A Bear of a Reputation by Ivy Sinclair

stomach. “What is this process?”
    “Are you asking for your story or because you care that something might happen to me?” Lukas asked.
    “It’s for the story,” I lied. I couldn’t give Lukas one iota of an idea that what I wanted from him was anything more than the story. I wasn’t sure why he seemed intent on torturing me by acting as if he wanted it to be anything else. He’d get what he wanted from me, and then he’d move on. It was his MO.
    “Well, in that case, you’re going to be the first civilian to get a front row seat to it,” Lukas said. “There’s a reason it’s not something that is widely publicized, like a lot of the inner workings within the clan.” His voice held a tone of seriousness that I rarely associated with him.
    “Why is that?” I pulled the car into the parking lot of the lodge. It was empty, and I had to wonder if Lukas was pulling some kind of elaborate practical joke. “And where is everyone?”
    “We’re going to have a little bit of a hike into the woods to the arena,” Lukas said.
    “The arena?”
    “How about you let me finish your first questions before you start asking more?” He pulled his long body out of the car and stood looking toward the tree line. I turned the car off and took a deep breath. I felt like I was in over my head, but I couldn’t deny that I felt a small wave of excitement. I was going to see something that had never been seen by someone like me before. I got out of the car and moved around to stand next to him. I peered into the trees, wondering if there was something there that I was supposed to be able to see.
    I felt Lukas’s gaze shift so that he was looking down at me. I met his eyes.
    “Once this starts, it won’t stop, Maren. I know that everyone wants to believe that we’re just like you, but we’re not. We have our own customs and rituals, and they are as much a part of our nature as the ones that fit in your world. The animal inside me is primal and raw, and it is always right there below the surface.”
    I felt a shiver at his words. His voice grew lower as he stepped into my space. “Being the alpha is in my blood. It is my right, and after this morning, it will be undisputed. Whoever goes against me will be dealt with, and when I find out what happened to my brother, I will deal with that as well. And it won’t be according to the laws of the human world. It will be dealt with according to clan law. You can’t interfere here. You are an observer, and you will be safe as long as you do everything that I tell you to do, without question. Today, I am taking back what is mine.”
    The intensity of his gaze made my knees feel weak. There was an undercurrent to his words that told me that he thought that he was claiming more than just his birthright today. His world was so different than mine, but I couldn’t turn away. Not now.
    “If you are trying to give me an out, you can forget it,” I said. “I’m not going anywhere.”
    Lukas gave me a short nod. “Then get ready to witness your first bear match. And remember, you aren’t allowed to interfere, no matter what you see. You will do everything I say without question. Do you understand?”
    He leaned down as I nodded. I didn’t back away. His voice caressed my ear. “Then we need just one more thing to make everything complete. Are you sure about this, Maren?”
    “I’m sure.” My voice wavered, but it wasn’t for a lack of conviction of what I was going to do. Lukas’s closeness to me sent waves of desire through every inch of my body. I felt a shock of pain as his teeth grazed my skin at the base of my neck. My eyes flew open as I tried to back away from him then, but his arms had wrapped around me and held me against him. The pain was replaced by ripples of intense pleasure as I felt his tongue caress the place where his teeth had just been.
    His head lifted, and he smiled at me with that rogue grin that always made me give in to anything he asked. “After