36. Steff

THIRTY-SIX

STEFF

The moment the words were out of her mouth, it was like all the exhaustion and pain vanished. My body had been on the brink of death for days but that was almost fully forgotten when she asked me to claim her. I pulled her close and kissed her hard. My cock was already hard, and her gasping, hungry breaths pushed me further over the edge.

Without looking, I reached back and shut the water off. We stumbled out of the shower, dripping across the floor, never taking our lips off each other. I picked April up and carried her to the bed. Not bothering to dry off, I threw her down and climbed onto the bed.

Settling myself between her legs, I leaned forward and took her right nipple in my mouth, sucking it gently. April moaned and arched her back. My tongue slid in circles around the nipple before I took it between my teeth. April's breath caught in her throat as I gently squeezed it between them. Not hard but not soft, either.

"Fuck." The word hissed out of April's mouth in a low moan.

Moving up her chest, I peppered her breasts and sternum with kisses until I got to her neck. I licked and sucked at her throat, getting more turned on by the second. April snaked a hand between my legs, stroking me until my eyes rolled to the back of my head. Her fingers were soft and delicate, but there was hunger in the way she moved her hand.

Knowing I couldn't hold back any longer, I let her guide me into her pussy. We sighed in unison as I slipped into her. I'd never felt her so wet, and I rested my head on her chest, enjoying the feel of her, loving how close it made us, but the desire inside me was like a raging fire. I needed her.

My hips began to move, slowly at first, rocking inside her. I looked into her eyes. The look on April's face was the half-lidded expression of lust and bliss. I moved faster, pulling my entire length out of her and back in. I wanted her to feel all of me with every movement. She dug her nails into my back and wrapped her legs around my ass, pulling me in deeper with every stroke.

She pulled my head close and pressed her lips to my ear. "Harder."

I obeyed. I fucked her. Every ounce of love, desire, need, and passion I had for her welled within me every time I buried myself inside her. She gasped and breathed heavily with every movement. Her face flushed, and her mouth dropped open into a perpetual ‘oh.'

I slid my fingers into her hair and grabbed a handful of the gorgeous red locks. I pulled, gently tugging at the hair and smiling as she gasped. She looked at me and grinned. My own climax was coming, and quickly. I moved faster, her taut nipples sliding against my chest with every movement.

April groaned, and her back arched off the bed, her hips thrusting against mine as she came. "Oh, God." She was barely able to catch her breath as she looked into my eyes. "Come, Steff. Come inside me and claim me."

Those words alone sent me over the cliff. Exploding inside her, everything I was seemed to shatter and reassemble in an instant. The bear within me roared with delight and pleasure. My jaw ached as my fangs grew and I bit into the soft place between her collarbone and shoulder.

April screamed and pressed a hand to her chest. Pulling my head back, I looked at her to see if I'd hurt her. The expression on her face wasn't like anything I'd ever seen before. Her eyes bulged in surprise, but there was a confused smile on her face.

"April? Are you okay?" I asked, still gasping from my own orgasm.

She nodded, then frowned and shook her head. "I… I don't know. It's like something is erupting inside me." She took a deep, steadying breath. "It's like I'm being split in half."

I smoothed the hair out of her face and pulled her close. "It's okay, let it happen. I'm right here."

April didn't shift, but I could feel the other presence inside her being born. My bear could also sense it. I laughed, my joy bubbling over. She looked at me, confused by my laughter, then a look of shock swept across her features, and she pressed a hand to the spot right above her heart.

"It's there, Steff. I'm not alone anymore. I feel it inside me. Oh, shit, it's crazy."

"Is it a good kind of crazy?"

She thought for a second before laughing and nodding her head. "It is. It really is." The tears came then. "I never knew it could be like this."

I nuzzled at her neck where my bite had already healed. The happiness that filled me was almost too much to express. My heart and mind were ready to implode, and the connection between us was already being sealed. In a matter of seconds, she had become mine—fully and completely mine .

"Do you want to try to shift? We could go into the woods?" I asked.

April shook her head and put a hand on my chest. "No, not right now. I'm… we're exhausted. One, because you fucked my brains out. Two, because that was a pretty intense magic trick my bear and I just did."

"I love you so much."

April ran her fingers through my hair. "I love you too, Steff."

I kissed her long and deep before we both collapsed into a two-hour nap. When we woke, it was still the middle of the day. I asked her if she wanted to go for a walk, to get some fresh air. April jumped at the chance.

"Yes! That sounds amazing." She frowned. "Which is weird. I'm usually not a big outdoorsy person."

I laughed as I pulled on my clothes. "You'll need to get used to that. As shifters, our animals all love it outside. It's almost like a drug for them. Before long, you'll be hiking and jogging in the forest."

On the way to the park, I explained to April that she'd have to be careful for the first couple of weeks. The bear would be strong and try to push through.

"Imagine being a parent with a new toddler. That's kind of what it's like. Once the bear matures, it gets easier."

April grinned and waved me off. "I've dealt with worse. I'm sure I can figure it out."

Twenty minutes later, we were walking on a bike path in the park, hand in hand. We were talking about random things, nothing important, only enjoying each other's company. There was a little rush of heat in my face when I saw who was walking toward us. An old friend-with-benefits who I'd had to cut loose because she had wanted more than I was willing to give. Her name was Brianna, and things hadn't ended well. It had been over a year since I'd broken things off with her, and she still sent me nudes almost every other week. At least she had until I blocked her number back in January.

There was nowhere to go other than turning around. I didn't want to make a big deal about it, so I tried to ignore her as she passed us. Brianna was with a friend, and I hoped she wouldn't notice us. That hope went out the window when we were about fifteen feet away.

Brianna glanced up and saw me, and I immediately felt the hungry heat in her gaze. Some people couldn't take a hint. I nodded to her awkwardly and squeezed April's hand harder. Brianna looked me up and down like I was a slab of steak ready for the grill. She then turned a vicious look onto April and sneered at her.

April saw the way she looked at me, as well as the way Brianna smirked at her. Before I even realized what happened, April took a threatening step toward Brianna. She bared her teeth at her. She, honest to God, bared her human teeth at Brianna. She also released a growl from deep within her chest. It scared me. It absolutely terrified Brianna. Without another look at us, she and her friend damn near ran away from us.

I stopped and laughed, throwing my head back to the sky. I looked at April and saw how embarrassed she was. "What was it you said about figuring it out? Now you know how my bear and I feel when guys check you out."

April crossed her arms over her chest as her cheeks went red. "It's not that funny," she grumbled.

I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and we continued our walk. It was embarrassing, and there would be a learning curve for her. Still, I couldn't help but enjoy this thing we shared now. This was a bond and a shared experience that no one else in the world, other than Tate and Harley, shared.

A couple of days later, Kellan was released from the hospital. His house had been half destroyed with bullets, and blood still soaked the carpets. Plus, there was the mental aspect of going back to a place that had been so stained by horror. It had been no surprise when Kellan told us all that he wasn't comfortable going back there, much less taking Aiden. April and her parents had worked with Kris on finding another house in town that was for rent. April, being who she was, went ahead and paid a year's worth of rent. It would really help Kellan to get his feet back under him.

We all went over for a little house-warming party. Tate, Blayne, Miles, and I had spent an entire day moving all Kellan's stuff in the new house, and we were certain he and Aiden would love it. It had a bigger yard, plus Aiden would have his own bathroom.

Kellan crossed the threshold into his new house, holding Aiden's hand and grinning a massive, toothy smile. "You guys? This place is awesome."

Aiden nodded, but still seemed more subdued than he used to be. I was sure he'd eventually come around. I couldn't blame the kid. He'd been through hell the past few weeks. My God, I probably wouldn't have handled it as well as he had at his age. The whole time we were there, he stuck to Kellan's side like glue, unable or unwilling to let his father out of his sight.

We sat outside, watching Kris and Tate stand over the grill and argue over the best ways to cook barbecued ribs. April's parents were sitting with Kellan and Aiden, listening to Blayne try to explain how computer programming worked. I could tell April's dad had no clue what Blayne was trying to say, but the others were listening in rapt silence. I chuckled to myself as I watched them.

"What's so funny?" April asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just watching your dad trying to figure out what the hell Blayne's talking about."

She laughed when she looked over and saw her dad's confused expression. "Yeah, he was an English major. Not a very technical guy. More of a people person. There's a reason he owned a bar and wasn't a math teacher."

Before I could retort with a smart-aleck remark, my phone started ringing. I pulled it out and saw who was calling. "Oh, shit."

April frowned. "What is it? Who is that?"

"Um," I chuckled humorlessly, "it's my brother. I'm going to walk around to the front yard and take this."

"Your brother?" she asked, shocked.

"Yeah. I'll be back." I got up and walked to the front yard. I took a deep breath and answered the call, "Hey, Sean."

"Hey, brother. Do you have time to talk?"

"I'm at a party, but I have a few minutes. If it's necessary."

Sean sighed and cleared his throat. "Yeah, I get it. I'll try to be quick. I wanted to thank you for the info on the hunters. Your friend Miles sent a ton of info to my Alpha. It helped us get a handle on the disappearances. I took your advice, and we made sure no one went anywhere alone. Groups of three or more."

I looked back at the party. I wanted this call to be over. I had no desire to be on the phone with Sean any longer than I needed to be. "Cool. Everyone safe?"

"Yeah, all good. The news about that Ryland guy seems to have slowed the attacks down. There hasn't been a single disappearance in our pack or any of the shifter clans near us since."

"Good. I've seen firsthand what those guys can do. I wouldn't want that to happen to my old pack. Even after what they did to me."

There was a long pause on the other end before Sean spoke again. "Steff, I owe you an apology. A long overdue apology. I'm so sorry for what happened when we were kids. You don't know this, but for years, I'd call you but hang up after one or two rings. I was always scared about what you'd say to me. Plus, I didn't know what to say. Saying ‘I'm sorry' never seemed like it would be enough. I can't fix things or make them like they were, but I do want you to know that you're welcome home any time."

The words hit me. It was like slamming into a wall. "Home? Sean, I appreciate that, but I'm pretty sure Mom and Dad wouldn't be too keen on me walking through the door. They made it clear they never wanted to see me again when they sent me away when I was still a fucking child."

"Fuck, man. That's… shit. I told them the truth years ago. About what happened in the woods that day. Told the Alpha, too."

I sank down to one knee, suddenly dizzy. "You told them? They know I didn't kill that kid?"

"They know it was me. That it was an accident from when we were picking on you. They know it all. The pack punished me, but I was a minor and it happened so long ago. It was nothing like what you went through. It honestly made the guilt even worse."

I took several deep breaths, unsure how to proceed. In the backyard, Miles ran down a thrown frisbee and saw me in distress. He took several steps toward me, a look of concern on his face. I waved him off and gave him a thumbs-up. He hesitated, but nodded and went back to the party.

I moved the phone to my other ear. "What did they say? Why didn't they call me?"

When Sean spoke next, I could hear the tears in his voice. "They were fucking heartbroken, man. They were so angry with me. It took a couple of years for me to get back on decent terms with them. They were too ashamed of what they did to you. Mom was… Jesus Christ… I was pretty scared she was gonna kill herself for a couple of weeks. I've never seen them so messed up. They were ashamed of themselves and thought you'd never be able to forgive them, so they let you live your life. Bro, they've been miserable since I told them the truth. It's been years, and they still haven't recovered. I had to let you know they still love you. You still have parents who love you and miss you."

My parents still cared about me? They still loved me? So much time had gone by, I'd almost forgotten what their faces looked like. Tears burned in my eyes. There was no way to go back in time, but I could still move forward. Things could be different.

"Okay, Sean. Um… thank you. I mean that. Thanks. I… I accept the apology. Forgiveness is something family should be able to give. Maybe if you get the time, you could come visit here. Take a trip to Lilly Valley."

Sean's voice filled with excitement. "Yeah. I'll make the time. I can't wait."