Free The Write Bear (Highland Brothers 1) by Meredith Clarke, Ally Summers Page A

Good, she thought. She could reason through things if he gave her some distance. “See, in the bear shifter world, we have one mate. One fated person we spend forever with.”
    “But, I’ve seen you.” She didn’t mean to interrupt. “You’ve been with lots of women. There are pictures of them everywhere.”
    He nodded. “True. But they weren’t my mate. I can date. Hell, I can fuck who I want, but there is only one. One I will give everything to.”
    His eyes bore into hers.
    “And if I haven’t found her in my thirtieth year, then I am free to live a life how I choose. Bear and human. No rules. No mate.”
    “So you’re hiding out from women?” It came out almost as a laugh. Riley quickly covered her mouth.
    He glared at her. “I’m not scared of women. I was trying to protect her. Whoever she might be. Turns out she is you .”
    “Protect her. I mean me from what?” Riley moved forward, the fear churning in her stomach.
    Hudson’s eyes dropped to her stomach. His palm flattened against her shirt.
    “From bearing my cubs,” he whispered.
    “C-cubs?” She took a step back. “No. No way.” She remembered the sex they had. No protection. Not a single condom. Nothing. She had wanted him to fill her with his release, she begged for it like she needed it to keep breathing. It wasn’t anything she had ever wanted before from another man. But in the moment she thought she’d die if he didn’t fill her with the essence from his cock. She had wanted it over and over.
    “Why didn’t you use a fucking condom?” she screamed.
    He hung his head. “When a bear finds his mate you don’t use condoms. I asked you. I told you I had to take you.”
    “But I didn’t know what in the hell you were talking about. I couldn’t stop myself.” She covered her mouth. “I wanted you from somewhere in me I didn’t know I had.” It had felt out of her control. She would have killed to have him inside her—she knew it. It was epically the best fucking experience of her life.
    She closed her eyes. “No. No, this can’t be happening.” She backed up again.
    Hudson reached toward her. “It’s ok. We’re in this together. I promise you, Riley…”
    But she couldn’t listen. She didn’t think she’d ever want to hear or see another one of Hudson Highland’s words again.

14

Riley
    S he spun on her heels , running past the couch, down the hall, and tore open the front door. The tears streamed down her face. She raced past the car and climbed through the extended branches on the edge of the driveway, deep in the woods. She picked herself up when she stumbled over a root. Over jagged rocks and down the slippery moss-covered path she ran. Her gut hollow from his words. Her heart aching. Her head searing.
    She collapsed on a rock, the sobs wracking her body. “How could he?” she cried. She looked up to see the lake sparkling under the moon. She had run to Hudson’s secret fishing spot.
    She pulled her knees to her chest and for a moment looked down at her stomach. Could it be? Could she already be carrying his cubs? She instinctively rubbed her hand over her shirt, and felt a certain warmth spread through her. She smiled amidst the tears and confusion. Through the pain, she pressed against her stomach. Did this really happen?
    She had never met a man like Hudson. Never had someone’s energy so directly affected her. Pulling her in, seducing her with sounds and scents. Even when he urged her to leave she couldn’t. Even when she was furious at him and was ready to drive away, she couldn’t. There was more to him than human words could explain.
    She looked at the moon above. Was there an answer in any of this confusion that would make sense?
    She heard the leaves rustle behind her and whipped her head around, expecting to see Hudson. Of course he would have followed her. He would want to explain more. Try to convince her to give him a chance.
    But it wasn’t him. She saw green eyes glowing beneath the limbs