The Bearington Brothers & Their Fated Mate (My Love; My Mate; My Shifter - Chronicles - Book One)
Chapter Four: The Opening of a Core

Laila blinked up at Park, confused by his words. Mother of the future Kings? She has no children she’s never even been pregnant…

“Laila!” Riley cried out when she saw her best friend in Park’s arms.

“She’s okay,” Park said, not even sounding out of breath, “but Paxton will need both of you.”

Riley looked at him, confused.

“No!” Laila cried. “There were hyenas don’t send Riley over there.”

Riley’s face paled not from fear of the hyenas but for fear of what they can and will do to Paxton.

“Don’t go,” Laila begged as she took hold of Riley’s arm. She can’t let her friend get killed...

“I’ll be okay,” Riley said as she patted Laila’s hand.

“But hyenas...” Laila whispered.

“She’ll have me,” Mark said, trying to reassure her.

“No,” Laila cried.

“They need to help Paxton,” Park said as he watched Laila.

“But you and Mark can go,” Laila said as tears streamed down her cheeks.

“I need to stay here and protect you,” Park said, “you’re an open book now.”

Mark stared at Park with wide eyes, then lifted Riley into his arms and took off towards Paxton and the hyenas at a fast pace.

Park sighed and held Laila close. He had opened her then let her run off, this was all his fault.

~🐾~

Paxton shifted into his bear and tore the throat out of the hyena who had assaulted Laila. NO ONE messes with their mate. Even if they hadn’t claimed her yet she belongs to them. Though he doubted she would agree with that.

He chuckled, he doubted she’d agree to being owned. Yeah, they have a true queen on their hands. She will be a wonderful mother and a fantastic mate. He can already taste it.

He took another hyena out before they pinned him to the ground. Their teeth tore into his flesh, and he roared with pain. Another bear jumped into the fight, and the hyenas screamed as the black bear tore into them. Those who were still alive took off.

“Mark, Paxton!” Riley called out as she rushed at them.

He wished she could understand them in their bear form. Her hand touched him, and his wounds stopped hurting as they closed. She then moved over to Mark and healed him.

Paxton shifted back to his human form and took a deep breath. “Is Laila okay?” He asked, looking up at Riley.

She nodded, “she and Park are back at the club waiting for us.”

Mark shifted then pulled Riley into his arms.

“Looks like we’ve found our right-hand man,” Paxton said, looking at Mark.

Mark grinned as he bowed. “Would be my honor.”

“Does that mean I’ll see more of Laila?” Riley asked excitedly.

“Sure does,” Mark said, kissing her temple. “So, how did this start?” He asked Paxton.

“Well, it seems that when Park pretended to be me, and she was able to tell him from me, it opened her core...”

“And without mating with her, she’s unclaimed, and the hyena sniffed her out,” Mark said with a frown.

“What does all of that mean?” Riley asked, confused.

Mark looked at her. “Do you remember when I discovered you were my mate how I seduced you in the back seat of your car?”

She giggled, “yes, I remember- wait, are you telling me that you only slept with me to claim…”

She stopped talking when his lips claimed hers.

“No,” he said when he lifted his head. “When I discovered you, it opened your core, and I had to mate with you right away so no one else could take you from me.”

She looked at him, confused. “How can someone claim someone else’s, mate?”

“If the core is open and the shifter has not claimed his mate as his. Then another shifter, the more sinister ones like the hyenas, can rape her and claim her for his own.” Paxton informed her.

She sucked in a shocked breath.

“Or seduce her,” Mark said, “but most often it’s rape.”

“Has it really happened before?” Riley asked with a cry.

Paxton and Mark nodded.

“It has,” Mark said with a heavy sigh.

“Have you seen it happen?” Riley asked.

Mark nodded, “it happened to my older brother.”

“Oh no,” she said as she covered her mouth with her hands. “What happened?” She asked as she moved her hands away from her mouth. She could tell that this was tearing him up inside. But she has to know. This is her best friend they’re talking about.

“Without realizing it, he had opened his mate’s core. By the time he had realized it, a hyena shifter had raped her. The hyena beat her and kept her locked up. She finally escaped one day and killed herself.”

Riley stared at him with wide eyes. “How?”

“She jumped off a cliff...”

“Oh, God,” Riley said with a cry. “What did your brother do?”

Mark pulled her into his arms. “He plunged himself off the same cliff. By the time Park and Paxton’s father was notified about the rape, my brother and his mate were already dead. Our Chief, their father, fought with the Chief of the hyenas, and of course, he won. The hyena who had caused the death of my brother and his mate was put to death.”

Riley wiped her eyes. “You really only have one mate?”

Mark nodded with a soft smile. “Yes, we do.”

“So, I’m your first?”

He kissed her. “You’re my only. Once we are given the information about our mate, we aren’t to have sex with anyone until we find our mate.”

She stared at him. “So, you were a virgin when we...”

He chuckled, “no love, we only go celibate after not before.”

Paxton smirked, “we went a bit nuts before we saw the Shaman.”

Mark laughed, “that’s putting it lightly.”

Riley punched Mark in the arm.

“Ow,” he said, rubbing his arm.

She smirked at him, and he grinned then kissed her. She kissed him back for a minute, then pushed him back and turned to Paxton.

“You and Park will claim your mate no hyena is stealing my best friend from me.”

~🐾~

Laila looked up at Park, who was still holding her protectively. “Why did you do it?” She asked.

He looked down at her. “What? Save you?” He asked as he studied her face. “I would think you’d have figured that out by now.”

She frowned as she shook her head. “No. Why did you trick me?”

“Oh,” he said with a frown, “that.”

“Yeah,” she said with annoyance, “that.”

He sighed, “it wasn’t a game.”

She snorted, “you were playing with my emotions.”

He shook his head. “No, Laila, we weren’t. So many girls say they like us. Say they could handle dating both of us, but they only see us as one man. No one except you has ever been able to tell us apart.”

She scrunched up her face. “That can’t be true.”

He smiled, “it is. Paxton and I may be total opposites, but we are identical right down to the mole on the shaft of our dicks,” he whispered into her ear.

Instead of feeling offended, she felt a warm chill slide down her spine. Oh yeah, she’s got to see that.

What are you thinking!?

Oh, God. She just met them... But she has never been turned on before, not even a little. God, what are these twins doing to her?

She let out a breath. “But you’re not completely identical.”

He eyed her. “How so?”

“I can see a difference in you.”

“Yeah?” He asked with a grin.

She nodded.

“And what do you see that others don’t?”

She shrugged, “it’s not that I’m the only one that can see it. I guess others just don’t notice it.”

He chuckled. He knows that no one but her can see a difference in them. He now knows that it’s how their mate was made. She was given the gift to see something no one else could see. He hoped it’s not a wart on the tip of his nose or something like that.

She ran her fingers through his hair. How could women not see the difference in them? Other than their hair, they’re total opposite. Just like he’d said just like her bears...

“Your hair,” she whispered.

His eyebrows shot up, and she giggled. She understands why he’d done what he did. They wanted to see if she sees them as individuals.

“What about our hair?” He asked.

She smiled, “they’re different.”

“How so?”

“Well. Paxton’s hair is darker than yours. Like a pure brown.”

He smiled. “And mine?”

She ran her fingers through his hair again. “Like a golden brown.”

He pulled her against him and kissed her. She sucked in a breath when his lips touched hers. It was a sweet kiss, and she smelt freshly baked chocolate chip cookies straight out of the oven. This is so strange yet so intoxicating. His tongue touched her lips, and she opened for him. When his tongue touched hers, she moaned and melted into him like those chocolate chips in the cookies she smelled whenever he was near.

Damn now she wanted some home-baked chocolate chip cookies.

He lifted his head and looked at her puzzled.

“What?” She asked.

He shook his head and smiled. “Nothing,” he said as he tucked a stray strand of her brown hair behind her ear. “I love your eyes.”

She smiled, “I love yours too.”

“Seafoam green has always been my favorite color.”

She smiled. “Is that what color my eyes are?”

He nodded. “They remind me of the ocean.”

She sighed, “I’ve never been to the ocean.”

He grinned, “we’ll have to rectify that and take you there.”

“Really?” She asked excitedly.

He nodded, “really. We have a place near the beach.”

She squealed as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.

“Hey. Where’s my kiss?”

Laila spun around and squealed. “Paxton!” She cried out as she ran to him and jumped into his arms.

Paxton chuckled as he caught her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He moaned as he wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss.

Laila moaned. She smelled the chocolate chip cookies again. Only the chocolate was darker, richer, and she wanted more.

When his tongue touched her lips, she opened for him. They moaned together when their tongues touched the vibrations of their moans, turning them both on.

Too soon, the kiss was over. He lifted his head and gave her the same odd look his brother had after their kiss.

Was something wrong with her kisses? She knows she’s not experienced; she has only kissed a guy or two- but... Oh God, they hated her kisses.

“Stay here with Riley and Mark. I need to talk to my brother,” Paxton said then gave her a light peck on her lips.

She frowned as Riley took her into her arms and held her tight.

Laila felt the tears slide down her cheeks. They’ve changed their minds about her.

No one ever wants her.

~🐾~

“Did you smell it too?” Park asked when Paxton stopped in front of him.

Paxton nodded, “I did.”

“She’s really ours,” Park said with excitement.

Paxton chuckled, “I’ve been fighting my feelings for her all night just in case and now…”

“I know,” Park said with a knowing smile.

“That girl can kiss,” Paxton said as he adjusted his pants.

Park chuckled, “for an inexperienced woman, she knows what she’s doing.”

Paxton nodded, “it makes me wonder what she’s like in bed.”

Park grinned, “well, tonight we find out.”

Paxton sighed heavily. “So, you figured it out too, huh?”

Park nodded, “yeah. It was my fault…”

“No,” Paxton said with a shake of his head, “no one told us that would open her core.”

“We are leaders we should have known.”

Paxton shrugged, “what is done is done. We found our mate.”

Park nodded, “and she’s more than we had bargained for. She’s smart, brave, beautiful, full of energy, and untouched.”

Paxton smiled, “let’s get her home.”

Park nodded and looked over at their mate, who was talking with Riley and Mark. “Laila,” he said, getting her attention.

Laila looked at the gorgeous twins. This was it they’re going to say. Sorry doll, but we’ve changed our minds.

“Come on, let’s go home,” Park said, holding his hand out to her.

“You don’t have to do that,” she said with a shake of her head. She’ll let them off easy, so no one gets hurt.

Park and Paxton looked at each other confused.

“Riley can take me home,” she said as she approached them.

“We’re not taking you back to your place,” Park said with a bright smile.

Laila stared at him as Paxton threw his arm over her shoulders.

“We’ve searched for a long time for you, doll. We aren’t giving you up that easily,” Paxton said with a grin.

“Really?” Laila asked as she squinted up at him.

Park turned her head to look at him. “Really,” he said then lightly kissed her, “you’re coming home with us.”

“But I...”

“You what?” Park asked.

“I thought you’d changed your minds about me.”

Both brothers laughed. Park placed his arm around her lower back and held onto her hip.

“Not likely silly girl,” Park said, then started walking.

“Why would you have such silly thoughts?” Paxton asked.

Laila shrugged her shoulders, and both men chuckled.

“You’re stuck with us doll,” Paxton said happily.

“Forever,” Park whispered into her ear.

Laila sighed with happiness.

They want her, and she’s going home with the two sexiest men in existence.

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