Mid Life Bear Cubs (Midlife Shifters Book 8) Read online

  © Copyright 2021 by J.L. Wilder- All rights reserved.

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  Midlife Bear Cubs

  Mid Life Shifters

  By: J.L. Wilder

  Table of Contents

  Midlife Bear Cubs

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Chapter Fifty

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  Chapter Fifty-Nine

  Epilogue

  Free Preview of Midlife Magic Dragon

  About The Author

  Midlife Bear Cubs

  Chapter One

  LAUREN

  “I’m pregnant.”

  Jessica’s jaw dropped. “You’re what?”

  Lauren drew a breath. In truth, she was surprised that her friend hadn’t noticed something was different as soon as she’d walked up to the table. At two months pregnant, she could already see the differences in her own body.

  Maybe Jessica didn’t notice that Lauren’s face was fuller, or that her waist was a touch thicker than it had been last time she’d come back to Chicago.

  “I’m pregnant,” she repeated.

  “I didn’t even know you were seeing anybody!” Jessica said.

  Lauren bit her lip.

  “Oh,” Jessica realized. “Oh, shit.”

  “Yeah.”

  “How far along are you?”

  “Two months.”

  Jessica whistled, long and low. “So I guess you’ve decided what you’re doing.”

  “Yeah,” Lauren said. “I know we always said we wanted to be childless, but it kind of feels like if it’s happening at this stage in my life, it’s fate, you know? It’s not like I’m twenty anymore.”

  “You’re not that old,” Jessica objected.

  “I’m not that young,” Lauren said. “Forty-one is pretty old to be getting pregnant. I kind of thought...” She trailed off.

  “You thought what?” Jessica asked.

  “Well, I thought I was menopausal, to tell you the truth,” Lauren said. “I hadn’t had my period in a few months, even...before.”

  “Stress can do that sometimes,” Jessica said. “You said you’re two months along? That would mean that you got pregnant right around the time your mother died. You were going through a lot.”

  Lauren nodded. “That’s probably what it was,” she said. “And then afterward, I still didn’t get my period, so it took me a while to figure out what was going on.”

  “This is wild,” Jessica said. “I can’t believe you’re really pregnant. And the guy doesn’t know?”

  “No,” Lauren said firmly. “I don’t want him involved.”

  “Yeah, I guess not,” Jessica said. “Your kids will be shifters, and having a human dad would be weird.”

  Lauren didn’t say anything. Of course, her friend had assumed that the father of her children was a human man—she’d been living in the human world for the past twenty years. She’d been passing as fully human, working as the manager of an expensive restaurant and living in a suburban apartment. Paying taxes. Watching her favorite TV shows on the streaming service she subscribed to.

  Her life had deviated about as far from the life of a shifter as anyone’s possibly could.

  But now, she was going to be a mother to young shifters.

  “So,” Jessica said. “Is that what brings you back here?”

  “Yeah,” Lauren said, grateful that Jessica had moved on from the subject of the father. “I want them to be raised among the den. I want them to know this world exists.”

  “Strange time to be coming back,” Jessica said.

  “Why? What do you mean?”

  “Well, you know your cousin Cody is our alpha now, I assume?”

  “Of course,” Lauren said. “Cody was alpha when I came back for my mother’s funeral.”

  “Right, of course,” Jessica said. “Sometimes it feels more recent than that. It’s been...kind of a culture shock.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “He’s not like Arthur.” Arthur had been their last alpha. He was uncle to both Lauren and Cody, and he’d had no direct male descendants. As the eldest male cousin in the family, Cody had had the best claim to the role of alpha.

  “Cody’s never been like Arthur,” Lauren said. “He’s always been kind of—”

  “A jackass?”

  “I was going to say irresponsible,” Lauren said, chuckling. “But sure.”

  “He doesn’t do anything for the den,” Jessica said. “He spends all our money on these wild block parties every weekend, which he says is valid because they’re for everyone, but I don’t know. It’s not what I would have chosen to do with den funds.”

  “He’ll settle in,” Lauren said. “He’s still pretty new to the job.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Jessica said. “It’s just hard. It’s going to be strange for you, coming back at such an unstable time.”

  “I’ll handle it,” Lauren said. “It’s important for me to raise my kids here. I want them to know what it’s like to be part of a den.”

  “I honestly never thought you’d be here with us again,” Jessica said. “When you left to live the human life, I thought that was it.”

  “So did I,” Lauren admitted. “I’m as surprised as anyone. Believe me.”

  “And you really don’t want these babies’ father to have any part in their life?” Jessica asked.

  “Definitely not.”

  “Who is this guy?” Jessica asked. “I mean, I know you can’t let him in on the shifter stuff. But that doesn’t mean he can’t know t
hem at all, right? Is he that much of a jerk?”

  “No,” Lauren said. “Not a jerk, exactly. But he’s not the father type.”

  “Okay, but I wouldn’t have called you the mother type either,” Jessica pointed out. “People can surprise you.”

  Lauren sighed. She had come here knowing that she was going to tell her friend the truth. She just had to toughen up and do it.

  But it was hard. Jessica was definitely going to look at her differently once she knew.

  She might even be angry.

  So far, she’d been supportive, but when she learned the truth about these babies, that supportiveness might go away. And Jessica was the only person Lauren really felt she could rely on. She needed her friend.

  Still, she owed it to Jessica to be honest with her. They had never lied to each other before.

  “The father isn’t a human,” she said.

  “He’s a shifter?” Jessica blinked. “I don’t get it. Then what’s the problem?”

  Lauren steeled herself.

  “It’s Wesley,” she said. “Wesley is the father.”

  “My brother Wesley?” Jessica said.

  Lauren closed her eyes. “Yeah.”

  “How the hell did that happen?” Jessica demanded.

  Lauren drew a breath. “It was the day after my mother’s funeral...”

  Chapter Two

  Two Months Earlier

  LAUREN

  “All right,” Wesley Simms said, emerging from underneath the sink. “The drain works now.”

  Lauren sighed. The past couple of days had been utterly exhausting, and the damaged drain had been one problem too many for her. “Thanks, Wes,” she murmured.

  “Sit down,” he suggested, pulling out a chair. He took her hand and guided her over to it. “You look dead on your feet.”

  “Hah,” she said. “Thank you. I’m sure I’m a complete mess.”

  “I didn’t mean it like that,” he said. “But you do look exhausted. Is there anything else I can do to help you out while I’m here?”

  “No,” she said. “Not unless you want to go through all of my mother’s old clothes and sort out what to keep and what to throw away.”

  “I mean, I could,” he said. “I’d probably get it all wrong, though. I don’t know what you want.”

  “I’m only joking,” she said. “Honestly, it will be a relief to sell this place and stop worrying about it.”

  “So you’re definitely planning to sell, then?” he said.

  “Definitely. I don’t have any need for this house now.”

  “I guess I wondered if you might be considering coming back here to live with the rest of the den,” Wes said hopefully.

  “Oh,” she said. “No. No way. I’ve never regretted going out and joining the human world. That’s where I belong now.”

  “If you say so,” he said.

  She stood up to walk him to the door. As she did, she impulsively leaned in and gave him a hug. It felt so good to her to embrace an old friend. She felt a nice warmth radiate through her body.

  “Thanks again, Wes,” she said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. You look good.”

  “You don’t look so bad yourself,” he said.

  “You just said I looked dead on my feet,” she pointed out while laughing.

  “Oh, you know that isn’t what I meant,” he said.

  He reached up and gently traced her cheekbone with his thumb. “You look really pretty, actually,” he said. “I was noticing at the funeral.”

  She sucked in a breath. She and Wes had known each other for years, of course—they’d grown up together, and she was used to being around him, thanks to the fact that he was her best friend’s older brother.

  But he had never looked at her the way he was right now.

  What is he thinking?

  A part of her didn’t care. What did it matter? She had been so sad for the past few days about her mother’s death. She hadn’t encountered a single positive feeling. And now she was feeling something else, something other than pain and grief.

  It was weird.

  But it wasn’t bad.

  She sucked in a breath just as he leaned in to kiss her. Her head swam as his lips met hers.

  “Is this okay?” he murmured, leaning away.

  “Yeah,” she said. “God, yeah.”

  He nodded and reached down to unzip his pants. Then he took her hand and guided it down to cup him. She carefully drew his cock out and wrapped her fingers around it, feeling him throb against her.

  She closed her eyes and exhaled, losing herself in the sweeping force of her arousal. It felt so good to give herself over to something that was purely physical, that wasn’t emotional at all. She wanted to get lost in it.

  He hiked the black dress she’d worn for the visitation up over her hips, hooked his thumbs in the waistband of her panties, and eased them down.

  What am I doing? Lauren thought briefly. This was so unlike her.

  But do I really care?

  As he worked two fingers slowly into her, she decided that she did not.

  She rolled her hips with the motion of his hand, forgetting everything but the pleasure rising within her. She leaned her head back against the wall, still stroking him with one hand, marveling at how hard he was. He was going to feel so fucking good inside her. She didn’t know how she was going to wait even a moment longer to have him.

  She forced herself to keep breathing.

  He pressed his palm against her, driving his fingers in deeper, and she let out a desperate cry.

  “What do you want?” he asked, his voice low and husky.

  “I want you to fuck me,” she moaned, hardly able to believe that she was saying this to her best friend’s brother. “Please, Wes. I need it.”

  He hesitated. “I don’t have anything.”

  “I don’t care. It doesn’t matter.” She was forty-one years old. She wasn’t going to get pregnant. And she wasn’t going to be able to stand it if she didn’t get the chance to experience this cock pulsing inside of her.

  She squeezed him, desperate.

  He groaned.

  Then he turned her in his arms, pressed her hands flat against the wall, and wrapped his body around hers. With one smooth thrust, he was inside her.

  She was aware of his hands moving over her body—coming to rest on her hips, on her breasts. He seemed overwhelmed, unable to settle into a rhythm, unable to decide where he wanted his hands to be.

  Wes Simms is inside me. She was as overwhelmed as he seemed to be. It was as if every bit of thought and instinct she had within her was dedicated to bringing their bodies closer together. Nothing else mattered but the feeling of him inside her.

  I wonder if I’m going to regret this later.

  She couldn’t even commit to the thought. Even if she knew for certain that she would regret it, she wouldn’t have been able to stop. The need she felt for him was intense.

  He let out a guttural groan and fucked her harder, his hips stuttering, and she felt unhinged. She felt his absolute wildness. It was so much better than what she had been feeling before—loneliness, the loss of her mother. It was amazing to lose herself in something so entirely physical. To let her animal instinct be satisfied.

  Lauren would have loved to make it last—to dwell here in the feelings of bliss he was giving her. But his hands were gripping her hips now, firm and hard, pulling her back into him, and the sheer force with which he needed her was enough to put her over the edge.

  Her orgasm was so powerful that she was unable to focus on anything besides the pleasure of it all. She cried out in ecstasy, pressing against the wall to force herself closer to him, to take him deeper and deeper.

  His arm tightened around her waist, and he roared, and she knew he was coming too.

  His lips pressed against her shoulder.

  Then he stepped back.

  She stood still, her head hanging, as the skirt of her dress settled around her hips a
gain. She listened as he arranged himself and zipped up his pants.

  “Good to see you again, Lauren,” he murmured, lifting the hair away from her neck and placing a brief kiss there.

  She heard the banging of the front door and knew that he was gone.

  She stumbled back, away from the wall and over to the kitchen table, and sat down, stunned by what had happened.

  I can’t believe it. I just had sex with Wesley Simms.

  Chapter Three

  LAUREN

  “Oh my God,” Jessica said slowly.

  “Was that too much information?” Lauren asked, realizing she’d gotten carried away in retelling the story.

  Jessica closed her eyes and shook her head. “I can handle it,” she said. “It’s not like I didn’t know Wes was a player.”

  “Sorry about all the details,” Lauren said.

  “You and I have always told each other everything,” Jessica said. Then she made a face. “Not that I’m going to pretend the fact that it’s my brother doesn’t make it weird.”

  “Are you angry with me?” Lauren asked.

  “No! Why would I be angry?”

  “Because I slept with your brother,” Lauren said. “I was afraid to tell you at the time. I sort of thought I might get away with never bringing it up at all. It’s not like you and I see each other that often, and I wasn’t going to try to start a relationship with Wes.” She sighed. “Maybe fate’s punishing me for trying to keep things a secret.”

  “I’m not mad,” Jessica assured her. “I don’t blame you.”

  “Are you mad at Wes?” Lauren asked.

  “I don’t know,” Jessica said. “Are you mad at him?”

  “No, I’m not,” Lauren said. “I...well, I had a good time. I know it might be awkward to think about it.”

  “It’s all right,” Jessica said. “I’m not thinking about it too much.” She grinned. “But he doesn’t know you’re pregnant,” she added, the grin fading ever so slightly from her face.

  “No, he doesn’t,” Lauren said. “And I don’t want him to. You have to promise you won’t tell him, Jess.”

  “I won’t tell him anything if you don’t want me to,” Jessica promised. “This is your business. But why don’t you want him to know?”