Bear with Me (#2, Completed)

28. Prankster

SCARLETT

Someone should have warned me what riding a bear was really like. Despite his size, Mahon sprinted through the woods faster than a galloping horse, to the point that I was clutching on to his thick fur like I was holding on for dear life... which was not far from the truth.

Fortunately, it only took us a few minutes to get back to Callum's place. 

I loved riding on Mahon's back and the adrenaline rush was incredible, yet I felt way more in control with my feet firmly on the ground.

"Is he always this fast?" I muttered as I tried to steady myself after I dismounted Mahon and watched as he transformed back into my naked god of a mate.

The way Callum turned his eyes upwards with annoyance made me chuckle. "He was showing off, really. But yes, bears can be very fast at short distances. We can easily run twice as fast as an Olympic sprinter, more than forty miles per hour. But endurance is not our thing- that's why we go for fast attacks and then we count on our strength."

My eyes nearly popped out listening to him- I never had bears for sprinters but Mahon certainly proved me wrong just now.

"Remind me never to try to outrun you then."

"I thought we already sorted that out, Flame," Callum whispered wickedly in my ear as he stood behind me, his muscular hand resting on my butt, and the air suddenly got ten degrees hotter.

I turned around to face him, pushing myself on my toes to be at his eye level. "Oh, we did. But you know what they say, practice makes perfect." My shoulders lifted as I gave him an innocent shrug, then cheekily stuck my tongue out, grabbed my bag and hurried to enter the house before things got out of hand.

His home was beautiful, now that I had the time to look at it without some scantily-clad skank trying to get her hands on my man. The whole place had such a Callum-vibe to it- it was elegant and sophisticated but in a very subtle, down-to-earth way. The living room was spacious and tasteful, with wooden furniture and beige-coloured sofas and curtains. There was a bar at the back of the room, and a grand stone fireplace that made the place even cosier. On the other side of the floor was a beautiful dining room with the wooden open-space kitchen next to it. Much like in the guest cabin, the bedrooms were situated on the second floor.

However, my favourite part was the breathtaking view out of the windows, overseeing the whole sleuth below and the surrounding forest. No wonder that the Alpha's cabin was the king of the hill- nothing could beat its location.

"I'm going to get some clothes from upstairs and I'll show you around the cabin after," Callum said as he walked by and kissed me.

Little did he know that I was never good at following instructions, so I started my own exploration of the place- until a weird smell tickled my senses. Yet, I couldn't determine any cause of it inside the cabin. 

Blimey, how strong must it be for me to catch a whiff of it from all the way outside?

Then, the sound of footsteps in the distance caught my attention. The creaks and cracks coming from the wooden steps that led to the veranda were barely noticeable, but I could clearly hear them.

My curiosity got the better of me, so I opened the door to check out what was going on, just to be greeted by a huge, muscly guy covered in tattoos and wearing nothing but a pair of shorts.

"What do we have here? It's nice to finally meet you, Scarlett," the stranger said with a gruff voice, bearing the same mischievous smile that Callum did when he was up to something.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"Ah, sorry, where are my manners! Jack Reid, Callum's professional other half," he chortled, and I wondered whether all bears were so witty and smug like Callum and Jack.