Page 37 of Cowboy Bear's Hope

“Do it. Make me yours.”

Thunder roared in my head, or maybe that was the Bear. Either way, I knew I was going to take what she offered.

No way I could resist claiming this woman as my mate.

Her body squeezed mine even tighter, and the wave of her pleasure grew and grew until it was so big it threatened to pull me under. I didn’t bother resisting.

In fact, that was when I struck.

I pierced the skin between her shoulder and neck with my canines, marking Avery as my own at the very same moment we both came undone.

My Grizzly roared in victory as I swallowed her life’s force, binding us together in a Shifter ritual as old as time.

When we finally stopped moving, and the pleasure began to ebb, I fell forward, careful not to crush Avery with my weight.

I’d never felt like that before—so completely consumed and yet utterly at peace.

My body hummed with the aftershocks of pleasure, every nerve alive, every muscle loose and sated in a way I’d never imagined possible.

This wasn’t just carnal bliss. It was something deeper, something that struck at the very core of me.

Still caught in the warmth of her, I cupped her face with both hands, unable to stop myself from leaning in to pepper kisses across her sweet, impossibly soft skin.

She chuckled sweetly. Her laughter, light and breathy, bubbled up, and I felt it like a balm over wounds I hadn’t even known I carried.

Avery finally picked me. This time, she said yes.

It wasn’t just about the physical. Though she did give me something I never had before.

It was more than that. Avery gave me peace.

A quiet, soothing calm that wrapped itself around me, filling spaces that had always felt hollow. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t fighting my beast.

My Bear, usually a restless, wild force within me, was actually silent.

Not because he was subdued or restrained, but because he didn’t need to be anything else.

With her in my arms, I had everything I ever wanted.

My Grizzly wasn’t stomping around or pushing against the edges of my control. He wasn’t champing at the bit, desperate to take charge.

Instead, he was still. The animal quietly observing with a presence that felt as vast as the mountains. And in his stillness, I felt his emotions rolling through me much like my own—pure adoration, unshakable devotion, and an overwhelming sense of rightness.

The Bear’s feelings mirrored mine. He was fixed on her. Our beautiful mate.

Her hair was deliciously tousled. Her skin was flushed in places where my beard had scratched her.

The claiming bite I’d given her had already started to heal, but I knew she would bear the scar forever, which was exactly as it should be.

Oh, thank the Fates. She is finally mine.

The way her lips curved into a soft smile, the sleepy contentment in her eyes as she met my gaze—she was everything I’d never dared hope for.

Everything I hadn’t realized I needed.

I rested my forehead against hers, closing my eyes for a moment and letting the quiet settle over us.

My Bear, my soul, and my heart all agreed on the same thing for once.

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