Commander Bear (Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance) (Bear Patrol Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

he sat down.
    “We are celebrating Heath’s acceptance onto the Bear Patrol,” Willow said.
    “Congratulations,” Poppy and Angus said at the same time.
    Zoe knew that Poppy and Willow were great friends, and part of her longed to be closer to these amazing women. But she could never open up to anybody with what she had hanging over her head.
    Poppy pushed her long braids over her shoulder and motioned for the waitress to bring two more pint glasses to the table. When Angus and Poppy both had a pint in their hands, Willow decided to embarrass her.
    “Angus, did you know that Zoe has been studying woodworking at the Institute for the last six months?” Willow asked.
    “Corey mentioned that,” Angus mused.
    “Willow…” Zoe said, wishing she would stop.
    “Zoe just told me that she would love to be your apprentice at the workshop,” Willow said.
    Zoe cringed inwardly but kept her face neutral and then forced herself to smile. Angus looked over at her with his friendly grin and rubbed his chin with his big hand.
    “I’ve been considering taking on an assistant,” Angus said.
    “You really don’t have to,” Zoe said.
    “Nonsense. It sounds like the perfect solution. Why don’t you stop by the shop tomorrow morning and we’ll get you started?”
    Zoe let out a deep breath, knowing that if she really wanted to start over, this was a perfect opportunity for her to get on her feet as a woodworker.
    “I’ll be there,” Zoe said.
    “How is the baby?” Willow asked Poppy.
    “He’s teething and generally testy, but that’s normal for six-month-olds. We couldn’t be happier,” Poppy said looking up at Angus adoringly.
    He kissed her forehead and they shared a tender moment between them right there at the table in the middle of the noisy bar. The sight of it made something crack inside Zoe’s heart and she suddenly felt terribly sad.
    “You two are so lucky,” Zoe said without thinking.
    “We owe it all to Mate.com,” Angus said, pulling Poppy closer to him. She smiled and giggled in agreement.
    “Why don’t you two to sign up for Mate.com?” Willow said to Zoe and Heath.
    “I’ve been thinking about signing up,” Heath said. “Now that I’m done with my training and have been accepted as a cadet onto the Bear Patrol, it might be the right time.”
    “What about you, Zoe?” Willow asked, raising an eyebrow with the slightest smirk on her lips.
    Willow was a romance author who wrote about the lives and loves of shifters. Everyone knew that Willow took her inspiration from the people on Fate Mountain. Suddenly, it dawned on Zoe exactly what Willow’s ulterior motives had been all along. She was trying to get Zoe and Heath hooked up with their own mates so that she could butt into their business and then write stories about them. She loved Willow to pieces, but that was the absolute last thing that Zoe was interested in being a part of.
    “It’s not the right time for me,” Zoe said.
    “Of course it is,” Willow said, grabbing Zoe’s phone off the table.
    Her sister-in-law navigated to the Mate.com website and downloaded the app onto Zoe’s phone right in front of her face. Zoe made a grab for the phone, but Willow just yanked it away again until she had brought up the screen that allowed new users to create a profile and answer the questionnaire.
    Mate.com was one of the many inventions her genius brother had created to make himself the piles and piles of money that he enjoyed. Zoe was not interested in being one of her brother’s clients. She couldn’t possibly find a mate when she still owed Dima so much money.
    “I can’t. Not right now.”
    “Well, just in case you change your mind, you have the app on your phone.”
    “Really, mating is the last thing I want to do.”
    “You never know, Zoe. Maybe your mate is already waiting for you somewhere on Fate Mountain,” Willow said with a smile.
    After they had each had a pint, Willow drove them back to the Institute. Zoe and Heath