Thorian Reed packed another box full of his grandfather's old things. While cleaning out the old house after his grandfather passed away, he'd been through so many stacks of photographs and keepsakes that it was making him dizzy with memories. All the holidays and birthdays and celebrations that his grandfather had kept a record of made him sentimental.

Grandfather Reed had lived a long and happy life. Thorian had never expected his grandfather to leave him the old house. But here he was, back in Fate Valley and taking his place as the proud new owner of the historic Reed estate. It was a two-story colonial that sat on five acres near the lake. He had such fond memories of fishing out on the now crumbling dock with his grandfather.

Thorian’s one regret was that he’d missed having one last Christmas with his granddad. He had been on his way home for the holidays when he'd gotten the news that his grandfather had passed away.

Thorian opened the drawer in his grandfather's bedside table and found a letter addressed to him.

"Dear Thorian, I am so glad that you are coming home for the holidays, but sometimes fate plays tricks on us. If we miss our chance to celebrate this last time together, I want you to know how proud I am of you. You are my only grandchild, and there is no one I would rather have take over the old estate than you. If I don't make it until you get home, I want you to know that I’m happy. My deepest wish is that you settle in Fate Valley and carry on the family tradition of family, community, and service.”

When he was finished reading the letter, he felt a lot better knowing his granddad had been happy when he left. Thorian could just imagine the man celebrating the holidays up in Heaven with Thorian’s grandmother, and all his old friends.

He and his grandad’s friends at the Shifter Community Association had been celebrating the old bear’s passing with a rousing, old-fashioned wake since Thorian had returned several weeks ago. A sad occasion had been turned into a celebration, and Thorian would never forget the warmth of his grandfather’s friends. Now Thorian was left to clean up the house and think of his own future.

His cellphone buzzed in his pocket, and he picked it up and read the message.

The message was from his new boss. We have a job for you today at the Talbot estate.

Life in Fate Valley was getting on for Thorian, just as his grandfather had wanted. The Shifter Association had helped him find the position at Fate Valley Contractors as an electrician. He was just on call for now, but they said he’d go full time in the warmer months. He was glad to have something to do to break up the monotony of cleaning up the old house.

Since leaving the military, Thorian had been traveling around, doing odd jobs as an electrician and finding work as a pyrotechnician anywhere he could. Thorian loved celebrations, even wakes, but there was one thing he loved even more, and that was fireworks. New Year's Eve was in just a couple of days, and he couldn't wait to run the fireworks display at the Fate Valley Resort. He was awfully grateful the Shifter Association had hooked him up with the gig.

Thorian scrolled through his phone and looked for the address for the Talbot estate, walked out to his truck, and climbed inside. He drove down the bumpy gravel driveway of his grandfather's house and onto the highway in the direction of the Talbot's.

When he arrived, he found a luxurious modern mansion that had been built on the lake in one of the newest, poshest neighborhoods in town. The driveway was full of cars, so he assumed they were having a post-Christmas celebration. Thorian was a guy who liked parties. He liked the feeling of people getting together and having a good time. It was one of his favorite things in the world. Back in the military, they used to call him Celebration Bear. In many ways, that's how he thought of himself.

He grabbed his bag of tools and slid out of the truck, walked up the driveway, and knocked on the door. He was greeted by a curvaceous older woman, with puffy pink lips and fake hair. Her curves were surgically enhanced, and her skin was the color of an orange peel. Her eyes brightened, but her smile didn't change her expression as much as it should have.

"Are you the electrician?" she asked with a purr.

"I am, ma'am," he said. "What exactly is the problem?"

"Come in, come in," she said, touching his shoulder as he walked through the front door. He looked into the living room. Guests were sitting around the Christmas tree opening presents.

"Don't mind us," she said, touching him again. “We're just having a little holiday get together with my friends.”

There was another overly tanned woman who looked like Mrs. Talbot’s surgically enhanced twin, wearing one pearl earring. She was sitting really close to a man in a sweater who inched away from her as soon as Thorian looked into the room.

"How can I help you?" Thorian asked.

"The power in the kitchen has gone out. We need it fixed fast or everything in the freezer will thaw out and go bad," Mrs. Talbot said.

“Sounds like a fuse. Where is the fusebox?”

“It’s in the basement, but the lights are out down there too.”

He followed her into the kitchen and down the stairs into the basement. He clicked his flashlight on as he descended into the darkness. She gestured to the fusebox, and he opened it, shining his flashlight on the fuses. He tried to assess the situation, but the woman stood uncomfortably close, nearly brushing her enhanced breasts against his arm. He looked at her skeptically and noticed the diamond ring on her hand. She was clearly married, and obviously not his fated mate.

“Do you see anything?" she said, leaning even closer.

"Not yet, ma'am," he said. "Give me a minute and I’ll do some troubleshooting for you. You don't have to wait down here. You can join your guests back upstairs."

"Oh," she said, leaning in closer to him. She brushed his hair along his collar and breathed onto the back of his neck. "If you need anything. I’ll be right here."

He inched away, not wanting to be rude, but he definitely would not be getting involved with a married human woman.

"Thank you, ma'am, but I think I've got it covered. I'll let you know what I find."

“Very well then," she snapped disappointedly. She sashayed away and back up the stairs to rejoin her guests.

Thorian let out a long breath and rolled his eyes, clenching his teeth. “Now that was awkward,” he said to himself. He'd had that type of thing happen on jobs before. Human women were often attracted to him because of his shifter physique. Even though he wasn't quite ready to settle down and find his mate, he would never, in a million years, get involved with a married woman. It went against everything shifters stood for.

He tested the fuses with his tools and found that the one for the kitchen needed to be replaced. He happened to have the right fuse back in the truck, so he walked upstairs and through the foyer, glancing into the living room at the group inside as he passed.

Mrs. Talbot walked away from the man whom she had just been linking arms with and walked over to Thorian, thankfully not touching him this time. He assumed that the man was Mr. Talbot. The other woman in the room seemed both jealous and disappointed. He could smell all kinds of weird emotions rolling off the three of them.

"Your fuse is dead, but I have the right kind back in the truck. I'll be right back."

“All right then," she said.

Thorian hurried outside and opened his truck looking for the fuse. Finding it, he closed the back door of his crew cab and noticed a well built man throwing hay out for the horses in the stables. Catching Thorian’s eye, the man approached him.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Thorian Reed. An electrician with Fate Valley Contractors.”

"Did she call you out here?" he asked.

"I was called out here by my boss," he said.

"You look like her type," he said bitterly.

"Whose type?" Thorian asked.

"Vicki, Vicki Talbot.”

"Isn't she married?" he asked, confused.

"That’s never stopped her. Certainly, didn't stop her with me. But I wouldn't put it past her to replace me right after Christmas," he said.

"Replace you?" Thorian asked, growing nervous.

"I should've known she was getting bored."

"I don't have anything to do with Mrs. Talbot. I'm just here to fix a fuse," he said, holding the fuse up for the man to see.

"If you touch her…" he started, gritting his teeth. “I already have to share her with her husband."

"You don't have to worry about me, buddy," Thorian said. "She's not my type. I'm a shifter. I only want my fated mate. Mrs. Talbot is definitely not it."

"Is that an insult?" the man said through clenched teeth.

"Not at all. I'm just saying she's not my fated mate. I have no interest in anyone that is not my fated one. Pretty simple.”

He walked away from the angry man and hurried back into the house. Inside the living room, both women were leaning in on Mr. Talbot as he opened a present. There was a teenage boy wearing a lacrosse jersey sitting in the corner with headphones on his ears, playing a videogame on the TV, obviously trying to ignore the adults in the room. Thorian shook his head as he hurried away, trying to avoid being attacked by Mrs. Talbot again. It was becoming clear what was going on here. As clear as possible anyway, and he had no desire to become involved in their tangled love triangles.

He thought about finding his fated mate as he descended the stairs into the dark basement. Thorian was twenty-nine, but he’d be thirty in a few months. Ever since returning from his military service, he'd been on a quest to find himself. He hadn't been ready to settle down and find a mate. But after today, he might change his mind about that.

He went to the fuse box and quickly replaced the fuse. He tested it and then turned it back on. When he returned upstairs, Mrs. Talbot was waiting for him in the kitchen.

"You fixed it!" she said, clutching the pearls at her neck that hung down into her cleavage. She approached him, standing too close, as she leaned on the island in the middle of the well-appointed kitchen.

"How can I ever repay you?" she asked, giving him a clear view of her cleavage.

"Don't worry about it, ma'am. My job pays me."

"How about I give you a tip?" she asked.

"That won’t be necessary," he said as she pawed his chest.

"Vicki?" a male voice said from the kitchen door. Thorian stepped away and turned toward the voice, panic rising in his chest.

"What are you doing?" the man asked.

"I was tipping the electrician for fixing the fuse."

"It won’t be necessary, sir. My job pays me everything I need."

"I suggest you get going then," Mr. Talbot said.

“Very good, sir. I was just on my way out.”

He didn't stop to think about it as he escaped the house and hurried to his truck. The stablehand was still standing outside the stables with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

"You better stay away from, Vicki," he growled at Thorian. Thorian opened the door of his truck and shoved his tools inside, desperate to get away from the madhouse.

"Humans," he said to himself as he pulled out of the driveway.

When he made it home to his grandfather's house, he was so confused by the day's events that he couldn't find the energy to pack any more boxes. He lay on the bed in the guest room and tapped over to Mate.com.

Maybe it was time for him to find his fated mate after all.