Page 10 of Rough and Rugged
Satisfied, I said, “Go get your hiking boots and packs on. I don’t want to scare my mate any more than I already have. I want Axton to see us in human form.”
“Gotcha, Alpha,” Robin responded with a smile.
It wasn’t long before we were trudging through the woods, with me in the lead. Several hours passed, and I decided we needed to shift into our beasts and go in different directions to cover more ground.
Before I shifted into my bear, I removed my clothes and tucked them into my backpack to carry in my mouth. While my cousins took the perimeter, I headed straight to the interior, and immediately picked up Axton’s scent, along with other predators.
My mate could be in danger. I didn’t waste time. With my senses on high alert, I followed his wonky trail. It zigzagged, like he was drunk. But I knew better. Axton didn’t know where he was going.
But what surprised me, Axton’s scent led me straight to the original bear den in the center of this vast forest.
When I reached the cabin I’d used not two days earlier, I chuffed. How ironic that Axton was in there. Using my nose, I sniffed the air, making sure no other predators were around.
I didn’t want to scare Axton, so I dropped the bag, changed back to my human form and quickly put on my clothes.
When I turned the doorknob, it wouldn’t budge. I grinned, as pride surged through me at how smart my mate was.
Looking through the window, the glow of the fire revealed Axton tucked into bed. The sudden need to be with him clouded my judgement, and my bear demanded we claim him that instant.
I warned my bear that frightening our mate was bad, and crashing in the door was a terrible idea. Knocking wasn’t good either. He agreed. Instead, I jimmied the window open. Even with my tall, bulky frame, I was able to climb in. Yeah, it was a creeper thing to do, but I’d rather gently shake Axton awake than scare the crap out of him by busting in.
With slow deep breaths, I took in the sweet musk of arousal from my mate.
“Beare.”
Did he say my name?I took a few more steps toward the bed, and I heard it again.
“Please, Beare. Yes, right there.”
My Axton was dreaming… sex dreaming about me. My bear was preening, but also demanding—again, to claim our mate.
I reached out to touch him, but hesitated. Before any claiming happened, I had to talk to Axton.
A subtle noise caught my attention. I went to the door and removed the chair from under the handle. I stepped outside and saw all six of my cousins in bear form.
“He’s safe. But stay shifted, and patrol the area,” I commanded. “We have uninvited guests.”
With grunts and head nods, my cousins did my bidding. I went back into the cabin, took the chair and placed it next to the bed. Before I sat, I stoked the dim fire and placed another log on the dying embers. Then I watched my mate sleep.
Chapter Eight
Axton
Thecracklingofafire roused me. For a moment, I forgot where I was until the cobwebs of sleep slowly cleared from my brain. I was inside the cabin I had stumbled upon last night.
Hint of pine and musk, fused with charred wood, stirred my dick awake. So strange. With my eyes still closed, I snuggled into solid, firm heat, not wanting to face the desolation of my current situation.
Then my eyes popped open, and I faced a wall of… chest hair?
Am I dreaming again?
I had to be. There was no way I’d wake up and find myself face to face with a tempting sight. My lips were mere millimeters away from a dusky, pierced nipple. My mouth watered for a taste.
Just stick out your tongue and lick it, I urged myself.
But I wanted to do more than that. I wanted to suck and bite and savor the enticing treat before me. Hell, if I was still asleep and dreaming, then there’d be no repercussions from my actions. Right?
I tilted my head slightly and sucked the taut nipple into my mouth. With my teeth on the tender flesh, I pursed my lips and claimed it.