The Shifter's Gift

by Haley Weir

  "I nearly lost control," he replied, his voice cracking a little. "I don't think I can drive home. My bear is... I'm exhausted."

  "Shit. Give me your current location." The sounds of rummaging occurred over the phone line as if he were digging around for a pen and paper. "I'll tell Dad and we'll be right there. You should've gotten in touch with me earlier."

  "No, please. Don't let Dad know. I've stressed him and Mom out enough. I don't want him to know what's going on. Not now, at least. Let me just... regain some energy before telling him what happened." He glanced down at his phone and brought up map app. "I'm texting you my location. Sorry about all of this."

  "Don't apologize. I'll keep Dad in the dark... for now. Just tell me... is your date okay? Should I bring the pack doctor with me?" Mason asked hesitantly.

  He leaned his head back against the seat and sighed. "I didn't attack her. Okay is a relative term, though. She knows, and she didn't take it well. I'm worried about her."

  Mason cursed under his breath, but with werebear hearing, he knew exactly what his brother said. "All right. I'll be there as soon as I can. Don't go anywhere or do anything until I arrive, do you understand?"

  "I don't think I could if I tried, but yes, I understand. See you soon. Thank you."

  "Don't worry about it," Mason said, sounding concerned.

  Will closed his eyes as the call ended. Weariness weighed him down, and it felt like he had a growing stack of bricks on his chest. He only hoped Mason got here quickly.

  Chapter Ten

  Sobs poured out of her chest, and Sophie buried her face into a pillow to try to muffle the sound. The last thing she needed was for her neighbor to call the cops on her. She'd never had a problem with anyone here. Until tonight.

  Tears dripped from her eyes, and her heart hurt. Will seemed like such a good guy. She'd thought there was truly something between the two of them. He was funny, he was real, and they were such a good match. Their time together on the boat had been the most fun she'd had on a date. Now, she did not know what to think. The whole situation was surreal.

  He'd told her that he was a shapeshifter, as if that was a normal thing to reveal. As if she could just nod her head and accept it. It was like hearing the tooth fairy or Santa Claus were real, walking and talking in her world. But Santa didn't transform into a bear and probably eat people. A shudder chased down her spine, and she ran over to her front door to lock it. Now that he was gone, she needed to make sure he stayed that way, right?

  She strode into her bedroom, pressing her hand over her mouth to keep her whimpering sobs at a reasonable volume. She leaned over her bathroom sink to look at her reflection. The mirror showed black streaks of eyeliner and mascara leaking down her face. It was a look straight off of a horror movie set. She turned around, not wanting to see herself anymore and bent over at the waist as more whimpers bubbled up from her throat.

  None of this felt real. Her night had been so great. She was about to have sex with him for the first time in this new, exciting relationship. After washing her face, she changed into her clothes for bedtime and crawled under the covers. Even though it was incredibly late, she stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep. She was terrified. He was a monster, right?

  Her mind replayed what happened between them again and again in her head. The more she thought about it, the guiltier she felt. He begged her to let him explain, but she'd been so ready to judge him. She would not listen to him. .

  She tried to shake away those thoughts. It wasn't her fault that he freaked her out. But... maybe it wasn't his fault, either. His hands were shaking, and he seemed so distraught. If she calmed down and gave him a chance, maybe they would have been able to talk through whatever was going on with him. But, she hadn't. Instead, she pushed him away.

  No matter how many times she closed her eyes and took deep breaths to relax, her body refused to drift into unconsciousness. She tossed and turned the whole night.

  At some point, she must have finally fallen asleep, but not for long. After what felt like ten minutes, her alarm blared to life, dragging her from her dreams. Her arm was clutched tightly around her pillow, holding it closely as if it was Will.

  She was so exhausted that the idea of climbing out of bed only made her feel sleepier. She hit the snooze button on her alarm, but she didn't drift back to sleep. Her thoughts were going a mile a minute.

  Should she call or text Will? Maybe they could figure things out over the phone? What in the world was she going to tell Isabella about the date? If she just stuck with the date aspect, it was a perfect experience.

  Would he tell the dating agency that their date had gone poorly? Would he ever want to see her ever again? Did it matter? Much to her surprise, it did. A lot. She already missed him.

  * * *

  Will nearly jumped out of his skin at the rapid tap on his window. His eyes shot open, and he looked up at his brother Mason, frowning down at him. He rolled down the window, realizing that his car was still running.

  "Hey," he greeted Mason, his voice rough with sleepiness.

  "You scared me, Will. Let's get out of here. When Ava gets off of work, we'll swing by later and pick your car up. Let me have the keys. Carefully now." Mason held out his arm to offer Will some support. His legs felt like jelly.

  “Thank you, and thank you for being here for me.” Once both of his legs were out of his car, he placed his arm around Mason’s shoulders to hold onto him while his brother tucked his arm around Will’s waist. His brothers strong yet calming presence worked to soothe his bear back into submission in short order.

  "Of course I'm here. You're my younger brother." Mason guided him back toward the passenger side of his own car. He began to help him with the seatbelt but stopped when Will let out a rumbling growl. “Okay, fine. You can do your own belt. You didn’t sleep all night aside from that nap, did you?” He shook his head in disapproval before closing the passenger side door. “You need to take better care of yourself.” His gaze slid over at the apartment buildings in front of them.

  “No, I didn’t sleep,” Will told him, fastening his seatbelt. “My beast was struggling against me too much. I didn’t want to lost it entirely and hurt someone.” He closed his eyes as he leaned back in the seat.

  “Where does she live? I’ll have Liam come over and keep an eye on her.” He tightened his grip on the steering wheel a little. “If she were to tell anyone about us, she’d be placing herself and our kind in a lot of danger.”

  “I know. I warned her. I doubt she’ll want anything to do with me after what happened. The look on her face… smelling her fear and knowing she was afraid of me cut me like a knife. Maybe I’m not meant to have a mate.”

  “There’s someone out there for you, Will,” Mason countered reassuringly. “If your bear recognized this woman as his mate, then she could just need time to process.” He dialed Liam’s number. “Hey, Liam. I’m going to need you to do something for the pack. Don’t tell our father about this yet.”

  Will could hear both sides of the phone call. He closed his eyes, wishing Mason didn’t have to talk to Liam, but he knew it was important to make sure Sophie was watched.

  “What’s going on?” asked Liam. “Did you find Will? I’m worried sick about him.”

  It crushed him that he’d worried his family. They deserved better, and now he was just putting more stress on them because of how he’d handled himself with Sophie.

  “He’s safe with me. I’m going to take him back to my place to crash for a while. He needs some rest, if you wouldn’t mind contacting his manager. Have your assistant clear your schedule for today, too.” Mason sighed as he started the car’s engine. “The date with his mate didn’t go as he’d hoped. She knows he’s a werebear, but she didn’t take the news well.”

  “Oh, shit.”

  “That’s putting it lightly.” Mason accelerated out of the apartment’s parking lot on their way back to the house his brother and Ava’s home. “He warned her to not talk about
what she learned, but it’s better to have someone around watching to make sure everything’s fine. I know you are busy, but this is important.”

  “I’m happy to help. I’ll tell Olivia what’s going on. Is Will okay? And his mate?” Liam asked.

  “I think he’ll be better after some rest. He said the woman is unharmed. Maybe once things calm down the two of them can talk,” Mason said.

  Mason made it sound so easy. If talking solved everything, then their relationship would not be broken in the first place. He shook his head but kept quiet. Nothing good would come out of trying to argue with Mason. Not when he was trying to help him get out of this mess.

  “Okay, well, give him my best.” Liam sounded relieved, if not a little disappointed. Maybe he was upset that Will had not reached out to him. “I’ll call him later after he’s had a chance to rest up.”

  Silence filled the rest of the drive. Will kept his eyes closed and relaxed. Mason’s heightened senses could easily tell Will wasn’t asleep. His brother helped him inside and up to the guest room of the large, beautiful house.

  “Sleep well, Will. I’ll check on you in a little while.” Mason paused in the doorway. “I’m going to tell our parents that you’re here. I’ll keep the reasons vague for now, but you need to get all of this straightened out. If you want her to be your mate, you can’t just let yourself unravel. You’re the son of our Alpha. Prove it.” His face softened a little. “Your family is here for you. Don’t forget that. We’re here to support you when you need us. You’re not in this alone.”

  The words hit Will like a ton of bricks. Emotion tightly squeezed his throat, so he nodded in response, afraid to speak and risk displaying more weakness. He felt like he was on the brink of collapse. When Mason closed the door, Will laid back on the bed and was asleep the second his head hit the pillow.

  Chapter Eleven

  For once, Sophie was grateful that she had so much work. She tapped a pen against her desk in time to the music as she thought about a fix for a problem her client was having. As she worked it out, her cell phone rang. She glanced down at it to see Isabella's number pop up on the screen again.

  There were only so many times that she could dodge her calls, claiming she was busy with work. Pretty soon, Isabella would notice something was wrong. If she didn’t suspected something already.

  Biting her lower lip, she picked up the phone and answered in her best cheery voice, "Hello, Sophie Jensen. How may I help you?"

  "Hey, chica! I’ve been trying to call you. I was starting to get worried that something happened last night."

  Sophie’s mouth dropped open, and she inwardly kicked herself. She should have thought about that before she dodged Isabella’s calls.

  "Oh, I'm so sorry. I saw you called. I've just been pretty slammed trying to get caught up with work again today. But I should've gotten back to you. I wasn't thinking, hon." That was the truth. She was avoiding her calls, but she also was trying to catch up on work that she missed yesterday in order to be perfectly dressed for her date.

  "Don't worry about it. So, dish! Tell me how it went. What did you think of Will Sinclair?" Isabella asked.

  She wasn't sure how to answer without letting her raw emotions sneak in and tattle on her. The idea to smile over the phone came back to her again. She plastered one on and did her best to continue sounding cheery for her friend. "The date was great. I had fun."

  For a moment, she almost believed herself.

  "So, you weren't crazy about Will? Be honest. It's the only way I'll be able to help you find your perfect match. Sometimes it doesn't happen right away. Sometimes you go on dates only to figure out that you're looking for something else." Isabella had sounded like a friend at first, then her tone shifted to the dating consultant. It put her on edge immediately. Even if she didn't want to talk about all of this with anyone, she'd hoped to hear from her friend, not a Prince Dating Agency employee.

  "What? I said it was a great date. What do you mean?"

  "But I asked what you thought of Will. The fact you didn't mention your reaction to him shows you weren't that into him, Soph. But that’s not a bad thing! You're just learning what you want. So, what do you think went wrong with Will?"

  Sophie dropped her pen on her desk and placed her head on her palm. "I..." She was struggling to dig deep for a phony answer for Isabella. Her work helped to switch her focus away from the mess that happened last night, and now Isabella wanted to ask what went wrong with Will? Sophie knew what went wrong, but Will had warned her not to say anything about what he was. Isabella didn't need to be burdened with that knowledge, either. The possibility that Will was telling her the truth was hard enough.

  "What is it? Did he say or do something? You can talk to me, Sophie."

  "No, no..." She shook her head. "Listen, Isabella. Will is a good guy. Maybe it's me. Maybe I'm not as ready to be dating as I thought I was. Okay? I can't really talk right now. Like I mentioned, I’m pretty busy trying to catch up—”

  “Sophie, you don’t sound like yourself. Just tell me what happened. If you don't start talking soon, I'm coming by to visit you in person. I'm sure Ms. Prince would be fine with it, especially if I tell her that the visit is apparently about whatever happened with Will Sinclair last night." Isabella's tone was serious.

  If Sophie didn't say the right thing, this could all blow up in her face. She didn't need that pressure right now. Not after what happened last night. She was already exhausted from lack of sleep. Her brain wasn't functioning at optimal levels, and she just wanted to continue her work while she figured out what to do next.

  "Isabella, don't go there. Please,” Sophie pleaded. “Don't bring Ms. Prince into this. I need time to think. Dating is a major step in a person's life, especially someone like me. Just take a few steps back, or you might end up hurting our friendship." That last line torn her up on the inside. She hated saying it, and worse yet, she hated that she meant it. "I'll call you later." Silence stretched across the line for a few moments, then she said a quick goodbye.

  Sophie pushed her keyboard away from her and crossed her arms over her desk. Tears blurred her vision as she tucked her head into her arms. She really wanted to call Olivia, but her best friend didn't need to deal with this kind of crap right now. She was planning a wedding.

  For the first time in a while, she felt completely alone. A notification chimed on her computer, but she ignored it. When she looked up at her living room, she stared at the spot where she yelled at him and ordered him to leave. He'd told her things she didn't want to hear, things she’d never imagined could be true. But maybe she should have been more open to what he had to say. Either way, it didn't matter now. He'd really scared her. What kind of relationship would they have had? She placed her head back onto her arms.

  When she heard a knock on her front door, Sophie jumped out of her chair, nearly spilling her coffee. "Just a minute," she called to whoever was there. Too little time had passed since her call with Isabella ended for it to be her, and she wasn't expecting anyone else today. The last person who had come over had been Olivia almost a month ago, but her friend had work. She wouldn't randomly stop by for a visit when she should be at the office. A quick peek through the peephole surprised her, and she tossed open the door.

  "Olivia? W-what are you doing here? Did Isabella call you?" she stammered. It was the only way she'd think that her best friend would know to come. Her gaze moved past her friend toward the incredibly tall and muscular man standing behind her. She blinked up at him as her mouth dropped open. Aside from his height and size, something about him reminded her of someone. "Who is that?"

  Olivia threw her arms around Sophie without saying a word. She sighed, holding her close for a few moments. "That's my fiancé Liam. Isabella did call me, but I was already on my way over here. We should talk inside."

  She took a few steps back to let her friend and Liam inside. Talking with him around did not feel private, exactly. But if Olivia wanted him nearby, then who w
as she to argue? She still did not know the reason for their visit.

  Liam took a deep breath when they entered her apartment. He looked Sophie over as if assessing her for hidden danger. Her face paled when she realized who he reminded her of. He had to be related to Will.

  "N-no," she said, taking another step away from him, putting the couch between them. "I know why he's here."

  Olivia shook her head and let out a sigh. "Please, Sophie. You're my best friend. Trust me, we’re not here to hurt you. I just need to talk to you about what's going on. It can be scary at first, and it's a lot to take in, but you need to take a few deep breaths. Just hear me out?" She looked pleadingly at Sophie as if she could say no to her friend.

  "I... Fine. I'll listen to you. But can he please wait outside? I'm not comfortable with him right here." She hated how judgemental and rude she sounded. She'd never even met the guy before, and Olivia raved about how amazing he was. Now Sophie was forcing him out of her home.

  Olivia’s face looked pained, but she looked over at Liam with a frown. "Let me have a moment alone with her. We'll be fine, honey."

  "I'll be nearby if you need me," he said, then he leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

  The assessing look he gave Sophie again made her wonder if he didn't quite trust her with Olivia. That hurt to her core.

  When he left, Olivia glanced back at Sophie. "I'm not here because Will asked me to be. I'm here because of you. Liam was asked by his brother to watch over your place, but we were supposed to have lunch together. He'd told me that he wouldn't be able to make it. Obviously, I asked why, and when he told me he needed to watch over a residence that matched your address, I was curious. When Isabella called, everything started making sense." She sat on the armchair and placed her purse in her lap. "I want you to be as happy as I am. I don't know Liam's brother well, but he's always seemed like a good guy. Liam told me things didn't go well when Will...told you what he is. I understand being confused and scared, but you seem...I don’t know. Did something else happen? Did he hurt you?"