The Shifter's Gift

by Haley Weir

  Isabella looked away from the two of them as she kept eating. She hadn't heard of such a thing, either. She'd also dealt with very wealthy clients, but even they always came into the office. It got her thinking. Perhaps she wouldn't need a disguise if she actually did want to enroll in the dating agency. Maybe all she'd need was proof of an exotic lifestyle.

  She rolled her eyes at the idea. It wasn't as if she could forge that kind of thing on her own. She wouldn't even know where to begin. Maybe tabling the idea and forgetting about it would be the best course of action. Finishing off the last of her salad, she threw the container and fork away, waving at Shelly and Amy as she walked out of the break room.

  Sitting at her desk, she leaned back and crossed her legs at the ankles. Maybe what she really needed to do was just think about ways to make herself happy without a man. Men people were often happy on their own. She just had to get over the idea of having someone to cuddle up with on cold nights, and share appetizers with at restaurants, and make love to…

  She shook her head. Those kinds of thoughts really wouldn't help her mental state. Then again, maybe she wouldn’t need all of the proof that she might think to be accepted as a client. Maybe if she was able to spin a convincing enough yarn, then the Prince Dating Agency wouldn’t really care. As long as she had the correct air of mystery and the money to dish out for their services, that is.

  She smiled, feeling a little more secure in her faux plan. All she needed to do was come up with a good story, keep on script, and not panic. Whatever she came up with would have to be something similar enough to her real life so that the guy she was matched with wouldn’t think he was being cheated and report her to Ms. Prince.

  With that plan firmly in mind, she felt like a weight had been taken off of her shoulders. She glanced up at the notification on her computer reminding her about her next client.

  A genuine smile on her face, she headed out to the waiting room. “Please, come on back with me, Ms. Finley.”

  Chapter Five

  Maybe it was a terrible thing for him to do, but Noah called in sick to work that morning. The anger he felt toward his family for trying to pressure him into doing something he really didn’t want to do, all because he made a simple mistake was eating him up inside.

  Sure, he wasn’t always the most responsible guy ever, but he wasn’t a complete jerk. If they hadn’t thought he was capable of handling the meeting, they should have given the task to someone else. When Noah finally arrived, he found that his manager had done a great job of presenting the facts he’d dug up for the clients. Maybe it should have been her responsibility from the very beginning.

  The fact that his brothers had all gotten together and were waiting for him when he’d arrived home just pissed him off more. His phone vibrated for the hundredth time, and he rolled his eyes. He wasn’t feeling up to listening to or reading another of their lectures right now.

  Perhaps they were just worried about his safety, but he was a grown up and had friends. Even if his friends hadn’t let him crash with them, he could’ve stayed in his car, or a hotel. While he appreciated the room at his parents’ house, he refused to feel trapped, especially not after what his brothers did.

  He balled his hands into fists as he laid on Drew’s couch and stared up at the ceiling, letting his anger course through him. His bear stretched upward toward the surface of his skin, but unlike his brother Will, Noah wasn’t afraid of his bear. Maybe it proved he had greater control than his older brother, and had fully conquered his beast.

  Noah was able to have sex with women while keeping the guise of humanity. His eyes didn’t change colors except on very rare occurrences. Whenever he felt the telltale signs of it beginning to happen, he was able to hide his eyes before the women he was horizontally dancing with could catch a whiff of anything supernatural.

  The thoughts of sex made him consider visiting Shanna tonight. He could’ve kicked himself for not getting in touch with her earlier yesterday and missing his chance to spend the night with her. Unfortunately, the reason why he hadn’t been able to brought his thoughts back full circle. He wouldn’t be able to avoid his family forever. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed his job, at least for the moment until he could find something different.

  Noah hadn’t been able to grab a change of clothes in his rush out the door at home. Thankfully, he left gym clothes over at Drew’s a few weeks ago, so he’d been able to shower and change into them. But he wouldn’t be able to go back to work tomorrow wearing gym clothes or his outfit from yesterday and the day before.

  He rested his arm against his forehead and let out a sigh. Regardless of what he wanted, he needed to go back to the house. Since it was still early in the day, he hoped nobody would be home. If he was lucky, he’d be able to sneak in and out undetected.

  Pushing off of the sofa, he shook his head, not feeling confident. His mother hardly left the house during the day. She worked part-time hours from home, and the other half of her time she was cooking, baking, sewing, or gardening. Those things brought her tremendous joy.

  Drew hadn’t returned home last night, not that Noah expected him to after getting engaged to his long-time girlfriend, but he knew his friend would be home tonight. He already sent Noah a text message with what he wanted from the new Chinese restaurant.

  The drive home was uneventful. He pulled up in the driveway, seeing his mom’s SUV as well as his brother Will’s. Noah groaned internally.

  Gathering his resolve and courage, he hopped out of the car and headed inside. The moment he walked through the door, his mother and brother appeared before him in a blur almost quicker than the eye could detect. His mother darted toward him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

  “Noah! We were so worried about you.” Tears streamed down her face when she finally looked up at him. The sight of her so distraught and the aching in her voice made him want to kick himself for not thinking about her when he ignored everyone’s messages. The last time one of them went incommunicado, Will had been sitting outside of his now fiancée’s apartment in a daze after struggling to control his beast and spilling the beans that he was a werebear.

  Noah swiped his mother’s tears away with his thumb. “Sorry, Mom. After yesterday I didn’t want to talk with anyone. Listen, I’m staying with a friend. I’m just here to get some clothes, then I’m headed out again.” He gave her a hug and quickly pulled away.

  “What? You’re just going to come home for clothes?” Her mouth dropped open, and she let out a muffled sob. “Son, please. No one is trying to punish you. You’ll see that we’re just trying to help you lead a happier life.” Her gaze slid to Will as if begging for his help to back her up.

  Will nodded to her, but he remained quiet until the two of them headed back to Noah’s bedroom. “I know you’re upset, Noah. I sympathize with you.”

  “You sympathize with me?” Noah seethed. “How could you possibly do that when you appear to have no idea how I feel or what I want with my life? You’re just like the rest of them. All about attaching yourself to some chick so you can live that white picket fence dream with the two and a half cubs and all that other shit. That’s not me, man. That will never be me. I’m not into that kind of thing. I want to live my life on my own terms.”

  Sighing, Will sat on the desk chair next to his bed. “Yes, I actually do. I can understand where you’re coming from even if I’m not on that path myself. For instance, Sophie and I aren’t going to be having children in the near future. We’ve talked about that. We’re going to wait a few years so we can travel and live our lives before saddling ourselves with that level of responsibility. Just because you find a woman doesn’t mean your life has to become a cliche.” He shook his head and tapped his fingers against the arms of the chair. He sounded and smelled apprehensive, as if he doubted Noah would even bother listening to him.

  Noah grabbed a duffle bag and took some clothes out of his closet, packing them away as he thought of a suitable response to t
hat. “That’s still commitment to one woman. I’m not ready for that. If I got into a relationship with someone, or became mated to a chick, what if I got bored of her? I’d be bound to her by our laws forever and completely miserable. I’m not the committing type, man.”

  Will chuckled under his breath. “You think Mason thought he was the committing type? Our brother was like you are, if not worse. He didn’t want to find someone either, but look at him now. He’s living a great life. He’s happy, Noah. Do you think he wouldn’t be with Ava if it wasn’t meant to be? Mates are special. It’s more than just dating a girl that may or may not work out in the long run. You feel that it’s right in here.” He placed his hand over his chest near his heart. “Your beast guides you. Just make sure to listen to him.”

  Noah rolled his eyes. He’d heard all of that before from his father, but he couldn’t be sure if it was true or just more bear tradition mumbo jumbo. “Fine. Mason is happy now. Maybe he realized it was time to settle down. He’s older than I am, but I am me. Not him,” he sighed, exasperated by the conversation. “What are you doing here, anyway?” He pulled a few pair of socks and underwear out of his dresser drawers and tossed them in his duffle bag.

  “Just trying to help,” Will shrugged. “I volunteered to be here today in case you came home. Liam and Mason wanted to stick around too, but Mom and Dad insisted that Mason needed to be Ava in her condition. After some encouraging, Liam headed home too.” He let out a long sigh, and the look on his face told Noah how weary Will was. “How about this? You could sign up for the dating agency, give it a little time and see if anything happens. If it doesn’t, then hey, it’s your life. You do you. Just don’t close yourself off to new and exciting possibilities. The other agree with that plan, too. If you put yourself out there and really try, and you still don’t succeed, then no one will push you about getting into a relationship again.” The scent of sincerity and truth coming off of Will was potent. “The ball is in your court, little brother.”

  He sat on the foot of his bed, feeling like the weight of the world was on his shoulders right now. He truly had a chance to be free from them pressuring him into a relationship, but what scared him was if things really did work out and he found someone. He reasoned that the chance of that happening for him was low. More than likely, he'd do what he needed to do, then continue living his life stress-free. All he needed to do was sign up for the stupid dating agency.

  Silence stretched between the two of them as Noah weighed his options. He glanced down at his watch, realizing he needed to get a move on if he wanted to be back home in time to order the Chinese food and wait for it in anticipation of Drew's arrival.

  Will looked resolute, so Noah shrugged his shoulders. "Fine, man. I'll give the dating agency a chance. I'll even try. Okay? You didn't state a timeline, so I'm going to say right now that I'll give it two weeks. If I don't find anyone within that period of time, then I'm done. I'll cancel whatever contract they have, and I want everyone to quit hassling me about my love life. Got it?"

  The smile on Will's face didn't soothe Noah's nerves. For a moment, he almost considered recanting his decision, but Will nodded before he could. "It's a deal. I'll text you over the agency's phone number. You'll probably deal directly with Ms. Prince since she's handled the process for Mason, Liam, and I."

  "Sure. I don't really care who handles the process so long as it's done. I don't want to waste a lot of time on it, and I don't want to pay for all of that crap either. I'm trying to save up my money."

  Will's smile grew even bigger, and he pulled something from his pocket. "Mason knew you'd say that. Here's a check from him made out directly to the Prince Dating Agency. You can take that with you when you go for your interview."

  The sinking feeling in Noah's stomach deepened. For a brief moment, he thought that might help him get off the hook, but it didn't. Damn. "Cool," he said, shoving the check into his pocket without looking at it. "I've got to go. I guess I'll call them tomorrow."

  "You better. Mason said he'd give Ms. Prince a call tomorrow afternoon to see if you actually do. If you don't, it won't be good, bro." He stood up from his chair and patted Noah on the back on his way to the door. "We all love you, okay? Take care of yourself and stay in touch. You really scared Mom."

  Noah hung his head a little and sighed. “Fine. I’ll stay in touch, and I’ll give that place a call. Don’t forget to text me the details.” He shook his head and pushed to his feet, not happy with the situation he was in, but there were limits in place for both of them, at least. He didn’t feel like he was backed into a corner anymore. At least something was going right for him.

  Chapter Six

  Just as Will promised, he sent Noah over the details for the Prince Dating Agency last night. The Chinese food he’d had with Drew was excellent, even if his best friend spent the evening telling Noah all about the evening he’d spent with his girlfriend...scratch that, fiancée. The gory details weren’t necessary, but Drew explained them anyway.

  They’d gone out to the fancy restaurant, but that wasn’t when he’d decided to propose. He waited until the two of them went back to her place before heavily making out. Just when the two of them were about to have sex, Drew said he’d reached into his pocket as if pulling out a condom, only to reveal the engagement ring to his girl. Apparently, she’d freaked out and nearly kneed him in the balls, but she accepted. After that, the two of them supposedly had the best sex Drew had ever had in his life. Noah was apprehensive about that.

  No strings attached sex was the best he could imagine. Knowing that neither person had any expectations, two people could prove their prowess in the bedroom without having to worry about living up to that standard again. Noah liked to pour it all out there and worry about what may come, if anything, later.

  If Drew wanted to equate some sort of deep bond and new connection with his fiancée as the cause of their incredible sex, good for him. He did deserve to be happy. It just wasn’t the kind of lifestyle he seemed to be after. Until now, apparently.

  Looking back at Will’s text message, Noah ran his hand through his hair. He let out a long sigh and stared up at the ceiling of his cubicle. He leaned back and looked both ways to make sure his manager wasn’t around, then he rolled back up to his desk and dialed the number.

  “Hello, Prince Dating Agency. We’re always here to assist you in finding your perfect match. How may I help you?” said the bubbly, cheerful voice on the other end of the line. They sounded young, so he highly doubted this was Ms. Prince.

  “I’m looking to sign up. My brothers did this before and had luck with it. My last name is Sinclair,” he replied.

  “Sinclair? Oh! I’ll transfer you over to Ms. Prince. She’s been expecting your call. Please hold.” Before he could say anything, soothing spa music started playing over the line.

  What in the hell was he doing? Will said Mason would call in the afternoon, and it was before 10 a.m. This was starting to feel like a set up. He thought about hanging up the phone, but he remembered Will’s veiled threats. He remained on the line, listening to the spa music. The hold went on so long that he thought about hanging up. If they weren't getting back to him in a timely manner, especially when he was calling during his work hours, they obviously didn’t care very much about him as a customer.

  Just when he started to hit the end call button, he heard a slightly older woman's voice greet him. "Hello, Mr. Sinclair. This is Ms. Prince. I had a feeling you would be calling. I've done well by your brothers, and I am glad you have chosen to reach out to me. Are you free to come by my office today? I can open up a spot for you."

  Noah nearly dropped his phone. Come into the office today? That was fast. Faster then he hoped, but maybe he needed to pull the Band-Aid off fast to make this whole process hurt less. "Hello. Sure, I can swing by. When do you have available? I wouldn't want to inconvenience you. I'm sure you're a busy woman." It was all bullshit, but maybe if he sounded charming the experience would be more smooth.
/>
  "Whenever you are free. Hmm. Would two o'clock work? That would give me a chance to rearrange my schedule a little bit for you." The sound of keys typing in the background signaled that she was hard at work making sure she fit him in.

  That timing actually didn't work for him. He had a job to do. But if he told Ava, he was sure she could figure out a way for his manager not to be pissed at him for taking off at such short notice. Besides, his family owned the company, and were the ones who wanted him to go through this process. They could cut him a break. "Sure. That sounds fine. I'll be there."

  The day went pretty quickly as he watched the time on his computer almost appear to fly by. It wouldn't have bothered him if it went slower. Before he went to lunch, he swung by Ava's office and told her about the appointment. She agreed to get in touch with his manager, even if he felt shitty for not approaching his boss himself. But what was he supposed to say, exactly? He might be able to lie about a dentist or a doctor's appointment, but that didn't feel right either.

  After lunch, Noah focused on wrapping up a few things up for work so he could take off before the appointment. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted his manager walk by giving him a disdainful stare as of Noah had become the bane of his existence. He grabbed his things and waved to Ava on his way out. She waved back and gave him a thumbs up. Here was hoping he didn’t live up to that ‘you can do it’ gesture.

  The Prince Dating Agency wasn’t that far of a drive. Even though he was habitually late, he did his best to be there a little early. The perky voice from the phone matched up with the cheerful blonde receptionist who greeted him at the door.

  He took a seat in the waiting room, without partaking in their Keurig machine or snacks, and glanced around at the other people there. They seemed like a bunch of rich bastards out of touch with reality, but who was he to judge? His family could probably put them all to shame. Shaking his head, he browsed his phone like the rest of them while he waited.