Page 17 of A Merry Misfit Christmas

My bear isn’t upset. He’s eager. I can feel his desire for her to see him and learn he’s not a threat. He wants her to feel his fur and nuzzle into his warmth.

Before she can reply, I’m blurting out an offer to her. “I can show you.”

“Show,” she gulps, “me?”

“Yes.”

My bear is almost uncontrollable now. I’m wrestling him as I try to keep him from bursting free. He will never harm Callie but he’s so excited that it can end in disaster soon if I don’t give him the chance for a smooth transition.

“Say yes,” I breathe harshly, holding back another growl.

“Uh, okay?”

As soon as I have her agreement, I’m hauling her to her feet, and tugging her toward her backyard. Since I know the property so well and our club routinely follows up with clients, I don’t have to worry about someone seeing my bear. I’ve got a blanket wrapped tight around her shoulders as we exit the house, hurrying into the forest that borders the edge of the property.

My skin tingles as a shiver erupts all over my body. Heat follows as my limbs feel like they’re being pulled and stretched without my permission. The shift is never easy even after all these years, but it definitely beats those first few when I felt every single bone snap then reform into limbs. The pain of it doesn’t faze me but it’s a reminder that I’m not completely human.

I’m different than Callie. But she’s still my mate, even if I don’t understand how we’ll be compatible. The logistics don’tmatter, only the fact that I’ve found her, and I won’t ever let her go. I’m her protector now and I’ll defend her viciously against any threat.

For the next few minutes, I go as far as I can into the forest until I’m forced to stop. My bones begin popping and snapping as we enter a small clearing, far enough from the neighborhood that my growls and snarls won’t alert anyone to danger or induce panic. Dark hair sprouts on my arms, legs, and face. The fur thickens as I lower to my knees, keeping my gaze on Callie.

Her hands slap over her mouth as she stares, taking in the brutal changes overcoming me. “Oh, shit, Kodiak.”

My teeth elongate and I feel my jaw crack as the bone breaks. I finish the transformation with a roar, letting the wild beast inside me free. My vision sharpens. My hearing intensifies.

Callie’s heart is pumping fast as adrenaline spikes in her bloodstream. Her respiration rate increases. I see her pupils dilate. It’s a fight or flight response.

My mate is deciding on whether to runfromme ortowardme.

Everything inside my bear is on alert. He’s tracking her every movement, the rise and fall of her chest, her rapid breathing, and even her tense muscles as she stands before us, the blanket forgotten on the ground around her ankles. She dropped it without realizing it.

“Kodiak?” Her voice is only a whisper.

I slowly place my paws on the cold ground, moving in her direction. My head lowers as the bear submits to his mate in this instance only. He’s a predator. An alpha. He bows to no one but this slight female in a moment of vulnerability.

Callie blinks. Our eyes meet. And something. . .clicks. I see the hesitation disappear and her shoulders relax. It’s slight but my bear notices and a flash of white-hot desire courses through me.She accepts us.

I dare to close the remaining distance that separates us, bumping her hand with my snout.

She reaches out, sliding her hand over my muzzle, across my neck, and stops as she strokes the thick fur along my flank. “So soft.”

I’m in heaven. A low grunt leaves my chest and I resist burying my snout in her belly. There’s a strong pull to sink lower and press Callie into the grass on her back, sticking my nose into the apex of her thighs and scenting my female. I can already smell her musk and the need to taste her drives my bear wild. He’s salivating.

Callie doesn’t notice. She’s too busy petting my fur, digging her hands in and marveling at the wild beast being tamed by her touch. “You’re warm.Reallywarm. I’m not even cold, Kodiak.”

I huff at her comment. Bears are warm-blooded animals. We generate internal heat and maintain our temperature with ease no matter the weather.

Her head lowers and her cheek rests on my shoulder. “I thought this would scare me.”

I wait for her to continue as she pauses, anxious to hear more.

“But I’m not. I mean, I know you’re dangerous. You’re a bear.” She sighs. “I guess what I mean is that I know you won’t hurt me. Inside, you’re kind and good and everything Jeremy never was.”

With the reminder of her ex, I can’t hold back a growl, my teeth flashing at the thought of her being hurt.

“I know. You hate what happened to me. That’s why I know you’re not a violent person.”

I want to contradict that statement. I can be violent when it’s necessary. In my youth, it happened without my consent more than once. Every shifter has that ability. Our beasts are animalswith instincts that run contradictory to human nature, at least until we have better control of both halves.

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