Chapter One

Noel Hastings loved the feel of the breeze on her cheeks whenever she walked through the woods, enjoying the unbeaten paths of Bull Creek as they explored their surroundings. The wind tugged at her skirt, caressing other parts of her body she left exposed to the elements, like her legs and the upper roundness of her breasts as they pushed out of her low-cut top. She relished in the crunch of the fallen leaves under her feet as she walked, the snap of tiny branches along the trail. Birds flittered from tree to tree, following them on their journey as squirrels chittered away, playing a game of tag among the oaks and pines that stood like sentinels guarding the quiet sanctuary. Noel even spotted a small otter scurrying across the dirt road and back into the brush that covered the landscape.

Noel loved Tuesdays, the one day a week Wes Stapleton made sure he avoided Everglades, turning it over to Brianna Hughes to run for the day so he and Noel could have a day to themselves. Noel reached over and stroked the reddish-brown fur of the giant bear who walked beside her, grabbing a fistful and shaking it a little. Wes loved the day as well, she knew, because he could shift and allow his animal to roam, a sight that at first scared the hell out of Noel.

You doing all right? Wes asked, using the mindspeech of shifters. You seem pensive.

She smiled at how perceptive the shaggy-haired man could be, even in bear form. “I am,” she replied. “I was just thinking about how far I’ve come since I moved to Bull Creek, from being scared to death and ignorant of shifters to dating the biggest teddy bear of them all.” She giggled as she gave his fur another shake. “I have to admit, it’s not what I envisioned when I moved here.”

And what exactly did you envision? The bear beside her stopped and turned over a fallen log, scratching at it with his front paw until the branch broke and bugs skittered in all directions. He then reached down and took a giant lick at the small insects, swallowing them in one gulp before continuing.

Noel thought about his question a moment before answering. Most of the people who filled Bull Creek had secrets, including herself. The founders of the community had created it as a sanctuary for the supernatural and humans alike who needed an escape from something in their life for whatever reason. She never told Wes why she had moved there, and he never asked, respecting the code of the community even after they fell in love with each other. Wes had even told her about how his bear had scented her as his mate. That in itself became a complication she tried to avoid for now.

Still, after three months of dating, she owed him something, even if she wasn’t ready to reveal her past to him. “I needed answers,” she said with a shrug. “Someone confronted me with shifters back home, and at first, it scared the hell out of me. I felt betrayed, as well, by the revelation as someone extremely close to me kept it a secret for years, and I just needed to get away from home.” They walked a few more feet in silence as she mulled over her next words. “To be honest, I never really intended on staying. I just wanted to know what the paranormal world really involved, and then I planned on heading home.” She stroked his fur, reaching up and scratching behind his ear. “Of course, I didn’t intend to meet the cuddliest of bears, either.”

She could sense him grinning through their connection. Well, cuddling is a special skill of mine.

She laughed. “That it is. That it is.”

Her cell phone rang from the small pack she carried, which contained Wes’ clothes, and Noel sighed at the interruption to their day. When she pulled her phone out and noticed who called, she sighed even heavier.

She heard Wes’ chuckle in her mind. From your expression, I can tell who’s calling. Tell your mom, “Hello.” He then found another branch rotting on the ground and entertained himself with the insects scurrying around underneath.

“I’m not telling my mother anything, thanks.” She slid the green button to the side to answer it, taking a deep breath as she did. “Mom, what a surprise. I thought you worked during the day.”

“I’m surprised you remember anything since you’ve been gone so long. Where are you, Noel?” Her mother snapped. “This secrecy is getting ridiculous. You can’t stay away forever. People are waiting here for you. You just ran off, and now you refuse to tell anyone where you are.”

They had the same conversation each time her mother called. “You know why I’m not telling anyone where I am, Mother. I don’t need people showing up here. I’m fine, and that should be enough to make everyone happy for now.”

“I’m not everyone, Noel. I’m your mother, and I deserve to know where my daughter is.”

Noel rolled her eyes, knowing full well not to trust her mother to keep her location a secret. “Soon, Mom, but not today.”

“And just why not today?” She felt the icy reception from her mother through the phone. “What is so secret you can’t even tell your mother where you are?”

Noel glanced down at the bear still lapping up insects and enjoying the sun on his fur. Telling her mother her whereabouts would only open a door Noel wasn’t ready to open just yet. She knew she’d have to deal with her reason for running away sooner or later, but later was definitely the better option. She scratched Wes’ fur some more, not ready to surrender the peace she discovered in his arms. “Just not today, Mother. You will have to trust me. Now, I have to go. I’ll call again soon.” She didn’t wait to hear her mother’s protests; she simply ended the call, slipping her phone back into her pack. “Well, that was fun. Don’t those bugs taste weird?”

Not in this form, but I wouldn’t want a bowlful at the bar. We’ll stick to pretzel sticks and peanuts there. He kicked the log one more time, then gave a snort through his nose before turning and continuing to walk the trail they had found. Noel kept her hand on his fur and walked beside him.

Bull Creek rested between St. Cloud to the west and Melbourne to the east. Woods swallowed most of the area with cabins for the residents and Crabgrass Creek to the south. Dirt roads meandered in twists and turns, and the residents made up one giant family of shifters, vampires, and humans, each running from something, whether pain or prejudice. People found tranquility in Bull Creek, and the alpha of the place, Dimitri Everest, made sure that everyone followed the rules. Noel quickly learned that the residents of the small community didn’t have a normal pack mentality where each animal group formed a separate pack. The supernatural community, and even the humans, formed one giant diversified pack with Dimitri as the alpha. The feeling of family that permeated the town made Noel fall in love with the place when she first discovered it, thanks to the dark web, and then shortly thereafter, she fell in love with Wes, even though she knew she had no right, since someone else waited for her back home.

So what do you want to do with the rest of our day? Wes sent to her.

She giggled. “Well, if you stay like this, there isn’t much we can do except make you give me a ride home.”

The bear beside her stopped, and she could feel the transformation start, his fur slipping back into his body, bones popping as he raised himself to his back paws, limbs shifting from the thick legs of a bear to the powerful arms and legs of her lover. Shaggy brown hair covered his head, and his eyes slid into a deep grayish color that twinkled whenever he looked at her. Of course, the best part of the transformation for Noel happened to be that he was always naked. She grinned as she raked him with her eyes. His arms weren’t the only thick appendage on his body.

Reaching out, Wes grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to him, pressing her body tightly against his, her large breasts shoving upward into his face through her shirt as her skirt flared up behind her. “You can ride me like this as well,” Wes said just before he leaned down and kissed her ferociously, running his hands down her back to cup her ass.

Noel slid her arms around his neck, surrendering to his kiss, the wind pulling at her blond hair. Their tongues danced, simulating what she wished they could do with their bodies.

Wes broke the kiss first, pulling away with a deep breath. “Noel, I don’t know how long I can hold my bear off. You know he scented you as his mate, and the longer we wait and keep this heat burning between us, the harder it will be for me to control him.”

She placed a hand on his cheek, gazing deeply into his gray eyes. “I know. Truly, I do, but Wes, I can’t yet. Not yet. And I can’t tell you why. I’m sorry.” She was truly sorry, but that didn’t make it any easier.

“From the moment you walked into Everglades, my bear has wanted to mark you, claim you as his. I’m not sure how much longer he’ll wait to make it real.” Wes’ expression was so sincere, so earnest that it pulled at her heart, but she couldn’t give in to him yet, no matter how badly she wanted his mark.

She leaned down and gave him a soft kiss. “I love you, Wes. Just give me time. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Then why wait?” he asked. “Don’t you want this? Us?”

“You know I do, but it’s not that simple.” There were things Wes didn’t know, things she hadn’t been able to bring herself to tell him, even though she knew she needed to confess her shortcomings, her reason for being in Bull Creek.

“Does it have to do with why you won’t even tell your mother where you are?” he asked, his expression soft, concerned.

She smiled as she nodded. He was always more perceptive than she gave him credit. “When I found Bull Creek, I needed to figure out some things.” She shrugged. “I never intended to find someone like you, so patient, calm, understanding. I want you. I love you. But, there’s still stuff back home I need to take care of before I’m free to move on with my life.”

“So, let’s go take care of it,” he said, and by his tone, she knew he’d throw her in his truck and drive off right then. She hadn’t been around shifters long, but she knew the strength of their mating call.

She put a hand on his chest. “Soon, my sweet teddy bear. I promise. Just let me bask in us a little while longer.” She was avoiding the inevitable, she knew, but she just didn’t have the guts to deal with that inevitability yet. Not now, because then, she’d have to face the fact that Wes wasn’t the only man she loved, and she just didn’t know how to handle that yet.

Wes walked her backward until he had her pinned against a tree, the bark digging into her back. She felt his hand slip under her skirt, his fingers sliding into her panties, stroking her wet folds. “Okay, little elf, but don’t wait too long. I need you.” He leaned in, nibbling her neck and then running over the mark with his tongue. “I want this to be mine always.” And then he shoved his fingers into her sweet honey, driving them in deep, his thumb pressing against her sensitive pearl. “And I want it soon.”

Noel gasped as she shoved down onto his fingers. “Oh, god, so do I. I promise, so do I.” Yet, she had no idea how to make it all happen.

Wes pulled her panties to the side as he lifted her into the air a little, his cock at her entrance. “I love you,” he said, and then he was deep in her pussy, thrusting hard as she clawed his back, crying out. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw another bear, this one with coal-black fur, watching them.