Chapter 7
SEVEN
Lark
I don’t sleep much that night.
After fainting in front of a man who turned into a bear , it’s kind of hard to drift off peacefully. Go figure.
But it’s not fear keeping me awake.
It’s him.
Harris.
Everything he said, everything I saw—it swirls in my head. He told me the truth. He showed me what he was. And instead of running like any rational human being probably would, I… stayed. I agreed to see him again.
Why?
Because deep down, I already knew. Not the shifter part—that still has my brain doing somersaults—but the feeling. The way my body lights up when he’s close to me. The way my soul settles around him like it’s been waiting for him all along.
It’s terrifying.
And intoxicating.
So, when he knocks on the front door the next morning with a paper bag of breakfast sandwiches and two coffees in hand, I don’t hesitate.
I open the door, smile, and let him in.
“How’d you sleep?” he asks as he sets the food down. He eyes me, trying to read my body language to see how I’m feeling.
“Good,” I lie. “Thanks for breakfast.”
“Of course. I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got a bacon and sausage breakfast sandwich.”
“Oh, bacon. Always bacon,” I say with a dreamy sigh.
Harris laughs. “Good to know.”
He passes me the bacon breakfast sandwich, and I dig in, smiling as he hands me my coffee. I grab a few of the little takeout coffee creamers and dump them in, feeling his eyes on me. He’s watching me, memorizing everything I do, and I know that tomorrow, he’ll bring me a coffee with four creamers already in it.
It’s like I’m the center of his world. I’ve never had that before. I was always on my own, always an afterthought.
Not with Harris, though. He cares about me. He wants to know me.
“So,” I start, clearing my throat. “What’s the plan for today?”
“I thought I’d show you around town. We can go for a short hike to this waterfall and hang out. Talk.”
“Talk,” I repeat.
“Yeah. I’d love to get to know you more.”
His words are so wholesome, and I smile as I finish my breakfast.
“I’ll just get my shoes on.”
He nods, standing to clean up the wrappers and empty coffee cups as I head to the bedroom to grab a sweater and my shoes. I slip them on and join him by the front door.
Harris holds his hand out to me, and I don’t hesitate as I slip mine into his.
We spend the whole day together.
He takes me hiking through a quiet forest trail that ends in a small waterfall. He points out trees and plants I’ve never seen before, and I tell him more about my job as an overworked marketing assistant back in the city. We skip rocks, eat trail mix, and laugh like we’ve known each other for years instead of days.
He doesn’t push. He doesn’t mention mates or shifting or fate.
But the tension between us? It’s everywhere.
It hums beneath every glance, every brush of his arm against mine, every time his voice dips low when he says my name. It coils in my stomach and flutters in my chest, electric and impossible to ignore.
By the time we head back to the cabin, the sun’s setting, casting long shadows across the trees.
Harris walks me to the door, and I linger on the porch, not ready to go inside.
“I had a great time today,” I say softly.
“Me, too,” he replies, hesitating. “There’s something else I should probably tell you.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You’re not about to shift again, are you? Because I can only handle one fainting spell a week.”
He chuckles, the sound low and warm. “No shifting. Just… something you should know.”
I nod for him to go on.
“There’s something called the mating heat,” he says. “It happens during the full moon—tomorrow night. It’s part instinct, part biology. The bond between mates gets… stronger. Sharper.”
My mouth goes dry. “And what does that mean?”
His eyes meet mine, glimmering like gold. “It means that when the moon rises, I’ll experience an overwhelming need to claim you.”
My heart lurches in my chest.
“Claim me,” I repeat.
“It’s not something I’d ever force,” he says quickly, stepping closer. “I’d never touch you unless you wanted me to. I just… wanted you to know. So you’re not blindsided.”
Silence stretches between us for a moment.
Thick.
Charged.
I take a breath and look up at him. “And what if I do want you to claim me?”
His throat bobs as he swallows, his jaw tightening. “Then I’ll make damn sure it’s the best night of your life.”
We stare at each other.
The air buzzes, and my pulse is loud in my ears.
Harris steps forward slowly, giving me time to pull away.
I don’t.
He brushes a strand of hair from my cheek, then his lips are on mine.
Soft at first. Testing. Then deeper, hungrier, like he’s been holding back for days .
I melt against him with a sigh, my fingers curling into the front of his shirt. He groans softly, his arm circling my waist, pulling me closer. Everything about him is heat and strength and want .
When we finally break apart, I’m breathless.
He presses his forehead to mine.
“Goodnight, Lark.”
I can barely speak. “Goodnight, Harris.”
As I close the door behind me, I lean against it and press a hand to my chest.
I don’t know what tomorrow night will bring.
But I’m starting to think that whatever happens… I won’t want to leave.