“You know?” Philip arched an eyebrow in question.
This is going to be a whole lot easier if Elsbeth already knows about shifters, his bear said.
But it also confirmed his worst fears, that she hadn’t wanted to hear what he had to say last night because she didn’t want him to confirm they were mates.
“I mean, I know you have something on your mind,” she replied.
“Oh,” Philip said with relief.
She doesn’t know, does she? his bear asked.
No, I don’t think she does, Philip answered, his relief short-lived. This felt a little like out of the frying pan and into the fire .
Because now he had to find the words to tell her about shifters, about the mating bond, about who she was to him.
“I’ve noticed something’s been on your mind,” Elsbeth said, twisting her hands together. “Like there’s something important you want to tell me.” She looked up at him with those eyes that seemed to see right into his soul. “Last night, on the bench at the vineyard, I could feel it.”
His bear stirred restlessly inside him, eager to finally be acknowledged. This is it. Tell her the truth, his bear urged.
“I did want to tell you something,” Philip admitted. “I still do.”
Elsbeth reached for his hand, her fingers entwined with his, and a shock of recognition threaded through his veins. “I’m sorry I cut you off. I was afraid that...that it might be bad news,” she admitted, her voice small. “And so it was easier not to listen, but that was unfair. Whatever you have to say, you should say it.”
She was scared, his bear’s heart went out to their mate.
He should have guessed. Should have sensed her unease. But he hadn’t, perhaps because he’d been scared, too.
“I never meant to upset you,” Philip said, squeezing her hand. A weight lifted from his shoulders. She hadn’t been rejecting him, she’d been protecting herself.
But will she still be scared when we show her the truth? Philip wondered.
I am not scary, his bear insisted.
Not to me, not to people who know about shifters, Philip reasoned, but to someone who has no idea shifters exist? It is going to be scary.
Not as scary as losing her mom, his bear replied forlornly, wishing he could take that pain from his mate.
No, Philip agreed. For Elsbeth, I doubt there’s anything as scary as losing your mom.
Elsbeth tilted her head, confusion crossing her features. “Philip?” She touched his cheek gently, her eyes searching his. “You seem so far away.”
“No, I’m right here.” Philip leaned into her touch, savoring the connection. “I have something I want to show you,” he said, his voice low and serious.
“Does this involve another trip in your truck?” she asked lightly, trying to ease the tension between them.
“No,” Philip replied with a small smile. “But maybe...” He looked around at the open fields surrounding them. “We could go somewhere a little more private.”
He didn’t want to shift in the open in the middle of the day, even though he couldn’t sense anyone nearby. Being around his mate confused his senses, especially when his emotions were so heightened.
“The house?” she asked, pointing toward the farmhouse.
“No,” he chuckled, imagining Elsbeth’s reaction if he shifted in her living room. “Why don’t we take a walk back to the spring?”
She looked over her shoulder toward the path they’d followed earlier, then nodded. “Okay.”
They walked back up the hill in comfortable silence, their fingers intertwined. Elsbeth didn’t question what he wanted to show her—she trusted him completely, and that meant everything to him.
The spring came into view. The small pool they had created with their dam was working perfectly, cascading down through the pipes to feed the irrigation system. Philip watched the current with satisfaction, feeling a deep sense of accomplishment.
“Look at that,” he said.
Elsbeth stood beside him, watching the water. “I can’t believe we actually did it.”
“You did most of the hard work,” Philip said, unable to keep the pride from his voice. “I just helped with the technical parts.”
His bear stirred restlessly within him. We have so much more to do, his bear reminded him. So much more to accomplish together.
Like a family, Philip whispered, hardly daring to believe that the future he wanted with Elsbeth was so close. Like children.
It was close enough that he could touch it, could taste it…this dream of a shared life with the woman standing beside him.
Elsbeth turned to him, her expression curious. “Here?” she asked, glancing around the secluded clearing by the spring.
“Perfect,” he said, releasing her hand and stepping away. His heart thudded against his ribs as he put a little distance between them.
“Philip?” She tugged her brows together in confusion as she watched him.
“Trust me,” he said, his voice steady despite his racing pulse. “Trust that I will never hurt you.”
Her eyes searched his, and after a moment, she nodded. “I do,” she whispered.
Philip took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Then he let go of the world, and the air around him popped and crackled with static electricity as his human form disappeared.
For a moment, Elsbeth was lost to him. But then his bear emerged in his place, standing on all fours before her.
And there stood their mate, her mouth open in shock. But she didn’t run. She simply stared at him, frozen in place.
“You’re a bear?” Elsbeth said, then let out a small, hysterical laugh. “You’re a bear. Of course you are.” She shook her head as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “I mean, of course, bear shifters are real. Why wouldn’t they be?”
She doesn’t sound too sure, his bear observed worriedly.
Go to her, Philip urged. When she touches you, she’ll know you’re real, that we are one and the same.
His bear took a cautious step forward, then paused, not wanting to frighten her. Then another step. And another.
“You are real, aren’t you?” Elsbeth whispered, her voice trembling.
The bear nodded his massive head slowly.
“How?” she asked, a question for which there was no simple answer.
It just was, just as his love for her just was.
Elsbeth’s hands shook as she reached out toward him, hesitant at first. Philip’s bear stood perfectly still, patient and watchful as her fingers finally made contact with his thick fur. The sensation sent a ripple through his massive form.
“You’re so soft,” she whispered, her touch becoming more confident as she stroked his head.
The bear closed his eyes, savoring her gentle caress. When he opened them again, Elsbeth was staring directly into his eyes with wonder.
“It really is you in there, isn’t it?” she murmured, leaning forward until her forehead rested against his. “Your eyes...they’re still Philip’s eyes.”
She pressed a gentle kiss to the top of his head, and a tremor ran through his entire body. Then, as if the simple act of acceptance had unleashed something long buried inside her, tears began streaming down Elsbeth’s face.
“You’re the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen,” she said through her tears. “I never knew... I never imagined...”
The dam within her seemed to break completely. Her shoulders shook with sobs that seemed to come from somewhere deep inside her. The bear moved closer, instinctively rubbing his head against her shoulder in comfort.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his fur as she cried. His bear held perfectly still, offering his silent strength while she released emotions that seemed to have been bottled up for far too long.
When her sobs finally subsided, she pulled back slightly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Without a word, she lowered herself to sit beside the spring. Philip’s bear joined her, settling his massive form next to her.
Together they watched the water flow, the gentle gurgling of the spring the only sound between them. It was as if she found peace in her silent furry companion.
And Philip’s bear had found peace, too. There, beside his mate at last.
After some time had passed, Elsbeth reached out absently to stroke his fur, her breathing finally steady again. “I think I need to talk to Philip now,” she whispered. “Not that you aren’t Philip. I can see in your eyes that you are.” She tilted her head, studying him. “But you can’t talk like this, can you?”
The bear shook his massive head slowly.
“I thought not,” she said with a small smile.
The bear rose to his feet, rubbing his head affectionately against her shoulder one more time before moving away. The air around him began to shimmer and pop with that same electric energy, the sound of crackling intensifying as his bear disappeared.
Elsbeth pushed herself to her feet, watching in awe as Philip stood before her, a tentative smile on his face.
“This is what you wanted to tell me,” she said. It wasn’t a question.
“It is,” Philip replied warily.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t ready to listen,” Elsbeth said, her voice barely above a whisper.
“It’s okay,” he replied. “My mom and dad both told me I would know when the time was right, and last night, the time was not right. And now it is.”
She took one tentative step toward him, then another, more confident one. Philip held his breath, afraid to move, afraid to break this fragile moment between them. Then suddenly she was in his arms, her body pressed against his, her face buried in his shoulder.
“Last night, I was afraid you were going to tell me bad news. And I didn’t want anything to spoil the evening. It had been so perfect,” she murmured against his chest. “But if I’d have known this was what you were going to show me…” She lifted her head. “It’s like you’ve brought magic to my world.”
Philip’s heart ached as he held her close. “You brought magic to my world when you arrived here,” he confessed, his voice rough with emotion.
His bear rumbled with satisfaction, urging him to speak the words they’d both been waiting to say. Philip drew a deep breath, knowing this was the moment that would change everything between them.
“Elsbeth,” he said solemnly, “you are my mate.”
His bear let out a joyous roar inside him as he finally spoke the truth aloud.
“Mate?” She inched away slightly, looking up into his eyes with a mixture of confusion and dawning comprehension.
“We are meant to be together. Forever.” Philip’s hands tightened on her waist, anchoring her to him. “You are the only one for me, and I hope I am the only one for you.”
“You are,” she whispered, slipping her arms around his neck. She tilted her head, her eyes searching his. “I thought I was going crazy, that I was feeling this intense connection to you because I was lonely.”
“No,” he said firmly, “it’s because we are connected. By fate. By the mating bond.” He cupped her face in his hand, his thumb gently stroking her cheek. “You will never be lonely again.”
Then he kissed his mate, pouring all his love, all his longing, all his hope into that single, perfect connection. She melted against him, her lips soft and yielding as they moved beneath his. The kiss deepened, and Philip felt the last barriers between them dissolve.
When they finally broke apart, both breathing heavily, Elsbeth’s eyes were shining with unshed tears of joy. “All this time,” she whispered, “I thought I was imagining things. The way I felt drawn to you from the first moment we met. The electricity when we touched.”
“It was real,” Philip assured her, pressing his forehead against hers. “All of it.”
His bear purred contentedly inside him, finally at peace now that their mate knew the truth. Our mate accepts us for who we are.