Free Wish Upon a Tiger: A BBW Weretiger Shifter Romance (Fountain of Love) by A.T. Mitchell

her. I get it. You're
finding your way.” He lowered his face again, rubbing soft
stubble on my cheek. “Give it a little time, Jenna. I promise
I'll show you just how much you belong here, and why you're destined
to be with me.”
    Something about his soft touch made me smile. I couldn't
argue with that kind of confidence and logic, not when I was wrapped
in a tiger's embrace.
    “ I'll
try,” I said. “But first, I think we better take care of
simpler urges.”
    His eyes widened. He followed my gaze to the bulge
slowly hardening against my thigh.
    “ Mates
already. See? We're on the same wavelength.”
    Erik rolled, moving between my legs. Before he pushed
into me, he brought one hand to my face, rubbing the soft skin on my
cheek.
    “ Just
don't bite so hard this time,” I said.
    He paused and smiled. “I know when to stroke and
when to sink my teeth in, Jenna. You'll find out too, as long as you
remember who's claimed you.”

IV: Ghosts (Erik)

    We romped like tigers all night. Hard, sharp, and
sometimes sweet, but always hungry.
    The beautiful cat who slept in my head laid me out flat.
It was hard as hell to get out of bed the next morning, but somehow I
managed it.
    Everything would've been perfect about claiming her –
all except the hesitation in her brain planted there by humans.
    I determined to wipe out every trace of it. Half-blood
or not, she was my tigress now, and I couldn't let human weakness
mess with our relationship or her integration into Tiger Tree.
    This is where you belong, Jenna. You belong to me, I thought. The idea made my tiger
snarl possessively, and he got a lot of growling in that morning as I
thought about it again and again.
    A couple weeks was all I needed. If she let down the
last couple gates and let me in, I knew it would be smooth as snow
from there. There wasn't a shred of doubt about it happening.
    But I couldn't do it alone.
    We had to visit Elder Brahm. Shaman, counselor, oracle,
and all around magic man with crazy wisdom nobody had ever matched.
If he couldn't shine through the fortress around the heart and show
me how to get in, then nobody could.

    It was a long climb up the cracked stairs. I tapped the
bricks with my paws, slowly ambling up to make sure nothing was going
to give way. I turned, checking to make sure Jenna was safely behind
me.
    The Elder's cave hadn't changed much since the last time
I'd been up. Probably two years ago at this point, when I was a newer
Alpha, seeking the confidence to protect my people.
    Brahm had provided it and more.
    “ Courage
and certainty, my boy. Even if the world stands against you, never
act like it does. Never let the idea consume your mind. When you're
pinned down and everything is at its darkest, that's when you'll find
a king's inspiration. You'll find it, just as long as you think like
one first.”
    I remembered his words, as well as the strange litany
he'd given me.
    Idea is the enemy, and tigers have no use for them.
Tigers move on instinct. Fierce and flawless.
    When we reached the small path leading to his cave, I
shifted. I threw the bag off my shoulders I had Jenna strap to me
before the climb.
    It was colder at this higher elevation, and the Elder's
cave would be cooler still.
    She came up next to me and turned back into the
beautiful woman I'd taken. I took our cloaks out and began helping
Jenna into hers.
    “ I'm
getting used to being naked around other people, you know.”
Jenna shot me the sweet and sassy smile I was growing to love.
    “ Maybe
so. Trust me, you'll thank me for the cloak later. This cave is just
as dark and cold as it sounds.”
    She hesitated at the summit. I reached for her hand and
squeezed tight.
    “ Let's
go.”
    Nobody knew how far the cavern extended. According to
legend, it was the den of ancient saber-toothed cats, long ago when
the mountains were fierce and the things living in them fiercer
still.
    “ Elder
Brahm?” I cupped my hands over my mouth and called his name.
    The erratic