I stare at her, still not convinced.
“You’re not the only one with a crush on me,” she says with a grin. “It’s going to be fine.”
I take a deep breath as she kisses my shoulder and bounds out of bed. She’s wearing a pair of gray underwear that I can’t take my eyes off of.
“Let’s have breakfast and we’ll talk about it after.”
“I have a better idea,” I say as I grab her wrist and pull her back onto the bed.
“And here I thought this was going to be a nice relaxing Saturday,” Julian says with a nervous look on his face as us four Bowen brothers stand in the valley on the ranch. Courtney is here too, although I begged her not to be.
“It will be,” Logan says in his deep raspy voice. “Things are different now that he’s mated.”
“Stop being a pussy,” Cameron snaps at Julian. “There’s three of us.”
“Have you met his bear?!” Julian says with a look of indignation. “And it’s easy for you to say. Your bear is almost as big as his!”
“He’s pretty calm now,” I tell them as I feel him moving around. He’s no longer pacing around angrily and trying to claw his way out like he used to do. I’m not sure if it’s a trick to fool me and let him out or if he’s just really this mellow. I guess there’s only one way to find out.
“If he starts getting aggressive,” Courtney says, “I’ll protect you guys.”
“You?” Cameron says, trying not to laugh.
“Fine,” she says with a shrug. “You can deal with him all yourselves.”
“No, no!” he quickly says as she turns to walk back to the car. “You can stay.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” she says with a grin as she turns back. “He won’t be aggressive near me.”
“You’re sure about that?” Julian asks. “I once saw him snarling at a rainbow in the sky.”
“I’m sure,” Courtney says with a confident nod. “I’m his mate.”
“All right,” I say as we all stand in a wide circle.
“It’s going to be okay,” Logan says as he walks toward me and gives me a hug. “Whatever happens, we’ll get through this. It might be a process, even a long process, but we’ll get you and your bear where you need to be.”
“Thank you,” I say as I hug him back. “We’ll find you your girl too.”
He smiles sadly as he steps back. I know it must not be easy for him to see all three of his brothers mated. Being surrounded by all that love must be harder than he’s letting on.
I hope he finds his mate soon.
“Please don’t eat me,” Julian says as he hugs me next. “I really like being alive.”
“I’ll try my best.”
“Thanks, brother,” he says as he lightly slaps my cheek. “I’ve missed having you around.”
Cameron comes in next and swallows me in his big arms. For a big tough guy, he can be a real softy sometimes.
“Thanks for not giving up on me,” I whisper to him.
He squeezes me even tighter. “It’s good to have you back.”
I take a deep breath when he releases me and backs up.
“All right,” Julian says with a roll of his shoulders. “If this circle jerk is finished, let’s get this over with.”
The four of us start taking our clothes off and I glance at Courtney to make sure she’s not looking at any of the hard bodies. She’s looking up at the sky with her hands clasped together in front of her. Good girl.
Cameron phases into his bear first, then Logan.
“Please don’t eat me, dude,” Julian says one last time before phasing into his bear.
“Wow,” Courtney says with a gulp as she looks at the three grizzly bears standing near her. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this.”
All three bears are watching me cautiously, not moving, their eyes alert, looking like they’re ready for anything.
I turn to Courtney and she smiles encouragingly. “You can do this, Adrian. I know you can. Whatever happens, it will be okay. Even if I have to live in the woods for the rest of my life, I’ll happily be the Jane to your Tarzan.”
“I love you,” I tell her. “More than you’ll ever know.”
“I know,” she says with a warm smile. “I love you too.”
After a deep breath, I pull my bear up and sink back down.
Please be cool.
My body shakes and my muscles swell up as he comes raging forward. It burns all over, but it’s over quickly as he explodes out of me.
I’m terrified to be back down here in the darkness, watching helplessly as he takes in the three bears in front of him.
I don’t feel the usual suffocating rage surging through him or the feral need to destroy everything in sight.
He looks at Courtney first and I feel a warm content flowing through him. It feels like love, appreciation, affection.
It’s almost as if she’s tamed his wild side. As if she’s civilized the crazy out of him.
He turns to the three bears with a huff. Cameron’s bear is on edge, pacing from side to side as he glares at my grizzly. Those two have the most violent history out of all of them. When they battle, they go at it hard.
My bear glances over at Julian’s bear and then at Logan’s. He’s not interested in any of them and casually walks over to Courtney to sniff her hand.
She smiles in relief as she runs her fingers through his fur, making him groan in pleasure.
I can’t believe it. I’m watching in shock as the bear who’s tormented me for the majority of my life acts like a lovestruck little kitten.
Cameron’s bear isn’t as forgiving. He hasn’t forgotten their past and lets out a low vicious growl.
My bear turns to him and I can feel the protectiveness he feels for our mate emanating through him.
Oh crap… This isn’t going to be good.
He walks right up to Cameron’s grizzly as the other two perk up, looking ready for a fight.
The lip of Cameron’s bear is up, showing his teeth as he snarls. My bear steps forward and I watch in horror as he… licks his cheek?! What the hell?
Cameron’s bear looks as confused as I feel. My bear licks his cheek again and then nuzzles the side of his head on Cameron’s grizzly’s neck.
The sound of Courtney giggling in relief is music to my ears as my bear makes amends for all of the fights, mayhem, and general shit he’s put these bears through over the years.
It doesn’t take long for all of them to let their guards down and become the brothers they are. Maybe they sensed something has changed in him or maybe they’re tired of the fighting, but one thing is for certain—they seem genuinely happy to have him back to normal.
And so am I.
Epilogue
Courtney
Three months later…
“What do you think?” Adrian asks as I walk into the room. I look around at the freshly painted walls and my cheeks hurt from the huge smile I give him.