20. Rhys

That was possibly the longest dinner of my life. We’d put Emilia to bed after feeding her and giving her a bath, which we’d lingered over. It felt like both of us were doing our best to draw every minute out.

But now the moment had arrived. We had finished our meal, cleaned up the dishes, and there were no more excuses to delay any longer.

With nothing left to do, I finally gathered the courage to ask Jaxson to come with me. “I need to show you something.”

He looked at me, curiosity and concern mingling in his eyes. “Okay,” he agreed, following me down the hallway.

The large family room was the only space in the house open enough for me to shift. The room was dimly lit, the oversized screen dark and the plush chairs casting long shadows. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. “Jaxson, there’s something you need to know about me,” I began, my heart pounding in my chest.

He raised an eyebrow, clearly puzzled. “What’s that?”

“I’m a shifter,” I say, watching his reaction carefully. I figured ripping off the band aid was the only way to go. “That means I can change into another form. An animal form, a bear actually.”

Jaxson’s expression shifted from confusion to disbelief. “You’re kidding, right? Is this some kind of joke?”

I shook my head, then took a step closer to him. “It’s not a joke, Jaxson. I promise you, it’s real. And I need you to trust me.”

He chuckled nervously, running a hand through his hair. “Okay, sure. Right. I guess you better show me, then.”

I nod, trying to prepare him as best as I can. “Don’t be scared, okay? It’s just me. No matter what happens, remember that it’s still me.”

He crossed his arms over his chest, skepticism written all over his face. “Yeah, yeah, just do it.”

I close my eyes, focusing on the familiar sensation of the shift. It’s always a strange but also familiar feeling, my body transforming, bones reshaping, muscles shifting. When I open my eyes again, I’m in my animal form, standing on four legs, looking up at Jaxson.

His eyes widen in horror. “What the hell?” he shouts, stumbling backward.

I try to make soothing noises, but they come out as growls and whines. Jaxson’s hand goes to his waistband, pulling out a gun. “Stay back!” he yells, his voice shaking.

I take a step forward, trying to convey that I’m not a threat, but he backs away, his eyes wild with fear. “Don’t come any closer!”

Panic seized me as I followed him, my mind racing. I needed to stop him.

Jaxson’s eyes widen, and he stumbles back, pulling his gun from his waistband. “What the hell?!” he yells, his voice shaking. “Stay back!”

I tried to communicate, to show him it’s still me, but the panic in his eyes only grew. He backed away, heading for the stairs. “Emilia!” he shouted. “I need to get Emilia!”

By the time he returned her in his arms, I was back in my human form, desperation written across my face. “Jaxson, it’s me. Put down the gun. Please.”

But he kept the gun trained on me, his grip tight and his eyes filled with fear. “Stay back,” he commands.

I put my hands up in a gesture of peace.

“Jaxson, please, calm down,” I pleaded, my voice soft and steady. “It’s still me. I promise you, I’m not going to hurt you or Emilia.”

He clutched Emilia tighter, his knuckles white around the gun. “How do I know that? How do I know you’re not some... some monster?”

Tears pricked at my eyes, but I kept my voice calm. “You’ve known me for months, Jaxson. You know who I am. You know I would never hurt either of you. Please, just put the gun down and let’s talk about this.”

When he didn’t run, I took a cautious step forward. “It’s just me. The same me you’ve always known.”

No matter what I said, Jaxson kept the gun trained on me, his grip tight and his eyes filled with fear. “Stay back,” he commands. “How do I know you’re still... you?”

“It’s me, I’m still me. I was born this way. My bear has always been a part of me all this time. I’m still Rhys, the man you’re having a baby with.”

I was too scared to say the man you loved in that moment. I didn’t want to hear him say he didn’t love me.

His eyes fell to my stomach, and then back at me. “How do I know our baby will be... normal?”

His words cut me deeply, and I couldn’t hide the hurt. “Jaxson, I’m pregnant with your child. Our child. It will be human. I promise.”

He shakes his head, the fear and distrust evident. “How can I believe that? You hid this from me. What else are you hiding?”

Tears blurred my vision. The weight of the emotion was suffocating, like a heavy boulder pressing down on my chest, making it hard to breathe as I realize the magnitude of his fear. “I knew it could end up like this,” I whisper, more to myself than to him. “I told you there was something I had to tell you. Maybe if I had prepared you more, told you sooner...”

With a final, pained look, I turned and left, the weight of how badly everything had gone pressing down on me. As I stepped outside, the cool night air hit my face, but it did nothing to numb the ache in my chest.

I knew revealing my secret was a risk, but I never imagined this would happen. My mate pulled a gun on me, and I wasn’t sure he wouldn’t have used it.

As I walked away from the home we’d started building together, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was any way to repair any of it.

I tried to remember Kian’s words and the fact that he and Gabe had made it work. But what if I wasn’t that lucky?

Standing on the sidewalk, I prayed to Great Urs that Jaxson would see past his fear and remember the love we shared. The life we had together. Until then, I had to protect our child and prepare for whatever came next, even if it meant facing it alone.

My heart felt like it was being crushed by a sledgehammer, the sharp pain radiating throughout my entire chest. It was as if each beat forced the shards of my heart to splinter and scatter into a million pieces, leaving me feeling empty and broken. Tears welled up in my eyes and spilled down my cheeks.

What would I do if this was really the end?