Taming the Bear Collection (11 page)

      
Stop it,
he thought.
Don't imagine a future with this girl, because there isn't one. This is just sex to satisfy your inner animal.

      
"Can I help you?" a voice said from behind him.

      
He spun around to see a tall, almost Amazonian-looking female wolf standing beside him. She was wearing black leggings and knee-high boots. Up top she wore a simple white tank top with a khaki half-coat pulled over it. She was stunning to look at, but something about the way she popped her hip to the side and crossed her arms told Beorn he was looking straight at the APHBITCH.

      
"I'm just waiting for a friend," he said.

      
"Well, this isn't a damn social gathering place. Wait somewhere else."

      
"My friend works here." Beorn made sure there was enough edge in his voice to warn this alpha female off. It was pretty obvious she thought of herself as queen bee in these parts and she wasn't afraid to let anyone else know it.

      
"Nobody is here today except me," she said, uncrossing her arms and striding up to him. Beorn tried to back off but ended up backed up against Rain's car. "Surely you aren't waiting for that pitiful child Rain. Are you?"

      
"I don't really have anything to say to you." Beorn looked away at the sky, not wanting to make eye contact with this one. She was bad news and he knew it. Getting too close could cause trouble. His strong, confident bear was enjoying the alpha vibes she was giving off. He could just as easily ditch Rain and grab this one to fulfill his beast's sexual needs, but the human part of his brain wouldn't allow him to do that to Rain. He was a man of his word and he had promised her a date.

      
The female got close to him and sniffed the air around him before she peeled back her ruby-red lips to reveal a devilish smile. As he glanced at her she ran her tongue across her lips and eyed him up and down. Beorn had heard the term "eye fucking" before but had never experienced it. Now he was fully aware of the complete definition of the term. His bear growled its approval and demanded he mount the strong female.

      
"You're not a werewolf, are you?" she asked, giggling and running her hand down his chest. "What are you?"

      
"I'm a bear," he muttered. He could feel the blood flowing to his nether regions, his tight jeans haunting him and causing him a level of discomfort he hadn't known was possible. Why should he care if he betrayed Rain? She wasn't his girlfriend and he'd only set one date with her. This girl was right here and ready for him, plus she seemed to be much stronger than Rain. The human part of him would approve of wild sex with Rain, but his bear would disapprove of him sticking it in such an unworthy animal.

      
Beorn shut his eyes and shook his head, taking firm control of the situation at hand. He was both human and bear, and there had to be a balance. This girl's overall attitude annoyed the shit out of his human side and Rain seemed like a fun, light-hearted girl. This one was a man-eater if he'd ever seen one.

      
"No," he said, pulling her hand off his chest. "I'm not okay with that."

      
Inside his mind he rolled his eyes. He sounded like a bad commercial.

      
"Oh, come on, stud," she said, again licking her lips and walking around in front of him, turning ever so slightly so he could see the way her leggings hugged her tight ass. "Be naughty. You don't want a pathetic omega female like Rain. You want a strong alpha bitch like me."

      
"I'm not a wolf," he said sternly. "I don't observe your stupid alpha and beta caste system. I am my own bear."

      
"Oh, honey," she said, looking at him like he'd said something absurd, one eyebrow cocked and her bottom lip pooched out. "You're an alpha male if there ever was one. I can see it dripping off you. You're just oozing machismo."

      
"I'm a bear," he said again. "I don't appreciate being placed in wolf classification. I'm not a dirty little pack animal."

      
"You're bad," she said, giggling right through his insult. "I like that. You don't care what anyone thinks, do you? That's so fucking sexy. Too many of these wolves are trying to please someone in a higher position than them. Most of them need to just take what they want."

      
Beorn jumped a little as her hand shot out and clutched his balls tightly through his jeans. He sighed and rolled his eyes, shifting where he stood and batting her hand away. She'd made her point and now it was time for him to make his.

      
"Listen here, alpha
bitch
," he said, making sure to emphasize the last word. "I have no interest in sleeping with a dishonest, sleazy wolf who takes herself way too seriously. One second you're talking about how much you like alpha wolves and the next you're talking about wolves throwing off the pack shackles and doing what they want. You're all over the road. It's obvious you're just saying whatever you think I want to hear. Well, I'm going to tell you something you don't want to hear. I'm not interested."

      
"Maybe our alphas aren't really alphas," she said, undeterred by his pronouncement. "I like it when a real alpha takes things the old way, by force."

      
She spun around and began to wiggle her ass at him, slowly backing up until the soft contours contacted the bulge in his pants. He didn't want any part of her, but that didn't stop his body from reacting with increased blood flow to his manhood, forcing it to grow and harden.

      
"Listen, lady," he said, at the end of his rope. "Back the fuck up."

      
Before she could respond, the door to the building flew open and a black blur exploded forward, knocking the strange female completely off her feet. Suddenly she was pinned to the ground underneath a very large and very angry wolf. The wolf began to grab at her arm, tearing the fabric on her coat.

      
"Get off of me!" the grounded female cried. "I can't shift while you have me pinned! Get off, you crazy bitch!"

      
It took a moment for Beorn to recognize the scent of the wolf who had pinned his harasser. It was Rain, and she was obviously marking her territory. He could have easily scooped her off the alpha bitch with one arm, but he was enjoying seeing her get what was coming her way. On top of that, the raw animalistic attack that Rain was displaying was turning him on more than what any pseudo-lap dance could do. This girl was definitely in touch with her wild side, not like the typical wolves in this town.

      
Finally he took pity on the girl and her screams and he scooped the wolf off of her, setting her down behind him.

      
"Go get your clothes and shift back," he ordered, pointing towards the door. "That's enough."

      
Rain responded by putting her ears down and sulking over to her clothes. He may have been overly harsh with his tone, but she had to know he meant business.

      
He turned to find the other female beginning to peel her clothes off, getting ready to shift for another rumble. This wasn't going to happen on his watch, he decided. He was done with wolf fights.

      
"Stop right there," he said, putting his hand up. "If you have a problem, then take it up with your alpha. I'm not refereeing a werewolf fight right here in the parking lot."

      
"Then get the hell out of my way!" she screamed, pulling her shirt over her head. "I'm going to finish this little whore once and for all! This is the last time she gets in my fucking way!"

      
"Hey, dumbass!" he yelled. "We're in the middle of a parking lot in broad daylight on a Saturday. How do you think Aster would feel if he found out two of his charges shifted in broad daylight, in front of any human that could happen to walk by, and got into a blood duel?"

      
The alpha bitch stopped and considered his words, her face turning redder as she realized that her vengeance would not be had today.

      
"Fuck this bullshit!" she screamed as she picked her shirt and jacket up off the ground. She looked past Beorn, pointing at Rain who had already shifted and was pulling her clothes back on. "I'm going to fucking kill you eventually! This is it! You are fucking finished!"

      
"Alright there, killer," Beorn said, putting his arms out to his sides to block the angry female. "Saying 'fuck' over and over again will only get you so far. Save it for one of your pack meetings and get lost."

      
Her fiery eyes turned to Beorn as she balled her empty hand into a fist.

      
"You don't want to do that," he warned. "Walk away."

      
With an ear-splitting scream she stomped to her car and almost fell down trying to pull the door open with force. Within a few seconds the car was starting and she was peeling her tires out of the parking lot, leaving Beorn alone with Rain.

      
"I'm sorry," Rain said, walking up behind Beorn. There was no sadness or remorse in her voice; it was almost like she was just apologizing because she thought attacking the other wolf was what she had to do.

      
"You have nothing to apologize for," Beorn said, shutting her down. "That was pretty great."

      
"Really?"

      
"Oh, hell, yeah. It was kind of hot. That chick was annoying the hell out of me and you were defending what you thought was yours."

      
Her face turned red and she looked away. "Well, we haven't even been out yet. And I know you're not into the whole claiming thing."

      
"Yeah, forget that," he said, laughing. "Bears don't claim."

      
"You're different," she said, looking up at him with a smile. Something about her smile made him want to lean in and kiss her with everything he had, but he restrained himself.

      
"I'll take that as a compliment. Shall we?" He opened the passenger door to his truck and motioned for her to get in.

      
"Sure," she said, beaming at him. "Let me get my bag."

      
This date was starting better than Beorn could have ever hoped.

      
"I feel like I'm on top of the world," Rain said, looking out the windows of Beorn's giant truck as he sped dangerously down the highway. She wondered if other girls would be scared of the breakneck speeds he was taking the curves on this country highway with. Not her, though—she was thrilled by it. Beorn handled the truck with ease and precision; it was like he was driving leisurely through town.

      
"I suppose it is pretty high up," he said. "I couldn't fit into a regular car like yours."

      
"You're so good at driving," she said, watching his hands easily move the steering wheel and shift gears. "You could be a NASCAR driver."

      
"I definitely don't think I'd fit in one of those cars," Beorn said with a laugh. "Maybe Monster Jam, though."

      
"That'd be so hot."

      
"What would?"

      
"You in a giant truck crushing cars. It could be called Grizzly Bear or something like that. Bear Attack the monster truck!"

      
"You're right, that would be pretty awesome."

      
"Are you a grizzly bear?" Rain had wondered what Beorn looked like shifted or if he was a specific type of bear. It was an abrupt change in conversation, but she had a habit of saying whatever came to mind.

      
"You don't stay on one subject for too long, do you?" he asked, reading her like a book.

      
"Nope."

      
"Well, are you a timber wolf? A Mexican gray wolf?"

      
"I'm not any of those. I'm a werewolf. I just transform into a giant wolf."

      
"Well, I'm a shifter too, so there's your answer."

      
"Gotcha. What color are you?"

      
Beorn glanced over at her just as he took a dangerous turn. She held on as the truck leaned without its driver even paying attention. The bear was unfazed as he looked over at her, a half smile on his face.

      
"I'm brown," he finally said. "I turn into a giant brown bear."

      
"I wish I could see how big of a bear you are."

      
"You'll find out," he said, returning his eyes to the road.

      
"Oh? How am I going to find that out?"

      
"You think we're going to stay in human form all night?"

      
"I've never been on a date where we shifted and ran."

      
"Have you ever been on a good date?"

      
"No, actually."

      
"Exactly. Those stupid domesticated wolves don't know what they're missing out on."

      
"I'm one of those domesticated wolves!" Rain felt insulted just a bit. Beorn didn't seem to like the way the wolves of Bucklin conducted themselves. It seemed like he had the wrong impression of her. The first words she had said to him in the bar were a rallying cry against the domestication of the Bucklin wolves, but at the same time they didn't reflect her true feelings. Or did they? Everything had been so confusing lately.

      
"No, you're not." He had a smile on his face so smug Rain wanted to slap it off. Or bite it off. That might be kind of hot.