Dina and Lauren sat on their close friend Melissa’s balcony, enjoying the last of the summer sun. Half of the trees in the nearby park were already turning to the orange and red of early fall. Dina usually didn’t enjoy the cold of winter, but this year she couldn’t wait to be snuggled up with her big, sexy bear mate, watching her belly grow bigger every day.

She and Lauren snuck glances at Melissa as she walked around her apartment, putting together some drinks and nibbles. They could hardly contain their excitement at the secret they were about to reveal to her. They had recently met their mates through Shiftr, a secret dating app that connected human women with shifter men. Lauren had got together with Connor, her sexy bear-shifter, and, according to the rules, she was allowed to tell one other person about the app’s existence. She’d picked Dina because she was her number-one best friend. And now Dina had got together with Logan, her own bear-shifter mate, it was her turn to pass on the good news to someone else. The choice had been between their two closest friends, Melissa and Kristin, and since they couldn’t decide which one, they’d wound up flipping a coin.

Dina was tanned and glowing from her honeymoon in Mexico, while Lauren was blooming with vitality, and her belly was huge.

“Are you sure you’re not having twins?” Dina said as she held her hand on Lauren’s belly, feeling a series of firm little kicks.

“Yeah, I had a scan,” Lauren replied, with a smile. “And I was so nervous the whole time. Imagine if they’d seen a little bear in there!” Dina laughed and rubbed her own belly, with deep affection for the life growing inside her. She was just starting to feel kicks, or so she thought.

“I can’t wait to find out if they’ll be shifters too,” she said.

“Apparently it might take years before we know. Connor says that pure-bred bear shifters usually have their first shift around age 12, but no-one really knows with half-humans,” Lauren said.

“I don’t care either way. As long as they’re strong and healthy, I couldn’t be happier,” Dina said.

Melissa came out onto the balcony with a tray of food. Then she went back in and returned a moment later with two tall glasses of something dark red and garnished with mint leaves, and a glass of rosé.

“Two pomegranate mojito mocktails!” she said proudly. Dina and Lauren eagerly sipped from the straws.

“Wow! I totally can’t tell that it’s not alcoholic!” Lauren exclaimed.

“It’s the mint,” Melissa said. “It convinces your brain that there must be rum in there too.” She stared at her glass of wine and sighed.

“I feel bad for drinking in front of you guys though.”

“No, don’t be silly,” Dina said. “You’ve had a tough day. You deserve it.”

Melissa visibly relaxed as she sipped her wine, the tension leaving her pretty features.

“I do love working for a charity,” she said. “But I just hate the way the bureaucracy gets in the way of, you know, helping out people in trouble. Anyway, I don’t want to talk about work. Let’s see your honeymoon photos!”

Dina pulled an album out of her purse, and opened it on the table. The three women pored over the photos excitedly. There was one picture after another of Logan and Dina looking deliriously happy on a Mexican beach.

“Your husband is so handsome,” Melissa said, with her usual sweetness. Logan did look amazing in his board shorts. His powerful shoulders and pecs and abs glistened in the sun. Dina looked adorable next to him, in a stunning red polka dot one-piece. It had wide, white shoulder straps, and a cute white belt at the waist. Her long black hair was loose, and her hazel-green eyes sparkled in the sunlight.

“It was such an amazing vacation,” Dina said dreamily. “I wish we were back there. All of us together!”

“When are you getting married, Lauren?” Melissa asked.

“As soon as this one’s out of me and I go back to normal size,” Lauren said with a cackle. “I’ve dreamed of my wedding and the dress I’ll wear for so long that I don’t want to go through it with a baby bump!”

Lauren had already had her shifter mating ceremony, and the public wedding was just for show, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t super excited for it.

Melissa’s fingers drummed on the table, and she suddenly reached out and took a large gulp of her wine.

“So, I have something exciting to tell you girls,” she said, her blue eyes brighter than ever.

“What is it?” they replied in unison.

“I’ve started dating someone!” she said. Lauren and Dina stared at her for a moment. This was great news, but it hadn’t been part of the plan at all.

“Who?” Lauren asked, recovering first.

“Someone from the wedding!” Melissa said, deliberately making them wait.

“Who?” Dina prompted, as she and Lauren held their breath.

“Timo!” she said, and Dina and Lauren exchanged a quick glance.

“That’s great!” Lauren said. “He’s a great guy.”

“Yeah, I really like him,” Dina added. He was a member of Logan and Connor’s bear clan, so they both knew him well.

“How’s it going?” Lauren asked.

“Well, I think,” Melissa replied. “We’ve only been on three dates, and he seems to like me, but he hasn’t kissed me yet.”

“He’s pretty shy, so that doesn’t surprise me,” Dina said, aware that Timo was one of the more retiring members of the clan.

“To be honest, it’s just great to be going on dates with a guy,” Melissa said. “I can count on one hand the number of dates I’ve had since Dan and I divorced, and that was almost three years ago.”

“Where’s he been taking you?”

“Steak restaurants mostly,” Melissa said with a laugh. “Which I love, of course. But it isn’t doing my figure any favors!”

“Not true,” Lauren said. “You look fabulous. You’re so petite and curvy.”

Melissa did look great today – bright and radiant. Her dark blonde hair hung in pretty curls over her shoulders and there was a rosy pinkness to her pale skin. She’d evidently gotten a confidence boost from dating Timo.

“Do you think you guys are suited, long term?” Dina asked. Melissa stared up at the sky, resting a finger on her bottom lip – an adorable trait of hers that always accompanied deep thought.

“I’m not sure,” she said, at last. “I’ve got nothing against shy guys. I think they’re really sweet and genuine. I’m just not sure it’s what I need for myself.”

“That’s ok, honey,” Lauren said, patting her hand. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of either. You’ve got to find the guy who’s right for you.”

“I do want to keep dating Timo though. He’s nice and funny. I feel like I want to take more time to get to know him better.”

“Sounds like a sensible plan,” Dina said. “Some guys are more of a slow burn.”

Whenever Melissa wasn’t looking in their direction, Lauren and Dina shot secret glances at each other. They badly needed to confer. Lauren picked up her drink and sucked up the last third of it, and Dina copied her.

“Ooh, you guys finished quick. Do you want a refill?” Melissa asked.

“Yes please! I can’t get enough of it,” Lauren said. They handed their glasses to Melissa and she took them through to the kitchen.

“Timo’s been keeping that one quiet!” Lauren said, in a low voice.

“That’s just the way he is though,” Dina said. “Do you think they’re a good match?”

“I don’t know. To be honest, I can’t really see them together.” But fate works in mysterious ways.”

“Speaking of fate, it seems like the coin landed on the wrong side. But maybe we should tell her about the app anyway, so she can keep her options open?” Dina said. Lauren shook her head.

“Melissa’s not that kind of girl,” she said. “I know her. She’ll continue to date Timo until they’ve either got married, or she’s absolutely sure that they’re not compatible. She always follows things through to the bitter end.”

“Then I guess we’d better go share the good news with Kristin instead,” Dina said. Lauren nodded, looking tense. It would be a little more nerve-wracking telling Kristin about the dating app. Partly because they thought that she’d be harder to convince than Melissa, but mainly because she was a journalist for the Hope Valley Echo, the town’s daily paper, and they were worried that it would be difficult to persuade her to keep it a secret.

Melissa came back with two more pomegranate mocktails.

“Enough of my news,” she said, depositing the drinks on the table. “What was it that you were so excited to tell me about?”

“Oh, ironically enough, we were just going to say that we thought Timo might be dating someone, since he’s been a little mysterious lately,” Dina said, thinking fast. Melissa gave a tinkle of laughter.

“That’s so neat!” she said, her cheeks warming with shy pleasure.

The three women spent the rest of the evening chatting about the honeymoon and the pregnancies and the plans for Lauren’s wedding, until Connor came by to pick Lauren up. Dina left as well. As she taught elementary school, she never stayed out late on school nights. They said goodbye to Melissa wistfully, hoping that Timo would be the one to make her happy.

Three days later, Dina and Lauren were sitting in a café downtown, waiting for Kristin. She’d told them she only had an hour before she had to go report on the Hope Valley town hall meeting. She was the busiest person they knew, always rushing from one place to another, on the scent of the latest story. As with Melissa, they’d had her pre-approved by Tamika, the owner of the dating app. Tamika had been nervous when they’d mentioned that Kristin was a journalist, but they assured her that Kristin would never do anything to betray her friends’ trust.

They spotted Kristin’s statuesque figure when she was still on the other side of the square. As usual, she was wearing heels, which elevated her to around 5’11’’, and her long red hair was flying around her shoulders. She hurtled up to their table, apologizing for being late, and they started to get to their feet to hug her.

“No, don’t get up!” she exclaimed, bending down to kiss them instead. “You ladies have got to take care of yourselves in your condition!” She sat down in the vacant chair, and, as if by magic, a waiter appeared to take her order. Kristin had that effect on people. She had a feisty nature, and most people seemed to sense it and fall under her spell, eager to do her bidding. “You two look amazing!” she said. “Look at you – pregnant ladies in bloom!”

“Thanks,” Dina said, a little embarrassed, knowing how worried Kristin was that she wouldn’t be able to have kids due to her PCOS.

“Great hair, girl!” Kristin said, stroking Lauren’s new elfin crop.

“Thanks,” Lauren said, eyelashes fluttering over her huge brown eyes.

“And, Dina, I can’t wait to see your honeymoon photos when we have more time! But right now, I think you have something important that you want to tell me?” She looked from one to the other, her eyes narrowing with professional appraisal. Lauren sucked her lips in.

“Yes we do. But there’s just one problem.”

“Which is?” Kristin said, immediately looking interested.

“Well, the thing we have to tell you is actually strictly confidential. I discovered it first, and I was allowed to tell one person only, so I told Dina. And now we’re telling you.”

“I’m dying to tell you, Kristin,” Dina butted in. “But it’s quite a big deal, and I’m just a little worried that it’ll find its way into the papers.” By now, Kristin wasn’t just interested, she looked positively fascinated.

“Ok, I promise,” she said. “I will not tell another living soul about this. Except for the one person that I’m allowed to tell. Whoever that might be.” She raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by the situation.

“Kristin, this is serious,” Dina said. This cannot end up in the papers. If it does, the lives of many people will be ruined.” Kristin’s elegant features slackened in disappointment.

“Ok, if my word isn’t good enough for you, I’ll just have to make you an NDA.” She fished in her bag for a pen and took a fresh napkin from the dispenser.

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