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He gathered me in his arms. “Talk to me.”
I stared at him, trying to process everything he'd told me. A mating bond? Shifters? It sounded insane, but at the same time, something deep inside me recognized the truth in his words.
I shook my head, taking a step back. "This is crazy. I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but this can't be real."
His eyes burned into mine. "Search your feelings, Mila. You know I'm telling the truth. From the moment we met, you felt our connection."
I thought back to yesterday morning when I’d stepped onto the elevator—the instant attraction, the heat that seemed to pull me to him. I’d brushed it off as lust, but now... could there be more to it?
"I-I don't know what to think," I said shakily.
He reached out, brushing his knuckles over my cheek. I shivered at his touch, my skin tingling. "You're my mate, Mila. I never expected it to happen like this, but the bond is real."
My heart pounded as I looked up at him. His eyes were filled with sincerity and a hint of vulnerability I was sure he’d never shown anyone else.
“I-I thought my hormones were out of whack,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around myself. I turned to face him. “Let’s say I believe you. How does it work? Do you just, I don’t know, sprout fur and claws and go all grrrr.” I bared my teeth and made claws with my hands as hysteria bubbled up my throat. “Do you hibernate? Eat honey? Hang out with Tigger? Please don’t tell me your real name is Yogi, and you live in Jellystone Park with your pal, Boo Boo.”
The tension leaves Magnus’s expression, and his mouth twitches. “No to hibernating. I’m not opposed to a little honey on my toast. I don’t know anyone called Tigger, thank God. And no, my real name is not Yogi. As for shifting, why don’t we go somewhere a little quieter so I can show you?”
I gaped at Magnus’s home as we pulled up outside. It was magnificent, like stepping into another world beyond the city.
Nestled among a forest of towering pines and aspens, the house exuded a rustic charm. Constructed from weathered timber and stone, it blended seamlessly with its surroundings. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered panoramic views, and the spacious front porch boasted a swing and a separate seating area.
Magnus opened my door, and I stepped out of his SUV, inhaling the scent of evergreens mingled with the faint aroma of wood smoke.
“This is beautiful,” I said breathlessly, drinking it all in.
Magnus linked his fingers with mine. “I’ll give you a guided tour, but I want to show you something first.” He tugged me down a path leading from the house into the forest.
“Where are we going?” I asked as we passed huge pine trees with trunks thicker than my body.
“To answer your questions,” he said mysteriously, coming to a halt in a small clearing.
I opened my mouth to reply, but my words stuck in my throat as Magnus started stripping off his clothes.
“What are you doing?” I squeaked.
He smirked. “Getting naked. Saves having to replace my clothes all the time.”
I turned my back, my cheeks blazing.
His deep chuckle resonated through me. “Don’t be shy. You’ll soon know every inch of my body, little one. Just as I’ll know every inch of yours.”
Peeking over my shoulder, I gasped. My mouth went dry. He was… beautiful, his arms bulging with muscle, his wide chest tapering to ridged abs and narrow hips. His pants slid down his thick thighs and pooled at his feet. Then his hands went to the waistband of his boxers, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away if I tried. His shaft sprang free, huge and hard, as it angled up toward his stomach.
His eyes found mine as he grasped it and gave it a few pumps. “This is what you do to me, Mila. And it’s all yours.”
I swallowed hard, lost for words, as he stood there like a god, totally unashamed, his body gilded by the afternoon sun.
“Don’t be afraid. I’ll never hurt you, and neither will my bear.”
Before I could force words past my frozen throat muscles, Magnus hunched forward, and a low growl emerged from somewhere deep in his chest.
I watched, mesmerized, as his muscles rippled and bulged beneath his skin, and fur sprouted forth, covering him in a thick coat of dark brown. His hands elongated into massive paws with razor-sharp claws, and his face contorted into a snout lined with rows of menacing teeth.
With a guttural growl that reverberated through the trees, he completed his transformation into a towering bear. It had taken mere seconds. Holy crap, he was huge. I’m not sure I would have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. Was that truly Magnus in there? Or had his bear taken over?
Turning his head, he took two lumbering steps toward me. I released a pathetic squeak and backed up. The bear stopped, shaking his massive head as if to chastise me. His eyes fixed on me, and that’s when I recognized the man within, the deep brown of his pupils surrounded by a circle of gold like that first day in his office.
