by Jenny Tia
“This damn fool’s errand,” I muttered quietly so Mikel wouldn’t hear me disrespecting the command of the Supreme Alpha.
“Uh, just an experiment to try out… But maybe you will find a mate? If you put in the effort.”
“You can’t just decide to find a mate, you know? It’s not like heading down to the grocery store and checking everything off your list.”
Mikel stuck his head in between us. “You totally can.”
“Get back there, dog,” I growled, pushing his head back with my hand while he laughed and wrestled out of my grip.
“I’m absolutely seriously, Cas!” He grabbed my wrist and gave it a playful twist.
“It’s because Cas’s parents are fated mates,” Nic said.
“That hasn’t got a damn thing to do with it,” I insisted, trying to save face in front of Mikel, even though I knew it damn well did.
Nic was oblivious though. “No, growing up amongst a harmonious, peaceful, fairytale relationship didn’t set you up with unrealistic expectations for romance at all.”
“Mm-hm,” Mikel agreed with a none too straight face.
I growled and was about to snap when I was startled by Mikel slapping my shoulder and motioning to the forest.
“Hey, pull off! Right here!”
“What? No.”
“Seriously! I promise it’ll be worth it.”
I raised my eyebrows at him, and he sat back in defeat.
“Just pull over, you cranky old man,” Nic said as he punched my arm.
Reluctantly, I pulled onto the shoulder. The tires rumbled over the gravel, dirt and broken branches as we pulled in close to the forest. Nic and Mikel tumbled out of the truck, and I looked back to check on Sloan.
“Are we here?” he asked, rubbing his eyes.
“No, we’re… Well, I don’t know where we are.”
He sat up and blinked. “Oh Cas, is it just us in here? Well, finally alone…”
Sloan leaned forward into the front of the truck and made sultry eyes at me. I growled, threw open my door, and joined Nic and Mikel in the low, evening sun.
Mikel motioned to the trees with a nod. “C’mon, let’s check out these woods. We might never get another chance to see the environment here.”
Sloan rolled down the window and stuck his head out, shouting at us even though we were only a few feet away. “Are you abandoning me?”
“Come if you want.”
“Where?”
Nic shrugged. “I guess we’re going for a quick hike?”
“Ugh. No thanks. My outfit is too precious.” Sloan scrunched up his nose and rolled the window back up.
Nic gave me a shrug, and we started off into the woods, following Mikel’s lead. With spring starting, the winter’s snow had mostly melted, and mud season was in full effect. The trails squished under our heavy boots as we trudged through verdant trees sprouting with new growth.
“I’ve never been out this far from Everglow,” Nic commented, looking out at the trees as we hiked along.
“Me neither.” The shadows were long. I peered up at the sun and frowned. “We’re going to be late if we don’t get back on the road soon.”
“So let’s go faster,” Nic said with a grin, and he started to strip off. I was shocked that he was feeling so carefree with his uniform since he’d spent so much time in front of my mirror trying to make it look just right. But with his clothes stacked neatly in the branches of a tree, he shifted into his wolf form. His beta eyes glowed orange as he looked from me to the trail and back again.
“Hell yeah!” Mikel whooped and shifted too, his eyes alpha red.
I let out a frustrated growl, but relented, stripped, and moved into my wolf’s body. My bad mood disappeared as soon as my paws hit the wet earth and my snout filled with the nuanced scent of rotting leaf litter, stagnant water, and fresh spring leaves.
Nic took off at a trot with Mikel close behind, and I blasted off at a sprint to overtake them, following the walking trail deeper into the forest. My friends yapped excitedly as they picked up the pace and matched my speed, and I let out a short howl. The sound didn’t travel the same way it did in Everglow—the pine trees of our city seemed to carry our howls across long distances. Here, our howls and barks cut short and fell into silence in the heavy mud. It felt somehow cozy, and safe, even though we were so far from home.
We splashed through puddles and sent up sprays of mud behind us as we ran faster and faster into the woods. A thrill rushed through me as I picked up a scent of local wolves, and I swerved left off the hiking track to follow it down a low wolf trail, deeper into the forest where the evening light barely broke through the canopy. It was easy to imagine how ethereal it would look in the fall with the entire forest glowing gold. Even now, I had to admit that it was magical.
We stopped in a small clearing and sniffed at the trees, dug into the dirt, and scratched at the bark. I found a patch of mushrooms, including bright red toadstools and strange black fungi growing up from the leaf litter. I recognized a few of them that flourished in Everglow’s pine forests, but there were many more I’d never seen before. The scent on them seemed…intriguing. I pressed my wet nose against them and sniffed desperately, trying to capture it.
I became so enraptured with the almost intoxicating smell that I didn’t even notice the world around me had become dark until Nic nipped at my haunches and broke me out of my trance. The sun had set, and the woods were coming to life with night creatures. My ears pricked up at the sound of owls waking, and wild cats stretching.
Mikel motioned back toward the way we’d come, and I lowered my head in agreement. He led the way, and I took up the flank as main protector, a smart precaution to take at night in unknown territory. But as we trotted back along the track, I kept looking over my shoulder, back toward the mushrooms. What was that scent?
When we got to the event venue, it was far more impressive than I expected. The building itself was painted a creamy gold color and had a majestic domed roof. There was a courtyard out the front with rows of sculpted hedges and a fountain in the middle with a giant stone leaf centerpiece. The water was running down the top of the leaf and gracefully poured off the tip into the pool below. Around the edges of the courtyard were a few tall trees, elegant but bare except for a number of green buds that would birth fresh spring foliage soon. As we approached the arched entryway’s heavy wooden doors, which were flanked by two golden columns, one of the doors swung open.
“Welcome, Everglowers,” said a tall blond man with a beaming smile. He was wearing one golden earring in the shape of a leaf. “We’re so glad to have you.” He extended a hand to me when I was within reach.
“Thank you. Casius Burrows,” I said, crossing my arm over my chest and bowing formally before I extended my own hand to shake his.
“Casius, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’m Shane Truitt, I’m the pack Alpha here in Goldleaf,” he said, still beaming at us.
“Nice to meet you too. This is my second, Nicolas Black.”
Mikel and Sloan also introduced themselves, before Alpha Truitt ushered us inside to a ballroom. The domed ceiling curved gracefully upward and gleamed with gilt molding of various shapes, and a mural depicting the golden foliage that Goldleaf was known for. On the walls hung several large oil paintings of scenes that I guessed were of places in Goldleaf or the surrounding areas of Colorado. There were paintings of streams running through valleys, and one where an eagle swooped over a forest on a mountainside.
The party was already in full swing. I heard a cacophony of voices echoing off the domed ceiling and filling the room with an excited urgency. If I was looking for a quick hook-up, I would have had no problem. A lot of the Goldleaf shifters were hot, and even though many of the women were sexy, I had a feeling my fated mate would be a man. So I tried to keep my eyes focused on them, but damn—the room was busy. There must have been two hundred people there, easy.
I was wondering where to start when Nic slapped
my shoulder. I turned to face him and saw he was pointing to the corner of the room where the dark wooden bar was. Mikel and Sloan were already there, and others were waiting two-deep to order drinks, so I followed Nic’s suggestion and we headed over, hoping to quickly catch up to the rest of the partygoers.
“Sazerac or Sage Brush?” the bearded bartender asked us. He was a strapping guy with piercing blue eyes that matched the gauzy fabric wrapped expertly around his head. I was a little fascinated with the color of his clothes and hadn’t paid attention to what he said, so I had no idea what he was talking about.
“Uh, sorry. What’s the difference?”
“The first has whiskey, arak, and bitters, the second has gin, grapefruit, and sage,” he explained.
“Whisky for me, please,” I said, raising my voice to be heard over the crowd.
“And one gin,” Nic added. The bartender nodded and started putting our drinks together. He served them to us with a cocktail napkin that had a gold leaf emblem on it.
“Pretty classy,” Nic commented, holding up his cocktail to examine the adorned napkin.
“You must be from Everglow,” a guy with a buzzcut interjected from his stool at the bar.
“How’d you guess?” I asked as Nic turned to look at him.
“Goldleaf is a small town, and I don’t recognize you. Pretty simple.”
I didn’t love his vibe, but I shook his hand anyway. “I’m Casius. And this is Nic.”
“I’m Sam,” he said, then paused with his hand on Nic’s. “Hang on… You actually look familiar.”
“So do you.” Nic searched Sam’s face for a clue about where they knew each other from. They both frowned for a moment before Nic snapped his fingers. “Volleyball!”
“That’s it! Did you play in college?”
“Nah, just high school.”
“I’ll let you two reminisce, I’m going to do a lap,” I said courteously, then headed off into the crowd. I stopped to take a sip of my drink and felt like it was going to knock me on my ass. It was strong, aromatic, and refreshingly cold. As it slipped down my throat, I felt my shoulders relax a little.
I found a good-looking guy standing by a huge lantern. His gaze met mine and I saw a hint of interest in his brown eyes. I could smell he was an omega.
I wet my lips and approached the man. “Hey.”
“Hey.” He dragged his gaze over my body and up to my face.
“Are you from Goldleaf?” I asked.
“Oh yeah, I’m a local. I distill the arak in that Sazerac you’re barely drinking.”
I laughed and tipped my glass to him, appreciating the observation. “It’s good. It’s just…”
“Too strong for a city boy.”
I grinned and brought the glass to my lips. I braced myself, held his gaze, and downed the rest of my drink.
“Oh, impressive!” He stepped toward me, and I searched for a scent that would make me want to get closer to him. I sought out my wolf. He was practically asleep, completely disinterested in the guy. I let out a sigh and looked over my shoulder.
“I better get a refill.” I rattled my glass and he stepped back, nodding in understanding. I couldn’t imagine he got much of a buzz from my scent either, based on how quickly he moved his attention on to another alpha.
With my refilled glass, I made another round. The same pattern happened over and over again. An attractive man would catch my eye, I’d strike up a conversation, and my wolf’s deep disinterest and boredom would completely turn me off. The pressure of the situation surely wasn’t helping. I was looking for an instant romance, when what I needed to do was find someone I was just a little bit interested in, to create a romance with. What was it Nic had said? I needed to make an effort? But god it was hard when I felt so damn bored—and increasingly frustrated.
As I was making my way around the party again, I caught Alpha Truitt watching me. I gave him a curious look and he hurried over.
“Any luck?” He sounded more even excited than Alpha Hughes about the prospect of me hooking up with a Goldleafian.
“Not yet. High standards, I guess.”
Alpha Truitt sighed and gave my shoulder a squeeze. He swayed on his feet and pointed to me directly. “You find someone. You find someone at this party, and you make it work.”
“Well, that’s the plan—”
“Then plan to succeed.”
I gritted my teeth, biting back a retort for diplomacy reasons when suddenly, my wolf stood to attention.
“Hold on a second,” I said, inhaling deeply. That scent. Where is it coming from? I breathed in again and followed the scent trail over to a guy wearing a slim fitted pink suit with his hair plastered into a tall blond quiff. He was halfway across the room, standing at a high table.
“I have to go talk to someone, excuse me,” I said, turning back to Alpha Truitt, but he had already moved on and was talking with someone else. I didn’t give it a second thought and refocused on the smell that had caught my attention. The guy in the pink suit had disappeared—but I caught him again, weaving through the crowd. I was hot on his trail.
My heart pounded faster as I got closer. My chest started to feel warm, and I could tell it wasn’t just from the cocktail.
What is it about this guy? I let myself consider the tiny possibility he could be my fated mate… Why else would I be so into his scent?
As I approached him, the smell got stronger, but not as strong as I expected it to be. And it was mixed with something else. Is he wearing cologne? He caught sight of me and looked up with interest.
“Hello, there,” he said, narrowing his eyes as if he was trying to solve the same puzzle I was.
“Hi,” I said with a smile. “I’m Casius.”
“Nice to meet you, Casius. I’m Stefan.”
“I’m enjoying your town. The woods are beautiful.” That didn’t come out the way I wanted. I sounded moronic, but the scent surrounding Stefan was making me dizzy. However, I realized it wasn’t Stefan’s. It was on him, but not his. I was about to say something when a beautiful man with dark curls sidled up next to him. I was immediately overcome with the slightly salty scent omegas were known for, with something else, something like caramel. It was the same scent that had originally drawn me to Stefan, but it was emanating from the beautiful creature who was now filling my vision, my mind, my nose…
My wolf whined. My brain was humming, too loud for any coherent thoughts to come out. My chest ached as if my heart was straining to get out. I felt besieged with the need to be closer to this man. Tears even started to well in my eyes. I couldn’t believe this was happening. After all this time!
I opened my mouth, and only one word escaped in a growl. “Mate.”
4
Julian
At no surprise to me, the party sucked. It was packed with singles from all over the region, but most were locals or had the stuck-up aloofness of being from Everglow.
Stef and I arrived together at dusk, and immediately spotted Alpha Truitt craning his long neck over the top of the crowd, probably looking for us. We gave him a short wave, and a broad smile beamed on his face before he quickly returned his attention to brown-nosing whichever goony from Everglow was trying to win his favor.
“What a political weasel,” I muttered to Stef as I watched Truitt laughing at some big-city loser’s bad joke.
“That’s kind of his job.”
“What do you think they’re talking about?”
“Match-making.” Stef took my arm and urged me through the crowd.
“Yeah, right. You think this affair is just about bringing fated mates together? That’s very cute of you.”
Stefan just grunted, trying to shut me up in his usual style when I got worked up with my political conspiracy theories. But I was on a roll and loving the sound of my own voice.
“They’re probably hoping to bring in a mandatory draft to send more protectors from Goldleaf to Everglow. Or maybe trying to butter up Truitt to send more of our cotton
and flax to them.”
“Or maybe it doesn’t concern you, and all you have to do is try and focus on the point of this party,” Stefan said as he pushed his way through a crowd of local betas who were blocking our path to the bar.
“Which is…”
“Oh, I don’t know, to have fun? Be grateful this is about finding a romantic match, not just the usual fuck-fest after a Mating Ceremony or a run on the full moon? Maybe you could find someone special?”
I snorted. “Sure, just point me in the direction of the guy who wants to claim an omega who has never had a heat.”
I was yanked backward when Stefan stopped in his tracks, still holding my arm.
“Stop it.” He pointed an accusing finger at me. “No pity party.”
My wolf growled, half-playfully and half-seriously with frustration. “Fine. Arak party, then.”
We made our way through the crowd to get to the bar, and I let out a sigh of relief when I saw a silver pitcher full of arak. I set myself up at the bar and made small talk with the bartender who wore a bright blue turban and kept the pitcher full. Stef soon tired of me and wandered off into the crowd, looking for love.
“Not in the mood to mingle?” the bartender asked as he refilled my drink for me.
“Not really my scene,” I mumbled and took a sip.
“Well, it’s not mine, either.” His smile was broad under a dark bushy beard, and his bright blue eyes sparkled. I tilted my head as I held his gaze, and my wolf sniffed him out. Alpha… And damn sexy. My wolf was into him, and so was I.
“You don’t go for all of this matchmaking?” I rested my arms on the bar and leaned forward to get closer to him.
“No, that’s not really for me.” He shook his head and licked his thick lips nervously.
My breath caught in my throat. I felt a flirtatious grin spread across my lips. “Oh? Looking for something different?”
“Uh—” He held up his hand where a mating ring sat prominently on his finger. “Not really looking, sorry.”
I closed my eyes in embarrassment before landing heavily back on my seat. “My mistake. Sorry.”