The one heading for Maren turns at my roar.
It doesn't even have time to react before I'm on it, claws tearing through shadow flesh that tries to reform and can't. It dies without sound, just the hiss of matter dissolving under my claws.
But the surge doesn't stop. Corruption floods my system, mixing with adrenaline and primal terror. My bear flickers. Form wavering between grizzly and something darker. Something infected.
The instability I've been fighting surfaces all at once.
Then I hear my name.
"Jonah!"
Maren's voice cuts through the frenzy. She's running toward me—foolish, brave, completely insane—calling my name like it's a lifeline.
My corrupted bear turns on her. Sees movement. Potential threat. Snarls.
Then recognizes mate.
The bond flares between us. Visible. Undeniable. Golden light that sparks from her chest to mine, cutting through shadow corruption like it was never there.
Mate. Safe. Ours.
The corruption recoils. My bear stabilizes. The red haze clears enough to think again.
Maren stops three feet away, breathing hard, eyes wide but unafraid. She stares at the golden thread connecting us, then at me. At my massive bear form, still dangerous, still covered in dissolving shadow matter.
"It's okay," she whispers. "I've got you."
The last shadow creature falls under Calder's claws. Silence descends.
My brothers transform back to human form. I stay bear a moment longer, letting the form stabilize fully before releasing it. The mist swirls, and then I'm standing on two legs, naked and breathing hard.
At my chest, faint traces of golden light still pulse. At Maren's sternum, the matching glow hasn't quite faded.
"Workshop." My voice comes out rough. "Now."
She doesn't argue. Turns and walks. I follow close enough that nothing could slip between us.
Inside, she flips on one light. Amber glows across workbenches and equipment. Tools hanging on pegboards, half-finished projects on the work surface, the smell of sawdust and oil. Normal things. Safe things. Nothing that reflects the chaos of what just happened outside.
I close the door. Lock it. The click of the bolt sliding home sounds too loud in the sudden quiet.
Then I move.
She backs up until she hits the wall. Not from fear—the bond tells me that much, feeding me her emotions like they're my own. Adrenaline. Confusion. But underneath it all, attraction. Want. The bond recognizes what's building between us even if her conscious mind hasn't caught up yet.
I plant both hands on either side of her head, caging her in. Breathing her scent. Vanilla and something uniquely her, mixed now with adrenaline and the sharp tang of terror that she's trying hard to suppress. She was terrified when that shadow came for her. Terrified but brave enough to run toward me anyway when I lost control.
Brave or foolish. Maybe both.
"Don't ever do that again." The words come out low. Dangerous. The corruption still thrums under my skin, making everything sharper, more intense. "You could have been killed."
"But I wasn't." Her chin lifts. Defiant despite the tremor I can feel through the bond. "You protected me."
"I almost killed you myself." The truth scrapes out like broken glass. "The corruption—my bear didn't recognize you for a second. For one heartbeat, you were just movement, just a threat to eliminate. If you'd been one step closer when I turned?—"
"But I wasn't." She reaches up, touches my face. Her palm is warm against my cheek, soft against the rough stubble I haven't bothered to shave since I clawed my way out of the shadow realm. "And you did recognize me. The bond—I saw it, Jonah. That golden light. What was that?"
The question deserves an answer. Deserves the truth I've been calculating how to deliver. But the words won't come. Duty. Fear. The knowledge that claiming her might kill us both.
