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“Are you okay?” Kris stepped forward, his hand outstretched as she swayed on her feet.

“Yes. At least, I think so. I mean, I should be terrified,” she whispered. “I should be running for the door. But I’m not.” She looked up at him, bewildered. “Whyam I not afraid, Kris?”

He took a step toward her. “Because of what we are to each other.”

“What we are to each other?” She tugged her brows together. “Could you be a little less cryptic?”

“I’ll try.” He drew a deep breath. “In our world, shifters have mates—one person they’re destined to be with. It’s like love at first sight. Everlasting love at first sight.”

Understanding dawned in her eyes. “And I’m...”

“My mate,” he confirmed, his voice thick with emotion. “From the moment I saw… No, from the moment I sensed you…”

“This is crazy,” she whispered.

“But it doesn’t make it any less true,” Kris said.

Cassia sat down heavily on the nearest chair. Her hands trembled slightly as she ran them through her hair. “You’re telling me we’re...what? Soulmates? Destined for each other?”

“Yes,” Kris said simply, remaining where he stood, giving her space. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

She looked up at him, her eyes brimming with questions. “Is that why I felt so drawn to you? From the very beginning?”

He nodded. “And why I felt it, too. The mate bond works both ways, even if humans don’t always recognize it for what it is.”

“So you wait your whole life for your mate to just turn up?” she asked incredulously.

“Something like that,” Kris said. “You are my fated mate, Cassia. You are the only one for me. Ever.”

“Fated mate,” Cassia repeated.

“Yes, fate has a way of bringing mates together,” he gave her a lopsided grin. “In mysterious ways.”

“The job listing,” she whispered, realization dawning. “Oh goodness, you said it was never meant to be published. Are you saying that…”

“Was fate. Yes.” Kris smiled softly. “Finn swears he has no idea how the job listing got posted.”

“So fate brought me here,” Cassia said wonderingly. “Because we are...mates.”

“Yes. I truly believe that fate had a hand in that ad finding you,” Kris said.

Cassia’s eyes widened with wonder. “Fate,” she whispered, testing the word on her tongue. “I’ve never believed in fate before.”

“I’ve never believed in anything else,” Kris said. “But I was beginning to give up hope of ever meeting you. But then you walked into my life.”

Cassia’s eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “And I thought I was just running away from my past. It turns out I was running toward something far more important.”

“Toward me,” Kris said softly, taking a tentative step closer. “Toward us.”

“Us,” she repeated, testing the word on her tongue. She looked up at him with wonder. “How does this work? The mate bond, I mean. Do I get a say in it, or is it like some magical compulsion?”

Kris shook his head firmly. “You always have a choice, Cassia. Always. The bond draws us together, but it never forces us. It’s an invitation, not a command.”

“And if I accept this invitation?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“Then we build a life together.” He kneeled before her, close but not touching. “We share everything, the good days and the bad, the vineyard, the restaurant, all of it. And...” he hesitated, his eyes searching hers, “a family. Children. If that’s what you want.”

“And I thought I was coming here to plan a menu, not the rest of my life.” She took a shuddering breath.