“See, you already forgot my name. That’s strike two.”
“You’re a rascal,” she informed me.
“Honey, you aren’t telling me anything that I don’t already know. I’ve been called that and a lot worse my entire life.”
She grunted and pulled a couple of bowls and glasses out of the cabinet. After adding a couple of spoons, I was ordered to set the table. “Make yourself useful. Set the table. Around here, everyone has to help out. I don’t run a hotel, you know.”
I thought that it was remarkable that we were able to slip into a comfortable routine as though we had done this countless times before. Maybe we had.
During dinner, we talked about the area around the cabin. I didn’t push her into talking about herself and what brought her out here. She would tell me her story when she was ready. It really didn’t matter. She was here with me, and that was all that mattered.
That night as we got ready for bed, it seemed to be a natural routine. We brushed our teeth—thankfully, she had an extra toothbrush—and headed into her bedroom, naked.
We had to straighten out the bed, and then we crawled beneath the covers. I pulled her close to me and held her tight, her nice apple butt pushed against my cock. It was a good thing we were both tired and she was just a bit sore from her first venture into the world of love making. Otherwise, I may have been tempted to slip in from behind. I don’t think she would have minded.
I was trying to be a good bear and be considerate, although that wily snake between my legs twitched.
I had never been so satisfied as I was when I held my woman in my arms. I smiled because she fell asleep almost instantly. I could understand, though. She had a long day, full of surprises.
Unfortunately, the surprises were not over. There was another, huge one coming her way. I really should have told her today, but I wasn’t sure how. The right opportunity never seemed to present itself. I promised myself that I would tell her soon. Then, I slipped into the comforting arms of Morpheus.
The next morning, after a delicious breakfast of French toast, scrambled eggs, and bacon, I asked her what her plans were.
“I have to try working on my next book. If it was just my publisher, I wouldn’t worry too much about a time table. However, I’ve had emails from several of my fans wanting to know when the next book is coming. I definitely don’t want to disappoint them. What about you?”
“I have a whole lot of personal business to take care of,” I told her. “However, I will be back this evening, if you don’t mind.”
“I would mind very much if you didn’t come back. If I’m not mistaken, you owe me two dates. If you didn’t come back, I would think you were skipping out on your end of the bargain. Besides, didn’t you say we were married?”
I nodded. “We are.”
“In that case, shouldn’t you come back home every night? Unless, of course, you have another home you need to be at.”
I shook my head. “Nope. Just been baching it with a friend of mine.”
“Then, it’s settled,” she responded. “You should come home every night. It is way too early in our marriage for you to not come home.”
“I’ll see you later, my love,” I said, kissed her on the lips, patted her behind, and headed out.
After I left the cabin, I walked a little way into the woods. After taking off my clothes, folding them neatly, and putting them safely inside of a log, I transformed into a grizzly bear. I bounded on all fours to the cave our clan claimed as home base.
Most of the clan was there, waiting. Although I was certain that everyone already knew what I was about to tell them, they waited for the official announcement.
I stood on the ledge and faced my clan. “Yesterday, I met my soulmate. She is a full-human, named Luka. She moved into that cabin that is on the south edge of our territory. We made our declarations and were bound together by the laws of the forest.”
I laid the vines down on one of the ledges that protruded from the cave walls.
“She is my mate. As such, you will welcome her.”
Immediately, my younger half-brother, Amon, stepped up next to me.
“You need to step down. You need to resign your position as leader,” he announced. “You are joined with a pure human. Any offspring that you have will only serve to weaken our bloodlines. We cannot afford to have our bloodlines weakened.”
“Have you forgotten, brother, that the mother of our clan was a full-human who fell in love with the father, a full-grizzly, of our clan? Throughout the centuries humans and shifters have intermarried, and we are as strong as ever.”
“I have not forgotten, brother. However, with the unrest that is happening between the shifters and the witches who wish to take over our sacred territory, we must be as strong as ever. This is especially true, since we also face a threat from humans who are land hungry.”
“My union with Luka will not weaken our bloodlines nor will it weaken our ability to defend what is ours. I fully expect any children to be shifters, as it is the dominant gene. However, even if they are not, they will be an asset to the clan, as they can help us defend against other full humans.”