The BEARly Controlled Grizzly (Bear Clan 1)

It wasn’t life and death, obviously, but I was glad to know she was stitched up and they were already headed back to her place.

“I’ll talk to you guys later,” I said and disconnected the call. I shoved my cell phone in my purse, my hands shaking slightly. It was after two in the morning, the bar closing down, the last drunken stragglers being let out.

I had excused myself because being out there had grown almost unbearable, what with the shifter watching my every move. I’d unashamedly eavesdropped on customers who had been discussing the fight that had happened.

A recluse.

Growly.

A hermit who lived in the mountains in his own community with his brothers.

Dangerous and strong, and most of all someone to steer clear of.

Zakari was all of those things and more.

I turned and looked over my shoulder at the door that led into the bar. Zakari and his brothers had left an hour ago, but even though they weren’t in the bar any longer, I still felt his presence. It was the strangest sensation, as if he were standing right beside me, his hand on the small of my back. Chills raced up my arms and legs, and despite me wanting to believe what was going on, I knew what was happening.

Mated.

Zakari, the bear shifter, had mated with me.

Although shifters and humans coexisted, I wasn’t particularly educated on everything that had to do with shifter lore, which also included being mated to one.

That spark of arousal I’d felt earlier tonight speared through me. It was as real as him standing in front of me as I was pressed against that brick wall. There was no denying that there was something between us, the strong sensation, pull, connection, whatever it was trying to bring us together. And here I was trying to be logical and rational, thinking about all of this.

I remembered looking into his icy blue eyes and seeing one thing. Possessiveness. I knew the basics of being mated to a shifter, simply because I’d heard about it through the rumor mill. But experiencing it firsthand was unlike anything I could’ve ever imagined.

Closing my eyes and breathing out slowly, I gave myself a moment just to collect myself. When I opened my eyes again, I felt resolve move through me. I knew Zakari would not let this go. I knew that being mated was a forever type of thing, something a shifter could not ignore.

Wouldn’t ignore.

And to be honest, I didn’t want to either. I liked the way I felt around him when he was near. His very scent made me drunk, had my body pliant, ready for him. Even now I was aroused, wet between my thighs, my nipples hard against the material of my T-shirt.

I headed back out into the bar and saw Maggie finishing up cleaning off the counters. I lifted my hand and waved. She grinned, giving me a look saying I hadn’t fucked things up tonight. I was exhausted, my feet aching, beer spilled on my shirt and pants, now dried and causing the material to be stiff and smelling sour. I had my keys in hand before I even stepped outside. Although this was a small town, everyone knowing everyone, and the crime rate pretty much nonexistent, the city girl in me was always prepared.

There were a few old-fashioned street lights framing the parking lot, my car off to the side and directly under one of them. That hadn’t been a coincidence. With my keys in my ha

nd, I started making my way toward my vehicle. The sound of beer bottles breaking behind me had me looking over my shoulder.

There were a few guys standing by an old beat-up pickup truck a few yards away, slurring and being overly rowdy. One of them looked over at me and I could see him grinning, lifting his hand and waving as if he were excited to see someone other than his drunken comrades. And then this low growl reverberated through the night air, causing my body to tighten, my pussy to become wet.

I knew that sound. I had heard it just hours ago in the bar. The guys by the pickup sobered instantly, all noise stilling, their eyes widening. I faced forward again and saw Zakari just a few feet away. He had his hands in his pockets, his body so big he seemed to cast a shadow throughout the whole parking lot.

I could see a truck off to the side and assumed it was his. On any other occasion I would’ve felt apprehensive being out here in the middle of the night with men surrounding me, alcohol dimming their inhibitions. But not tonight. Knowing that Zakari was right there, his growl warning the other man to stay away, calmed me. I felt safe in this moment, knowing he was here, feeling his very presence surround me.

But I couldn’t do this, not now. I was confused over all of this. The whole mating thing was foreign to me. I needed to wrap my head around it.

Licking my lips, I didn’t even say anything as I started heading to my car again.

“I’m fucking this up.” His voice was so deep, so serrated that I actually stopped mid-step and closed my eyes, feeling the sound vibrations move along my arms.

Exhaling slowly, I glanced over my shoulder to see he hadn’t moved.

“I’m scaring you,” he said again and there was this note of tenseness and his voice, as if he hated that fact.

I turned and faced him, not sure what to say or how to act. But something had to be said. I couldn’t ignore this. And I knew he wouldn’t either. “I’m not frightened,” I said honestly. I wasn’t, maybe even though I should have been. “And I know what I am to you.” Those words hung in the air between us and I felt this deep sound come from him before I heard it.

“You know what it means to be my mate?”