Chapter Six – Matt
Sleep had eluded him.
Matt had tossed and turned all night, his thoughts racing with images of Tessa—her smile when she talked to diners, the way she’d created that simple cracker face for the child, how her eyes had met his across the dining room with that strange, electric recognition.
By four in the morning, he’d given up. The restless energy vibrating through his body demanded release. He slipped out of bed, padding silently through his cabin in the pre-dawn darkness. Outside, the air held that mountain chill that preceded sunrise, crisp and clean against his skin.
Shifting came easily, as natural as breathing. It always did.
The air around him crackled with static electricity as his human form disappeared, instantly replaced by the massive brown bear. His senses sharpened immediately—the scents of pine and earth intensified, the sounds of the forest magnified.
Matt’s bear stretched, muscles rippling beneath thick fur, and then he was moving, loping into the trees. The physical exertion was exactly what he needed.
He ran along familiar paths, climbing higher into the mountains surrounding Bear Creek, burning off the restless energy that had been riding him since yesterday. Since Tessa.
The eastern sky began to lighten as Matt pushed himself harder, paws digging into the soft earth as he crested a ridge that overlooked the valley. Bear Creek lay below him, still mostly dark, a few early lights twinkling in the pre-dawn gloom.
He paused, drawing deep breaths of mountain air into his lungs. Running should have cleared his head, should have eased the tension coiling in his muscles. It hadn’t.
Then he felt it... His bear went still, every sense suddenly alert.
Mate.
The pull was unmistakable, magnetic in its certainty. Matt turned, following the sensation as it drew him toward a specific point on the outskirts of town. He moved with purpose now, no longer running to escape his thoughts but running toward something. Someone.
The closer he got, the stronger the tug became, guiding him unerringly. He knew where she was before he actually saw her. The oak tree—the ancient one he’d climbed a hundred times as a boy, treading the same path as generations of Thornbergs.
Matt slowed his pace, approaching carefully. He caught her scent on the breeze, that warm, subtle fragrance that had haunted his dreams all night. The static crackled around him as he shifted back to human form, the transition instantaneous.
For a moment, he stood still, fighting for control of his emotions, of his need to rush to her side.
Only when he was fully in control did Matt approach, slowly, making his footsteps just loud enough to be heard. He didn’t want to startle her.
When he rounded the massive trunk of the oak, he saw her.
Tessa sat with her back against the tree, a sketchbook open in her lap. The soft morning light filtered through the branches above, casting dappled patterns across her face and hair. She was so absorbed in her drawing that she hadn’t heard him yet.
His first instinct was to retreat. The sight of her—so peaceful, so unguarded—made him want too much, too fast.
His bear disagreed vehemently, pushing against his control with insistent pressure. Speak to her. Now.
Matt took a deep breath to steady himself. He couldn’t rush this. Couldn’t frighten her with the intensity of what he was feeling. Instead, he cleared his throat softly and stepped forward as if he’d just happened upon her.
“Morning,” he said, keeping his voice casual. “Didn’t expect to find anyone else out here this early.”
Tessa’s head jerked up, her hand freezing mid-stroke. Recognition flickered across her face, followed by something else…something that mirrored the pull he felt toward her.
“Matt,” she said, her voice soft and low in the morning stillness. “Hi.”
Their eyes met, and the world around them seemed to pause.
The bond settled between them like a physical presence, invisible but undeniable.
Matt’s entire body went still, as if it had been waiting for this exact scene all his life—this woman, this tree, this moment of quiet connection in the gentle dawn light.
Magical, his bear breathed.
Our mate or the morning light? Matt asked.
Both, his bear murmured in reply.
“Sorry if I startled you,” he said, taking another careful step forward. “I run these trails most mornings.”
“It’s okay,” Tessa replied, closing her sketchbook slightly. “I just needed some quiet to work.”
Matt gestured to the space beside her. “May I?”
She hesitated only briefly before nodding. He settled himself on the ground near her…close enough for conversation, far enough not to crowd her. From this angle, he could glimpse what she’d been drawing, and the sight made his breath catch.
It wasn’t just pretty—it was gentle and purposeful, showing hands reaching out to support someone who was faltering.
The lines were simple but conveyed such emotion, such understanding of human vulnerability and strength.
This wasn’t art for art’s sake. This was art meant to help people who were struggling.
“That’s beautiful,” he said, the admiration in his voice impossible to hide. “The way you’ve captured that moment of support. It’s like you understand exactly what it feels like to need someone to lean on.”
Tessa looked up, surprise evident in her expression. Perhaps she’d expected a polite compliment, not genuine understanding. Something in the air between them shifted.
“Thank you,” she said, her fingers tracing the edge of the page.
“I’m working on a series for caregivers and people going through major life transitions.
Visual resources that might help them navigate difficult times.
” She paused, then added more softly, “After my mom died six months ago, I realized how few resources there are that really speak to the experience. Not just the practical stuff, but the emotional landscape.”
She stopped suddenly, as if she’d revealed too much, and began to close her sketchbook.
“Please,” Matt said, the word gentle but urgent. “May I see more?”
He wasn’t trying to take something from her or impress her. He genuinely wanted to understand this part of her world, this work that so clearly mattered to her. Tessa studied his face for a long moment, then slowly reopened the book.
“This is just the beginning stage,” she said, turning pages to show him more sketches—figures supporting each other, hands reaching out, faces showing compassion without pity.
“I want to create something that acknowledges how hard it is but doesn’t feel.
.. clinical. Something that helps people feel less alone. ”
Matt nodded, understanding completely. “Sometimes the hardest part is feeling like no one else gets it... like you’re the only one trying to figure it all out.”
Tessa’s eyes met his again, a flicker of connection passing between them. “Exactly.”
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the forest awakening around them as the sun crept higher. Tessa glanced up at the brightening sky.
“I should probably get back,” she said reluctantly. “I left Rachel a note, but I want to be there if she wakes up and needs anything.”
“I’ll walk with you,” Matt offered, rising to his feet and extending a hand to help her up.
She took it, her smaller hand fitting perfectly in his.
The contact sent warmth spreading up his arm, and his bear rumbled with contentment.
When she was standing, he released her hand—though everything in him wanted to hold on—and fell into step beside her as they made their way down the trail toward town.
They walked side by side, their pace unhurried despite her earlier words. Matt matched his stride to hers without thinking, as if they’d walked together a thousand times before.
His bear vibrated with want beneath his skin—the need to protect, to claim, to keep her close—but Matt kept his movements measured, his conversation light.
“How long have you been drawing?” he asked.
“Since I could hold a pencil,” Tessa replied with a small smile. “My mom used to say I was born with one in my hand.”
The mention of her mother brought a brief shadow to her face, and Matt resisted the urge to reach for her hand again.
Too soon, his human side cautioned, even as his bear protested.
They talked easily as they walked—about Bear Creek, about the restaurant, about Rachel and the girls. Nothing too personal, nothing too deep, yet Matt felt the connection between them strengthening with each exchanged word, each shared glance.
When they reached Rachel’s house, the moment narrowed to just the two of them standing at the bottom of the porch steps.
Matt could feel the heat of her body so close to his, could hear the slight quickening of her breath.
They were alone in the soft morning light, close enough that he could lean down and. ..
His bear surged forward with such force that Matt had to clench his fists at his sides to maintain control.
“Thank you for walking me back,” Tessa said softly, turning toward the steps.
As she moved to climb the first step, Matt’s hand reached out of its own accord, his fingers brushing the sleeve of her sweater as he steadied her. It was barely a touch, nothing bold or presumptuous, yet his bear went completely still, waiting, hoping.
Tessa paused, looking up at him with parted lips. For one heartbeat, Matt forgot the restaurant, the rules he’d set for himself, the fact that she didn’t know what he was. There was only Tessa, only this moment, only the overwhelming certainty that she was meant to be his.
The front door banged open suddenly, shattering the spell.
“Tessa!” Lucy cried, her small face lighting up with delight. Aria appeared beside her sister, both girls tumbling onto the porch in their pajamas.
Matt dropped his hand as if it had never touched her, though his whole body knew differently. The moment was gone, broken by the girls’ exuberance, but the connection remained—a tangible thread between them that he could feel even as he stepped back to let her greet the children.
“Good morning, girls,” Tessa said, her voice warm as she climbed the remaining steps. “I see you found my note.”
“Mom’s still sleeping,” Aria informed her importantly. “We were super quiet.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you,” Tessa replied, ruffling the girl’s hair.
Matt remained at the bottom of the steps, suddenly uncertain of his place in this domestic scene. Tessa turned back to him, something unreadable in her eyes.
“I’ll see you at the restaurant later?” she asked, and he heard the question beneath the question.
“I’ll be there,” he promised, the words carrying more weight than their simple meaning.
The girls were tugging at Tessa’s hands now, eager to show her something inside. She allowed herself to be pulled toward the door, glancing back once more at Matt with a smile that warmed him from the inside out.
As he turned to walk home, Matt felt something shift inside him... a certainty taking root where doubt had been.
His bear rumbled with satisfaction. She feels it too.