The Maverick Pride Tales - Chapter 46: Chapter 46

When they’d left the forest and the evidence of the streak behind, something in the back of Brayden’s mind urged him to go faster and he pressed down on the gas like never before.
He knew Hunter had ordered them to return to the Pride House, but something told him to pass Jessica’s Closet first.
The second he’d jumped into his truck with Reg and Mikey dressing in the back, he’d changed direction. He was going to drive by his mate’s shop before he headed to the Pride House.
It was like something was calling him there. The closer he got, the clearer it became. Something was wrong. It was Jessica. His mate was scared. Hurt maybe.
His Bear nearly erupted out of his skin before he could put the truck in park. The second he did, he jumped out of the driver’s seat and into the store with his Bear bursting forth.
The scent of Jessica’s blood in the air sent his Bear into a frenzy. He turned his huge, ursine head and saw the culprit. That was one sorry ass excuse for a Tiger Shifter. He just stood shaking in his boots with a gun in his hand while Brayden’s Bear zeroed in on him.
This soon-to-be dead man had touched his mate. That was all the reminder his animal needed to spring into action. Saliva dripped from his fangs as he bellowed his fury. With one savage swipe of his enormous claws, he slapped the gun out of the Shifter’s hands and sliced through skin and muscle like a hot knife through butter all the way to the bone.
The Tiger screamed and fell to his knees. Only the sound of Jessica’s pained whimper saved him from a gory death. Instead, Brayden shifted focus onto his mate.
It would take only one move, one twist of his hands to snap the fucker’s neck like a dried twig, but he threw him to the ground instead.
Reg and Mikey had the other three rounded up and cuffed already. The Pride healer was currently tending to a Shifter female with short blonde hair.
A glance told him Elissa, his Nari, remained uninjured. She was currently kneeling over his own wounded mate, pressing a wad of material against Jessica’s Tiger’s shoulder.
Brayden’s Bear pushed forward cautiously. With his nose, he nudged her soft reddish gold fur, breathing past the blood and pain to the ginger spiced scent he loved so much.
Please, be alright. Wake up, love.
He begged through the Pride link and their matebond.
Her Tiger was so gorgeous. But that was Jessica, a beauty in any form. Her sleek, powerful she-Cat was just as lovely as the human side of her, but he had no time to admire her.
Worry and fear pushed at him, his Bear whined and growled anxiously. He bellowed for Mikey, the Pride healer.
The Tiger did not dawdle. He ran across the store and checked over Jessica’s wound. Brayden’s Bear growled at the unmated male and the big man rolled his eyes.
“Change back, Brayden. I can’t examine her if you’re growling over me, and I have another patient,” he said, sounding reasonable, though Brayden could sense his anxiety.
Fucker was right, not that Brayden would admit it. Within seconds he was a man again, crouched next to his mate’s prone feline form.
“Jessica,” he said her name, touching her face with hands that shook.
If anything happened to her⁠—
No, it didn’t bear thinking about.
“Nari, are you hurt?” Mikey asked their leader’s mate while checking Jessica’s injury.
Brayden cursed himself for not inquiring after her. Fuck. But it was all he could do to hold on to his skin while the sonovabitch who put a bullet in his mate sat crying. The Tiger was bleeding and had his mangled hands cuffed with Shifter strength resistant zip-ties behind his back on the other side of the store. He wasn’t in anywhere near enough pain, according to Brayden’s beast.
“I am fine,” Elissa replied, interrupting his thoughts.
“Jessica was so brave. She defended us. Took the brunt of their attention.”
Hunter snarled. The Neta’s hands were on his mate, worry for his sister filling his gaze.
“Easy Brayden, it’s a through and through,” Mikey declared.
The Pride healer met his stare for a beat, then turned his head. He applied clean gauze to her wound.
“Hold this here. I have to go back to Kylie,” Mikey stated, and his voice hitched a bit when he said the she-Cat’s name.
Brayden almost asked him about it, but Jessica was waking up. Thank fuck.
“Will she be okay?” Elissa asked.
“She’s bruised, but fine. The other female is worse off,” Mikey replied.
He’d adopted a neutral tone and walked to the other woman. But Brayden had his own suspicions. Still, he pushed it away. Nothing was as important as his own mate.
“She fought them off practically alone. Broke that one’s wrist before the coward over there shot her. Brayden, I am so sorry,” Elissa’s eyes filled with tears.
“She will be okay,” Hunter whispered.
Brayden recalled how the male had come running into the store. Within two steps he’d defeated two of the assholes, then he was on the floor with his mate in his arms, and his eyes raking over his sisters’ prone form.
“Jessica’s stronger than you’d think. We used to wrestle as cubs, and whenever she pinned me, I used to tell her it was because I let her, but it wasn’t true. She was always badass. Don’t worry, she will pull through,” he murmured.
“She’s been shot. These assholes put a bullet in her,” Brayden snarled, trying to keep the Bear from wanting to kill everything in sight.
His beast teetered on the edge, and he finally understood the grief others felt without their mates. Maybe this happened to Valerie without John. Her choices would never sit well with him, but the Sow had not been sane without her mate.
His Bear could understand. The beast would completely takeover without Jessica in the world, bringing pain and death to all responsible.
“Come on, kitten. Come back to me,” he whispered, trying to keep the fear from his voice as his she-Cat’s brilliant teal eyes slowly blinked.
Her animal was still a little out of it, eyes glassy from the pain of being shot, but he saw the recognition in them. He hesitated to touch her, not wanting to cause pain. Sometimes, when the animal was more in control than the human, it was best to wait and see.
Jessica chuffed and butted him with her head, clearly happy to see him. He brought his forehead down to hers, smiling when her scratchy tongue licked his cheek. Pride in his mate filled Brayden.
Elissa gasped and cried happily, telling everyone what went down. His mate was truly fearless and brave, but he swore to gods, he would tan her hide if she ever did anything like that again.
“Hey there, Jessica. You will be fine now. I order it,” he said, and Hunter’s eyes flashed with emotion.
Brayden swore he could feel his Neta’s powerful feelings for his family and Pride in his voice.
“Let’s give them a moment,” Elissa whispered, nodding at Brayden and smiling at Jessica’s Tiger before allowing her mate to help her stand.
“How is Kylie?” Hunter asked.
The Alpha pair went to inquire after the young she-Cat, and to see about the prisoners.
“Kitten, you did good. I am so glad you are strong, but I need my mate,” he said, stroking his mate’s feline head.
He smiled at her purring and petted her soft fur with his hands.
“Yes, you were brave little she-Cat. But I need my mate’s human body now. Change for me so I can care for her, please,” he said earnestly.
A blink of an eye later, a naked and bloody Jessica lay before him. She groaned with the pain of her shift, hissing as the open bullet wound stitched itself together. She would need a day or so, but she would heal.
Thank the gods.
“Brayden,” she rasped.
“It’s okay. Don’t talk now,” he murmured, so overcome with emotion he was liable to break down in front of the whole fucking Pride.
Not that he gave a fuck. He was not ashamed of his love for her. She was everything, and without her, he would have nothing.
Careful of her injury, Brayden gathered her to him and lifted her up. Uncaring about his own nudity, he snagged a long piece of clothing from a nearby broken rack to cover her naked form. His Bear demanded he do so, needing to conceal her from so many eyes surrounding them.
“Brayden,” she sighed again, voice raspy.
He lifted her easily off the ground. But he didn’t speak. He couldn’t. Not yet. Placing her in the back seat of the truck, he got in and started driving without even talking to the Neta.
He might hear shit from him later, but he’d deal with it then. For now, the Bear needed to be alone with his mate. The drive back to the Pride House only took moments. He ignored the questioning eyes of those in residence and carried his mate to his wing of the house. To his Den.
“Brayden—”
He shook his head, silencing her before she could speak. His Bear was not fully under control. As if the reality of the whole situation just dawned on him, Brayden could not trust himself to say a single word.
Instead, he set about caring for her. Walking into the large bathroom, he balanced her on his knee as he turned on the six different shower heads that faced the center of the oversized, blue-tiled shower stall. He stood her up under the warm spray and immediately joined her.
The effect was as if they were under a waterfall and soon the room was full of steam. Jessica let her head fall back as the water sluiced over her naked body. He hated the smattering of bruises that covered her. Especially the large, painful looking welt that was her bullet wound.
Knowing all evidence of her fight would be gone by the next day did nothing to soothe his Bear. So Brayden distracted the beast. He grabbed a handful of liquid soap and began washing her body with long, slow rubs of his oversized hands.
“Feels good,” she whispered, and leaned into his touch.
Fuck, he loved her like this.
Soft and pliant in his arms. The thought of almost losing her sent his animal into a frenzied rage. He closed his eyes, allowing his beast to feel the truth of her beneath his hands. She was here, alive, and well, and his.
Brayden ignored the throbbing of his cock and set about washing the blood and scent of battle off his beautiful, brave mate.
“Brayden,” she purred his name, touching his shoulders lightly, as if to steady herself.
He would always be there to support her, to hold her up. It was his privilege, as well as his duty. Brayden’s breathing grew heavy as he added more soap and lifted his arms to shampoo her mass of hair.
Gods, he loved her hair. It was like holding fire. So beautiful and different from anything he’d ever held. He loved her peaches and cream skin that was slowly revealed after he’d washed away the blood and gore. Upon rinsing the shampoo from her hair, he added conditioner and repeated the process.
Caring for her soothed his beast. Still, he didn’t trust himself to talk. How could he explain what he was feeling to her? How could she ever know how much she meant?
“I’m sorry, mate,” she said.
“I love you.”
Her declaration held so much heat, it was enough to have him lift his eyes to her questioning ones. Desire scented the air, his and hers mixed. He couldn’t help it. His mate was nude and in his arms. How could he not want her?
Without planning it, Brayden pulled Jessica towards him and crushed her against his chest. Tremors wracked his body as he pressed her close. Something between a sob and a roar tore out of his throat as he held his precious mate to him for all he was worth.
He could barely catch his breath. Couldn’t stop the raging tide of emotion from leaking out.
“Mate,” he said, repeating the word over and over.
His voice hoarse with worry and fear, and love. So much love.
“I’m okay. I’m fine. Brayden, I’m here with you.”
He felt her arms, the strength in them as she hugged him back, whispering words of comfort and support.
Brayden stopped trembling for a moment, unashamed by his display of feeling. He was a Shifter and a man. He would never apologize for the way he felt.
Picking his head up, he looked into her tear-filled eyes and his heart contracted in his chest. Her blue depths reflected his own epiphany right back at him and his hearts swelled.
Brayden ignored the tears that leaked from his eyes, his emotions just too powerful to contain. He’d found his one true mate, and he’d almost lost her today.
“Jessica, I know I haven’t said the words yet, but I need to tell you, I love-”
“I love you too,” she said before he could get the words out.
He laughed through the pain and tears of his almost loss. She smiled up at him, the bruise on her cheek had turned an ugly shade of yellow, but it did nothing to mar her beauty.
She was radiant. His own personal sun, bringing warmth and light to his life.
“Jessica Maverick, I love you so fucking much,” he growled the words and crashed his mouth to hers.
This was a kiss he never wanted her to forget. He wanted to stamp it on her very soul, the way it would forever be ingrained upon his.
He poured his love, his esteem, his unyielding respect, and undying devotion into this one act. Swallowing her tears, he vowed to never make her cry again. Not with anything but love.
Fuck, she loved him. The knowledge made him feel ten-feet tall. Invincible, like he could do anything.
Brayden fed off her mouth, licking her lips and teasing her tongue. He traced every inch of the warm cavern, including gums and teeth. He wanted every bit of her to carry some memory of him. She was his. Every single inch.