The confession sends heat through me, but it's tangled with guilt. She wants the man, not knowing about the beast. Not understanding what being with me would truly mean.
"Ruby," I begin, not sure what I'm going to say but knowing I need to explain somehow. "There are things about me you don't know. Things that would change how you see me."
She pulls back slightly. "Your secrets?"
I nod, holding her gaze. "Important ones."
"Does this have something to do with the bear I saw? With your eyes changing color just now on the porch?"
Sharp. Too sharp for her own good. I should deny it, deflect, protect my secret as I've been taught my whole life. But looking into her eyes, feeling her curves still pressed against me, I can't bring myself to lie.
"Yes," I admit, the single word carrying the weight of a lifetime of secrecy.
She doesn't pull away as I expect. Instead, her expression turns thoughtful, those clever eyes processing, connecting dots I didn't realize I'd left for her to find.
"Are you going to tell me?" she asks finally.
"I want to." And I do—the need to be known by her, truly known, is overwhelming. "But it's complicated. Dangerous."
"Dangerous?" Her eyebrows lift. "Are you in some kind of trouble, Cole?"
"No. Not like you're thinking." I release her gently, needing space to think clearly. "It's who I am that's the danger. What I am."
Ruby steps back, confusion evident in her expression. "You're not making sense."
"I know." I run a hand through my hair, frustrated by my inability to find the right words.
How do you tell someone you turn into a bear? That the moon controls your body's urges? That ancient magic runs in your blood?
"Whatever it is," she says quietly, "it can't be as bad as you're making it sound."
If only that were true. I've seen what happens when humans discover shifters. The fear, the violence, the desperate attempts to destroy what they don't understand. My father drilled the dangers into me from childhood: secrecy or death. Protection or extinction.
But this is Ruby. My mate. The other half of myself I never expected to find.
"Tomorrow," I say finally. "After the audit, when your job is done. I'll show you then."
"Show me?" Her brow furrows. "Not tell me?"
"Some things need to be seen to be believed." I move past her to check on dinner, needing the distraction. "And you need to be free to leave if... if what you see changes everything."
Ruby is silent for a long moment, watching me with those perceptive eyes. "You really believe I'd walk away? Because of some secret?"
"This isn't just any secret, Ruby." I turn to face her, letting her see the gravity in my expression. "And yes, you might. Most would."
"I'm not most people, Cole Blackwood. And I don't scare easily."
My bear preens at her courage, at the challenge in her voice. She's perfect for us—strong, unafraid, intelligent enough to understand and accept what we are. If only it were that simple.
"Let's get through tomorrow first," I say, returning to dinner preparations. "One crisis at a time."
Chapter 8 - Ruby
"One crisis at a time." He says.
Something inside me snaps. For two days, I've been circling the mystery of Cole Blackwood—the strange behaviors and the half-truths. I've been patient. Professional. Understanding.
No more.
