Shifter Spring Fever, Part Three

*** Please Note: This is Part Three of the Shifter Spring Fever story. If you're looking for Part Two, CLICK HERE. ***

Emily slowly opened her eyes, smiling at the early morning sunshine streaming in through her windows. She reached out her arms and stretched, and then her smile froze on her face as her hand ran into something large and firm that felt very much like a man’s bicep. Slowly, she turned to look at the left side of her bed, the side that was usually empty.

It was far from empty now. The events of the previous evening came flooding back to her, and her cheeks heated with both a little bit of pleasure and a little bit of embarrassment. Had she really slept with Eric in the back of her bookstore? It was so unlike her to do something so forward with a man, but then, Eric wasn’t just any man.

He was half-bear.

Emily had to fight a little bit not to feel completely overwhelmed. She still had so many questions to ask Eric, and, ordinarily, she would have asked them before sleeping with him. But she had been so overcome with desire that she hadn’t bothered with little details like asking how a full human and a bear shifter could make a life together.

In the light of day, she could feel herself starting to panic.

She had always believed that fairytale romance rarely worked in real life. How could she ever have faith that a romance could work out between her and a half-bear?

Yes, he was the most handsome man she’d ever met, and she couldn’t deny that she felt an absolutely magnetic draw toward him. But she feared something so wonderful could never last. What had she been thinking?

She wondered if she could possibly get ready for work so quickly and quietly that she could sneak away to the bookstore before Eric woke. She knew that avoiding him would be a cowardly thing to do, but she didn’t feel particularly brave at the moment.

She didn’t have time to even try, however, because in the next moment, Eric sleepily opened his eyes and looked right at her. He didn’t seem to be experiencing even a tiny bit of the panic she was feeling.

“Hey, you,” he said in a gravelly morning voice that was unbearably sexy.

Emily had another moment of panic when she wondered how rough she must look in that moment, with her hair unbrushed and no doubt full of tangles. But from the way Eric was staring adoringly at her, he didn’t seem to think she looked anything less than beautiful.

“How’d you sleep?” he asked, reaching out to run a caressing finger down the side of her face.

“I, uh, well…” Emily trailed off, unable to form a coherent sentence as her heart started to pound with fear. Eric was perfect. Too perfect. There was no way this was going to last. She should have never let her heart get so tangled up, and now that very heart was going to be shattered into pieces when Eric turned out not to actually be Prince Charming.

Eric seemed to realize that all was not right with Emily, because his smile faded into a serious, worried look. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

In response, Emily burst into tears.

It was horribly embarrassing. She had never been a big crier, and even on the rare occasions when she did indulge in a good cry, she certainly didn’t do so in front of people. She definitely didn’t do so in front of the impossibly handsome man she’d slept with the night before.

But there she was, suddenly sobbing into her hands in front of Eric like an emotional fool. If he hadn’t already had a reason to consider leaving, he damn well did after these waterworks.

She took deep breaths and tried to control her crying. She just needed to get herself calm enough to explain to him that the night before had been fun, but that since they obviously had no future together, it was better for both of them if they amicably went their separate ways and never again acted so rashly.

“Em,” he said, sounding more alarmed with each word he spoke. “Tell me what’s wrong. Hopefully it’s not something I did.”

She took a deep shuddering breath, and forced herself to look at him again even though her eyes were still wet with tears.

“It’s not something you did. Last night was wonderful, and I’m sure you think you really mean it when you say that you would do anything for me, even moving to Wood Canyon. But I’ve seen this sort of thing play out over and over before. Those promises never hold up in real life. When things get hard, the best intentions fall apart, and even romances that seemed so sure fail.”

Eric sighed and brushed a lock of hair away from her face. “I don’t know who in your past hurt you to make you feel that way, but I’m not them. I’m not going to run in the opposite direction just because ‘real life’ shows up. I know no relationship can be roses all the time, but I’m determined to make things work between us even when things are hard. I’m in this for the long haul. I know you’ll probably think I’m insane for saying this, but I’m in this for life.”

Without even thinking about what she was doing, Emily gave a very unladlylike snort of disbelief. “You’ve only known me a few weeks, and we only just truly admitted that we like each other. How can you possibly be talking about a lifetime together, especially when I have no idea how things between a shifter and a full human will work?”

Eric gave her a small smile. “Actually, it’s because I’m a shifter that I can confidently say that I’m committed to a lifetime with you. You see, we shifters have something we call lifemates, and I’m completely confident that you’re mine.”

“I’m your…lifemate? What does that even mean?”

Eric sat up on one elbow, causing the blanket to fall away a bit and give Emily a view of his bare chest. She did her best not to react to the sight, but that was hard to do.

It was such a very delicious sight.

Eric continued talking, seeming oblivious to how the sight of his naked chest was affecting Emily.

“Lifemates are similar to the human concept of soulmates,” he explained, “But it’s actually even a little bit more serious than that.”

“How so?”

Eric smiled. “It’s destiny. You see, from the moment a shifter take his first breath, he’s fated to be with one specific person: his lifemate.”

Emily couldn’t help letting out an exasperated sigh. “Destined? Really? That sort of thing doesn’t truly exist.”

Eric didn’t seem at all offended by her comments, though. He shrugged and continued talking. “I know it sounds crazy, but it’s the truth. Destiny chooses our lifemates for us. Usually, but not always, we can sense when we first meet someone that they’re our lifemate. The only way to know for sure, however, is to sleep with the person.”

Emily frowned. “How would that make a difference?”

“There’s something called the lifemate bond,” Eric said in a tone of perfect patience. “It’s formed the first time a shifter sleeps with their fated lifemate. It’s usually felt as a deep searing heat in the very core of one’s being—a heat that is impossibly hot and yet not painful. It’s quite pleasurable, in fact.”

Emily paused for a moment, unsure of quite what to say. She had felt a heat in her core when Eric made love to her the night before, a heat unlike anything she’d ever experienced with any other man. She’d been sure that it was just due to the overwhelming passion she felt for Eric, but what if what he was saying was true? What if this crazy “lifemate bond” did actually exist, and she was Eric’s lifemate?

She gave him a searching look. “Okay, giving you the benefit of the doubt that this whole idea of lifemate bonds is true, what would it actually mean to have the lifemate bond formed?”

Eric smiled an almost dreamy smile. “Well, it’s an unbreakable bond. Once you form the bond with your lifemate, you’re tied to them for the rest of your life. No one else will ever truly make you happy. Not only that, but you can sense your lifemate’s mood, and you can feel if they’re in danger. Basically, you become so close and connected to them that you can even sense if they’re in danger. You know if they need help. And you won’t be happy away from them. You need to be close to them, and if you’re too far away for too long, you’ll start to feel miserable.”

“So…if you lived in another city from your lifemate, for example, then you’d be perpetually unhappy?”

Eric’s face turned more serious than she’d ever seen it. “Yes. And I’m not going to beat around the bush with you: I believe you’re my lifemate, Emily. I’ve suspected it for some time, but when I slept with you last night it confirmed things for me. I felt the bond forming, and I know I’ll never be the same again.”

“Because you’re stuck with me for life?”

He chuckled. “I’m not sure I’d put it that way. It makes it sound like such a negative thing. I’d say rather that I get to be yours for life. I consider myself very lucky. Of course, you have a say in all this, too. Just because you’re my lifemate doesn’t mean you’re forced to spend your life with me. You still have a choice.”

Emily frowned. “But wouldn’t it be the same for me as it is for you? If we formed a lifemate bond, won’t I be miserable without you?”

Eric gave her a wry smile. “Well, the selfish part of me hopes that you would indeed be miserable without me. But I don’t think that’s necessarily the case. I don’t think lifemate bonds work the same way for full humans as they do for shifters. You could probably walk away if you really wanted to.” He paused, and now it was his turn to give her a searching look. “Do you want to?”

She stared at him for a few beats, wondering how she should respond. And then, she slowly shook her head. “No. I don’t. I want to believe in romance. In you. In us. But I’m scared. I still don’t know you very well, and I don’t know what it means to make a life with a shifter. What if I’m not up to the task?”

He reached out and pulled her into his arms. “I promise you: you are more than up for the task.”

The rational side of Emily’s mind screamed at her to not let him hold her. Wasn’t doing so admitting that she was giving her heart fully over to this?

But Emily was tired of listening to her rational side. She was tired of pushing down the true feelings of her heart because she was scared.

She wanted, finally, to trust. She never had before, not truly. And she was scared now. If she admitted that she had fallen completely for Eric, he had power to hurt her like no one ever had before.

But deep down, Emily didn’t believe that Eric would let her down. She saw the sincerity in his eyes, and she heard the earnestness in his voice.

She could tell he loved her fiercely.

Could she trust this fierce bear, this fierce man, to stand by her side? Could she finally give in and believe that true love wasn’t only in fairytales, but that she could have it, too?

“Okay,” she whispered.

“Okay?” he asked hopefully.

“Okay,” she repeated with a smile. “I won’t pretend that I’m not scared, or that all of this shifting and lifemates stuff still isn’t a little bit confusing. But I do believe that we’re meant for each other. I might not be a shifter, but I feel drawn to you like I’ve never been to anyone else before. Not only that, but I think I felt the lifemate bond you’re talking about.”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise at that. “You did?”

She nodded. “When we made love last night, I felt such an intense heat deep in my core. I thought I was just really turned on because, well…you do turn me on quite a bit.” She paused, her cheeks heating slightly with embarrassment at such a brazen admission of how deeply her feelings for him went. But he didn’t make fun of her.

Instead, he held her tighter and gently kissed her nose. “Wow,” he said. “I just assumed full humans couldn’t feel the lifemate bond. But maybe I was wrong about that, because it sounds like you felt it, too.”

Emily gave him an uncertain smile. “So…that means we’re bonded? And you want to be with me for life?”

“That’s exactly what it means. But I want you to understand that the lifemate bond isn’t going to force you to do anything. It’s a strong force, a strong pull on your heart. But your heart is still your own. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. You always have a choice.”

She met his eyes. “And what if my choice is you?”

“Is it?” he asked, his voice a husky whisper.

She nodded. “It is. I choose you, Eric. I may not understand all of this yet, but I understand enough to know that nothing and no one ever has, or ever will, make me happier than you.”

“Well then, he said with a bit of a growl. “I’d say that you’ve made me the happiest man that ever lived.

With that, he pulled her close and covered her lips with his, giving her the strongest, deepest kiss he could. His arms tightened around her, and Emily gladly melted into their warmth. She gladly let him slip his tongue past her lips, and relished in the way it danced with her tongue.

She had been so afraid for so long, but she strangely felt no fear in that moment. All she felt was peace.

Peace, and a whole lot of desire.

She could feel Eric’s hard erection pressed against her legs, and that feeling gave her a little thrill. She melted deeper into his kiss, into his body, and let the heat and passion of the moment overcome her.

He was her lifemate. She was his lifemate. They belonged to each other, for always. This, she knew, was more than just a casual declaration of love. This was forever. This was always. This was two people completely committed to each other.

Nothing could have turned her on more, than to know that the man she had been falling for over the last few weeks had also fallen hard for her, and believed that he was destined to be with her for always. What more could a girl ask for in a man, than a commitment like this?

As Eric kissed her deeper, she forgot to feel self-conscious about whether her hair was sporting a ridiculous morning bedhead look. Eric didn’t seem to care how disheveled she was. In fact, he seemed determined to make her even more disheveled. He rolled her onto her back and covered her with his body, pressing kisses not only to her mouth but also to her neck, and even lower. He slid his face down to be level with her breasts, and then, with one deft move, he pushed her t-shirt up and over her head. She had never put on a bra again after their lovemaking the night before, and she was happy about that now, since it meant that her hard, erect nipples were easily accessible to him with her shirt out of the way. She arched her back and moaned as he took each nipple in his mouth in turn. Nibbling with his teeth gently at first, and then harder and with more urgency.

He knew exactly what to do to set her whole body on fire, and the tingling, ecstatic pleasure she felt from his mouth on her was already building in her body in a way she knew was eventually going to require a big moment of release.

A moment she knew from the previous’ night’s experience was going to feel absolutely incredible.

Eric pushed his erection harder against her legs, and she wished he would make quick work of getting rid of her pants, as he had with her shirt. She was already growing so wet for him, and every movement of his body against hers made her even wetter.

“Eric,” she panted. “Need…more.”

He chuckled, a sound full of satisfaction. “Patience, sweetheart,” he admonished. “Don’t rush the good stuff.”

Don’t rush the good stuff, she thought. He’d called her a sweetheart, but he was really the sweetheart here. He was taking his time, making sure that she experienced all the pleasure he could give her. She could scarcely believe that she was going to have a lifetime of this amazingness.

But she soon stopped thinking about anything at all, except how good she felt. With his mouth still pleasuring her nipples, Eric reached a hand down and slipped it inside her sweatpants and underwear, finding her dripping, hot entrance with his strong, capable fingers. He slid two fingers inside her, and she gasped. Even though he’d done something similar the night before during one of their rounds of lovemaking, she still couldn’t quite believe how large his fingers were. It made sense, of course. He was a large man, a bear of a man, and everything about him was a bit oversized.

Including the erection still pressing against her, but it seemed his dick was going to have to wait its turn, because his fingers were already deep inside her, rubbing against her hot, sensitive inner walls. He rubbed against her with firm, steady movements, and she gasped as she felt the tingling pressure building within her.

“Eric!” she gasped out. She didn’t know what she was trying to tell him by saying his name. She only knew that she needed to say something. The feelings she felt deep within her were too much to be contained.

“That’s it, baby,” he murmured. “Show me how much you like it.”

The deep, husky tone of his voice undid her. She let out a long, wild moan as her release overtook her. Shockwaves of pleasure spread across her body, and she once again felt a heat unlike anything she’d ever known—except now she knew what that heat was: the lifemate bond. She hadn’t realized she would feel it just from his fingers, but she wasn’t complaining. It felt so wonderful, and gave her such a sense of security. She was his, for life, and he was hers. How very lucky she was.

He left his fingers inside her until the tremors had ceased, and then, he slowly pulled his hand out and pulled her into his arms.

“You’re so perfect,” he whispered into her ear, and she shivered with pleasure both at his nearness and at the words he had said. She knew she was far from perfect, but she wasn’t going to argue with him and spoil this moment. If he felt that way about her, who was she to argue?

She snuggled closer to him, still hot and wet and impossibly turned on, and then she whispered in his ear. “That was a good appetizer, but now I want the real thing.”

He pulled back and gave her a look of amusement. “Was that orgasm not real enough for you?”

She shrugged. “It was good, but it’s even better when it comes from your dick.”

He growled and pushed her onto her back, already reaching to strip off his shirt and sweatpants. “Well, my lady, I wouldn’t want to disappoint you. Let’s see if we can remedy this.”

Moments later, he hovered over her completely naked, his long, hard erection poised above her dripping wet entrance. “Are you ready for me?” he asked.

“Always,” she told him.

He needed no more encouragement than that. He slid deep into her, filling her completely and pushing against her inner walls, hitting every part of her and filling her once again with fresh pleasure. She had barely recovered from her last orgasm, and now she was once again on the verge of losing it. Eric’s swift, deep thrusts were bringing a new wave of heat and tingling pressure to her core. The sound of his heavy breathing as he himself grew more and more excited turned Emily on even more, and she arched her hips up toward him, wanting him deeper and deeper inside her.

She tried to hold back her release, wanting to drag out the moment as long as possible. But Eric was so good at moving in her that she could not delay for long. The ecstasy she felt simply could not be contained, and she threw her head back and squeezed her eyes shut, letting out a roar of pleasure as he once again made her come.

“Eric!” she cried, as her inner muscles clenched around his dick over and over.

He did not respond, apparently at such a zenith of pleasure that he could not even speak. Moments later, he let out a loud roar and found his own release, pulsing into her even as she continued to ride the shockwaves of pleasure he had caused her.

Both of them clung to each other for a long time, enjoying their release together until, gradually, the waves of pleasure slowed.

“Wow,” Eric said, finally breaking the silence. “I can’t believe how good you feel.”

Emily smiled dreamily at him. “I could say the same about you, Mister.”

Eric kissed the tip of her nose, then gave her a searching look. “Are you alright, truly? I want you to know you can trust me. I’m always here for you, and I promise I’ll take good care of your heart.”

Emily reached for his hand and squeezed it. “I know. I do trust you. It isn’t easy for me to open my heart to love, but you’ve convinced me. I can’t imagine not being with you, and I know this is just the beginning of our real life fairytale.”

Eric smiled. “It’s going to be a good fairytale, too. The best ever told, I promise you.”

Emily opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the buzzing of Eric’s phone on her bedside table. Eric glanced over at it, then his eyes widened. “It’s Andy.”

Emily sat up quickly and looked at the phone herself. “Really? He hasn’t been using his phone himself much since the accident.”

“I know,” Eric said, reaching for the phone. “He said talking on the phone and looking at screens gave him a headache. Should I answer it? I don’t want to ruin this moment between us, but it might be important.”

Emily waved away his worries. “You’re not ruining anything. Taking care of Andy is important. Besides, we’ll have many, many more chances to be together like this, since we are apparently stuck with each other for life.”

She winked at Eric and he grinned back, then swiped at his phone screen to answer.

“Hello?”

Emily watched as Eric’s eyes widened at whatever was being said on the other side of the line. For a moment, she feared that it was bad news. Was Julia for some reason calling on Andy’s cell to give them bad news about his condition?

But then, Eric’s face broke into a brilliant smile, and he nodded enthusiastically even though whoever was on the phone with him couldn’t see the motion.

“Sure thing buddy. I’ll be right over. And I’ll bring Emily.”

There was a pause, and Eric’s smile widened.

“Yes,” Eric said, looking at Emily with so much love in his eyes she thought her heart might burst. “She’s here with me. I’ll let her know.”

Eric ended the call, and Emily gave him a quizzical look. “What was that all about? Was it really Andy?”

“It was, and he said he’s feeling much better. He just got back from a checkup at his doctor’s office, and they’ve given him a completely clean bill of health. He wants everyone to come over to have cake with Julia and him to celebrate.”

“That’s fantastic news!” Emily exclaimed. “I’ll get up and get ready so we can head right over. This day just keeps getting better and better.”

“Indeed it does,” Eric said. “Indeed it does.”

* * * 

Eric’s heart pounded with excitement as he walked into Julia and Andy’s living room with his arm around Emily. He knew it wasn’t exactly a secret that he and Emily liked each other. After all, they hadn’t made any attempt to hide their flirtatious banter from the others. Not only that, but Julia definitely knew about how he had kissed Emily the day before without first revealing his shifter side.

Eric inwardly winced at the memory of how he’d fumbled that whole situation so badly, but on the outside he kept up his calm, stoic appearance. That was all in the past now, and things had worked out, despite his blunders. Emily was his lifemate, and had agreed to a relationship with him. She’d gotten past her fear of romance and commitment, all for him! Sure, there were still details to be worked out, but he wasn’t too worried about it. He would do anything for her, and so working out how to move to Wood Canyon didn’t seem like much of a problem at all. He was already planning how he could permanently switch to doing all of his graphic design work remotely. Maybe he could even continue helping out Andy at the kayak shop. Even if Andy was feeling well enough that he didn’t actually need Eric’s help anymore—and Eric hoped for Andy’s sake that that was the case—it would still be fun to continue working there. He’d come to enjoy the rhythm of helping customers rent kayaks and go on tours.  

Those were all things to be worked out later, though. For the moment, Eric had other things to take care of. Things like letting his brother and the rest of his Wood Canyon friends know that he and Emily were officially a thing. His heart nearly burst with pride as he looked around Andy’s living room and saw the surprise dawning on everyone’s faces when they realized that he was holding Emily much closer than mere friendship dictated. 

Julia was the first to speak, a wide smile spreading across her face. “Well! Looks like you two managed to work out your differences last night, after all.”

Lola and Tasha gave Julia bewildered looks before turning back toward Eric and Emily.  

“When did this happen?” Lola asked, gesturing in Eric and Emily’s general direction. “And does Emily know…about you?”

Tasha glanced uncomfortably back and forth between Lola and Eric. “Lola!” she hissed in a whisper that was not at all discreet, even though she probably intended it to be. “Don’t bring that up in case he hasn’t.”

“Bring what up?” Emily asked, furrowing her brow in an adorably confused way. 

Eric realized that she didn’t even realize that Tasha and Lola were worried that she didn’t know about shifting, and that realization made him love her all the more. Sure, she had been startled in the beginning about the fact that shifting existed. But once she’d had a chance to hear an explanation and have her questions answered, she’d quickly accepted it as the most natural thing in the world. She didn’t even realize that the others were worried about her reaction to it, because she no longer even realized that the fact that Eric was a shifter even merited a reaction. It had become a complete non-issue for her. 

“She knows,” Eric said quickly, before the conversation could get even more confusing. “She actually saw me shift last night, and after that I explained everything to her. Well, to be fair, Julia explained things first, because Emily was rightly freaking out that I’d hidden such a big thing from her. But then I filled in any remaining details and told her how much I cared for her.”

“Is she your lifemate?” Lola demanded. Eric saw Emily’s face turn bright red almost instantly at that question. After all, one couldn’t know for sure that someone was one’s lifemate unless they slept with them, a fact that had apparently not escaped Emily’s notice.  

“Lola!” Tasha hissed again. “Don’t be inappropriate!” 

“Oh, come on,” Julia said with a laugh. “We’re all adults here, and it’s not like we aren’t going to find out soon enough anyway.” 

Eric saw Emily’s face grow even redder, and he let out a low warning growl at the other women in the room. He personally didn’t care if the whole world knew that he had slept with Emily. He wanted everyone to know she was his lifemate, and that he had claimed her. But he didn’t like it that Lola’s questions were obviously making Emily uncomfortable, and his protective instincts were kicking in. 

“Easy there, Bear,” Andy said, the first thing he’d spoken since Eric and Emily had entered the room. “No one means your girl any harm.”

At that, all eyes including Eric’s turned toward Andy. “I’m fine,” Eric said gruffly. “But the sound of your voice is reminding me…we’re not here to talk about my love life. We’re here to hear about how you’re doing so much better.”

“And also,” Emily piped up. “I was promised cake.”

This made everyone in the room laugh, breaking the tension. Andy smiled good-naturedly and waved vaguely in the direction of the adjoining room. “There’s plenty of cake in there. Julia ordered the most expensive, most beautiful cake I’ve ever seen, so you all better enjoy it. I want to get my money’s worth.”

This brought more laughter. When finally it settled down, Max spoke up. “Seriously, though. You’re doing better, Andy?” 

Andy nodded, smiling. “I’ve actually been recovering quite well over the last two weeks, but I haven’t said much about it because I didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up if things didn’t work out. As you all know, even you now, Emily, the fact that I’m a shifter has helped me heal quicker than I ordinarily might have. But unfortunately, I was hurt so badly that even my shifter healing abilities weren’t enough to completely overcome my injuries.”

“But now, he’s gotten so much better that his body is able to self-heal at super shifter speed once again!” Julia exclaimed.

Andy laughed. “I don’t think ‘super shifter speed’ is the technical term for it, but yes, my strong healing abilities finally really kicked in, and as of this morning, I’ve been given a complete bill of health from my doctor. He said he’s never seen anyone recover so quickly from injuries like mine.” 

“So you’re completely back to normal?” Dane asked, his voice sounding hopeful. 

Max snorted. “Inasmuch as you can ever call Andy normal, that weirdo.” 

Andy threw a throw pillow at him in response, but Max only caught the pillow and laughed. 

Julia groaned. “Let’s have some cake, before these boys devolve into complete five-year-olds.” 

Emily announced that she would help Julia with the cake, and quickly followed her friend to the kitchen. Eric knew she was probably just trying to get a breather from the small crowd in the room, and escape any further questions they might want to ask. He let her go without protest, even though what he really wanted to do was to kiss her deeply in front of everyone, then ask if that answered their question about whether Emily was his lifemate. 

But Emily wasn’t a shifter, and wasn’t yet used to how open most shifters were about love and lifemates and all that that entailed. She would become more open, with time. Until then, Eric would let her take things at her pace. Still, as soon as she was in the kitchen, he grinned at Andy, and his brother let out a loud peal of laughter.  

“I know what that grin means,” Andy said. “Emily made you very happy last night, didn’t she?” 

A gentleman never tells,” Eric said stubbornly, but the rest of the crew in the room was already letting out little congratulatory whoops. Eric had to admit that it felt good being around people who understood the significance of something like finding a lifemate. He was sure he’d tell the whole story at some point, but for that moment, it was enough just to be there with all the people he loved, knowing they loved him and loved Emily as well. How lucky he was to have gained not only a lifemate, but also a group of friends that practically amounted to its own little clan, right here in smalltown Wood Canyon.

“Alright, here we are!” Julia said, waltzing back into the room with several plates balanced on her arms. “Cake, as promised!”

Emily followed behind, carrying some plates as well, and smiling so radiantly that Eric felt sure she must have confided in Julia that Eric was, indeed, her lifemate. The thought made him smile. She might still be getting used to all this shifter business, but it was clear she was proud to be his. 

The group talked and laughed as they ate cake and peppered Andy with more questions about his recovery. He clearly was very happy to be completely mended, and was planning the biggest rental and tour season yet for his kayak shop.  

“Since you’ve got such big plans,” Eric interrupted. “How would you feel about my staying on permanently to help with the shop?” 

Andy’s eyes widened. “Really?” Then, understanding seemed to dawn on him, and he grinned. “I guess that makes sense. You’re not going to want to leave Emily, and she isn’t going to want to leave her bookstore. I hadn’t quite put two and two together yet with all the excitement, but you’re going to be staying in Wood Canyon, aren’t you?”

Eric looked at Emily, who gave him an encouraging nod. Then he looked back at his brother. “Yes, I’m staying. And I’m really looking forward to living close to you again.”

Andy let out a whoop, and jumped up to run over and envelop both Eric and Emily in a giant bear hug. Then, the rest of the group joined in. It was a miracle no one’s cake plate was upended as the entire group joined in on one giant group hug, all talking and laughing at the same time. 

When finally the group calmed down a bit, Max got a mischievous glint in his eye and looked around at all of them. “Hey, this is gorgeous weather, and Andy is feeling back to normal. It would be a shame to waste a day like this. What do you say we go for a nice bear-human run through the woods?”

The whole group cheered except Emily, who looked around in confusion. “A bear-human run? What’s that?”

Eric took her hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze. “It’s when we shifters change into our bear forms, and you lovely human ladies ride on our backs as we run through the forest.”

“It’s really fun, I promise!” Tasha said. “I was a little nervous the first time I tried it. Mostly I think I was nervous that I was going to hurt Max by sitting on his back. But these boys are tough, especially in bear form. They can handle us.” 

“And it really is so fun,” Lola added. “Max and Tasha are really the ones who got us started on the activity, but now we all love it.”

“Wow,” Emily said. “I…I guess I could try it?”

She looked at Eric with a look of confusion that made him think she thought he was going to tell her it was a bad idea. He only laughed and squeezed her hand again.

“I think we should try it,” he told her. “And anyway, don’t you want another chance to see me in bear form?”

That got her attention. Her face lit up, and she nodded energetically. “I do, actually. I was wondering when I might get to see you shift again, now that I know what shifting actually is. I’m really fascinated to watch the process.

“Well, then, come and watch.”

He tugged her along, following the rest of the group as they headed outside. They walked into the woods, talking and laughing, and Eric couldn’t remember the last time his heart had felt so full. He had a healthy brother, many new friends, and a beautiful lifemate.

Life was good.

And it was about to get even better, because until Emily, nothing had made Eric happier than shifting and running free through the forest. Now, he was about to have the chance to shift and run free with Emily. He almost had to pinch himself to believe that this was real life.

After they’d hiked for a good while, Andy turned to look at Eric, Max, and Dane. “Ready?”

Eric nodded, as did the others. “Let’s do this.”

Eric started to strip his clothes off, which apparently surprised Emily.

“What are you doing?” she asked with wide eyes, glancing around at the rest of the group, then snapping her eyes back to Eric when she realized the rest of the men were stripping as well.

“I’m getting naked so I can shift without ruining my clothes,” he told her. “The other guys are doing that, too. Just don’t look at them and I promise it won’t be awkward. Shifters don’t worry about nudity as much as full humans. We can’t be prudes. Remember, shifting uses a lot of power and often results in our being naked, either by choice or accident.”

Emily’s face had turned bright red, and Eric knew she must already feel horribly awkward. He gave her an encouraging smile and told himself that she would forget about all that once she saw him shift.

He was right. As soon as he let his inner bear take over, her eyes widened with wonder and the red tint faded from her cheeks. She watched intently as his body grew larger and larger, changing form into the shape of a bear. His skin thickened and grew fur, and his teeth became long and sharp. His hands became paws ending in fearsome claws, and when his shift had completely finished, he stood before Emily as a mighty grizzly.

She gazed at him with such pure wonder and love that he thought his heart might burst. He never should have doubted that she would accept him for who he was. She was his lifemate, his destiny. And he was her bear.

He grunted and swung his head toward his back, indicating she should climb on. The other women were already climbing onto the backs of their men turned grizzlies, eager to begin their romp through the forest.

Emily hesitated, and he reached over to nudge her with his giant grizzly nose. He looked at her with earnest eyes, trying to convey that she had no reason to be nervous. He could handle her weight, and he would never let her fall.

He would protect her, always.

She seemed to understand his message, because she nodded and slowly climbed on his back, taking giant fistfuls of fur to hold herself secure. Andy’s bear started running, then Max, then Dane. The women riding on their backs gave shrieks of delight as the bears began to pick up speed.

Eric followed them, slowly at first, giving Emily time to adjust to the novel adventure of riding a bear. He began to slowly pick up speed, but Emily apparently wasn’t happy with his slow acceleration. She leaned down and whispered in his ear, “Are you really going to let all the others outrun us? Come on, let’s see how fast those bear legs can go.”

Eric felt a thrill when he heard those words. He loved his adventurous lifemate! With a roar, he began to pick up speed, running as fast as he could until the trees around him became nothing more than blurs. On his back, Emily let out a whoop of excitement, which only encourage him to run even faster.

He could hardly believe how lucky he was, that this would be his life from now on, running through the forests of Wood Canyon with the most beautiful lifemate he could have imagined and the best friends he could have asked for.

He wouldn’t trade this life for anything. With another roar, he ran forward, into the forest and into the glorious future.

*** Thank you for reading! This concludes the Seasons of Shifters Short Story Collection. To be notified of future stories, be sure to sign up below for Sloane's e-mail newsletter! ***