Page 77 of Knight With Benefits

“There’s nothing you can say that’s going to change my mind. I’ve made my decision.”

The tone she used made my lips lift on one side. It was a tone you only found once you were a mom, and especially a mom of rambunctious alphas. It wasn’t the first time it had been used on me, and probably wouldn’t be the last if I didn’t scare her away.

“Shifters are different than humans. I’m sure you’ve at least heard of our were-forms. When we claim an omega, we do it in that form.”

Her brows rose and her head tipped to the side as she eyed me up and down before shrugging.

“Okay. It’s still you, and you won’t be like a regular bear.”

She shrugged again and I couldn’t help shaking my head as I let out a laugh.

“I don’t take my were-form often. It has features like my bear. I’ll be bigger than I already am, and I won’t look human at all.”

Sucking in a deep breath, Gwyn nodded.

“Okay.”

Closing the distance between us, I put my hands on her hips before dropping a kiss to her mouth. She said okay, but I knew she wasn’t fully understanding.

“Bears have a baculum, Beautiful. A piece of cartilage in our cock, that runs along the bottom and pushes forward to lock in your cervix when we knot.”

Eyes rounding, her mouth dropped open, and I laughed again. It wasn’t too unusual for shifters to take humans or different shifters as mates, but it was a little less common with bears. The potential mates tended to get scared off when they learned what they’d have to take.

My chest felt hollow to even consider it after she’d given me hope, but I had to give her the other option.

“We can always go back to what you wanted before. I can help you through your heat without claiming you.”

Mouth snapping shut, she glared up at me as she curled her fingers into my shirt.

“No. I want this, and I’m tired of being too scared to take what I want. I know you won’t hurt me, so if this is what it takes for you to claim me, then so be it.”

I was ready to come in my pants from her fierceness, and I pulled her tight against me to kiss her again. Anyone who tried to claim Gwyn wasn’t strong was a fool and clearly didn’t know her.

“I’m going to make you mine, Gwyn. My mate. My omega.”

I whispered the words against her mouth, a low growl rumbling through my chest. She let loose a purr, taking my mouth again before sitting back on her heels once more.

“Then do it.”

The challenge made my growl deepen, my bear writhing inside me at the tight constraints I had on him. Knowing we were going to merge had him pushing for it to happen, but I had to be sure she was ready.

“You don’t have a nest yet. Make us a place for me to claim you.”

Shivering, her eyes went dark before they darted behind me to the pile of bedding I’d left by the door. That was all the invitation I needed to step back and grab it, bringing it closer so she could get to work.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Gwyn

Impatience and lust had me thinking I was just going to pile everything on the bed so we could skip to getting what I wanted, but once I felt the soft fabrics under my palms, instinct kicked in. It wasn’t as strong of a drive as it would have been if I was fully in heat, but the act of building a nest as an alpha waited, my alpha, brought me closer to falling into my cycle.

I sorted through the pile of bedding Carl brought me, feeling the fabric and testing the fluffiness of the pillows. Part of me craved the blankets from my home, old favorites worn soft over the years, but there was still enough sense left to know I needed to make do with what I had in front of me.

Once I had the sheets sorted, I used the ones I liked the least to pad the mattress where Carl’s claws had left gouges. I probably should have been scared at the proof of his lack of control, but my omega side was calm, trusting this alpha more than I’d ever trusted Anthony.

After folding and positioning the lower quality bedding, I picked the sheet I wanted as the bottom layer of my nest and pushed the rest over the edge. When I struggled to get the fitted sheet over a corner of the bed, Carl stepped forward to help, and while I’d always snarled at Anthony when he tried to interfere, the same calm remained, warmth flaring in my chest as traces of his scent were left behind where he’d touched the fabric.

“Here.”

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