I don’t take my eyes off the swimming bear who paddles circles around my body, brushing against my tail with every pass.
“There isn’t really a choice though, is there?” I ask. “The goddess took that out of our hands when she marked us for each other.”
“Yes, but we can work with your timeline. We know this is all very new for you and won’t rush you,” Brodie promises, and I think back to what the goddess said. I need to seal the mating bonds as soon as possible for everyone’s sake. Without them, I can’t be crowned, and the shifters are vulnerable to someone else usurping the crown and the powers it holds.
Coming to terms with being mated to eight men may take me a little time, but I want to be queen now. I want to protect the shifters, and if I have to be mated to eight men to do it, I can think of worse things to have to endure.
I concentrate on the shifting power inside me, reaching down and trying to get a feel for it. When I shifted before, it was kind of subconsciously, but this time, I want to choose which form to take. Imagining the figure of a polar bear, I nudge the power. I feel it swell inside me, and my body shudders. With a blinding flash of light, I change, shredding my sports bra that was still covering my breasts.
My body reforms, and my consciousness recedes slightly, taking a back seat to an overwhelming animalistic nature. I growl and paddle my front paws, then I hear a commotion from the side of the pool and turn my large head to look.
“Holy shit. She turned into a polar bear! Now she’s fucked. Liam’s bear is going to go nuts.” I’m pretty sure that’s Hunter, but my instincts zero in on the large white figure still swimming around me. I throw my head back and roar before diving. My body brushes against Liam’s, and he stops, his black eyes widening in surprise. He shoots to the surface, and it’s my turn to swim around him. My huge paws cut easily through the water as I paddle around him. Just as I’m passing him, my jaw opens, and I latch onto his rear, biting down. The taste of his salty blood hits my tongue, and a thrill of accomplishment flows through me. I release him and push to the surface, gulping for air and roaring loudly.
“Is that blood in the water? Did she bite him?” The four men on the side of the pool look at Micah, and I watch him pop below the surface before returning.
“Yup, she took a chunk out of his ass,” he confirms, and Gem chuckles.
“Oh, she’s fucked now.” Gem looks at me. “Pretty lady, you better start swimming. You just baited the bear, and he won’t stop until you wear a matching set of teeth marks.”
A thrill of excitement goes through me, and my bear preens with pride. I turn my gaze to Liam’s bear. He’s gasping for air and looking slightly befuddled. I swim closer and lick a stripe across his muzzle before nudging him. His black eyes narrow, and he grabs for me with his huge paws. I manage to evade them and slip from his reach, paddling away from him, the thrill of being pursued flooding my body with endorphins.
Liam roars behind me, and I hear furious splashing as he takes chase. I take a breath and dive, the sound of the waterfall becoming silent as I plunge deep into the pool. I can feel Liam on my tail, but despite him being bigger, he doesn’t catch up to me. My smaller body becomes more streamlined as I glide through the water and under the falls. I’m almost certain I know where this is going, and I don’t really want to end up naked on my back, being fucked in front of everyone just yet. I know I have eight mates, but all of them deserve for their first time with me to be special. I don’t doubt that group sex will eventually become a thing, and I’m looking forward to it, but I’ve had enough changes in such a short period of time. I can ease into orgies.
I surface inside the pool behind the waterfall. The noise becomes deafening, but I don’t stop. I paddle for the edge and try to haul my large body out of the water, but I slip and scramble for purchase, and that’s when he strikes. I roar out in pain as his teeth dig into my hip, and his paws wrap around me, pinning me to the rocky edge of the pool. I roar my displeasure, but it turns into a whimper when a sudden wave of rolling desire turns my limbs into putty.
He removes his teeth and licks over his mark before he releases me and surfaces. I can’t hold onto my shift any longer as pulses of need flood my system, and I shift back, finding myself naked, my chest heaving and core throbbing. I moan and press my thighs together to stem some of the pulsing want.
Liam surfaces, also in his human form. He looks at me with wide-eyed wonder. “You bit me?” It’s like he can’t believe I had the audacity to make the first move.
“Ah, yeah. Was that not what you wanted?” I ask, desire receding as panic starts to flood my system. Fuck, I’m an idiot. In my desire to get the job done, I didn’t think about asking. I’m as bad as those people who are turning the ferals.
“You do know this means we’re mated, right? There’s no switching it off or changing your mind.” He reaches for me but fists his hands like he’s trying to resist touching me.
“Yes, of course, but I’m sorry I didn’t ask,” I say quietly.
“You want me? You really want me?” he asks, sounding confused. “You didn’t do it by accident or because your bear made you?”
“Of course I do. You’re my mate,” I assure him. “And while it isn’t what I’ve known, it feels right.”
“Thank God!” He lunges for me, and his lips press to mine. He drags my body against his and kisses me like I’m the air he needs to breathe. Our lips and tongues clash in a frenzy of desire, the ring in his lip cold despite his body heat. His hands caress every inch of my skin, like he can’t get enough. I wrap my body around him and feel his dick press against my core. I grind into him and moan as I slide my clit up and down his thick length, feeling that hard bit of metal in the tip.
“I’m going to fucking ruin you,” he mutters against my lips before pulling away and climbing out of the water. I whimper as the heat of his body leaves mine, but I don’t have to wait long, because he bends down and tugs me out of the water. Holding my hand, he guides me through the first cabin then down a tunnel, our footsteps muffled against the rocky floor. Both of us are breathing like we ran a marathon, and the sound echoes off the tunnel walls, the noise of the thundering waterfall fading behind us.
It’s dark, and it takes a bit for my eyes to adjust, but when they do, I see better than I’ve ever been able to before. Liam is in front of me, and I don’t stop my gaze from roving over his toned, muscular backside. I catch sight of a bite mark that’s still oozing blood on his left butt cheek, and the bear inside me roars her delight. We did that. We marked our mate, and nobody is taking him away from us. Fuck that bitch Gianna. I should have marked him in a place for everyone to see. I will make sure I do that as well.
The tunnel opens up into another cavern, and this one actually looks cozy. There is a pile of cushions lying on the floor that have white fur all over them. I guess this must be Liam’s bear’s nest. Farther back, though, there are a few couches and a large bed.
“What is this place? How did you get this furniture here?” I look around, searching for another entrance, but behind the bed is a solid wall.
“I come here when I need to get away, and I paid a witch for a transporting rune,” he replies, stopping in front of the big bed. He rummages around in a large wooden chest at the end of the bed and pulls out a glass ball. Liam gives it a shake and throws it into the air. The globe floats in the air and pulses a blue light, illuminating the cavern. I shiver as a cool breeze wafts over my dripping body, and he turns back to the chest, grabbing a towel out of it. It’s big, white, and fluffy, and he uses it to dry me off. His hands are gentle, almost reverent, as he runs it over me, his eyes not leaving mine.
He tosses it to the side and steps closer, so our chests are brushing together, and he cups my cheek.
“You mated me?” Despite the dim light, I can see him perfectly, and he stares at me with wonder, like all of his dreams have come true. It makes me feel amazing.
“Well, yeah. I kind of thought that was what you wanted.” I drop my gaze to my feet and shuffle on the spot, feeling all kinds of awkward. Did I already mess this up?
He lifts my chin so I’m looking at him. “You made all my dreams come true, and now I’m going to show you exactly how good being my mate can be.”
