Island Stripe Pride - Chapter 10: Chapter 10

Hearing a man that looked as good as Dean did telling her she was beautiful was better than any gift she could’ve ever wished for.
Having him make love to her, well, that was something no words could describe, but she certainly tried with a lot of hell yeah’s, fuck yes, harder, faster, now, now, NOW’s. So maybe Violet had found a couple that worked.
Being bitten by him during their heated exchange, and then biting him in return, well, it was beyond her scope of experience. But as Violet clung to her mate, yes her mate, the animal she had yet to meet inside of her assured her this was the correct word, was as close to heaven as she’d ever been.
Mine! She heard his beast’s roared announcement inside her mind’s eye and could not stop the joy the single syllable induced from bubbling out of her lips in the form of a soft laugh.
But how had she heard him? His mouth was closed as he wrapped her up in his solid embrace.
He is our mate, was the only answer her Tigress had. But she had so many more questions.
“Mmm,” Dean tucked her into his side and covered them both with the blanket.
“That was,” she began, and sighed heavily.
There were really no words. Wonderful, amazing, fantastic! Those all seemed to fall flat when she thought about how she felt.
“Extraordinary,” he supplied for her and she smiled liking the word immensely.
Was it possible for her to love him already?
Yes, answered the animal inside of her, but it was too soon for such declarations.
“Are you hungry?” Dean interrupted her thoughts and kissed her on the temple.
Oddly enough she was hungry. In fact, she was starving. Violet nodded and smiled as he brought his head down to nibble at her lips.
Kissing him was like magic, she thought and threw herself fully into it like she never had before. This entire thing was like some fantasy, something she would write about she thought and giggled ending the kiss.
“What? Did I do something funny?” he asked and looked hurt before she realized it was just his way of throwing her off balance.
“No, no tickling,” she laughed and yes, snorted, while his fingers bit into her ribcage, but she got him back.
It seemed, her big strong Tiger was ticklish himself.
“Okay, I give, I give,” he gasped for air and smiled as she pinned him to the bed. “In fact, I’ll give you anything you want if you stay right there,” he growled and nipped her lip.
This time, when they joined, it was a slow, slippery slide of limbs. The urgency of their first coming together sated, now it was more like a symphony of sensation.
She faced him on her side as he lifted one leg up and over his, grinding his pubis into her core, while his magnificent thickness filled her to maximum capacity.
She’d never felt anything like it. Her eyes locked onto his, and she saw his Tiger staring behind the teal-colored glow as they made love, slowly, deliberately, completely while snow fell over them, making the skylight above them completely white by the time they were breathless and gasping with pure elation.
He was her heart’s own desire. The one man in the world she had ever felt this magnetic pull towards. Violet had always been a dreamer. Her hopes and imagination are what caused her to want to be a writer, but with him she felt as if she really could achieve those dreams.
She felt loved and safe for the first time ever. Through the wondrous new power of her matebond with him, she felt emotions she had only ever read about.
He was incredible, sinfully handsome, a natural born leader, powerful and charismatic, and yet she felt truly comfortable with him. Like she could be herself and he would always accept her.
Violet knew it was impossible, a fantasy for sure, but she also knew it was as real as the snow falling outside. Her body hummed with delight as he touched her in places no man ever had.
“Beautiful,” Dean cupped her face between his hands and rolled over on top of her, changing angles his cock sunk deeper inside of her.
Stroking that perfect spot that only he had ever reached and soon she was struggling for breath as he swiveled his hips, rocking his body with such tender care into hers and bringing her more pleasure than she had ever felt.
He swallowed her cries as her orgasm overwhelmed her senses, until he joined her in that sweet oblivion. Eons later, he ended the kiss with dozens of smaller, tender touches of his lips to hers.
Words could hardly express what she was feeling, but one did. One word said it all.
“Mate,” she exhaled and pressed her forehead to his, sucking in the fresh pine scent that was all him and cradled him in her arms.
Pure joy and elation filled her and she realized it was coming from him too. Something inside of her recognized the rare beauty and profound power of their special bond. It was humbling and awesome in ways she had never experienced, but looked forward to, with him.
After she scrounged around for some clothes that would fit her, Violet joined Dean in the surprisingly large kitchen.
“You know this cabin is insane,” she said and laughed as she accepted the glass of white wine he held out to her.
“Really? What do you mean?”
He was cutting some lemons and adding them to a beautiful cut of fish, which had her salivating. That was weird she didn’t usually like fish, but she was almost ready to eat the thing raw.
“What is that?”
“Pacific Cod, I had Alex, the ISP Vice President and Beta of my Pride, arrange for the cabin to be stocked when I arrived and I always have fish on Christmas Eve,” he shrugged.
“Yeah? That is an Italian thing, isn’t it?”
“Yes, my mother is Italian. She is going to love you,” he grinned and Violet’s stomach flipped.
It had been a long time since she had any family of her own. The idea warmed her even as it had her nerves standing on edge.
“Hey,” he said and her eyes met his across the marble counter, “I mean it. She and my father retired years ago, but I can call and have the jet fueled up at a moment’s notice. We can visit them in Florida maybe after the holidays. Do you like Florida?”
“Uh, I don’t know. I’ve never been,” she answered and suddenly felt as if the walls were closing in on her.
Here she was in this fancy cabin that to him was nothing more than a blip on his radar. How could she fit into his world? She was just a nail technician.
“Hey, little one. It’s okay, look at me now,” he was suddenly in front of her and his big warm, hands were on her face, tilting it up towards him, “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. If I am moving too fast, it is just because I am so happy. You did that, you know.”
“I did?”
“Yes, you make me happier than I ever thought was possible, but I get it if you don’t want to meet the family right away. My parents can be a bit overbearing,” he frowned.
“No, it’s not that,” she laughed and to her horror a tear rolled down her cheek.
“Hey, no crying, please,” he bent and kissed away all traces of her tears from her cheeks.
“I just, well, it’s been a long time since I belonged to anyone,” she tried explaining and he wrapped his arms around her, tucking her head against his chest.
“I got you now, little one, and you belong right here with me,” he whispered against her hair.
She felt safe and warm, and most of all loved wrapped up in the security of his embrace. Violet released the breath she’d been holding and with it expelled all her frazzled nerves.
“Tell me about the Pride,” she said recalling his mentioning a Beta, which from her writing meant there was probably an Alpha too, “who is in charge?”
“Uh,” he stepped back and wiped his hands on a dishtowel before picking up the broiler pan with the seasoned fish and placing it under the fire to cook, “I am.”
“You’re what?”
“In charge,” he answered and turned to face her, “I am the Neta of the and you, mate, are our Nari, that is what we call our Alpha fem.”
“But I, I don’t know anything about being a Tiger,” she said and he could sense her growing anxiety.
“Let me feed you, little one, then I will teach you everything you need to know.”
Dinner was phenomenal and Violet had to admit she was now a fan of fish. He’d seasoned the flakey perfection lightly with sea salt, crushed red pepper, olive oil, parsley, and lemon slices, and she’d practically purred while digging in.
Paired with some almond tossed string beans, dinner was absolutely divine. She couldn’t wait for dessert and nearly snarled aloud when he told her it was for later, but she remembered herself in time.
“Won’t I be cold?” she asked as Dean took her hand and led her to the snow-covered deck.
“Not really. We need to do this now, more snow is coming in an hour or so,” he said as he watched the darkening sky.
“But I don’t know what to do,” she whined as she began to strip, mimicking his actions.
Nerves had her acting a little bratty, but she could hardly blame herself. The last few hours felt like some kind of crazy dream.
“Love, you will be fine,” he rubbed her shoulders and she leaned into him longing to feel his weight atop her once more, “I promise, I will do anything and everything you want me to, but right now it is time you meet your Tigress.”
She growled impatiently and huffed as he turned her around to face out towards the frozen Pine Barrens.
“It’s cold.”
“Forget the cold, sweet, close your eyes. Look deep within yourself. She is there. Waiting for you, love, let her out, let her know what you want. Remember she has a voice and a mind, but you share the same soul,” his voice was hypnotic as he whispered into her ear.
Violet’s rational mind wanted to scoff at the ridiculousness of it all, but there was something else inside of her. And that something was very interested in what Dean had to say in that deep, rumbling timbre that was both soothing and arousing at the same time.
Violet decided to follow her instincts. She closed her mind off to the doubt and her pesky rationale. She didn’t need that anymore, not here, and not with him.
Instinct, nature, fate, hell, maybe even her boss or just the universe at large had all convened to bring her to this exact moment in her life. It was time she stepped up and away from the drudgery that was her previous existence.
In these last few hours with Dean, Violet had felt more and done more than she had in the entirety of her thirty years on Earth. She trusted him. Crazy as that sounded, she did. With her body, her mind, and yes, even her heart. There was something so refreshingly honest about him.
“Just breathe, love,” he whispered and she felt her limbs go soft and heavy as her trust in him allowed her to relax fully.
Expelling a breath, she finally saw her, a beautiful sleek Tigress with shining golden-orange fur and inky black stripes. Her beast was magnificent. Beautiful and graceful as she stepped forward inside her mind’s eye.
Let me in, her Tigress pushed the thought into her head and suddenly she was propelled forwards, slumping on her bare knees in the cold snow that had fallen on the deck.
“That’s it, mate. You can do it. Don’t fight her. She is you, let her in, accept the change,” Dean talked her through the worst of it, and finally, when her skin ached and the sounds of her muscles tearing and her bones breaking and reknitting no longer echoed in her mind, Violet stood.
The world was slightly askew when she opened her Tigress’ eyes. It was sharper, like switching from regular old television to high definition, she guessed and chuffed at her wayward thought.
“You are beautiful, my Nari, as I knew you would be,” Dean knelt before her, waiting until she bumped his shoulder with her big head to touch her.
He pressed a kiss to her head and stood up in his nudity. She recognized the hum of magic now, saw it even as it worked to transform him from man to beast in the blink of an eye.
Violet grunted at that. Her own change had been painful and much longer. Not at all easy like his looked.
It will get easier with time, little one.
Violet snarled and stopped in her tracks. To hear his voice so clearly in her head felt strange, though not unwelcome. She narrowed her eyes and flicked snow in his direction with her long tail.
You could’ve warned me about that.
About what?
That you can read my mind when I’m like this, I mean what if I was thinking about how hot you are, or what if I was thinking about another guy.
At that, Dean roared loudly.
No other. Mine!
Okay, easy there, buddy, I was just kidding.
Sorry. I am afraid my Tiger is very possessive of you, Violet. Joking about other men is probably not a good idea.
Really? Well, how about this? Is this a good idea?
She used her massive paw to toss a huge wave of snow at Dean’s Tiger’s face before vaulting over the fence and out into the woods.
The air on her fur felt divine as did racing over the mounds of snow and tangled roots and limbs. She smelled everything, like everything, from field mouse droppings to larger animals like deer and bears that had passed along the way. Mostly though, she scented her mate, and her Tigress approved wholeheartedly of him.
Her Tigress chuffed and teased him, loving the strength and energy of her other self. She frolicked happily in the woods, chasing and being chased by Dean for what seemed like hours but couldn’t have been too long before he led the way back to his cabin.
We want to be back in time for Santa, don’t we?
She snorted at him but was happy to be headed back. Truth was, being a Shifter was exhausting.
Don’t forget dessert, she thought at him and got the distinct impression her mate had been thinking the very same thing.