by Layla Silver
The Bear’s Surrogate
A Paranormal Romance
Shifter Surrogate Agency Book 2
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 - Lincoln
Chapter 2 - Dakota
Chapter 3 - Lincoln
Chapter 4 - Dakota
Chapter 5 – Lincoln
Chapter 6 - Dakota
Chapter 7 - Lincoln
Chapter 8 - Dakota
Chapter 9 – Lincoln
Chapter 10 - Dakota
Chapter 11 - Lincoln
Chapter 12 - Dakota
Chapter 13 - Lincoln
Chapter 14 - Dakota
Chapter 15 - Lincoln.
Chapter 16 – Dakota
Chapter 17 - Lincoln
Chapter 18 - Dakota
Chapter 19 - Lincoln
Epilogue
About the Author
Books by Layla Silver
Chapter 1 - Lincoln
The trees swayed to a silent melody that was as old as time. It was something only a few would ever understand, and I was fortunate enough to be part of that small demographic. Or at least, my Bear was. I had always wondered if I was more Bear than human because I enjoyed times like these when I just shifted and ran through the woods alone. I was a terrible human if I were to be honest, and I preferred to spend time alone rather than with humans or even shifters in human form. Most people called me moody, and I called them unnecessarily chipper in turn. But times like these where I could just be alone in Bear form were the best. It gave me time to reflect and to feel how my Bear responded to any changes in my life. Right now, I sensed that my Bear did not regret the move I had made to change clans.
It was uncommon for a shifter to change clans, and the only time I had ever seen it happen in my lifetime was when a female shifter had married into another clan. That was usually the only scenario where that could happen, except when I had done it myself. I'd had a very good reason to move, though, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat if I had to. My ex-wife had cheated on me. The same woman who had vowed to love me and only me; the very same one I had moved heaven and earth for to make sure that she wanted for nothing. Staying had not been an option for me, not when I wanted to tear down everything that reminded me of my ex, including the bastard she had cheated on me with. Luckily my friend had offered to help me out, and after the approval of his clan, I now had a new home.
Or the makings of a new home.
I was still building my home, which provided a great distraction from my loneliness and anger. It was not easy, but I enjoyed the hard work, and I was good with my hands. Thinking of work reminded me that I had a meeting to get to, and I couldn't just spend all day in the woods. My Bear protested when I finally shifted back into human form to get ready for work, and I wished that I had another option.
Duty calls, I thought to myself as I walked back towards my house, looking out over the surrounding area. My new clan lived at a ranch, and I loved it. There was a lot of space; so much so that I didn’t have to run into most of the Bears if I didn’t want to. I’d been told that during a drunken night, the ranch had jokingly been given the name "Werebear Ranch." At first, I hadn’t wanted to say the name out loud. We, Bears, never called ourselves Werebears, and it just sounded ridiculous to me. But for some reason, the name had stuck, and now everyone called it that.
For some weird reason, we were having a meeting after working hours because our main boss was only free at that time. Or, as I liked to call it, he was just being impossible. That wasn't entirely true, of course; I knew Julian Rollett to be a pretty decent guy, but I was just not feeling like getting ready for a meeting at this hour. Perhaps I really was moody, and everyone was right after all. Good thing I didn't have to pretend to be cheerful to anyone I was in a relationship with because I was done with all of that. Now it was just work and my house. My big and empty house.
I felt that restless feeling I had whenever I had that line of thought. While Bear shifters weren't really made for a large pack life, we did have small clans. And some kept to themselves and their families unless there was an important matter affecting the rest of the clan, like when I had changed clans. While others who liked to get together for fun did as they pleased, it was not mandatory.
When I had gotten married, I had looked forward to having a little cub or two of my own, but the timing had never been right. Which turned out to be the best thing that had ever happened to me because I could not bear the thought of sharing a child with my ex now. That would be a disaster for everyone involved. But I felt ready to have a child now; I just didn't want the mate that normally came with that. No, not even if people tied me down and threatened to kill me.
I collected a couple of tools that I had left outside and put them back into the toolbox as I walked in. I couldn't remember why I had left them outside in the first place since I was usually so careful with my things. I'd probably just thought I would take a short break and shift, then ended up walking through the woods for longer than I had planned. I checked my watch again just to make sure that I was still on schedule to do everything that I needed to, which I was. A shower and a small snack later, I was ready to go.
The garage I worked at was in town. My new clan also had a garage on the ranch that I could work at, but I’d worked at mine for a couple of years now, and I didn’t see any need to leave it. My boss was already there sorting out paperwork in his office. I raised a hand in greeting as I walked past him, and he grinned his signature grin and raised his own hand in a signal to halt. Theo was always in a good mood, and he talked enough for the both of us. I often wondered how he put up with my silence, but so far, we had been doing quite well. And he seemed to like me just as I was.
"How are you doing today?" he asked as he walked out to meet me.
"Good, you?" I responded with a nod.
"I'm great!" he smiled, and I resisted the urge to respond with a sarcastic, 'I can tell.'
"So, are you ready for the presentation?" he continued.
I shrugged; I really didn't have to do much during the meeting, except provide feedback on the diagnostic software and equipment from a mechanic's point of view. The rest would probably be all strategic stuff for the business, which I knew nothing about and didn't want to be involved in anyway. But I just gave Theo my best polite smile instead and gave him the answer that he was looking for.
"I'm ready."
"I know I can always count on you," my boss beamed. "Can you check if everything is sorted in the meeting room? We can't have the big man coming in and seeing everything in disarray, now, can we?"
I shook my head and gave him a thumbs-up, eager to escape conversation and have something to do as I waited for everyone else to arrive. There were two other mechanics joining us for the meeting, and Julian was bringing in his own team of four. No one was late yet; we still had close to an hour before the scheduled meeting time. So, when I started checking if everything was ready for the meeting, I was not expecting company for a little while yet.
"Early birds always catch the worm, right?"
I turned away from the screen and faced the man himself, Julian Rollett. He was smiling as he put a bottle
of water on the table and a convertible car seat on the floor. I couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight of the adorable baby who was sucking her thumb as she slept. But seriously, who brought a baby to a meeting?
"Mr. Rollett," I said in greeting, internally groaning at the thought that I would now have to make conversation with the CEO.
While we rarely crossed paths with the big man, as my boss liked to refer to him as, it still felt weird talking to the man who owned the chain of businesses that our garage fell under. I felt like a child back in school all over again, meeting the principal.
"Julian, please. Mr. Rollett makes me feel stuck up," he chuckled, drawing out a chair and taking a seat. "It's been a minute since I've been here," he said, mostly to himself.
A well-dressed lady walked in, her red heels drawing my attention. Those thin heels beneath her feet were probably longer than my marriage had been and how she maintained such perfect poise was a mystery to me.
She gave me a small smile. "Hello."
"Hi," I said lamely.
Could I even still talk to women properly? I was so out of practice that it wasn't even funny anymore. She didn't seem to notice or care about my awkwardness, though, because she placed the two laptops that she was holding, a black folder as well as a small, black box onto the table next to Julian.
"Should I take her?" she asked, gesturing to the child.
"Give her a few minutes," he replied, then checked his watch. "We still have a bit of time before we start."
The woman nodded and walked out, and I felt weird for just standing there and doing nothing, so I sat down. Julian checked on the sleeping baby then turned to me with a slight smile.
"The moment Natalie tries to take her, she will wake up and start throwing a tantrum. I swear, it's like she senses that I'm not there or something," he said.
"So, what do you do, carry her everywhere you go?"
Julian laughed and shook her head. "Heavens no, this is just a recent development. My wife is out of town for a couple of days for a med school seminar, so I think the little one is just making sure she keeps her eye on me lest I vanish too."
"Ahhh, smart," I said with a chuckle.
"That she is, and her fingers might be tiny, but she has me nicely wrapped around them. Too bad she knows it too."
I smiled fondly at the thought, thinking of how I would love to experience that too one day. Julian looked so happy just talking about his daughter, and I could tell that he enjoyed fatherhood immensely.
"You got any kids of your own?" he asked, drawing me out of my thoughts.
I shook my head, and he smiled.
"I had considered having one for a little while, but to be honest, I might not have my daughter right now if I had waited. And now I can't imagine my life without her," he said then checked on the sleeping child again.
"What do you mean?" I asked, a bit confused by what he'd said. I didn't even know if it was appropriate for me to ask, but he had started this line of conversation, so I assumed it was alright.
"Well, I was considering how to be a single dad when a friend of mine suggested this surrogacy agency. Turned out to be the most important decision I ever made because I met my mate there too," he said.
His use of the word 'mate' brought a pang of phantom pain to my chest, reminding me of what I had lost and would never have. But what he was saying intrigued me; it suggested that I could have a child without a mate, even though I had never really considered that option before. How did that even work?
"This surrogacy agency caters for …" I lowered my voice even though we were the only two people in the room as I thought of the right words to use, "… people like us?"
I had known that Julian was a shifter from the moment I had met him. Bear shifters had the strongest sense of smell of all shifters, and his scent was like a heavy cloak all around him. I could tell that the little girl was a shifter, too.
Julian smiled and nodded, "Yes, they do. And the whole process is straightforward and so professional. The joys of the modern world and all that."
Hmm. I didn't really see it yet or think it was something that would work for me, but it was an interesting option to do some research on. And it seemed to have worked well for Julian.
"Maybe I'll look into it," I found myself saying.
"You should check it out, I highly recommend them," he said as he reached into his pocket and took out his wallet.
He extended his hand with a business card in it, and I stood to get it. The card had the contact details of an Elton Kent from First Class Surrogacy on it, and I put it into my shirt pocket. I didn't know if I would use it, but I would keep it in case I felt like it could work.
"Thank you," I said.
"Don't mention it," Julian replied as he checked his watch then proceeded to turn on his laptop.
It was almost time for the meeting, and my boss walked in with two guys that we worked with and another lady I had never seen before. As we exchanged greetings and prepared for the meeting to start, my mind was already in work mode, and I pushed all thoughts of surrogacy away. But when I watched Natalie finally take the sleeping child away before we began, I knew that I would be looking at the business card again.
Chapter 2 - Dakota
I groaned as I entered the bathroom. There was no way a normal human being could be this messy unless they were purposefully going out of their way to be. There were wrappers everywhere, spilled lotion, dirty towels, and balls of tissue paper I didn't even want to begin to think about touching, even with gloved hands.
It was the perfect representation of what my life was: a mess. But to be fair to myself, I was working hard to make it right. Just like how I would leave this bathroom: squeaky clean. My job might be the worst thing in the world, but I still did it well. I wondered if my parents would be proud of my exceptional talent at cleaning up messes, both literally and figuratively. I doubted it, but they weren't here to argue otherwise.
I took out a brush from my cleaning cart and started with the tub. It had several dirt rings around it, and the drainage seemed to be blocked by a blonde hairball. Again, a normal human being had no business shedding that much hair during a simple bath, but what did I know about normal anyway? I had been raised by a bunch of Wolves. And they did not clean up after themselves any more than the people who had been in this bathroom had.
I cleaned the bathroom to the best of my abilities as I tried hard not to think of my family. The term family being used loosely, of course, since my uncle had done everything in his power to make me feel like an outcast. My parents had died when I had been a mere infant, but that wasn't even the worst thing they did. No, they had left me behind. You would think that on top of dying at the same time, they might as well have taken me with them, but no such luck. I supposed they had to leave me behind; otherwise, who else would have taken care of my dear uncle and the entire drunken lot I called family?
"Are you almost done in here?" Anna called out from the main door, startling me out of my thoughts.
I smiled as I finished drying the sink.
"Yes, just a minute," I replied before packing up and wheeling my cart out.
"Do you want to help me shop for a dress for my niece? It's her sixteenth birthday next week, and I have been saving up."
"I have to go to the library today, but we could go tomorrow after work?" I responded as I checked if everything was in place.
She nodded and smiled, reminding me of everything I had never had. Anna had adopted her niece after her sister died, and she did everything that I wished my own family would have done for me growing up. She was like a second mother to the girl. And I knew that even though this job didn't pay much, every single penny that Anna made went to her niece's welfare. That kind of love was alien to me because I had never seen it in all my existence. It was the stuff of myths, a fairy tale that I only saw on television. So, to see it in person was awe-inspiring, and I held a special spot in my heart for Anna because of it.
�
�Have you found anything of interest yet? You have been going to the library a lot lately,” Anna said as we put our cleaning supplies back.
“Not yet,” I shrugged, “but I now know what I don’t like, so I suppose the list for what I like will be shorter.”
I was still making a list of my interests and things I might like to pursue as a career. And I was also looking for another job. Of all the cruel things that my uncle had done, the worst was that he had forced me to stay at home to take care of everyone. I never had a chance to pursue education or make something of myself, which is why I was working this dead-end job. There were just not that many options for people like me, and I also didn’t have any work experience to balance that out. No wait, that wasn’t completely accurate. I did have some work experience, which I was using now.
“I have all the faith in the world in you, my dear,” Anna said, patting my arm affectionately.
“Thanks, Anna.”
We made our way to the parking lot, and I dropped Anna off at her bus stop while I continued to the library. The local library was a sanctuary of sorts to me, and I enjoyed spending my free time here every chance I got. I loved the quiet atmosphere and how everyone minded their own business. I checked in at the librarian’s desk to get a password, then made my way to the computer section. I made enough at my job to just barely cover my rent, food, and fuel for my car. It would be a little while before I could buy my own laptop, so for now, coming to the library would do. Living in the city was expensive, and I had to manage my meager finances very carefully.
I logged in and opened the classified, a few ads immediately popping up. Most of them were for apartments and jobs, but I didn’t think I could get a cheaper apartment than the one I had managed to get the first time. And with how tiny and shabby my apartment was, if I got anything cheaper, it wouldn’t have a roof. A few job ads looked promising, though, and I opened them to see if they weren’t asking for too many qualifications or work experience. Not that that ever deterred me from applying; I always did just in case I got lucky. So far, I hadn’t.