Wild Bear Mates: Paranormal Bear Shifter Reverse Harem Romance Read online

  Sync’s face didn’t betray any emotion. “Everyone is waiting for you. Follow me.”

  He walked directly back into the woods. Vivica looked at me and grimaced. I shrugged in response. Shit happens, right? How were we supposed to know where the camp was? This was a pretty terrible plan actually. “You know, this was a stupid fucking idea. Why didn’t you guys tell us the location of the camp in advance if this forest is so dangerous? We also could have left earlier where there wasn’t any daylight.” He mumbled something but didn’t turn around. “The least you could do is look at me.”

  Sync turned and walked towards me and stopped about six inches away from my face. “We don’t have time for this. You think you’re so special? We’ve got ninety other girls desperate to mate with our warriors. Nobody will notice if you go home now. Your job is to obey. Show me you can do it, or I’ll leave you here to find your own way out. Witch.” He turned back around and marched into the brush. Vivica met my eyes and grimaced. What an asshole. I bit my lip to keep from screaming. Why had I come here? I wanted to make a difference in the world, not be a slave to an unappreciative asshole representing a tribe that can’t even handle a recruiting event. What do they expect from a disorganized traipsing through an allegedly enchanted forest? I crossed my arms over my chest and ran my fingers over the goosebumps on my arms. Looking around into the near blackness, I weighed my options. Head back to the trail and walk the unknown or continue on to the camp and see what I’d gotten myself into. There was no way I was going to brave the woods alone or let Vivica be alone with this creep. I’d committed to trying out for a breeding position and damnit I wasn’t going to leave until I did. Sprinting to close the distance between Vivica and I, I caught up to her and grabbed her hand. We followed him in silence. She traced circles on my palm with her thumb. It was nice to have an ally already. After about fifteen minutes of strolling through the woods, we came to a small clearing with a fire pit in the middle. A man crouched over the pit and stoked a small flame.

  “Found the stragglers. Where are the others?”

  “They’ve already started.” The young man stood and nodded in our direction. The flame’s shadow danced on his chiseled abs. His dark waves fell across his eyes. He smiled shyly. “Welcome.”

  “Thanks.” I smiled my Miss America smile. He dropped his eyes, a flush creeping around his neck.

  “This is Romero, our groundskeeper. If you require anything, he can help you out.”

  “Anything like what…plants in our room?” Vivica snorted. A look of embarrassment flashed over Romero’s face.

  “I said anything. I meant it.” His mirthless voice was abrasive. Combined with his blank facial expression it was hard to tell whether he was being serious or sarcastic.

  “He’s serious.” Did I speak out loud? How did this guy know what I was thinking?

  “So, you’re a jack of all trades, huh?”

  A sweet smile crossed his face. His eyes crinkled pleasantly at the corners. “You could say that. I fix things.”

  “Let’s go. We need to catch up.” Sync was such a buzz kill.

  “I’m going to stay here and get the fire going for later.”

  Sync began walking deeper into the woods.

  I waved at Romero and winked. You never know what you might need from a man.

  “See you later.” Vivica waved and power walked after Sync. I followed, looking back to catch another glimpse at Romero, but when I looked back into the clearing, he was gone. Handyman, my ass. We walked in pitch black for several minutes. Vivica’s breathing and Sync’s heavy stomps were my only guidance in the darkness. The previously quiet forest hummed with life. My ears filled with the chirping of crickets, the buzzing of some anonymous insect, and the howl of something far away that I hoped didn’t get closer. I spotted a warm light in the distance. Another clearing. That must be where we were headed. As we approached, the light expanded and danced. It must be another fire. I exhaled. At least now, I knew where I was going. Sync wasn’t the keeper of our fates. Relinquishing control didn’t exactly come naturally to me. I really hoped that not all shapeshifters liked their women docile and submissive. Didn’t anyone get the memo that you couldn’t tame a witch? Voices echoed in the night. It sounded like laughter. After ten minutes of walking, the clearing doubled in size. It was bigger than I thought. After another fifteen minutes, we reached the edge of the clearing. Rows of wooden cabins lined the far edge. A gigantic fire blazed in a pit. Surrounding it was a crowd. Sync motioned to the fire. Vivica linked my arm in hers and we took off towards the group. When we approached, a man seated on a wooden bench stood. His eyes were warm and kind. Black hair speckled with grey fell in waves to his shoulders. A white scar slashed his forehead above his right eye. “Welcome, welcome.” He waved us closer. “Are you ready to begin?”

  We both nodded vigorously. He pointed towards the furthest cabin on the right.

  “You can freshen up in there. When you’re done, we’ll begin.”

  His comment made me suddenly self-conscious. I ran my fingers through my sweaty and matted hair. My shirt was glued to my back with sweat. Peeking at Vivica, I noticed that she looked as fresh as when I’d first seen her. Why was I the only one that looked like I had been dragged through the forest? “Thanks, that would be great!” I shouted a bit too enthusiastically. Sync rolled his eyes. I guess I was going to have to do some work to get back on his good side. If he had one that is. We both turned and headed for the cabin. It might be nice to take a hot shower. The stairs of the cabin creaked and groaned underneath our weight. The doors were heavy, I could barely open one. I let Vivica pass through and followed her inside. A petite blond sat at a long low desk in front of us. The inside of the cabin looked modern, clean and enormous. From the outside, it appeared quaint and rustic. The lobby resembled a spa without Enya playing over the stereo.

  “Welcome. You all are pretty late, so I’m not sure if we have anyone available to complete your orientation tonight. I’ll do my best to look while you’re showering.”

  “Oh, that’s okay. We can just go to bed early and start fresh in the morning.”

  “Tomorrow is the official beginning of try outs. Everyone has to go through orientation first. If I can’t find one of the leaders, I’ll do it myself.”

  Mandatory orientation? Where were we, at camp? I wanted to present myself to the sexy young warriors looking to fertilize us. Not spend my night doing paperwork in a locker room. This was turning out to be less of an adventure and more of an annoyance by the minute.

  “Here’s four fresh towels. The small ones are for your hair, if you hadn’t already figured that out. It can get quite chilly here at night, you’re not going to want to go to bed with wet hair. I’ve also included robes, slippers, shampoo, conditioner, a toothbrush and toothpaste, as well as some other… essentials.”

  “And tomorrow after breakfast will be the first visit to our physician for your check up.”

  Doctor’s visit? Why didn’t I think about that? When was the last time I went to the doctor? “Where are we going to sleep?”

  The receptionist smiled. “Each potential recruit has an assigned room. After your orientation, we’ll show you to your room so you can get lots of rest for tomorrow. During breakfast, you can meet the other candidates and get settled. Did you bring anything with you from the outside?”

  “We were told to leave everything.” Worry crossed Vivica’s face.

  “Yeah, they told us to leave everything. I thought it was weird, but we really wanted to get off on the right foot.”

  The receptionist looked up. “You can call me Kara. That’s great you followed instructions. Anything brought from the outside would be destroyed anyway. We don’t want anyone to have an unfair advantage. Sometimes women try to smuggle in makeup, perfume, even love potions, but we always catch them.”

  As far as they know at least. I patted my sheer maxi dress. “Nothing but what I was born with in here.” Luc
kily, witches don’t need magic potions to have the advantage.

  “Well then, you all are good to go. Enjoy your shower! I’ll be right here when you’re done.”

  We both muttered, “Thank you,” and pushed open the swinging door to the bathroom. Wow. Okay. This was swag. The largest bathroom I’d ever seen sprawled out in front of me. Dazzling marble stretched as far as I could see. In the far-left corner, there were four sinks set midway up the wall. Above them stretched a mirror high enough for me to see myself from the door. In the middle of the room sat several wooden lounge chairs with small tables next to them. Why would there be lounge chairs in the bathroom?

  “Wow.” Vivica stared up at the high ceilings, which I now realized were decorated with a mirror-like mosaic. How had they fit all of this into a cabin in the woods? And why?

  “I think the showers are back in the other corner. “ Vivica pointed to another door on the far side of the room. I threw down the slippers they had given me and stepped out of my slip-on canvas sneakers and socks. They’d taken a beating on our little trip through the woods. It felt amazing to have naked feet.

  “That’s a great idea.”

  Vivica pulled off her Adidas shell tops and black socks and balled them up in her fist. As her feet slid into the slippers she exhaled. “Aaaaah.”

  I tossed my socks onto the wooden chair and my shoes on the floor next to it. Vivica did the same. We shuffled over to the other door and propped it open. Inside the door was nothing but what at first appeared to be a steam room.

  “Where are the showers?”

  “They have to be in here, there isn’t anywhere else here.”

  Across the ceiling were five large shower heads. I pointed upwards. “This is the shower room.”

  “You mean there is no curtain?”

  “It’s just us now, but how many girls are there in this camp?” This wasn’t a large room.

  “I think someone said ninety.”

  “There is no way that they are fitting ninety girls in here. There have to be other bathrooms.” Unless they expect our numbers to be reduced quickly or put us on a shift schedule.

  “Well, let’s just use it. I feel disgusting.”

  As do I. And I love being naked with beautiful women. “How do we turn it on?”

  I walked over to the other side of the room where a few bits and bobs stuck out of the wall. This looked like a fancy shower, but I was sure I could figure it out. I tried the knob on the left. Nothing. The knob on the right barely twisted in my hands. The only one left was the large one in the center. Instead of twisting it, I pushed it in. With a bit of force, I was finally able to get it to start. The spigots on the ceiling sputtered to life.

  “Eureka!”

  There was a row of carved marble seats on one side of the room. “I’m going to put my clothes here.” I walked over and pulled my dress over my head. Stepping outside of my panties, I felt Vivica’s eyes on my back. I smiled to myself. I hoped she was looking. I hoped she enjoyed what she saw. I turned around quickly. Vivica’s face went red. “I’m sorry, I just…there’s nowhere else to look in here.”

  “Ha. I don’t mind. I’m going to try out some of this soap they gave us.”

  Vivica walked over towards the bench and began to undress. The room was beginning to fill with steam. Where were the temperature settings? I don’t remember moving any of it. But I guess it doesn’t matter. I like my showers hot. I walked over to the stream of hot water falling from the ceiling. This was the first time I’d used one of those rainfall showers. I was used to stooping underneath of outdoor hoses or in our tiny bath. The warm water enveloped me.

  “Ohhh…this is great.” I squirted out a dollop of body wash. It smelled like flowers, none of which I could identify. I hated false chemical smells, but all things considered it wasn’t that bad. Especially since I had no other choice and I was extremely dirty. I turned back towards Vivica. I did my best to keep my eyes up at her face, but with one glance at her long and taut body, I knew I was in for it. You’re supposed to be here to become a breeder, not make out with crushes. Ugh, I really needed to get a hold on my libido. I thought that my libido would help me get a competitive edge in becoming a breeder, but now I’m beginning to worry. It seems like sex was the last thing they cared about. Especially with these weird exercises in rule following. Vivica smiled widely. My entire body tingled. Why did I have such a crush on her? I’m such a sucker for athletic bodies. Vivica lathered her hands and began rubbing them all over her chest and arms. Her breasts were almost perfect circles, small and round. Her nipples were pinkish and puffy. I watched them harden to her touch. I squirted more of the lather on my hands and began soaping my legs. I needed to stop staring. I had no idea if she was even open to the idea of making love to a woman. Would this be considered cheating? I mean, it isn’t like Maya doesn’t know that I’m going to have sex with someone else. I came here just for that purpose for crying out loud, but I know that she doesn’t get jealous of men. She knows that, although I enjoy roughness in doses, it isn’t the main source of sustenance for me. What would she do if she found out that I was with another woman? She’d probably be pretty pissed. There would definitely be tears. But, would she leave me? No. Most likely not. But, would she do the same thing if she was in my position? Would she ever put herself in my position? Maybe, I’m overthinking it. Besides, it isn’t like Vivica is begging me to eat her pussy. She’s just taking a shower next to me. Totally innocent. When I worked my way up my thighs, I slowed down. It felt so good to be under the water. I bent down to grab the bottle of shower gel and noticed hers was a different color than mine.

  “They gave us different scents.” Vivica looked down at the two bottles.

  “I didn’t notice.” She grabbed my bottle, flipped the cap, and sniffed. “Flowers?”

  “Yeah, eau de chemical bouquet. Awesome, huh?”

  “Mine smells like a cookie.”

  A cookie? I checked the label on her shower gel bottle. Brown vanilla sugar. “Let me smell it.” I inhaled. Not bad. Wasn’t exactly appetizing though. “It’s not terrible.”

  “Not terrible. Exactly what I want to smell like my first day.” She giggled and playfully pushed my shoulder.

  Was she flirting? We were in the shower after all. I pushed her back. “If you don’t be nice, I’m going to make you spend your first week here smelling like a baked good.”

  “You wouldn’t.” She bit her bottom lip. Water dripped down from her soaking hair onto her face. She stepped back into the spray.

  “You’re not going to get clean with just water.”

  “I guess you’ve got some work to do then.” She smirked and turned around. The muscles in her back carved two divots right above her smooth, round bottom. Had I heard her correctly? My heart began to pound. Was I going to do this? Vivica was technically competition after all. What if we were both chosen? And if we weren’t? I took a deep breath. I guess it didn’t matter. Because we were here tonight. I squeezed more of my shower gel into my palm and began to lather it up. She looked over her shoulder and met my eyes.

  “What are you waiting for?” The husky timbre of her voice let me know that I hadn’t misheard her. I reached for her with my soapy hands and turned her towards me. When her lips touched mine, Maya’s protests battered my conscience. It wasn’t until her soft hands ran down from my arm into the warm wetness between my thighs was I able to drown out the rush of guilt and doubt. Somewhere within my cries of pleasure, I surrendered to the moment. I was here. And so was she.

  -5-

  When I woke the next morning, my mind was thick and blurry. Everything came rushing back to me at once. Vivica’s lips on mine. Her tight lean body, slippery and wet. The way her legs spasmed when I brought her to climax. How she grabbed me by the hair and pulled me in to her. Vivica had nearly collapsed after she came. Her eyes were wet with tears when I’d brought her over to the bench to sit and rest.

  “I’ve alw
ays been curious,” she mumbled.

  “Always been curious about what?” I laid down one of the towels to cover the bench and guided her to it.

  “A woman. That was my first time.”

  Her first time with a woman? “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve always wanted to be with a woman, but I’ve never had the guts. My parents would flip if I brought home anything other than a straight, white male. That’s part of the reason why I’m here. I’ve spent my entire life tied up with their expectations. I wanted to do something for me,” she flopped back, her long legs hanging off the bench.

  “You little rebel,” I kissed her knees. She had such beautiful skin. It shined and shimmered, almost like metal.

  “When I think of how they would react if they knew what I just did. It actually turns me on a bit.”

  “What would they do to you?”

  “Fuck them,” she grabbed my hand and brought it to her, “and fuck me.” I knelt down in front of the bench’s edge and grabbed her hips. Grabbing my face in her hands, she raised her pelvis to me.

  “Do you think we have time to get anything else in before our doctor’s appointment?” Vivica’s sleep-filled voice broke through my recollection of the night before. I didn’t remember her coming into bed with me. How long had we been up?

  I kissed her cheek. My breath was kicking. Ugh. I needed to brush my teeth. It was an emergency. “Did you sleep well?”

  She stretched out like a cat and grinned. “That was the best sleep of my life.” Vivica began to nuzzle against me. Her mouth was soft and warm. She peppered kisses across my neck and cheeks. “I don’t mind being late for breakfast.”

  I did. When was the last time I’d eaten? My stomach growled as if it’d heard her suggestion. “Didn’t you get enough last night?” I attempted playful, but the words sounded harsh leaving my lips. She shrank back, looking almost wounded. “I didn’t mean anything by it, I swear. I’m just hungry and in desperate need of mouthwash.” Her hand shot up to her mouth. She exhaled into her palm.