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CHAPTER THREE

Julian

M y grizzly bear is in shock.

Hell, so am I.

My mate is sitting in front of me, looking up at me with these big brown eyes and my world is changing in real time. It’s morphing and twisting and transforming all around me as I stare at this stunning angel in awe.

Nothing will ever be the same.

My mate is here. Finally.

And I’m not sure what that means.

I’ve been waiting my entire life for this moment. Waiting, dreaming, aching for it, and now that it’s here, I don’t know how to handle it.

I don’t know what to do. What to say.

“I’d like it on the back of my shoulder,” Lainey says in a sweet melodic tone. It awakens a possessive part of me—a part that wants to pick her up and carry her back to my cabin.

I’m so thrown that I don’t even process what she’s saying. She pulls off her sweater and I suck in a sharp breath when I see her sitting on my chair in her white tank top.

The bare skin of her shoulders, arms, and neck sparks a need in me that I know won’t be quenched until I’m buried deep inside her. I want to kiss every inch of her skin. I want to bury my head between her legs and taste her sweetness.

She’s breathing a little heavy—either from nerves over getting a tattoo or from being in the presence of her mate for the first time—but whatever it is, her round breasts are moving up and down in a hypnotic rhythm. I glance at them and they’re so gorgeous and tempting that it’s painful to look away.

“Julian!” Victoria says in a sharp tone. “ Julian! ”

“Huh?” I mutter as I shoot my sister an annoyed glance. “ What?! ”

Why is my little sister ruining this moment? Why is she even here?

“I said, I drew the lily tattoo,” she says, looking at me funny again. “Here’s the stencil.”

I shake my head, trying to clear it as I grab the stencil and glance at it. It’s a beautiful flower and will look so sexy on my mate’s skin. I can’t wait to put it on her. To mark her with my ink. I want to mark her in other ways as well, but we’ll just have to start with this.

She’s touching her neck as she looks at the flower, leaning forward enough that I can see her cleavage. My cock hardens to steel when I see those shifting breasts, knowing I’ll be seeing them in their full glory soon enough.

“I love it,” she says, but she’s looking at me when she says the words. My bear grumbles happily inside. I haven’t felt him this content in… ever.

She turns around and lifts her blonde hair up as I place the sticky stencil on her skin. I can’t breathe when I finally touch her. She’s so fucking perfect. Her skin is so soft.

Goosebumps appear on her arms as I trace the petals of the lily with my fingertip. They appear on mine when I hear her short breaths.

“I’m dancing tonight at The Banana Hammock,” Curt says to the room of uninterested people. “ All the clothes come off.”

The two other girls laugh, but my girl doesn’t. She’s too focused on my touch.

“Are you going to come, Victoria?” he asks my sister.

“I’m afraid not,” she says, continuing to tattoo his chest.

“Why not? I’ve asked you over a dozen times and you always say no.”

“I have plans.”

“What plans?” he says, not knowing when to take the L and slink away.

“I’m sitting at home and staring at the wall,” she says. Magnus chuckles.

Curt scoffs. “How about you ladies? Do you have plans tonight, lily girl?”

I realize that he’s talking to my mate and my whole body tightens. My hands squeeze into fists. I slowly turn to him as a low vicious growl rips out of my throat.

Victoria holds her breath as she looks up at me, finally realizing what’s going on. She looks at me, then at Lainey, and then back at me, her eyes wide.

“Is that…?” she mouthes.

I just glare at Curt, but he’s too busy trying to look around me at my girl who is showing way too much skin in front of him for my liking.

I move in front of her, blocking her body from his sleazy gaze as I glare at him, another low possessive growl rumbling out of my throat.

My bear is incensed. He’s snarling inside, wanting to burst out and rip this man to pieces for daring to talk to our girl.

“Hey, big man,” he says to me, still trying to look around my frame. “Move, will ya?”

“Stop talking,” Victoria says, grabbing his chin and yanking his head back until his shocked eyes are on her. “I can’t work when you’re constantly yapping.”

“I’m just trying to get some clients for tonight,” he says, unsuccessfully trying to move his head out of her firm grip. “Man, you got strong hands. That fucking hurt.”

“And I’m just trying to make this tattoo look like a dragon,” she says. “Keep moving and it’s going to look like a gecko.”

My grizzly is on edge as I turn back to my girl. He’s like an untamed beast with the way he’s stomping and snarling inside.

I take a few deep breaths and try to focus on the task at hand. This beauty has got me distracted enough. I don’t need that asshole Curt adding to it.

My bear is not settling down. He wants me to put my mark on her. He wants me to put my lips on the spot below her ear and slide my teeth into her flesh, making her mine forever. And he’s being relentless about it, grumbling and gnashing his teeth—making his desires known.

I want my mark on her too. Desperately.

Listening to that prick, Curt, trying to pick her up has sparked a possessive streak in me.

I need to make this girl mine. I need to mark her.

But I can’t put my teeth on her now. I’ve barely said two words to her.

And if the girls she’s with see me suddenly chomping down on her neck, they’re going to call the National Guard. They’ll make sure our tattoo shop goes viral for all the wrong reasons.

I just take a deep breath, pick up my tattoo gun, and get to work. I’ll be able to talk to her while I tattoo her flawless skin. I’ll be able to make her see that she’s mine. That she belongs to me. I’ll be able to convince her.

But as soon I start putting ink on her skin, my inner grizzly bear’s desire takes over. It becomes impossible to ignore .

Mark her! Mark her!

Her sexy whimpers, little moans, and quick sensual breaths are such a turn on.

It puts me into a possessive trance.

And my hand keeps moving.

A deep, dark, primal version of me takes over. The part of me that wants to own my mate. That wants to mark his territory. Who wants to make sure the whole world knows this girl is mine .

I tattoo without thinking.

I ignore the stencil.

Before I can stop myself, I’ve tattooed a J, then a U.

Shit, she’s going to be so mad.

But I can’t stop…

L. I. A. N.

When I finally snap out of the trance, I see my name on the back of my girl’s shoulder.

I’ve marked her alright. But it’s not going to end well.

“What. The. Fuck?!”

Oh shit.

It’s her friend. Himari, I think?

She came over to look at the progress and is standing behind me with her face all pale and her eyes opened wide.

“What the fuck did you do?!” she screams.