Page 83 of Claimed By Prince Daddy

With arms pinned to my sides, I couldn’t get a firm grip on the weapon. As if sensing my frantic movements, the bear’s head whipped toward my hip. His eyes clapped onto the handgun. He growled, and his steely gaze slid back to my face. I bared my teeth and let out a defiant snarl, writhing in his grip.

He drew his head back, jaws open, and wide fangs trailing spittle. A dizzying rush of fear singed my nerve endings.

The killing bite.

Rage blasted through my blood like a stream of fire. If the bastard was gonna rip my throat out, no way in hell would I bare my throat and make it easy for him. Tucking my chin, I howled my fury, my fangs primed in a last act to take a chunk out of his flesh.

He lunged, roaring. I never shut my eyes.

A hair's breadth away, he froze. His eyes snapped wide, the amber of his orbs swallowed up by dark pupils. His nose wrinkled as he chuffed and inhaled a deep breath.

“Come at me, you bastard!” I spat through gritted teeth.

Fur shrank back, skin emerging in its place. I blinked. A muscled male crouched over me and the size of him was alarmingly apparent. Dark bronzed skin smoothed over rippling muscle and corded tendon. The bare pecs of his chest were firm like twin boulders, a valley of planes sculpting a solid torso. Heat scorched my cheeks as my gaze dipped even lower. His abs weren’t the only thing well-endowed. Naked. A very naked male straddled me. And my snatch winked in greeting. My pebbled nipples thrust out beneath my shirt as if seeking the male—anticipating the wet heat of his tongue, teasing the tender flesh. My tongue flicked out to drag across my lower lip. I drew my eyes upward, our gazes colliding.

Cobalt blue met burnished brown.

The breath whooshed from my lungs. All cacophony faded away till an empty void blanketed us. Just the male and I existed. No fangs, claws, or blood thickening the air. Just a bear and wolf seeing each other, into one another, as if for the first time.

I was vaguely aware of my inner wolf unleashing a piercing howl.

A rush of warmth billowed inside me, pooled low in my belly—a welcoming heat that filled me, and brought a sense of completeness. Of surety. My life had felt like an aimless wandering in this world until I finally returned and discovered a home in the male’s striking blue eyes.

Mate.

I blinked in a daze. Brilliant blue eyes? The vibrant colors faded away and the person’s sharp facial angles revealed as I stared, still blinking.

Werebear Damon, Alpha of the Stoneclaw Clan.

Holy shit.

Mate.

My primal side howled with her glee, calling out for her mate.Ourmate.

Alpha Damon’s chest heaved with ragged breaths. Droplets of sweat beaded his brow.

He scrambled off me, rising to his full imposing height. My body cried out at the loss. He whirled around and stalked away. I pushed to my feet, ribs screaming in protest, and stumbled after him.

“Wait!”

He paused, back rigid.

I swallowed past my dry throat. “Y-you… felt it too. Didn’t you?” Words left unsaid. A title too precious—too forbidden to use with a werebear. The enemy.

Alpha Damon kept his back to me. His large hands clenched at his sides, the knuckles pallid. Heart thrashing, I waited him out.

Then he angled his body toward me and glanced over his shoulder. His gaze, a thunderous blue, slammed into me. I sucked in a sharp breath.

“You live only because of,” He gestured between us, “this.” His upper lip curled, and he snarled. “But know this. I will never take awerewolfas my mate.”

A piercing barb embedded in my heart, the muscle bleeding out. He uttered ‘werewolf’ as if I were the most filthy creature he’d laid eyes on. I exhaled a shaky breath, my knees weakening, and limbs trembling. The wolf inside dropped to her belly and let out a mournful howl. He’d rejected us. Our mate had denied the bond.

And the aftermath was catastrophic.

I clenched at my chest; the hurt slicing through my organs like serrated knives. Slowly. The torture carving me apart. My legs became gelatin. I dropped to my knees, my energy spent—robbed. I bowed my head, stifling a sob.

I peered up at Alpha Damon through lashes beaded with tears and watched the hard planes of his face remain impassive. His eyes looked cold and detached, before he turned and slipped into the shadows—his bears following at the call to retreat.

---