The first thing Grayson did every morning after turning off his alarm, was check Mate.com. When he brought the screen to his eyes, he could barely believe what he saw in front of him.

“Congratulations, we’ve found your fated mate.”

He jumped out of bed and scrambled to his feet, pacing the floor with a thrill in his heart. He clicked the link on the text and opened the profile of his fated mate. He read her profile name. Donika. It must have been her real name, he thought. She was the most beautiful sight he had ever beheld. Long black hair and milk chocolate skin. Big brown eyes and a smile that could melt your heart. Her lips were lush and gorgeous, and he instantly found himself dreaming about kissing them, soft and slow, tasting every nuance of her flavor. He growled low in his throat and his inner bear reared up on his back legs, roaring.

“Mate, mate, mate!”

“Calm down, boy,” he told himself.

He sat back down on the bed and read her profile. She didn't say a lot about herself—only that she was a big time New York City lawyer. But it looked like she was from Fate Valley. He couldn't believe his luck. The profile said she'd be staying in her hometown for a while and was interested in finding out if she had a fated mate. His bear rumbled in his chest. Of course she had a fated mate. It was him!

After reading her short profile and looking at the two pictures she had loaded, he hurried through his morning routine. It was still very early in the day and she was probably still sleeping. He decided to put off sending her a message until later. He didn't want to wake her up in the middle of the night with the cellphone notification.

After his shower and changing into fresh clothes, he grabbed his things, pulled on his coat, and made his way to work. At the Fate Valley Café and Bakery, he came in through the back door and turned on the lights in the kitchen. Sitting his cellphone on the counter, he looked at it longingly, wanting to call her and text her and meet her right away. But he couldn't wake her up just because his bear was rumbling and grumbling and roaring inside his mind. He had to get his head straight. He had pastries to bake.

He turned on the ovens and pulled out his ingredients for the recipes he made every day. After his third cup of coffee, he popped the trays of cinnamon rolls into the oven. He couldn't resist any longer. He went to his phone and picked it up. It was now 5 AM, the time of day a normal person might get out of bed. He knew she probably still wasn't awake.

He couldn't resist texting her. She’d probably sleep through a notification. He pressed the link to Mate.com and clicked on the “message now” button. He took a deep breath and began to type.

“Hello Donika. My name is Grayson Baxter. As you probably already know, we’ve been matched as fated mates. I can't wait to meet you. I'm baking you a special cake right now, and I’d love to bring it over so you can share it with your loved ones.”

He hit send and set his phone back down. He liked the tone of his message and he was satisfied for now. When he’d finished the day’s baking and all the bread and pastries were cooling on the trays, Kitty showed up to open the café.

He then started on his special cake for his dear Miss Donika. He chose to make a lemon cake like he did for a lot of weddings. It was one of his specialties. He pulled the fresh lemons out of the fridge and began to mix everything together. One of the most important components of making a lemon cake was a fluffy batter. He whipped his egg whites to perfection and folded them into the batter. He then poured it into the lined cake tins and put them in the oven.

“What’s that for?” Kitty asked, walking into the kitchen.

“I'm baking a special cake for my mate.”

“You found your mate?” she asked with excitement.

“I sure did. Her name is Donika. She's a big-time lawyer from New York City, but she's in Fate Valley visiting her family.”

“Have you talked to her yet?” Kitty asked.

“No, not yet. I just found out we were matched this morning. I'm sure that she’s still asleep.”

“Well, it's seven a.m. now. She might be awake. Have you checked your phone?”

He hadn't checked his phone since he’d sent his text and started baking the cake. That had been quite some time ago. He scrambled to the back of the kitchen and grabbed his cellphone, his hands still covered in flour. He flicked his floured finger over the screen and found that he had a new text message from Mate.com.

“Hi Baker Bear. I mean Grayson. LOL. It is nice to meet you. I was surprised I was matched with a shifter so fast. It's not what I expected.”

Grayson's heart sank, and he felt like his world was going to shatter right before his eyes. But then he noticed there was another text, so he opened it.

“I would love to meet you and taste that special cake you’re baking for me. My family owns the Fate Valley Inn on the lake, and I'm sure that they would love to have the chance to taste a piece of your cake.”

His heart sang, and he mashed the button on his screen to reply.

“When should I come over?” he asked.

“My family is busy today with a bunch of guests checking into the inn. But Granny told me to invite you over for dinner.”

He hit reply and began typing.

“I'll see you tonight then,” he said. “And I'll bring you the most delicious cake you've ever eaten.”

“I can't wait,” she typed back. “And neither can Granny.”

The cake timer dinged, and Kitty stood there staring at him.

“Well?” she asked.

“I'm bringing the cake over to the Fate Valley Inn tonight,” he said, pulling the cakes out of the oven. They were baked to perfection.

“Oh, that's so exciting,” she said, clapping her hands. “Congratulations, Grayson. I'm so happy for you.”

“Thank you, Kitty. I'm so excited, I barely know what to do. I'm surprised my recipes even came out this morning.”

“Everything looks just as delicious as usual,” she said. “Don't be nervous. I'm sure everything is going to be wonderful for you. You deserve it.”

Grayson took a deep breath and let it out as he pulled his cakes out of the tins and let them cool. He began mixing together the frosting and fantasizing about his future with Donika. He was nervous because she was from New York and had a job there.

How could they be together if she went back to New York? He would never want to keep her from her work. He imagined starting over in New York City as a small-town baker from Fate Valley. It made him nervous to think about, but he was sure that he could do it if he had to. Anything was possible when you loved someone enough. When his cakes were cool, he began frosting them. He put everything into the fridge when it was done and decided to go home before his big date with Donika that night.

Usually he tried to rest this time of day, but he was so wound up, he just couldn't do it. Instead, he strapped on his running shoes and ran out onto his favorite trail around the lake. Filling his lungs with cold lake air, his legs pumped and his arms swung. It felt so good. It was exactly what he needed to calm himself down. By the time he'd run five miles around the lake and come back to his house, he felt ready to face the rest of the day.