“Here, let me help you up, Sunshine.” Stephen gripped her around the chest and assisted her as she rose to her feet. Uh, paws.
Upright, she tested her weight, lifting each leg. When she was sure of her balance, she inched her way out of the bathroom, anxious to get to the mirror in her bedroom.
Stephen guessed what she was after and opened the closet door, exposing the length of the mirror attached to her door.
With each step, her nails clicked on the hardwood floor until she paused in front of her own reflection. She stared at the beautiful brown wolf with a mix of disbelief and wonder. The set of white markings around her eyes and head set her apart from other wolves she’d seen in their pack. Baring her teeth, she moved closer to examine the sharp points.
Elation bubbled inside Kate. She’d done it. She wasn’t a failure, or defective. Damn it, she was a Wolf just like the rest of her pack.
Stephen knelt beside her, his intense blue gaze meeting hers in the reflection. “You’re gorgeous. And you’re mine.”
Pleased with his praise, Kate rubbed her head against his bare chest.
He stroked her ears. “Change back, Sunshine.”
She frowned, unsure how to accomplish the feat. Thankfully, he must’ve read her mind.
“Just think it. Imagine yourself human. It’s that simple. You control the Wolf.”
She closed her eyes and pictured herself in human form. For long moments, nothing happened, but then she felt it—the tingling at the base of her spine, the flush of heat, the rush of power sifting through her body, the startling series of snaps and groans.
Kate opened her eyes and glanced in the mirror, hesitant at what she might find. The brown wolf was no longer there. Instead, Kate sat in her place, wrapped in Stephen’s arms.
“I turned into a Wolf.” So what if she stated the obvious? By God, she’d shifted.
She laid her head against his shoulder and reveled in the feel of her mate wrapped around her.
Stephen chuckled against her temple. “Yes, you did. A stunning Wolf at that.”
Kate glanced up at him. “You weren’t surprised. You knew this would happen?”
“I had a suspicion.” He placed a tender kiss on her lips. “One of my aunts couldn’t shift until she completed the bond with her mate. Something about the mate bond brings the dormant Wolf gene inside to the surface.” Stephen nipped her bottom lip with a stinging bite. “And that was precisely what I wanted to explain to you this morning. Hell, I could’ve told you this years ago if you would’ve just opened up and trusted me like mates should.”
“Oh.” Of course, he just had to be right. She rolled her eyes. “Okay. Okay. I get it. No more secrets.”
“Damn right.” He lifted her off the floor, settled her on his lap, and cuddled her in his warm embrace. “I love you, Sunshine. Always will.”
Kate slid her fingertips along his jaw. She was a fool to have ever doubted fate, and an even bigger one to have doubted Stephen. She could’ve lost this strong, gorgeous man because of her own stubbornness and insecurities, but he’d stood resolutely at her side. For years, she’d loved him from afar, but not any longer. He was hers, and she had no plans to ever let him go.
She pulled his mouth to hers, her lips hovering against his. “I love you, too, Stephen.”
He drew his head back, one corner of his mouth quirked upward. “Does this mean you’ll go for a run at four in the morning with me now?”