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The anticipation of all the things the future held for us was one of the strongest things I’d ever experienced. And I knew nothing, and no one would ever take that away.

We’d never allow it. She was ours, and we’d destroy anything that thought to change that.

16

Goldie

As soon as I awoke, I knew I was alone. I also knew the storm had settled.

There was this calmness in the air, this stillness that only happened after the skies opened up and poured down all their frustration and misery.

I pushed myself up on the furs, the buttery-soft cloth that covered my chest pooling at my waist. I was sore in all my intimate places, felt sticky between my thighs and on my breasts. And looking down at my body, I could see why. So much dried cum painted me in the most erotic, obscene way.

And it turned me on.

I also made out claw marks on my legs and waist, not ones that broke the skin but powerful enough to leave red welts of ownership and possession from my bears.

My bears.

Why did that sound so perfect?

There were bruises on my inner thighs, and the memory of how I got them, how they’d held me open as they claimed me, played through my mind in startling clarity.

I could feel the tingling warmth of bite marks on my neck. And despite the discomfort I felt from those possessive marks, I’d never felt as content, sated, or pleased in my entire existence.

I grabbed the blanket and pulled it up, covering my breasts as I looked around the large room. The furs were a disarray all around me, and when I smoothed my fingers over the soft material on either side of me, the cotton was cold, as if the brothers hadn’t been sleeping beside me for quite some time.

I was out of bed and had my gown back on moments later, the room warm from the fire that was still slowly burning in the hearth across from the bed. Yet, I shivered. This feeling of being alone was something that wasn’t unusual for me, but right now, it felt very much as if I’d never experienced it before.

It was as if this taste of being consumed, of being the center of someone’s entire world, had twisted me all up inside. I didn’t know if I liked the feeling that these brothers ignited in me, as if a sleeping creature had been lying dormant all this time, waiting for that first ember to take life.

And Bear, Bruin, and Ursid were the start of that fire in me.

I walked out of the room but knew I was utterly alone in the cottage. I even went into the cavern, expecting the bears to be there, wondering if this was another game of the cat hunting down the mouse.

A wave of arousal filled me at the thought.

I left the empty cave and went back into the cottage.

There was a fire going in the hearth in the living room, and in the kitchen, there were a few freshly caught fish slung over the basin. A bowl of fresh berries sat beside some nuts and edible flowers on the table.

I wrapped my arms around myself and shivered, standing there for long moments, wondering what exactly my next move was going to be.

I could stay. Or I could go. Right now. The bears weren’t here. They couldn’t stop me. The storm had ended, and although I didn’t know exactly where I was, I knew enough of the surrounding forest that I was fairly certain I could find my way back home.

Home.

Why did that word seem so strange when I thought about the only place I’d ever known, the only place I’d ever felt safe and comfortable?

My heart was thundering as I made my way to the front door. I saw my shoes on the floor to my left. I slipped them on and tied the laces, grabbed a thick shawl that hung over the back of the chair to the side, and opened the door.

A cool breeze blew around me, and I wrapped the shawl around my chest and braced for another gust. The sun shone; the sound of water dripping off the trees, and birds singing played a symphony all around.

The earth was drenched from the storm, and the scent of fresh rain filled the air as I inhaled deeply.

Taking a step outside, I scanned the surroundings but didn’t see the bears or any sign that they were close. I listened and waited, and when all I heard was the sound of the forest waking up for a new day, I walked away from the cottage.

I didn’t realize where I was going until I was deep in the woods, and the farther away I went from the cottage, the more unsettling and wrong it all felt.