Page 39 of Bred By the Beast

She frowned. “Absolutely not. No. I would not do that to you.” It was different when she thought of him as just being a bear, something rare and majestic. He was still rare and certainly majestic, only hunters, poachers, other people would gravitate to these parts to find him, to hunt him, and she couldn’t allow that to happen. Rushing toward her camera, which against all odds had actually survived all of the chaos, she held it out to Wilder. It wasn’t much, but it was something. Within it was the evidence of the poachers, as well as a possible, singular shot of Wilder as a bear.

“This is yours. All of it. Do with it as you wish.” She went onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

They’d not had sex for the last two weeks. Wilder was being the perfect gentleman, but the moment his grip tightened around her waist, she couldn’t help but gasp. The way he touched her, it brought back so much passion and spark.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him. Letting him know how much she needed him. In response, Wilder grabbed her ass, but this time, he lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her toward his bedroom.

Within seconds, he had her on her back, as he pressed his cock against her core. She started to tear at his clothes, wanting to get him naked. His body was raw masculinity and she’d never get enough of him. Knowing he was also a bear was somehow a turn on.

“You’re mine, Poppy,” he said, stripping her clothes off.

“Yes, yes, I’m all yours.” She felt desperate. Poppy didn’t know what was riding her, just that she couldn’t help herself.

Wilder kissed her, and then trailed his lips down her body, taking one nipple, then the other. She was putty to his demands. She didn’t want him to stop. Her body was at his mercy.

He licked at her nipples, sucked on the buds, and glided his tongue further down her body, until he got to her pussy. Wilder pressed his hands on either side of her thighs, holding them open, and then, his tongue began to work between her thighs. He licked up and down her clit, going down toward her cunt, penetrating her.

She felt mindless. Needing his cock. It was a compulsion.

She came so close to her orgasm, and Wilder held it back, moving between her spread legs, and she looked into his eyes. She knew she saw the bear and Wilder at the same time, and there was no fear. The truth hadn’t scared her. It felt like it had finally set her free.

She cried out, instantly seeing bliss as he pressed forward, taking her in a long, hard, searing stroke. He pulled out, and he wasn’t too gentle as he slammed balls-deep back inside her. He was so long and thick, more than she’d ever imagined possible.

This was different. It felt more powerful, and the orgasm it was stronger than ever. He didn’t need to touch her, but she felt herself going to that edge, and he pushed her over the brink, and there was no control. She shattered into a million pieces, and the pleasure rushed through her.

She screamed his name, and then Wilder sped up. Poppy realized, all this time, he’d been holding back for her. Did he think his bear repulsed her? Now there was no reason to hold back anymore.

****

Wilder looked out into the darkened sky, with more questions than answers. Alder hadn’t exactly been clear. He’d been using the humans to what? Round up bears, hunt them down, and force them to mate amongst their own kind. He was an extreme purist, and he should really mind his own fucking business.

Both Wilder’s parents had been bears, and yet that hadn’t stopped humans from killing them. Bears were not stronger together, but he felt like he needed to hunt for Alder.

It had been a long time since he met another bear shifter, and although he couldn’t fucking stand Alder for the fact he worked with humans, he couldn’t deny that the other man might have some knowledge he might need.

It had been nearly three months since Poppy learned the truth about him, and he knew they had a true mating. He’d felt the difference in him, but also, he sensed the chance within Poppy.

She was not becoming a bear.

She was pregnant, with his child.

Poppy smelled different, and she carried an aura with her, and Wilder hated that he hadn’t considered the possibility of what a bear child might actually mean. He could lose his mate, and the very thought had his bear tearing up inside. They were in a state of panic, because for the first time in his adult life, he was finally happy. He’d found a reason to live, a purpose to keep fighting another day.

He and Poppy were compatible in so many ways. Their only difference—he was a shifter, and she was human. This is why he’d spent the past few weeks exploring the forest, looking for any scent or trail Alder might have left behind. He knew it was a long shot, but it was something he needed to do.

Bending down, he ran his hand in the wet dirt. It had been raining for three days straight. A freak heat wave had struck the country, and any sign of snow was not going to happen. Although, he’d lived through days where it was sunny in the morning, raining in the evening, and completely snow-covered by nightfall. The weather was unpredictable.

He sniffed the air and caught the scent of something. It was soft, subtle, and faint. He breathed in again, feeling that hope blossoming in his chest.

When had Alder first come to his forest? Why hadn’t he seen or heard of him before now?

He didn’t have any answers. All he knew was, he had a desperation to speak to him. To set things straight. He wasn’t going to have a threat hanging over his mating and their child.

Wilder was about to stand up, when something pushed him down, knocking him on his ass.

“Your human is making you weak,” Alder said.

Wilder gritted his teeth, as he’d fallen on a stone, which dug into his back, and the truth was, a bear shifter he might be, but he was still fucking old. Stones, just as damn plugs under the foot, still hurt.