Chapter 10

Rex removed the bandana from his back pocket and wiped the sweat away from his brow. They’d cleaned about three-quarters of the downed trees, and Rex wanted to repair a small part on one of the tractors before he headed inside for the evening. He was anxious to see Ada, but he was torn, wanting to keep to his responsibilities within his clan and spending every waking moment with the female.

What had she done while they were working? Did she and Tessa get along well? Was she all right in his home? He mentally rolled his eyes. She wasn’t even his mate yet, and he was already obsessing over her happiness.

The beast inside him snarled, demanding it was time to touch her. Knowing it was inevitable, Rex wanted to make their mating perfect. He needed to plan for his brothers to be able to work their lands in his absence, because he was adamant on locking Ada in his quarters for a few days while their beasts and human sides claimed each other.

Rex shivered at the thought of finally finding his mate. She was there, in his home, waiting for him to make the first move. He’d been so worried for her since he and Gunnar had found her, he was afraid to touch her fragile body.

Ada had filled out over the last few days. She’d finally started eating like a female bear should, and the results were astonishing. She said she thought she’d lost close to thirty pounds over the winter, but Rex swore she’d already gained back half of the weight. Even then, she was too small for a female werebear.

His cock hardened as he remembered seeing her naked body as a mate would the day before as she had gotten out of the shower. Her mating scent had crossed his nose, and he’d pulled the towel away from her body. There hadn’t been enough time to memorize her curves as he’d wanted to before his brother had interrupted them.

Rex reached for a wrench out of his toolbox, making a fist around the tool when he noticed his fingertips shaking. Tightening his grip, he shook his head and tried to focus on the part he needed to repair. It was hard...just like his cock. Fuck, he couldn’t think of that now. He recognized his own mating scent as it strengthened, and a growl bubbled up from the center of his chest when his beast reminded him of her mating scent.

“Fuck me,” he snarled, placing both hands on the worktop and leaning over at the waist to heave in a deep breath. “Down, boy.”

It didn’t matter how much he pushed the beast, it returned the need ten-fold. His fangs thickened in his mouth, and before he realized what he was doing, Rex tossed the wrench back into the toolbox and marched out of the barn with his eyes set on the house.

One by one, his claws punched through his fingertips. His need for her was at a breaking point. His beast visualized her in shifted form the day she had been found, and it roared in his head at the condition she was found in, tearing both his human and bear hearts to shreds.

“Rex?” Tessa gasped as he entered the front room.

He ignored the female, searching the room for his Ada. She was curled up on the small couch under the window with a blanket over her legs. The moment her eyes connected with his, her eyes glowed. She didn’t say anything as he marched toward her. She knew what was coming and tossed the blanket aside, and when she did, her desire hit him fully.

“Ada,” he growled around his fangs.

“Rex,” she breathed, standing from her place. A rustling behind him caused his head to turn with a snarl on his tongue, but he pulled himself together long enough to see Tessa leaving the room.

“I can’t wait any longer,” he warned.

“Then don’t.”

Rex raised his shaking hand to cup her face, and the moment he made contact, an invisible magic swirled around him. Like the strike of a venomous snake, the mating call hit him square in his chest, binding Ada to his soul.

She gasped as his lips crashed down on hers. He took her by the waist, lifting her so she would wrap her legs over his hips. Her touch was like fire, burning his skin with pleasure as she cupped his face, accepting his punishing kiss.

“You are my true mate,” Ada cried as he released her. A tear fell from her left eye, but he didn’t wipe it away. It was a symbol of her freedom from the O’Kelly clan and her new life with the Morgan’s.

Rex turned on his heel, walking out of the dining room, through the kitchen, and finally descending the hallway into his underground quarters. Once he reached his door, he kicked it closed, reaching back to lock the deadbolt.

“Tell me you are ready for this,” he pleaded. There was a gentleness he felt when he laid Ada out across his bed. The beast inside him relaxed once they were finally in the sanctity of his room, but the loss of her touch made his bear agitated.

“Yes, Rex,” she purred. “Yes.”

He rested his hands at her waist, bunching the material of her shirt up in his fists as he pushed it up her body. Ada helped him by raising up, capturing his lips once the material cleared her head. Rex’s hands cupped her face much like she’d done to him earlier when they felt the mating pull in the main living room. Her eyes closed, and he couldn’t look away from the long lashes resting against the tops of her cheekbones.

“Are you going to mount me?” she whispered when he pulled away.

“First, I’m going to make love to you, Ada,” Rex vowed. Ada’s head tilted back as he kissed her jaw, underneath her ear lobe, and along her collarbone. She did the honor of unclasping her bra, freeing her breasts. He wanted to rip the material away from her body, but he knew he shouldn’t be so eager with her. His finger slid under the strap, slowly bringing it down over her shoulder, then down her arm. Once the left side was free, the other side fell on its own.

Rex leaned into the next kiss, directing Ada to lay back. He released her and kissed down her jaw and throat again, continuing on to her breasts. He cupped one while using the flat of his tongue to taste the other. Her dark nipples hardened from his attention. She shivered when he nipped at the tight bud. With one touch, he knew he’d never tire of tasting his mate. She was made for him, and he would love her for as long as the gods allowed him.

“Oh, Rex,” she hummed. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Ada,” he whispered, moving back up her body so he could look into her golden eyes. “I’m going to take care of you. I promise.”

“Please, touch me…something,” she panted, her fangs growing thick in her mouth. “I already want to mark you.”

“Not yet, my mate,” he teased, and kissed her again.

He pulled back to remove his shirt with one hand, balancing himself over her with his free arm. The last thing he wanted to do was break the connection, but he wanted both of them naked so he could prime her for their mating.

Ada’s fingers danced over his exposed chest, her eyes watching as she moved over the dips and valleys of his abs. There was a heat about her, and he had a feeling once his mate understood their union a little more, she would be insatiable with her need for his lovemaking. The more she touched him, memorizing his body, the more powerful and all male he felt.

The two of them scrambled to remove the rest of their clothing, coming back together once they were fully nude. Rex’s beast snarled in his head to flip her over and mate her the proper way, but he couldn’t do that just yet.

“I’m going to touch you, Ada,” he said, slowly running his hands over the flat of her stomach. “You have to tell me what you like and don’t like. I want this to be special.”

Ada nodded, the tops of her cheeks blushing a soft pink as he pushed her left leg out to the side. The heat between her legs encouraged him to run his fingers through her wetness, taking a little extra time to roll her clit until her hips began to undulate on the bed.

“Rex.” She growled out his name as he circled her opening. “More.”

“Like this?” He teased and pressed one finger inside her. Her tightness sent his need for her into overdrive. Squeezing his eyes closed, he had to control himself or it’d be over before it ever began.

“Yes,” she breathed.

“Look at me,” he heard himself say when her eyes closed in pleasure. Ada’s eyes popped open, but they closed again when a soft moan fell from her lips.

Rex was mesmerized by how beautiful she was in the throes of pleasure. He’d forever crave the desire in her eyes and the way her lips parted softly as she moaned from his touch. He hadn’t even mated her properly, but he already knew he’d move heaven and earth to keep Ada Carlisle happy.

She was beyond nervous, but with every touch, every tender moment, Rex was weaving his way into her heart and soul. She trusted him more than anyone she’d ever known.

“Rex,” she breathed, unable to form the words she needed to tell him what she wanted. “Please, mate me.”

“I’ll be gentle,” he hummed and removed his hand from between her legs. The absence of his touch sent her beast into a snarling frenzy. The bear wanted the mating as much as Ada did. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he settled between her legs. He wasn’t ready to mount her, and she’d admit it was calming to know he wasn’t going to give into his beast just yet. His human side wanted to make things right for their first time. “Wrap your legs around my waist.”

She did as she was told, looking into his eyes as he reached between their bodies. She felt the warmth of his cock rub against her opening. He was thick, thicker than she ever imagined a male to be.

Ada sucked in a breath when he pressed against her, stretching her. The need to complete their union had her urging him on by lifting her hips. “Rex, just do it.”

“I’m not going to just do it, Ada,” he replied. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“It won’t hurt for long,” she reminded him. The elder females of her clan had prepared her for this. The talks they’d had gave her more information than she should have, but she was thankful for them. “I’m a shifter. As soon as you take my virginity, my body will heal. I won’t bleed, nor will the pain be too much.”

Rex dipped his head to take her lips in a fierce need as he pushed his cock inside her. She felt the bite of pain, but it was only for a moment. He stilled, but Ada needed him to move. Her hips had a mind of their own as soon as he was seated. “More, Rex. I need you to move.”

“Fuck, Ada,” he growled, rearing back to look at her. His eyes were the color of his beast, and she knew hers were the same. The beast that lived inside her was prowling just under her skin.

A snarl bubbled up from the depths of her chest, causing Rex’s upper lip to lift in a predatory snarl. His canines were thick and she wanted to feel them at her neck. “Mark me, Rex. I want to bite you.”

“Patience, sweetheart,” he moaned and thrust inside her a little harder than before.

Ada’s animal pushed so hard at her skin, she bucked Rex hard, knocking him over to his side. He cursed when she scrambled from her back to position herself on her hands and knees, dropping her face to the mattress. “Rex, now. We need this.”

His hands dug into her hips as he positioned himself behind her, pushing inside as slowly as his beast would allow. The anticipation of the mating swirled between them, magic connecting them in more ways than the physical act of sex.

With every thrust, an animalistic growl vibrated through him, and when he pulled her back to his chest, she felt the vibrations. His hand was tangled in her hair, and his arm made a bracket across her stomach. The change of position lit a fire inside her body.

There would’ve never been enough descriptions from the elder females to prepare her for the things her body was experiencing. A craving built inside her body. She felt like she was going to explode, and Rex was what she needed.

“Rex, I don’t know what is going on,” she cried out as the need increased.

“You are my mate,” he growled in her ear. “I will make it better.”

She wanted to ask him what he was talking about, but couldn’t do anything more than pant with his punishing thrusts. He tightened his hold on her hair, making a fist at her scalp. There was no pain, and even if there was, Ada was certain her beast would want more.

“Mate,” he snarled as he tugged on her hair, yanking her head to the side. She gasped loudly as his fangs sank into her neck.

The explosion she was waiting for ignited, and Rex slammed into her body as she tried to rumble out a series of pleas for him to continue. The release was otherworldly. There was no explaining what had happened between them other than the mating was complete when she felt his cock swell and pulse inside her.

“Your turn, Ada,” he replied. She blinked at him as he rearranged them so she was straddling him. “Take me into your body and mark me. Complete this.”

She didn’t hesitate to wrap her tiny fingers around his cock, mesmerized he was still hard for her even after his orgasm. His fingers dug into her hips again as she seated herself, moving up and down a few times to adjust to the new position.

“Sit up, Rex,” she purred, not even recognizing her own voice. She felt sexy and sultry for the first time in her life. The male…no, her mate, had made her feel this way. Rex Morgan was the cause of her happiness.

As he pressed his chest to hers, she wrapped one arm around his shoulders, gathering his long hair into her fist, mimicking the hold he had used on her. Her strike was fast, and the coppery taste to his blood urged her beast to drink his offering, sealing them together forever.

“My mate,” she grinned as she pulled away from his neck.

Anna Claire bit into the back of her hand to keep from screaming. She scented Dwayne Knobs as she ran through the woods. He was close, and her beast was terrified he’d find her. The low branches of the trees slapped at her face as she ran.

Frantically, she searched for a place to hide. Her beast was no use, cowering inside her mind. Her eyes were the only thing helping her see into the night. It had to be close to daybreak, and if she could make it to the highway, she might be able to flag down a vehicle.

“I’ll find you, Anna Claire!” Dwyane bellowed from somewhere behind her. He wasn’t as close as she thought he would be, and that alone gave her a renewed sense of strength to push her legs to run faster.

She jumped over a dead tree, tumbling as she came down in some vines. No, she couldn’t get tangled. Tearing at them with her human nails, she scented her blood before she saw the vines turning red from the tips of her bleeding fingers. His footsteps were getting closer.

Finally! She scurried to her feet and ran, seeing light in the distance. Make that two sets of headlights traveling down the highway. What had she been thinking when she decided to hide in the wooded area across from the clan’s land? Why hadn’t she run farther away? She didn’t know anything about the outside world, and if she was being honest with herself, she was scared.

“There you are,” Dwayne snarled as he took her to the ground, jumping on her back. She fought him, but she was too weak to get him off.

“No!” she screamed.

His hands wrapped around her throat, cutting off the air she needed to breathe. A fist landed on her cheekbone and stars filled her vision. Her fangs grew with the impeding shift. Her beast was going to tear him apart before he could kill her.

“Come here, you little bitch,” Dwayne snarled, removing something from his pocket.

Anna Claire dug her claws into his forearms, but he didn’t even flinch. Fear like nothing she’d experienced before shocked her nerves as he pressed her body into the ground. His hard body covered her as he continued to squeeze.

The stars were fading along with any light her shifted eyes could see. Dwayne’s face came into view through the tunnel of her vision. Something poked against her neck and she tried to reach for it, but her hands were knocked away. “It’s an imbedded collar. If you shift, you will die.”

“No, don’t,” she pleaded when he began to tear at her clothes.

“You’re going to regret running away from the clan,” he spat as he punched her again.

This time, she gave into the unconsciousness and let the darkness take her.