The air shimmers faintly, a golden pulse beneath the surface of reality. Maren stops beside me, breath catching.
"You’ve felt it for months," I say softly. "Not knowing what it was. But now, open yourself to it. Don’t force it. Let it meet you."
She closes her eyes. The forest seems to hold its breath.
Then she gasps.Her hand rises, not quite touching the shimmer, but hovering inches from it, as a warm pulse rolls through my chest, the ley energy tugging at something deep and instinctive in me. Threads of light waver. Curl. Reach.
She feels it.
Pride rises in my chest, hot, fierce, impossible to contain.
"You’re gifted," I tell her. "Natural."
Her eyes open, wide and luminous. "It’s beautiful. And terrifying. Like standing in the tide right before a wave breaks."
"Exactly." I step behind her, my hands brushing her hips lightly, heat sparking under my palms as her body sways almost imperceptibly toward mine before I circle around to face her."And after tonight, it will recognize you fully. Because you’ll be one of us."
She swallows. "A bear-shifter."
"A bear-shifter," I confirm. "Your DNA will change. Your senses will heighten. You’ll be tied to this land, to the ley lines, to me, to my clan. Forever."
She doesn’t waver. Not for a second.
Heat curls through me at the sight of her steady gaze, a slow burn that coils low and deep. The air between us thickens again, charged in a way that has nothing to do with the ley line pulsing under our feet and everything to do with the woman standing in front of me. She steps closer, almost unconsciously, and the change in her scent—warmth, pine, salt—slides through me in a rush that makes my breath hitch. Her pulse flutters at her throat, a rapid beat my senses catch and hold, matching the rising thrum of desire threading through my veins.Satisfaction floods through me, slow, molten, impossible to hide.The bond hums between us, warm, golden, and so close it feels like her breath is pulling mine toward her, a visceral tug low and deep, drawing us into the same rhythm.
I guide her closer to the convergence point. The energy surges, brushing us both with invisible fingers.
"Feel that?" I ask.
She nods, leaning into it instinctively.
"That’s the ley line responding to us. To the bond. It will make the ritual easier. Stronger."
She steps forward until our hands meet, her fingers sliding against mine, warm and sure. The moment our palms touch, a shock of heat rolls through me, sharp enough to steal my next breath. Her thumb brushes the inside of my wrist in a slow, instinctive stroke, and my pulse answers, pounding against her skin like it’s trying to sync with hers. The shimmer reacts instantly, flaring in a halo around our joined hands, as if theley line itself recognizes the way she fits against me, into me. Where our skin meets, the shimmer gathers in a slow, luminous coil, threads of light looping around our joined hands as though recognizing something inevitable.
Her breath hitches, her chest rising sharply as the shimmer flares brighter, reflecting in her eyes like liquid gold. A soft sound leaves her—half wonder, half something far more primal. The pull between us sharpens, tightening low in my gut.
"Jonah…"
"I know."
Our connection deepens, slow and steady, like roots growing around each other. The bond strengthens naturally, preparing us for what’s coming.Heat gathers between us, slow, deliberate, a current of want humming just beneath our skin.
I step closer until my forehead touches hers, her breath warm against my lips, the faint scent of salt and pine curling through my senses and pulling me even closer. "After the ceremony," I whisper, "you’re mine. Completely. Understand?"
Her breath stutters. "Yes."
I almost lose control right there. Almost.
But tonight isn’t about taking.
It’s about surviving.
I pull back slightly. Enough to see her face. Enough to be honest.
But distance does nothing to cool the heat still simmering low in my gut. Maren’s lips are parted, her breath unsteady, her pupils blown wide with the same want that’s been clawing at me from the moment the ley line touched her. She sways toward me without meaning to, drawn by the bond threading between us, and it takes everything I have not to close the space again and take her back into my arms. Her fingers linger at my jaw, trailing heat wherever they touch, sending shivers down my spine that have nothing to do with fear.
"I’ve been alone in the dark for six months," I say quietly. "You’re my light. My way home."
