The touch sends a jolt through both of us—bear and man. A tentative acceptance that feels like salvation.
"This is insane," Ruby whispers, but she doesn't pull away. Instead, her fingers sink deeper into my fur, exploring the reality of what I am. "I should be terrified. I should be running. Why am I not running?"
Because you're my mate, I want to tell her. Because some part of you recognizes what we are to each other, even if you don't understand it yet.
Instead, all my bear can do is press his head gently against her hand, a gesture of gratitude, of submission despite his dominant nature.
Something changes in Ruby's expression. Shock softening into wonder, uncertainty giving way to a smile. "Your eyes... they're still yours. Still Cole."
My bear rumbles with approval. Yes. Still me. Forever me.
To my astonishment, Ruby edges closer, her hand moving to scratch behind my ear as she might a large dog.
"You're beautiful," she says softly. "Terrifying, but beautiful."
My bear practically purrs at the praise, at the acceptance in her touch. He settles more fully, lowering his massive head to rest gently in her lap.
Ruby laughs softly, the sound like music. "Well, this explains a lot. The strange behaviors, the disappearances, the way you sometimes seem to hear things I can't." Her hands continue their gentle exploration of my fur. "I knew you were hiding something, but I never imagined... this."
Her acceptance is beyond anything I dared hope for. My bear basks in her touch, in her lack of fear, in the way she speaks to me as if I'm still the man she knows rather than the beast I've become.
"Can you change back?" she asks after a while. "Or is it... stuck like this until the moon passes?"
I concentrate, trying to reclaim control from my bear. It's difficult so close to the full moon, painful in a way shifting usually isn't, but her acceptance gives me strength I didn't know I possessed. The transformation is slow, bones reshaping, muscles contracting, fur receding into skin, but less agonizing than I expected.
When it's complete, I'm kneeling before her, naked and human once more, breathing heavily from the effort of the shift.
"Ruby," I say, my voice hoarse. "I'm sorry. I never wanted you to find out like this."
Her expression is open and curious rather than frightened. "You're a bear?" she asks.
"Bear shifter," I correct, remaining where I am, giving her space. "My family has carried the gene for generations."
"Bear shifter," she repeats, testing the phrase. Then, incredibly, she smiles. "That actually makes sense. Your connection to these mountains, to the forest. The way you built this cabin like a den."
I stare at her, amazed by her calm analysis. "You're... not afraid?"
"Oh, I'm terrified," she admits with disarming honesty. "My entire understanding of reality just got turned upside down. But also..." She reaches out, touching my face with gentle fingers. "Also kind of exhilarated. How many people get to discover magic is real?"
"Magic," I echo, leaning into her touch. "That's one way to look at it."
"What other way is there?" Her eyes sparkle with newfound wonder. "You transform into a bear, Cole. If that's not magic, what is?"
I take her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm. "Most people would run screaming. Or think they've lost their mind."
"I'm not most people," Ruby says with a hint of pride. "And I know what I saw. What I felt." She glances down at our still-naked bodies, a blush rising to her cheeks. "Both as man and bear."
The mention of our passionate encounter reminds me of what came after—my claim, my bear's recognition. "Ruby, there's more you need to know."
"About being your mate?" she asks, surprising me again.
I blink. "How did you—"
"You said it while we were..." She gestures vaguely, her blush deepening. "'You're mine,' you said. And it felt... right, somehow. True. Even though it shouldn't."
"In shifter culture, we have mates. One person who completes us. Who belongs to us as we belong to them." I take a deep breath. "I knew the moment I saw you on my porch that you were mine."
Ruby's expression softens. "That's why you kept looking at me like that. Like you were seeing something no one else could see."
