"Instinct," she echoes, studying me with those perceptive eyes. "Like animals finding their mates?"
The word "mates" in her mouth sends a jolt through me, my bear rising so forcefully I have to clench my fists to maintain control. She's too close to the truth, circling it with innocent questions that cut straight to my core.
"Something like that," I manage, my voice rougher than before.
Ruby tilts her head, a smile playing at the corners of her lips. "So you're waiting for this... recognition? This instinctive knowing?"
If only she understood she's the one I've been waiting for. That the moment she stepped onto my porch, soaking wet from the storm, my entire existence realigned around her.
"Maybe I've already found it," I say, the words escaping before I can reconsider.
Her smile falters. I see confusion, uncertainty, a flash of something that might be hope. "Cole—"
A distant howl cuts through the evening air. One of the few true wolves that still roam these mountains. My bear responds right away, muscles tensing, senses sharpening. The full moon is tomorrow night, and my control is slipping hour by hour.
"We should head back," I say abruptly, standing. "It'll be dark soon."
Ruby blinks at the sudden change, but nods, accepting my offered hand to help her up. Her fingers are small and warm in mine, and I have to force myself to release them.
"Is everything okay?" she asks, concern in her voice.
"Fine," I lie, already turning toward the trail. "Just don't want you stumbling in the dark."
We descend in silence, the forest deepening into twilight around us. I'm aware of Ruby behind me—her scent, her footsteps, the slight catch in her breath when the path steepens. My bear is restless, wanting to turn back, to pull her close, to claim what's ours.
Not ours yet, I remind myself. Maybe never ours, if she can't accept what I am.
The cabin comes into view, windows glowing with the lights I left on. A home that's never felt so much like one as it has these past two days with her in it.
"That was worth the climb," Ruby says as we reach the porch steps. "Thank you for sharing it with me."
I nod, not trusting myself to speak. She's standing too close, looking up at me with those warm brown eyes, and all I can think about is how easy it would be to bend down, to taste her lips, to show her what words can't explain.
My bear roars inside me, demanding action. I clench my jaw, feeling my canines threaten to sharpen, my nails aching to extend into claws.
"Cole?" Ruby's voice breaks through the haze of instinct. "Your eyes..."
I turn away quickly. "Let's get inside. It's getting cold."
In the cabin, I move directly to the kitchen, putting the island between us, needing distance to regain control.
"Hungry?" I ask, opening the refrigerator more for something to do than from any real plan.
"A little," she admits, settling onto a stool. "That hike worked up an appetite."
I focus on the mundane task of preparing dinner, letting the familiar motions ground me. Chopping vegetables. Seasoning meat. Simple actions that don't require me to look at her, to smell her, to fight the urge to cross the distance between us.
"Can I ask you something?" Ruby says after a few minutes of watching me work.
"You can ask," I reply, not looking up from the cutting board.
"This... fated pairs thing. Do you really believe someone is destined for you? That you'll just know them when you meet them?"
The knife pauses in my hand. "Yes."
"How would you know?" Her voice is genuinely curious, without mockery.
I consider my answer. "It's instinctive. A recognition that goes beyond the physical. Beyond logic." I resume chopping, each movement precise. "Your body knows. Your...soul, I suppose, though that sounds more romantic than it is."
