Bearly Mated (BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) Read online

  Bearly Mated

  Copyright © October 2014, Juliette Lucas

  Cover art by Clarissa Yeo © October 2014

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Chapter One

  “She’s awkward. She’s clumsy. She says whatever pops into her head,” Daniel complained, and Patrick growled a warning. His brother ignored him, ticking off the points on his fingers.

  Patrick laid a heavy hand on Daniel’s collar, and his brother, completely unfazed by his threat, lay off—a little.

  “She’s not right for us.”

  Patrick gritted his teeth. “Since when did my choice of a mate become an ‘us,’ little brother?”

  “Jeez, don’t call me little brother. We left that kind of nonsense behind us as kids.”

  “There you go with that us thing again. Lizette is sexy and beautiful.” At mention of his intended mate, Patrick’s pants tightened at the crotch. Ever since he decided he would take a mate and he had chosen Lizette, he kept himself from other lovers. The decision was killing him. A shifter denied sex was—well, it was unheard of, and for an alpha, it meant intense suffering. Patrick’s whole being wanted Lizette under him, naked and now!

  He drew in a deep breath and tried for calm, but he was driven to defend his choice of a mate. “You’ve seen her?”

  “Of course I’ve seen her,” Daniel grumped. “She’s a student, isn’t she? Kind of young for you?”

  “She’s twenty-six. For human purposes, I don’t look much older than thirty. I’m not too old for her.” Patrick tried getting his tie right but failed. His brother strode over to him and brushed his hands aside. He worked the small strip of cloth with ease, annoying Patrick all the more. To calm himself, Patrick shut his eyes and drew up a picture of Lizette in his mind. Soft and curvy, she was everything he wanted in a woman. His hands itched to squeeze her heavy breasts, and he craved a taste of her skin. Today, after the nod from the council, he would kiss her, and he fully intended to explore all he wanted inside that hot little mouth with his tongue. He didn’t care who watched. Then later—

  “Hey!”

  Patrick jerked out of his imaginings and opened his eyes to his brother’s amused expression. “What?”

  “If you go out there like that, you’ll scare her off.” Daniel pointed downward and Patrick looked. His slacks were tented, and he groaned.

  Patrick spun away and readjusted his cock. “She knows I want her, and she’s not a virgin. Seeing how turned on I am is a good thing.”

  “She’s human, and she doesn’t understand all there is about us yet. Besides, a couple boyfriends over the years doesn’t add up to much experience. Especially since you ran them off.”

  Patrick slipped into his jacket and wiggled his shoulders to set the material correctly. “You say it accusingly.”

  “Not me, bro, but why did you wait so long to claim her?”

  “I wanted her to live her life.”

  “You manipulated it.”

  “I didn’t!” He snarled.

  “Damn, you’re a fucking grump when you haven’t had sex.”

  “So are you.”

  “Well, it’s a good thing I’m not mating, so I can have all the pussy I want.”

  Patrick flipped him off. “That ends today.” He turned from the mirror where he inspected himself to his brother. People often said they looked like twins. Patrick saw similar dark coloring, and of course they both had golden eyes. That was where he and Daniel parted ways, at least in personality. Daniel had always been friendly and easygoing. Patrick knew he could be stubborn even belligerent sometimes, but his people had always been his first priority. He knew few of their people accepted Lizette, but she was his. He might be selfish to want her and make her his mate, especially since the alpha’s mate ruled by his side. No one believed she could do it. He trusted that when they mated, he could impart some of his strength to her and fill in the places she lacked. Other than that, he would do whatever it took to please her. All she needed to do to please him was let him get his hands on her luscious body. He groaned and then shook himself, trying to focus. “Lizette is mine. I don’t care who doesn’t like it. I will have her.”

  Daniel shrugged. “Some are protesting.”

  “I have never forced them to follow me.”

  “The council could veto your decision because of all the fuss.”

  Patrick clenched his jaw. “I would make them sorry. I am not a figurehead.”

  Daniel chuckled. “Nobody could accuse you of that. Need me to get you a quick drink before we go down?”

  “A frou-frou one from Nana? No thanks. I’ll have a beer later with my mate.”

  Daniel slapped him on the back too hard. “Well, let’s get you hitched. It’s all downhill from here, ball and chain attached for life.”

  Patrick snarled. “You’ll have your turn, and you’ll welcome it when you’re so connected she knows your thoughts and desires, and you know hers.”

  “That’s what you want? I never knew my alpha was such a romantic.”

  “You’re an asshole, little brother.”

  They grinned at each other and left the room. Patrick wouldn’t be alive if he didn’t at least in his own mind acknowledge the tension stacked between his shoulders and the knot in his stomach. He should have accepted the drink. Even a little alcohol could have taken the edge off. Too late now. Before he stepped into the hall and was assaulted with the noise, scents, and murmurs inside the council headquarters, he sorted through it all and picked up her scent. Somewhere on the second floor, she dressed for him, scented with flowers, covered in silk. His cock throbbed. Yes, he had waited for her, ever since she was eighteen. Now was the time, and no one, not the council or any fools who protested would keep her from him.

  Chapter Two

  “Here, drink this.” Emmy shoved a drink into Lizzie’s hand, the ice clinking against the side of the glass.

  Lizzie frowned down at it with suspicion. She raised the glass to her nose and sniffed. “What is it?”

  “A mint julep.” Emmy cast her an apologetic look.

  “A mint julep?” Lizzie exclaimed. She took a gulp anyway and found the liquid to be extra sweet, and she barely tasted the alcohol. “I told you to bring me something strong, Emmy. If I’m going to get through this humiliation, I need it.”

  Emmy rolled her eyes and flicked distractedly at the Lizzie’s bouncy curls. If nothing else, Lizzie had to admit the stylist did a fantastic job of giving her lifeless mousy brown hair silkiness and body. She had dyed it auburn and used hot curlers to twist the ends. Lizzie’s body might be frumpy today, but maybe her husband-to-be would keep his gaze on her hair. Fat chance. Fat being the operative word. She sighed. There were no miracles to be found for her broad hips and big behind.

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Emmy lamented, “but Nana only knows how to make mint juleps, and she refused to give you, as she says ‘raw liquor on your big day.’ She went on explain how the last time you drank too much before an important function—”

  Lizzie held up her hand. Her cheeks were already burning, and it must be in stark contrast to her glorious hair. “Never mind. I’ll make do with this, but why is Nana the bartender if she doesn’t know how to tend bar?”

  “Because there’s no one else.
Jason is in protest against—” Her friend slapped both hands over her mouth, eyes wide.

  Something stirred in the pit of Lizzie’s stomach, and she moaned, swinging back toward the mirror. The alcohol hadn’t helped. Nothing would. She surveyed her body encased in a simple white dress that reached just above her knees. The straps hooked behind her neck and formed a deep V between her breasts. Despite how exposed her arms were in the sleeveless ensemble, she loved how it accentuated her large breasts. They were her best feature, and she didn’t mind showing them off.

  While Lizzie knew she wasn’t a small woman, she wasn’t completely down on herself. She kept her chin up and marched on through every challenge life threw at her. The problem today was that normally her issues were just that—her issues. Now, because the leader of the bear pack had chosen her as his mate, trouble had sprung up.

  Patrick Scott, alpha bear. Her stomach knotted, and she swallowed, thinking any second she could ruin her dress. “Why did he choose me of all people? Why not that ex of his?”

  Emmy sneered. “If he did, he wouldn’t be worthy of my best friend.”

  “I don’t understand your logic, Emmy. If Patrick had chosen Annie, I wouldn’t be here suffering because I’m about to go before a council to determine whether I can mate with the head of the Byrwood, South Carolina bear pack. Patrick being worthy wouldn’t enter into consideration. Besides, Annie is perfect and beautiful. Most of all she’s already a shifter. No one, including our missing bartender, thinks I am the better choice.”

  Emmy hugged Lizzie from behind and kissed her cheek. “Nobody except Patrick—and me. That’s all that matters.”

  Lizzie blinked away tears before she ruined her makeup, and then dropped her chin to look at her feet. She wiggled her toes. Her feet were pale like her legs, and she lamented not going out into the sun more during this last week. They were moving into cooler months soon, and she was going to her wedding night as white as a sheet. At least the red polish looked cute. She squinted at her toes and reached for her glasses. Emmy smacked her hand.

  “No glasses. You’re cuter without them.”

  “Without them I’ll fall on my face before I reach Patrick.”

  “Don’t be dramatic, Lizzie. That’s my role. Just keep your eyes on the prize—your great big sexy bear. Mm, I wish I had one.”

  “You can have mine.”

  Concern colored Emmy’s face, and she swung Lizzie to face her. “Lizzie, you do want him, don’t you? You said yes when he asked you.”

  Lizzie bit her lip. Shifters lived alongside humans all over the world, but they were far fewer in number and much more powerful. In the pockets where they existed, the groups were called packs, and the pack always protected the humans they coexisted with, from enemies and from each other. Crime in Byrwood almost didn’t exist.

  Lizzie had known Patrick and many of his people for years—from afar. They were the elite in her mind. Yet, because of their difficulty in growing their numbers with babies, they often mated with humans. Having children under these circumstances was still a miracle but much more likely. Of course, this fact occurred to her when she considered why Patrick chose her over Annie. Lizzie would have preferred if it was because he had fallen head over heels the first time he laid eyes on her, or something equally fantastical.

  Law forbid the shifters to bite humans to increase their numbers, except within the confines of marriage. Then it was one bite on their wedding night. Either the human turned or died, but the odds were great. A full ninety percent became shifters, and for some reason the gods of shifter-dom allowed a made-shifter to conceive easier than a born one. Go figure.

  “I want him,” Lizzie said, and she buried the desire she felt for Patrick behind an impassive expression. The truth was she had fallen for the man from the first day she had seen him. She had dared not let anyone know, including Emmy, because the feelings were pointless. At eighteen, she was a clumsy, plump human, and he was already a chiseled work of art, a man every woman wanted. That had been eight years ago. Who would have thought he would ask her to mate with him out of the blue. “We had three months of dating. I know him better than I know myself.”

  Emmy frowned. “Don’t get sarcastic, Lizzie. You get that way when you’re nervous. Just relax. Everything will be wonderful. Think of it this way. Patrick has that big house, and you can continue your schooling without worrying about how you’ll pay for it.”

  “That’s if I don’t die.”

  “Lizzie!”

  “Okay, okay, I’m ready. Let me put on my heels, and we’ll get this thing over with. Then I have to do it all over again at a human wedding. Fun times.”

  Emmy winked. “But you get the wedding night tonight. Yum!”

  Lizzie forced a smile while her stomach somersaulted. As soon as Emmy turned her back, Lizzie grabbed her glasses and stuffed them in the tiny hidden pocket of her dress. She followed her friend out to begin the simple yet crucial ceremony.

  Chapter Three

  Lizzie squirmed at Patrick’s side. During a shifter ceremony, she didn’t get to hold a bouquet, so she had nothing to do with her hands. She had to keep reminding herself not to clutch them together and show the world how the man standing next to her was so intimidating.

  Oh yes, indeed, Patrick Scott daunted her. At five foot four, she didn’t reach his shoulder. Even with her wearing the highest heels she could find when she and Emmy had gone shopping, Patrick still towered above her. Not just that either. His shoulder span could block out the sun. She’d tested it on one of their dates. Patrick made her feel—dare she think it—tiny. That should turn a woman on, but right then, listening to the older councilman drone on and on about Patrick’s responsibilities, she couldn’t help thinking of later when it would be just the two of them. She’d had sex, but her boyfriends were human and small compared to Patrick. Lizzie had heard the rumors too about shifter men being hung.

  While Patrick wasn’t looking, she let her gaze travel his massive build, huge chest, down to ripped abs and on to the goodies. She’d seen him shirtless with hair wet from a shower. If she hadn’t known better, she might have thought he’d let her see on purpose. Either way, the day he had called her and told her work was running late and that he would appreciate it if she would come to him instead of him picking her up for their date. She had thrilled to think he was more liberal than she had given him credit for. Up until then, Patrick had been picking her up, paying the tab, and refusing to hear any arguments. Then he had walked into the room in nothing but a towel and said he would be ready in a jiffy. Lizzie’s world had rocked upside down and remained that way. She wanted Patrick like she had lusted after no other man. The question was, could she handle him?

  A cleared throat brought her back to the present, and she glanced up to find Patrick’s amused gaze trained on her. He had caught her staring at his cock. Just great! Her hand fluttered to her face to push her glasses higher, but she wasn’t wearing them, so she probably looked like an idiot, smacking herself in the eye.

  More fluttering because she panicked over appearing like a buffoon in front of his people, and Patrick grasped her hand. He gave her something to do with it by threading his fingers through hers. Her throat went dry.

  “Lizette Barrow,” intoned one of the elderly men sitting behind the long table, “do you understand what is required of you to be the alpha’s mate?”

  She blinked. Which one had spoken? Without her glasses she couldn’t be sure. She and Patrick didn’t stand close enough to the table for her to hear which man spoke, and apparently the elders didn’t open their lips very wide. Heat crept up her neck into her cheeks. Patrick ran a thumb over her skin to encourage her. Not helping. Arrows of need shot down between her legs with just one touch. She heard a sniff and was mortified, knowing he could smell how much she wanted him.

  “Ms. Barrow?” the man said again.

  This time she figured out the direction and forced a smile. “You can call me Lizzie. Everyone does.” Oh, crap, t
hat was inappropriate. This wasn’t a social gathering. “I mean, yes. Yes, I do understand.”

  She ducked her head, pressing her lips together.

  Patrick leaned toward her. His breath stirred a few tendrils of her hair. Against Nana and Emmy’s advice to wear it up to look more sophisticated, she had kept it down and had been vindicated with Patrick’s eyes lingering first there and then moving over her body. He had pronounced her beautiful before they had entered the hall.

  “Why aren’t you wearing your glasses?” he whispered. “You look cute in them.”

  She frowned up at him. “I don’t want to be cute.”

  “Cute enough to eat,” he insisted. She clutched his hand tighter, a puddle of desire. He gave a deliberate flare to his nostrils, letting her know he knew everything. She wet her lips. The man was killing her.

  The councilman raised his voice, capturing their attention. “While we’re sure Ms. Barrow is a good human being, the council is not sure—”

  Lizzie started when Patrick’s hold on her hand tightened. She peered from the councilman to him and noted the change in his eye color. The gold deepened, and he narrowed his eyes. She shivered. “We’re here in keeping with the traditions,” Patrick said. No one in the room could mistake his meaning. Their being there was pomp and circumstance. Patrick didn’t care what the council thought of their joining.

  Hearing the protest come from the top renewed Lizzie’s doubts. Weren’t they being selfish? Wasn’t she in particular? The day Patrick stepped into her dad’s bookstore and announced in his haughty way that he had chosen her to be his mate, she hadn’t think of one other person. Not his people and not her family and friends. After the initial shock had worn off, and of course she had let him know what she thought of the way he proposed, she had said yes. Why? Because this man had filled her wildest fantasies for a long time, and her dream was coming true.

  Now she doubted. “Patrick, I—”