Then the perfect moment shatters.
I take a step back, pulling out of her warmth, and watch as my white seed trickles down her thighs. The sight should satisfy my bear, should calm the territorial beast within.
Instead, it incites him.
My vision blurs, the edges taking on a greenish tint. The world as seen through my bear's eyes. A violent shudder runs through me as I feel the change beginning, not the controlled shift I've managed my entire adult life, but something forced, something my bear is taking from me rather than me giving to him.
"No," I gasp, stumbling backward. "Not now. Not like this."
But it's too late. The moon is too close to full, my control already compromised by the intensity of claiming my mate. My hands spasm, growing larger, dark fur sprouting along my knuckles, spreading up my arms. The bones in my face begin to shift, an agonizing realignment I usually manage through practiced discipline.
I have no discipline left. No control. The bear is taking over.
Ruby turns, a satisfied smile still on her lips, reaching for me. Her expression freezes as she takes in my changing form. Eyes widening, hand flying to cover her mouth, the color draining from her face as her throat works around a swallow.
She's speechless. Terrified. And I can do nothing to stop what's happening.
The last conscious thought I have as Cole Blackwood, the man, is a desperate, anguished plea: Don't run. Please don't run from me.
Then the bear surges forward, and I am pushed deep inside my own body. Still aware but no longer in control, watching through eyes that are now more animal than human as my mate backs away from the monster I've become.
My bear advances, massive paws where my hands were moments ago, powerful muscles rippling beneath thick black fur. He's not aggressive toward Ruby—he would never harm our mate—but his presence is overwhelming in the confined space of the kitchen, his size intimidating as he moves toward her with singular focus.
Ruby presses herself against the wall, naked and vulnerable, her chest rising and falling with rapid breaths. To her credit, she doesn't scream. Doesn't faint. Those intelligent eyes move over my transformed body, taking in what should be impossible: her lover turned into a beast before her eyes.
"Cole?" she whispers, her voice trembling but not breaking.
My bear rumbles low in his chest, an affirmation. Yes. Still me. Always me.
Her eyes search mine. Still green, still recognizable despite the changed face around them.
"The bear from the forest," she says, understanding dawning. "That was you."
Another rumble of confirmation. My bear settles onto his haunches, trying to appear less threatening, though there's no disguising his massive size, the deadly claws, the powerful jaws that could snap bones with ease.
Ruby slides down the wall until she's sitting on the floor, her gaze never leaving mine. She's in shock, her brilliant mind struggling to process what she's witnessing. What she's been witnessing in fragments since she arrived. All the strange behaviors, the inconsistencies, the secrets suddenly making terrible, impossible sense.
"You're a..." She can't seem to find the word or perhaps can't bring herself to say it.
My bear dips his head in a nod. A shifter. A creature from myths and legends. Real, and sitting before her.
I expect fear. Revulsion. The natural human response to something that defies their understanding of reality. What I don't expect is the flash of wonder that crosses her features.
"Incredible," she breathes, her initial shock giving way to fascination. "You're actually... you can actually..."
My bear makes a soft chuffing sound, surprised by her reaction. This isn't terror. This is curiosity, amazement.
Slowly, cautiously, Ruby extends her hand, not quite touching, but offering connection. "Is this why you were so careful? Why you kept pulling away?"
Another nod. My bear edges closer. He wants her touch, craves the acceptance it would signify.
"The full moon," she says, pieces clicking into place. "That's why you've been so... intense these past days. Isn’t it?"
My bear blinks in confirmation. Her quick mind is remarkable, connecting dots that others would miss entirely.
"And the cash withdrawals… You need to go somewhere remote. Somewhere safe." She's talking more to herself now, reconstructing the puzzle of my existence with newfound understanding. "And me being here, in your territory, when you're already struggling for control..."
She falls silent, her hand still extended, trembling slightly but not withdrawing. After what feels like an eternity, her fingertips make contact with the coarse fur of my bear's muzzle.
