As the minister guided them through the ceremony and the guests looked on in awed silence, Benjamin couldn’t hear a word. All he could do was gaze into the deep, warm pools of Samantha’s eyes. Their bears called out to each other through their connection. This whole ceremony was just a way of bringing other people together to witness their love. He and Samantha had already bonded so deeply and so completely that it was unnecessary for them.
They had already created their bond, their love, and their connection weeks ago when he had claimed her and turned her. He could hear her grizzly growling to him through their link, and she smiled at him. They shared a vision of running wild through the forest together.
“Do you, Benjamin Darling, take this woman Samantha Cooper to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?”
“I do,” Benjamin said.
“And do you, Samantha Cooper, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?”
“I do,” she said.
“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Benjamin swooped Samantha up in his arms, kissing her deeply and holding her tight in front of everyone. The guests cheered and laughed and clapped as he released her. She took a deep breath, her eyes wide and her lips smiling.
He held her hand, and rose petals rained down over them as they walked down the aisle and out into the bright day. The fragrance of roses and lilies bloomed in his nose as they proceeded across the yard to the Fate Rock Wine Cellar where the reception was held. Everything was in place and ready and as they stepped into the big open room with the dome ceiling and a view out onto the lake. The band began to play their favorite song.
“Can I have this dance?” he asked.
“Oh yes, husband. I would love to dance with you.”
“That’s what I want to hear, my dear wife,” he said, sweeping her into his arms as they twirled across the dance floor.
The guests filtered into the room and gathered around them. Flashes popped and reflected in the polished floors and crystal glasses. They danced together in their own private world. He could see the smiling faces of their friends and family as they looked on. Cora and his father were there, cheering him on, so happy that their son had finally found his mate. His brother downed a glass of champagne, pawing at his tuxedo.
Ben twirled Samantha under his arm and then brought her back into an embrace. The band played soft and slow and the whole world disappeared as they gazed into each other’s eyes. When the song was done he knew it was time to rejoin the guests. They took their seats together at the bridal table and found flutes full of champagne. Ben and Samantha toasted each other and as the guests were gathered at their tables all around. Benjamin was so moved by his feelings for his bride that he stood and lifted his glass.
“I would like to make a toast,” he said, gently tapping his spoon against his crystal champagne flute.
“To my new bride, Samantha Cooper. Not only are you the most beautiful woman my eyes have ever beheld, but the cleverest, most dedicated, kindest, and most resolute woman I could have ever imagined.” He looked out at the guests. “She is the reason we found the statue of our founder. She is the reason we now know the true story of Ambrose Morgan’s life and love. Without her curiosity and resolve to solve the mystery, we might never have found his statue.
“But that doesn’t even begin to express what a wonderful woman she is. She spent her life alone and without a family, something I could never imagine,” he said looking over at his parents. “Through all of that, she remained openhearted and hopeful. I am honored, every day of my life, to call this woman my mate. I am the luckiest man who ever walked the earth. Samantha Cooper,” he said turning back to her. “My mate. My wife. My life. My love for you is as boundless as trillions of stars in the sky. You fill me with infinite wonder and all of the possibilities of the universe.”
She stood and kissed him, wiping a tear from her eyes.
“Now that you’ve made a toast, I have to make one too,” she said with a sniffle and chuckle. “Benjamin Darling, you truly are a darling. You are sweeter than all the candy that you make every day for the people of Fate Valley. I never had a home before coming here, and though I was hesitant to fall in love with a stranger, the moment I opened my heart to you, I knew I was home. You made it so easy to love you. You were there for me every moment, every step of the way. Your strong and kind support never left my side. Never let me down. And when you guided me through my first shift, it was as if you brought me into a whole new understanding of myself.
“Without you, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I wouldn’t have had the courage to find the statue or to find my grandfather Valentine. You say that it is me that is the reason that we are all here together, and that the mystery of the missing statue was solved, but I say it was because of you.” She stopped to wipe a tear from her eye.
“My darling Benjamin. I love you the way the earth loves this sky. As I gaze up at the starry night, I know that every sparkle and twinkle is like you shining out your love for me. I only wish to return that love. It is my deepest wish, from the deepest depths of my heart.”
When she sat down, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Everyone clapped and cheered and wiped the tears from their cheeks. The waiters brought out their meals. Samantha and Ben sipped champagne as they chatted with the people they loved more than anything.
Benjamin held her hand on the table as they ate their steak and delicacies. He’d heard that men weren’t supposed to cry, but he was so moved that a tear slid down his cheek.
“I meant every word,” he whispered.
“So did I, my sweet husband,” Samantha said. “There are no words that can describe it. No songs, no stories.”
“It’s our bond,” he said. “The thing we share that radiates between us.”
She looked up into his eyes and kissed his lips. He knew that she understood exactly what he was talking about.
Chapter 27
Samantha and Ben sat together on the leather couch in front of the fireplace at Fate Rock Cabin, where so many of her new friends had honeymooned together. The moon shone high right outside the window as the stars splashed brightly across the sky. The fire crackled in the stone fireplace. Samantha rested against Ben’s muscled chest, feeling his heart beat softly against her cheek.
He held her close and kissed her head. Their wedding day had been so sweet. Now they were alone together, relaxing next to the fire. Something nagged at her mind, but she would think about it tomorrow. Now, it was time to be together with her sweet Ben. It was their first night together as husband and wife.
“It was so good to see all of our friends and family together today,” he said, rubbing her shoulder.
She looked up into his big blue eyes and smiled.
“I’m so glad my friends from the magazine could make it. My editor was so happy for me. She loves Fate Valley. She said me moving here was good excuse for her to vacation down here.”
“I’m so glad everything worked out for your job,” he said. “I know how much you love it.”
“I really do. Now that I know how I’m related to Ambrose Morgan, my article is going to be even better. It’s getting the front page! Everyone is super excited about it.”
“We really helped the people of Fate Valley better understand their history,” Benjamin said.
“And a family now knows who they are,” Samantha said.
“You really are an incredible woman, Samantha Cooper Darling,” he said kissing her lips.
He lifted her up from the couch in one motion, carrying her up the stairs. He laid her on the big four-poster bed in the master bedroom, her wedding dress billowing all around her. He growled and pulled off his tuxedo jacket. She leaned up on her elbow and smiled, biting her lip as his eyes twinkled.
“You can leave on the bow tie,” she said with a giggle.
He unlaced her dress, she stepped out of the billowing tulle, and he placed the dress on a chair. Soon he was down to nothing but his boxer briefs and bowtie. She gazed up at him, wearing her wedding lingerie, a white lace bustier with a matching thong and sheer silk stocking.
“You are so sexy in that,” he said with a growl.
She looked up at him, leaning back as he sank to his knees down her legs. He slipped the straps off her stockings and pulled them down her thong, smiling with a roguish, animal smile the entire time.
“You smell good,” he said. “Different, but good.”
Samantha thought about that for a minute and wondered if her suspicions were correct. But she didn’t have much time to think about it with Ben between her legs. He licked the slit of her core in the most devastatingly hot motion. His wet tongue lapped over her sex, drawing a long moan from her throat.
Now that she was a shifter, she felt pleasure more deeply than she had before. Sensation was accentuated. As Ben sucked her pussy, her body shuddered and exploded in a massive burst of climax. Her mind reeled. She felt him so close through their psychic bond.
An animal growl ripped from her throat as she ran her hands through his hair. He turned her over on all fours and began to unlace her corseted bustier. When he pulled it away, he fell to his knees between her thighs and began to lick her from behind. She growled up at him, looking over her shoulder. The sensation of his tongue, darting in and out of her channel, was cracking her mind open.
“Holy hell, Ben,” she growled.
He stood and chuckled sliding his long thick cock resting between the groove in her ass. She was so wet, so ready and open for him.
“You want this?” he growled.
She gasped and looked back at him as he kissed her back and squeezed her ass.
“You know I do,” she moaned.
He pushed the head of his cock against her opening. She groaned as he began to sink, millimeter by millimeter, inside her. She was ablaze with desire as he sank deeper into her. He brushed over her inner pleasure point and her body burst in a flaming orgasm again as he reached her depths. He rested against her, holding her hips in his big, strong hands. She looked over her shoulder and watched him as he pulled back and pressed again.
“Ben,” she growled. “Yes.”
He began to thrust slowly at first, and then he picked up his speed. As the momentum grew, so did the strength of his thrusts. Harder and harder, he pumped inside her, her body clenching around his long, thick shaft. She leaned down on her elbows and gripped the bedspread. Her eyes closed tightly as the world disappeared and was replaced by mind-shattering pleasure. It was like fire and ice, clashing in a tumultuous dance of lust.
Ben groaned and pulled her back against his chest, cupping her neck in his hand as he kissed her cheek and squeezed her breast. He nibbled her ear and whispered, “I love you.”
“I love you, my darling Ben,” she whispered.
His cock grew thicker and harder inside her as he shuddered his release. Hot jets of semen pumped deep into her womb, causing her body to erupt in a violent burst of pleasure. Samantha and Ben held each other, groaning and throbbing for several long, panting moments.
Finally, he released her, and they collapsed together on the bed, hot, sweaty, and breathless. They gazed at each other in the low light of the room, smiling and happy. She caressed his chest as he leaned up on his elbow and looked down at her. She ran the pad of her thumb over his cheek, thinking about how deeply she loved this man.
Her love was too big to be contained inside her own body. It was as if it needed more space. It needed to live inside both of them at once, and to grow bigger and stronger every day.
They climbed under the covers and made love three more times that night before finally falling into a deep sleep, entangled in blankets and each other’s arms.
When Samantha woke the next morning, she found Benjamin cooking for them in the cabin’s kitchen. The smell was delicious. She poured herself an extra-large mug of coffee with cream and sugar and sat at the breakfast nook, watching Benjamin cooking in his boxer briefs.
“You rocked my world last night,” she teased.
“Well, you rocked mine,” he said. “I’m surprised I can walk straight this morning.”
She giggled as he set her plate in front of her.
“I need to go into town today for some supplies,” she said as they shared breakfast in the breakfast nook.
“What you need?” he asked.
“Just some toiletries,” she lied.
“I could send someone down to get it.”
“This is personal stuff I need to get myself.”
“Okay,” he said.
She felt his question coming through their psychic bond, but she didn’t want clue him in until she knew for sure. After she washed and dressed, she gave Ben a kiss goodbye with the promise to be back soon.
“I’m going for a little hike while you’re gone. When you get back, I’ll make lunch.”
“Sounds perfect,” she said, kissing him again.
She climbed behind the wheel of her car and drove down the hill into town, parking in front of the pharmacy. She was nervous as she walked along the aisles with a basket in hand. Having found what she needed, she dropped it in the basket and went to the checkout.
“It looks like congratulations are in order,” the woman at the pharmacy checkout said.
“Fingers crossed,” she said with a smile, grabbing a bouquet of roses and placing them on the counter.
When she got back to the cabin, she shoved her little paper bag in her pocket. She put the roses in a vase on the table, glad Ben was still out. She wanted to be sure before she told him, and needed her privacy.
The question had been nagging at the back of her mind for the last week. At first, she thought it was because she was a newly-formed shifter and everything was just a little different now. But after several days, she began to think that it was just the old-fashioned reason. She took the little blue box into the bathroom and read the directions. After she did what it said to do, she set the pregnancy test on the counter and waited.
She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the test strip as the liquid soaked across the screen. She could barely believe her eyes when the little pink plus sign showed up. She put one hand over her mouth and squealed, while cupping her belly with the other.
It was true. She was pregnant. She hadn’t thought she could be ever be any happier than on her wedding day, but that little pink plus sign told her that there were whole new levels of happiness. Just then, she heard the front door of the cabin close and she ran out into the living room holding the test.
“What is it?” Ben said, walking through the door. She ran into his arms, so excited she could barely speak.
“It’s true. It’s really true,” she said, sending him all kinds of impressions through their link.
“What is that?” he asked, seeing the test in her hand.
“I’m pregnant,” she finally gasped, showing him the test.
“Pregnant…” he whispered. “You’re pregnant!” He picked her up and twirled her around. “We’re going to have a cub? A baby?”
“Yes! I’m so happy,” she said, tears gathering in her eyes.
“Oh Samantha,” he said, holding her tight. “I didn’t think I could ever feel any luckier than when you agreed to be mine. Now a cub so soon? I want to remember this moment forever,” he said.
He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and lifted it up above him. She looked up at her own smiling eyes as she leaned against his chest. He clicked the selfie and then saved it.
“There, we will remember this moment the rest of our lives. We can show it to our baby when the little one is born.”
“You think of the sweetest things,” she said.
He knelt down in front of her and kissed her belly.
“Sweetness is my business,” he said. ??
?They don’t call me Candy Bear for nothing.”
Samantha went down to her knees on the fluffy rug in front of the fireplace and threw her arms around Ben’s neck.
“I didn’t think my love could be contained in my own body. Now that we have a cub on the way, I know that this love is meant to be shared between us and our little ones. Together, as a family, our lives will be so full.”
“You took the words right out of my mouth.”
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