a

pointed glance at her before replying.

“I haven’t mated anyone.”

“Yes, you have,” she corrected him. She told herself he wasn’t rejecting her. He

was human, therefore, he didn’t understand the bond he’d accepted. Yet.

“No…”

He started to speak but trailed off as she nodded against his neck.

“Jaeda, stop hiding in my neck and sit up,” he ordered, and she hurried to obey.

There was no anger toward her on his face. As if he already felt their connection and

had picked up on her anxiety, he lifted his hand and caressed her cheek. “You think

we’re mated?”

“We are.”

He shook his head. “We’re not mated.”

“We are,” she argued, throwing a fretful look over her shoulder at Laramie and

Murphy. There were other faces there, as well, but she didn’t pay them any attention.

“You said the words,” she whispered.

“My agreeing to protect you and see to your needs?” he asked.

She nodded. “And you agreed to let me stay at your side.”

Yells filled the air, and she disappeared into his neck again, rubbing her cheek

against him.

“Silence!” Laramie ordered, and everyone obeyed. “You agreed to her

questions.”

“Of course, I agreed to protect her and make sure she was okay. What kind of

man do you think I am?”

“Did you agree to keep her by your side?” Laramie probed.

“Yes, until the time she felt safe.”

“No, he said yes,” Jaeda interjected then felt guilty about her deception. “I

forced him to say yes or no.”

She glanced up at Holt, gauging his reaction. She’d known from the beginning

he was meant to be hers. Obviously, it was a bit different for him since he wasn’t a

bear shifter. She would have given him time, but she’d been afraid they wouldn’t be

allowed that time once the Holloways arrived. By the behavior displayed, she felt her

actions justified. She wanted Holt. She’d claimed Holt, and she’d done it before the

Holloways could interfere and try to force her to choose one of them instead of the

one her bear had already chosen.

Holt didn’t seem upset with her. Instead of yelling, he nodded. His lips even

tilted up in a brief grin before he spoke directly to her. “You didn’t force me, darling.

You asked, and I agreed.”

She caught her breath. He’d just finished their vows without even knowing. She

dared a glance toward Laramie and saw his eyes close briefly before he nodded.

“You’re mated. Welcome to the pack, Holt.”

“Wait a minute,” Holt said. “No offense, but we’re not mated. I’ve been around

shifters enough to know what happens when they mate. Jaeda never bit me.”

“I asked her that when I came in and found her rubbing on you,” Murphy said.

“I don’t think bear shifters bite.”

“No,” Jaeda said, sitting up again to search her mate’s face. “But I can bite you

if you need it to feel mated.” She went to cuddle against him, but her Holt leaned

away, hands on her shoulders.

“Let’s hold off on that,” he said and turned her in his lap so her back pressed

against his chest.

She felt the rebuke but tried not to take offense since he still held her to him. He

was human, and she’d tricked him. She couldn’t expect him to be happy about it.

“Someone’s going to need to explain all of this to me. Hell, maybe I’m still

asleep,” he muttered. “I should pinch myself.”

She pinched his arm and jumped when he jerked it out of her reach.

“You said you were going to pinch yourself,” she told him, reaching out for his

arm and bringing it back to her. She wrapped it around her shoulder and ran her cheek

over the place she’d gripped. “I was trying to help.”

He sighed behind her. “Look at me, Jaeda.”

She reluctantly turned her head to meet his gaze over her shoulder.

“We’re mated?”

She nodded.

“Yes or no,” he said, using the same words she had.

“Yes,” she whispered.

His glance lifted from her, and she knew he was looking at Laramie again. “This

is binding?”

She gasped in outrage and flung her elbow hard into her Holt’s stomach before

standing and facing him.

“Yes, it’s binding. You can’t back out of it.”

“Whoa,” he grunted, rubbing his belly as he stood up to face her. “Calm down,

kitten.”

She growled in frustration, stomping her foot. “I’m not a kitten!”

He looked uncomfortable for a second, and something flashed in his eyes that

had her hackles rising. His friend Murphy was a cat shifter. Had her Holt been living

with their pride? Was there a kitten he’d planned to claim as his own? Fury filled her

at the mere thought of another touching her mate.

“There will be no kittens!” she all but screamed at him.

“How does she know about Kenzie?”

She glared at the door where another red-haired male stood, a bit younger but

closely resembling Murphy. They had to be related. As she watched, Murphy reached

out to smack the other man in a way that made her think of siblings. It also reaffirmed

Jaeda’s thought that the new man had been the one speaking.

“Who’s Kenzie?” she demanded, facing her Holt again.