Bearing the Midnight Sun (Ice Bear Shifters Book 3) Read online

  “Please don’t freak out, Kat, but if you move to Alaska to be with me—which you’re thinking of doing if that incredible kiss was any indication—then you need to know this first. I’m actually a polar bear shifter.”

  Kat looked at him in silence for a few beats, and Tyler felt his heart clench up. This was it. She was going to think he was a freak, and ask him to take her back into town. He would have to beg her not to divulge his secret to anyone, and pray that she agreed so that he didn’t have to get his alpha involved.

  Then Kat burst out laughing. “Okay, Mr. Polar Bear. Well, now that we got that out of the way, can we get back to making out? I was rather enjoying it.”

  She still thought this was a joke.

  “Kat, I’m serious,” he said, looking at her with pleading eyes. She stared back at him, and the amused look on her face slowly faded into disbelief.

  “You’re serious,” she said. The statement hung heavy in the air, as Tyler waited for her to say something else, anything else.

  “Prove it.”

  “Kat, it’s kind of complicated, if I shift, then—ˮ

  “Prove it,” she interrupted, her expression defiant.

  Tyler sighed. “Okay. But if I’m wearing clothes when I shift, it will ruin them. I didn’t bring an extra set of clothes with me, so I’m going to take off my clothes first. Otherwise, I’ll be naked for the rest of the night once I shift back.”

  Kat’s eyes widened a bit when he said this, but she didn’t say anything. She merely nodded, and waited for Tyler to proceed.

  Well, here goes, Tyler thought, as he began unbuttoning his shirt where Kat had left off.

  He could only pray that she would stick around after the show.

  Chapter Nine

  Kat watched as Tyler took off his shirt, followed by his shoes and socks. His face looked pained as he bent over to remove his pants and underwear. Kat couldn’t help but stare at his penis as it broke free from the constraints of his clothing and stood tall and erect. He was the most well-endowed man she had ever seen.

  She wasn’t quite sure if this outing could be labeled a first date. But if it was their first date, it definitely won the prize for the weirdest first date she had ever had. The evening had started out romantically enough. What girl wouldn’t appreciate getting whisked away for a picnic at a secret location? And the ‘non-sunset’ occasion was a nice touch. Kat had been on cloud nine when Tyler told her he didn’t want her to leave for Nebraska. She had been overcome with passion as she realized that he held the same feelings for her that she had secretly held for him. The chemistry when they kissed had been incredible. Kat had been ready to rip off his clothes and consummate their relationship right then and there. But things had gotten weird from there, and now, here she was. Watching her naked love interest as he prepared to supposedly change himself into a polar bear.

  “Please don’t freak out,” he said, looking at her earnestly. Kat merely nodded. He seemed so serious. Either he was verifiably crazy and actually thought he could turn himself into a polar bear, or he had somehow snuck a couple of strong shots in while she had been standing on the ledge and admiring the ocean. The man was either crazy, or drunk. Or both.

  As Kat sat and waited, Tyler suddenly noticed the wine glasses and wine bottle sitting on the blanket. He walked over and poured the wine back into the bottle, then put the bottle securely down into the storage compartment of the four wheeler.

  “I don’t want the wine to get knocked over and wasted,” he said, as if that clearly explained it. Kat shrugged and waited for him to continue with his charade. He took a deep breath, and she sighed. How long were they going to have to sit here and play this game?

  In the next instant, Kat felt herself knocked over by what felt like a powerful rush of wind. A loud, terrifying roar rang out across the plateau, and when Kat managed to sit up, she found herself looking over at a massive polar bear.

  Kat screamed. She ran and hid behind the four wheeler, as if that would have been any protection during a polar bear attack. When she finally peeked over the seat of the vehicle, she saw the polar bear sitting there calmly. Its face bore an uncanny resemblance to Tyler’s face, and the bear’s eyes were violet, just like Tyler’s. Kat couldn’t deny the similarity.

  “Holy shit,” she said, as she stood fully and walked around to the other side of the four wheeler. “You weren’t making it up. You really are a polar bear.”

  The bear sighed, and looked at her with the same soulful expression that Tyler’s eyes always held. Kat approached the bear cautiously, with measured steps. Her mind kept screaming at her that she was hallucinating, or going crazy. But as Kat slowly reached out and touched the fur on the bear’s muzzle, she knew that what she saw here was real.

  “I don’t believe this,” she whispered, stroking the bear’s muzzle. “I’m literally standing here petting a polar bear. The bear nudged her hand with his nose, and then licked her with his giant tongue. Kat giggled, her fear turning into amazement.

  “Wow,” she whispered, “Just wow. This is so cool.”

  The bear lifted one of its paws and gently laid it on her shoulder, and Kat slowly reached out to hug the bear’s broad shoulders. Now that the initial shock of Tyler turning into a bear had worn off, wonder overtook her. She ran her hand through the bear’s thick, soft fur, and decided this was a sign. She had come to Alaska looking for something different. She had wanted to shake things up and find herself. And a man who turned into a polar bear was definitely different. But the difference with Tyler transcended just his unique status as polar bear shifter. The real difference that Tyler brought to her life was that he loved her exactly the way she was. He wanted her to be happy, and to find herself. But he never complained if she needed to cry on his shoulder. He never made snide comments about how she could stand to lose a few pounds.

  He never wanted her to be anything more than exactly who she was. Why should she ask for anything different from him?

  She rested her face against the bear’s soft face, then turned to whisper into his ear. “I love you,” she said. He responded with another nuzzle, then he nudged her back to the picnic blanket. After she took a seat there, he walked a few feet away. Another powerful rush of wind knocked Kat over once again. When she sat up, Tyler stood before her in human form again. The bright evening sun illuminated his perfect, naked body.

  “I love you, too, Kat,” he said. “I love you , too.”

  And then, Tyler rushed toward Kat. Cotton, denim, and lace landed in a haphazard pile several feet away from the picnic blanket as he made quick work of removing her clothes. Kat sucked in her breath at the thrill of finally feeling his skin against her skin. Her nipples hardened and stood alert as he pressed his chest against her breasts, and his mouth against her mouth. He kissed her deeply, with complete abandon. Limbs entwined, they rolled back and forth, never stopping the dance of their tongues. First, Tyler was on top of Kat. Then Kat pushed back and rolled on top of him. They drank each other in, finally satisfying the thirst for each other that had been building within each of them for months.

  Kat could feel Tyler’s firm erection pressing against her legs. She pushed her pelvis against him, wanting to better feel his stiff, rock-hard passion. She moaned with anticipation as she imagined him sliding into her. They had rolled off the blanket and onto the wildflowers now. Kat breathed in the heady, fresh scent of the blooms surrounding her. She felt tiny petals and leaves tickling her ears as Tyler finally broke their kiss to move his mouth down to her nipples. He circled first one nipple, then the other with his tongue. He nibbled each firm peak gently, sending shock waves of pleasure through Kat’s entire being. Then he sat up, straddling her legs with his own legs. He kept himself elevated on his knees. He hovered enticingly just above her sex, which was dripping wet with anticipation of his erect dick. Cupping the underside of each of her soft breasts with his palms, he used his thumbs to stroke back and forth across her nipples.

  Kat moaned and arched
her back against the overwhelming intensity of his touch. The delicious currents of electricity running through her held her body captive in a swirl of passionate ecstasy. She could hardly contain her passion, and her eyes flew open to meet Tyler’s gaze. Blazing yellow surrounded the violet color of his eyes, and he smiled seductively as he slowly, tenderly lowered himself into her.

  She closed her eyes again and focused on the sensation of his body melting into hers. First, the round, swollen tip of his dick pushed against the lips of her entrance, which was trembling with anticipation. The slight pressure gave her a preview of what was to come, and she groaned in pleasure. Tyler slowly pushed the tip until it was inside of her, then, ever so slowly, bit by bit, slid the shaft into her. Kat felt him pushing against her inner walls more with each additional centimeter. When he filled her completely, she felt herself trembling against him. The pressure from his large dick was the most blissful feeling she had ever experienced, filling her with a delicious, tingling warmth.

  He held himself there for several moments, fully inside of her. He let her feel the enormity of his penis pushing into her. Then, he began sliding up. He pulled the shaft up slowly, then slid it down fast and hard. He repeated the motion again. And again. And again. He picked up speed, until he was rocking in and out of her with a ferocious intensity.

  The heat and tingling shooting through Kat’s body intensified to an almost unbearable level, and then she exploded. With a loud cry, she gave in to the first wave of tremors as it overtook her body. Her insides contracted around his penis with each quake as the ecstasy of the moment washed over her. In the next instant, Tyler roared. He pulsed into her, a steady, warm stream of passion springing from his dick and into her. They held each other and trembled as the satisfaction of finding their release swept over them.

  When their bodies had finally stopped quaking, Tyler gently rolled off of her and lay beside her in the bed of thick wildflowers. He reached out and laced his fingers with hers, and they lay there basking in the beauty of the bright blue sky, and the beauty of each other. They were silent for several minutes, until Kat squeezed Tyler’s hand.

  “I love you, Bear,” she said.

  “I love you, too, Kat,” he replied.

  Kat smiled up at the wispy clouds floating by. She had discovered exactly what she came here to find.

  * * *

  Several hours and one bottle of wine later, Tyler grabbed the corkscrew to start opening the second bottle. Full, happy, and a little bit drunk on wine and love, Kat stuffed the last olive into her mouth. Five minutes remained until midnight, and the sun still shone down on the pair as they reveled in their newly admitted love for each other.

  She had spent the majority of their dinnertime grilling Tyler with question after question about bear shifters. Tyler explained that the genetic mutation had occurred millions of years ago, when a small number of animals didn’t fully evolve into humans. He could shift between bear and human form at will, although if he stayed in bear form longer than a month, he was in danger of being stuck that way. She discovered that Tyler’s four buddies—Neal, Ryker, Eric, and Alan—were all shifters as well. Neal was their leader, or “alpha,” as they called him. Kenzie was Ryker’s human life mate, and Delaney was Eric’s human life mate. Tyler promised Kat that he would properly introduce her to all of them soon.

  Tyler’s voice took on a somber tone as he told Kat about the Blizzard clan, and about how they had poisoned most of the Northern Lights Clan in an attempt to wipe them out. The five bears that remained were determined not to let the Blizzards take them down, and that’s why they were all building cabins near each other on the outskirts of town. They wanted to stick together to better protect themselves when the Blizzards returned in full force for the winter.

  Tyler spoke with excitement about rebuilding the clan, however. He told Kat that the clan all hoped that Kenzie’s new baby would be the first of many new shifter cubs for the Northern Lights Clan. Kat was most fascinated to learn that the shifter gene mutation was dominant, and almost always passed on when bear shifters mated with humans.

  “So, Kenzie will have a shifter baby when she gives birth?”

  “That’s right.”

  “And… hypothetically speaking, if we ever had a kid, it would be a shifter.”

  “Almost certainly.”

  “Wow.”

  “Does that bother you?” Tyler asked.

  “No, I think it’s pretty cool, actually,” Kat said, and then glanced at her watch. “Thirty seconds until midnight!”

  Tyler handed her a fresh glass of wine, and when ten seconds remained, they counted down until the clock struck midnight.

  “Happy non-sunset,” Tyler said, clinking his glass with Kat’s.

  “Happy non-sunset,” she replied.

  They toasted and cheered the midnight sun, and Kat felt happier than she had in ages. But Tyler wasn’t done with the surprises, yet.

  “I have one more thing I want to give you,” he said, and he stood to walk over to the four wheeler. He opened the storage compartment and pulled out a shoebox that had a ribbon wrapped around it and tied in a bow.

  “You got me shoes?” Kat asked, her expression filled with curiosity as Tyler handed her the shoebox.

  “More than just shoes. Open it.”

  Kat pulled the ribbon from the box and took off the lid. Inside, she found a brightly colored pair of new running shoes in hot pink and teal hues.

  “Tyler, these are adorable! Thank you so much. But you didn’t have to get me anything.”

  “I wanted to do this for you. Look under the shoes,” Tyler said.

  Kat lifted the shoes up and found two paper racing bibs with the words “Glacier Point 5K” printed on them. She gave Tyler a questioning look.

  “There’s a 5K in Glacier Point at the end of the summer every year,” Tyler explained. “It’s a fun event, almost a festival of sorts. There’s a runner’s breakfast bar beforehand with bagels and things like that. Then at the finish line, there’s live music and a lunch buffet. Even people who aren’t running come out and have a good time. I want to run it with you. No pressure—no one cares about your race time or who wins or anything like that. I thought it would be a fun way to celebrate your summer of hard work, getting yourself back in shape and getting healthier.”

  “It sounds really fun,” Kat said. “But I don’t think I’ve gotten back into shape at all. I haven’t lost hardly any weight.”

  “Kat, listen to me. It’s not your weight that matters. You’ve built muscles, and you’ve strengthened your lungs. You’ve improved your health dramatically. I’m very proud of you. Stop worrying so much about how many pounds you gain or lose. You’re beautiful. Perfect, really. And you’ve gone from huffing and puffing after a few minutes of running to being able to easily crank out a 5K. Let’s do this to have fun, and celebrate your success. The race is in two weeks, so you still have time to break in your sexy new running shoes.”

  Kat bit her lower lip and grinned. “Okay,” she said. “It does sound fun. And I have worked really hard this summer. Are you serious when you say you’re proud of me?”

  “So serious,” Tyler said, leaning over to kiss her. “You’re amazing, and I have to pinch myself to believe that I’m lucky enough to have you in my life.”

  “I’m the lucky one,” Kat said, returning the kiss. Before she knew it, she and Tyler were tangled up in each other’s arms again, starting round two of their non-sunset fun.

  Chapter Ten

  The next morning, Tyler went to talk to his alpha. After mating with Kat, Tyler was more confident than ever that she was his life mate. He was fully bonded to her now, and he wanted to run the idea of Kat being his life mate by Neal. As alpha, Neal had to approve any new clan members. Since becoming a shifter’s life mate automatically made someone a part of the clan, Neal had to approve any potential life mates.

  Tyler wasn’t too worried about getting Neal’s approval. Neal had known that Tyler was deep
ly interested in Kat, and hadn’t expressed any worries about that. Neal had also relaxed about allowing human mates, thanks to the fact that Ryker and Eric had both already taken a human life mate. Tyler smiled, thinking of his fellow clan members human life mates. Kat was spending time at Kenzie’s cabin at the moment, having lunch with Kenzie and Delaney. The three women seemed to really be hitting it off, and Tyler hoped that Kat would be able to develop a strong, deep friendship with them.

  The smile disappeared from Tyler’s face as he walked into the front door of Neal’s tattoo shop, however. The shop was empty, except for Neal, who was on the phone with an angry look on his face.

  “Kenzie, calm down,” Neal said. “Are you sure they’re Blizzards?”

  There was a pause while Kenzie spoke.

  “Do you have a gun?” Neal asked, his voice strained.

  Another pause.

  “Okay. Just stay down and stay as quiet as you can. I’m on my way over.”

  “What’s going on,” Tyler asked as soon as Neal hung up the phone. He tried to ignore the panic and anger rising in his stomach. All he could think about was that if any of the Blizzards dared to lay a paw on Kat, he would personally tear out the heart of every last one of their clan members.

  “We have to go, now!” Neal said, running toward the door. “Kenzie said there are Blizzards by the cabins.”

  Tyler ran out the front door after Neal, who didn’t even bother to lock up the shop or put a closed sign on the door. The men both leaped onto their four wheelers and sped toward the edge of town, neck to neck as they raced to where the clan’s women were hiding out in Kenzie’s cabin.

  “Where are the other bears?” Tyler shouted at Neal. He knew Neal’s ultrasonic bear shifter hearing would allow him to hear Tyler’s question over the sounds of the four wheeler’s engine.

  “Ryker’s at work. Eric and Alan took the day off from cabin-building to go hiking, since they were so close to finishing everything.”