A Bear Love

| Chapter Three |

He shouldn't have brought her here, Wolff knew that. The council would have his head, they would have all of their heads. An oath was made when he chose his clan, a promise to protect them yet what had he done? He had committed the greatest crime known to the council.

He had brought a human to their home, not just any human – his mate. She was beautiful, utterly stunning. His bear was practically purring inside him. The animal wanted to claim his mate, cover her in his scent, look after her, never let the beautiful creature go.

"What have I done?"

Wolff slammed his fist into the solid bark of a tree his anger sizzling through him.

He should have left her in that outbuilding but he just couldn't help himself. In that moment touching her, smelling her scent had been all he could think about. When she said he would never see her again he panicked.

The bond had already began. He had verbally claimed her as his, he had claimed a human, a fragile, vulnerable yet strong and feisty human.

She was claimed but she couldn't be kept.

Wolff's bear took his skin the instant that thought ripped through his mind. His large brown paws hit the lush grass, his claws digging into the moist dirt. A roar of agony left his lips, the sheer volume of it scattering the birds from the trees around him.

His bear didn't understand, it's instincts were strong, powerful and completely animal. His bear wanted to protect the one thing that mattered - Neve.

Even although his bear was shown Wolff never gave him complete control, that was how he kept his sanity. He could never fully let the animal have his mind or he may be lost to it forever. His large paws moved until he was running, the earth shaking below his feet. It wasn't long before he was in the one place he was trying to get away from, his cabin.

Neve was in the shower, humming along to a tune that seemed enchanting, maybe it only was to him. He could hear the water hit her pale skin, the images that brought to his mind made him grunt.

"So good." She murmured.

He wanted closer to her, his bear wanted nothing more than to show their mate why fate had paired the two of them together.

It wasn't long before he lay on the earth, his head resting on the soft brown fur of his crossed arms and just listened. Closing his eyes a huff past his mouth. Wolff smiled internally, the animal was depressed he wouldn't let him go to her. He couldn't let him, he wouldn't scare her.

Listening attentively as she got dried and dressed in the clothes he had left for her Wolff's bear settled. It wasn't long after that when he heard the creak of his mattress confirming Neve had lay down on his bed. He grunted at the thought of her laid out to him like a feast.

A warmth filled his heart as he heard the shallowness of her breathing, she was falling asleep, her scent would be all over his cabin. Wolff didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

His animal was content, Wolff couldn't believe it. For the first time in a very long time, in that moment his bear was truly at peace knowing that their mate was so near. Hours must have past while he lay there until he heard the rumbling of trucks coming into Our Wood.

His clan were back.

Wolff couldn't change back, his bear held a grip on him he couldn't quite shake. The animal wanted to stay like this forever, it didn't want him to ruin his happiness, or hurt the creature he had claimed as his.

He smelled Zeke as he began his walk through the woods towards him. Wolff didn't move, he didn't even look up as Zeke came before him.

"Come on big guy, you need to turn back."He grunted turning his head away from him. "Come on Wolff take control of the bear."

Wolff ignored his words letting the soft breaths of his mate relax him. He wished it was this simple, that he could have Neve as his own. The breeze buzzed by, rippling through his fur bringing more of her intoxicating scent to him. Zeke didn't move, he only leaned on the tree across from him.

"Look at you. An Alpha brought to his knees by a little human. Who would have thought the great Wolff would become a mess over a woman, a very attractive woman."

Before he could stop himself Wolff was on his four paws growling into Zeke's face, his teeth snapping centimetres from him. Wolff could smell Zeke's anxiety, he hid it well but he could smell it's potent aroma in the air around them. An angry bear was unpredictable, his bear when angry was ferocious.

"You need to turn back man. I get it, she is yours and you have to let her go. I can't even imagine what that feels like, I don't think I ever want to. Staying like this won't change what you have to do, it won't change the pain that's festering inside you. I understand, we are different to humans, we feel instantly, we bond for life, we pick the one and never let them go because our animal would move heaven and earth for them as would the human in us. Claim your skin so we can work this out together, as a Clan."

The pops echoed through the air as Wolff's bones reshaped until he was standing next to Zeke in his human form. There was no pain, he had transformed so many times now his body had become accustomed to the change. Taking the clothes Zeke had brought him Wolff quickly and quietly dressed.

"You are never the wise one." Zeke chuckled at Wolff's words.

"I know, get your shít together, I'm not cut out for this crap."

Wolff sighed shaking his head at his second. Zeke was one of a kind. To keep the balance Wolff had to use his authority. Their animals were territorial, dominant and needed a leader. Bears weren't pack animals but to survive, to stay safe they stuck together like wolves. It kept the bears in line and safe from threats. Zeke brought a light aura to them, something they greatly needed with so many dominant bears.

"Come on, let's go have some lunch. You need to wake up your firecracker and I'm starving." Zeke shrugged walking beside Wolff through the trees.

"She was hungry, she must be starving now. I need to feed her." Wolff whispered to himself. Zeke chuckled beside him.

"You have it bad." He smirked. Wolff didn't bother to answer.

They made it to the cabins. Most of the Clan were around the lit fire on the worn logs. Deon was in his usual spot cooking, keeping himself to himself as always. Maxton narrowed his eyes following Wolff as he walked to his cabin and Fleur was already in her animal form, deep in the trees. He could hear her, sense her as she walked to the cave she visited every day.

He felt sorry for her situation, her desperation but her story was something she didn't like to talk about. None of them did and that's why they worked so well together.

Wolff had picked his Clan because of their background, they all had something to overcome. He picked them because they were just like him, broken. Well all of them except Zeke, he was the glue that held them together, not that Wolff would ever tell him that. Zekes' ego was already big enough.

Opening his door Wolff tried to keep the groaning of the old hinge to a minimum, not that it worked. He followed his mates scent to his bedroom. Neve hadn't bothered to shut the door, he knew for a fact she hadn't meant to fall asleep.

She lay curled into a ball, her tiny frame stopping him from coming any further forward. She was stunning, completely and utterly. His bear clawed at his skin to go to her, to take her into his arms but his feet stayed rooted to that spot staring at a beauty that until that moment he didn't know existed.

Her red hair was spread out on his pillow still damp from her shower, her lips parted as she took soft, delicate breaths. He wanted to see her clear blue eyes again, hear that feisty attitude as she put him in his place.

In that moment Wolff didn't know how he was going to let her go, his eyes trailed down her body. She was too thin, he needed to feed her. He knew he was the luckiest yet unluckiest person in the world. He had been fated to a mate so perfect yet knew he could never have her.

He hated the council, despised them for what they had done to him, for the situation he was in. He wanted to do what he had always dreamed of - kill them all. If only he was powerful enough. Swallowing his bears anger Wolff waited until the animal settled slightly. His bear was riled, it always was because of his past, or should he say because of the council.

Stepping over towards Neve Wolff cursed his weight as the floorboards creaked beneath his feet He placed his hand on her soft skin of her arm a tingling erupted from his fingertips until it sparked all over his body. Neve wakened straight away her eyes blinking several times as a frown covered her face.

"I fell asleep." She murmured, her voice laced with sleep.

"The Clan is making something to eat." Wolff whispered not knowing what else to say.

"Clan?" She questioned.

"I mean my group, my friends." He answered to quickly. A spark of confusion lit her features, he just smiled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep." Wolff stepped back as she pulled herself from his bed. She made him feel like a teenage boy.

"Don't be sorry. I don't imagine you've had much sleep lately." He shrugged.

An unsettling feeling swirled around Wolff. He didn't like the thought of her sleeping rough, she was his to protect now. Regardless of the fact he had to let her go she would be safe, neither him nor his animal would settle until she was.

"I guess." She smiled, a hint of sadness lurking in her expressive sea blue eyes.

Neve rocked on her heels awkwardly as he stared at her. He could smell her nerves in the air, he wanted to take them away, to have her as relaxed as she looked in his bed. Gazing at her face a grin took his own.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" She looked down her body then back to him.

"You have freckles." Before he could stop himself he was beside her, his fingers dusting over her cheek, down her neck and across her shoulder tracing the perfect little dots on her silky skin.

It was like a moment frozen in time as the two of them stared at each other. Wolff swallowed thickly as the alluring smell of her arousal drifted into his nostrils. His eyes drifted to her lips, plump and moist as her tongue darted out to wet them.

"I can't kiss you." He said, more gruffly than he intended.

If he tasted her, he would never be able to leave this room, he would claim her completely and he knew he couldn't. If he did he had signed his Clans death.

She looked stunned, her blue eyes narrowing at his comment. Neve stepped back causing Wolff's bear to growl inside him. She frowned at the noise that past his lips, startled by the animistic sound.

"I didn't ask you to. I told you before I'm here because you wanted to throw me a pity party, that's all." She retorted trying to hide the hurt he had caused her.

"I want you but I can't have you. I can never have you." He shook his head looking to the ceiling. "I've said to much, let's go. I'll introduce you to my Clan."

"You don't make sense."

"I guess to you it doesn't." He smiled bitterly.

"What does that mean?" Neve shot back, the confusion she was feeling clear.

"It means that we are from two different worlds. Come on lets get you fed. I can hear your stomach growling." A rapid blush lit her face making her look younger, more innocent.

They began to walk through the cabin. Wolff didn't comment as Neve looked at the scratch marks on the walls and floor, he didn't know how to explain them so didn't bother trying. Maxton had removed the sofa which was replaced with his own and tidied the place so it didn't look too bad although he knew her interest was spiked, she was a smart little human.

"Well the shower is done so food then I'm out of here, not that I'm not grateful or anything..." She trailed off.

Wolff stopped walking. Neve bumped into his back stumbling backwards. Spinning around he gripped onto her wrists steadying her. God, he wasn't cut out to be a mate, he was too rough, too animal. If things were different he knew she would be the one person he would try for, he would make sure he was everything she wanted and needed.

"You aren't leaving. You can sleep here tonight then we can get you into the town tomorrow."

The anger he thought he would see on her face wasn't their, instead was fury. She stared at him with murder in her eyes, her mouth moving in shock yet no words coming out.

"You can't just keep me here. I need to leave. You said a shower and food." She seethed.

"Well I changed my mind. You are staying. By the time we get into town it would be late." He couldn't leave her with nowhere to go, she wasn't sleeping on the street tonight or any night.

"I'm not staying here." The smell of her anger was making him dizzy.

"Yes, you are."

He had never seen someone look like she had in that moment. He had faced Clans of wild bears, he had seen the worst of what his world had to offer but in that moment nothing seemed to compare to his angry mate.

She was going to give him hell and something inside of him knew he would enjoy it. Arguing with her was exciting. When he argued with her in the old brick building he had never felt more alive and he knew that arguing with her just now would be no different.

The fact that she could verbally berate him showed she was perfect for him in every way.

If only he could keep her.