Page 3 of No Harm No Howl

“Yep. I’m fine. And for the record, I am excited. I feel like I’ve been waiting forever to see this. Now, we just need to find Gerri.”

“I’m right here,” Gerri called out, quickly closing the distance between them. “Ack! I’m so hyped right now. I can’t believe we actually got tickets. Let’s go.” She quickly gave Gia and Kendall hugs, and they headed in to find their seats.

“You know, most women our age wouldn’t be seen dead here.” Gia laughed as she saw all the tweeny-boppers bouncing around like monkeys on crack.

“We’re not having this conversation again.” Kendall rolled her eyes. “I don’t care what others think or if we’re the oldest women here. I’m going to see Tay-Tay, and no one is going to stop me. I’ve been a Swiftie since … well, forever.”

As they made their way through the throngs of tweens and their moms, Gia felt a little bounce in her step. Maybe this was exactly what she needed tonight, after all. She could worry about everything else tomorrow.

TWO

RUSS

Russ Waters flicked the TV on and stretched out in his favorite recliner. Lucy, his Pomeranian, popped up onto his lap the second he was settled into his spot. Friday night, and where was he? At home. Alone … well, with his dog. Again. It was the story of his life. If he wasn’t working, he was at home. If he wasn’t home, he was at work.

He’d go to a club, but he had zero interest in women throwing themselves at him. He’d find one that knew who he was, or worse, saw the car he drove, and she’d try to dig her nails in deep over the next couple of weeks, hoping to snag herself a sugar daddy.

There wasn’t an ounce of desire left in his body that felt like playing that game again. All he seemed to do was make enemies out of greedy, self-centered women. He definitely didn’t need any more of those. The last several had been complete psychos. He’d had to file restraining orders against them with the human police.

Each woman had asked what was wrong with them and why he couldn’t see himself loving them. His answer was easy and honest. None of them were his fated mate. It was as simple as that.

He longed for his mate, as did the beast inside him. They grew more and more restless as the countless days droned on.

He switched on a movie he’d seen a million times for background noise and then scrolled through his social media accounts on his phone, catching up on everything he’d missed over the last few weeks.

That’s when he saw it. An ad that he’d never seen before.

Paranormal Dating Agency

Meet your Fated Mate.

What are you waiting for?

Contact Gerri Wilder and find the one who was created for you.

“What am I waiting for?” he asked himself, pressing the button to send a message. Not that he believed he would find his mate via a social media ad, but who knew? Stranger things happened every damn day.

Something in his stomach fluttered. A feeling he’d never felt before and one he couldn’t put his finger on. He had no idea what it was or why he felt like he did.

Firing off a quick message to the Paranormal Dating Agency, he thought about the possibility of having a mate and what his life could be like with that special person by his side. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, though, because it was more than likely just a scam. One meant to lure in lonely shifters with a false promise of the type of love they’d always longed for.

Lucy whined, pulling him from his thoughts. She was great a picking up on his moods.

“I know. I’m probably an idiot for even trying, but I have to at least try, right? Wouldn’t it be nice to have another lady around here?” he asked, scratching behind her ears.

“Arf,” Lucy replied.

His cell phone rang, interrupting his time with Lucy. Glancing at his watch, he realized it was later than he had thought. Later than most people called him. Later than what would be considered appropriate. It was a number he didn’t recognize. Normally, he’d let unknown callers go straight to voicemail, but he had a nagging in his gut telling him to answer the call.

“This is Russ,” he answered in a clipped tone, letting the caller know he wasn’t a fan of the late-night call.

“Mr. Waters. This is Gerri Wilder from the Paranormal Dating Agency. I saw your message and wanted to reach out to you personally.”

“That was quick,” he said. He’d only sent the message a few minutes ago.

“I like to work quickly, especially when I know that I can be of assistance to you when it comes to finding your mate.”

His heart raced. “Are you serious? You think you know who my mate is without even meeting me?” he asked, wondering what kind of game she was playing.

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