Chapter Fourteen – Kirk
She’s here! Kirk’s bear stood up and sniffed the air.
Kirk froze, every muscle in his body suddenly alert. She was coming. His bear wasn’t mistaken. The pull in his chest felt like a string being tugged from somewhere deep inside him.
He only ever felt it with Isla, this awareness that came before any physical sign of her presence.
He heard the crunch of gravel under her tires, then the soft thud of a car door closing. A moment later, her scent reached him, carried through the partially open window on the evening breeze. But something was different. He tilted his head, analyzing what his heightened senses were telling him.
No second scent. No hint of Percy at all.
She was alone.
Kirk’s pulse pounded harder. He set down the book he’d been pretending to read for the past hour and moved toward the door. What did this mean? Why would she come here without Percy? After that kiss last night...
His bear paced restlessly beneath his skin. She’s coming to us. Alone. At night.
“I know,” Kirk murmured, running a hand through his hair. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
But he wanted to get ahead of himself. He wanted to tell her everything and then take her in his arms and never let her go. The primal need surged through him, but he pushed it down.
The sound of her footsteps approaching seemed impossibly loud in the quiet evening. They paused on his porch, and for a long moment, there was nothing. Was she hesitating? Having second thoughts?
Then came the soft knock.
Kirk took a deep breath and opened the door. Isla stood there, her blonde hair loose around her shoulders, wearing a simple blue top that made her eyes look deeper in the porch light. She looked nervous, but there was also an unmistakable certainty in her eyes.
“Hi,” she said, her voice slightly breathless.
“Hi,” he replied, suddenly aware of how different this felt. Without Percy between them as a buffer, the space between them felt sharper, more dangerous.
“Percy’s at Rachel’s,” she explained quickly. “She invited him for a sleepover with her girls. They have a treehouse, apparently.”
Kirk nodded, trying to process what this meant. “That was nice of her.”
“It was.” Isla tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a gesture he was beginning to recognize as a sign of her nervousness. “I hope it’s okay that I came by. I probably should have called first.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” Kirk said honestly. “I might have cleaned up.” He gestured to his slightly rumpled kitchen. “This way you get the authentic experience.”
That earned him a small laugh, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly.
“Would you like to come in?” he asked, stepping back from the doorway.
She nodded and moved past him, and her scent swept over him as she did. Kirk closed the door, hyperaware of how different this felt from yesterday. The easy, family-like warmth of the day was gone. Now it was just the two of them, and Kirk felt every inch of it.
“Can I get you something to eat?” he offered, moving toward the kitchen. “I could make us…”
“I didn’t come here to eat,” Isla interrupted softly.
Kirk turned to find her much closer than he’d expected. Her eyes met his, clear and determined despite the flush on her cheeks.
She’s choosing us, his bear whispered in awe.
Before Kirk could respond, Isla closed the distance between them. She rose slightly on her toes and pressed her lips to his. This kiss was different from last night’s, warmer, more confident. Her hands came up to rest against his chest as she deepened the kiss.
When they finally broke apart, she didn’t step away. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since last night,” she admitted, her eyes searching his. “About us.”
“Us,” Kirk repeated, and the word felt right. He reached up to touch her face, his thumb brushing across her cheekbone. “I like the sound of that.”
She smiled and leaned in to kiss him again. This time, her hands slid beneath his shirt, her cool fingers exploring the warm skin of his back. Heat moved through him at her touch, his bear rumbling in approval.
Take her to bed, his bear urged. Make her ours completely.
But Kirk knew he couldn’t. Not yet. Not until she knew everything.
With more willpower than he thought he possessed, Kirk gently caught her wrists, pulling back from the kiss. “Isla, wait.”
Her face immediately flushed deeper, embarrassment replacing desire in her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she blurted, trying to step back. “I thought—I shouldn’t have assumed…”
“No,” Kirk said firmly, keeping hold of her hands. He brought them to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “You didn’t misunderstand. God, you have no idea how much I want this… want you.”
Confusion crossed her face. “Then what...?”
Kirk took a deep breath. This was the moment. After this, nothing would be quite the same.
“There’s something I have to tell you,” he said quietly. “Something I need to show you first.”
She studied his face, curiosity replacing confusion. “Okay.”
“Not here,” he said, glancing toward the door. “Outside. In the forest.”
If she thought the request strange, she didn’t show it. Instead, she nodded, and the trust in that simple gesture made his chest ache.
He led her outside, the night air cool against their skin.
The moon was nearly full, bathing the forest in silvery light as they walked the familiar path into the trees.
The same path where they’d foraged together, where Percy had discovered wild strawberries, where Isla had looked so at home among the green of the forest.
Now it would be the place where she learned the truth.
When they reached a small clearing flooded with moonlight, Kirk stopped. His heart hammered against his ribs, fear and hope warring within him. What if she ran? What if she took Percy and left Bear Creek, never to return?
She’s our mate, his bear reminded him. She deserves the truth.
“Kirk?” Isla’s voice was gentle, concerned. “What is it?”
He turned to face her, taking both her hands in his. “Do you believe in magic, Isla?”
She blinked, clearly surprised by the question. “I... I don’t know. I guess I’ve never thought about it much.”
“There are things in this world that can’t be explained,” he said carefully. “Things most people never see or understand.”
“You’re scaring me a little,” she admitted, though she didn’t pull away.
“Don’t be scared,” he said quickly. “Not of me. I would never hurt you—or Percy. You have to know that.”
“I do know that,” she said with surprising certainty.
Kirk nodded, drawing strength from her trust. “There are things about me you need to understand. What I’m about to show you might seem impossible, but it’s part of who I am.”
He stepped back, creating space between them. With one last look at her face—memorizing it in case this was the last time she looked at him without fear—he let go of her hands and closed his eyes.
The shift came easily as his bear surged forward eagerly. The familiar crackling sensation spread across his skin, the air around him charged with static electricity. Then he was gone from the world. The bond between them stretched impossibly thin.
Then a massive brown bear stood where Kirk had been, bathed in moonlight.
He heard Isla’s sharp intake of breath and scented the spike of adrenaline in her system. But remarkably, she didn’t scream. Didn’t run. She stood perfectly still, her wide eyes fixed on him.
Kirk kept his bear form as non-threatening as possible, staying low, making no sudden movements. He watched shock give way to disbelief, then wonder.
“Kirk?” she finally whispered.
He nodded his great head slowly, deliberately.
Isla’s hand came up to cover her mouth. “Oh my,” she breathed. “It’s really you in there.”
Again, he nodded.
“A bear,” she said, as if testing the reality of the word. “You’re... you can become a bear.”
She took a tentative step forward, then another. Kirk remained motionless, letting her process, letting her decide how to respond. His bear was unnaturally quiet, both of them holding their breath as they waited for her verdict.
“I always sensed something different about you,” she said softly, moving closer still. “Something wild. Something more. This explains so much.”
She was close enough now that he could feel her breath on his fur. Slowly, giving her every chance to back away, he lowered his head.
Her hand reached out, hesitating just inches from his muzzle. Then, with a small exhale that sounded almost like laughter, she touched him. Her fingers sank into the thick fur at his neck, stroking gently.
“You’re beautiful,” she whispered, stroking his muzzle, his ears, running her hands through the dense fur of his ruff. There was no fear in her touch, only fascination and acceptance.
For long moments, she explored him with gentle hands, murmuring under her breath in wonder. Kirk’s bear basked in her attention, in her acceptance, in her touch.
Finally, Kirk stepped back, needing her to see all of him. Then his bear let go of the world, of their mate, and a moment later, he stood before her in human form once more, vulnerable in more ways than one.
“Bear shifter,” he explained quietly. “My whole family. It’s why we settled in Bear Creek generations ago.”
Isla nodded slowly, processing. “That’s why you’re so connected to the forest. Why you seemed so... at home there.”
“Yes,” Kirk confirmed. “My bear is always with me, even in human form. He’s part of me. We share this life.”
“He?” Isla asked, her eyebrows lifting.
Kirk smiled slightly. “He has his own personality, his own thoughts. We communicate. He’s... opinionated.”
“What does he think of me?” Isla asked, a hint of mischief entering her expression.
Kirk’s smile widened. “He loved you from the first moment he sensed you on the road by Win’s shack. He’s been urging me to tell you the truth.”
“And what do you think of me?” she asked, taking a step closer.
“I think you’re remarkable,” Kirk said honestly. “Brave. Perceptive. Beautiful.” He swallowed hard. “And there’s something else you should know.”
“What’s that?”
“For bear shifters, there’s such a thing as a mate bond. It happens instantly, a kind of recognition.” He met her eyes steadily. “I felt it the moment I saw you.”
Isla’s breath caught. “A mate? Like... fate?”
“Like recognition,” Kirk corrected gently. “But it doesn’t override free will. You always have a choice, Isla. Always.”
She considered this, her expression thoughtful. Then she stepped forward, closing the distance between them. Her hands came up to cup his face, her touch achingly tender.
“I choose you,” she whispered, rising on her toes to press her lips to his.
This kiss was different from all those that had come before—not uncertain, not impulsive, but knowing. Kirk wrapped his arms around her and drew her close as moonlight washed over them.
His bear rumbled with deep satisfaction. Our mate. At last.