Page 8 of Bear Love’s Hidden Destiny (Esoterra Shifters World #3)
Chapter Eight
Benedict
I sat by the fire in the hollow, the flames casting flickering shadows across the stone walls, their light dancing like whispers of the past. My body still ached from the fight, the shift pulling at my muscles, but the pain was nothing compared to the weight in my chest. Isabella knew the truth now, what I was, what Esoterra truly was.
She’d seen me shift, seen the bear tear through those rogues, and instead of running, she stayed.
Her stubborn courage, her refusal to back down, was more dangerous than any rogue shifter could ever be.
The mate bond between us hummed, strong and steady, but it made me uneasy.
She was in deeper than she realized, and I wasn’t sure I could protect her from what was coming.
The forest was awake, the Veil unstable, and her blood was the key to it all.
Isabella sat across from me, her journal open in her lap, her eyes bright with curiosity despite the blood and chaos we’d just faced.
She flipped through the pages, her fingers pausing on the Veilborn symbol, the claw-and-flame rune that tied her to this place.
“So,” she said, her voice light but pointed, “shifters. Tell me more. You said bears, wolves, hawks. How does it work? Are you born like this? And what’s with the different kinds? ”
I leaned back against the wall, the fire’s warmth easing the ache in my shoulder.
“Shifters are born, not made,” I said, settling in to explain.
“It’s in the blood, passed down through families, tied to the magic of Esoterra.
Long ago, before humans spread across the world, the forest chose certain bloodlines to protect it.
Each type, bear, wolf, hawk, whatever, has a role.
Bears like me, we’re grounded, tied to the earth, the roots of the forest. We’re protectors, keepers of the land’s heart.
Wolves are tied to the wind, fast, loyal to their pack, they guard the borders.
Hawks and other birds, they’re bound to the sky, scouts, messengers, seeing things from above.
There are others, panthers, lynx, even rare ones like snakes, but each bloodline’s got its own strength, its own purpose. ”
She nodded, her eyes wide, scribbling in the margin of her journal. “That’s incredible. So, like, what can you do? Besides turn into a giant bear, I mean. Are there special powers or something?”
I chuckled, rubbing my neck. “It’s not like comic books, but yeah, we’ve got abilities.
Shifters heal faster than humans, especially after a shift.
We’re stronger, senses sharper, sight, smell, hearing, all better than normal.
Bears have raw power, can take a lot of damage and keep going.
Wolves are quicker, more agile, great at tracking.
Hawks can see a mouse from a mile up. Some bloodlines, the rare ones, have weirder stuff, like snakes with venom that messes with your head, makes you see things.
But it all comes from the Veil, the magic that hides Esoterra. Without it, we’d just be human.”
She leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. “And the society? You keep mentioning the Council. Is it like a government? Do you have schools, jobs, or what?”
“It’s a community,” I said, poking at the fire to keep my hands busy.
“The Council’s made up of elders from each major bloodline, bear, wolf, hawk, a few others.
They make the rules, keep the peace, make sure the Veil stays strong.
We don’t have schools like you’d think, but young shifters are trained by their families, taught to control the shift, to understand their role.
Jobs depend on your bloodline, some are hunters, some are healers, some like me are rangers, watching the borders.
Esoterra’s small, maybe a few thousand of us, spread out in hidden settlements.
We keep to ourselves, avoid humans unless we have to. ”
She grinned, her pen pausing. “Okay, but bears. I love collecting bears, you know, like stuffed toys, but the cute ones. You’re a scary one, but you’re hot when you’re not all furry.”
I raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at my lips. “Scary? I saved your life out there, and you’re calling me scary?”
She laughed, her voice warm in the dim light. “Come on, you’re a giant black bear. That’s not exactly cuddly. But human you? Pretty easy on the eyes.”
“Easy on the eyes?” I said, leaning closer, my voice teasing. “Careful, you’re gonna make me blush.”
“Oh, please,” she said, rolling her eyes but scooting closer, her shoulder brushing mine. “You know you’re trouble. All broody and mysterious.”
I reached for her hand, my fingers lacing through hers. “Me? You’re the one running into forbidden forests with a creepy old book.”
She squeezed my hand, her grin softening. “But seriously, you’re lucky you’re my man.”
I blinked, caught off guard. “Since when?”
“Since I said so,” she said, her eyes sparkling. “You gonna complain? I’ll find a cuter bear out there if you want.”
I laughed, pulling her closer until she was half in my lap, her warmth pressing against me. “Cuter bear? Good luck with that. I’m one of a kind.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” she said, poking my chest, but she didn’t pull away.
Her fingers lingered, tracing the edge of my shirt, and for a moment, we just sat there, the fire crackling, her breath soft against my neck.
The bond hummed between us, warm and steady, and I let myself enjoy it, even if just for a second.
She leaned into me, her head resting on my shoulder, her hand still in mine.
“You’re clingy for a scary bear,” she murmured, her voice teasing.
“Clingy?” I said, nudging her. “You’re the one practically sitting on me.”
“Fine, I’ll move,” she said, starting to pull away, but I tugged her back, my arm around her waist.
“Don’t you dare,” I said, my voice low, and she laughed, settling against me, her warmth grounding me.
Her questions came back, sharp and focused. “The guy in my vision,” she said, her voice quieter now. “The one with the snake eyes, the black runes. Who was he?”
I sighed, the moment fading. “His name’s Marek,” I said, keeping my voice even.
“He’s from an old bloodline, one that tried to control Esoterra a long time ago.
He was a warlord, dangerous, ruthless, wanted to use the Veil’s magic to dominate, not protect.
The Council exiled him before I was born, sealed his records to avoid panic.
They said he was dead. I only know because I served under the elders, heard their stories.
He was a snake shifter, one of the rare ones, with venom that could twist your mind, make you betray your own. ”
She frowned, her fingers tightening on mine. “But he’s not dead. I saw him in the vision, watching the ritual. He was smiling, Benedict, like he knew something the others didn’t.”
My stomach twisted. If Marek was alive, the rogues we fought weren’t just rebels.
“Those shifters out there,” I said, nodding toward the entrance, “they weren’t random.
They’re loyal to him, or what’s left of his bloodline.
If he’s back, he’s coming for you. Your blood, it’s not just symbolic.
You’re a Veilborn, a living key to the magic they sealed away. ”
She absorbed that, her face calm but her eyes sharp. “So I’m a walking target? Because my grandfather was part of this?”
“Yeah,” I said, hating how blunt it sounded. “The forest hasn’t forgotten your bloodline. Neither has Marek.”
She leaned back, her gaze on the fire. “Then we need to find out what my grandfather left for me. His research, his notes, they’re the only way I’ll understand this.”
“There’s a place,” I said, hesitating. “The Root Archives, a library buried under Esoterra’s oldest tree. If your grandfather left anything, it’s there. But it’s deep in Council territory. Dangerous.”
“Then we go,” she said, her voice firm. “Before dawn.”
I shook my head, my hand tightening on hers. “Isabella, if you want out, I’ll protect you. Get you out of Esoterra, away from all this.”
She looked me straight in the eye, unflinching. “I’m not running. I came for the truth, and now I’m part of it.”
I nodded, my chest tight. Her courage was going to get her killed, but I couldn’t argue with her. Not when she looked at me like that. “Okay,” I said. “We leave before dawn. But you stay close, no wandering off.”
“Deal,” she said, a small smile breaking through. “You’re stuck with me now.”
“Lucky me,” I said, my voice softer than I meant.
She laughed, leaning into me, her head resting on my shoulder.
We stayed like that, close beside the fire, no bed, no privacy, just the warmth of the flames and the quiet between us.
The air was heavy, the bond pulling at me, but I kept my hands still, trying to focus on the plan, on keeping her safe.
Then she moved, her palm pressing to my chest, her fingers tracing the shifter rune inked across my skin.
The contact sent a tremor through me, my bear stirring, the bond flaring hot.
Her touch was light but deliberate, her eyes meeting mine in the firelight.
“You’re still hiding something,” she said, her voice low, teasing. “I can feel it.”
“I’m an open book,” I said, but my voice was rough, her touch making it hard to think.
“Sure you are,” she said, her fingers circling the rune, her smile fading into something softer, more serious. She leaned closer, her breath warm against my neck. “I’m not afraid of you, Benedict. Not the bear, not the man. I want to know all of it.”
I swallowed, my hand finding her waist, pulling her closer. “You’re playing with fire,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Maybe I like fire,” she said, her lips brushing my jaw. Her hand slid up to my shoulder, her touch igniting something deep inside me. The bond was a living thing, urging me to close the distance, to give in.
She whispers, “I want all of you, Benedict. No more fear. No more holding back.” Her words broke something in me, my control slipping like sand through my fingers.