Chapter Eleven
“Give Us Another Chance”
For a shifter, Cal didn’t think he had very quick reflexes.
He’d almost gotten gored by a charging bull at the sanctuary six years ago.
More than once, he’d gotten hit in the head by a beer can Henry had thrown at him.
And ten years ago, when Melissa took off from their wedding, he’d all but remained frozen to the spot for a full minute before trying to go after her.
But the second the wolf attacked, something in him snapped. The next thing he knew, he’d thrown himself at the creature, slamming into it before it could reach Melissa. Man and wolf hit the ground, rolling a few feet before crashing into a tree.
“Cal!” Melissa cried.
In a heartbeat, the wolf was back on all fours, standing over him. Cal’s heart hammered in his chest. Right now, he’d found himself in a rather unfavorable position. At any second, the wolf could strike, sinking its jaws into his neck. And then what would happen to Melissa?
The thought of her alone and in danger twisted his insides almost painfully. He gritted his teeth. There was only one way to protect himself and her.
The wolf stepped toward him, snarling menacingly.
And Cal began to shift.
Fur sprouted from his skin, covering his face and arms, and he felt his ears slide higher up on his head. His body expanded, his clothes ripping at the seams. Cal’s fingers extended into claws; his teeth sharpened, his face elongating into a snout.
In seconds, he’d shifted into a fully grown grizzly. He rose on all fours, towering over the wolf, a deep growl emanating from his throat.
The wolf growled back, standing its ground. Its gaze darted between the bear before it and the woman standing a few feet away, and for a moment, Cal thought it would attack her again. He stepped toward the wolf, preparing to strike if needed.
After what felt like an eternity, the wolf backed away, turning and heading out of the glade.
“Oh!”
Cal turned. Melissa hadn’t moved from where she’d been standing a moment ago. She looked unhurt, but her eyes were wide with terror, her hands trembling by her sides. Cal glanced in the direction the wolf had headed. The threat was over. Why was she still...?
Oh.
“C-Cal?” she stammered.
He recognized the look in her eyes. It was the same way she’d looked at him on their wedding day, just before she’d taken off. Like he was nothing but a monster. Of course, she was afraid of him.
What was going through her mind right now?
It didn’t matter. Shame swept over him like a wave, and he turned away, heading out of the clearing, away from her.
***
Melissa couldn’t move. She stood rooted to the earth, staring at the spot where the bear—no, Cal—had been standing just a moment ago, shuddering all the way to her extremities. She suddenly recalled the image of the wolf leaping at her, claws extended.
In that single second, her entire life had flashed before her eyes.
The wolf had been bad enough. But seeing Cal turn into something much larger, much more dangerous, had left her paralyzed with terror. The glade was empty now. Both the wolf and the bear were nowhere to be seen. Still, Melissa couldn’t get the images out of her mind.
But Cal didn’t hurt me. The thought filled her suddenly. If anything, he protected me. If not for him, I’d be toast by now.
“Cal...” she managed to breathe.
He’d suddenly left the glade. It occurred to Melissa then that he must’ve seen the look on her face.
That was all it took to bring her out of her trance. She broke into a run, racing out of the glade in the direction the bear had gone.
“Cal!” she called. There was no response. She tried again. “Cal!”
Still nothing. It was almost like he’d vanished into thin air.
How could a bear so big move so quickly?
She searched for the next few minutes, her fears almost forgotten, but to no avail.
For a minute, she even considered phoning him, but figured he’d probably left his phone at the sanctuary.
Finally, she gave up the search, deciding it was best not to remain alone in the woods in case the wolf returned.
She plodded into the big house twenty minutes later, and was surprised to find Cal already in the living room. He was back to his human form, sitting alone on a couch, wearing fresh clothes.
How long has he been here? Melissa wondered. Was he waiting for me? She had so many questions running through her mind.
She decided to ask one of them. “Are you okay?”
Cal stared at her for a moment, his expression unreadable. “Yeah, I am.”
“You took off all of a sudden,” she pointed out. “I was looking for you.”
“You were?” Surprise flickered across his face. “I just needed to get away for a bit. Plus...I didn’t want to scare you.”
Melissa blinked at him, unsure how to respond. “Well, I mean—”
“Don’t even try to deny it, Melissa. I saw the look on your face. I saw the way you reacted when I shifted.”
He looked away, but not before she saw the hurt in his eyes. Guilt gnawed at Melissa’s gut, clawing its way up into her ribcage. She tried to brush it aside, coming to the couch and sitting next to him. She braced herself, half expecting him to pull away or growl at her for coming too close.
Growl? she said to herself. Really, Melissa?
He didn’t recoil from her. They were six inches apart, she noted, but she could feel the warmth seeping from his body.
Despite wearing different clothes, he smelled somewhat like earth and something else she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
His blond hair fell across his forehead, his eyes focused on the floor, instead of on her.
He was upset right now. Should she try to comfort him? Should she touch him? That didn’t sound like such a great idea. A knot of emotion was growing in her chest, at the same time that a wave of heat swept through her gut.
She sucked in a breath. “You’re right, Cal.”
He lifted his head slightly, but didn’t look at her.
“I’m really sorry, Cal. I just...I guess I wasn’t expecting you to turn into a bear out of the blue.”
“It’s more than just that,” he said. “What I am scares you. I’m not an animal, but I’m not human either. And that scares you. That’s why you ran on our wedding day. It’s not just that I startled you; it’s that you never really accepted me for who I am.”
This time, she did reach out and touch his arm. The heat in her belly grew, spreading to her extremities, despite her attempts to brush it aside. “Cal, I—”
“I’m more than just a bear, Melissa. I’m a person. I always have been. And I’m not the danger I know you think I am. After so long, you still don’t understand me or my kind, and you fear us for that.”
Melissa felt her heart throb, although she wasn’t entirely sure why. She squeezed his arm. “I see you now, Cal. I...I accept you now, for who you are.”
Was that the truth, or was she simply grasping at straws right now? And why, anyway?
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have run all those years ago. I shouldn’t have abandoned you like that. I could’ve been more patient.” She swallowed, searching for something else to say. “And...and I’m willing to give us another chance—if you are, too.”
He shifted his gaze to meet hers then, and for a second she thought she saw something familiar flicker in those blue-gray eyes. Her heart pounded harder in her chest. What had she just said? Was she really willing to try again with Cal...with a man like him?
“I don’t know...” he started.
Her breathing quickened, the heat in her belly fluttering into her chest. Melissa watched Cal, saw his lips part again. In that moment, unsure what the right thing to say or do was, she did the one thing that had settled in the forefront of her mind, cupping his face and closing in for a kiss.