Brighton pressed her fingertips between her legs, against the sensitive spot he always paid attention to, and she moaned and arched her back at the potent bliss the friction created.
“Touch here for me, baby,” he whispered in a soft stroke against her ear.
His powerful hips moved against her backside as he thrust deeper into her.
“Holy fuck,” he whispered in a shaky voice.
His chest rested against the curve of her back, from hips to shoulder blades, as if he couldn’t get close enough to her skin. The slick sound of him sliding in and out of her was the sexiest thing she’d ever heard. His arm locked against the bed, beside hers, and his tricep flexed as he pressed into her again and again.
Unable to control herself, she was moaning now, louder with each stroke. “Brighton,” she gasped out, so close to spilling over the edge. Breathily, she panted his name over and over as he grazed his teeth against the back of her neck.
She wanted it now, his bite. There was no fear, only desire to be bound to him. To be his mate in every way that counted. To banish Connor’s ghost from the darkest corner of her life.
The humming sound she adored rattled from his middle as he clamped his teeth down on top of the scar Connor had made all those months ago. Brighton’s cock swelled inside of her as he pushed into her faster. The stinging pain in her shoulder blade was overshadowed by the pleasure of her crashing orgasm. A deep growl rattled past her lips as Brighton froze and bit down into her muscle. Warmth spilled into her in hot, rhythmic jets as he came with her.
She cried out, bowing against his teeth as her gratification became blinding.
Her arms wouldn’t hold her anymore, and she sank forward as he released her from his bite. Brighton gripped her waist and stroked into her slowly, drawing her aftershocks.
She let off a sigh of pure relief. This time had been totally different. The pain she remembered from intimacy with Connor didn’t exist with Brighton. He loved her, adored and accepted her, where her first accidental mate had not.
Brighton’s tongue was warm and soothing as he licked and kissed her new wound clean. He seemed in no hurry to withdraw from her, happy instead to take care of her injury. He didn’t say the words here in the dark, but he didn’t have to. His gentle affection showed his love and devotion to her.
Today, she’d become Ashe Crew and had discovered her place in the world. But more than that, she’d done something she never would’ve thought herself brave enough to do. She gave all of herself to her mate, and in return, he’d done the same for her.
Nothing could come between them now.
Connor’s ghost held no place in her life anymore.
She belonged to Brighton, and he belonged to her.
Chapter Fourteen
Bruiser’s trailer banging commenced at approximately the ass-crack of dawn.
Everly had been snuggled up in Brighton’s arms, but at the deafening noise, she jumped and yelped.
“Claws, woman,” Brighton whispered. “Retract the claws.”
She was digging into his skin hard enough to make perfect nail indentations.
“Oh, lovebears! It’s initiation day,” Bruiser called out in a sing-songy voice. “Wakey, wakey, I made you pancakeys.”
“He’s bribing you out of the trailer,” Brighton said in an amused rasp. “The boys made bets last night on what color your grizzly is. They’ve never met a submissive, so they’re curious.”
“My coloring has nothing to do with my submissiveness, though,” she pointed out.
“No, but they’ll use any excuse to make a bet.”
“Who got closest?”
“Denison guessed blond. He’ll never let anyone live it down after he figures out he got close enough.”
She huffed a laugh and snuggled closer, inhaling the crisp scent of his skin. “I don’t want to get out of bed today.”
“I like the way that sounds.” Brighton pulled her hand in a long stroke against his morning erection.
“Pancakes!” Bruiser yelled.
Brighton shook his head and narrowed his eyes at the ceiling, then kissed her forehead and rolled out of bed.
They dressed and readied for the day amid flirty touches and whispered endearments. Everything was different now. She wasn’t some honorary member of the Ashe Crew anymore. She was in this, a part of life here, and claimed by the best man she’d ever known. Excitement bubbled inside of her at the thought of telling her new friends about the life-altering event that had happened last night.
Bruiser filled up the doorway with his humongous shoulders, blotting out the early morning light completely. His dark eyes danced as he held out a plate stacked high with buttered, syrup-soaked pancakes. “Chop, chop. Your new alpha is waiting.” He moved to the side to reveal Tagan talking quietly to Brooke beside their trailer as he rubbed his hands over her round belly.
She and Brighton gobbled down a few flavorful griddlecakes, shoved the rest in the fridge, and bounded down the porch stairs after Bruiser. Brighton’s claiming mark had covered Connor’s scar and was still red and angry looking, but it didn’t hurt much. The T-shirt she wore only irritated it a little. She predicted that in a day or so, she wouldn’t feel it at all.
“Ready?” Tagan called.
Everly felt the urge to hunch into herself at the extra attention, but her need to answer the alpha won out. “As I’ll ever be.”
The Ashe Crew poured from the trailers, some tired and hungover, others happily greeting the others. She could easily weed out the morning people from the rest. Brooke waved and settled in beside her as the crew made their way to the gate they’d used last night. Skyler slung an arm around Everly’s shoulders, and Danielle followed closely, reprimanding Bo for eating the page out of a sketch pad she was toting.
She was glad that even human, Danielle was a part of everything that went on here. Brighton had said she was some sort of environmentalist, studying the beetle infestation in the mountains for their boss. Her khakis, hiking boots, backpack, and constant note-taking and plant-collecting supported that.
At a clearing, Tagan pulled off his shirt and tossed it across a low-hanging limb of a giant tree. The other shifters followed suit, all but Brooke, who explained she hadn’t had the urge to shift since she’d become pregnant. Probably best since Everly couldn’t even begin to imagine the trauma of a Change on a little unborn baby.
Brighton couldn’t seem to stop looking at her, and she got that. She was having trouble keeping her attention on where she put her hiking boots on the rugged trail. Her handsome mate’s eyes were full of pride as he stood in front of her and carefully pulled the hem of her shirt over her head.
Leaning forward, he kissed her neck, bringing a shiver of pure pleasure up her spine. Then slowly, he turned her, so that her back was exposed to the Ashe Crew.
Brooke was the first one to her. “I knew it. I knew he’d claim you.” She hugged Everly tight and turned to her mate. “Tagan, didn’t I tell you he’d claim her?”
“You did,” the alpha said as he gathered Everly into an embrace. “Congratulations, you two. I couldn’t be happier for you.”
The others followed, hugging, embracing, and slapping Brighton on the back as he grinned down at her. When Denison embraced his brother, he murmured something into his ear too low for Everly to hear.
“Hey there, sister,” Danielle said in a choked voice as she squeezed her.
Everly’s breath caught in her throat. She’d always wished for a sister, and it hadn’t struck her until now that Brighton had given her even more than she’d realized.
She had a family now. Not one like she had with Momma, who was ruthless and used her love as a weapon. Everly had a real family, who fought and made up and loved each other unconditionally. She had people she would always be able to depend on. People who could depend on her.
“Come on out, beautiful bear,” Brighton whispered. “It’s time to meet your crew.”
The last layer of reserve slipped
from her shoulders as she undressed the rest of the way, then stood back and closed her eyes. Reaching deep within her, she conjured her bear. And as her animal burst forth, it hurt less this time, as if that part of her was meant to be here with her people.
“Holy mother of pearl,” Drew breathed, gripping one of Tagan’s shoulders and shaking the alpha slowly. “She’s albino. Everly’s a damned silver bear.”
The wide-eyed Crew watched her as she settled to all fours. Head lowered, eyes downcast, she waited as Brighton Changed beside her.
Her mate was humming that happy noise as he nuzzled her face—her apparent reward for being brave and Changing for Ashe Crew to see.
Denison pointed to Haydan, Bruiser, and Drew and crowed, “You all owe me money. I guessed blond.”
The others Changed, one by one, and approached slowly. They pressed their noses against her fur, and she inhaled their scents in return until she recognized them all. Red bear, black bear, blond bear, gray bear. They all had human names. And last of all, Skyler’s falcon erupted from her in a flurry of feathers. She flapped her powerful wings as she beat air currents that lifted her into the sky.
Tagan bellowed out three short roars and twitched his head. Danielle and Brook flanked him as he meandered into the trees, and the bears followed behind as Skyler circled above.
Brighton stepped in front of Everly and looked back over his shoulder, as if he was unsure if she would follow.
He needn’t worry. She’d always be here, right beside him, quietly ghosting the edges of the Ashe Crew with the man she loved. With the man whose soft whisper had resonated so loudly in the course of her life.
Everly would follow him always.
Epilogue
Brighton listened to the long note and twisted one of the tuning pegs on his guitar until it sounded just right. Sammy’s bar was full of shifters tonight, though the bartender didn’t have a clue his joint was overrun with supernaturals. Tagan had decided more communication with the Gray Backs and Boarlanders would benefit all three crews, so once a month they drank booze together, shot pool, talked shop, and got to know each other on a friendly level.
Jed, the last alpha, would’ve never sanctioned relationships between the rival crews like this, but that’s what made Tagan a good leader. He looked to the future.
Denison gave him a here-we-go look and Brighton nodded out a three count, then strummed the first chord to the next song in the set. Denison’s voice came out steady and strong through the microphone as he played his guitar along with Brighton. The lights weren’t as bright on the stage tonight, and thank God for small blessings, because from here, Brighton had the perfect view of his mate.
Everly sat at the bar next to her Momma. Brighton had watched a change in Everly from the time he’d found her in the diner until now. She’d realized how unhealthy the relationship with her mom was and put her foot down. Her Momma clung to the habit of insulting her from time to time, and Everly had left the situation immediately. The bitter name-calling had tapered off as the woman seemed to be learning that behavior was unacceptable. If she wanted a relationship with Everly, or with him, or with any future grandkids they might give her, then Momma Moore had to learn how to be a kind and respectful person around them.
The silver-haired woman took another pull of her beer and laughed at something Everly said. Brighton smiled and dragged his attention to the fret of his guitar as he hit a harder chord.
Her relationship with her mother wasn’t the only thing that had changed. Everly was now a working member of the Ashe Crew, and they were close to paying off her medical bills from when she’d had the seizures. She’d paid back her landlord her late rent and broke the lease early. And since logging season had begun a few months ago, she had been driving truckloads and trailers of stripped lumber to the sawmill in Saratoga or to meet with the log buyers. She was even getting good at haggling prices, thanks to Tagan taking the time to train her properly. Submissive or not, she was smart as a whip and had the backbone to go along with it now.
He was so damned proud of her, he couldn’t quit grinning. Denison and the guys ribbed him constantly for it, but they didn’t know how dark things had really been. And because of that, they didn’t understand just how much Everly had done for him to get him to a place where he was this happy. Denison had once said he owed her everything for bringing Brighton back to him. Well, Brighton owed her everything as well.
Denison sang the last line of the song, and the bar erupted in cheers. Brighton stood up to the microphone and waited for the ruckus to settle. He wasn’t afraid of his whisper anymore. Not when Everly loved it so much. He was proud of it. If this was the only sound he had left after what he’d been through, well hell, at least it was something. At least he was still breathing, kicking, fighting, and trying after what Reynolds did. Better than that sonofabitch lying cold in a shallow grave somewhere.
Brighton blew an ear-splitting whistle, and the bar settled, grew quiet. “Denison and I have special guest singers tonight, and I want you all to give them a real warm welcome. It’s their first time on stage ever, and you get to be a part of it. Skyler Brown and Everly Moore, soon to be Everly Beck, come on up here.”
Everly gave Skyler an excited grin as her Momma looked at her with utter shock written across her face. Everly picked up two shot glasses of what looked like whiskey, then weaved her way through the tables in front of Skyler. Someday, he was going to get his mate up here with that pretty voice of hers and just him on the guitar, but for now, she said she’d only do this if Skyler, Kellen’s little songbird, sang a duet with her. And as Brighton watched the easy smile that graced his woman’s lips, he thought it was the right decision. She didn’t even look scared. She looked strong and sexy as hell in those tight jeans and black tank top.
Confidence sure did look good on her.
As they approached the stage to the cheers and whistles of the crews, Everly handed Skyler one of the shots, and they clinked the tiny glasses, then downed the fragrant liquid. Everly took Brighton’s offered hand and stepped up on stage, then pushed his chest until he sat in the chair. She bent forward and kissed him, releasing half the fiery shot into his mouth in what had to be the sexiest toast he’d ever been a part of. He smiled against her lips and swallowed it down. To the whistles of the bar, he pressed his tongue against the closed seam of her lips until she let him in. She giggled as she pecked him once more and pulled away, then leaned back in, grabbed his shirt, and whispered, “I sure do love you, Brighton Beck.”
“I love you, too, Everly Beck.”
She flashed the thin gold band lined with tiny diamonds on her ring finger and shook her head with a wink. “Soon to be.”
Pleased, he dipped his head to hide the heat that crept into his cheeks and the grin that took his face. Damn, that woman could get his pulse racing.
She bumped Skyler’s shoulder, then took a deep breath and nodded to him and Denison. Brighton tapped out a three count with the toe of his boot, and he and his brother picked up the first notes of the song.
Everly’s voice came clear and low, and Skyler joined in at a higher harmony. They patted the legs of their jeans and shimmied along to the lyrics like they’d done this on stage a thousand times. Their voices were perfectly harmonized, and Denison shot him an impressed look before he dragged his gaze back to Danielle, who sat at her favorite table in the front row.
The bar was still, other than the occasional whistle and “Yeah!” from the onlookers.
Tagan had his arm around Brooke, who would bear him a cub any day now. A baby for the Ashe Crew, who would grow up knowing his place in the world, surrounded by a giant, grizzly-shifting, fun-loving family who’d do anything to keep him safe.
Drew, Haydan, and Bruiser were taking shots at the bar, while Kellen sat by Danielle, watching Skyler as if he’d never seen anyone so beautiful. Brighton knew that feeling. He felt the same about Everly.
Intermingled in the crowd were the other crews, determined to forge f
riendships to preserve their way of life. If there was safety in numbers, well, Saratoga was just about the safest place a bear shifter could be now.
Brighton strummed alongside his brother and watched Everly’s profile as she closed her eyes and belted out the chorus into the microphone as if she’d been born to sing on stage. She didn’t normally like the attention, he knew that, but a few months ago, she would’ve panicked just thinking about doing something like this. Now here she was, grinning at Skyler like she was having the time of her life and shooting him happy looks over her shoulder at the breaks in the song.
She was so damned beautiful he couldn’t look away if he tried.
Everly didn’t know what she’d done for him, and he could never explain the depth of his gratitude for the changes she’d started in him. She’d vanquished his ghosts and offered him peace.
Swearing off a mate hadn’t worked. Not when she hadn’t cared about how damaged he’d been. She’d seen his potential and encouraged him to quit hiding. His small-town, shy, unknowingly beautiful girl had come in and turned his world upside down.
And now Ever, forever and ever, would be the keeper of his heart.
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Other Books by T. S. Joyce
Bear Valley Shifters
The Witness and the Bear (Book 1)
Devoted to the Bear (Book 2)
Return to the Bear (Book 3)
Betray the Bear (Book 4)
Redeem the Bear (Book 5)
Bear Valley Valentine (Valentine’s Day Novella)