Page 1 of Just a Friend for the Lion
Prologue: Uncle Uzzi
From the Desk of Uncle Uzzi Stregovich
Magical Matchmaker Extraordinaire, Fated Mate Facilitator, Hope Dealer, and Proudly Confused Technophile
Hello, Lieblings!
It’s me again—your favorite old Witch with a crystal ball in one hand and a smartphone in the other.
I just returned from a delightful visit with my nephew Hank and his lovely mate Annabeth down in Blue Valley, and let me tell you, love is truly blooming like moonflowers after midnight.
Watching the two of them fuss over their growing family filled my heart with so much joy, I swear it nearly overflowed onto my boots.
But that’s not even the most exciting part.
While sipping my second espresso at a charming local café (yes, they had cinnamon sugar cubes—what a treat!), I happened upon an old friend.
You might remember him. Carter Leone—Lion Shifter, big as a truck, with a charming smile, a sharp jawline, and a long-standing allergy to anything resembling commitment.
He used to work for Hank’s Falcon Limousine Service, chauffeuring the rich, the magical, and the magically rich across half the East Coast.
But now?
Carter is relocating to Newark, New Jersey—my new favorite stomping grounds!
He’s decided to open his own limousine company, right in the city. Turns out he inherited a tidy little fortune from a distant relative and wants to turn it into something lasting.
Can you believe it? The cub who once refused to commit to a coffee order is now building a business from the ground up. I almost didn’t recognize him.
Naturally, the moment he mentioned Newark, my matchmaking senses tingled.
You know the feeling—the spark that tells you fate is winding up for something special.
A zing in the air.
A whisper in my third eye.
That unmistakable flutter of destiny stretching her wings.
Because—listen closely now—I also recently welcomed a brilliant young woman into my Date to Mate family.
Miss Marianne Jeanne Coppola. MJ to her friends and sisters. She’s the genius behind the recipes atPizza Girls, Newark’s most enchanting pizzeria (and now my personal obsession).
Her marinara? To die for.
Her sausage arrabbiata? Don’t get me started.
The spice! The richness! The absolute perfection!
But behind the culinary magic, I see something more.
MJ is thirty, single, and bursting with the kind of magic no spellbook can bottle.
She’s independent, hardworking, and hiding a hopeful heart beneath layers of flour, sarcasm, and extra cheese.
Sure, she’s a normal, but with her sisters both mated to Shifters, MJ already has a leg upon the supernatural world.Oh, she is special this one.
Now, tell me, what are the odds that CarterLeone—a confirmed bachelor with zero interest in matchmaking—suddenly ends up just blocks away from the one woman who could challenge every belief he’s clung to?
