The Shifter's Gift

by Haley Weir

  She dug her nails into his back as her body tightened incredibly, then pleasure crashed into her in wave after mind blowing wave. She tossed her head back into the pillow, unable to hold eye contact any more as her body and her bones melted beneath him.

  His thrusts picked up, harder and harder, before he stopped. He gave a low, guttural groan of pleasure as he released his seed deep inside of her. His arms seemed to give out on him, and he laid over her, his body blanketing hers. “That was incredible. You’re incredible, Sophie.”

  “You are too, Will.”

  Her breathing came out in harsh pants, and she held him close as they remained in one another's arms. She pressed kisses against his neck and moved her mouth back toward his lips. “I’m grateful I have that to look forward to every day for the rest of my life. Spending time with you has brought life into perspective for me,” she explained. “I worked too much, and didn’t spend enough time with my friends and family. You’ve given me plenty of incentive to change my ways.”

  He rolled onto his side, then continued to his back, bringing her along for the ride without removing himself from her body. The movement made her want him again. Her core tightened around him, and she could tell she wasn’t the only one hoping for a round two. “Before I met you, I wished for a mate. I think I wanted that mainly due to seeing my brothers and how happy they are with the women in their lives. Now that I have you in my life, I know what I’ve gained is something truly special. Having someone to come home to each evening, to spend time with, and to celebrate both the exciting and the mundane…” He pressed a kiss against her lips. “I’m a very lucky man.”

  Sophie tapped him on the nose, like she’d done with his bear, feeling emotion tighten her chest. “Yes, you are. I love you.”

  His lips curved in a grin, and he took her wrists in his hands. “I love you too, Sophie.”

  *****

  THE END

  Noah’s Secret

  Chapter One

  Mornings at the Prince Dating Agency felt almost magical. Each day, Ms. Prince held a meeting with everyone in the conference room to discuss how things were going, and to give advice on techniques to best handle their clients. The possibilities of the work day always excited Isabella. Who would walk through her door? What would they be looking for in their perfect match? Would she be the one to help them find the one they’d fall in love with and marry?

  Isabella sat in her office. Her first client of the day wouldn’t be in for a while, so she started some paperwork to pass the time. After a few minutes, her cell phone vibrated on her desk. Another group text message from her friends flashed across her screen. Olivia, Sophie, and Courtney kept discussing wedding plans. While she was over the moon for her friends, it made her feel lonelier than ever about her single status.

  None of them really had solid boyfriends before. She imagined they might be like the Golden Girls one day, forever free and hanging out together. Now, they were all getting paired up with men in their lives. Even Courtney had recently gotten into a relationship after scheduling an appointment with one of the dating experts at Prince Dating Agency.

  She tucked her phone into her purse to keep it from distracting her. A year ago, the idea of disconnecting from them would have never crossed her mind. She would take all time she could to catch up with her friends and talk about what was going on, especially during a time like this when so many texts were flying across her screen.

  The silver lining was that the group had become much closer during the past few weeks than they’d been in a while. In between their support of each other’s blooming relationships and being there for Olivia during the trial against her ex-boyfriend, their bond had strengthened beyond anything Isabella could’ve ever imagined. But she could not help but feel sorry for herself when the rest of the girls went on about their amazing relationships.

  Glancing across her desk at the chair in front of her, she thought about how she gave so many people relationship tips and dating advice every day. But what did she have to show for it? Nothing, personally. She had a great job that she was proud of, but that wouldn’t keep her warm at night.

  It was ironic that the one thing she desperately wanted was right in front of her, but Ms. Prince repeatedly reminded the staff that employees were strictly forbidden from dating clients. It was company policy. In fact, Isabella was placed in a tricky spot at the beginning of her tenure at the dating agency when a wealthy client interfered with the hiring of a potential employee. In response, Isabella went to her manager, who ended up making a deal with the client and pocketed a large portion of profits for not hiring the woman for the marketing position. If that wasn’t bad enough, the woman was placed in the system and made to believe it was all part of the hiring procedure. Eventually the hiring manager was fired and Ms. Prince explained that was not how they did things at the agency. But just thinking about it made Isabella want to crawl under her desk and cry.

  She guessed it proved that where there was a will, there was a way. The client and the woman were happy together, and the client’s two brothers also met their soulmates at Prince Dating Agency. Those men just so happened to be the fiancés of her best friends, Olivia and Sophie.

  So none of that helped her shake the feeling that her best shot at love may very well come from Prince Dating Agency. It worked for all of her friends and so many of the clients she assisted. Several were happily married with nice houses and children on the way. They were living the dream; a dream that felt impossible for Isabella.

  A light tap on her door brought her attention to the entrance of her office. One of the other dating experts, Lyndsey, smiled at her from the doorway. “Good morning, Isabella. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

  “Good morning. You’re certainly not interrupting.” She flashed the other woman a kind smile, always happy to chat with one of the other dating experts there. “I was just preparing for my first client of the day. I still have a little bit of time before I need to fetch them from the waiting room, though. Come on in.”

  The smile faded from Lyndsey’s lips, and she remained where she was in the doorway of Isabella’s office. “About that...I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Ms. Prince asked me to let you know that your nine o’clock had to reschedule for Friday at ten o’clock. That slot on your schedule is already filled, so the client will be transferred to me. I’ll get them into the system and take over their progress.”

  What in the world? Had she just heard Lyndsey right? Her schedule was being shifted without anyone telling her? She could have found another time slot that was compatible for the two of them to meet. Confusion drew her eyebrows together, but she quickly schooled her face, not wanting to give away how much this hurt her. She hadn’t been here as long as Lyndsey, so she couldn’t really speak out about it, could she?

  “Thank you for letting me know, Lyndsey. I’m sorry to hear that. I was very much looking to helping Ms. Rodriguez find her perfect match.”

  Lyndsey glanced around the hallway as if checking to make sure the coast was clear, then she leaned into Isabella’s office. “I’m sorry you weren’t informed about the changes to your schedule sooner.” She scrunched up her face. “It wasn’t my idea,” she said, keeping her voice low enough to not be overheard.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Isabella waved it off. “It is what it is, I suppose. At least I have time to catch up on email now.” But that was not exactly true. She’d already caught up on her email. If she’d known her client wasn’t going to be in, she could have slept in this morning and come into the office a little later. Or she would have taken her time rather than rushing through the stack of emails that awaited her this morning. Drawing them out would have at least made it seem like she was working hard rather than hardly working. Not like it would have fooled anyone who knew her. Her mother’s Type-A personality had rubbed off on her over the years. Isabella liked making lists, having things neat and organized, and seeing unread emails in her inbox stressed her out
.

  At least Lyndsey seemed to buy her lie. She flashed Isabella a brilliant, perfect smile as relief practically washed over her expression. “Great. I’m glad it worked out. Maybe we can catch lunch together?”

  Now Lyndsey was just pushing her luck. Taking her client was one thing. Deciding that meant they should be besties was something else entirely. She wracked her brain, trying to think of a believable excuse when she heard her phone vibrate in her purse.

  “Sorry, I can’t. I’m getting together with some friends for lunch.” With a pleasant smile, Isabella turned back to her computer screen. She clicked the ‘compose’ button and began typing a random string of words, as if replying to a message. It was rude, but she didn’t want to spend more time than she had to with Lyndsey now.

  “Oh. Okay.” Disappointment saturated Lyndsey’s tone. “I’ll let you get back to your work. Maybe we can grab lunch another day.” Before Isabella could respond, Lyndsey quietly closed Isabella’s office door.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Isabella watched through the window as Lyndsey headed off toward her office with her head down. She suddenly felt like a bitch for turning her down like that. Maybe she should’ve agreed to the lunch, but what she said didn’t really matter now, did it? Going to lunch with Lyndsey would have resulted in plenty of awkward conversation instead of anything meaningful to either of them. Still, the interaction did not sit right with her.

  She continued to lean back in the chair, contemplating what she could work on now that her schedule was wide open for the next hour or so. Her phone vibrated again, and thoughts of a warm body beside hers at the end of the day, someone to cook for and cuddle up on the couch with, clouded her mind once again. Without thinking, she leaned toward the computer, her hand rested on the mouse, and she pulled up the dating agency’s database of clients.

  There were several good looking male clients, some of whom she assisted personally. She stayed away from browsing their files. They already knew her, so hooking up with one of them would be a definite breach of company policy. A few of them looked pretty interesting, but many seemed pretentious and out of her league. They were businessmen at the top of their careers who wanted to find some sweet, docile woman with the body of a supermodel.

  That was definitely something she didn’t possess. She had curves and was passionate about trying out and cooking different kinds of foods. If her parents hadn’t chastised for not getting a degree in business, she would’ve tried to pursue a career as a chef. She had always wanted to go to culinary school.

  Instead, she was sitting here at the Prince Dating Agency. She tapped her manicured nails on the desk, lost in thought with a profile of a good looking Army vet turned private security guard for some B-list celebrity on her computer. His picture helped accentuate how muscular he was. He was looking for a redhead, but sometimes guys just gave the first answer that popped into their heads instead of being hung up on details like hair color.

  She shook her head, needing to grab some more coffee from the break room. If she wanted to remain alert and perky for her next client, she needed a caffeine boost. On her way to the coffee machine, she passed by one of the offices where a dating expert was taking down a female client’s information. Isabella always preferred having the door to her office closed when she was interacting with clients. This kind of information was private enough without the rest of the office snooping.

  The client had a thick, almost fake sounding accent. Some of the details she gave sounded a little fishy, too, but Isabella wasn’t about to make her presence known. Not her client, not her problem.

  That encounter gave her an idea, though. If she could disguise herself, would she be able to find her match and keep her job? The thought was intriguing, even if she had no idea how she would pull it off without a face transplant or special effects makeup. Neither of those were feasible options, for obvious reasons.

  She filled up her coffee cup and headed straight back to her office. Even if she did disguise herself, would the match work? She would have to go on a date looking like that, and no relationship would last if she could not be herself. Sitting back at her desk, she gave the Army vet’s muscles another thorough glance before closing his profile and opening her email again.

  Thankfully, her daydreaming and grabbing coffee wasted enough time that she had a few more emails in her inbox. Now she’d have something to do with her morning aside from imaging a future that didn’t seem possible for her. She set her cup down on the desk with a smile, glad she could work through the unread messages.

  Chapter Two

  Many things in life had settled down now that Noah’s three older brothers decided to put themselves out there and find their mates. He was the last one living at home with their parents, and things were more peaceful. The arrangement didn't really bother him, because he had plenty of friends he could crash with.

  He suspected his parents also didn't mind, since they had at least one of their sons still around to keep them company. Besides, he was pretty neat and organized. His mom didn’t have to worry about cleaning up after him like she had when all four of her sons lived at home.

  Will, Noah’s brother closest in age, wasn't completely moved out from their parents' home yet. But most of the time, he stayed with his fiancée Sophie. The two of them were house hunting and planning on officially moving in together after their wedding. They were a cute couple, and Noah really liked Sophie. Besides, Will had chilled out so much since meeting her. He’d been super moody and brooding after Mason and Liam found their mates. It was as if he had something to prove by finding his own.

  Whatever the case, he wasn’t planning on joining them in their hunt to find a woman of his own. Noah kicked his feet up on the coffee table as he watched the second season of Stranger Things on Netflix. Most of his friends were busy today, wooing chicks of their own. That meant he didn’t have any plans, but he enjoyed his bachelor lifestyle. He did not have to worry about girls who wanted to endlessly talk about wedding plans, dinner parties, or shopping trips. He could kick back and enjoy his life knowing he was doing exactly what he wanted to do.

  Mason, his eldest brother, would soon be their next alpha bear. Noah had always looked up to Mason; that man knew what life was supposed to be like. Unfortunately, their father pressured him into a relationship, threatening him with a nasty ultimatum. In the traditional sense, his father’s actions were logical. Alpha’s were responsible for setting a good example and for producing heirs, but it made him sad for his brother. Not that Mason seemed to be complaining about meeting Ava. The two of them seemed happy, and had a really nice house with a cub on the way as well.

  Neither Liam nor Will needed to entangle themselves in relationships. Maybe Liam, too, just in case anything happened to Mason. But Will obviously just wanted to jump on that bandwagon. More power to him, if that was what he wanted.

  Noah ate another handful of popcorn as he watched the show.

  At least he wouldn’t be dragged into everyone else’s situation. When Will was stressing himself out searching for a mate, his father had been relaxed with him, telling him he didn’t need to worry. It was not a requirement. If that had been the case with his slightly older brother, he knew his dad wouldn’t require Noah to find someone. In the end, his father’s approach had been right with Will. Once he chilled out a little, things fell into place. Mostly, at least. His girl probably had nerves of steel to handle him revealing his bear to her like that.

  The front door opened in the entryway, and he quickly removed his feet from the coffee table. If his mom or dad saw him doing that, they'd likely smack him over the head. It wasn’t good manners. His parents weren't as strict as they used to be, but he’d learned his lesson. Besides, they provided a roof over his head in a nice house. Bear tradition dictated that unmated bears stayed with their parents until they were mated. Since he wasn’t planning on mating any time soon, he needed to remain in their good graces.

  Stretching out on the couch, he let out
a loud yawn to alert his parents that he was camped out in the living room, even though they could hear the television. Not to mention the fact that they were werebears with superhuman senses of smell and hearing.

  "Noah, you're still awake at this time of night?" his mother asked as she and his father walked into the living room.

  The clock on his phone revealed it was midnight. He chuckled. “Of course I’m still awake. Just catching up on some television. Did you guys have a nice evening?” They were getting back from a dinner party with some of his father’s business-minded friends.

  Noah was still working his way up the food chain in his family’s company, unlike his other brothers. They shot up pretty fast, but his laid back personality didn’t grant him too many favors in the business world. If there weren’t so many expectations for him follow in his family's footsteps, he would blow off the whole thing and become a lifeguard or a professional surfer. He yearned for something more fun than sitting behind a desk, watching his life go by.

  Noah’s dad Bradley ruffled his hair as he walked past the couch. “Morning is going to come sooner than you think, son. You should get some sleep so you’ll be ready for the meeting you have in the morning.” He grabbed some popcorn from the bowl before Noah could protest. “But, thank you for asking. We had a lovely time. You should have come with us. The Robertsons were disappointed that you weren’t there. Their daughter—”

  Noah let out an exaggerated sigh, and he shook his head. The episode was only half-way through, but he didn’t want to listen to more talk about the Robertsons and their daughter. “You know, I think you’re right. I should get some sleep. Night, you two crazy kids.” He kissed his mom who wore an amused smile on the cheek before nodding to his dad and disappearing down the hallway.

  “Good night, son,” they said in unison.

  While Noah knew that his father wasn't serious about the Robertsons' daughter, part of him was resentful of the fact he brought it up at all. There were nudges here and there about joining his brothers in the land of married life, and it always irked him. He closed his bedroom door behind him and leaned his forehead against it. What if they actually expected him to become mated? The idea terrified him. It went against everything he wanted in life.