Updated Nov 6, 2025 • ~9 min read
Willow burned breakfast.
“How?” Caspian asked, staring at the charred remains of what was supposed to be fish. “It’s fish. You literally just had to not burn it.”
“I told you I can’t cook!” Willow said, laughing despite her frustration. “Why did you let me try?”
“Because you said, and I quote, ‘How hard can it be? You do it all the time.'”
“I may have overestimated my abilities.”
Caspian shook his head, amused, and pulled her away from the fire. “Go. Sit. I’ll cook.”
“I should learn,” Willow protested. “If I’m staying, I should contribute.”
“You contribute plenty.” He kissed her forehead. “You’re terrible at cooking. It’s fine. We all have weaknesses.”
“What’s yours?”
“Saying no to you.”
Willow’s heart melted. Two weeks together, and he still said things that undid her completely.
They’d fallen into a routine. Caspian hunted and cooked. Willow took photos and organized their living space. He patrolled the territory. She worked on her photography portfolio, planning which shots to send to Reid. They made love, talked for hours, learned each other.
It was domestic and strange and absolutely perfect.
“We need supplies,” Willow said as they ate the fish Caspian had cooked perfectly. “I need to hike out. Get to civilization. Stock up on things.”
Caspian’s whole body tensed. “When?”
“Today? Tomorrow?” She saw his expression and touched his hand. “Hey. I’m coming back.”
“I know. I just…” He looked away. “What if you get out there and realize how insane this is? Living in a cave with a shifter? You’ll remember your real life and—”
“This is my real life now.” Willow squeezed his hand. “You’re my real life. But I need tampons and my camera batteries need charging and I should check in with Reid in person. Show him I’m alive and well.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“To civilization? Caspian, you’ve been isolated for forty years.”
“I’ll stay in the forest. But I’ll come partway. Make sure you’re safe.”
She wanted to argue that she didn’t need protection. But the fierce, protective look in his eyes stopped her. He needed this. Needed to know she was safe, even if she was just hiking to town.
“Okay,” she agreed. “You can come partway.”
They set out that afternoon. It was a two-day hike to the nearest town—a small place called Cedar Ridge that served as a supply stop for wilderness guides and researchers. Willow had stocked up there before starting her assignment.
Caspian shifted to panther form and walked beside her, a massive shadow that drew every small animal’s attention. Nothing came near them. Even the birds went quiet when he passed.
“You’re terrifying them,” Willow told him. “Every creature in a mile radius knows there’s an apex predator nearby.”
The panther made a sound that might have been amusement.
They made camp that night in a small clearing. Caspian shifted back and built a fire while Willow set up her small tent—she’d salvaged it from her original camp.
“You don’t have to sleep in the tent,” Caspian said, watching her. “We could just sleep by the fire.”
“It’s going to rain,” Willow said, pointing at the clouds. “And this tent barely fits one person, let alone someone your size.”
“I’ll stay in panther form. Keep watch.”
“Caspian.” She crossed to him. “You don’t have to protect me every second. I’m safe. We’re together. It’s okay.”
“I know. But I can’t…” He struggled for words. “Can’t shut off the instinct. You’re my mate. Protecting you is hardwired.”
“Then protect me from inside the tent,” Willow said. “In human form. So I can actually sleep instead of worrying about you being cold and wet.”
He hesitated, then nodded. “Okay.”
They barely fit in the tent together. It required creative positioning—Willow curled against Caspian’s chest, his arms around her, their legs tangled. Close and warm and intimate.
“This okay?” she murmured.
“Perfect,” Caspian said against her hair. “You’re perfect.”
She fell asleep to the sound of his heartbeat, feeling safer than she ever had alone.
The next morning, they continued. As they got closer to Cedar Ridge, Caspian got more tense. His movements turned jerky, his eyes constantly scanning, his hand reaching for her even in human form.
“Hey,” Willow said, stopping. “What’s wrong?”
“People,” he said. “I can smell them. The town. It’s been so long since I’ve been near civilization.”
“Are you going to be okay?”
“As long as I don’t get too close.” He cupped her face. “But you’re about to walk into a town full of humans, and every instinct I have is screaming not to let you go alone.”
“I’ll be fine. Three days, max. Then I’m coming back to you.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
She kissed him, trying to pour all her certainty into it. When they broke apart, Caspian rested his forehead against hers.
“I’ll wait here,” he said. “This clearing. Come back here when you’re done, and I’ll take you home.”
Home. The cave. Their cave.
“Three days,” Willow repeated. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Be safe.”
It was physically painful to walk away from him. The incomplete mate bond pulled at her, making each step harder. But she forced herself forward, shouldering her pack, not looking back.
If she looked back, she’d never leave.
Cedar Ridge was exactly as she remembered—small, rustic, a handful of buildings serving wilderness workers. She checked into the tiny motel, charged all her equipment, and called Reid.
“Willow! Finally! I was starting to think you’d been eaten by a bear.”
“Still alive,” she said. “Just deep into the research. Reid, the photos I’m getting—they’re incredible. Best work of my career.”
“Send them over. Let me see.”
She sent a selection. Photos of the forest, of wildlife, and—most importantly—several shots of Caspian in panther form. Majestic and powerful and heartbreakingly beautiful.
Reid called back within an hour.
“Willow. These photos of the black panther. How many do you have?”
“Dozens. He—it—has been near my camp regularly. I’ve been documenting it for weeks.”
“This is huge. HUGE. National Geographic wants an exclusive if you have a series. They’re talking cover feature. Possible documentary.”
Willow’s heart raced. This was it. Career-defining. Everything she’d worked for.
And all she could think was: I need to get back to Caspian.
“I’m interested,” she told Reid. “But I need more time in the field. At least another month. Maybe two.”
“Two months? Willow, this isn’t like you. You never stay in one place this long.”
“This location is special,” she said carefully. “The panther trusts me. If I leave now, I might lose that trust. I need to see this through.”
Reid was quiet for a moment. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”
“Just that this is important. Career-important. Let me finish this, Reid. I promise it’ll be worth it.”
“Fine. Two more months. But you check in weekly. And if I don’t hear from you, I’m sending search and rescue.”
“Deal.”
She spent two days in Cedar Ridge, stocking up on supplies—food that wouldn’t spoil, batteries, first aid supplies, and yes, tampons. She also bought a solar charger for her equipment and a better tent.
And maybe some nicer clothes. Because even if she was living in a cave, she could still look good doing it.
On the third morning, she hiked back to the clearing where Caspian had promised to wait.
He was there.
In panther form, pacing the clearing like he’d been there for three days straight without sleep. The moment he saw her, he shifted and ran to her, sweeping her into his arms.
“You came back,” he breathed against her neck.
“I told you I would.”
“I know. But I was terrified you wouldn’t. That you’d remember how insane this is and—”
Willow kissed him, cutting off the spiral. “I’m here. I’m yours. Now take me home.”
He held her for a long moment, just breathing her in. Then he pulled back with a sheepish expression. “I should mention I haven’t slept in three days. Couldn’t make myself rest while you were gone.”
“Caspian!”
“I know, I know. But you’re back now, so I can sleep.” He shifted to panther form and made an insistent sound.
“You want me to ride you?” Willow asked, incredulous. “Like actually ride on your back?”
The panther nodded and crouched low.
It was awkward at first, figuring out where to hold on and how to balance. But once they started moving, it was exhilarating. Caspian ran through the forest with Willow on his back, faster than she could ever hike, and she laughed with pure joy.
This. This was her life now. Riding a panther shifter through a Pacific Northwest rainforest, heading back to a cave that had somehow become home.
Absolutely insane.
Absolutely perfect.
When they reached the cave, Caspian shifted back and immediately pulled her into his arms.
“Never leaving you for three days again,” he muttered. “That was torture.”
“Agreed. Next time you’re coming closer. We’ll figure out how to get you near town without freaking out.”
“Next time I’m carrying you the whole way so you can’t leave.”
Willow laughed and kissed him. “Come on. You need sleep. And I need to show you what I brought back.”
“What did you bring?”
“Supplies. Food. And…” She grinned. “I may have been approved for a cover feature on National Geographic if I get enough panther photos. Apparently, you’re very photogenic.”
Caspian stared at her. “Are you serious?”
“Dead serious. You’re going to be famous. Well, your panther form is.” She cupped his face. “This is going to work, Caspian. My career, us, all of it. We’re going to make it work.”
He kissed her then, deep and claiming and full of love. When they broke apart, he was smiling—a real, genuine, unguarded smile that made him look years younger.
“We’re going to make it work,” he repeated. “Together.”
“Together,” Willow agreed.
And she meant it.
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