Niall by Ariana Hawkes

Sometimes all it takes is a second chance.

Niall Crawford has given up on dating. He’s sick of Shiftr, with its glittering promises of 90% matches that turn out to be nothing but mistakes. That’s just fine, because he’s stuck in Devil’s Back Ridge, two hours outside of Hope Valley, being temporary Alpha to a ragtag bunch of half-civilized beasts. He suspects Connor sent him here because he’s bringing the clan down with his inability to find a mate. Fair enough. But the problem is worse than any of them realize. Niall’s bear is trapped inside him. And the beasts sense it, which is bad news. When Timberson, the coyote shifter, steals Niall’s phone and uses Shiftr to trick an unsuspecting woman to come to Devil’s Back Ridge, Niall’s world nearly implodes. She is none other than Marcia, Niall’s first love, who tore his heart in two, sixteen years earlier.

Marcia Hunt has left her old life behind. With her career and marriage in ruins, she has moved to Hope Valley and signed up to Shiftr. She’s lost her heart already, but maybe she can find the loyalty and protection she craves. When Niall rescues her from Timberson’s entrapment, old feelings come rushing back. He’s no longer the boy she once knew, though—he’s darker, tortured and full of secrets. He tells her she can’t stay, but he needs help—even if he’s too proud to admit it—and she’s not leaving him again.

It’s dangerous having Marcia in the territory—and not only because the beasts are not allowed to be around women. When Marcia’s suggestion that Niall fake-claims her results in a real kiss, tensions simmer even higher. The years have done nothing to quell the deep passion between them, but will it be enough to overcome the wounds of the past and help Niall to recover his bear in time to save them both?