Page 30 of His Omega Bear

“Which could put everyone of us in danger,” I said. Another thing that haunted me.

Gabe remained surprisingly calm as he responded, “As Mark helpfully pointed out, most people won’t believe him.”

I sighed.

“You could always choose not to ever tell him.”

His words struck me hard. The mere thought of not telling him made me flinch involuntarily.

“But we both know that our bears are a huge part of who we are. Not only that, but they’re possessive assholes. They’d want to meet their mate too.”

It was a fact. I wanted my mate to truly understand and connect with the bear within me; we were inseparable, two halves of the same coin.

“Sometimes we fixate on the convenience of having a shifter as our mate, because they would immediately know what we are without need for an explanations. But the truth is regardless of their shifter status, we still have to put in the effort to make the relationship work. It’s about compromise and getting to know each other. Being a shifter simply confirms that they’re meant for us. But ultimately, it doesn’t change the fact that we possess something special - a gift, even.” He stopped speaking and locked eyes with me, as if waiting for my question.

So I obliged, asking him what he meant by “Which is?”

“You realize he picked you, right? There’s no animal instinct guiding him. Maybe there’s a little divine intervention from the Gods since I believe the mate bond starts to form regardless of whether your mate is a human or a shifter. But he’s choosing you without any guarantee. He wants you without any certainty. There’s something truly remarkable about it, when you think about it.”

His words sank in and I couldn’t deny the truth behind them. Jaxson seemed to have an interest in me… or at least something in me.

“Trust me when the time is right, you’ll tell him. And gods willing, it will go perfectly. Or if you don’t want to wait, just do what I did. It worked for me,” he said with a grin.

I rolled my eyes again, but managed a smile. It had. My brother and my best friend were incredibly happy together and I really couldn’t be more thrilled for them. But thinking about it, I didn’t think confronting Jaxson in the same way was the best course of action. The idea of surprising him by shifting was tempting. For one, it was a dramatic gesture that would leave no room for doubt and bonus it would get it out of the way. But it could also backfire and blow up in my face. As I mulled it over with what I knew about him so far, I wasn’t so sure.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that surprising Jaxson in my bear's form might not be the best idea. After all, how would he react if he suddenly found himself face to face with a fully grown bear in his living room? I could almost picture the fear and confusion that would cloud his expression, when the instinctive urge to protect himself and Emilia kicking in.

I couldn’t let that happen. Suddenly, with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, I realized surprising Jaxson in such a manner could do more harm than good. It might push him into defense mode, triggering a reaction that could irreparably damage this thing we were building between us.

Plus, he had a gun… so yeah, definitely #MAJORBADIDEA… abort.exe.

I sighed heavily, running a hand through my hair in frustration. This wasn’t how I’d envisioned things playing out when I met my mate. I always imagined it going perfectly, which was absolutely ridiculous looking back.

I’d hoped that revealing my true nature to him would bring us closer together, strengthening the bond between us. But now, faced with the reality of the situation, I couldn’t help but feel lost.

I chewed on my bottom lip, heart heavy with the weight of my secret. I had to find another way, a more delicate approach. One filled with care and sensitivity. It wouldn’t be as dramatic, but it was the right thing to do for both of us.

And it would go well. It had to. He was my mate. There was no other outcome, right?

I couldn’t deny that talking to Gabe had given me a small glimmer of hope in the midst of all my uncertainties. If Kian and Cooper had accepted Gabe and Graham, then there was no reason for mine to go differently, right?

The odds were in my favor that Jaxson would also accept me, bear and all.

“When are we going to get to meet him? You know the family wants to size him up.”

Horror streaked through me at the thought of my brothers interrogating Jaxson. “No time soon. It’s not time yet.”

Standing abruptly, I thanked Gabe for his advice and left his office, feeling a newfound determination to face my fears and tell Jaxson the truth before my family bullied their way into my budding relationship. Good intentions or not, I couldn’t let them near him yet.

But if I didn’t shift, then I didn’t know how else I’d prove it, either. After all, Jaxson wouldn’t just take my word for it, right?

Chapter 9

Jaxson

Ipaced the living room, my nerves fraying a little more with each step. This wasn’t my home, and yet I felt like a prisoner held captive within its walls. Emilia’s cries echoed in the air, a constant reminder of my inadequacy as her caretaker.

I glanced at the clock for what felt like the hundredth time, willing the minutes to pass faster. I hated to admit it, but the only thing that made it feel like I could breathe in the suffocating atmosphere that had become my life was when Rhys came around. His presence brought a sense of calm amidst the chaos. A fleeting moment of relief from the overwhelming responsibility of caring for a baby.

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