Chapter Six #2
The bear made a sound then—a low, rumbling croon that didn't sound like any animal Cody had ever heard.
It was a sound of such pure, helpless pleasure that it made Cody's heart ache.
The bear's eyes never left his face, and Cody could see in them everything Reid felt—fear and love and desperate hope that this, that Cody, was real and unafraid.
Cody moved toward the bear slowly, carefully, and placed his hand on the massive, dark fur. It was soft, warmer than human skin, alive with the thrumming of the beast's heartbeat. Reid's heartbeat.
The bear rumbled again and nudged his large head against Cody's chest, breathing him in.
After a few moments, the shift began to reverse. Bone cracked as it reset. Fur receded. Skin emerged. And then Reid was on his knees, completely naked, completely exposed, trembling like he'd been through battle.
Not from the cold. From the emotional exposure.
Cody dropped to his knees and pulled Reid close, and he realized that Reid was shaking so hard that his teeth chattered. Cody pulled away just enough to look at him.
"Hey," Cody whispered. "Hey, look at me."
Reid's eyes were still hazily amber, scared and vulnerable.
"You're shaking," Cody said gently.
"I just showed you the most dangerous thing about me," Reid whispered back. "The part I've hidden from everyone. If you want to leave—if this is too much—I understand. It would hurt, but I can—I can manage it, and—"
"No," Cody said, and he caught Reid's face between his hands. "No, Reid. You didn't show me the most dangerous thing about you." He made sure Reid was looking at him, made sure he understood. "You showed me the most beautiful thing about you."
Reid's breath hitched. The fear drained from his eyes, replaced by hope. He pulled Cody close and held him like he was the most precious thing in the world, and Cody realized—he was. To Reid, he absolutely was.
Reid stood slowly, grabbed his jeans, pulled them on with shaking hands. "I need to tell you the rest. About why I've been—why you affect me the way you do, and what this, this thing is between us."
"Okay."
When he was fully clothed, Reid led the way back to the house. When they were inside the living room once more, Reid urged Cody to take a seat then sat down beside him.
"Shifters have…" Reid struggled for words. "There's something called a mate bond. Not all shifters find their mate, but when it happens, it's instant. Recognition. It’s basically one person who's… perfect for you. Complementary in every way. It’s fate."
Cody's pulse kicked up. "Reid—"
"The moment you stepped out of that jet," Reid continued, voice tight, "The moment you walked toward me and I caught your scent on the breeze, my bear recognized you.
As its mate—as our mate. It's not a choice.
It's not something I can’t control or ignore.
It's fundamental. You're mine, Cody, in every way that matters, and every instinct I have is screaming at me to protect you, to claim you, and to never let you out of my sight. "
The words hung in the air between them.
"That's why you pulled away," Cody said slowly. "Why you've been fighting this."
Reid frowned.
"I never wanted a mate bond. It's a liability in my line of work. It makes you vulnerable. I've spent my entire adult life hoping to avoid this exact situation."
"And then I showed up."
"And then you showed up," Reid echoed. "And I've been trying—so damn hard—to stay professional. To not let the bond dictate my actions. But Cody, it's taking everything I have not to—" He stopped.
"Not to what?"
Reid's eyes met his, blazing. "Not to claim you. In every way possible."
Heat flooded through Cody's body. "And what if I wanted that?"
"You don't understand what you're asking for."
"Then explain it to me."
Reid took a breath, visibly steeling himself.
"A mate bond has two states. Right now, it's acknowledged—both of us know what we are to each other.
But it can be sealed. The seal happens through the mating bite—when I bite you during intimate contact—during sex.
Once that happens, the bond is permanent, irreversible.
For both of us. There's no taking it back.
You'd be mine forever, and I’d be yours.
It would change everything. Your body chemistry, your instincts.
You'd be able to sense me like I can sense you.
You'll feel our connection in a physical, constant way. "
"If you bite me?” Cody said.
Reid nodded. "The bond would strengthen. Deepen. We'd become one in a way that's hard to explain to someone who isn’t a shifter."
Reid's voice grew thick. "But the choice has to be yours. The acknowledged bond, what you're feeling now—that can exist without sealing the bond. Or, or you could walk away, and while it would hurt both of us, you could do it. But, once I mark you, that door closes forever.
“It would be too painful for either of us to be separated. You need to understand that."
Forever. Irreversible. Permanent.
For a moment, Cody let doubt creep in. What if this wasn't real?
What if everything he felt for Reid was just the bond talking, some magical force overriding his free will?
The thought made his chest tighten with something that felt like panic.
But then he remembered that every moment since he'd arrived at the ranch—before he knew about shifters, before he knew about mate bonds.
He'd felt safe. He'd trusted Reid. Whatever this bond was, it hadn't created those feelings.
It had only recognized what was already there.
And that realization, more than anything else, made him certain about what he wanted.
Cody should have been terrified. He should have been running for the door right then and there. But he wasn’t. And he didn’t. Instead, he closed the distance between them.
"I'm not saying I fully understand this," he said quietly. "I'm not saying I'm not completely overwhelmed. I am. But Reid, I've felt this pull since the moment I saw you. And now it makes sense. This isn't just attraction or transference. This is… more. It’s fate. That means something."
"Cody—"
"Stop protecting me from this," Cody said. "Stop deciding what I can handle. You told me the truth. Now let me make my own choice."
Reid's breathing was ragged. "What choice?"
"This." Cody reached up, cupped Reid's jaw. "You."
"Are you sure?" Reid's voice broke. "Because once I—if we—I won't be able to let you go."
"Then don't," Cody whispered.
And he pulled Reid down into a kiss.
For one suspended heartbeat, Reid didn't move.
Then he growled—a deep, possessive sound that came from his bear—and he kissed Cody back. And boy was it a kiss.
It wasn't gentle. It was claiming, devouring, days of restraint shattering like glass. Reid's hands came up to frame Cody's face, holding him like something precious while his mouth did absolutely sinful things.
Cody gasped, and Reid's tongue swept in, tasting, and exploring. Reid tasted like mint toothpaste and coffee, and Cody melted into him, fisting his hands against Reid’s chest.
When they finally broke apart, both breathing hard, Reid rested his forehead against Cody's.
"Mine," he rumbled, the word vibrating through both of them.
"Yeah," Cody managed to reply. "I think I am."
Reid pulled back enough to meet his eyes. The amber-gold was bleeding through again, as if his bear was close to the surface. "I need to hear you say it. That you understand. That you're choosing this."
"I understand that you're a bear shifter," Cody said.
"I understand that there's a mate bond between us that can be sealed through a bite.
I understand that once sealed, the bond is permanent and irreversible for both of us.
I understand that this is serious and permanent and kind of terrifying.
But Reid, I also understand that I feel safer and more myself with you than I have felt in years.
So yes. I'm choosing this. I'm choosing you. "
Joy flashed across Reid’s face. Then he was kissing Cody again, softer this time, almost reverent.
"So," Cody said, when they finally broke apart. "What happens now?"
"Now," Reid said carefully, "we still have a stalker to catch. The mate bond doesn't change the fact that you're in danger."
"I meant with us."
Reid's expression softened. "I don't know. I've never had a mate before. But… I'd like to figure it out with you if that's okay."
"More than okay." Cody smiled. "Although I have about a thousand questions."
Reid chuckled. "Sure, ask away."
Cody tucked himself against Reid's side and they talked until past midnight.
Cody learned about shifter culture, pack dynamics, the various species.
He learned that Reid's father had died of a broken heart after losing his mate, which explained Reid's fear of the bond.
He learned that mate bonds were sacred and rare and that Reid's brother Garrett was also a bear shifter.
He heard that shifters had incredible hearing, far greater than your average human.
"Can all shifters hear heartbeats?" Cody asked at one point.
Reid nodded. "Enhanced senses across the board. Hearing, smell, sight.” Reid's hand was playing idly with Cody's hair, like he couldn't help but touch him. "It’s why your scent drives me insane."
"My scent?"
"Honey and cut grass and fresh cotton. The first time I caught it, I nearly lost control completely."
Heat curled in Cody's belly. "Is that a good thing?"
"It's a mate thing. You smell perfect to me. Like home."
Cody tilted his head back, met Reid's eyes. "What do I smell like right now?"
Reid's nostrils flared. His pupils dilated. "Like you want me," he said roughly. "Like arousal and warm skin and…" His arms tightened. "You smell like you’re mine."