Page 13 of Polar Fates
“He punished me for my mother’s mistake. When I was human, he’d mostly leave me alone, but when I shifted... he couldn’t stand my scent. I learned to spend most of my time away from the house, but sometimes he’d find me hiding in the woods... He’d chain me to a tree, far away from the village where nobody could hear me. There are scars beneath my fur from where he whipped me. And even though most havehealed...”
A tear drops on his naked chest and I notice I’m crying. The image of a young Ràn chained to a tree, being whipped until he’s bloody - fury fills me. How can anyone abuse an innocent child? A bear cub who’s done nothingwrong?
“Isla, yourclaws.”
My fingernails have lengthened and are pressing on Ràn’sskin.
“Oops, sorry,” I whisper, mortified. I could have hurt him. I really need to get this partial shifting thing undercontrol.
“It’s okay, it takes a while to get used to the shift. Especially as you didn’t learn it as achild.”
Now he’s the one comforting me - that’s sowrong.
“What happened to him? Húnn’sfather?”
“We killed him,” Ràn says matter-of-fact and I stare at him inshock.
“You killedhim?”
He sighs. “One day when we were teenagers, Húnn came upon his father... hurting me. It wasn’t the whip that time. No, it was much worse. A different sort of pain. And humiliation. I think Húnn knew that something was going on, but I believe until then he thought that all his father did was bully me. When he saw him with his trousers down and me chained to a tree... he went feral. He slashed open his father’s back in a single paw strike, then released me. I was so embarrassed... scared... I ran away, planning to leave for good, but Húnn didn’t let me. He followed me, he comforted me, and eventually persuaded me to return with him. When we got back to where it had all happened, his father was lying in a pool of blood, dead. We’d killed him. There were no regrets; we only came back to finish the deed after all. I think we shoved him into a fjord, his clothes laden with stones. But it’s all a bit hazy... I’ve been trying so hard to forget, but as soon as someone human touches my bear... it all comesback.”
“I promise I will never do that again,” I whisper but he shakes hishead.
“No, it’s different with you. I just have to get used to the idea that it won’t hurt when you touchme.”
“It hurts when others doit?”
“Not physically. Or maybe. Kind of. I think it’s like the echo of my past pain. It’s all in my head but I can’t get it out ofthere.”
“Maybe it’ll get better, intime.”
He sighs. “Maybe. I just wanted to tell you, so you know it isn’t you. I’m not flinching away from you. Never. Just from ghosts of thepast.”
I stretch until I’m looking straight into hiseyes.
“Thank you for telling me,” I whisper, my lips closing in on his. “It means alot.”
To prove it, I kiss him, gently, lovingly. He puts his hands on my hips and pulls me in a better position. Now I’m lying on top of him, my chest on his, my thighs on his growing erection. I think we’re both becoming aware once again that we’re naked. And alone. Nobody is going to disturb us here. Yes, we’ve already had sex not long ago but who’s to say we can’t do itagain?
I end the kiss and look at him, squaring my jaw. Am I about to do somethingstupid?
“Biteme.”
His eyes widen when he realises what Imean.
“You want to bond withme?”
I nod. “You’re mine just as much as Torben is. It shouldn’t be just him who I’m bonded to. I want our connection to be thesame.”
He smiles. “Even after what I just toldyou?”
I give him a quick kiss on the lips. “Especially after that. That you trust me enough to tell me your story... I think that’s proof that we’re ready for this. I want us to be a proper bear shifter couple. Or… well, a pair within a sleuth.” I grimace. “I still need to find a better word for that. Sleuth sounds sounromantic.”
Ràn chuckles. “Harem?”
“My harem of bears…” I lick my lips. “I like it. Would you like to be a member of myharem?”
He kisses me softly while brushing a strand of hair out of myface.
