The Bear's Reluctant Mate (Uncontrollable Shift Book Three) Read online

  Cruz had said Juliette’s power as the alpha female was an extension of his. Even though she wasn’t the official alpha female, she was his intended mate and according to the clan laws, that mattered.

  Juliette was a little embarrassed – okay, a lot embarrassed – that she’d allowed those two assholes to put any sort of doubt in her mind about Cruz’s intentions. He wasn’t behaving like a man trying to use her for personal gain, and she wouldn’t assume the worst of him. Her feelings for him were far too strong, even after a short time, for her to believe anyone but him.

  She pushed off the concrete post and brushed the tears from her cheeks. It occurred to her as she stared at the doors to the club, that there might be people in the clan who wouldn’t like her simply because she was human. But that wasn’t her problem, it was theirs. And she liked Cruz. Hell, she was half a step away from loving him with her whole heart. And she wasn’t about to let a few bears get in the way of her finding her own happily ever after. Cruz had accepted her as his mate, so she shouldn’t care what anyone else thought.

  Taking a deep breath, she grasped the handle and tugged hard, jerking the door open.

  The couple looked at her in surprise.

  Juliette narrowed her eyes and walked purposely inside.

  “Hey,” the man said, reaching for her. “You’re not welcome here, human.”

  Juliette turned toward them, smacking his hand away. “Put your hands on me and you’ll be sorry. I’m your alpha’s intended mate and that makes me your alpha female. You have no right to keep me from seeing Cruz.” As she spoke, her voice rose, something deep inside her urging her on.

  Someone joined her, and she glanced up to see Tomlin.

  “Is there a problem, Alpha?” he asked, giving a suspicious look to the couple.

  “Yes, there is. They tried to keep me from Cruz, and that one put her hands on me.”

  “Did she?” Tomlin asked, his voice lowering to a growl.

  He snapped his fingers and two men joined them. “Take these two to my office and watch them. They’ve offended our alpha female.”

  “Right away,” one of them said.

  The couple protested but were no match for the two men who pulled them bodily through the club.

  “You okay?” Tomlin asked.

  Juliette nodded, but her adrenaline was quickly ebbing, and all she wanted was to see Cruz.

  There was a furious roar that echoed in the club followed by the bellowing of her name.

  Her heart soared at the possessive and protective tone.

  Cruz barreled through the club and she raced toward him. She met him in the center of the dance floor, his amber gaze bright and fangs peeking from his parted lips.

  “Did they harm you? Are you all right?”

  She leaned against him, her heart pounding in her ears. “I’m fine, I promise.”

  He brushed his lips over hers with a soft growl, and then lifted his head to look at Tomlin. “What the hell is going on?”

  “You’ll need to ask your mate. I don’t know the whole story,” Tomlin said.

  “Sweetheart?” Cruz whispered in her ear.

  She glanced around the club. There were maybe a dozen people at the booths and tables, and every eye was on her. Although music was playing, she knew that bears had sensitive hearing and she didn’t want to give him the play-by-play when everyone would be able to hear.

  “Can we talk in your office?” she asked.

  “Of course,” he said.

  Tomlin followed them as they walked to his office, and when the door was shut, she leaned into Cruz’s warm embrace and, surrounded by his comfort and strength, relayed the story.

  When she was finished, there was a significant silence, that was broken suddenly by two identical growls from the men.

  “Those fucking assholes,” Cruz said, snarling the words. He cupped her face and gazed down at her. “They’ve twisted things up.”

  She thought she could drown in the dark depths of his gaze if she stared long enough. She could see the places where his bear peeked through, the small amber striations that highlighted the green color. There was something very honest in his gaze, and she could feel all the way down to the center of her being that he was one hundred percent hers.

  “They twisted what up?”

  Cruz led her to the couch and sat next to her. Tomlin stayed standing, leaning against the office door.

  “When I got your email, my first inclination was to just delete it, but I sent it to Tomlin, and he suggested after our interview you might be willing to mention the club in some way and get us some publicity. I was skeptical because I happen to be a jackass when I don’t know something.”

  She snorted. “I won’t confirm or deny that.”

  “Spoken like a true alpha female,” Tomlin said.

  “Hey, watch the comments from the peanut gallery,” Cruz said. He linked his fingers with Juliette’s. “Whatever I might have thought you could do for the club went out the window when I met you. My bear figured it out a little faster than me, but once I realized what you were to me, I refused to use you for leverage for the business in any way.”

  “They might have overheard us talking about your visit, or Felicity may have mentioned it. She and Bethany frequently work together,” Tomlin said.

  “It doesn’t matter what they heard, though,” Cruz said. “If I really wanted you to help the club, I would have asked. We’ve talked a lot.”

  “That’s true,” she said with a laugh. “To be fair, though, I would have helped if I could. I didn’t know you were having problems.”

  “I didn’t want you to know that I couldn’t make this business work. I mean, I was trying to impress you, not make you think I was a total loser.”

  She brought his hand to her lips. “I wouldn’t have thought that.”

  He gave her a sweet smile. “I decided I wouldn’t ask you at all. Tomlin and I came up with a way to get some of the young clan members to use their social media savvy to promote the club. We’re starting to see a little spike already because of them.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.”

  “Alpha?” Tomlin said.

  “Yeah?” Cruz looked at his brother. Tomlin’s brows rose and he jerked his head toward the door. “Oh, right. How much did you read of the book I gave you, sweetheart?”

  “All of it.”

  He hummed. “When a clan member insults the alpha female, what are the options?”

  She thought back over what she’d read. She hadn’t read with the intention of memorizing anything, but she did have a good memory in general, and there weren’t a whole lot of laws relating to the treatment of the alpha pair.

  “They can issue a public apology for small infractions. For larger issues, they can be confined to their homes and not allowed to shift for a certain amount of time, and if they really did something awful then they can be exiled and never allowed to set foot in the territory again. Like the alpha in the clan’s history with the polar bear mate.”

  “What you should know about those two is that earlier today I called a meeting with the clan to announce my intentions to bring you home this weekend. I told the clan what you are to me. Three males stepped forward and demanded the right to fight me for the alpha position.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “I had battled those three for the position previously. They saw me taking a human as a mate as an opportunity to claim a reason for leadership change. Our laws are clear, though, and there’s nothing in them that says who an alpha can or can’t take for his mate.”

  “You kicked their asses, right?”

  He chuckled. “Of course. When Braden and Bethany came to work tonight, I spoke to them about the battle. I wanted to ensure that they knew I didn’t hold any animosity toward them for wanting to take over. Some people fear change, and a human female is very different from what our people are used to. I believed them when they said they were fine with the outcome.”

  “They clearly r
ecognized you,” Tomlin said, “but I don’t know how. Few of us know who you are by name, and Cruz didn’t say anything about you during the announcement except that you’re human.”

  “I think it was the bracelet,” she said, touching the leather. “Bethany for sure saw it. And the second time I came into the club, I made sure they both saw it and explained what it meant. Even if your people don’t use bracelets to signify mating intentions much anymore, I saw the understanding in their eyes. They knew who I was, and they tried twice to make me leave.”

  “I think it’s pretty clear what we need to do with them,” Cruz said, looking at Juliette. “Ready for your first official act as alpha female?”

  He stood and tugged on their joined hands, and she rose to her feet, dread pooling in her stomach. She’d never been part of someone being kicked out of their home before, and while she knew it was the right thing to do according to the clan laws, she still hadn’t intended for her first meeting with clan members to play out this way.

  “They don’t like me because I’m human? Or they don’t like you being alpha?” she asked as they headed for the door.

  “It’s probably a combination of the two,” Cruz said. “Braden’s harbored anger since I bested him for the position. It didn’t surprise me when he stepped forward to challenge me. It surprises me a hell of a lot that the two of them tried to keep us apart.”

  In Tomlin’s office, they found the couple. Bethany, who’d looked so self-assured when she was trying to bully Juliette out of the club, was now red-faced and crying and clutching onto Braden’s arm. Braden looked stoic and sad, as if he knew what was coming and had resigned himself to it. Juliette wanted to ask them why they couldn’t just let her be, why they felt entitled to keep her and Cruz apart, but she didn’t. This was Cruz’s territory and she was a newbie.

  Juliette squeezed Cruz’s hand tightly.

  He stared at the couple for a long moment, and then said, “You broke two laws. You attempted to keep a mated couple apart, and you put your hands on the alpha female.”

  “You’re not mated,” Bethany said, her voice full of derision. “She’s human and undeserving of the same respect as our kind.”

  Cruz bared his teeth, but before he could say anything, Braden said, “Shut up, Bethany.”

  “But–” she protested.

  “I said shut it!” He pressed his palms against his eyes and let out a shuddering breath, and then he dropped his hands and looked at Juliette and Cruz. “We were wrong. I was pissed at losing the battle... for the second time. And even though I knew it was wrong to try to chase her away, I saw an opportunity when she came here.”

  “How did you know who I was?” Juliette asked.

  “The bracelet,” Braden said. “Bethany and I knew who you were and we didn’t afford you the respect you deserved as Cruz’s intended mate. It doesn’t matter that you aren’t officially mated yet, it only matters that Cruz claimed you and that makes you our alpha female. Well, not ours anymore. I assume we’re exiled?”

  “I can’t allow that behavior to stand,” Cruz said. “I have no choice but to exile you from our territory for the span of your lives. You have an hour to gather your things under guard. The rest will be sent to you once you’ve settled elsewhere.”

  Bethany sobbed and curled into Braden, who hugged her with one arm and lifted her up as he stood. “For what it’s worth, we’re sorry. We’ll go to my uncle’s clan in Tennessee.”

  “Safe travels,” Cruz said, extending his hand. Braden shook it and left the office.

  Tomlin instructed the two men in the room to watch Bethany and Braden pack and to ensure they left the territory. Cruz pulled his wallet from his back pocket and handed the men some money. “Give this to them for gas for the trip.”

  The men took the money and left, and Cruz, Juliette, and Tomlin stood in the empty office. “Be honest,” Tomlin said, breaking the silence. “Did you have any clue what you were getting yourself into when you agreed to be my brother’s mate?”

  She grinned. “Not hardly. I feel bad for them, but I’m also glad they aren’t going to be here anymore. I don’t think I’d want to see someone every day who I knew hated me.”

  “Every day?” Cruz asked with a low voice.

  “Yeah,” she said. “When they pushed me out and told me I didn’t belong here, something deep inside pushed me to stand up for myself and for us. I couldn’t wait until tomorrow night to see you. I don’t want to be anywhere else but here with you.”

  Cruz stared down at her with luminous amber eyes. “Tomlin?”

  “Let me guess, you’re going home for the night?”

  “Hell yes.”

  “I’ll let Mom and Dad know. We’ll stay at Aunt Trudie’s for the night so you can have some privacy.”

  “Thanks, Tomlin,” Juliette said.

  “Anything for our alpha female.”

  “Shall we?” Cruz asked, his voice dropping huskily.

  “The sooner the better.”

  Chapter 11

  Cruz drove Juliette to his home in her car and helped her carry in her bag. He was so relieved to have her in his home, a day earlier than he’d expected, that he couldn’t stop his bear’s contented rumble.

  “Grand tour?” he asked.

  “I’d love that.”

  He took her hand and led her around the first floor. The home had been built by the first alpha to claim the territory. The original structure only had one floor, but the next alpha had decided he and his mate needed more privacy, so the second floor had been added.

  “The alpha’s family has always lived in the home as well. When Tomlin finds his mate, she’ll move in here, too. My mom does a lot of the cooking and cleaning of the common areas.”

  They peeked into the bedrooms on the first floor, and stopped by the laundry room, family room, and spacious kitchen.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked.

  “A little.”

  He pulled open the fridge and smiled when he saw a plate his mom had left with fruit, crackers, and chunked ham and cheese. He handed the plate to Juliette and grabbed two water bottles from the shelf.

  “Is your mom psychic or something?”

  “Maybe. Although she does often leave food for us when she knows we’ll be working late.”

  “That’s sweet.”

  They headed upstairs, and he showed her two of the four bedrooms. “I have a surprise for you.”

  “Oh?” she asked.

  He twisted the knob of the last door on the right and pushed it open. Flicking on the overhead light, he couldn’t help but grin as she gasped and walked into the room.

  He’d passed an office supply store on the way home from visiting her on Wednesday and he’d had the idea to make an office for her. A real one – not a corner carved out of a larger room, but a place just for her to work. He’d furnished the room with a desk and matching file drawer, and a comfortable leather chair.

  “The loveseat was donated by my Aunt Trudie. If it’s not to your style, we can get another one.”

  He leaned against the doorjamb and watched her walk slowly around the room. The desk was placed next to a large window so she could see the woods from her chair. She sat at the desk and put her hands on the top, running them over the dark wood.

  “Oh, Cruz, I love it. I love everything in here. I can’t believe you did this for me.”

  “You’re my mate, sweetheart. I want you to be part of my life and feel like you belong here. I respect what you do, and I wanted you to have a place of your own to work.”

  “This is more than I could have ever asked for, thank you.”

  She pushed back from the desk and joined him in the center of the room. Her eyes were bright, and the sweet scent of her arousal spiked in the air between them. His bear rumbled in his chest and she smiled, taking his hand in hers. They walked across the hall to the master suite. He set her bag in one of the walk-in closets, and led her to the bathroom, flipping on the light. He’d always consid
ered the bathroom to be a mix of old-fashioned and modern, with a claw foot tub surrounded by dark tile, next to a glass-enclosed shower. He put the snack platter on the counter along with the water bottles.

  “Wow,” she said. “I’ve always loved clawfoot tubs, they’re so romantic.”

  “Are they?” he asked with a chuckle. “Then we’ll have to take a bath together.”

  “Later,” she said, pulling him into the bedroom. The king-sized four-poster bed was covered with a quilt and had never looked more inviting than it did when she toed off her shoes and climbed onto the center of it. He took off his shoes and clicked on the small lamp on his side table; it looked like an old hurricane lamp, the faux wick flickering like a real flame. Using the remote, he turned off the overhead light, the room now bathed in the golden glow of the lamp. His mate looked like a goddess on the bed and he felt like a king.

  He jerked his shirt over his head and rested his fingers on his belt buckle. “I just want you to know that once I have you in my bed, I’m going to want you here every night, forever.”

  She smiled sweetly and pulled her tank over her head, revealing a lacy bra that covered her large breasts. “I don’t want to be anywhere but here with you forever.”

  She rose onto her knees and reached for him, and he stopped at the edge of the bed and slipped his arms around her. Her skin was warm and silky under his fingers, and he kneaded her waist as he lowered his head to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and opened her mouth, her tongue sliding against his and making his bear riot in his head. He slid his hands up her back and found the clasp of her bra, twisting until it opened. He helped her off with the bra and deepened the kiss, cupping her breasts. She grasped his shoulders and moved her hands slowly down his arms and across his chest, exploring him while he explored her.

  After sucking on her bottom lip, he kissed across her cheek and down her neck, lowering her to the bed as he moved down her chest. Her nipples were taut and begging for attention; he played with them, sucking and licking the tight buds until she fisted his hair and writhed under him. His bear was loud in his head, anxious to claim her and make her theirs. He kissed down her belly, circling her navel with his tongue and enjoying her soft gasp and giggle. With deft fingers, he undid her jeans, hooked his fingers inside to catch her panties, and pulled both off her with one, swift move. He stood only long enough to shove his jeans to the floor and step from them.