Mated to the Wilde Bear

“I figured when you knew, it would change things,” he said.

“It does,” she admitted and rushed on when she saw the uncertainty flash in his eyes. “It makes me even more determined to be myself. To stop hiding who I am. From you and everyone else, because maybe then you’ll do the same. We’re both living in hiding. Hiding from people in my life who are anti-shifter is one thing. The world will always be full of people who don’t like me for some reason or another. I’m learning to accept that. But you. You’re hiding from yourself, Xavier. From your future. I don’t know how to fix that.”

She thought he’d push her away. Storm off or tell her to leave it alone, something an alpha would do. Instead, Xavier reached for her and pulled her into his lap, smoothing her hair and pressing kisses to her temple. She was too shocked to do more than let him.

“You’re right about me but not about the differences in us,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

“The reasons we each have for hiding. The ones we are hiding from. They’re the same thing, love. We can fix each other.”

no idea if she could be fixed. That meant coming clean about her animal to the rest of the world. That thought still terrified her. Humans weren’t nice after that. Hell, neither were shifters. She didn’t know if she could be

her like a warm spray of water. When he parted her lips with his tongue, she rolled her hips reflexively against him. He growled into her mouth, and

hands wandered, picking wildly at the hem

touch you,” he

taut nipple. One and then the other and back again. With his other hand, he found his way to the seam of her pants and pressed his thumb against her clit. Laurel couldn’t think,

him now, half desperate for

to the side and offering

tried not to acknowledge the disappointment as he ignored her offering. She’d let him claim her right now if he

fingers inside,

for me,” Xavier said, his hot

she didn’t even know. For him, for her orgasm,