Stronger as One (#1, Completed)

12. Don't poke the bear Pt.1

As I walked away from the pub, I couldn't believe how beautiful the night was- the nearly full moon was shining brightly in the sky, creating a magical moonglade over the water of the Loch Lomond. It was just past midnight and the air was getting crispier but I didn't mind it as the freshness was helping me sober up. Making my way along the lake, all I could hear was the chirping of the crickets. I admired the stillness of the water- it was like the lake itself was sleeping. I hadn't felt such peace and tranquillity in a while so I could finally understand why people choose to live out in the countryside instead of the city. Or was this simply the calm before the storm?

I must have jinxed things because suddenly I heard the loud rough roar of a motorbike that was heading my way. I was ready to give the owner a piece of my mind for ruining my calm moment when a magnificent black stopped right next to me. Admittedly, I was not a motorcycle fan but I have been dying to take a ride on one of these ever since one of the guys at work showed up at the office with one. Okay- I was officially intrigued now!

"Callum", I heard the biker say from underneath the helmet. He removed it and my breath caught at the sight of the familiar face in front of me. "The name that you will be screaming tonight, gorgeous! That's if you think that you can handle it....or should I spare YOU the embarrassment?"

The challenge in his tone was clear and the helmet that he was offering me was unmistakably his invitation for the night. Just the sound of his voice alone was doing crazy things to my control- the thought of a wild night with this sexy Alpha was so appealing and yet it felt like I was playing with fire. After all, I still didn't know much about this world and here I was contemplating jumping into bed with a shifter, an Alpha on top of that. But you only live once, right? Right now he was just a ridiculously hot man making me an offer that I couldn't refuse.

"Let see what you've got, playboy!" I said as I took the helmet from his hand and placed myself right behind him on the bike, pressing my body against his. As he started the engine and took off, I wrapped my arms around his muscular torso. I might have pretended a little that my hands were feeling too cold from the wind- given that we pretty much flew down the road- just to have the excuse to slip my hands underneath his shirt. He really was a god because his body was out of this world.

It took us no more than twenty minutes to get from the pub to a forest area between Loch Lomond and the hills above it, not too far north of Luss. As we crossed the forest, I noticed that we were passing a number of beautiful log cabins. This was clearly the grounds of the Highland Sleuth- everything just felt so fitting for a pack of bears. Eventually we reached the cabin that was the highest way up the hill. It was not that much bigger than the rest of them but you could definitely say that the Alpha lived here.

We parked the motorcycle just in front of the steps leading to the porch.

"No packhouse?" I wondered how different bear shifters were from the wolf packs, as Callum helped me off the bike.

"Oh, don't worry, gorgeous- my bears will still be able to hear your screams, even if they are not in the same cabin!" He smirked at me and the little light that was coming from the porch was enough for me to see the twinkle in his eyes. I was not one to blush easily, so perhaps it was the alcohol, but I could feel my cheeks burn red. I couldn't deny though the heat pooling in my tummy- this stranger, Callum, was making my whole body ache for his touch right now.

"That's quite the confidence there, big boy- let's hope that you can deliver though! But that's not what I meant about the packhouse." I tried to keep my face neutral as I didn't want to give away how much he was affecting me just with his cocky attitude. My next question was genuine though. "What is it like being a bear shifter?"

He opened the front door and let me enter first, turning on the lights as he went. I was impressed how elegant and cosy the cabin was inside. The living room on the left of the entrance was spacious and tasteful, with wooden furniture and beige-coloured sofas and curtains. There was a classy interior bar at the back of the room, but it was the grand stone fireplace that was the crown jewel of this space, giving it an even cosier vibe. On the other side of the floor was a beautiful dining room with the wooden open space kitchen right next to it. The staircase opposite the front door led to the second floor, where the bedrooms were probably situated.

"What is it like being human?" he countered my question.

"That's not the same and you know it."

"Why? Being a bear shifter is what I've known my whole life, so how is it different from you being human?" I averted his gaze as he looked at me with quizzing eyes. My story was way too complicated, as I discovered recently. "I still don't know your name, you know."

"Does it matter?", I asked matter-of-factly.

He laughed whole-heartedly. "You sure are a fascinating woman! Most women around here hope to either be my fated mate or to become the woman next to the Alpha, if I don't find my mate. They want me to promise them the world, when they know that I can't. And yet you don't even want me to know your name."

"Lucky for you, I am not most women! Don't worry- I don't expect anything more than finding out if you are just words and no action." Now it was my turn to put my smug face on. "I certainly don't want any promises. And either way, I don't believe in this mates mumbo jumbo. I'm just a hot-blooded woman who likes pleasure."

Callum looked at me and smiled. "You are new to all of this, aren't you? The shifter world, I mean. If the Blackwood pack has accepted you in their pack, there must be a reason. You are not a shifter but you are not fully human- there is something about you!" He lit the fireplace and started closing the distance between us again.

"You have no idea!", I winked suggestively. I wasn't going to spend the night telling him my life story- I had other plans instead.