10. Carlton

"Wanna go for a hike?"

I handed Theo a coffee, but I quickly learned he wasn't a morning person. He had one eye open, and the coffee slopped out of the mug as his hand jiggled. My shifter reflexes saved the bedding by whipping the mug over the tiled floor.

"Wow! I must be half asleep ‘cause what you just did looked a whole lot like magic."

I raced back from the kitchen with a rag and wiped up the mess. Thank gods he didn't have carpet.

Carpet, ewww!My beast had so many idiosyncrasies. Him hating dust mites and poop were two of them. Not so odd in a human, but what bears paid any attention to dust mites? Their fur was probably covered in them.

Not mine, he announced.

"Great reflexes is all." I gave Theo the mug again, not letting it go until he'd propped the pillow behind him.

He took a sip and sighed. "Great coffee. Thanks. But what did you say earlier?"

"It's the weekend and a beautiful day. Perfect for getting out of the city and maybe taking a picnic too."

Theo made a face. "Mosquitoes, creepy crawlies, sweat, blisters, sunburn, and maybe a rash on my thighs. Doesn't sound like much fun."

I could hardly show him in his apartment or mine. My beast was too big to lumber around the living room. I pictured the destruction as he broke a lamp and stomped on the sofa.

"And what about the kittens? They might wreak havoc while we're gone." He rubbed the sleep from one eye.

"We can take them with us."

I was so proud at coming up with a solution, but as the seconds ticked by, I considered four kittens in the wild as I revealed my bear. It could be a disaster in the making. I pictured my bear scrambling through the woods, his paw jammed inside a hollow log as he tried reaching the kittens who were quaking and hiding from the big scary beast.

After putting the mug on the nightstand, Theo had a burst of energy. He leaped up and dragged out a tee and shorts and raced into the bathroom. When he emerged with damp hair, he was brandishing bug spray and sunscreen.

"Why the change of heart?" I'd been hoping he'd poo-poo my suggestion of taking the kittens and we'd do the reveal another day.

"I want to see our babies in the woods sniffing a flower or chasing a butterfly." He held up his phone. "I'll put their pics on social media, and they'll get so many likes." He'd set up an account for them, and they already had a lot of fans.

Theo peered at the bedroom door as two paws were shoved underneath. "See, they hear they're going on an outing and can't wait."

It was more like they were hungry or wanted cuddles, but I just smiled and opened the door. Four little hurricanes hurled themselves into the room and proceeded to play with the duvet until Theo and I scooped them up and fed them.

Getting out of the apartment with four kittens was a huge undertaking, and each time we put a bag or toys or food near the front door, thinking we were ready, we'd race off to get something else. Was this how it would be if Theo and I ever had a baby?

"I'm so glad you convinced me to come."

"Me too." Theo didn't appear to pick up my less-than-enthusiastic response as he wound down the window and stuck his head out.

The kittens were asleep in their carriers, and we'd stopped at Puppy Love and bought four cat leashes. Theo protested, saying between the two of us we could corral our fur babies, but I insisted it was for their protection in case they darted into the undergrowth. That was true, but also I couldn't point out that I might not be me and couldn't help.

You would be me!My bear was looking forward to taking his fur, revealing himself to our mate and romping with the kittens. I puzzled over him thinking the five of them would be romping. More likely scratching, hiding, hissing, and swatting.

We'd bought food from a deli close to Puppy Love, and after we parked, Theo took charge of the cat carriers while I carried the picnic basket, blankets, and cushions. I chose a secluded section of the park, one I was familiar with, as it was where my bear often took his fur.

I positioned the blanket in a clearing and anchored it at each corner with a rock, the rocks serving the dual purpose of securing the kittens' leashes so they could wander only a few yards beyond the blanket. With water bowls and snacks aplenty, Theo and I sat down to eat and enjoy being outdoors.

"Yum. This is good." Theo leaned on a cushion after swallowing a mouthful of his Reuben sandwich while keeping an eye on the kittens. Socks was sniffing a leaf while the other three were more cautious.

"I've got something to show you later." Never having shown my shifter side to any human, I was starting out with little hints.

Theo giggled. "I knew you wanted to come here for outdoor sex." He outstretched his leg and rubbed his foot on my crotch. "But fucking in front of the kittens would be weird. They might be traumatized for life."

"That wasn't my intention. It's something bigger."

Again Theo laughed, and he fell back on the blanket. "Trust me. Nothing could be much bigger…" he lowered his voice, "than your cock."

I sighed because we were going around in circles, not getting any closer to me taking off my clothes and showing who I really was. We couldn't move forward in our relationship until he understood both my human and shifter sides.

Do it, my beast urged.

"Theo, I care about you deeply." I stood and faced him.

"Oh gods, is this what I think it is?" He sat up, his eyes welling with tears. "We've known one another for such a short time, but I feel it in here." He patted his chest. "That you're my one and only."

Yikes, did he think I was going to propose? But I ignored that and ran with him mentioning we were each other's happy ever after. "We are, and I'm so over-the-top happy that you feel it too."

"I love you, Carlton."

For humans, this would be the perfect moment for us to hug and say we'd be together forever. And I suspected, Theo was waiting for me to fall into his embrace. But I took the opportunity to rip off my shirt. Theo's dazzling smile faded as he glanced around as if checking no one else was nearby. The kittens had tired themselves out making war with leaves and twigs and were asleep as I removed the rest of my clothes.

"As a human, you would have read fairy tales as a kid."

Theo worried his bottom lip with his teeth as he repeated, "Fairy tales? Are you saying what we have is make-believe and my love is not real?"

"No. No. I adore you, Theo."

"And what's with the human thing?" His nervous laugh didn't reassure me he was ready for my bear.

"I'm not. Human, that is."

He hugged a cushion, a sign he was protecting himself from what I was saying. There was no way to break it to him gently, so I gave my beast permission to take his fur.

He unleashed himself and stood on his hind legs, towering above Theo and the kittens. The look of horror on my mate's face and him shuffling back over the grass had dread rising up my throat. I'd fucked up, and now the kittens had woken up and were hissing at my beast. Those feisty little guys weren't scared, and I loved them even more.

Taking my skin, I fell on all fours. Theo's cheeks blanched of color, and he took hold of the kittens' leashes and pulled them close.

"What are you?"

I pulled on my shorts, not wanting my cock to distract us. "I'm a shifter."

I launched into a long explanation about our history and how we lived alongside humans but kept our shifter side in the shadows, fearing what would happen if humans discovered us.

The kittens were wary of me, huddling on Theo's lap, but gradually, one by one, they crept closer and sniffed me.

"Can we be together? As a couple?" Theo shivered, and goosebumps erupted on his arms and legs.

"Yes. But I couldn't keep it a secret because shifters don't marry, they mate and mark one another. And it's for life. There are no take-backsies."

He plucked a blade of grass and rubbed it between two fingers. "No divorce?"

I shook my head.

"So we'd be together until one of us goes to the goddess?"

"That's right."

"What about children?"