Page 37 of Having the Bear's Baby

“I felt that too,” she replied. She sounded astounded that he had felt the same. “I dismissed it at first, but the feeling got stronger and stronger the more time I spent with you.”

“Amongst shifters, we have a belief that everyone has a perfect partner out there somewhere, just waiting for them. We call it fated mates. I didn’t believe it until I met you.” His heart was full of passion as he spoke. “The first time I saw you, I realized destiny brought us together. Emma, you are my fated mate.”

FIFTEEN

EMMA

Emma sat in shock for a moment, trying to find words.

The pull had been there. She had felt it herself. But fated mates? What did that even really mean?

Emma loved Liam and was on cloud nine, knowing that he loved her back and had since the beginning. Still, she wanted to understand what being fated truly meant because right now, all she had was Romeo and Juliet’s death scene playing in her head.

“I know I’m pretty naïve to the whole shifter scene, so maybe you could explain more?” she asked.

“For shifters, we can choose who our partner is and love them. But there are also what we call ‘fated mates,’ when the pull of the universe is so strong for the two to be together, it can’t be denied. If you were a shifter, too, you would have known it at the same time I did, which was instantly.

“Since you’re a human, you probably felt something that you couldn’t describe. I held off telling you because I didn’t want to scare you. I also wanted you to have the chance to fall in love with me on your own.” Liam looked slightly shy and guilty when he admitted the last part.

“So, you’re saying we were destined to be together?”

“Yes. As mates. My inner bear longs for you always. It’s a desire I can’t really explain, and maybe you feel that too. Once a shifter finds their fated mate, they almost feel as if they can’t exist without them and grow restless when they’re apart. And also, there may be an over-stimulated sense of protection from the male. That has proven to be quite true, especially after the little encounter you had with the other clan.”

“Oh, that’s the only reason?” she asked, trying to lighten the heavy conversation.

“Well, no. I would do anything to protect you, but it comes over me more ferociously, and I have to fight the urge to shift at the sign of any threat against you. Our mate always comes first. At least, that’s how I feel toward you. I’m sorry if that’s not the best explanation. Hearing the tales is one thing. Feeling it is on a whole other level.”

Emma sat in silence as she took in everything he had just told her.

She wasn’t scared off by any means. It just was all so new to her.

She had fallen in love with Liam, and it grew by seeing the type of person he was and getting to know him. She also had an intense reaction to him at their first meeting, and maybe this fated mate thing helped explain that a little.

She had no doubt he was telling the truth. Why would he lie about this? Especially after they had declared their love for one another a few days ago.

“One more question,” she said as Liam sipped his coffee. “Do you have a choice then in the matter of choosing me? Or did you just go for it because of the …” she waved her hands in the air, trying to find the right word. “… desire, or pull, whatever you call it, to me being your mate.”

She knew what she hoped he would say, but she wanted to hear it from him.

Liam set his mug down and placed a hand on her knee. His eyes grew bright as he looked deep into her own.

“The connection and realization were instant, yes. But you are the reason I was sold on all of it. Getting to know you, laughing with you, and just you, in general, have made my life so much better. I want to enjoy things and look forward to the days I have with you.

“I may have known you were my mate, but you have proven to be so much more than that to me. The reason I pressed forward was because you piqued my interest and were as captivating as you are now. Every day with you makes my own better and better. I never want to lose that or you.”

Emma’s heart warmed at his deep confession.

She was still trying to fully wrap her mind around the concept of being fated for each other, but the way he explained his feelings and the overall notion made her realize that she felt the same way he did, shifter or not.

She knew Liam was the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, and having a family together had only been the thread that started the stitching of the fabric, creating one life.

She hadn’t realized how long she had been silent until Liam spoke. “Does that make sense, or was that still too much? I don’t want to overload you, especially with how our morning has gone so far.”

Emma shook her head hastily. “No, sorry. I was lost in my own thoughts. It does make sense. It really does, and it explains a lot of things I felt at the beginning that I couldn’t explain. Mainly because I had never experienced them.”

She touched his cheek tenderly with her long fingers and kissed him. She wanted to pour all of her love into that one kiss so he could know she reciprocated his feelings in the most intense and undeniable way.

She pulled away and smiled. He grinned back with a drunk look about him, making Emma proud that her kiss had met its purpose.

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