Chapter 3
THREE
Logan
Vivian stares at me like I’ve completely lost my mind. Her light blue eyes are wide, and disbelief is written all over her face. Which… fair. If someone had told me the same thing ten years ago, I probably would’ve reacted the same way.
“Home?” she repeats slowly. “What does that even mean?”
I take a steadying breath. This is the part I’ve been dreading. My bear is already pacing in the back of my mind, restless and impatient.
Tell her, he says, his eyes locked on Vivian.
“I mean,” I say carefully, “that you’re safe here.”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “That’s not what you said.”
I hate lying to her. I can’t do it. I sense that she’s been deceived a lot in her life, and I won’t be another person who does that to her. She deserves the truth. Always.
I run a hand through my hair. “Vivian… there’s something I need to explain to you.”
Her shoulders tense instantly at my words. I hate seeing that tension, hate that I’m the reason she’s on edge. I decide to get it over with.
“I’m a bear shifter.”
Vivian stares at me.
God, you’re bad at this, my bear sighs, shaking his head.
Not helping! I snap.
“And you’re my fated mate,” I plow on. “That’s what I meant when I said you were home. Because this is your home.”
Vivian still hasn’t moved.
Anxiety blooms in my gut. She’s been through so much. Did I freak her out? Is she going to leave?
“I’m not crazy,” I add as she continues to stare at me.
Don’t let her leave us! my bear pleads, growing restless. She’s never going to believe you. You have to prove it to her. You have to shift.
“I’ll show you,” I tell her.
She doesn’t respond as I move behind the kitchen counter. I pull off my shirt and drop it on the floor, glancing at her as I kick off my boots and unbutton my jeans.
“Can’t rip my clothes,” I explain at her shocked look.
I push my pants and boxers down and step out of them. Then I look at her, holding her gaze as I shift.
I let my bear push forward. Fur grows, replacing my skin, my teeth elongate, my nails grow, and my hands grow as my bones all shift around. In a few seconds, I’m landing on my paws right there in the kitchen.
Vivian finally reacts—and not the way I hoped she would.
As soon as she sees my bear, she screams, jumps to her feet, and bolts.
I follow her, but my bear is too big to fit through the gap from the kitchen into the living room. I curse as I shift back and charge after my mate.
Vivian rips open the front door and leaps off the porch. She skids on the gravel, and my heart lodges in my throat, worried she’ll be hurt and it will be all my fault.
“Whoa! Easy,” Christian says, catching Vivian before she can fall. “Are you okay?” He looks up at me, taking in the situation. “Ah.” He winces as he puts it together.
I snag a blanket off the chair by the front door and wrap it around my waist.
“Thanks,” I grunt as he steadies Vivian.
“I came to check up on your mate.” He looks at Vivian. “How are you feeling?”
“Mate?” she squeaks.
I give her a wry look. “I tried to explain.”
She wraps her arms around herself, trembling.
I pull the blanket off my waist and wrap it around my mate’s shoulders. “I know it’s a lot.”
“You—I—You,” she stammers. “You didn’t explain anything! You just said you were a bear shifter, and I was your fated mate. Whatever the heck that means!”
My bear paces inside me, his anxiety fueling mine.
Christian lifts his gaze to the sky while I try to do damage control with my girl.
“Come back inside,” I say, deliberately keeping my voice calm.
Vivian hesitates then finally nods. I lead her back inside, though it’s clear she’s reluctant to follow me.
“Sit,” I say, easing her onto the couch. “I’m not very good at this,” I admit as I sit beside her.
“No,” she agrees.
“I know it sounds crazy. I thought you’d believe me if I showed you. But I should’ve warned you.”
Vivian looks dazed and distracted. She’s shutting down, and I know I won’t get far with her right now.
I don’t know what to do. Vivian is scared and confused. I’ve never been good with words, so I opt for practicality.
“Why don’t you go lie down? I’ll have Christian check on you in a bit.”
She doesn’t move.
I take a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. Standing, I scoop my mate into my arms. She doesn’t protest as I carry her down the hall to my bedroom and set her gently on the bed.
“I’ll be right back,” I promise.
She burrows under the blankets, and I smile at how adorable she looks as I back out of the room.
Christian is sitting on the couch when I return to the living room.
“Well, that conversation could’ve gone better,” he says dryly.
I groan, scrubbing my hands down my face. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”
He chuckles. “Yeah, I got that when your mate took a running leap off the porch.”
My bear snarls. He’s pissed with me, and I don’t blame him.
“Go easy on yourself. I don’t think any of us has explained shifters to their human mates and had it go well.”
I sink down on the armchair. “Really?”
Christian grins sheepishly. “My mate climbed out of the hospital room window and tried to run away after she’d just been shot.”
That makes me feel a little better. At least I’m not the only one who fucked this up. Besides, it worked out well for Christian, so there’s hope for me yet.
“Pretty sure that Alpha Cyrus and Jameson had a rough start with their mates, too,” he adds.
“How do I fix this? She’s been through a lot the last few months. Hell, maybe years. She’s scared and confused. Then I go and…” I trail off, blowing out a heavy breath.
Christian leans back in his seat. “Why don’t you invite some people over?”
I stare at him blankly. “Listen, this might be a shock to you, but I don’t have many friends. I mean, it’s pretty much just Knox.”
“And me.”
“I don’t get out much,” I grumble.
“I know. No one hates you, man. I mean, people would help. You could have more friends if you—”
“If I just tried more.”
Christian sighs. “Yeah.”
Would my mate want that? She seems like she’d want friends, and it wouldn’t hurt for her to have a bigger support system than just me.
Make her happy, my bear orders.
“Can you call some people and ask them to come over? Maybe talking to some of the other human mates would reassure her.”
“Good idea. Does later today work?”
“Yeah, the quicker the better.”
“Should I check on her now?” Christian asks.
We pause, listening for any sound coming from the bedroom, but it’s quiet.
“No, I think she’s asleep.”
“I’ll come back, and I’ll bring my mate, Quinn.”
He smiles as we stand and claps me on the back. “You’ll be okay. Just have a little patience.”
I force a smile as I see him out. Once he’s gone, I head down the hall to my mate. She rolls over in bed as I crack open the door, and her eyes meet mine.
I push the door open wider and step inside. “Hey.”
She eyes me warily. “Hey.”
“Can I try to explain things again?”
She bites her lip. “All right.”
I shove my hands into my pockets. “So, I’m a bear shifter.”
“Got that part,” she says dryly.
I bite back a laugh. “Shifters can change between their animal and human forms. Christian, the doctor, is a wolf shifter. A lot of people in town are shifters. We’re a pack.”
Vivian listens silently, watching me warily.
“Shifters have mates. Fated mates,” I ramble on. “We don’t date. We don’t sleep around. We have one specific person who’s the only one for us. It’s like soulmates.”
“Soulmates.”
“Yeah. And you’re mine.”
Her expression tells me that I’ve lost her again. She doesn’t believe me. I can’t say I blame her. I mean, her own parents lied to her and sold her off.
I switch tactics. “Are you hungry?”
“No. I think I’d like to take a shower.”
“Of course.”
I grab her some clean clothes and set them on the bed. “We’ll go shopping for some stuff for you later.”
She studies me, trying to figure me out. It’s like she wants to trust me, but something is holding her back.
“I’ll be in the kitchen,” I say, turning toward the door. I have guests to prepare for.
I smile as I open the fridge and pull out the ingredients for dinner.
My quiet life is changing, but I suddenly find that I don’t mind.