She looked at the mug. “You’re probably right.”
For a second, I considered grabbing the whiskey bottle from the counter and downing the whole thing. But my body would burn off the alcohol within minutes. Besides, I needed to appear steady in front of Charlotte.
Even if that was a lie.
“So,” she said, meeting my eyes. “Bear shifters.”
“Yes.”
“An entire species the world doesn’t know about.”
“Yes.”
“And you’re their leader. The alpha.”
“That’s right.”
The suggestion of a smile touched her lips. “You’re not making this easy.”
I shifted my weight in the chair, the wood creaking under me. Now that I’d revealed my secrets, the next step was telling her what she meant to me—and possibly watching her walk away.
“Ask me anything,” I said. “I’ll answer as honestly and completely as I can.”
She appeared to take that in. “How long have you existed?”
I rubbed my jaw, my fingers making a rasping sound against my beard. “You’re starting with a tough one.”
“You don’t know, or you’re not allowed to tell me?”
“It’s not like that,” I said. “According to our lore, we sprang from the far north of Russia. Over time, we spread south, crossing the ice into Alaska. Our numbers have declined over the years. As for our origins…” I shrugged. “We don’t know for sure. Some say it’s magic. Others theorize the shift is caused by a genetic mutation. They say the same about the werewolves.”
Charlotte’s eyes went wide. “Werewolves are real?”
I nodded. “Their population is a lot larger than ours.” And now the conversation edged dangerously close to my species’ gender dilemma. “Bears have had a treaty in place with the wolves for over two centuries. It predates the founding of this country.”
She leaned forward, her coffee forgotten. “Like…diplomatic relations?”
“Exactly like that. We’re allies for the most part. We share resources when needed and trade information about threats.”
“What kind of threats?”
I hesitated. I couldn’t tell her about the vampires, at least not yet. If Dr. Henry was powerful enough, he could crack her mind like a nut and compel her to act on his behalf. If he suspected she was compromised, he could order her to kill herself.
“Humans are the biggest threat to supernaturals,” I said finally. “If they discover us, they’ll fear us. Eventually, they’ll try to kill us.”
She sat back, her expression thoughtful. “That’s why you offered to guide me. You wanted to stop me from discovering the others. You planned it from the beginning.”
“Yes. But I also wanted to protect you. Not everyone can handle this type of knowledge.”
“And last night?” The first inkling of hurt entered her eyes, and her voice went quiet. “When you kissed me after the storm. Were you protecting me then?”
I reached across the table and took her hand, threading my fingers through hers. “Last night had nothing to do with plans or protection. Last night was because I’m falling in love with you, and I couldn’t stay away anymore.”
Her breath caught. “Beck...”
“There’s more you need to know.” I squeezed her hand, anchoring myself. This was the hard part. “Charlotte, not all human women can mate with bear shifters. Only certain women can conceive our children. We call them compatible females, and they’re extremely rare.”
She frowned. “Why only certain women? And why human women at all? Are there no female bear shifters?”
