Bailey Jones twisted and turned in her bed for the third night in a row. “It looks like it’s going to be another sleepless night,” she said to her puppy, Buddy, as she rolled over and scratched his ear. She couldn’t shake the conversation she’d had with her famous matchmaker friend, Gerri Wilder, a few days ago when she’d bumped into her at the coffee shop.

Their conversation replayed in her mind, “Every shifter needs to find their mate, dear. You aren’t really living your life until you do. You may think you are, and you may do a pretty good job of keeping yourself busy with the little things in life, but deep down, we both know your life won’t truly begin until you find the missing piece of your soul.”

Her talk with Gerri had haunted her day and night, because Gerri’s words had the ring of truth to them, and she’d somehow managed to echo the very things her bear yearned for.

Thoughts of wide open spaces and possible mates that Bailey had spent years ignoring.

Just when she thought she’d pushed back on her animal’s will, Gerri had forced her to re-examine every aspect of her life.

She didn’t like it.

Not one tiny bit.

Bailey refused to have the discussion with the animal whom she shared her life with. She would not have her life or any aspect of it decided on by her bear. As far as she was concerned, she was the human, therefore, she was the one in charge of important life decisions. Period. End of discussion.

But she still couldn’t help but wonder… was Gerri right? Had she only been going through the motions of life, trying to keep herself busy and distracted from the fact that she’d grown used to living her life alone?

Since the day she’d graduated from high school and left her Podunk town in the dust, Bailey had declared herself to be a city girl. She’d lived and breathed city life, loving everything the city had to offer from twenty-four hour diners to the hustle and bustle of the busy humans who surrounded her.

Yes, she’d pretty much given up hope of finding her one true mate, after all, where in the hell was she supposed to find her true mate anyway? It wasn’t like the city offered hundreds of acres to run free in her bear form, where she could briefly pause at every male bear she stumbled across to ask if they were the one who was her intended. Maybe there was a magazine for mail order bear shifters? Now that would be handy. As crazy as it sounded, in this day and age, it might be a real thing. She would have to look into it.

Instead of trying to talk things through quietly with her bear, she turned to Buddy. “This is silly, right? I’m a city girl. I’m finally living my dream of being surrounded by people. By life. Instead of cornfields and cows. I can’t imagine moving back to some ranch in bumble-fuck where there’s no hustle and bustle of the city surrounding me. Where you’ve got one restaurant and a single under-stocked grocery store. Granted, there are no bears here, which makes it lonely as hell. There’s a fuckton of wolf and fox shifters around here, but no bears.”

Bailey huffed, annoyed she couldn’t seem to let go of her conversation with Gerri. “And I don’t really feel like I’m simply going through the motions of life. I mean, we’re happy, right?”

Her dog cocked his head and looked at her as if he was following her every word and thinking up a snappy reply, but he only yawned and lay back down on the bed.

“Gee, thanks! I guess I have my answer. I’m sitting here at three in the morning, pouring my heart out to my dog, who would rather be sleeping,” Bailey sighed.

“Fine. I’ll figure it out on my own.”

Bailey wanted to kick herself for agreeing to the little road trip Gerri had asked her to take. She hated leaving the city. Even if it was just a quick weekend getaway. Instead of feeling all calm and serene, and all the other shit people were supposed to feel thanks to the fresh air and scenic countryside road trips always promised, she felt anxious and nauseous, wanting to turn the car around immediately and head back to the chaotic life she’d built for herself.

She wanted to refuse and stay home, but she felt like she owed Gerri her life. The older woman with the pixie haircut had been one of the first people she’d met when she’d moved to the city. Gerri took her under her wing, offering friendship with ease and grace she was known for. Bailey adored Gerri because Gerri never tried to hide behind a false pretense or a fake smile. Gerri said what was on her mind… always. And no matter how busy she was with her own life, she’d always made time for Bailey.

At first, Bailey thought it was hysterical that Gerri owned and ran a paranormal dating agency. Until she saw how freaking good Gerri was at what she did. Scary good. She could find anyone’s mate, anywhere they seemed to hide. Bailey had yet to see her fail.  

Bailey was thankful as fuck Gerri had never turned her matchmaking skills toward her and her non-existent love life.

Climbing out of bed, she gave up on the idea of sleep, deciding instead to start packing. Gerri would be picking her up in a few hours to head off to some wolf pack up north. Apparently, they were off to check up on a girl Gerri had set up a few months ago with the Alpha of some pack called Twisted Tail.

Bailey tried to relax and even out her breathing. There was no point in launching herself into a full-blown panic attack. Besides, what harm could come from her visiting a wolf pack? It’s not like she’d find her mate there or anything. Bears and wolves weren’t exactly known for their ability to live together in peace and harmony.