Tempted by the Bear - Book 1 Read online

  “They’re so easy, it’s hard to resist.” The door groans as I open it. Part of our deal will mean I’m going to provide Le Roux children to ensure the continuation of their clan. I’m practicing the fun part, because once I mate, it’s supposed to be forever.

  When we both get out and start to walk toward the café, Tristan says, “I don’t think my dear Annie approves of your wanton ways.”

  “No. She doesn’t, which is why I’ve stopped bringing them home.” I wink at the guy coming toward us, and he flushes. I stop and turn to watch him after he’s passed by. He glances over his shoulder and grins when I do. If I weren’t with my brother and hungry, I’d do more than blow a kiss. No major loss. Chances are good I’ll see him again. A woman my size isn’t hard to find.

  Tristan grabs my arm and pulls me toward the door. “I’m starving. Control yourself.”

  “On it. But have I mentioned how much I like a college town?” Yeah. Maybe I can be happy here.

  When we get inside, I take in the surroundings. The tables are close together, and so many people are talking. But it’s the odors that accost me. Polar bear have an extremely sensitive sense of smell, and I’m almost bowled over by the mix of food and human scents. A waiter walks by, and I focus on the aroma of pork sausage that makes my stomach growl.

  A teeny attempt at a woman leads us to a table in the back. She’s practically drooling over my brother as she stutters out her words. He flirts back, and I send him a warning glare. I’m pretty sure if this exchange got back to Annie, it wouldn’t be a good thing.

  When the girl leans in close to hand him a menu, Tristan leans forward to dazzle her. I give him the sister assist as I gush, “This place is darling. You should bring Annie here sometime.”

  The hostess’s face falls, and I offer her a sympathetic smile. When she walks away, Tristan says, “Way to ruin my fun.”

  “Way to try to sabotage our plan.” The plastic menu is slick in my hands as I lift it up to peruse the breakfast selections.

  “Have a little faith, sister dear. Annie and I are true mates; nothing can come between us.” He winks at me.

  I smile back, but it’s not quite real. My brother has always been the lucky one, and it’s not fair that his true mate happens to be someone who can help him save our clan, even if it complicates things. Meanwhile, I’m testing out every male who makes my heart rate increase in the hopes of finding a true mate of my own. I sigh and decide to bury my woes in a large stack of blueberry pancakes.

  After we place our order and our mugs are filled, Tristan sips his hot drink before he asks, “Which one do you think will tell me how to wise up around Annie?”

  “Carly. Donna wants to, but she’ll hold off for her daughter’s sake.”

  “Not Brady? I find it hard to believe he lets his wife share alpha status so easily.”

  The concept of two alphas in a clan is fascinating. The fact that they’re also married is mind boggling. How do they decide who’s on top? “He seems to like her doing the female-assigned things in relationships.”

  Tristan nods. “Could be.” His eyes light up, and he speaks in my head. “How much land do you think we’ll get?”

  My brother has a thing for power. The day he took over as alpha of our clan, he started to rule with dominance instead of the easy way of my father.

  “I have no idea. But whatever it is, it won’t be enough for you.”

  Tristan lets out a low growl before he says, “True words.”

  I grin, imagining his match with Annie. If her sexual restraint is any indication, she’s going to counter my brother’s need for control. Warm coffee fills my mouth as I drink from my cup. I may be the sacrificial lamb who has to bear children to save our clan, but Tristan’s path isn’t going to be the cakewalk he imagined. His true mate bond is going to make what we have to do difficult. I glance at my brother and recall his ferocious bear. I give myself a mental head shake over my doubts.

  Chapter 4

  Annie

  Since Tristan arrived, I take my morning run later than I prefer. In an effort to avoid his naked glory and my nearly uncontrollable urge to satisfy my lust, I’ve changed my routine. Carly understands my need and often joins me. But today she’s got other plans, and I make my way to the mudroom, where I’ll strip down to shift before stepping out into the late-January air.

  The floor is cold under my bare feet, and goose bumps form on my arms when I take off my shirt. I notice Tristan’s coat and boots set in perfect order. It strikes me as odd, considering his personality oozes chaos. But come to think of it, he does dress impeccably. The vision of his tight butt in jeans that hug his hips flashes in my mind as the familiar stretch of skin and crack of my bones sound as I shift. I shake off the fantasy of Tristan’s firm backside in my grip when a cold blast of air greets me as I open the door to step outside.

  I flex my powerful thighs and take off in a sprint. My large paws thud in a steady cadence as I move across our lawn and follow the tree line to the meadow. I love being in the woods, but it can be noisy and slow with too much snowfall. We’ve had a stormy winter, and my feet sink in over two feet of heavy powder. As a bear, the effort to run through is minimal.

  I gallop at full bore until my chest aches with the icy air pumping through my taxed lungs, and I slow down to a walk as I catch my breath. I gaze out toward the knoll ahead and smile at the memory of my wedding to Kyle. I envision us as the teenagers we were, giddy with the love true mates have. Sadness washes over me as I get closer, and when I reach the top, I let out a cry. I thump my bottom to the ground to let sorrow escape.

  I’m crying for more than my lost mate, though. The pain of not being able to have children is something I’m reminded of every day, living in the same house with my niece and two nephews. Carly and Brady do their best to share them with me, and I had hoped it would ease my longing. But the truth is, I want a family of my own.

  Snow has begun to fall, and I lift my snout up to let soft flakes tickle my nose as they melt. Now I’ve been given a second chance at love with another true mate. This is incredibly lucky, and I should be grateful. But why does Tristan have to be so infuriatingly difficult? Why can’t the man who keeps his clothing immaculate figure out that a woman wants to be treasured the same way?

  The snow is soft when I fall onto my back and let the chilly earth soothe me. I know I should tell Tristan how I feel, because it’s inevitable that we’ll end up together. I let out a sigh.

  I’m lonely. I had a brief affair with Ian, and while I broke it off because we weren’t true mates, it hurt to give up on love. I want to be held and cherished again.

  Sitting up, I shake my body to remove the snow, and movement captures my attention. In the distance, a polar bear is running toward me. It’s either Isabelle or Tristan. A brief hope flits through me that it’s Isabelle. But my senses already know it’s not.

  Even though Tristan and I are true mates, we can’t speak to each other telepathically until we seal our bond with sex and a bite. I decide to show him I can be playful too and jump up to prepare myself to pounce when he gets close enough. I laugh silently as he gets near me, because Carly was right—his fur has a slight orange tint.

  He slows and presents me with the perfect opportunity. I release the stored energy of my stance and bowl him over. We roll down the hill in a heap, and I scramble to my feet to run. Tristan takes up the chase, and we bob and weave around each other like football players on a field. Eventually, he tackles me, and I lie under him as I pant in breathlessness.

  My heart is beating from more than exertion, and when Tristan lowers his snout to nuzzle in my neck, I cuddle back. When he relaxes, I flip us over to escape and race toward home. This time, Tristan doesn’t tease and runs beside me, matching me stride for stride as if we’re equals. I stay with him instead of breaking away. I may not be able to use words to convey my message, but I hope my actions show him what it is I need.

  When we reach the house, I know I have to shift back
in front of him. It’s easy to push out of the house as a bear, but it’s not quite the same to get inside, and changing into a human usually happens just outside the door. Tristan surprises me by shifting quickly and reaching for the door to hold it open before I have a chance to change. I lumber inside as a bear, and he turns his back to me so I can have privacy.

  Once I’m a person again, I say, “Thank you.” I’m not sure if I’m rewarding him for his chivalry or if I’m ready to make my move when I add, “You can turn back around.”

  Heat rises to my cheeks when Tristan moves his blue-eyed scan over my nude body. It’s not embarrassment that is heating me up though, and I peruse my true mate with my gaze too. His shoulders are as wide as the doorway, and arms the size of tree trunks frame a torso that is a study in anatomy. The cut muscles of his abdomen lead down to nearly white hair that cushions a cock pulsing as it hardens in desire. Desire for me.

  When Tristan lets out a shaky breath, I reach out to touch his trembling chest. He grasps my hand and kisses his way up my arm until his teeth graze my shoulder. I shudder, and he says, “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

  His touch sends an electric pulse to my core, and my voice is almost a whisper. My knees get weak. “This is how to get to me.”

  Tristan’s arm snakes around my waist, and he pulls me against his body. “Annie, love. I can’t believe you’ve been able to resist this all because of rules you’ve set for us.”

  “Rules? I believe it’s common decency.”

  He chuckles, and the dismissal of my feelings sends a different rush of heat through me as he says, “It won’t matter once we mate. I’m an alpha, and you’ll be forced to follow whatever I say.” He twists one of my curls around his finger and tugs at it.

  My anger spikes, and I push at his rock-hard chest to get away. “I should have known this was just an act.” I huff and grab my panties from my pile of clothing on the bench. I step in them.

  “Don’t be that way. You’ll want to do as I say, and you know it.”

  The elastic waistband of my underwear snaps. “I don’t think so. I’ve never taken orders that don’t have meaning. Just ask Brady.” But the reality is, Tristan might be right. An alpha command is not something you can easily ignore. I’ve been told you can disobey if you’re from an alpha family, but I’ve never had a reason to test it.

  Tristan has my bra in his hands, and he holds it out for me to slip my arms in. It would be a sweet gesture if I weren’t so mad. I reach to grab it, and he pulls it out of reach. “Let me do this for you.”

  I glare at him as I slip my arms into the straps, and he turns me by my shoulders so he can hook it. Tiny hairs stand up on my skin as his touch makes me crave his arms around me again. He drags a finger down my spine and whispers, “You think you need to tame me. But it’s the other way around.”

  I turn to face him and discover he’s not smiling. He’s serious.

  Chapter 5

  Annie

  A metal baking sheet clatters on the stove top as I set it down. The aroma of chocolate chip cookies fills the room. I say, “My vote is to send them to some other clan.”

  My mother is sitting at the kitchen table, and her spoon clinks against her teacup as she stirs. “Tristan really gets under your skin, doesn’t he?”

  “That’s putting it mildly, Mother.” I lift the tray of raw dough and place it in the oven. “Tristan thinks he needs to tame me.” I slam the heavy stove door shut. “Tame me!”

  “You are quite headstrong, dear. Perhaps he didn’t mean it in the Neanderthal way.”

  “You’re one to talk. I think you gave me that trait. I recall Dad didn’t always have the last say.”

  “Good point. But when it mattered, we were a unified force.” She lifts her teacup to her mouth and blows on the steaming contents. “You’ll need to learn to do what’s best for his clan.”

  His clan. If I marry Tristan, I’ll be the prima of the De Rozier clan. I shake my head. “Right now, I can’t fathom leading anything together peacefully.” I also can’t fathom the idea of living anywhere but this house. I don’t think three alphas in the same residence would work, which means I’ll be moving out of my brother’s house, which has been my home for the last few years.

  “Repeat after me. Marriage is a compromise,” says Mom.

  I squint my eyes at her. “You’re not helping.” My spatula scrapes on metal as I slide a cookie off. “Besides, the De Roziers still don’t have any land.”

  “It’s in the works. You’re going to have to find a way to live with him.”

  What she’s not saying is that I don’t have a choice. The draw of true mates is almost impossible to ignore, and I’m stuck with Tristan De Rozier. For life. My bones thud when I fall into the wooden chair across from Mother, and I place a plate stacked with cookies on the table between us. I take a large bite of one and let the sugar race to my bloodstream. Speaking over a mouthful of food, I say, “I feel like the spirits keep punishing me.”

  Mother reaches out and touches my arm. “It does seem that way at times, doesn’t it?”

  Ever since I found out I was barren, along with all the women in my clan who are of child-bearing age, it’s been one thing after another. Kyle and my father were killed not long after that discovery. And recently we lost one of the women we brought in to save our clan to the same werebears who killed my husband. It would be so easy to hole up in my room and drown myself in my misery.

  Fortunately, I’m too strong for that sort of wallowing, and I stand up to get milk. “Help me see the silver lining.” White liquid gurgles into my glass.

  “You’re going to be a prima. You’ll have a clan that looks up to you as a leader. You’ll no longer be in the shadow of your brother as the Le Roux alpha.” I sit back down at the table and she continues. “You have the love and support of your immediate family, and”—she reaches over to place her hand on mine—“Tristan is one hot ticket. I’ll bet he’s an animal in bed.”

  I chuckle at my mother’s brazen way. I give her some back. “I do think the sex will be hot. Can I survive on that alone?”

  Mom winks at me. “It definitely helps smooth over the rough patches.”

  Great. My destiny is to be with a control freak, but at least I’ll have plenty of orgasms. I sigh. “I suppose it could be worse.”

  “What could be worse?” Carly asks as she enters the kitchen with her baby Ashley.

  I reach out to take the small girl. “We’re talking about Tristan.”

  “Annie says she won’t mind the sex,” says Mother.

  Carly chuckles. “No, I bet not. He’s smoking hot, and I guess he knows what he’s doing.”

  Donna says, “Fortunately, that’s a werebear thing. Never heard of one who couldn’t please his mate.”

  Carly grins. “Don’t tell Brady. He thinks he’s special.”

  Mother says, “They all do, and that’s how we like it.” She stands up to take Ashley from me. “Any word on how Ashton’s talk with Tristan went?”

  “I got a one-word answer to my question. ‘Good,’” says Carly.

  I say, “Got to love that man’s efficiency.”

  Mother says, “So let’s hope he’s got a clue now. Because the scent of unrequited lust in the air is getting old.”

  I resist the urge to sniff myself. “Mother, sometimes you really shouldn’t speak your every thought.”

  Donna lifts Ashley in the air above her head and gets a squeal. “I thought that was part of my charm.”

  Carly says, “It is now.” She flashes a grin at Mother. “But when we first met, not so much.”

  I ask, “So tell me about where Brady plans to put the De Roziers. Where is my new home going to be?”

  Carly smiles at me in excitement. “Be glad I was at that meeting.” She glances around as if Brady’s going to pop up from a hidden corner. “Don’t tell him I told you, but he’s thinking about one thousand acres around the lake where you used to ice skate as kids.
”

  Warmth floods my heart because that’s one of my favorite places, and Carly knows it. “Was that your doing?”

  She nods as her eyes glisten. “I’m not sure how I’m going to manage here without you, but I want you to be in a special place that will make you happy.”

  My eyes fill with tears too. I whisper as I pull her into a hug. “Carly.”

  She squeezes me tight. “You deserve the best.”

  I pull away and sniff. “Yeah, well, we need to whip that true mate of mine into shape, because right now he’s kind of the worst.”

  Carly frowns. “Yeah, about that. I wouldn’t be so sure he’s as much of a mess as he wants us to think.” She shrugs. “I can’t explain it, but Kimi has been teaching me to use my gift, and I sense there’s a whole lot more to his story.”

  Kimi is our medicine woman, and we only recently discovered Carly has untapped magical powers. I think about how orderly Tristan is in his personal habits. The kind of orderly I am, which tells me he’s not only got a need for control in our relationship, but I bet he isn’t quite the free spirit he tries to portray. “Interesting. Seems I need to get to know Tristan a whole lot better.”

  Mother perks up. “Does this mean you’re going to do him?”

  A rush of desire burns in me, and I say, “Yes, Mother. Consider him done.”

  Chapter 6

  Isabelle

  I stroke the smooth fabric of Tristan’s comforter while I wait for him to get out of the shower. He left me alone to go work out with Ashton earlier, and I’m bored. I sit on the end of Tristan’s bed, and the mattress bounces.

  He’s rubbing his hair with a towel when he walks into the room, and I say, “I’m thinking about a tattoo.”