by Layla Silver
The Wolf’s Surrogate
A Paranormal Romance
Shifter Surrogate Agency Book 1
Layla Silver
Copyright © 2019 by Layla Silver.
All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original purchaser of the book only. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form, including recording, without prior written permission from the publisher, except for brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
Chapter 1 – Julian
Chapter 2 – April
Chapter 3 – Julian
Chapter 4 – April
Chapter 5 - Julian
Chapter 6 – April
Chapter 7 – Julian
Chapter 8 – April
Chapter 9 – Julian
Chapter 10 - April
Chapter 11 - Julian
Chapter 12 – April
Chapter 13 - Julian
Chapter 14 – April
Chapter 15 – Julian
Chapter 16 - April
Chapter 17 - Julian
Chapter 18 - April
Chapter 19 – Julian
Chapter 20 – April
Chapter 21 – Julian
Chapter 22 – April
Chapter 23 – April
Epilogue – Julian
About the Author
Books by Layla Silver
Chapter 1 – Julian
Today was one of those days.
The kind when I just wanted to sit back and relax, enjoying some peace and quiet. My week had been long and busy, which was to be expected when you had a successful business like mine. Not that I spent that much time in the office, no. That unfortunate torture was left to my Chief Operations Officer, who loved the job more than anything and could hold her own in my absence. I only needed to be hands-on when changes were taking place, which had been the case this week.
My plans for some peace and quiet were ruined, or at least slightly delayed, by the pack meeting this afternoon. I was never one to complain, I respected our Alpha far too much to do that. If he called for a meeting, it meant that a meeting was indeed needed and if something was important to him, then we all followed. That was the way things were, as they had always been and would always be. Hence the slight delay in my plans.
I stretched and relaxed in my seat, waiting for the meeting to start. As usual, I had come early. A good habit instilled in me from a very early age, and something that had played a huge part in my success today.
"Feeling sleepy already, old man?"
I looked up at a grinning Martin and chuckled, "It takes one to know one."
At forty-four, Martin was only a year older than I would be in a few days.
"Even your comebacks are becoming a little slow!" he laughed, shaking the hand I had extended to him before he sat down.
"They might be slow, but so is my aging. Too bad the same can't be said about you," I replied.
He laughed at that and raised his hands in mock surrender
"It is nice to see that we are all in good spirits," a familiar voice said, and we both looked up to see our Alpha, Meshack, entering the room.
He was tall and strong, his presence filling up the space with each step he took. He was a force to be reckoned with, especially when he fought, and his aura screamed power. We stood to greet him, as did everyone else in the room.
I smiled and extended a hand. "Good afternoon, Alpha."
He gave me a short, firm shake as he smiled in turn. "Good to see you, Julian."
He turned to everyone and nodded. "Now that everyone is here, we can begin."
We all sat down, and the meeting began, starting with updates from our last meeting and then the new developments that had taken place after that. The first big topic on the agenda was the expansion of the school for the little ones and the second one was all about pack security.
My thoughts started to drift, far away from the meeting. The first topic on the agenda didn't really concern me, because I had no children. It was not that I hadn't been thinking about children. In fact, the fact that I had no offspring had been weighing on my mind for a while now. I had accomplished more than I had ever dreamed of in my life, but what good was all of it if I didn't have an heir to enjoy it after I was gone? A legacy to pass down to my own blood; my hard work and pride passed on to another generation.
The main reason why I had no children was, of course, that I didn't have a mate, someone to share my life with. I had never been a shy one among women, quite the opposite in fact. From the day I'd had my first kiss and discovered how pleasurable it was, I'd had my fair share of flings. Even more so in my later years when I had gained the confidence that only age and success could give you. The kind of confidence you achieved when you stopped trying too hard; when you stopped the chase and let your prey come to you instead.
Human women seemed to be attracted to my mysterious side, to the animal magnetism they had no idea existed under the surface. But my magnetism turned out to work on female shifters too; my assistant called it the 'Julian charm.' Whatever it was, I had surely enjoyed it over the years, and I'd enjoyed it to the fullest. But a point comes in a man's life, whether human or not, when exchanging numbers for a night and forgetting names the very next morning just didn't quite do it anymore. It left one feeling empty and unfulfilled in a way physical intimacy couldn't fix.
That was why I had started thinking of having a family; a mate and a child to pass my skills and knowledge on to.
"Penny for your thoughts, Julian?"
I looked up and found the Alpha giving me a knowing smile as if he knew I had been lost in thought and not been paying attention at all. In my defense, I was tired and getting older. I even had the gray hair at my temples to prove it. Not that forty-two was an age for any shifter to complain about. We were much stronger, even in old age than humans.
I shook my head and smiled back, trying to reassure him that I was paying attention to this meeting a hundred and one percent. An extra one for good measure, of course.
"What is your opinion on the matter of security?" the Alpha said, "I would like to hear what you think."
"Of course," I said as if I had any idea what they had discussed so far. It was a good thing that I was roughly up to date with the issues currently being talked about amongst pack members. "Well, I think it's a great idea to keep tabs on nearby packs, especially with the violence that started last year. We need to remain several steps ahead."
"And you have a solution in mind?" the Alpha asked, and I nodded.
"We could implement a biometric system," I suggested. "It's important to advance our security, and this would be a great way to do it."
The Alpha considered this for a moment as someone raised a question directed at me.
"Can we even afford that right now? Those systems are very expensive. Plus, it is very inconvenient trying to verify your identity every time you try to get inside."
I nodded. "It is a bit expensive, I agree, but so is trying to rebuild our village if we are attacked unawares. With evolving technology all around us, we need to take advantage of all we can to protect our pack. After all, we all work hard for the betterment of our families."
Several pack members nodded, and I continued, pleased with the way things were going so far. It had been something I had been thinking of for a while and now was a great time to put my proposal on the table.
"Having a guard twenty four seven is great, but what's left as a line of defense if those guar
ds are taken down?"
"Do you doubt the ability of our men, Julian?" the Alpha asked in an intimidating voice.
I knew not to cross him when he used that voice, but to tread lightly and carefully explain what I meant.
"I have all the faith in the world in our men, and more. But times are changing, and we need to be prepared. They will be even more effective if they're able to track everyone who comes in and leaves."
"Hmm," was the Alpha's only response as he rubbed his beard, looking deep in thought.
He finally looked up and around as he opened the suggestion to the floor. "Everyone, what do you think?"
Everyone got a chance to give their opinion on my suggestion, taking turns to voice either their agreement or disagreement. That was one of the many things I respected about our Alpha. Meshack was a fair man who always sought the wisdom and counsel of the pack elders before making any important decisions. It was ultimately up to him as our leader to implement anything, but we did not take these meetings lightly.
After all of the Wolves who were present had voiced their thoughts, he looked at me and gave a firm nod.
"I agree that it is a wonderful idea. However, before we begin anything, I would like a proper proposal by tomorrow. Highlight the costs and how long it will take to make sure everything is set up. Also include a description of the weaknesses of the system and biometric brand comparisons."
That was a lot of work for just a day, something my assistant was likely going to frown over. Yet I just nodded and thanked him for considering my plan at all.
"Now, if there is nothing else, perhaps we can move to the fire?" the Alpha said as he stood.
We all bowed our heads slightly to show our respect and agreement, and he smiled as he led the way.
The younger pack members already had the bonfire going when we got outside, so we each grabbed a beer as we sat around it. Now that the meeting was over, we could dive into some light conversation and do some catching up.
"So Julian, thinking of settling down yet?" Martin started, reminding me of our earlier abandoned conversation.
I shook my head as I brought the bottle to my lips, hoping he would catch the hint that I didn't want to talk about it. Martin being Martin, of course, didn't catch the hint, which was a generous way of saying that he decided to completely ignore it.
"You can't play the field forever, man. The grass gets worn out after a while."
I had to laugh at that. Who knew getting some alcohol into Martins system made him deep?
"Thanks for the concern, or nosiness; but I am doing just fine on my own for now."
I was a very good liar. If only I could convince myself of what I'd just said.
"So you don't want a little Julian or Julianne running around? I can't tell you how my life has changed by just having Amara and the kids in my life."
"I can," I smirked as I decided to tease him a little. "You last held your own wallet ten years ago, and your car has Legos in places Lego should never be."
The men around us burst into laughter, and Martin joined them.
"Fair is fair," he said, finishing his beer in one go. "But children make it all worth it. And I can't wait to see you trade in your motorcycle for a sensible family car."
I chuckled and shook my head at that, trying to imagine myself in a family van.
"There is always another option if you don't want to settle down," Seth, a shifter next to us, said.
We all looked at him with curiosity, waiting for him to explain what he meant by that. Our attention must have taken him by surprise because he looked shy as he cleared his throat.
"Well, um, a friend of mine used this surrogate service for shifters. He recommended it, said they are very efficient and professional."
"A surrogate service?" I frowned, trying to digest this bit of information.
I wasn't sure how I felt about that. I was all for progressive change, but this seemed just a bit cold and impersonal to me. Could I really go ahead and engineer my own child like that? Was it something that I could do?
"It's not for everyone, I agree. But it's a good option to have, I guess," Seth replied with a shrug.
One of the other pack members snorted. "If you can afford it."
It didn't take a genius to figure out that a surrogacy service wouldn't come cheap. There were a lot of processes involved when you decided not to make a baby the good old-fashioned way, and all those things needed top dollars. It was not something I would worry about though since I had a sizeable savings account and then some. Money-wise, I was set.
Not that I was thinking about this surrogate service at all. It just seemed weird to me to place an order for a child like that. I liked things the old-fashioned way. Which led me back to my problem: I didn't have a mate. I took another sip of my beer as the conversation around me continued in another direction.
I stared into the fire as I considered how a surrogate service would work. Would one just need to select a suitable candidate, deliver some semen, and let technology do the rest? I had to admit that it sounded like a fairly stress-free process. I supposed it wouldn't hurt to find out more about it. I didn't have anything to lose, and after all, I prided myself in being a progressive thinker. Really, what was more progressive than having a child with someone I didn't know?
I could only hope that if I ever had a child, my sarcasm wasn't hereditary.
Chapter 2 – April
My forehead was probably wrinkled as I concentrated on my latest project. One of my resolutions for the year was to learn a new skill, and that was exactly what I was doing with a pair of knitting needles and a ball of yarn. After two hours of online tutorials, I had convinced myself that I was finally ready to try it out.
"You're doing good sweetheart."
I stopped and looked up at my father, who looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh. So much for some fatherly support. I couldn't even blame him, looking down at my tangled mess and admitting to myself that I probably needed another hour or two of tutorials. Or maybe a couple of weeks.
"Don't even start, dad. This is your Christmas present."
He gasped dramatically. "Really? And what exactly is that supposed to be?"
I looked at my masterpiece and smiled. "I'm not sure yet, but it will come to me."
"Sweetheart, if it hasn't come to you by now, I highly doubt it is going to work out."
He burst into laughter, and I smiled as I shook my head.
"You said I could do anything I put my mind to, and I could be anything I wanted."
He pretended to think. "Well, that was before you tried to knit, and bake, and…"
I held my hand up to stop him before he could continue, knowing the list would go on and on. I always tried to learn a new skill every year, and it had made for some very interesting stories over the years. It was good to see my father laugh like that; a real laugh that made the little creases around his mouth appear. I loved that laugh, and it was unfortunate I had heard so little of it since my mother passed away.
My mother's death had been hard on both of us, but my father had taken it particularly hard. I understood why though; he had lost a part of himself that could never be replaced. Mom had been his soulmate, and losing her had been devastating. There were no longer little notes on the fridge for him, no freshly baked goods on the table every morning, and that laugh of hers that filled the house was gone too.
The little things were what hurt the most. The things we were both so used to but had never taken a moment to realize that they were present only because of her. It was a week after her death when I realized the fridge was empty, that I really knew she was gone. Mom was the one who always made sure we had what we needed. And I had seen my father break down in tears the day he took her last note off the fridge. There would be no more notes after that.
Death was funny like that. It didn't just kill a person, it killed a whole lot of other things too. It had certainly killed a part of my father, and to see him laugh like this
was a treasure I thought I had lost forever. Welcome back home dad, I wanted to say. Judging by how he looked at me, I was sure he could read my mind.
"So what brought on this new hobby of yours? Spending too much time at home, are you?"
He stood next to me and eyed my hands suspiciously as if my knitting would just attack him any minute now.
"Knitting is not only for old people, you know. That's a very prejudiced opinion. But yes, sweet Mrs. McAllister inspired me. The woman makes a mean quilt, and it would make me very happy to be able to do something right."
I wasn't even joking, I truly wanted to properly learn some kind of skill. My mom had been amazing with her hands. She could do anything; hairdressing, sowing, gardening, and cooking; name it, and she could do it. Her genius at doing all those things was not hereditary, unfortunately. Or if it was, it would have been passed on to that second child she never had.
"You do plenty right, April," my father said softly before kissing my forehead. "You take care of me just fine."
When I wasn't trying to poison him with salted cupcakes, he forgot to add.
"And you were a natural when you first shifted. Took to running like you were born to do it."
"Thanks, dad. I'm sure you are bound by law to say that, but I appreciate it nonetheless."
"Yes, you are definitely spending too much time with old people. You said 'nonetheless'!"
He laughed as I playfully glared at him, thankfully making his exit before he could insult me any further. I sighed as I turned to my disaster of a knitting attempt, thinking perhaps my father was right after all. I probably needed a new hobby.
I had been working odd jobs, one of which was being a weekend receptionist at the Saints Old People's Home. It didn't pay much, but it helped with the bills. The goal had always been to help around the house while saving money for college at the same time, which was easier said than done. I wasn't earning enough to have a lot of savings left over. And my father would never be able to afford to send me to college. He was in financial trouble, although he would never admit it out loud.
