Her breath hitched, and my bear shoved at my skin again, desperate to get closer.
Her lashes fluttered, her courage gathering itself. “Do you ever show people? Shift for them, I mean?”
“You’re not just people, Rowan. You’re my fated mate.” I didn’t even need to think about it. “If you want to see my polar, he’d love to shift for you.”
She licked her lips, visibly conflicted. “I think I’d like that. If it’s safe.”
Everything inside me stilled. “You never have anything to fear from my polar. Protecting you is the only thing he cares about.”
Her eyes widened again. “Then I’d love to see him, please.”
My bear roared his approval.
“It can’t be in here.” I glanced around the living room. “The cottage is too small. I’d wreck half the place by accident.”
“Oh right.” She giggled. “That makes sense.”
“You’ll need more layers,” I added gently. “It’s freezing out there, and I don’t want you getting cold.”
She nodded, pushing to her feet. “Okay. I’ll go bundle up.”
As she disappeared down the hallway, my bear pressed to the surface, nearly vibrating with anticipation.
She wanted to see us, and for my bear, that meant everything.
7
ROWAN
Ibundled myself in as many warm layers as I could manage before following Bexley outside. The cold air hit my lungs, but that wasn’t what made my breath falter. It was watching Bexley stop on the porch, searching my expression with a worried gaze.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
I wrapped my arms around my torso. “I think so.”
He nodded. “Just remember, it’s still me.”
That reassurance shouldn’t have calmed me as much as it did, but most of my nerves eased.
Bexley exhaled slowly, then began removing his clothes, each layer falling away until nothing separated his body from the cold air. Or from my stare. But I didn’t get the chance to appreciate all his bulging muscles—or the hard shaft that bounced against his six-pack abs when it sprang free—before he moved to the front yard and the impossible began. His body shimmered, and his silhouette expanded, stretching upward and outward. His spine lengthened, and his shoulders widened, the sound of bones shifting loud in the hush of falling snow.
I gasped, but I remained rooted in place.
Where Bexley had stood, an enormous white polar bear now towered. Snow dusted his fur, and his eyes were locked on mine with an intelligence that was impossible to miss. Bexley was definitely in there.
My jaw hung open, and I was filled with wonder at how amazing this was.
The bear dropped onto all fours, lowering his head until he was eye level with me. He moved slowly, as though he knew how easily he could overwhelm me.
My heartbeat thudded wildly, but my feet carried me forward anyway, crunching softly through the snow. I lifted a trembling hand, hovering for a second above the thick fur at his neck. Then I touched him.
He was softer than I expected. “You’re beautiful.”
His massive head nudged my palm, like he was telling me he heard every word. Acceptance bloomed warm in my chest.
The world as I’d known it was forever altered. But for the first time since arriving in Timber Ridge, I didn’t feel lost at all. I had the oddest sense that I was exactly where I belonged.
Bexley’s polar bear watched me for a moment, his breath puffing in soft clouds around his enormous head. Then he leaned forward and gently nudged my hip with his nose.
