Chapter Nineteen

We waited for Monroe to calm down completely and got her some food before deciding it was time for some revelations of our own.

"Would you like to see our bears?" I asked. The grizzly inside me was jonesing to let his mate see him. He'd probably parade his giant self all around her, showing off.

Our mate, still red-eyed and a bit puffy from her crying episodes, nodded. "I didn't think shifters showed their animals to everyone."

Ansel rubbed her back. "You're not everyone, Monroe."

Her blush gave us the exact response we wanted. She needed to be reassured that she would always be cherished and loved here. Telling the woman we loved that she was everything we wanted was a pleasure.

"I would love to see the bears but…they wouldn't hurt me? Do I need to stay inside and watch through the windows?"

My bear gave a low growl. Monroe and Ansel were two people he would never hurt. Not in a million years. He'd throw himself off a cliff before hurting her or him. "Our bears would never hurt you, Monroe. I'll tell you why after we shift. Trust us?"

The three of us walked outside together, past the swimming pool and hot tub and over to the edge of the concrete. "We own forty acres all around our house," Ansel said. "Plenty of room to run. I'm going to shift but Edward will stay human until you are comfortable and know that neither of us would ever hurt you, even as our bears."

She nodded, but her face paled. My mate took my hand in hers and call me cheesy, but my chest puffed out. It was the first time she initiated touch with me. I released her hand and wrapped my arm around her shoulder, and she responded by cuddling in close. "I'm ready."

Ansel took his clothes off, and I rolled my eyes while he winked at our mate. Her blush deepened, and I leaned down to whisper to her. "He's going to make a lot of noise and maybe roar when he shifts."

In seconds, where Ansel once stood was a grizzly bear. Monroe pressed closer to my torso, but she didn't scream or cry out in fear. Brave, sweet mate.

Ansel's bear bent his head low. She probably didn't know what that meant, but I explained it to her. "He is lowering his head in submission to you. Our bears already know you belong to us and the bond between a shifter and his mate is something to respect. He is honoring you with that action."

"Can I touch him?" she whispered.

"He would be overjoyed." I chuckled. "Go on."

Ansel's bear lay on the ground and rolled over, totally submitting to his mate. Monroe walked over and took slow steps. "Is this okay?" she asked my best friend while reaching out to touch his fur. She stroked him from the back of his head down his spine.

My bear was fucking green with jealousy.

"Your fur is thick but soft. I didn't expect that," Monroe whispered and then turned to me. Our mate was proud of herself, and I was damned proud of her as well. Most humans would've taken off in a sprint. "Are you going to let me see your bear?"

"You won't be scared?"

She shook her head. "You would never hurt me."

Her words struck me right in the chest.

I shifted next and after some more petting from our mate, we took off into the woods and played a bit, with her still in sight. She laughed when we bit each other and swatted our paws around.

We had been running for a while when I looked over and saw Monroe rubbing the middle of her chest with a fist. Ansel must've seen it too because we both shifted and threw on our boxers.

"Is something hurting you?" I asked, scanning her for anything I could see that was amiss.

"It's not something wrong," she said. "When I was watching you two play and run, it was like a part of me wanted to run with you. There's been a tugging in my chest since the first night I got here. It's weird, right?"

Ansel shook his head. "Not weird for us. We knew you were our mate when we saw your profile picture. A bear knows when he's found his true mate."

"But I'm not a bear. Why am I feeling this? It hurt when I thought about leaving you two. It's like you are inside me." She backed up and sat in one of the lounge chairs. We kneeled in front of her.

"I don't know. Let's get you inside."

We brought her inside. What our mate explained sounded like what we shifters feel when we find our mate. Perhaps there was a line of shifters somewhere in Monroe's family. Our bond had strengthened in shifting for her. I'd never felt so lucky in my entire life.

"Tell me why your bear would never hurt me," she requested.

We both put our pants on but didn't bother with the shirts. Our mate hadn't commented on our nakedness, so we didn't address it. She didn't shy away from it either. I caught her stealing glances.

"We feel the exact same thing you are, Monroe," Ansel started as he put his hair up in his ponytail. "It's called a mating bond. Shifters have it. We're not sure why you have it, but you do, and we're glad. As the bond grows over time, we might be able to better sense each other's feelings and needs. It's all part of our bears needing to protect and take care of our mate. There is nothing more precious in this world to us than you. Our bears would rather end themselves than let any harm come to you."

"You are it for us," I reiterated. "There will never be another woman we want. Our animals would never allow us to cheat or betray you, not that we would anyway. You are now our first priority."

Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "I've never been anyone's priority."

Ansel and I growled at that. "Now you are," I told her.

She sat back on the couch and sighed. "You know what's weird?" she asked with a grin. Something sassy was about to come out of those pouty lips.

"What?" I asked.

"You two love me, and I'm the only one for you, and your bears are clearly digging me, but neither of you has made a move to kiss me."