IMarriedaBear Read online

  He wasn't a bad cook by any means. If he weren't a grizzly Alpha breathing down my neck, then maybe I could've enjoyed it.

  “Is that what he told you?” James folded his hands and leaned forward. “Listen, baby, I don't know where you tigers get off thinking you own Alaska. Grizzly shifters have been here since your forefathers were saber toothed killers. When my clan set up in Denali, there was nobody on our turf.”

  “Not true!” I said with a huff. “Tiger Bay was founded in the seventeenth century before any human eyes laid eyes on it. The mountain range protected us from the natives, and we built our town long before any fur trappers came over from Siberia or Canada.”

  “Very good. I must've been sick that day in class.” He nodded, looking strangely pleased. Then his tone darkened. “Truth is, history's ghosts never much appealed to me. I'm more concerned about the fucking present.”

  “Sure you are.” I shoved another bite of caribou meat into my mouth and chewed angrily.

  Gods, what was this big, mean, and very blunt bear doing to me?

  I didn't normally act like this much of a bitch. By some wicked magic I couldn't sink my claws in, he was bringing out the best and worst in me.

  Simultaneously too. Crap.

  Keep it together. Just like Daddy asked. This is for Tiger Bay.

  “Your people ought to be glad bears showed up when we did. Saved you from taking on a lot of losses when we had our spat with the humans. Things weren't always as peaceful in the days before we had treaties with the Feds, you know.”

  “Now who's giving the history lesson?” I said, narrowing my eyes.

  “Better close your pretty mouth around that dinner, beautiful. In this household, we enjoy our dinner without the sass and always clean our plates. Best way to stay healthy and happy.” He took a big bite to underscore his point.

  I dropped my fork and fumed, watching anxiously as his masculine jaw worked at his dinner, and then drew it down his throat. My stomach prickled with hunger, now more intense thanks to this bear detonating emotional dynamite in my belly.

  I looked down and focused on my meat and veggies. Yeah, the bears might be brutes, but they could cook, all right.

  The cuisine he served was a pleasant change from what I'd grown up with.

  Tigers hunted, fished, and ate their annual truckload of meat, the same as the grizzlies. But we liked it raw while the bears added some spice. Whatever the heck he'd added did tricks on my tongue, and soon I really dug in, forgetting about how exposed I looked eating in front of him.

  Pretty rare for me. Back home, I worried about looking like a glutton during dinners out. Everybody secretly wanted to judge your eating habits when you carried a few extra pounds.

  “I'm glad you're finally enjoying yourself, Laura.” He said my name and I looked up. “You deserve a little happiness on your wedding day. Might as well make this fun for both of us.”

  With just a few bites left, I lost it. The chair screeched on the floor as I jerked back, throwing my cloth on the plate.

  “That's it!” I stood up. “You keep acting like I'm really yours, James, but I'm not. Stop teasing me! I know it's a big joke. I don't need you to ram it home even more. I'm not your mate, not your lawfully wedded wife, and I'm sure as hell not your friend. I'm here to do my job and pretend this whole thing isn't an unnatural offense to the gods.”

  The amused glow on his face melted. The stern and dark look I'd first seen at the altar was back, a hot glare so intense it had caused me to faint.

  “If that's the way you really want it. You're lucky this cabin's plenty big to pretend I don't exist. Take the whole bottom floor if you need to. I'll stay out of your fucking way, beautiful.”

  “I'm not beautiful either!” I said, balling fists at my sides. “Stop patronizing me. Don't you have a female you can take as a mistress on the side? What kind of Denali man wants an overweight tigress who just happens to have a father forcing a ring on her finger?”

  The shadow on his face turned another shade darker. He looked like he was holding in a seething storm – or else the urge to bite somebody's face off – and for a second I fearfully regretted my words.

  He got up, took the bottle of wine I hadn't bothered enjoying with him, and brushed past me.

  “Turn in whenever you want, or don't for all I care. I'll make sure you get my schedule tomorrow so you can have the kitchen and library to yourself when I'm not around, your highness. Don't need to get in anybody's fucking way who doesn't want me there.”

  A growl trailed the bitter words in his mouth. I watched his big, broad shoulders bob down the hall, and then he disappeared into a dark room. The door slammed so hard behind him the whole house shook.

  I was left alone in his spacious, simple cabin. I grabbed my untouched glass of wine and quickly sucked it down.

  Anything to thaw the uneasy frost in my belly helped just now.

  But the wine didn't go nearly far enough. Damn, why hadn't I snatched that bottle out of his hands?

  I quietly stepped downstairs, opening my ears for any sign of movement from above. Part of me feared he'd come storming out, ready to exact revenge, rather than the weird passive-aggression I hadn't expected.

  How could he flip so fast?

  One minute he'd been friendly, playful, teasing in his own big barbaric grizzly way. The next, he treated me like a little brat.

  I hadn't expected that. Even if I actually deserved it.

  I had the urge to cry, to scream, to run out into the early Spring snow and shift. Finding my head in the woods would've been good.

  My tiger paced angrily inside me. She wanted to taste blood, something savory and sweet to take her mind off the beast who'd imprisoned us both.

  The bottom floor was like an apartment. It had a couple sleeping rooms, a bathroom, and a small area with books and a TV. Wasn't anything like the fine décor and literary classics I'd grown up with at Daddy's house, but it would do.

  I lit the fireplace and sat in front of it, staring into the dull orange waves.

  “Crap. This is really my life now...for the next month, anyway...”

  Daddy's plan popped in my head. Thinking about tiger troops marching into Denali and chasing the bears away forever should've been a comfort. Instead, it just twisted my stomach more, upping the anxiety suffocating me inside-out.

  I laughed. This whole thing was ridiculous.

  The wine began buzzing comfortably around my brain. I'd always been a total lightweight. My inner tigress furrowed her lips and snarled at the horizon, just as deliciously drunk and confused as me.

  Clutching the soft cushions beneath me, I kicked my legs. Orange and black hairs bristled on my skin. I felt my teeth grow sharper, and the delicate fingernails lengthened, becoming claws.

  The tiger didn't feel safe here. She needed to make a nest, to hunker down until she got her bearings.

  I was halfway through shredding long cuts in the leather seat when I jerked to a stop. Watching my reflection in glass cover over the fire, the predatory slit in my eyes disappeared, and then the rest of my wild features receded.

  Embarrassed, I moved and flipped the cushion over, hiding the damage.

  Great. That big dumb bear upstairs hasn't just pissed me off and insulted me. He's made me feel guilty on top of it...

  I thought about home, my father, his grand scheme using me as a Trojan horse. Or Trojan tiger, maybe?

  If this is what it took to serve my people, then I hoped this sacrifice would be plenty. I wondered if I was cut out for leadership and self-sacrifice like Daddy. Somehow, I doubted it.

  I laid down and rolled toward the fire, staring into its depths, and seeing all my brutal imperfections steaming there.

  It wasn't really James' fault that he was a brutal bear who'd been forced to marry me. I just hated him for making all this so hard.

  More importantly, I hated myself.

  Staring into the flames too long produced a tear. Being an Alpha's daughter always carrie
d responsibilities.

  Just then, I wished I could give it all away and push the burden onto someone else.

  It was one thing to be trapped in a sham marriage with a man who was hot and rugged and totally untouchable. But it was another to realize my whole damned life was one big tiger trap.

  I didn't see a happy ending, even if every second of Daddy's plan went perfectly.

  II: The Art of Taming Tigers (James)

  Where the fuck does she get off?

  I was staring at the woods near dawn, taking my morning walk like always. My bear was extra pissed today because I'd barely slept a single wink.

  The red hot wildcat snoozing in my basement had sunk her claws into me last night. I hadn't expected her to be so damned fierce, ungrateful, and frigid.

  Yeah, these stupid marriages between tigers and bears had been dumb traditions for several generations now. Lucky me for being an Alpha who was next in line to put up with a woman he couldn't fuck, let alone love.

  The gods are cruel. It's all the worst parts of a marriage and none of the best.

  The two unlucky couples who came before me had lived in separate houses, total strangers. They only appeared together at rare events back in the day, when the politicos in Tiger Bay or Denali wanted to convince the citizens all was well between us, or when we faced the Feds and pretended to have a united front.

  Idiot. What gave you the balls to think you can undo decades of hatred between skinwalkers? You should've spelled out boundaries instead of trying to be her friend.

  My bear rumbled angrily deep inside me.

  I didn't want any fucking boundaries between us. Didn't much want to be her friend either. I wanted her in a way no sane bear ever should, much less an Alpha.

  I snorted, stopping at the edge of my property where the forest began. I dropped my robe in the snow and fell to the ground naked, my grunts becoming an inhuman growl.

  For a brief second, I was a mangled mess of flesh, bones, and fur, but then I got up on four big legs, in my primal state once again.

  My bear had emerged. I was the biggest, baddest grizzly in all Denali. If I encountered anyone in the woods, human or bear state, they moved the fuck out of my way fast with nothing more than a respectful nod.

  Being Alpha was supposed to be a ticket to the good life. So they said.

  If that was true, then why the hell did I feel like complete shit stomping through the brush?

  My human senses were normally duller when I let the bear come. Today, they were right there with the powerful sense of smell and enormous claws, taunting me whenever I thought about Laura.

  And I thought about her constantly.

  Another bear practically got the drop on me when I was deep in the woods. It was just after sunrise while I bowed to the stream for a drink. Hoped like hell the water would help put out the raging fire inside me, the need to unravel the curvy tigress at my cabin and make peace with her, however bitter.

  The bear bleated behind me, announcing its presence. I spun, bowed up and ready to charge, but relaxed at the last second when I caught its familiar scent.

  Hannah stepped behind the brush and shifted. She barely allowed the trees to cover her nakedness.

  “Great Gods, James! You find a dead porcupine in your bed this morning or something? Thought you were really going to charge me.”

  I dropped to the ground and shifted. When I stood up, wiping dirt off my knees, I saw a different kind of fascination in her eyes than concern about my attitude.

  “None of your business. Long night. The wedding was yesterday. I'm sure you heard all about it.” I glared.

  Unlike her, I didn't bother to cover up anything. An Alpha didn't need to.

  Hell, there wasn't anything to hide anyway. I didn't get hard when I looked at her, and I didn't need to see her whole body to recognize all the telltale signs of arousal she had for me. Hannah was a looker, but she didn't have half the supple curves and bright eyes my new wife did.

  Make that my pretend wife. My bear snorted unhappily at the thought.

  “That's right! You're a married man now. Uh, congratulations?”

  I snorted and forced a smile. Turned back toward the water, waiting until she emerged and came up to my side.

  “So...what's she like?” Hannah asked.

  “Like a tiger. A little spoiled. I'd swear she had the heart of a human if she wasn't from Tiger Bay, though. You know the way their wealth and fancy living goes to their heads.”

  Hannah laughed and shook her head. Her gesture tried to say she understood, but she didn't have a fucking clue. Besides, I wasn't in the mood for her flattery today.

  “Hmmm...it's too bad she's not a bear, or a real wife. A big Alpha like you could teach her a thing or two about how to behave around a man.” She smiled and licked her lips. Subtle, but not subtle enough.

  “Seriously, can't you turn her out to her own place or something?”

  I furrowed my brow and put distance between Hannah and I. The girl was trying to seduce me again, and I wasn't having any of it.

  “It's too early for that. She needs time to settle in. Tigress or not, she's still a guest among the Denali Clan. I'm gonna make damned sure she's treated with hospitality too. Be friendly if you see her, Hannah.”

  Her smile melted. She folded her arms over her breasts and pouted like I'd just asked her to scrub the floors or something.

  “You're really trying to make good with her? Well, I guess a man's got to do what a man's go to do.”

  She turned, so slowly I had a perfect view of her ass. Just the way she wanted it. “Don't drive yourself crazy, Alpha. We all know what happened with Joe and Lydia.”

  My growl told her I remembered. I watched her shift and dive back into the brush, satisfied that she'd had her daily dose of seduction – and rejection.

  Too bad no matter how many times I rebuffed her, she just kept coming.

  Joe and Lydia were the last bear and tiger forced to pair up for the treaty. Old Joe retired as Alpha when I was just a kid, and Lydia died a couple years ago.

  There used to be plenty of rumors in my father's time about Joe and Lydia getting closer than any bear and tiger ever should. Some folks said the lady had a hybrid cub that didn't survive, and then their relationship went ice cold, with Lydia moving across town to her own cabin.

  The shameful rumors weakened Joe's leadership. The Elders pressured him to step down early, and he complied, keeping mostly to himself and turning the Alpha position over to my dad.

  Fuck, I wished Hannah hadn't reminded me of that whole sorry situation.

  I shifted, summoning my bear to walk deeper into the forest.

  Letting the bear vent for both of us felt good. I stopped every few paces, angrily scratching at fallen branches and dirt when the urge got to me. I wanted to turn the whole world upside down in frustration, wondering what the hell I was thinking about being so welcoming to Laura.

  I wasn't the smartest bear in Denali, but I knew how to learn from history. At the next stream, slurping up the glacial water, I vowed not to let myself get closer to her.

  Don't give a damned how sweet her curves are or how good she smells. I'm not gonna end up like Old Joe, and she sure as hell won't end up like Lydia.

  This is an arranged marriage, and nothing more. Time to fucking treat it like one.

  For once, I wished Hannah was still around. Maybe I would've taken her out for a drink later and given into her raging lusts. She wasn't mate material, but a quick fuck wouldn't hurt, anything to quiet the relentless wildfire Laura sparked.

  One thing was for sure: when I got home, she was gonna meet the other side of me.

  I was done introducing her to the welcoming, civilized Alpha. Laura was going to meet Mister Bad Bear, and treat him with respect, even when I made it clear there was absolutely nothing real between us.

  “Wake up. Nobody should sleep past noon.” I had to bite my tongue to hold off on calling her beautiful.

  I wanted to curs
e her for looking so beautiful curled up on my sofa. Wanted to curse my own ass even more for gawking like a stupid cub.

  Fuck. Giving her the cold shoulder wouldn't be easy.

  Laura rolled on the sofa and opened her eyes. Her hair was a mess, and the blanket she'd taken from the back of the chair was tangled over her, but damn it if she didn't look good anyway.

  “Hey, what the hell? I thought you were only coming down here to drop off your schedule? So we can keep our distance, of course...”

  She sat up fast, holding one hand against her forehead. I guessed it was a hangover or some painful build up from all the stress yesterday.

  “All that's different now.” I sat down in the empty chair across from her, clutching the armrests.

  “Look, I didn't come down here to make you like me. The whole point of this arrangement's to make peace between our clans for another generation. I can't do that if you're spitting in my face in public and in my own home.”

  She blinked in surprise. Her cheeks flushed a little pink. Wasn't sure if it was embarrassment or anger.

  “I'm not the one who came up with this stupid ritual. If you're asking me to pretend everything's okay in this bears' den, forsaken by the Gods, you're asking me to do the impossible. And I won't!”

  Her foot stamped on the ground. I ignored the ripple it sent through her curves, sexy and teasing.

  “You wanted fucking boundaries between us? You've got 'em. You were right about last night. I must've lost my brain trying to be your friend.”

  Hurt flashed in her eyes. I almost apologized, but then I saw the same sour look she'd given me when our dinner ended last night. This look pushed lightning deeper into my blood.

  It made me want to fuck her, fight her, and own her. It was a look that captured everything about the spoiled shits in Tiger Bay, but it was unique to her, uniquely sexy in make me kind of way.

  “You act like I haven't done my part. I've gone along with everything. I married you and let you drag me to this damned cabin, didn't I?” A low sound followed her words, more like a hiss than any human sound.

  “Yeah, you've got a handle on the formalities. Thing is, this arrangement doesn't stop there.” I paused, flexing my hands. “What do you think happens when we're supposed to show up for the Harvest Moon, or when the clans need to remind the Feds where our territory begins and ends? This marriage isn't worth shit if we're at each other's throats constantly.”