Chapter 15

The final decision had been made. They were going at first light to take down the O’Kelly clan. Ada had made them promise to spare the elders, because they were innocent. Rex and the sheriff assured her they’d bring them to the Morgan clan’s land as soon as it was over.

Ada sat there the entire time, listening to Anna Claire’s cousins and the Morgan clan make a plan, but all she could focus on was her body and the fear she was feeling in her belly. She wasn’t sick. Hell, she didn’t even know what was going on with her and had chalked it up to her nerves, but during the last half an hour, the heat had changed to a tightness in her womb.

Rex had glanced at her a few times since she’d started squirming in her seat. He didn’t say anything while she quietly got up to grab a tall glass of ice water. Even it didn’t help the fire she was experiencing.

“I think I need to take my mate to bed,” Rex excused himself once they’d finished talking. He approached her, and she noticed his eyes flash gold, his nostrils flaring slightly. His hand appeared in front of her face, silently telling her he wanted to take her somewhere. When her fingers slid across his palm, she felt their connection and smiled up at him as he pulled her to his chest.

“Let’s retire for the night,” he stated.

“Okay,” she replied, releasing him to set her cup in the sink.

There was a plan to go after Robert, but Ada was worried about the males. There was evil in her old clan leader, and she wanted to protect Rex and his family by telling him everything she knew.

“Please watch your back,” Ada begged as Rex pulled her over the threshold of their quarters. Anna Claire was spending some time with her cousins. “Robert is vicious.”

“With my brothers, the panthers, and Anna Claire’s cousins, Robert Kelly won’t stand a chance,” he promised, pulling her to his chest.

“I feel so safe and loved when you hold me like this.” The electricity she felt every time they touched would never get old, and having his warmth surrounding her was a bonus. Her voice was only a whisper, but her mate heard every word. Whatever else she had to say about Robert was forgotten with her mate’s touch.

“You are mine to love, mine to protect, Ada,” he replied, tucking his crooked finger under her chin. When their eyes met, he dipped his head, capturing her lips in a heated kiss. “Your mating scent is so strong.”

His kisses sent a fire into the pit of her stomach. Their first mating had been beyond perfect, and he was quickly learning the things she liked and needed during their time together. Rex was a thoughtful lover, making sure she was satisfied.

“Mmmhmmm,” she hummed when he lifted her, wrapping her legs around his waist. Ada dug her fingers into his massive arms, using her thumb to trace the ink of his tattoos. She loved looking at the vibrant colors.

His mating scent was stronger too, and her beast prowled in her mind, demanding they come together as a mated couple. She felt different than when they had first touched. His skin was warmer to the touch, and she couldn’t get enough.

Her body rocked as he took powerful steps toward the bedroom. He never stopped kissing her, even when he paused to kick the door closed. She tangled her fingers in his long hair at the base of his neck, tightening her hold as she rubbed herself against his hardness. Wetness pooled between her legs, and she whined as a heaviness formed in her breasts. Ada wanted him to touch her with his strength. Could he hold her tight enough without hurting her? She wanted that…no, needed the touch of her mate. The idea excited her more as the ache between her legs heightened.

“You want my cock, sweetheart?” he growled, his fangs thickening in his mouth.

There was something feral about a male partially shifting for his mate. It was a sign of their dual nature taking over; the need to connect with their mates. It wasn’t just Rex. Ada’s fangs were thick, and her eyes had given over to her beast’s coloring.

“I need you inside me, Rex,” she begged, reaching up the back of her shirt to unhook her bra. When it was free, he tossed her on the bed, pulling a giggle from her lips.

“Get undressed, Ada,” he ordered, but took control, practically ripping her shoes, socks, and jeans from her body. She struggled to pull her shirt over her head.

When she was bare, Rex placed one knee on the bed directly between her legs, planting his fists at her hips as he leaned over her body. His hair hung low, covering the sides of his face. When he looked at her, she saw the raw need in his eyes and her beast growled with approval.

Ada frantically reached for his shirt, pulling at the material as he ducked his head to kiss her belly. Once the material was free, he prowled up her body, his muscles rolling and swelling as he moved over her. She reached for the button of his jeans, popping the top one with ease. He took care of the rest on his own, but didn’t leave her there for long.

“Open for me,” he purred as she relaxed, letting her legs fall open.

“Fuck,” she gasped when he dipped his head, lapping at the spot between her legs. It was different from the mating, for sure, but the sensations running through her body were the same. “Oh, Rex.”

“Tell me what you want, mate,” he smirked as he pulled away from her core.

“You,” she panted. How could this male drive her to the brink with just one look?

“Me?” he teased, touching her pussy as he moved up her body.

“Now, please,” she begged. There was a release building inside her body; a heat, in a way. The need for his body and seed burned inside her.

Ada’s body undulated as his fingers primed her for their mating. A soft sheen of sweat coated her body with each stroke, and she caught her own scent at the same time Rex did. His eyes flashed golden as a primal growl rolled off his tongue.

“Are you in heat?” he asked, pausing with his eyes wide. There wasn’t fear in them, but a need as strong as her own.

“I…I think so,” she stammered. “Please, Rex. Fuck me.”

His free hand slid between her hair and cheek as he cupped the back of her neck. She wanted to protest when his fingers stopped their pleasure, but she didn’t have time to say anything before he took her lips and guided his cock inside her.

The moment he was seated, she felt her body come alive. The need for his seed was at the forefront of her mind. The heat was unbearable, and she lifted her hips as he slammed against her. There was no pain this time. No, no pain, but there was a craving she couldn’t explain. She knew what it was, though.

She was fertile, and when she bit the existing mating mark on his neck, he roared as his release emptied into her body.

Rex woke to a scent that was strange, but familiar. His sleep addled brain didn’t want to come alive while his mate was tucked into his chest. The night before had lasted for hours as his mate was insatiable for his cock. The memory caused a smile to tug at the corner of his lips as he buried his nose into her soft hair, inhaling her scent.

Her scent…

It was different.

A rumble bubbled out of his chest as his beast awoke. The muscles in his arms bunched as they tightened.

Protect.

The bear inside him paced, throwing out one thought…one demand. The female’s scent had changed in the night, and he purred when she started to squirm. “Mine.”

“Rex?” Ada yawned. “What’s wrong? Why are you holding me so tight?”

“Scent,” he mumbled, nuzzling her mating mark. “You smell so good, Ada.”

Had she used a new shampoo? A new fragrance?

Every time she moved, the scent wrapped around him, filling his nose with the most amazing smell he’d ever encountered.

With a jerk, his eyes popped wide when he felt the calming sensation move over him.

“Rex?” she repeated. “What are you doing?”

Rex moved so fast, even he was surprised at his speed. He gently rolled Ada from her side to her back, and his beast pushed at his skin, demanding he press his face to her belly. “Oh, God, Ada.”

“Rex?” she repeated, looking at him in shock. All the color had drained from her face as tears filled her big, brown eyes. “Am I?”

“Yes, yes, my mate, yes,” he chanted as he kissed the spot below her belly button. “You have made me the happiest male on the face of the planet.”

“I’m with young?” she giggled.

A male could scent when a female was with young within hours of conception, and for a male shifter, it was the most relaxing, most calming thing they could ever experience. Rex had no idea how much stronger it would be when the female carrying a young was your own mate.

“Yes, Ada,” he replied, taking her lips in a sweet but thankful kiss.

“I’m so happy,” she cried, digging her fingers into his long hair. His beast roared inside his head with as much happiness as his human side.

“The only thing I’ve ever wanted as much as a mate is a cub, and you’ve given me that,” he whispered, retuning to nuzzling her belly.

Rex couldn’t remove himself from the bed. His brothers would have to pry him away in about fifteen minutes when they were ready to leave. Regardless of his need to eliminate the threat to his mate, Rex wasn’t ready to leave her side after the realization she was carrying his cub.

A knock on the outer door jerked his head from her belly. A growl rumbled in his chest as his bear became protective. He had to push at the beast as his fangs thickened in his mouth.

“It’s just your brothers,” she whispered as she tucked a strand of hair behind his ear.

“I have to go.”

“Please…be careful,” she whispered and stroked his hair once more before he sat up in the bed. He strode to the door, cracking it to make sure whomever was on the other side was, in fact, one of his brothers.

“Put clothes on,” Gunnar ordered. “We are leaving in ten minutes.”

“I’ll be right there,” he replied through the tiny crack in the door. Gunnar nodded and turned on his heel as he returned to the main area of the house.

“We have to kill her leader,” he whispered to the bear inside him when it wanted to stay close to their mate.

When he entered the bedroom, his mate was already asleep. He dressed and hovered over the bed for another minute, taking in the vision before him. She was his, and he vowed to keep her from harm. “I’ll return with your freedom, Ada.”

He closed the bedroom door softly, and did the same with the outer door. He marched up the sloped hallway, stopping as he entered the living area of the home. Gunnar was in the kitchen, pouring a cup of coffee when he looked over his shoulder and froze. “What’s wrong?”

“My…my mate is with young,” he stated. “It’s time to kill Robert O’Kelly, and I won’t come home until I can bring his heart to the females he has harmed.”

“That’s what I’m talking about,” the panther, Savage, said from the doorway. The panthers and sheriff had arrived just in time. “Are we ready to do this?”

“More than ready,” Rex snarled and swiped his keys off the hook by the door.