Connor took him in, taught him how to shift at will, and, very slowly and patiently, taught him how to speak the human tongue. His speech was still a little slow, and he sometimes struggled to find the right words, which made him feel like the dumbest bear in all the clan. But Connor always supported him, showing him that he had valuable talents. He had an amazing eye for dimensions. He could cut a piece of wood to an exact size without needing to use a measuring tape. He could carve out a block of wood into an amazingly intricate design, without using a template. And he could repeat it as many times as necessary, with the accuracy of a machine. He was also the strongest of the bears. Having lived for his first eighteen years only as a bear seemed to have given an edge to his powerful muscles.
He would always be in Connor’s debt. But more than that, he loved him like a brother. He was a great Alpha of the clan – wise, judicious and always working tirelessly to ensure all the happiness of the bears. Olsen gave an involuntary grunt. That was – Connor was a great Alpha when he wasn’t always up his ass to get mated. Olsen was part of the losers club. One of only four bears in the clan who hadn’t yet found their mate. And he was happy with that. While Niall, Frankie and Dalton spent hours on Shiftr, that dumb dating app, trying to find their perfect match, he only pretended to use it. Sure, he’d pull it out now and again, and flick through the thumbnails of beautiful curvy human females, while his bear paced and panted and flexed its muscles. But that was as far as his interest went… Except.
Except nothing. An image of that beautiful, dark-haired human, whose heart seem to hurt as much as his own, rose up in his mind again, and he drove it out savagely. He was too different from humans. He wasn’t like his clan mates, who understood humans as well as they understood their own bear instincts. He would never find a human mate. But now that he knew he was a shifter, he would never find a bear mate either. He was stuck in limbo; destined to be alone. And that wasn’t such a bad thing. If only Connor would understand and quit bugging him.
That hope didn’t last long. Four days later, he was at a ribs cook-off in Connor’s backyard, when Niall thrust that stupid orange app in front of his face.
“How’s it going, bro? I haven’t seen you online for a while.”
“How would you even know if –?” Olsen broke off. The workings of the app, and of all technology were a mystery to him. “I’ve been busy,” he snapped, more aggressively than he’d meant to.
“Yup, and now you’re not.” Olsen let off a snarl. The job at the school had paid so well that the bears didn’t even need to work for the next six months, and they’d agreed to take a vacation for the next month at least. Which meant that Niall, who was pretty much Connor’s Second, would also be on his ass to get mated.
“Give me your phone,” Niall demanded.
“Why is it so goddamned important that I find a mate?” Olsen roared. Everyone stopped talking, their heads snapping in his direction. “Sorry. Sorry,” he mumbled. Always too loud. He always felt like he didn’t fit in the clan, and he tried not to draw attention to himself, in case the rest of the bears decided that he wasn’t one of them after all, and kicked him out. He was every bit as hotheaded as Ryzard had been before he found his mate, but he usually did a better job of hiding it.
As the other bears turned back to the conversations, he handed his phone to Niall like a chastened cub. His eyes glazed over as Niall fiddled with the app. There was no point in this. None at all. Several long moments later, Niall let off a whistle, and Olsen’s head snapped toward him.
“What is it?” he demanded. Instead of answering, Niall pulled his own phone out of his back pocket and started scrolling frantically. “What are you doing?” As he watched Niall suspiciously, Niall’s expression mutated from shock, to disbelief, to anger. Olsen snatched his phone back and stared at the screen. And then his bear let off a long purr. Dolores. She was looking into the camera, her green eyes wide, showing a hint of vulnerability, those pretty lips pursed, and her shiny curtain of hair hanging into her face, hiding the scar that made his heart feel like a piece of cotton candy. Without thinking, he put his thumb on the screen and swiped to the left. A full-length photo of her was revealed. She was standing outside a motel, leaning against a light-blue door, hands behind her back, in a pair of skinny black jeans and a black V-neck shirt, displaying those delicious curves. He ran a forefinger over those curves, as he yearned to touch them in real life. And then his finger shot back. What the hell? She’s a human. She’s not for me.
“Beautiful, isn’t she?” Niall said sharply. Olsen’s head jerked toward him, sensing something mean in his tone. Niall was often kind of serious, even more so since he’d become Connor’s second. But he was never cruel.
“What’s wrong, bro?” Olsen said.
“Nothing at all. Good luck with your mate.” Niall jammed his hands in his pockets and stalked off.
Olsen frowned at Dolores’ photos, swapping from one to another. What was Niall so mad about? He knew he was saying something different from what he really meant. Sometimes he didn’t get sarcasm at all. Did Niall think she wasn’t so pretty? No. She was the prettiest human he’d ever laid eyes on. At the top of her main profile page was a little green box, surrounded by tiny stars. That’s new. He wished he knew what it meant. Niall had called her “your mate”. That meant something. He sat down on the edge of Connor’s deck and stared at Dolores’ profile, turning over Niall’s words.
Suddenly, some kind of alert popped up. A message. It was from Dolores! A tiny version of her profile photo was right beside it. It was a long message. He scrolled through it in agitation. Then he looked for Connor. He badly needed his help right now. But he was busy with the barbecue. And he didn’t want him to know he was looking at Shiftr, because he’d be on his case the entire time. With a snort, he shut the app down and stuck his phone in his back pocket.
A moment later, he thought better of it and returned to the message. He picked five emojis – a smiley face, a woman, a bear, a yellow flower and a truck. Then, with a grunt of satisfaction, he got up and joined the other guys.
6
Dolores was sitting on the edge of her bed, in the same motel room she’d been staying in before, tired but very happy after a successful day’s apartment hunting in Hope Valley. After the interview, she’d returned to the women’s refuge, said tearful goodbyes to all the women and staff who’d become her friends over the past months there, picked up her things, and driven back to the motel.
After a few hours with a real estate agent, recommended to her by Tamika, she’d found a very cute place. It turned out that in Hope Valley, apartments weren’t such a big thing as cabins. Real wood cabins, that looked adorably rustic on the outside, but had all the necessary conveniences in the interior. It was right at the edge of the national park, on the main road that led into town. At first she hadn’t been sure about living away from downtown, but one look at the cabin and she’d fallen in love. Home, she’d thought as soon as she’d stepped into the living room, with its wooden furnishings, cozy hearth rug and open fireplace. The property was already vacant, so she would be able to move in tomorrow, with the two cardboard boxes which now sat in the corner of the motel room, containing her only possessions in the world.
Dolores’ chest was fizzing with excitement at the thought of new beginnings, and her phone was resting in her hand. And somehow, the dating app that Tamika had installed for her was open. She’d been getting more and more curious about it over the past days, with that cute little orange paw print icon glowing from her home screen so temptingly. She wasn’t interested in dating, knew she’d never find anyone who wanted her, but she’d been so high from all the good luck that had been coming her way recently that she’d somehow clicked on it. And there it was. An app filled with incredibly hot men. Who were also half animal. It was a lot of fun checking each one out, trying to figure out what kind of shifter they were, before swiping left on their photo and seeing their animal in all its glory. The more she played, the
better her success rate was getting, and she correctly identified wolves, coyotes, jaguars, bears, tigers and lions. And then an alert flashed up:
Where would your perfect date be?
A romantic cabin at a lake
An exclusive restaurant
An adventurous hike
It doesn’t matter. It’s all about the company
She grinned, lifted her shoulders in the ghost of a shrug, and checked d. Another alert flashed up:
What is your idea of a romantic gesture on Valentine’s day?
Your beau buying you a really expensive gift
Coming home to find your sweetie has covered your bed in rose petals, and there’s a bottle of champagne on ice
Your man surprising you with a stray kitten that he found wandering the streets hungry
Being whisked off in a limousine to a luxury hotel
This is kind of fun, she thought as she checked c. A third alert popped up:
Please complete your entire profile to enable us to find your perfect match!
“Sucked in!” she muttered to herself, and without meaning to, she tapped the button to go ahead with the quiz.
An hour later, she was done. And as drained as all hell. The quiz had probed and investigated every aspect of her character and beliefs, as if it was determined to leave no stone unturned. There were encouraging comments along the way: Almost there! Your perfect match is just around the corner! Don’t stop now – you’re about to meet the shifter of your dreams! I’m just doing this for fun, she kept telling herself. But somehow she couldn’t stop until she’d answered every question. Excitable starbursts filled the screen, surrounding the latest message: Prepare to meet your mate!
“I should stop right now,” she said aloud, but somehow her fingers kept tapping and scrolling. And the next thing she knew, her profile filled with a long list of her potential matches. Her heartbeat sped up. “Wow,” she breathed, scrolling through the thumbnails. Does Shiftr really think these insanely sexy guys will be suited to me? She began clicking on one profile after another, checking out their photos, their animals, their interests. It was addictive. Hours passed without her having changed her position on the bed at all. Each match came with a compatibility rating, and eventually she figured out how to order them in order of compatibility.
And then she got the shock of her life. That guy who’d helped her. Who’d made her feel like she wasn’t a freak for having a panic attack at a job interview. Whose huge hand had rested so comfortingly on her back. And who’d popped into her mind more times than she wanted to admit over the past few days, was her number one match. 98% compatible, the app proclaimed. And he’s online right now. Her cheeks flamed and suddenly there wasn’t enough breath in her lungs. She dropped the phone and leaned forward, breathing out slowly, to the count of 15, before breathing in to the count of 10. This is so embarrassing. He’s going to see that I’m supposed to be his match and laugh. She felt like deleting her profile right away. Wait. But just because he’s my almost 100% match doesn’t mean I’m his, right? She scrolled to the information page. And her face got even hotter. Yes it does. Matches are reciprocal. So I guess that answers my question: he is a shifter. But what kind of animal is he? Bear, she thought. He was so big and powerful looking, with that huge, bulky body that she couldn’t imagine him being anything else. She swiped on his profile and was rewarded with a photo of a huge, honey-brown bear, standing up on its rear legs. Its pose was somehow casual, kind of good natured, propped up against a tree, as if it was just shooting the breeze with the guys.
Dolores chewed her lip. It had been bothering her that she hadn’t had an opportunity to thank him for the way he’d helped her at the school. I’ll send him a friendly message. Then he’ll know I’m not expecting him to want to date me. Holding her lip firmly between her teeth, she planned the entire message in her head, then typed it out:
Hey, Olsen,
Funny to see we’re both on this site :) I’m just shooting you a message to say thank you so much for helping me on Thursday. I hadn’t even realized I was having a panic attack until you reassured me. And thanks to you, I managed to finish the interview and I’ll be starting work at the school next week!
I wish you all the best.
Yours sincerely,
Dolores
When she hit send, she noticed that her hands were a little clammy. “Stupid girl,” she muttered.
She went into the bathroom and freshened up, preparing to go to the Portuguese chicken place across the street for dinner, and when she returned, there was a message alert. Her heart thumped as she clicked on it. And she blinked several times in quick succession. He’d sent her a smiley face. And that wasn’t all. There was a woman. And a flower. And a bear. And a truck. That was it. No words. Just these five hieroglyphs. And he’s no longer online. She scratched her head. What? This was up there with the weirdest messages she’d received in her life. And having taught a huge number of tiny people with vivid imaginations, a lot of weird messages had come her way over the years. Was he in a rush and decided it’d be quicker to send some emojis instead of using actual words? Am I supposed to discover some underlying meaning in here?
Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that it was getting late. Maybe I’ll try to figure out this puzzle in the restaurant. She picked up her jacket and purse and headed out to Ricardo’s Chicken Shack.
She ordered a glass of wine to celebrate the new job and new home, and frowned at the screen of her phone as she waited for her entrée to arrive. Well, I guess these symbols could correspond to the five main sentences in my message? she thought, raising an eyebrow. So, it makes him smile that we’re both on the site? But, smile like he’s mildly amused, or like he’s laughing his ass off at the fact we’ve been matched? Her stomach knotted. Maybe I should quit this right now. But there was nothing else to look at in this empty restaurant, except the traffic swishing by outside the window. Reluctantly she returned to the conundrum. She’d always loved doing puzzles and crosswords, and when she was working on something, she couldn’t quit until she’d filled in every empty box. Emoji number two: so he’s saying he helped me because I’m a woman? She cocked her head and stared blankly at a somewhat tacky painting of a seascape adorning one of the walls. Okay. Quirky, but I guess it makes sense. The third sentence she’d written to him – I hadn’t even realized I was having a panic attack until you reassured me – was answered with a bear. He’s a bear. He’s confirming that he was the one who reassured me, I guess.
The bored server brought her fried chicken entrée, and she continued thinking while she ate. Olsen had seemingly greeted the news that she’d be starting at the school with a yellow flower. Congratulations? Yup. What else could it be? But then the final image – the truck – was giving her a lot of difficulty. I wish you all the best. Here’s a truck. Seriously? I know guys can be a little basic in their communications, but, come on. Maybe it means, I’ve gotta go. See you later?
She was so deep in concentration that when the server brought her a dessert menu, she ordered a slice of key lime pie without thinking. She absolutely wasn’t supposed to be eating dessert right now. Make that ever. She’d always been a big girl, and since being in the hospital had interrupted her routine of taking regular long walks, she was in danger of getting even bigger.
The pie was delicious though, and her taste buds fizzed at the combination of the sweetness of the pastry and the sharpness of the lime. She’d been so stunned when Tamika told her that shape shifters love curvy girls. They prefer them. Tamika had told her her whole life story, how she’d met her werewolf mate, Kyle, in her native England, and how crazy he’d gone for her voluptuous body and her sassiness. Then he’d brought her to Hope Valley, and she’d created Shiftr to help other shifters find the curvy mates they craved, and every curvy girl find the sexy, protective mate she deserved. Shifters were totally loyal to their mates, and they mated for life. In her teens, Dolores had dreamed of finding a man like that. But bullying at sch
ool and the harsh reality of adulthood had put an end to those dreams. She’d watched as all the thin, pretty girls she knew got matched up and married off. Even the thin ones who weren’t so pretty. While she’d gotten left on the shelf. She had self-esteem. She didn’t date guys who were no good. The ones who’d grab her ass in the street and expect her to be grateful for their attention. So, the reality was, she didn’t date any guys. Her one and only boyfriend had been more of a friend. He’d never acted like he wanted her, and they’d never gotten beyond second base. So she was the 30-year-old virgin, and she was pretty sure that was how her life was going to stay. And now she had scars on her face and body to add to the reasons why she didn’t date.
Maybe a truck means he wants to tell me that he’s disappearing in his truck. Don’t ever bother me again? Whatever. There was no reason why she’d have to see him again anyway. She paid the check, left the restaurant and returned to the motel, for the last time ever before she moved into her new home.
7
Olsen’s phone hit the wall with an almighty clang. Which was nothing new. He even had a rubberized case to protect it from the fits of frustration that overtook him every few days. This time, he’d been stewing over the messages he’d sent Dolores on that goddamn app. A truck. A fucking truck. What was that even supposed to mean? She probably thought he was a moron now. Which I am. He fought the urge to trash his entire cabin, turn his human life to rubble. Every time Connor hassled him to find a mate, it brought him one step closer to leaving the clan altogether. He wasn’t one of the guys. He wasn’t human enough to be part of the clan, never mind the mate of a human. It hadn’t been so bad when he’d joined the bears, and they were all single. If he’d thought about dating, he’d most probably assumed that they’d all get shifter mates at some distant point in the future. But then the guys had started dating humans instead. It was too much for him.
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