The Last Shifter’s Baby

You can read The Last Shifter’s Baby free below.

Blurb:

A shifter, pregnancy, paranormal romance novel. Zoologist Rebecca knows how to work hard and isn’t afraid of going headfirst into a challenge. Romance, on the other hand, is a whole different ballgame, especially after her rough breakup with her now ex-boyfriend.

Just when she’s about to give up on love, she crosses paths with fellow zoologist, Luke, and totally hits it off! However, Luke has a mysterious secret that has something to do with all the strange animals that have been appearing… And now that their relationship is getting more serious, Rebecca must deal with the truth behind the man.

Can their love survive, especially now that she’s pregnant with his baby? Or will Luke’s paranormal secret drive her away from the man she thought she loved? Get answers in this tiger shifter romance book by Lionel Law.

Chapter 1

Rebecca ran a hand through her long, freshly washed hair, watching the dark tendrils slide and curl past her shoulders. The tips of it just barely grazing the skin beneath her bre*st. She stood in front of the bathroom cabinet, gazing at her reflection in the mirror as she prepared to leave her apartment in the city to travel to a wildlife sanctuary in upstate New York. She was going to be working there over the next several months. She studied her appearance critically, fingers brushing through her hair before she sighed and pulled her long, dark locks up into a ponytail. She scowled into the mirror as she noticed loose, frizzy strands already falling free of the clip. Oh well, she thought, I didn’t study eight years to get my masters in zoology to be glamorous. With that thought in mind she pulled a gray tank top over her head, reaching for the white blouse her older sister Nancy sent for her 28th birthday. But I might as well make some effort on the first day, she thought, and shimmied into a pair of her nicest dark wash jeans.

After giving herself another critical look in the mirror, she packed up her toiletries in the lavender duffel she was taking with her to the sanctuary. A normally conservative packer, Rebecca was planning on just bringing the basics with her to the accommodation they had provided at the sanctuary. She wasn’t sure how long it would take her to complete the study of the habits of the rescued animals there but she didn’t want to take too much from her apartment in the city. That would just defeat the purpose of running away. She stopped, abruptly shaking her head. It’s not running away, she reminded herself, it’s just…taking a break. Her sister had been the one to insist she take the job, claiming a change of scenery would be good for her.

“It’s been over a year, Becks, you need to get over him,” Nancy had told her over the phone last week.

“Don’t call me that,” Rebecca snapped. “No one’s called me that since I was six.”

“Yeah, or did Ryan call you that?” At Rebecca’s silence she pressed on. “Look, I know it was a bad break up, but you’ve had time. You’ve had nothing but time. I say you take the job-think of it like a vacation – and when you get back, we’ll see what we can do about getting you a man.”

“I don’t need a man to be happy, Nancy.” She insisted.

Nancy laughed. “Sure, and I’ll pretend I didn’t see a brochure for the Happy Dreams Adoption Agency in your trash.”

Rebecca felt herself flush with embarrassment as she remembered that phone call with her sister. It was bad enough having Nancy privy to her yearlong mope over Ryan, but to have her mock the ache she felt for a baby had hurt. She blamed Ryan really, he had been perfect. Tall, blond hair, and the bluest eyes she had ever seen on a man. He had been understanding about her job and the long hours it forced her to keep, well, at least she thought he had been understanding. Tucked into his arms late at night, he had spoken to her about marriage and how many kids he hoped they’d have. He painted the perfect fantasy before ripping it from her when his old college girlfriend stepped back into his life. Rebecca tightened her fingers around her duffel bag, hating that even after a year, thinking about Ryan still left her feeling gutted. She berated herself for letting the thought of him get her worked up. She had promised herself not to do that anymore, her future with Ryan was dead.

Rebecca forced herself to start packing again, taking her favorite casual and working clothes. When she got to the bottom of her dresser, her fingers closed around the familiar, rough material of Ryan’s flannel. Even after a year she was still finding pieces of him and their life together. Her fingers clenched, mauling the fabric in a sudden fit of anger as she wadded it up, tossing it into the waste basket beside her dresser. This was why she took the job upstate; she needed time to get away and clear her head. She was tired of living with Ryan’s ghost.

When she finished packing her clothes, Rebecca booted up her laptop to double check the address they had sent her. She winced when she noticed the 37 unread messages cluttering up her inbox. She scrolled through them quickly, trying to delete some of the worst ones. Free Sperm Donors! Looking for Donors? Find one today! Preserve your sperm now! She groaned; she should have known requesting information from that sperm bank would be a bad idea. This was the third day her inbox was spammed, there goes checking my email at work, she thought. After checking the address, Rebecca powered down her laptop and slid it back into her duffle. She took one last look around her apartment. She couldn’t help but remember Ryan in the coffee table they had picked out together, one of his cheesy crime novels tucked into the bookshelf next to her Jane Goodall collection, and even without opening it, Rebecca knew that inside the cupboard next to the stove, shoved all the way to the back, was a black coffee mug that he used for tea most mornings. No wonder she couldn’t get over him, how could she when everything in her home seemed to be infected by him? I desperately need to redecorate when I get back, she thought.

*****

Pulling her Jeep Cherokee to a stop in front of the sanctuary’s main office, Rebecca groaned as she finally got to stretch her legs. The drive may have only been a few hours, but for someone who spends most of their time outside, it was torturous. Looking around, she felt excitement begin to build. The wildlife sanctuary had access to great land, the natural forest and sloping hills would make a great habitat for local animals. She smiled, feeling the wind on her hair and the sun on her cheeks before trying to tighten her ponytail and head inside. The scent of vanilla hit her as she stepped into the warm office, smiling at the plump, frazzled looking women who had a phone in one hand and was nervously twisting her hair with the other. She looked immensely relieved when she saw Rebecca step through the door.

“I’m sorry, Stacy, I’ll have to call you back. Yes, the visiting zoologist just walked in, I’m sorry. Bye now.” She set the phone down, releasing a long breath of air before smiling pleasantly. “You are Rebecca, aren’t you? Sorry to assume, we just weren’t expecting anyone else out here today.”