Free Motivation (Shifters Forever After# 3) by Elle Thorne

1
    T his was a bad fucking idea .
    The epic fail of bad ideas. Accepting Miriam Romanoff’s invitation to join the Romanoffs for Christmas dinner would go down in Fiona Forester’s history as the most epically stupid thing she’d done.
    Who accepts to have dinner at the home of her ex’s family?
    Falcon shifter Fiona fiddled with the silverware Miriam had set out.
    Me. Total idiot. Me. Totally.
    It wasn’t a big damned surprise that Jonah wasn’t here. One of his brothers must have told him I’d be here.
    Fiona looked at Ky—Malachi Romanoff. Ky had his hand on his mate’s stomach and was beaming a smile about her pregnancy. They’d just announced Laken would be having his baby.
    Was it Ky who told? Or Isaac? She turned her glance to the other Romanoff brother. Isaac was all google-eyed about his new mate, Cadence Araya, Laken’s sister.
    Neither Ky nor Isaac looked particularly guilty. Why would they? They wouldn’t feel bad about warning Jonah. Of course, they’d take their brother’s side on this matter. She couldn’t blame them for that.
    Fiona glanced at Mikhail Romanoff, the boys’ uncle. Maybe he spilled the beans. Mikhail had raised all three boys after they lost their parents. He probably wouldn’t talk to her at all.
    Ugh. Why did I accept Miriam’s invitation?
    Fiona glanced at Miriam, an arctic fox shifter, curvy, like all the rest of them, only with a few more curves, an easy smile, and a twinkle in her eyes. She caught Fiona watching her. The smile broadened and she gave a little nod, almost as if she were saying that Fiona shouldn’t worry, that Jonah’s absence had nothing to do with her.
    Yeah, right.
    A knock at the door made everyone quiet down. Heads turned. In Fiona’s stomach a knot took root. She shook it off. There was no reason to fret. That wasn’t Jonah. She didn’t sense his polar bear. Her falcon would surely have picked up his bear’s presence.
    Were they expecting someone else? They hadn’t said, but then again, it’s not like Fiona was part of the planning committee.
    Miriam excused herself and made for the door, with Mikhail close behind her, always ever mindful of his mate. Fiona had known the Romanoffs for years. She’d always admired the way Mikhail cared for his mate. She hoped she could have the same one day.
    You had that with Jonah, her falcon reminded her.
    And you know why that didn’t work, she reminded her falcon back.
    She studied her fork to keep from having to look at his brothers and their questioning glances. She knew she didn’t belong here.
    They’d had this discussion too many times in the years since she and Jonah had parted ways. Her falcon knew damned well there was nothing that could be done about the matter. It was for Jonah’s own good.
    She dropped the fork on the plate, it clattered loudly, but not loudly enough to drown out that voice.
    Jonah.
    His voice. God. He still did it for her. Just hearing one sentence had made her body react. A flood, a tightening, a pulse that throbbed at her core.
    Goddamn him. And I couldn’t even tell what the hell he just said.
    Yup, that was the effect that damned sexy ass polar bear shifter had on her.
    Still.
    Years later.
    Damn, already.
    You’d think she’d have gotten over him. Replaced him.
    The only thing she’d replaced him with was in her nightstand drawer and ran on batteries. And that was a damned sorry excuse for a replacement, but it beat the hell out of having to fake interest in another man. There was no way in hell another man could make her feel the things he had.
    Her falcon screeched in her mind, the shrieking made Fiona want to cover her ears, but she knew that wouldn’t do any good. The sound was in her mind.
    Stop. Please. Stop.
    The falcon kept up the high-pitched vocalizations.
    I can’t understand anything you’re saying. Stop!

----
    J onah Romanoff followed his aunt and uncle into the dining room.
    “I’m sorry I’m late. It’s a case. Kept me busy.”
    “On