Page 20 of Honey for the Bear

Earl is at his workbench, a chisel in one hand and a block of wood in the other.He doesn’t look up as I enter, but I feel his gaze flick toward me, sharp and assessing.

“You look like shit,” he says, his voice gruff.

I grunt in response, grabbing a rag from the bench and wiping the sweat from my face.

“What are you working on?”I ask, more to fill the silence than anything.

Earl snorts.“Don’t pretend you came here to talk about woodworking, kid.You look like you’ve been dragged through hell and back.”

I lean against the bench, crossing my arms over my chest.“Thanks for noticing.”

He sets the chisel down and turns to face me, his eyes narrowing.Earl’s always had a way of cutting through the bullshit, and I know I’m not going to get out of this without him prying at the truth.

“Let me guess,” he says, crossing his arms to mirror me.“This is about the honey girl.”

“Her name’s Hannah,” I say, my voice sharper than I intended.

He raises an eyebrow, his expression unchanging.“Hannah, then.What’d you do to screw things up this time?”

I let out a bitter laugh, dragging a hand through my hair.“What didn’t I do?”

Earl waits, his silence heavy and expectant, and I sigh, leaning back against the workbench.

“She saw me,” I admit finally.“She saw the bear.”

Earl doesn’t react, doesn’t flinch or look surprised.He just nods like he’s been expecting this.

“And?”he prompts.

“And now she knows I’ve been lying to her,” I say, my voice rising.“I didn’t tell her what I am, what this life is.I thought I was protecting her, but I just—” I break off, shaking my head.“I hurt her.”

Earl studies me for a long moment, his expression unreadable.Then he sighs, rubbing a hand over his face.

“You really are an idiot, you know that?”

I glare at him.“Thanks for the insight.”

“You think staying away from her is protecting her?That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“I’m dangerous, Earl,” I snap.“You know that.You’ve seen what happens when a shifter loses control.”

“And I’ve also seen what happens when a man pushes away the one thing that makes him feel human,” Earl says, his voice sharp.“You think you’re protecting her, but all you’re doing is breaking both of your hearts.”

I flinch, his words hitting me harder than I want to admit.

“She deserves better,” I say, my voice quieter now.

“Maybe she does,” Earl says with a shrug.“But she’s not the one running scared.Is she?”

The words hang in the air between us, heavy and unrelenting, and I feel something in me crack.

“I don’t know how to fix this,” I admit, the words tasting bitter on my tongue.

Earl sighs, stepping closer and clapping a hand on my shoulder.“You start by being honest—with her and with yourself.”

I leave Earl behind, and the walk back to my cabin feels longer than usual, the weight of Earl’s words pressing down on me with every step.The woods are quiet around me, the only sounds are the rustle of leaves and the distant hum of insects.

I stop at the edge of the clearing, staring at the small cabin that’s been my sanctuary for years.It feels different now, smaller somehow, like it’s closing in on me.

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