Catching Her Bear (27 page)

Opening wide, she slid down on his huge shaft, stretching her so much, her stomach contracted.

“Easy, baby,” Kalan said as he rubbed her arms.

While she loved him being inside her, what she really needed was for him to deflate a bit. He must have sensed her discomfort, for he drew her closer, and the change in angle brought relief. When he lifted his head and drew her nipple into his mouth, her inner walls seemed to expand on their own, accommodating his wide girth.

His hands slid to her hips and held her still while he eased out slowly. The strain around his eyes convinced her he was working hard not to shift, and she decided not to test his resolve anymore.

She leaned forward and kissed him. The second their tongues touched and their scents blended, it was as if the two of them had melded into one being. He lifted up as she slid down. His groan and the tightening of his fingers made her relent and allow him to guide the speed—or at least that had been her plan until he broke the kiss and nibbled his way down her chin and across her jawline.

If she hadn’t needed her hands for balance, she would have threaded her fingers through his hair. After he finished exploring, all she could do was lower her head to his neck and inhale his animal scent. Everything about this man was making her lose all control.

His teeth pressed against the soft spot between her shoulder and her neck, and before she could tense up, he drove his cock into her again, igniting every inch of her body. The pressure from his teeth increased, but right now, her climax was building to a point where she wasn’t sure she could keep from coming. Her moans and groans matched his grunts and growls.

The second his teeth sunk into her neck, her vision turned black and her oxygen starved brain seemed to enter a new realm where colors were sharper, smells more intense, and her hormones surged so hard, her orgasm burst inside her.

His cock jettisoned its hot cum, forcing her to gulp in much needed air. So feral was her response, she believed that if she hadn’t been looking at her human hands, she would have thought she had turned into an animal.

Her body gave way and she collapsed on his chest, her breath heaving. His heartbeat was rapid too, as his arms tightened around her.

“You are my mate, forever.”

Glory be.

‡

E
lana couldn’t believe
how six weeks could change a person so much. Yes, she was sad for what had happened to her parents, but she and her folks had been so disconnected that the love had never formed as it should have. Her whole life, she had always tried to please them, but with their deaths, that part of her was gone. No longer needing to change for anyone, Elana now had a happy life with great friends. The best part was that her love for Kalan knew no bounds.

Perhaps the biggest change in her life had been learning to shift into a bear, a transformation that had been easier than she’d expected. Kalan had been so patient, explaining how to connect with her inner bear that when she started running, it was as if she’d been born to shift. Sure, her bones cracked, and for a few seconds she couldn’t see, but both Izzy and Kalan had explained that would happen, so Elana hadn’t been afraid.

Her body adapted quickly to the lumbering movement. In fact, she felt more in control of her body than she ever had in her human form. On that first white moon when she shifted, he’d remained in his human form, clapping and grinning like a fool.

Curious what she looked like as a bear, Elana remembered running up to the house to look in a mirror only to realize she couldn’t open the door. Kalan had rushed up to her to see what she was doing. When she telepathed what she wanted to do, he made her stay outside while he retrieved her hand mirror from the bathroom. Later he told her, he feared she might have wrecked the furniture.

Once she took a look, she was a little disappointed that she was a lot smaller than Kalan. Her fur was darker than his, and her snout had an upturn to it whereas Kalan’s was rather straight. All in all, she thought she looked cute.

Not being
just
a human anymore made her feel special, and she owed it all to Kalan. The whole concept of her being the Beta’s mate, however, had yet to sink in. She knew little about wolves and not much more about bears before meeting him, but she was willing to learn.

“Ready?” Kalan said, coming out from the bedroom looking as hot as ever. His jeans hugged his muscular thighs, and he had on a forest green form-fitting long-sleeved shirt that accentuated his beautiful eyes.

Even though this was Sunday dinner at his parents, she’d dressed casually, as would the rest of his family. If this had been like the ones at her parents’ house, she’d have worn a dress, heels, and done up her hair. If nothing else, her parents had drilled into her how to present herself properly. But the Murdochs didn’t seem to care about that. To them, family was their number one concern, and they wanted everyone to feel comfortable and relaxed. Sure, they expected excellence from their children, and as far as she could tell, they got it, but they didn’t dwell on outward appearances.

When they arrived, Kalan’s father, Daniel, greeted them both with a huge hug. Felicia, Kalan’s mom, rushed up to them, hugging them as well, and giving them each a peck on the cheek. “Blair had to go into work at the clinic. She said she had to cover for someone, but that she’d be back for dinner. Come on in.”

Kalan’s mom was the sweetest woman alive, but she was no pushover. From the way she listened to every word, no one could get anything past her. According to his mom, slouches were not acceptable. Elana hoped she could run her household the same way.

Their home was a large two-story house with well-worn comfortable furniture. Mr. Murdoch returned to his lounger while Kalan’s mom hustled into the kitchen.

“Can I help?” Elana asked.

“No dear, go talk with the men.”

Kalan’s brother Jackson was there. He had such a carefree attitude that would make one think he was younger than her, but in reality he was a year older. Fair-haired with a short beard, he was almost as good-looking as Kalan. Along with Rye’s brother, Connor, Jackson worked at McKinnon Security and Associates, and seemed to love his job.

Elana sat next to Kalan on the sofa and Jackson sat in the large chair next to them. “Kalan said you’ve learned to shift. How was that?” Jackson asked.

She was surprised by the question. “You can shift. Isn’t it the same?”

“Probably, but I can’t remember the first time since I was only two or three. For me, it just happened. Since you were born a human, it might be different.”

“Since I don’t know what it’s like for you, it’s hard to say, but I do love it. The freedom it has given me has changed my life.”

Jackson grinned. “Did Kalan tell you that as a shifter you can heal quicker and live longer, along with a host of other wonderful attributes?”

She looked over at Kalan.
“Why didn’t you tell me I could do all that?”
she telepathed, her new favorite pastime.

He grinned
. “I’ve been busy trying to keep you from ripping my clothes off at every turn,
” he answered.

“You are so full of it.”

“Children,” Felicia said. “Communicating telepathically is the same as bringing a cell phone to dinner and checking your messages.”

“Ouch, Mom. Give her a break. I kind of forgot to fill in Elana on all the ins and outs of being a
Were
.”

“I thought I raised you better,” she said, clearly enjoying sparring with her son.

“I’m sorry, Felicia. I won’t do it again. If Kalan telepaths something to me, I’ll ignore him.”

His mom smiled. “That’s what I do to Dan, isn’t it sweetheart?” She ruffled Mr. Murdoch’s hair and he waved away her hand with a grunt. As she turned away, he reached out and swatted her backside, giving her a big smile.

A phone rang and Felicia rushed to answer it in the kitchen. While Elana’s hearing was now sharp enough to pick up what was said, she blocked it out since the call was none of her business. Elana leaned back and drank in all the love in the room. Even though the Bertas were like real parents to her, they weren’t as outwardly open as Kalan’s family.

Felicia came out of the kitchen wiping her hands on her apron. “I’m afraid Blair has to work a little longer and said we should start without her.”

Elana jumped up, wanting to help. This time Kalan’s mom didn’t shoo her away. One in the kitchen, Felicia instructed her on what to take out and where to place it. When the meal was ready, the men moved over to the table.

Before they began, Dan Murdoch raised his glass. “To my son and his wonderful mate. May the two of you enjoy your reign over the Clan.”

Elana doubted she’d be making any Clan decisions, but perhaps with time she could help Kalan with his.

All during dinner, they regaled her with some of Kalan’s antics growing up, including his love of shifting into a bear when he was just a kid and destroying many family heirlooms along the way. She could see why he didn’t want her in the house in her bear form.

“We know,” Felicia said, “that when we have grandchildren running around here, they won’t be able to break anything because there’s nothing left to break.”

“Mom, I wasn’t that bad,” Kalan said with an exaggerated frown.

Everyone laughed, but Elana could feel the heat race up her face. It was too soon to be talking about children, but at in the future she wanted some.

Halfway through dinner, Blair arrived. “Sorry I’m late everyone. I got a call from my college roommate.”

“Ainsley?” her mom asked.

“Yes. She applied at the clinic where I work and has an interview later this month. She wanted to know if she could crash at my place.”

“That’s wonderful,” Kalan’s mom said.

Once Blair was seated, Elana pummeled her with a ton of questions about her job since she found Blair’s work at the clinic fascinating.

As soon as they finished eating, Kalan pushed back his chair first and stood. “Elana and I need to be going. I promised her a evening romp.”

If she hadn’t been looking forward to it for days, she would have insisted they stay. Kalan had worked late several nights in a row and being in her bear form was the most exciting time of her life—other than when she was in bed with him.

They said their goodbyes and then walked back home. Halfway there, her cell rang. It was Izzy. Her friend usually didn’t call on a Sunday since she knew they’d be at Kalan’s parents’ house.

“Go ahead and take it,” he said.

She answered. “Hey. What’s up?”

“Teagan and Kip broke up again.”

“Oh no.” Elana wasn’t really surprised as there had been tension brewing between them for quite a while.

“She’s hurting right now, so don’t call her tonight. Plus, she’ll know I told you. Tomorrow if you have time, maybe you can check up on her. Now that I’m teaching, I won’t be able to get away.”

“Sure no problem.”

“So how was dinner?” Izzy asked, her tone switching from highly concerned to friendly.

“Awesome. Kalan and I just finished and are about to go for a run.”

She squealed. “I won’t keep you then. Have fun.”

She disconnected. As they entered the house, Elana remained sad that Teagan was going through tough times. “Teagan and Kip broke up.”

“That’s a shame. Do you want to call her?”

“I’ll speak with her tomorrow.”

He ran a knuckle down her cheek. “Then let’s change.”

Not wanting to shred their clothes when they shifted, they always undressed first. As soon as Elana finished removing her shirt, Kalan pressed up against her.

“I know I promised we’d go out, but how about a quickie?”

She wasn’t going to be deterred. “Run first, play later.”

He tapped her nose. “Spoilsport.”

She was naked before Kalan and took off, thinking he wouldn’t be able to catch her this time. She rushed out the back sliding glass door and down the porch steps. The half moon was visible in the clear sky, and with summer finally coming to an end, the air was deliciously cool. Kalan could shift in a heartbeat, but she still needed a few seconds of running and concentrating before changing into her bear form.

Without further trying to, Elana was on all fours running and twirling. She dipped her head and did a roll. As if he could perform magic, Kalan was suddenly beside her.

He ran a few circles around her then scrambled up a tree. Elana had enough of tree climbing as a human and wasn’t interested in losing her balance and falling even as a bear. Someday she might be brave enough to try.

“Bet you can’t catch me,”
she telepathed to Kalan who was edging his way out on a limb.

“You won’t even get halfway to the house before I nab you.”

He was so easy to goad into doing something. Elana roared, though the sound wasn’t nearly as deep as when Kalan did it, but she was still learning. Before he had the chance to climb down the tree, she took off as fast as her short legs could manage.

Seconds later, Kalan darted in front of her. Man, he was fast. Now was her chance. Her favorite thing was to jump on him especially she was quite small compared to him. He told her because she was short as a human, she’d be a smaller sized bear.