Page 19 of The Omega's Beary Merry Christmas

I leaned down, glancing behind me to make sure Natalie wasn’t paying attention, and grazed my lips against his reddened ear. “Omega, there is nothing I want more.”

Chapter Eleven

Conrad

I fell asleep easily, cozy and warm from the day we’d had. From the moment I heard Natalie giggle until the time I climbed into bed, the day had been magical—filled with Christmas cheer I hadn’t felt in a long time.

Today wasn’t about going through the motions—it was just fun. Everything, from the hot cocoa to the cookies to the little ornaments we picked up at the shops amplified my Christmas spirit. Even the silly passport prize was treasured, Natalie slipping her prized bookmark under her pillow, so proud to have earned it.

I woke up with the moon high in the sky. My initial instinct was to try to go back to sleep, but I was thirsty, and the only thing that would happen if I willed myself back to sleep without getting a drink was dreaming of being thirsty and unable to find a glass of water. I’d made that bad choice far too many times over the course of my life. I wasn’t going to ruin a great day with a bad night’s sleep. Instead, I opted to save myself from that fate and got up, careful not to wake Natalie from her slumber, and padded into the kitchen for a drink.

As I poured a glass of water, movement caught my eye outside the window. I took a long drink, watching the view, hoping to see what was out there. I didn’t see movement again, but something told me whatever I caught out of the corner of my eye was still there.

I set the glass down and walked closer.

Before I even reached the window, a bear passed it.

At first, my thought was to wake Natalie. Here in the moonlight, I could easily make the excuse that the fairies weren’t around, so it was best to stay inside. She’d love it.

But as I stepped closer, I got a better look. Something about the bear called to me. Something told me he was more than just a bear.

I slipped on my boots and stepped outside, the snow still falling. The bear stopped and looked at me.

“Is that…is that you, Bert?” I sounded half crazy—maybe entirely crazy. Who talks to a bear? Who thinks a bear is a human? Me. That’s who. I wasn’t even sure why I thought so, but something told me it was him.

Instead of being startled and running away like a bear should, or, worse, running at me because I startled them—something I hadn’t even considered until that moment—he lumbered toward me very, very slowly.

His big, furry head bobbed up and down as if nodding. That was ridiculous, though, wasn’t it? Bears don’t nod.

But this wasn’t a bear.

“Bert…you’re beautiful,” I whispered.

Maybe this was a dream and I hadn’t woken at all but was still wrapped in my comfy blanket. But if it was a dream, I wasn’t ready for it to end.

He reached the steps, and then, where a bear once stood, there was Bert. “You recognized me.”

“Yeah…don’t ask me how though. I just knew it was you. I don’t pretend to understand it. I don’t really understand anything about what’s been happening since I got here. It’s like I know you, but also, I don’t.” I stopped short of telling him my blossoming feelings, the ones I kept trying to ignore—trying very, very unsuccessfully.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to make sense of it. “Do you understand what’s going on? With me, I mean. Is it because you’re a bear?”

“It’s not because I’m a bear, not really.”

He took another step closer, reaching up tentatively and placing his hand on my cheek. It was warm to the touch, not cold like the air around us and he was naked.

I registered that fact distantly, but all I could focus on were his eyes. They were human, yet I still saw the bear in them. It was as if he were two beings at once.

“Do you know about shifters?” he asked. “That’s what I am.”

I started to shake my head, but instead, I found myself leaning into his touch. “I don’t. But I know you and this might not make sense, but I feel like I really know you.”

His thumb ran along my cheekbone. “That’s because we’re mates.”

“Mates?”

“Remember when we were talking about not having kids, and I said I wanted someone to spend my life with?”

“Yeah.” At the time, I’d felt bad that Natalie had brought it up.

---