The Bear's Reluctant Bride: A Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance (14 page)

It also provided Luke with the raw materials necessary to finish building the cottage. He kept them at it well into the afternoon. He needed them to be exhausted before they entered the next phase of their training. Before they began working on their technique, they needed to be so physically exhausted that their muscles were able to accept the training best.
After hours at it, they began one of the earliest technique drills a young warrior was required to do. It was so old that no one remembered its origins. The new warriors were required to punch a tree as hard as they could, again and again. The drill was meant to teach them to fight through their pain. Luke paced back and forth, watching them as they struck the tree trunks again and again.

He corrected their form and offered words of encouragement. He was so lost in his work of training them that he didn't realize Kalia had strategically positioned herself in such a way as to observe and study every lesson he was giving the warriors. He also didn't see her moving her hands methodically, mimicking the techniques he was teaching his them.
When the day was done, they crawled into bed together. He kissed her passionately and made love to her sweetly. After, he murmured that he loved her and closed his eyes. In his exhaustion, he soon fell asleep beside her. She lay there for a time, completely still to make sure he was deeply asleep. Then she slowly and quietly rose from the bed and made her way outside the tent. He didn't flinch and she thanked her stars he was working hard enough to be so tired. Without that benefit, she was sure that her slightest movement would've woken him.
She made her way outside and surveyed her surroundings. She looked at the pile of rocks the trainees had spent hours carrying. Though she'd planned to do all Luke had instructed the young warriors to do, she didn't think she could hide the evidence of that from him. If she moved the stones they'd already carried, he would notice they'd moved, and he would also clearly notice if more stones appeared overnight. Besides, that was an activity that just might hurt the baby and she couldn't risk that. Instead, she walked around the edge of their clearing until she found the largest tree that she could find.
She braced her legs and she'd seen Luke tell the young warriors to do and took a deep breath to help her center herself before she began. Timidly, she jabbed her clenched fist into the tree's trunk and then froze, waiting for Luke to come running from the tent to investigate. When he didn't, she struck the tree again, this time as hard as she could. The pain that she felt was staggering, but she made herself continue. She struck the tree again and again, even as her skin tore and she began to bleed. She kept telling herself she was a warrior and warriors fight through pain. Each time she felt as though the pain was too much, she thought of the child inside of her and pressed on. She made herself continue to fight the pain. Though each strike was excruciating, she kept telling herself that she wasn't doing this for herself. It was for her family and there was nothing that she wouldn't do to keep them safe. She heard her knuckles and bones cracking as she pressed on. 

She put the pain out of her mind and instead, thought of the terrifying moment when those bears had come to kill her. It wasn't just her who would've died. They would've killed her baby. They would've silenced the tiny heart beating inside of her forever. That was why she'd fought them then and it was why she needed to keep fighting now. It was emotionally draining to tap into that fear, but it was what she had to do to keep herself fighting on.
She kept hitting the tree for what felt like hours, until she was mentally and physically exhausted. She looked down at the damage she'd done to her hand and silently thanked her inner bear for her ability to heal quickly. She knew they would be as good as new before Luke ever saw them. If he had seen her mangled hands, he would've flown into a rage before she even had a moment to explain and she knew that would cause a mess of trouble for them both.
Slowly, she made her way back into the tent, careful not to make a sound. She crawled back to bed beside him and drifted slowly towards sleep, feeling confident that she'd taken the first step towards being able to protect their child. She cuddled close to him and drew from his strength and warmth. Though he had not actively trained her, it was his words that played over and over again in her head while she trained.

It made her feel even closer to him, though, if all went as planned, he would never know it. Without waking, he turned a bit in his sleep and pulled her close to him, stroking her back. She sighed in exhaustion and let sleep take her, ready to do the same thing the next day and every day that followed until every threat to her family was gone.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Luke seemed more anxious than ever to finish the cottage. Every night, after the warriors left and they ate their dinner, he would go back to the cottage to work. Though some of the higher ranking warriors helped him during the day, at night he would work alone. He never broke his promise to her and never left her truly alone, but she felt lonelier than ever. After all of their nights spent sleeping together, it felt wrong to fall asleep without him by her side. There in the cold, lonely bed, she wondered if he didn't want her physically anymore because her pregnancy had begun to truly show.

Still, it made her personal training easier to hide from him. Over the noise he was making constructing their home, he couldn't hear the softer sounds of her exercising her techniques, even the sounds of her striking the largest tree on the perimeter of their clearing. Because the tent stood between the cabin and the tree, the possibility of him seeing her was small.

She knew that if she screamed, he would hear and come running so she had no reason to be afraid of being out alone at night. It was a big part of why she'd chosen the nighttime for her training. If she'd tried to accomplish it during the day, any of the warriors or friends buzzing about might've mentioned it to him.

Her late night trainings wore her out completely, so she was often sound asleep when he finished his work and crawled into bed in the early hours of the morning. By the time she woke up in the morning, he was already back at work on the cottage before his trainees showed up to continue their lessons. They were physically so close, but she felt as though she wasn't spending any real time with him and she missed him deeply.

The only thing that kept her from feeling a true sadness at the distance between them was the feeling of the life growing inside of her. Knowing the baby was coming, the physical manifestation of their love for each other, was all that she needed to remind herself that their love was the most beautiful thing in her life. Everything he was doing, he was doing to keep them safe. She couldn't complain. Still, she longed for the day that the cottage would be complete and his free time would belong to her once again.

That day came more quickly than she'd even dared to dream. One night, after weeks of work, he came to the tent earlier than he usually did, but instead of slipping soundlessly into bed beside her and holding her until he fell asleep, he woke her gently, full of excitement.

“Kalia, Kalia my dear! Wake up! Wake up! I've something to show you!” he cried excitedly.

“What's going on? Is something wrong?” she asked as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up slowly.

“Everything's alright, darling! Get up and come with me. I need you to see something,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her from the warmth of their bed.

It was rather disappointing, as she'd been hoping he would get into the bed beside her. She'd missed him so much and her body craved his. When he woke her up, she'd the faint hope that it was because he wanted her. The fact that he was leading her in the opposite direction of their warm bed didn't reassure her.

Still, he seemed like a man on a mission so she grabbed her wrap from the chair near the bed and let him lead her outside. She looked down at her hands nervously. They'd not had enough time to heal from her last training. Still, he seemed too excited to notice. She took her hand from his and wove it through the crook of his arm, tucking her injured hand safely out of sight.

He looked positively ecstatic, like her little brothers did when they'd found a snake or a pine cone they were so wildly excited about that they had to show her right away. His emotions were infectious and she felt them rippling through her, temporarily pushing the sadness she'd felt when he didn’t seem to want her, out of her mind.

He led her to the cottage and to her surprise, he swept her up in his arms and carried her across the threshold. She gasped in surprise but savored the physical closeness to him. His scent and warmth surrounded her and she thought it must be very much what heaven would feel like. He didn’t say anything until they were inside. Gently, he set her back on her feet in the large and open space that included the kitchen and the main living space.

She looked around, speechless. Her eyes took in every detail he had so carefully accomplished in such a short amount of time. The walls were stone, yet the space still felt so warm and inviting to her. The window frames were painted a crisp shade of white, making them pop out from the grey stone. The large panes of glass in them were something that was rare in the homes of their people but she loved them. Looking through them drew the night sky from the outside in and gave the home the feeling of being connected to the nature that surrounded them, much the same way that the tent made her feel.

The fireplace he had built was just like the one that she'd seen in her dream. It was large and open, with a hearth where she and their children would sit and bond together. She pictured herself sitting there, telling them stories or singing them songs and she felt tears begin to form in her eyes. This, she knew, was a home where they would grow old together. She couldn't believe she'd ever doubted his ability to make her a place where she would feel happy and safe.

In the center of the kitchen, was a hand-crafted table and she could tell that he had labored on it. The legs scrolled elegantly and looked very much like the roots of a tree growing out from the floor and she pictured them there, eating and laughing as a family, sharing the details of their lives and the special, quiet moments that make life worth living. That thought was too much for her and tears that had been threatening to fall, spilled down her cheeks.

The entire time she'd been taking in every inch of the home that he had made for her, Luke had been watching Kalia. He had not said a word, merely waited for her to react. Her tears, though, were too much for him to hold himself back any longer. He strode across the room and pressed his hand to her cheek, dashing away her tears with his thumb.

“Do you not like it?” he asked gently.

“I love it. Oh darling, it's just how I dreamed it'd be. It already feels like our home. There are not even words in ours or any other language to describe how you make me feel. All I can say is thank you. Thank you for loving me,” she whispered. Her tears continued to flow, but the look of love on her face told him that they were tears of joy.

“I'm so glad. I told you I would make this the place you wanted. I didn't want to break my word to you,” he said solemnly, gently running his hands through her hair as he spoke. She leaned in to his hand like a cat, wanting to be as close to him as she possibly could.

“I couldn't have asked for more. I see our lives in these walls,” she said. As she spoke, he reached out to take her hands in hers. It was then that he noticed their condition. She tried to pull them away, but he held them tight, examining the cuts and bruises, made to look all the worse by the swelling and the blood that coated them.

“What happened here?” he asked quietly. Though his voice was low, the edge in it was unmistakable. His eyes were locked on her ruined knuckles and he didn't even blink, putting her on guard for the fight to come.

“I don't want to tell you,” she said honestly.

“What happened here?” he repeated, giving her the impression he wasn't so much asking her a question as demanding an answer.

“This is such a beautiful moment. I don't want to ruin it by fighting and we'll fight if I tell you the truth. I suppose I could lie to you, but I don't want to do that either,” she said bravely, squaring her shoulders to face him. She knew he loved her, but she was afraid it was exactly that love that might lead him to overreact.

“I'm afraid I need you to tell me what happened right now or I may just lose my mind. Did someone hurt you?” he asked, holding her hands so gently that she could barely feel them, yet she knew that they were there, cradling her wounded hands.

“No, it's not anything like that. No one hurt me. I promise you,” she blurted out, not at all sure what to say next.

“The only time I've seen wounds like this is on young warriors at the beginning of their training,” he said, the anger on his face clear. “Who is it? Who have you gotten to train you in the ways of the warrior?” he demanded.

“No one! I've no one training me. You told me that you wouldn't,” she said honestly.

“Don't play coy with me. I know that any one of my trainees would do anything that you asked of them. They are all in love with you. If you asked, they would train you in a heartbeat. Have you been meeting one of them at night for lessons? Which one is it? I'll kill him. I swear I'll kill him for putting you and the baby in danger. The elements of training are harsh on the body. Our baby could have been hurt. Who was thoughtless enough to enable you in this hair-brained scheme?” he roared, looking murderous.

“None of them would do something so foolish as to defy you and I wouldn't ask them to,” she cried.

“Then who is teaching you? Tell me the truth. Who has helped you to break your promise to me?” he demanded, his anger clearly coming from a place of love and concern, but she still didn't like to be dictated to.

“It's not like that. I didn't break my promise to you. I swore I wouldn't ask you again about teaching me to fight and I haven't. What I've learned, I've learned from you,” she cried, too upset at his words to keep her emotions in check.

“I haven't given you a single lesson in fighting. I would never put you in danger like that. I would never do that,” he growled.

“I know you didn't realize you were, but it was all you. You've been so busy with the men and the cottage I didn't have to work very hard to hide it from you. I simply lingered around as you give the boys their instructions. Then, in the night when you've been working on this place, I simply practiced what I learned during the day. I've never been out of ear shot of you and I've certainly not been meeting any other man in the night,” she snapped at him. She could tell by his expression that it came as a blow to him that he had been enabling her efforts himself.

“Are you telling me your hands have been in this condition for days and I never noticed?” he asked, looking horrified.

“It's not that bad at all. You know how quickly we heal. I simply went to bed with them a little torn up and woke up with them perfectly healed. I never put myself or the baby through anything that we couldn't handle,” she said, trying to comfort him.

“How could I not have known this? I love you and I sleep beside you every night. How could I not have known you were putting yourself through this? Have I been that distant from you?” he asked, looking stricken.

“I know you've been busy. Everything you're doing, you've been doing for us. I understand that. I'm just happy that you haven't noticed until now,” she admitted.

“What do you mean?” he asked in confusion.

“I thought perhaps you were so distant because you find me a bit repulsive in my growing state. It's been weeks since you have made love for me. You're so delicate with me, as if you're afraid to touch me. I haven't known what to think,” she said in frustration.

The look on his face was of horror. He looked as if she'd slapped him across the face. He wrapped his arms around her and crushed her body to his, holding her close as though he was trying to physically draw the hurt from her.

“Dearest, no! How could you ever think such a thing? I love you. Every day, knowing that our child is growing inside of you only makes me love you more,” he said as solemnly as any vow.

“I've never doubted your love for me, Luke. What I doubted was if you still want me,” she admitted, a little ashamed at saying such a thing aloud.

“No, Kalia. Every day, it's all that I can don't to be with you constantly. If I had my way, we would spend every moment of every day lying naked beside each other, exploring each other’s bodies. In my dream world, I would spend every moment buried inside of you. Honestly, I feel like a bit of a lecher for the sheer strength of my desire to sleep with you. You're doing this amazing thing, growing a human life, and all I can think about is guiding that sweet mouth of yours to my cock or spreading your long legs wide open and thrusting in and out of you until we are both too exhausted to move.

"Those are the thoughts that I'm consumed by, whether I'm training the warriors or working on this place. Every moment of my life, a part of my mind is consumed with thoughts of you and your body and all the glorious pleasure I draw from it,” he admitted, looking so passionate that she couldn't doubt the words he said, yet they just confused her more.

“Then why has it been so long since you've been with me? I've been going mad, wanting you so much that I've nearly thrown myself at you right in front of your men as you run about, doing such physical displays for them,” she demanded.

“You're pregnant! I know it must make you exhausted and uncomfortable. I didn't want to add to that. I wanted to give you your peace,” he said, looking a little shocked at what she'd said.

“Is that what you think your lovemaking makes me feel; exhausted and uncomfortable? Darling, being with you is the most invigorating thing. I never feel more beautiful than when I have you within my body. I never feel more alive than when your skin is pressed to mine,” she cried, suddenly feeling the heat rising in her body.

“My sweet girl, I never intended to make you feel that way. I never thought you could doubt that I wanted you,” he sighed, wrapping his arm around her.