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She pulled away, looking at him with large eyes. "You … you were …"
He nodded, knowing it was hard for anyone to process. "Yes, I am a shifter."
He pulled them both up and turned her toward the door. Inside, he grabbed some pants from the laundry room and slipped them on. He found her sitting on the couch, still holding that shocked expression.
He sat next to her, knowing she had questions. He waited, letting her process what had happened.
She ran her hands through her hair, blowing out a breath as she did. She looked at him. "You were being honest. This entire time you were telling me the truth."
He nodded. "It's hard for humans to take in. So, I don't blame you for thinking I was lying."
She wet her lips and swallowed. He watched her throat bob.
"And Marigold? She is …"
He nodded. "Her mother, Serenity, and I hooked up a while back. We were both just trying to find some entertainment, and she got pregnant. She died after having Marigold."
Lyra gasped. “She died? What happen?”
“I don’t know. I heard a scream and ran back to my house to find her with a just-birthed baby in her arms.” He remembered her last words to him:You take care of her. Serenity had a few family members in the area, but she never liked them. Thus her final words made sense to him.
"You're both shifters?" Lyra asked.
He nodded again. "Yes, we both are bear shifters."
"That explains the sleeping," she whispered. "I'm sorry I yelled."
"Don't be," he said, giving her a gentle smile. "You're actually taking this better than most people."
She softly laughed, rubbing her hands over her face. "Serenity was just a hookup? She wasn't anyone special?"
He squirmed in his seat. Talking about Serenity was a touchy subject, but he needed to talk about it. "Shifters have mates, and to answer your question, no, she wasn't mine. We both just wanted to have some fun and ended up creating Marigold."
"So you didn't love her?"
He shook his head. "No, I didn't. But I cared about her. She was bearing my child, after all."
She looked away, rubbing her hands together.
He swallowed, suddenly nervous. He had to tell her his feelings. They had slept together, and it was only fair that he be completely honest with her now. No more secrets.
"As bear shifters, we aren't supposed to mate with humans. It's strongly frowned upon."
He watched her eyes snap back at him.
"But I have fallen in love with you, Lyra, and no one is going to tell me who I can or can't be with."
He watched a smile form on her lips and a twinkle in her eyes, and he knew she understood.
TWELVE
LYRA
Her heart was beating so fast and hard that it was becoming painful.
Lyra’s mouth had gone dry, and she was sure that her eyes were wide with shock, though she couldn’t quite feel them.
Maybe I’m having an out-of-body experience,she thought to herself. Because at that moment, she couldn’t feel anything except the throbbing of her heart.
