Searching for His Mate Read online

  She scrambled after Izek, stepping over the dead human as she went. The air around him began to shimmer as he began to shift. He fell to the ground as the shift took over. A groan was ripped from him as his body underwent the change from bear to human.

  She immediately pulled her bear back, the human in her demanding to be back in control. Pain radiated through her body as she began her own transformation. She kneeled on the ground and tried to catch her breath once she was back in her human form, and when she glanced up, Izek was nowhere in sight.

  “Izek!” she called out as she scrambled to stand erect. She ignored her nakedness, knowing that she had to find him. He had been shot and needed her help.

  She picked up on the sound of a pain-filled moan not far away from her. She ran fast in the direction of the sound, and found him propped up against a tree.

  “Izek!” She flew to his side, falling to the ground next to him. She grimaced as her knees were met by sticks and stones, followed by a burning sensation signaling torn flesh.

  “Stacia,” he gasped.

  “What are you doing here?” she exclaimed, running her hands through her thick hair.

  “Well, I thought that would be obvious.” He grimaced as he shifted against the tree. She ignored his nakedness as her eyes were drawn to the blood running down his side.

  “Oh my God! You were shot.” She instantly put her hands to the wound to try to stop the flow of blood. His warm blood oozed around her fingers as she pressed harder. His sharp intake of break had her eyes flying to his face.

  “I’ll be fine,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “Like hell you will. You were shot,” she repeated. She watched as he leaned his dark head back against the tree with his eyes closed.

  Her bear whined, pawing at her chest, not liking that her mate was injured.

  There was that word again. Mate. Stacia glanced up again at Izek, and found his eyes on her.

  “How did you know where to find me?”

  “It doesn’t matter now,” he murmured, the pain still visible in his eyes. “We have to move. They’ll be back. Men like them won’t let a shifter kill a human and get away with it. We need to move.”

  “How? Have you already forgot that you were shot?” She looked down at the wound and found the blood had begun to slow down. Due to him being a shifter, she was sure that he would be okay. It didn’t look as if the bullet had hit anything vital.

  “I can get up. Move out of the way so I can stand.” He groaned as she removed her hand. “I just need to shift again, and I should heal just fine.”

  She stood back and held out her hand to help him up, but he ignored it. Typical alpha male, she thought with a roll of her eyes. He was shaky when he stood and swayed slightly, but again, he brushed her off as she offered her assistance. He took a few steps away from her before transforming back into his bear. His fur-covered head turned her way slightly before he began to march away into the forest.

  6

  She’s okay, she’s okay, he chanted to himself, trying to calm him and his bear down. He glanced behind him and found her in bear form as well, following behind him. They only had about another mile to go until they would reach his truck. Once they reached it, he would shift back, then they would talk.

  Having her at his side, naked and trying to tend to his wound, had him thinking thoughts that he shouldn’t have of his little sister’s friend. Her pert breasts with the dark areolas, shifting every time she moved, had him sweating more than the damn pain from the gunshot. Hell, before leaving the alpha, he had all but gotten his blessing at the mating between the two of them.

  He needed to think. Was he ready to take a mate? He had a large savings, a career he loved, and his own home. He came from a strong family, and his sister would be thrilled to have Stacia as a sister-in-law.

  Why now? Why would his bear choose Stacia? He’d known her for years, and always kept his distance from her because of the age difference. They never ran in the same crowds, and even when she was over at their home, her and Callia pretty much stayed in his sister’s room when they were growing up.

  Stacia’s bear came to stroll next to him as they continued their journey through the woods. Her concerned eyes looked to him, as if wanting assurance that he was okay. He nodded to her, letting her know that he was fine. With the shift, his human body would heal. He would probably be a little sore for a day or two, but the wound itself would be healed.

  They traveled in a comfortable silence while his mind raced. His bear was comforted by the sheer presence of Stacia’s bear, but on high alert since they were traveling in the middle of the night, deep into unknown territory. No longer did he have the feeling that something was missing. His bear wasn’t demanding to go running off into the woods in search of something unknown.

  He was content.

  Izek had been too busy with his career before to pay attention to what his bear had been trying to tell him; it was plain as day. His bear had been searching for hers. She was his mate.

  They came to the clearing and found his truck exactly where he had left it parked. He pulled back on his bear and forced the shift. The pain of transformation was temporary, and within seconds, he kneeled on the ground, back in his human form.

  “I have a duffle bag in the truck with some clothes for both of us,” he said, turning to Stacia.

  She stood naked, due to the shift, and it took everything he had to keep his eyes focused on her face. The wind was gently blowing her hair around her face. The moonlight was shining down on her, as if creating a perfect painting of a beautiful siren at night in the middle of the woods. Just looking at her took his breath away.

  “How is your wound?” she asked, stepping close to him.

  “Like new,” he replied, holding in his breath as she reached for him. Her fingers danced softly across his abdomen, just where the bullet had entered. He closed his eyes for a brief second, basking in the feel of her warm hands on his bare skin.

  “Not even a scar,” she murmured, her eyes meeting his. “Izek—”

  “Not now.” He grabbed her hand and entwined his fingers with hers. They needed to talk, but now was not the time. Chief Wapti had made arrangements for them to stay in a cabin, safe on the Blackfeet lands until morning. The Blackfeet would provide them protection tonight.

  By the morning, his unit would be making their way to the cabin he rescued her from. Intel had come in on the robbers. They worked for crime boss, Saladino “Dino” Vanello, who was currently under surveillance by local authorities, FBI, ATF and the DEA. It was speculated that Dino Vanello had his hands in everything, including selling shifters on the black market.

  “Let’s get dressed and to safety,” he said, pulling her along behind him. He went to the driver’s door and entered the code for the keyless entry to the truck, unlocking it. Without releasing her hand, he moved to open the back door and pulled out the duffle bag he’d left on the back seat.

  His bear was unhappy that he had to let her hand go so that they could get dressed, but he had no choice.

  “Where are we?” Stacia asked quietly from the passenger seat. They had drove in silence for about thirty minutes before the sound of her voice broke the silence.

  “We’re in Blackfeet Country,” he said. Her scent was driving his bear wild. His cock was thick and full with need, and he needed a release soon. Her thick, curvy body was just what his bear needed. He’d never been into skinny women. He was a large man, and he needed a woman who had curves to fill his big hands.

  “Their chief is a friend of my brother’s,” she said as he made the turn on the reservation where they would be staying.

  “Your brother called him to inform him of what was going on. His men will make sure that nothing goes down until my men can get here. We’ll be fine until morning.”

  “We’re staying here tonight?” she asked with a slight catch in her voice. “Alone?”

  He parked the truck in the driveway of the guesthouse and turned to
her. Her disheveled hair, dark eyes, and plump lips caused his mouth to go dry. He cleared his throat before he answered her.

  “Will that be a problem?”

  7

  Stacia swallowed hard as she followed Izek into the small guesthouse. The Blackfeet were a proud people who sympathized with shifters. When shifters had come out to the world, the humans panicked, but not the Native Americans. They were the only humans who accepted shifters without prejudice. Throughout time, Native American legends were based off the shifter culture. That is why the Blackfeet and the Osawana Grizzlies were allies.

  “How did you find me?” she asked as he closed the door. She stepped over to the side table and turned on the lamp, casting away the dark shadows. The home was small, with an open floor plan. It was modest in decoration, and could even be described as cozy.

  “I’m not sure I should tell you, but your brother had a tracer on you,” he said while scratching his head.

  “He what?” she gasped. The pendant! She would murder her brother. The minute she got home, the big bad alpha would fall. She began to formulate a plan of how she would torture her older brother. “How dare he! What am I, a prisoner? Just because he’s the alpha, does not give him the right—”

  “Calm down.” Izek grabbed her shoulders, and she tilted her head back to look up at him. Her heart slammed against her chest wall as she gazed up into his honey brown eyes. “It doesn’t matter that he did it or why. All that matters is that because of the tracer, I was able to find you.”

  Her breath caught in her throat; she was unable to look away from him. Any thoughts she had about torturing Landon disappeared. Her bear wanted to get close to Izek, really close, so she closed the space between them. Izek’s fingers traveled up her shoulders and came to rest at the base of her neck. His intense eyes mesmerized her as he slowly leaned down and rested his forehead against hers.

  “I found you,” he whispered, moving his lips across her softly.

  “You were looking for me?” Her voice ended on a squeak as he placed a gentle kiss against her lips.

  “I’ve been so engrossed in my career this past year that I didn’t realize that my bear was searching for his mate. He’d been searching for you.”

  He crushed his mouth to hers, and excitement filled her chest. It wasn’t just her. He had felt it too! Her bear released a small growl as Izek continued to devour her mouth, thrusting his tongue to duel with hers. He dominated the kiss, holding her face in his large hands, controlling every aspect of action.

  Her bear instantly submitted to her mate. Stacia knew without a doubt that she belonged to Izek, and he belonged to her. She felt it deep within her soul. This was one thing that her and her bear didn’t fight over. They were in synch with each other on this matter.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, giving into him as he began to remove her clothes from her body. She kicked off her shoes to help him. She needed to have him deep inside of her now.

  He released a deep chuckle at her display of enthusiasm to get her clothes off as she kicked her yoga pants off. She, at first, didn’t think twice that he hadn’t packed her any panties in that duffle bag of his, but now she had a funny feeling that it was done on purpose.

  “Hurry,” she gasped, helping him pull his shirt over his head.

  “We have all night,” he murmured as his heated gaze slowly took all of her in.

  His hard, firm chest was even better in person. She tried not to stare when they were in the woods because he was injured, but it didn’t keep her from wanting to lick every ridge of his abdomen. Now, they were safe and alone, so she didn’t hide her admiration.

  “Jesus,” she moaned as he pushed her up against the door, covering her body with his.

  His hard, naked body was a direct contrast to her soft curves. He took her lips again in a brutal kiss that left her core drenched. He reached down and lifted her up. Her legs automatically wrapped themselves around him.

  He broke the kiss and trailed kisses along her jawline before heading towards her neck. She turned her head, offering herself to him. His tongue caressed the curve of her neck while she felt his thick length probe her slick folds. He thrust deep, filling her completely. She let loose a deep moan as his thick length stretched her. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as he pulled back and thrust again, this time going even deeper.

  “Yes,” she hissed, holding onto him for dear life.

  He dragged his sharp fangs along the curve of her neck. Her bear craved his mating mark. She didn’t care if it was a bite or scratch, she wanted him to mark her as his. Her hands slightly shifted into paws, her sharp claws breaking through. She dragged her nails along his back, breaking skin, needing to mark him as well. He would forever carry her mark. Anyone who would look at him from behind would know that he had been claimed. Her paws receded, now that her bear had broken through to do her part of their mating.

  He grunted as she guided his face back to hers, covering his mouth with hers. She plunged her tongue into his mouth, displaying her dominance, which was short-lived as he took back control of the kiss. She wrapped her arms around him, drawing him tighter to her, as she rode the waves of their intense passion.

  He tore his mouth from hers, breathing heavy as he continued to thrust deeper into her. He buried his head back into the nape of her neck, and this time, she felt the burn of his sharp fangs latching onto to the meat of her shoulder.

  She cried out as her body trembled from the sensations building up within her. Her bear roared, sensing the mating bond between the two of them had become complete. He pulled her away from the wall and held her in his arms as he lifted her up and slammed her down onto his cock. This time she screamed at the change of position, and the angle in which his length dove into her slick channel.

  She chanted his name over and over as the waves of her orgasm built up inside of her. Izek increased the speed in which he brought her up and down onto his hard cock.

  One look into his heat-filled eyes was enough to send her over the edge. Her body tensed as her orgasm took her over. Her body shook from the sensations that flooded her.

  His grip on her ass tightened as he roared with his release, filling her with his warm seed. The house was stone silent, except for the sound of their heavy breathing. She rested her forehead against his with her eyes closed, trying to catch her breath.

  Her bear was extremely satisfied now. They were mated to the man that she had thought would never even look at her. She knew that bears could be stubborn and picky, but she was glad that her bear chose Izek.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. She could still feel his semihard length inside of her. She didn’t want their connection to be broken, so she tightened her legs that were locked behind him.

  “Yes,” she answered, opening her eyes to find his concerned gaze on her.

  “Good,” he said. Pulling out of her, he swung her up and over his shoulder. “We have a few hours, and I’m not done with you yet.”

  8

  Izek’s eyes flew open. The house was either too quiet, or the fact that he was not in his own bed woke him up. Stacia lay snug in his arms after spending hours completing their mating bond. His bear was completely satisfied, and was oddly quiet. Izek had become accustomed to his bear making demands constantly, but now that he was officially mated to Stacia, his bear was content. His bear felt whole.

  He gathered Stacia closer to him and placed a kiss to her forehead. He loved the smell of her fresh from their shower they had taken when he brought them back to the master bedroom. Little did Stacia know, this guest home was actually the tribe’s honeymoon home. When young couples were first married, they were sent here to consummate their marriage and get to know each other better if their union was arranged.

  The chief was aware that Izek had planned to claim Stacia. He understood the way of the shifters, and offered the home to them as a gift.

  Izek slowly shifted from underneath Stacia, amidst her sleep-induced protest, and walked n
aked over to the window to look out into the night. It was the wee hours of the morning, and the sun would be rising soon. Nothing in particular caught his attention, but he could not shake the feeling they were being watched. He wanted to go outside and walk around, but his bear didn’t want to leave Stacia alone, unprotected.

  His bear was in his protective mode right now, and demanded that Izek check out the entire house. He nodded to himself, knowing that his bear would not rest until Izek ensured that Stacia was safe. He grabbed his weapon, a Sig Sauer off the nightstand, which fit quite comfortably in his hand. Flipping off the safety, he left the room and silently made his way through the house.

  Even with his size and bulk, he could move soundlessly to sneak up on the enemy. The house was quiet, but something was causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up. A slight clicking noise drew his attention to the front door.

  Someone was picking the fucking lock.

  His bear paced inside of him, wanting to break free. He was a newly mated bear and would go to extreme measures to ensure that their mate remained safe. It was ready to tear whoever it was limb from limb.

  Click.

  They would not enter this home where his mate lay sleeping and safe. Izek strode over to the door and swung it open with a force that knocked the human onto the porch.

  “That’s him!” A familiar voice shouted. It was one of the men from the cabin. Only this time, he had more men with him. He had brought a small army. “Kill him. We’ll get the girl.”

  A haze overcame Izek at the thought of them taking Stacia from him. His bear slammed into his chest wall, demanding to be set free. He grabbed the human that was on the floor trying to scramble away from him by the neck, and threw him off the small porch.

  He aimed his Sig at the men and pulled the trigger. The men scrambled, trying to take cover behind their vehicles, and returned fire in his direction. He hit a few of the men directly in their chests, but his bear wasn’t satisfied. The house was meant for couples to have privacy, so there weren’t any neighbors. It was built off-road, in a secluded area with the woods providing that much needed privacy, but now it was about to become a war zone.