Read Online Bitten (Black Mountain Bears Book 2) by Ophelia Bell, Amelie Hunt - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Ophelia Bell, Amelie Hunt
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chest. “Even though I can’t be with you that way, believe me when I say I want you to be happy. But also believe me when I say I will not let your happiness come at my expense.”
Aidan turned and stared at her, about to speak, but she held up a hand, holding him off as she stood and faced him, eye-to-eye.
Her body shook with the understanding of what she needed to do next. “I will confess everything before I give in to your threat.” Tears streamed down her cheeks unchecked. “You know we’ll both lose everything. I’m not doing it to hurt you, but to prove to you that we don’t need their approval to find happiness.”
The fact that she was losing everything by telling him this left her utterly hollow inside. Aidan still had a chance. What he wanted with her was a fantasy—something borne of young lust and idealism. He had a chance to find real love still.
Autumn had found it, but this confession would destroy that chance for her. No male ursa would want her once she was stripped of her power, her ability to conceive.
For the first time in centuries, she had the profound need to talk to her mother, to tell her everything that she’d done.
“We go back, tell them everything, and take what they give us. They’ll exile us at the very least, probably strip us of our ranks, effectively castrate us so we can’t screw up again.”
Aidan paused his pacing to listen to her and let out a soft snort. “An infertile ursa is useless. What the fuck am I supposed to do if I can’t have kids?”
She gaped at him in exasperation. “You were willing to hold that threat over my head and now it’s not good enough for you? Maybe it’s time for us to take responsibility. You know it will kill me to lose this part of myself, but we’re practically immortal! I may not have other options, but you do, if you’d just let yourself stop thinking about me for five minutes.”
Aidan turned and glowered at her, then stalked to the door and shoved it open. He closed it in an oddly gentle fashion once he was outside.
Autumn smiled faintly. He’d always been so sweet and considerate. He deserved more love than he realized. He deserved what love she’d given him when they were younger, and more, if only she hadn’t lost the will to love him after they’d come home.
“I loved you once,” she whispered. “I still do, in a fashion, but I love them so much more. And I will give it all up for the baby we lost. Every fucking ounce of love I have now . . . it’s all hers. I owe it to her to speak the truth.”
Chapter Seven
A utumn’s unmistakable scent filled Jasper’s nostrils. He hovered his nose over the path, smelling his own scent, a little bit stale, and hers slightly fresher. She’d left the waterfall that afternoon not long after he’d run from Gunnar.
Another scent mingled with hers. A male. Jasper growled low in his throat.
Beside him, Gunnar’s white furred shape shimmered and transformed into a very fit and very naked man.
Jasper averted his eyes. With the slightest bit of intention, his own body transformed. It made him a little bit dizzy and nauseous at first, and he knelt, hanging his head, worried that he’d puke.
“You’ll get used to that,” Gunnar said, kneeling beside him and resting a hand against his back.
“I suppose it could be worse. Changing is easy, but it gives me a fucking headache.” Jasper let his head hang, enjoying the feel of Gunnar’s hand stroking up and down his back. Fuck, he wanted the man, but something had happened to Autumn and they needed to find her.
He sat back on his heels and wiped his mouth. When he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, Autumn’s scent was everywhere, with that unfamiliar male scent all over it.
“There was another male with her,” he said. “Someone like you.”
“Like me?” Gunnar asked. He closed his eyes and breathed.
“It’s a kind of . . . pure quality, I guess? It’s hard to explain.”
“I know his scent,” Gunnar
Aidan turned and stared at her, about to speak, but she held up a hand, holding him off as she stood and faced him, eye-to-eye.
Her body shook with the understanding of what she needed to do next. “I will confess everything before I give in to your threat.” Tears streamed down her cheeks unchecked. “You know we’ll both lose everything. I’m not doing it to hurt you, but to prove to you that we don’t need their approval to find happiness.”
The fact that she was losing everything by telling him this left her utterly hollow inside. Aidan still had a chance. What he wanted with her was a fantasy—something borne of young lust and idealism. He had a chance to find real love still.
Autumn had found it, but this confession would destroy that chance for her. No male ursa would want her once she was stripped of her power, her ability to conceive.
For the first time in centuries, she had the profound need to talk to her mother, to tell her everything that she’d done.
“We go back, tell them everything, and take what they give us. They’ll exile us at the very least, probably strip us of our ranks, effectively castrate us so we can’t screw up again.”
Aidan paused his pacing to listen to her and let out a soft snort. “An infertile ursa is useless. What the fuck am I supposed to do if I can’t have kids?”
She gaped at him in exasperation. “You were willing to hold that threat over my head and now it’s not good enough for you? Maybe it’s time for us to take responsibility. You know it will kill me to lose this part of myself, but we’re practically immortal! I may not have other options, but you do, if you’d just let yourself stop thinking about me for five minutes.”
Aidan turned and glowered at her, then stalked to the door and shoved it open. He closed it in an oddly gentle fashion once he was outside.
Autumn smiled faintly. He’d always been so sweet and considerate. He deserved more love than he realized. He deserved what love she’d given him when they were younger, and more, if only she hadn’t lost the will to love him after they’d come home.
“I loved you once,” she whispered. “I still do, in a fashion, but I love them so much more. And I will give it all up for the baby we lost. Every fucking ounce of love I have now . . . it’s all hers. I owe it to her to speak the truth.”
Chapter Seven
A utumn’s unmistakable scent filled Jasper’s nostrils. He hovered his nose over the path, smelling his own scent, a little bit stale, and hers slightly fresher. She’d left the waterfall that afternoon not long after he’d run from Gunnar.
Another scent mingled with hers. A male. Jasper growled low in his throat.
Beside him, Gunnar’s white furred shape shimmered and transformed into a very fit and very naked man.
Jasper averted his eyes. With the slightest bit of intention, his own body transformed. It made him a little bit dizzy and nauseous at first, and he knelt, hanging his head, worried that he’d puke.
“You’ll get used to that,” Gunnar said, kneeling beside him and resting a hand against his back.
“I suppose it could be worse. Changing is easy, but it gives me a fucking headache.” Jasper let his head hang, enjoying the feel of Gunnar’s hand stroking up and down his back. Fuck, he wanted the man, but something had happened to Autumn and they needed to find her.
He sat back on his heels and wiped his mouth. When he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, Autumn’s scent was everywhere, with that unfamiliar male scent all over it.
“There was another male with her,” he said. “Someone like you.”
“Like me?” Gunnar asked. He closed his eyes and breathed.
“It’s a kind of . . . pure quality, I guess? It’s hard to explain.”
“I know his scent,” Gunnar
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