Bred By The Boulderback Alpha

Bear shifters

Chapter 6 - A bear shifters

Aurora pov

Oh my God.

I covered my face with both hands, the heat rushing to my cheeks as my brain decided that the perfect way to start the morning was to replay exactly what I had said to Orion before I passed out.

How could I have said that? Did that mean I was comfortable with him? No, it couldn’t be — it was the medication.

I shook my head while dropping my hands and that was when a knock came.

I cleared my throat, padding over to open the door, only to find Orion standing on the other side. A sudden smile found its way to my lips, which I didn’t understand, and I felt a tight knot untie itself in my chest at the mere sight of him.

Maybe it was simply that he was a familiar face in an unfamiliar place and I opened the door wider for him.

“Good morning, Aurora,” his voice rumbled out and I shivered from the effect.

Something suddenly clogged in my throat. “I—”

“Hope you slept well,” he said, and the only thing I could manage was to bob my head in response before my stomach chose that exact moment to make itself heard.

Just bury me right now!

He chuckled lightly and that was when I noticed he was holding a set of clothes. “Go sit,” he said softly. I couldn’t still get used to his frame that filled the doorframe.

Man, man is big.

He stepped in and laid the clothes on the edge of the bed. “This is the least fitted of my shirts,” he said, “manage it until I can get your clothes sorted.”

“I’m sorry for the inconvenience,” I said, and I meant it, “and for overstaying my welcome—”

“No.” The word came out fast and slightly louder in panic and his eyes went wide for a fraction of a second.

I swallowed, shocked from the outburst, and he smiled sheepishly.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice leveling back out, “you aren’t inconveniencing me at all. You being here is a miracle and a blessing, and you can stay as long as you want.” He turned to the door swiftly, his hand finding the knob. “When you’re done, come down for breakfast.”

I nodded then remembered the simple human courtesy. “Thank you,” I said, and I really meant it. “Really, thank you.”

“Don’t mention it…” he said something else at the end that I didn’t catch. Then he was gone.

I stood in the middle of the room for a moment after the door closed, looking at the clothes on the bed, and then I went to shower.

The moment I opened the shower gel, I knew it was his. I stood under the water and breathed it in while telling myself that this was a normal response to a good scent as I quickly finished showering and got out.

Even his least fitted shirt was big on me, the hem hitting mid-thigh, the shoulders drooping past mine and the sleeves needing to be rolled twice before my hands were visible. I looked at myself in the mirror, seeing the blonde dye was already wearing off from my hair. I sighed deeply before going out of the room.

When I reached the stairs, Orion was at the bottom. He smiled when he saw me and I didn’t miss how his eyes roamed my body and nodded before he motioned me over. That was when I noticed a man sitting at the kitchen counter taking a big chomp from a red apple.

“This is Rook,” Orion said as I reached them, “my second in command.”

I looked at Rook, who was big also — broad-shouldered, buzz-cut black hair and a full sleeve tattoo. He had sharp eyes that were looking at me with open curiosity as a small smile played on his lips.

Second in command? I thought, then looked to Orion. Were they in the army?

Orion came beside me, close enough that I could literally feel the heat emitting from him yet not touching, and I wanted to lean into it… Wait… What was that thought?

I released a stuttered breath and stretched my hand out to shake Rook’s when a low growl came from nowhere and I whipped my head around.

Rook smirked slyly. “So this is the lady hogging your room,” he said, and the amusement in his voice was barely concealed.

My face went full red immediately and I opened my mouth to say something when a man walked out from the hallway mid-yawn, completely naked. “I patrol the bas—”

I squeaked, completely forgetting whatever I had been about to say as I slammed both hands over my eyes. Even while peeking through the small gaps between my fingers, my instincts kicked in and I took a step sideways, pressing myself straight into Orion’s side.

What the hell?!

“Woooh,” Rook whistled.

The blond man’s eyes widened. “Oops, sorry,” he said, turning only after being hit by whatever Orion had thrown at him.

“Get something to wear,” Orion barked, his nose flared, then turned to me. “I’m sorry about my brother.”

Brother? Then why was he naked?

Is it a cultural thing?

I dropped my hands slowly, checked that the hallway where the blond man had gone was clear, and smiled softly as Orion sat me at the dining table.

Breakfast was simple. Rook and Orion ate twice as much as anyone I knew. They practically devoured the food and were fast eaters also. Rook talked between bites while Orion nodded and added a hum to all his chattering.

After breakfast, Rook left, not before telling me we would meet later, then Liam, who I now knew was Orion’s brother, nodded once at me before walking out also.

Orion stood and placed his hand at my lower back, which made an electric jolt spark through my body, my heart pounding.

“Let me show you around.” I heard him say — or did he? Because my ears were ringing from the jolt.

What was going on?

The outside was something else. Orion’s house was big, a wide single-storey building set apart from the others with timber framing and a porch that faced the tree line.

As we walked, the entire neighborhood felt less like a standard town and more like an interconnected giant family. The trees surrounding the property were enormous and dense, filtering the sunlight into soft patches over the grass. The air out here was entirely clean, free of the heavy pollution of the city, carrying a rich scent of pine and earth that felt comforting like home.

I stopped walking, looking at it all, and breathed deeply.

It was beautiful.

Children ran past at full speed and I was nearly hit as I moved to the side, a group of them shrieking something at each other.

When they noticed Orion, they smiled and walked to him. “Alpha!” they chorused as he ruffled their heads, saying their names. His gaze softened and a smile played on his lips as I watched him and felt my heart skip in my chest.

Out of curiosity that had been eating me up, I asked, “Why do they call you Alpha?”

He glanced at me, then urged the children forward to continue their play. “Because I am the leader,” he responded, his gaze following the children running to the corner.

“Leader?” I tilted my head with my nose scrunched in confusion.

“Yeah,” he nodded, “the alpha, or the leader of the Boulderback clan.”

“Clan?” My heart thumped against my ribcage. I could only pray I hadn’t managed to escape a psychotic fiancé just to get myself mixed up with some strange mountain cult.

“Yeah. A bear shifters clan,” he responded calmly, his dark eyes locking onto my face as his brows pulled together slightly, as if he were trying to read my expression. “And the bear you saw that day in the woods…” he added, his voice dropping, “...was me.”

I stared at him dumbfounded, waiting for him to tell me it was a prank, but his unwavering gaze made me gulp.

This couldn’t be real, right?

“And you —Aurora…” he called and I shivered from how my name rolled from his mouth, “...is my mate.”

As the words left him, my chest thumped, blood rushing through my veins like my subconscious was accepting the claim.