She’s been asleep for almost an hour, tucked against me in the bed I carried her to after she passed out.
My mate is in my arms. My mark is on her neck. And for the first time in years, my bear is completely at peace.
At peace, but not sleeping. Hibernation should have started days ago. I can feel the pull of it, the heaviness that wants to drag my bear under for the long winter rest. But every time the urge rises, he fights it. Shakes it off. Refuses.
Not yet,he seems to say.Our mate isn’t safe yet. Not settled. Not home.
When he finally goes under, I’ll be left weakened. Unable to shift. My enhanced senses dulled, my strength diminished. My bear won’t sleep until he knows our mate is protected, until she’s surrounded by clan, until there’s no threat he needs to defend against.
He won’t rest until she’s home. And honestly, I’m grateful for it.
The claiming mark is beautiful. Two crescent shapeswhere my teeth broke her skin, already healed over thanks to my saliva, leaving behind a permanent scar that tells the world she belongs to me. To us.
I trace my finger over it gently, watching her face for any sign of discomfort. She sighs in her sleep and burrows closer, her face pressed against me as she curls deeper into my arms.
Mine.
The word reverberates through the bond, rippling outward. I can feel her now in a way I couldn’t before. Not her thoughts exactly, but her emotions. The deep contentment of sleep. The afterglow in her body. The warmth spreading through her even in unconsciousness.
She’s happy. Even asleep, she’s happy.
I did that. I made her feel that way.
My bear exhales, deeply satisfied. We claimed our mate. We marked her. She’s ours forever now, bound to us in a way that can never be undone.
But anxiety coils beneath the calm. Because when she wakes up, I’m going to have to tell her the truth.
I should have told her before. Should have explained about fated mates, about the bond, about why my bear has been going crazy since she walked into my cabin. But I wanted her to choose me first. Wanted to know that she wanted me for me, not because some cosmic force decided we belonged together.
And she did choose me. She said yes when I asked to claim her. She gave herself to me completely, without knowing the full truth.
Now I have to hope she doesn’t hate me for keeping it from her.
She shifts against me, making a small sound in herthroat. I hold my breath, watching her face as consciousness slowly returns.
Her eyes flutter open.
For a moment she just blinks, disoriented, her gaze unfocused. Then she winces and presses a hand to her temple.
“My head,” she mumbles. “Why does my head feel so strange?”
“Strange how?”
“Like...” She trails off, her brow furrowing. “Like everything is too loud. Too bright.” She sniffs the air suddenly, her nose wrinkling. “And what is that smell? Is something burning?”
“The fire’s almost out. Just embers now.”
“But I can smell it like it’s right next to me.” She sits up slowly, the sheet falling away from her body, and looks around the room with wide eyes. “Tolin, what’s happening? I can hear... is that a bird? Outside? It sounds like it’s in the room with us.”
I sit up beside her, keeping my movements slow and calm. “Take a breath. Try to relax.”
“How am I supposed to relax when I can hear a bird that’s probably fifty feet away?” Her voice is rising, panic creeping in. “And smell things I shouldn’t be able to smell? And my neck...” Her hand flies to the mark, her fingers tracing the raised skin. “What did you do to me?”
“Imani. Look at me.”
She turns to face me, her eyes wild, her breath coming too fast.
“I need you to breathe,” I say, taking her hands in mine. “Slow and deep. Can you do that for me?”
