Page 16 of The Bear’s Second Chance Mate (Bear Creek Forever: Thornberg Vineyard #5)

Stanley busied himself in the kitchen, trying to focus on making tea while June sat at his table, her eyes following his every move. The silence between them wasn’t awkward, but it was charged. Different. Her energy had changed.

His bear stirred, alert to what might come next. She knows. That’s why she is here, because she knows.

Do you think Barb got tired of waiting for us to reveal the truth and just told her everything? Stanley asked, his hands trembling slightly as he spooned loose tea into the pot. The kettle’s whistle pierced the quiet, making him jump.

Maybe she thought you would never get around to it, his bear said, with a hint of accusation in his voice.

I would have told her, Stanley said firmly as he poured water over the tea leaves and swallowed hard.

Well now, you’re going to have to pick up the pieces and make things right with June, his bear said.

I can do that, he said firmly.

“Everything okay?” The question came out rougher than he intended as he stirred the pot.

June hesitated before answering. “Depends. Were you ever going to tell me?”

Stanley froze. “Tell you?”

Oh yeah, she knows, his bear said.

“Barb told me about shifters,” she said, almost as if she were hoping he would tell her Barb was making it up. But when he did not reply, she added, “And about mates.”

He turned slowly, met her eyes. “She did?”

June nodded. “She told me that if we were mates, I’d know. That you’d know.” She paused, her voice raw as she said, “So I have to ask, Stanley…is it true? Are we?”

His bear pressed forward, wanting to break free and reveal himself to her. Tell her.

Stanley’s voice was barely above a whisper: “Yes. We are.”

June just exhaled like she’d been holding her breath for a month. “Then show me.”

He blinked. “What?”

“Your bear,” she said. “I want to see him.”

Stanley hesitated, unsure if she was ready. But her expression said she was.

It’s time, he told his bear. Are you ready?

Oh yeah, his bear replied, doing a somersault in Stanley’s mind.

“We should go outside,” Stanley said, setting the tea aside.

June’s face paled instantly, her fingers gripping the edge of the table. Stanley could sense her doubt. Did she cling to the lingering hope that perhaps this was all some elaborate joke, that Barb had been making everything up about shifters and fated mates?

It’s not, his bear said.

He moved toward the back door, his footsteps unsteady. This was it. The moment he had been waiting for since he first sensed his mate.

But fear gripped him. He didn’t know exactly what Barb had told her. Would she trust in him and give him a chance to explain?

Or would she run?

She came here for answers, his bear said. I don’t think she’s going to leave without them.

Then, answers are what we will give her. Stanley didn’t need to look to know June had risen to her feet and was following him with hesitant steps. He could sense her. Sense every breath she took, every move she made.

It was as if his shifter senses had been heightened, sharpened by her presence.

The dogs watched curiously as they passed, one of them whining softly as if he understood the significance of the moment.

The most important moment of our life, his bear said.

“Are you sure?” he asked, hand on the door handle, giving June one last chance to back away.

“Yes,” June whispered, her voice steadier than he expected. “I need to see.”

Stanley opened the back door and stepped onto the wooden deck that overlooked the dark forest beyond. He paused for a moment, filling his lungs with pine-scented mountain air as he tried to clear his head and focus. June’s sudden arrival at his cabin had given him no time to prepare.

We have been preparing for this moment for our whole life, his bear reminded him.

So we have, Stanley said as he led her down the porch steps into his backyard.

Moonlight bathed the clearing in silver, casting long shadows from the surrounding pines, while the mountains loomed like silent guardians in the distance.

This was it. This was the moment that would change everything between them.

Stanley reached the middle of the clearing and turned to face June. She stood several feet away, arms wrapped around herself against the cool night air, her face pale in the moonlight but resolute. The distance between them felt vast and intimate all at once.

“June,” he said, his voice catching. “I need you to know that when I shift, it’s still me. I’m still the same man who built Herbert’s hutch with Oli. Who makes terrible cookies and runs a pet store.”

She gave a small smile, though he could see her hands trembling. “I like your cookies.”

“Good to know,” he said, giving her a nervous smile in return. “Just please don’t be scared.”

June lifted her chin, her eyes reflecting the moonlight. “I’m not.”

Relief flooded through him, warm and sweet. She was braver than he’d dared hope.

“Wait there,” he said, taking several steps away from her, creating a distance between them. He stopped and turned, drinking in the sight of her. The way the moonlight caressed her features, how her hair caught the silver light, how her chest rose and fell with each breath.

She looked ethereal, otherworldly. But in a moment, when he shifted, she was going to think the same about him.

With that thought, Stanley let go of the world.

The air around him crackled and popped with static electricity. For a heartbeat, he disappeared entirely, and then returned, transformed.

Where Stanley had stood moments before, a massive bear now occupied the space. His fur was deep brown, almost black in the moonlight, and his shoulders stood taller than a man’s. His eyes, however, remained the same, dark and gentle, fixed intently on June.

She didn’t run. Didn’t scream. But her hands flew to her mouth, eyes widening in shock as she stared at the enormous creature before her. Her breath came in quick, shallow gasps that Stanley could hear even from this distance.

Stanley’s bear took one cautious step forward, then another. Moving slowly, deliberately, giving her time to process what she was seeing.

“Stanley?” Her voice was barely a whisper, trembling with disbelief.

He nodded his massive head as he took another step closer, watching for any sign of fear.

June lowered her hands from her mouth, her fingers trembling. “It’s really you in there?”

Stanley nodded again, huffing softly.

“Can you...understand everything I’m saying?”

Another nod.

June swallowed hard, her gaze never leaving him. “Barb told me, but seeing it...” She shook her head slightly. “I never imagined...”

It’s going to be okay, Stanley said as the bear took another step closer.

I never doubted it would, his bear said in reply.

For a moment, June said nothing. She just stared, eyes wide and shimmering brightly with unshed tears. Then, without fear or hesitation, she stepped closer. “You’re beautiful,” she whispered, reaching out to gently touch his fur.

The contact sent a thrill through him that awakened something ancient and deep. His bear rumbled low in his chest as he rubbed his head against her arm.

She laughed and dug her fingers deeper into his fur. “Oli’s going to be obsessed when he meets you.”

I can’t wait to meet him, Stanley’s bear said, wishing she could hear his words.

I’ll tell her, Stanley assured his other side.

He shifted back, and the instant he appeared, June took a step toward him. Stanley reached for her hand, relieved when she didn’t pull away.

“I wanted to tell you,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. “From the first moment I saw you in Barb’s garden.”

June’s fingers tightened around his. “Why didn’t you?”

“I was afraid,” he admitted. “Afraid you might reject me.”

“Why?” she asked as she stepped closer to him.

“I know how much you love Oli. I know how hard you try to protect him from anything that might hurt him. And I didn’t want to be something that disrupted his world.”

June’s free hand came up to cup his face, her thumb brushing across his cheek. “Stanley, you’ve been the best thing to happen to his world. To both our worlds.”

The words hit him like a physical blow, relief and joy flooding through him so intensely his knees nearly buckled. His bear rumbled contentedly, practically purring with satisfaction.

“I was so worried,” Stanley whispered, leaning into her touch. “Worried that when you found out what I was, you’d think I was too dangerous to be around, Oli. That you’d leave.”

“Leave?” June’s voice was incredulous. “Stanley, I drove up here in the middle of the night because I couldn’t stand another moment of not knowing. Because every fiber of my being was telling me you were mine.”

Mine. The word sent heat spiraling through him.

“I am,” he said, his voice rough. “I’m yours, June. Completely.”

She stepped closer, eliminating the last inches between them. “What does it mean? Being mates?”

Stanley leaned closer, his lips inches from hers. “It means you’re the other half of my soul. It means I’ll spend the rest of my life protecting you and Oli, loving you both, making sure you’re happy and safe.”

“I like the sound of that,” she murmured.

“I can’t tell you how relieved my bear is to hear that.”

“Your bear,” June repeated, her eyes widening slightly. “You talk about him as if he’s separate from you.”

“He is. And he isn’t.” Stanley struggled to explain what had always been instinctive to him. “We’re the same being, but different…aspects. He’s more...primal. More certain. Less worried about the consequences.”

“And what does he think about all this?” June asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Stanley felt his bear stir with pleasure at being acknowledged. “He’s been telling me to claim you since the moment we met. To tell you everything.”

“Claim me?” June’s eyebrow arched, but her lips curved upward.

Heat rushed to Stanley’s face. “His words, not mine.”

“Tell me more,” she whispered, her breath caressing his cheek.

Stanley took a deep breath. “It means we’re connected.

Deeply. It’s like...the universe recognizing that two souls belong together.

” He paused, watching her face carefully.

“For shifters, it’s immediate. The moment I saw you, my bear knew.

It’s why I couldn’t stay away, even when I tried to give you space. ”

“And for humans?” June asked quietly.

“It’s different,” Stanley admitted. “Slower, usually. More like a feeling that builds. A pull. A recognition that might not make sense at first.”

June nodded slowly, her eyes distant with thought. “That explains a lot.”

“Like what?”

“Like why I couldn’t stop thinking about you,” she said simply. “Why I dreamed about you. Why being near you felt so...right.” Her cheeks flushed slightly. “I thought I was just desperate and lonely.”

Stanley’s heart constricted. “You’re not. You’re...everything.”

The words hung between them, raw and honest. June’s eyes met his, and the connection that had been there from the beginning seemed to deepen, to solidify into something tangible.

“Does this mean we’re...what? Destined to be together?” she asked, her voice catching slightly.

Stanley shook his head. “It means we’re meant for each other. But destiny isn’t the same as choice. You still get to choose, June. You always will.”

She was quiet again, processing. Stanley waited, his bear surprisingly patient now that the truth was out.

“And Oli?” she asked finally. “What does this mean for him?”

“Whatever you want it to mean,” Stanley said honestly. “In shifter families, children are treasured. Protected. Loved.” He swallowed hard. “I already care about him, June. That has nothing to do with the mate bond and everything to do with who he is. Who you both are.”

June’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “This all feels too good to be true.”

“I know,” he said, threading his arm around her waist and pulling her close. “I have felt that way since we met. But being here with you, holding you close…”

Then he closed the distance and kissed her. She clung to him as he nipped her bottom lip, and he tightened his arm around her, never wanting to let her go. As their kiss deepened, their tongues entwined, and desire coursed through his veins.

He wanted her. Here. Now.

And as their kiss broke, she looked up at him with eyes that mirrored his deepest desire. Then she whispered, “Claim me.”

How could he refuse?