Despite all this, she nodded. “All right.”
He stood and held out a hand toward the door. “Not in here,” he murmured. “We need to go outside.”
Her brows drew together in confusion. “Outside.”
“Yes,” he said quickly, stepping back to give her distance. “You’ll see why. I just... need you to trust me a moment longer.”
Hannah stared at him for an endless moment as if weighing risk, instinct, and everything in between.
Then she nodded once. “Okay. I trust you.”
Relief washed over him as he grabbed a shirt and handed it to her while he pulled on his jeans. Then he held out his hand, and she took it without hesitation, triggering another wave of relief.
Hand in hand, they went downstairs and through the kitchen where they had shared dinner. Still holding onto her, he opened the back door and led her outside into the moonlit night.
Silently, they walked to the clearing behind his home, the moon painting the pines silver and making Hannah’s hair glow like spun starlight. She rubbed her arms against the cool air, but her eyes stayed on him. Steady. Brave. And quietly terrified.
Caleb moved a few paces away, giving her room. “I’m going to show you who I really am. What I really am.”
“Caleb,” she whispered, “you’re scaring me.”
“I’d never hurt you,” he said, voice thick. “And you can walk away at any time.”
But please don’t,his bear said as excitement threaded his veins. This was it, the moment they had been waiting for.
Caleb stepped farther back and took a last look at his mate before he let go of the world. The air shimmered around him, popping and crackling with static energy. His human form faded away, replaced in an instant by the massive, bronze-furred bear, standing unmoving in the moonlit clearing.
Hannah gasped. Not in fear — at least he hoped it wasn’t.
In awe,his bear said confidently.Pure, breath-stealing awe.
Her hand trembled as she lifted it, then dropped it to her side. “Caleb...?” The bear lowered his head slowly, reverently. “Oh my goodness,” she breathed. “You’re... beautiful.”
Caleb remained perfectly still, letting her absorb the truth of him, the reality of what she was seeing. His bear senses were sharper, more attuned to the world around them — he could hear her quickened heartbeat, could smell the complex mix of emotions rolling off her in waves: surprise, wonder, confusion, and underneath it all, a tentative acceptance that made hope surge through him.
Hannah took one careful step forward, then another. “It’s really you in there?” she whispered, her voice barely audible even to his enhanced hearing.
The bear nodded once, a deliberate human gesture from a creature that was anything but.
She was close enough now that he could feel the warmth of her body. Close enough that if she reached out, she could touch him. His bear waited, patient and still, refusing to make any movement that might startle her.
“May I...?” Hannah’s hand hovered in the air between them, a question in the gesture.
Caleb dipped his massive head in permission, his heart thundering so loudly he was certain she must hear it.
Her fingertips brushed against his fur with exquisite gentleness, a touch so light he might have imagined it if not for the jolt of connection that raced through him at the contact. She explored him carefully, her fingers sinking into the thick ruff around his neck, tracing the powerful curve of his shoulder.
“Warm,” she murmured, wonder filling her voice. “You’re so warm.”
His bear hummed with contentment, the sound rumbling through his chest like distant thunder. Hannah’s hand stilled for a moment, then continued its gentle exploration, growing more confident with each passing second.
“This is...” She shook her head, searching for words. “This is impossible. And yet...”
Caleb held her gaze, letting her see the truth. That he was still himself, still the man who had held her, who had made love to her just minutes before. Different, yes, but unchanged in all the ways that mattered.
After a long moment, Hannah stepped back, her expression thoughtful. “Can you... change back? So we can talk about this?”
She wants to talk,his bear said.
