Brown fur covered his chest and shoulders. Bones creaked and organs moved. He fell on all fours.
Ebony claws slid out of his hands. Changing forms had never been a walk in the park but this time, Liam welcomed the pain.
He left the lodge once he completed his transformation. It was chilly tonight but in the skin of his bear, he hardly felt the cold.
Liam ran to the closest line of trees. Liam caught Logan’s fading scent. Liam decided that for now, he’d stay clear of his brother.
Liam needed to figure his shit out without needing to pull Logan into a meaningless and bloody brawl. Already, Liam felt so much better. Out here in the wild, no human-made walls closed down on him. The grizzly wasn’t bogged down by unnecessary human worry.
As Liam delved deeper into the land, the territory he and his brothers claimed as theirs, he thought long and hard about his current predicament.He couldn’t just give Eli his bite mark in the hopes it would erase Eli’s older mark.
They were practically strangers. The right thing to do was to wait. To watch. Bears weren’t the most patient predators but for Eli, he’d behave. It wasn’t just Eli’s body that Liam wanted. Liam needed to get under Eli’s skin, to know him inside and out.
What made Eli ticked. What made the Omega laugh. Liam never felt this way about someone before. This was unknown territory.
Liam had to spend more time with Eli. Get more answers out of him. They could get to know each other better. Eventually, they’d move from being strangers to something else.
Something more. Eli was worth the wait. Unlike the other submissive shifters Liam had come across, Eli was ballsy enough to look him in the eye.
What a feisty mate Eli would make. The Omega would call Liam out on his bullshit. Eli would be a challenge. Eli was the refreshing tall drink of water he needed.
Liam worked, ate, and slept. An endless cycle. He thought he could live up here in solitude with his brothers for the rest of his life. It was a good thing had other plans in store for him.
6
Eli
Eli’s loud ringtone went off from somewhere in the room. He groaned, burying his face into the pillows. Dread curled in the pit of his stomach. Eli didn’t relish getting up, knowing he had a mountain of chores to do.
His tasks didn’t daunt him. Eli didn’t want to have that talk with Steve about what happened yesterday. He could already imagine Steve berating him and hurling abuses at him while he worked the stove. Steve was always picky about the food Eli made.
Heck, Steve always seemed to have an issue with whatever Eli did. Steve couldn’t possibly do anything wrong but the same didn’t go for Eli.
“Five more minutes,” Eli mumbled into the pillow.
Strange. Were his pillows ever this stiff? Eli turned so he lay on his back. He opened his eyes and stared at an unfamiliar ceiling for a few seconds.
His heart started racing. Eli was more wide awake now. He remembered driving through a torrent to reach Grizzly Mountain Lodge and meeting Liam.
Liam. His heart gave a little jolt as he recalled the Liam towering over him like a sexy titan. Eli flung the sheets aside and sat up slowly.
He’d been apprehensive about sleeping alone in the suite at first but Eli fell asleep the moment he slid under the heavy comforter.
Eli didn’t think he could sleep in a strange place but somehow, his inner wolf associated the room, the lodge with safety. With Liam.
He got out of the bed. He opened all the windows in the room. Fresh mountain air ruffled his hair and kissed his skin. The air up here smelled cleaner somehow, compared to the polluted air in the city. He gazed at the impressive view that greeted him.
Rows and rows of ancient ash trees seemed to go on forever. What would it be like, to run in those woods in his other form?
He was a born and raised a city wolf. The closest thing to a forest he’d ever walked into was the local park.The woods must’ve looked intimidating at night. Eli shook his head. Maybe Liam could show him around sometime?
“You dork. He might be busy,” Eli muttered to himself.
Liam would make time for you, for us, whispered the wolf inside him. Eli shook his head. He took a quick shower. Eli paused in front of the mirror.
Eli touched Steve’s bite mark, surprised how fast it faded. It looked like a half silver circle on the side of his neck. An afterthought.
He liked to think it was because of last night. Eli had never really been Steve’s real mate. That was why Steve’s mark hadn’t faded.
Eli touched his belly. He wondered if Steve’s baby would be a complication. Liam didn’t seem bothered that Eli was carrying another man’s child last night.
Would Liam still feel that way in the long run?Another Alpha wouldn’t like his Omega being knocked up by another man.
“You’re overthinking things,” Eli said to his reflection.
It was true. Eli had no idea where Liam stood. He needed to talk to the werebear, spend more time with him. No point hiding in his room. Steve and his old life were part of his past. Eli preferred to live in the present, thank you very much.
He dressed and went downstairs. His ears picked up three sets of voices, then a growl. Eli didn’t want to be caught eavesdropping like last night, so he immediately showed himself.
In the dining area, he spotted two familiar faces. Lucas and Liam. His werebear shot him a sexy grin that instantly woke his dick. He couldn’t tear his gaze from Liam. His heart started a fast rhythm.
Eli suddenly felt hot all over. He had
