Alpha’s Claim (Bad Boy Bears #1)

Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

P aloma

The minute we touch down on Bad Bear Mountain, Darius points to the small hangar on the side of the runway. “You’ve got a welcome committee.”

There, standing next to Everest in bear form is Wren.

Darius, whose hair and beard grew Viking long again since he let out his bear, helps me out of the small plane. After the helicopter rescue, we switched to a puddle jumper. Bern did the flying and Canyon co-piloted. The two behaved rather competently.

As soon as my feet hit the blacktop, I run across the tarmac. Wren meets me half-way, and we collide into a big, messy hug.

“ Gracias por Dios. Gracias por Dios . I thought you died, Rencita.”

“ Estoy bien –I’m okay. Y tú ?” Wren weeps in my arms.

“No, I’m okay, too.” We’re both sobbing with joy.

“Where’s Thom? What happened?”

“Thom’s dead.” I look over my shoulder at Darius, who stands behind me like he’s still guarding my back .

“Your badass sister gave him a taste of his own medicine.” Darius smiles at me.

“You killed him?”

“I injected him with the same poison he had waiting for me, but I guess he hadn’t built up a tolerance to it, and you know, he had that heart condition.” I shrug.

The big bear on the tarmac wanders closer. “I guess you’ve met Everest.” I’m not sure how much Wren knows about the bears on Bad Bear Mountain, but there’ll be time to figure all that out.

“Oh yes. He’s been showing me around.” She arches a brow at me. “I heard your boyfriend is a bear, too?”

“This is Darius.” I disengage from her reluctantly, so she can shake Darius’ hand. “He and his brothers saved our lives.”

Wren ignores his outstretched hand and throws herself into his arms for a hug.

Darius gives a surprised chuckle before his arms lift and wrap around her. “It’s nice to meet you, Wren.”

“I’m not going back to school,” Wren says fiercely when she emerges from Darius’ arms.

“No, you’re not,” I agree. “From now on, we stick together. Unless, of course, it’s time for you to move on and go to college and do the normal stuff young people are supposed to do.”

“The normal stuff you weren’t allowed to do,” Wren says darkly. “I always knew something wasn’t right, but you made it seem like it was all fine.” She gives me a gentle shove. “Why didn’t you tell me what was going on?”

“I just wanted to keep you safe and sheltered from his madness. If you knew, you would’ve insisted on sticking around, and then he would’ve found out that you have psychic abilities, too. ”

“Speaking of psychic abilities.” Darius drops a hand on Wren’s shoulder. “We heard you were responsible for figuring out where we were being held.”

Wren smiles. “Nah, I just got clues. It was your hacker friend who figured out the rest. What did Teddy say her name was? Kylie?”

“Yes, Kylie.”

“But I did connect you and Teddy, so he could tell you to let your bear out.”

I turn to look at Darius, whose mouth drops open. “That really happened? I thought it was a hallucination.”

Wren looks pleased with herself, as she should.

“Oh, yeah. Did I tell you that my talented sister has psychic skills, too?” I toss an arm around Wren’s shoulders proudly. “She has a knack for showing up in my dreams. I didn’t know she could psychically connect two other people.”

“I never tried it before,” Wren says. “But I’m sure it helped that you two are twins.”

“I doubt that,” Darius mutters. “We’re not close.”

Wren tilts her head as she studies him. “You felt very close to me. Almost like you didn’t know where one of you stopped and the other began.”

I make a soft, “mm” sound because that makes sense to me energetically. Darius has been at odds with his brother because he’s been at odds with himself. With his own bear.

“Hop in, guys!” Lana waves from the passenger side of a shiny white Jaguar SUV that pulls up right beside us. Teddy is behind the wheel. Both of them climb out to embrace us as we climb into the back seat with Wren.

“Wren can stay at our place,” Lana says. “We have her all situated there already, and you two probably need to rest and recover for a bit. ”

“And take care of some unfinished business,” Teddy grumbles from the front seat.

Darius bares his teeth and growls back at him.

I laugh and grab Darius’ giant biceps. “Is he talking about what I think he’s talking about?”

“What is it?” Wren asks.

“He needs to butt out of my bear business,” Darius declares.

I chuckle. Lana joins me. Even Teddy lets out a humored snort.

“Seems like Teddy might have been right about your bear business,” I remind him.

Darius’ face softens. “Yeah, brother. Thanks for the punch in the face. It was exactly what I needed.”

Darius

Teddy and Lana drop us off, and I carry Paloma into my cabin, her lush legs wrapped around my waist, her hot core pressed just above where I want it to be.

“Princess, I’m gonna tear your clothes off so fast you’re going to scream,” I warn her, kicking my boots off in the entryway.

I feel my bear roaring up with excitement, but I’m not worried about him now.

I built my bear up to be something grotesque. Something dangerous. A monster who hurt the people I love. When I was on my rampage at the warehouse, I realized that while he is capable of those things, he is still me. The only reason my bear side was so wild when I was a child was because I wasn’t old enough to understand how to be a bear. Puberty came too early, and our biological mom didn’t offer me any understanding or training of what it meant or how to manage it. I couldn’t control my animal side, and that scared me, which, of course, scared my bear and made him even more unpredictable and unsafe.

I rejected my animal side believing that gave me the control I desperately craved at that dark time of my life. Instead, it made my bear more out of control, more frustrated, and unable to seek fulfillment.

Rampaging in bear form to save my mate was infinitely satisfying. Nothing could come close to the feeling except marking Paloma.

She loops her arms around my neck as I stalk through the small cabin and nibbles on my ear. “Is that right?” she purrs. She wants me to make her scream. I think she wants me to mark her, but I have to make sure.

“Uh huh.” I carry her into the bedroom and toss her on the bed.

“Do you know what happens now?” I use my gruff Viking voice with her, partly because I know she loves it and partly because my bear is out. I’m letting him shine through. His aggression is my aggression. My aggression, his.

“Are you going to mark me?” she asks.

I yank my shirt off without opening the buttons, causing them to fly in every direction.

Paloma giggles.

“That’s right, beautiful.” I prowl around the bed. “Is that all right with you?”

She smiles up at me. Her face flushes with desire, her eyes are bright, despite our ordeal. She nods.

“You’re not afraid of my bear?”

Her laughter is thick and warm as honey. “Why would I be afraid of your bear? He just rescued me from death. ”

I climb over her.

“Also, Darius, he’s you . He’s not some separate entity you turn into. You are the bear.”

I grin at her like the fool that I am. “That’s exactly the conclusion I just reached, princess.” I claim her mouth, kissing her thoroughly the way I intend to for the rest of my life. “Which proves you’re the perfect female for me, not that I had any doubt.” I continue to kiss her, rocking my rigid cock against the notch between her legs. “You’re one person who understands me even better than I understand myself. Even more than Teddy–not that I’m admitting that asshole may have known me better than I did.”

Paloma laughs. “There is one thing, though.”

“What’s that, little dove?” I rumble.

She wrinkles her nose in the cutest possible way. “I think maybe we both need a shower first.”

Laughter rockets out of my throat. “You’re right.” I tried to clean up on the plane ride home, but I was covered in blood, and it’s been a very long twenty-four hours since our last extremely pleasurable shower.

I scoop her back up and carry her to the bathroom. She laughs when I drop her to her feet and rip the stained and torn teal crop top off over her head. She works the buttons on my jeans as I tear her sports bra in half down the front.

“Darius!” she exclaims breathlessly. “How did you even do that? That should be impossible.”

“Princess, there are at least a dozen things I’m going to do to you right now that you used to think were impossible.”

“Oh yeah? Show me,” she dares.

Challenge accepted .

I yank her yoga pants and panties down to her ankles, lowering to a squat as I do. When she kicks off the fabric from her ankles, I thread my arms between her legs, secure her back with my palms, and stand with her pussy at the level of my mouth. She shrieks, laughing and ducking, so her head doesn’t hit the ceiling. I’m lost in her juicy essence. My tongue delves between her folds.

“Oh, God!” Her thighs clamp around my ears. “Darius.” She wends her fingers into my rapidly-growing hair and pulls. “Oh, my God.”

“I’ll bet you didn’t know this was possible,” I taunt between rolls of my tongue.

Her cries fall like gold coins around me. Sparkling rewards just for doing what I was born to do. “Oh, please.” She’s quivering, her delicate flesh clenching and releasing. “It’s…it’s too much.”

I know she only says that because she needs to come.

I spin to pin her hips against the wall, my hands shifting from behind her back to her armpits. Her legs dangle across my arms, feet kicking as I penetrate her with my tongue.

“Darius…Darius!” she sounds alarmed. “Oh my God, pleeeeease!” she screams, pulling my hair hard.

I suction my mouth over all of her sex, and she bucks against me in a release. She’s sobbing with pleasure, shaking all over when I lower her gently to sit on the countertop while I turn on the water.

“Don’t leave me,” she murmurs, clinging to my arm as I turn away. “I don’t think I can stay upright yet.”

“I’ve got you, Princess.” I steady her with a hand at her waist while I strip out of my jeans. I’m not wearing any boxers–my clothes shredded when I spontaneously shifted in the warehouse, but fortunately, the triplets brought spare clothes along when they rescued us.

The moment I’m naked, I test the water and, finding it warm, lift my beautiful mate into the stall with me. I let her stand under the warm spray of water while I take a bar of soap and roll it in my hands.

“Nope.” Paloma reaches for it. “I want to wash you this time,” she says, tugging me forward, so we change positions. “I need to feel these big strong bear muscles.” Her hands find my waist and stroke up my sides, sliding in a slow circle around my pecs.

My dick is rock hard, straining toward her, pre-cum dripping from the head. Her obvious appreciation of my body makes me feel like my bear could rip out of me at any moment. Instead of shoving that sensation away, I lean into it. I don’t let him out, but I meld with him. I allow my bear side into the moment.

An animal-like rumble comes from my chest.

Paloma’s gaze shoots up from her admiration of my abs to my face. I don’t find any fear in her expression, though. Only wonder. She lifts her hands to my face and strokes along my jaw then tugs my beard. “Your bear-eyes are showing.”

I reach for her, the moment of letting her take control ending with a surge of lust. I grasp her ass and pull her body up against mine, lowering my head to take her mouth again. She wraps her fist around my cock, and I groan.

“Let me wash you,” she murmurs against my mouth.

I marshal my control. “Your wish is my command, princess.” I reluctantly release her, and she runs the bar of soap across my chest, under my armpits, then down my thighs, ignoring my extremely obvious erection.

“Turn around.” Her voice is husky. Her nipples are taut.

I turn, and she soaps my back then circles her sudsy hands around my ass and between my cheeks, teasing my balls from behind .

“Ffffuuuck,” I groan.

I can’t wait any longer. I turn back around, but before I can take control, she fists my cock and holds me still. I nearly die when she slides her soapy palm up and down my shaft.

“Oh, sweet dove. You’re going to make me come like a teenager. Hold off.” I grasp her wrist, and she releases me.

I pick her up by the waist to change our places again and wash her, worshiping her with my hands at the same time my mouth roams her peaks and valleys, sucking, licking, nibbling everywhere that makes her scream.

“Okay!” she finally cries.

“Okay, what, sweet dove?”

“Okay, I think we’re clean enough.”

I laugh. “My bear agrees.” I pick her up, turning the water off with my knee and carrying her out of the shower. I find a towel to wrap her in, but it doesn’t stay on because thirty seconds later, I have her turned around, braced against the wall.

“Give me that ass,” I rumble, kicking her legs wider.

She folds at the waist, offering herself up to me.

I mean to be far more suave. I meant for this to be a slow seduction, but it’s too late. My bear is running the show, and he wants her now .

I rub the head of my throbbing cock along her slit, parting her sweet folds. I barely manage to hold back, remembering she’s practically still a virgin. Her body isn’t accustomed to my size. Squeezing my eyes closed tight to concentrate, to slow myself down, I feed my length into her, centimeter by centimeter.

She lets out wanton sounds. More gold coins falling around my ears .

“Let me into that tight, juicy pussy of yours.” My voice sounds two octaves deeper than normal.

“You’re in, you’re in,” she pants, pushing back against me, hollowing her lower back to take me deeper.

“Mmm, that’s it, baby.” I sink a little deeper. “So good. You take me so good. Oh, you like the dirty talk, don’t you?” I croon when she grows even slicker, allowing me to get in even farther. I ease back an inch and slowly push forward again. “Hmm? You want me to fuck you hard from behind, princess? Is that what your Viking does?”

“My bear,” she whimpers.

I stay where I am and reach around to gently tap her clit. She pushes back, taking more of my cock. “You want your bear?”

“Yes. Yes, please.”

I stroke my hands along her sides, sliding around to mold them over her breasts and pinch her nipples, then back down to circle my thumbs around her lower back. “Mmm, you’re asking me so nicely. I think I’d better give you a thorough fucking. What do you think?” I ease back further this time before I drop in deeper, bottoming out against her cervix.

She cries out.

“You need a good fucking, sweet dove?” I grip her waist and ease back, then plunge in with more force this time. She’s dripping wet, soaking my cock with her juices, her flesh silky and plump and welcoming.

“Y-yes,” she warbles.

I tighten my grip and quicken my pace, arcing in and out of her. I bite my cheek bloody to rein in my aggression. To keep from getting too rough with my beautiful mate.

“Is that good, princess? You like to take me deep?” I tap her clit again .

“God, yes,” she breathes.

“Take it, then.” I fuck her harder, my breath dragging in rough gusts across my teeth.

“Yes!” she cries. “I need you. I need you. I need you.”

Her moans undo me. I lose control and pound into her, my fingers gripping too hard, my hips slapping into her gorgeous, cushioned ass.

The room spins. It’s too hot–the steam from our shower still fogs up the mirror. I feel my canines descend, ready to mark my Paloma.

“Are you sure?” I rasp, somehow remembering again to get consent.

“Yes! I want this!” she cries.

I wrap my arm around her waist and grasp the front of her throat, lifting her away from the wall, so her head falls back against my shoulder as I thrust up into her. “Mine,” I growl, my voice not sounding human at all. I rub her clit as I come, and she orgasms at the same moment I do. My teeth sink into the meaty part of her shoulder, forever embedding the serum coating my teeth into her flesh.

She jolts with the pain of it, and for one horrible moment, I think my bear is going to rampage, but I realize I have full control. I immediately retract my teeth from her flesh, licking away the blood and kissing up her neck. “That’s it, sweet dove. It’s over now,” I murmur, my fingertip still stroking her clit. “You’re mine now. My mate. Forever.”

She orgasms again, trembling and gasping in my arms, her muscles clenching around my cock, milking another climax from me.

“I love you, Paloma. I love you so damn much. More than anyone or anything in my life.”