When Forest comes back home, he’s carrying treats from Red’s Goodie Basket. We meet him outside on the porch, and though there is still a little sadness in his eyes, he does look somewhat happy giving us the desserts.

When he opens the carrot cake, the three of us growl at the same time. Shocked, I look to Forest and then to Finn, and they both have the same look on their faces. It’s strange, because I don’t know that I’ve ever eaten carrot cake, but suddenly I want to fight them for it.

“I got all Ruby had. There’s enough to share,” Forest says, and I calm down.

After a second, Finn laughs and shakes his head as he takes a piece. “Who would have thought we’d be this protective over a piece of cake?”

He pauses before he takes a bite, then moans at the flavor. We all do the same, and I have to admit that the sheriff in town is a lucky man. His mate knows how to bake.

After I polish off four pieces, I notice the paperwork sitting on the kitchen table. “Was Dominic at the bakery when you were there?”

“Yes, Ruby was working, so of course he was with her.”

“I need to get these to him. I should have taken them by his office earlier, but I got sidetracked with chores.”

Winter is almost here and we need to be prepared. Being shifters, we can survive the coldest snow storms, but we can’t stay in our animal form all the time. We had a tree go down after a bad rain storm last week, and I decided to be the one to restock the woodshed.

“I think it’s great you’re going to go through with it,” Finn says, and as much as I hate to admit it, I like his approval.

I’d told him that I wanted to apply for the open positon at the sheriff’s department. They need a part-time patrol, and I thought it would be a good way to contribute to the town while giving myself purpose. I can only focus so much time on my brothers and if I’ll find a mate or not before I go crazy. I have to do something with my free time.

“I think I’ll take them up there real quick before they close.”

I walk out front and get in my truck, thinking it will be quicker if I drive. The road from our cabin is private, but it’s nice to be tucked away. Although we aren’t far from town, sometimes it feels more isolated than it really is. Which can be a good thing for shifters in their own small pack.

My brothers and I have banded tighter over the years, and we like living together. Our cabin is a good size, with room for all of us, and more if we grow. We never talked about what would happen if one of us got a mate first and how that would work. I think we’ve all been avoiding the subject so that we could pretend it wasn’t going to be a problem. But as I look at the cabin in the rearview mirror. I can’t help but think, I don’t ever want to leave it.

When I get to the bakery I open my truck door and feel the wind on my back. I look up at the sky and see the clouds darkening with what looks like snow.

I’m about to step inside, when Dominic and his family walk out at the same time.

“Hey Flint. Ruby’s closing up early; looks like we might get some snow,” Dom says, putting the kids in the car.

“Forest was just in a few minutes ago and got a slew of treats,” Ruby offers up.

“Just wanted to drop these off to you, Dom,” I say, and hand over the paperwork he’d asked for.

“Thanks, I appreciate that. I needed to make it official so we’d be good if anyone asked. I’ll give you a call in the morning and we can work out a schedule,” he says, and waves goodbye as the family loads up and pulls away.

As they leave, the wind direction changes and I catch a hint of something. My wolf pushes to the front of my mind and all my senses are alight. It’s as if in one instant I’ve been struck by lightning. My jaw aches, my hands throb, and there’s a chill down my spine. I’ve never felt anything like it before, and though the scent is faint, the whisper of what it means is ingrained in my DNA. There is no mistaking what my wolf knows to be true, and in this instant, everything has changed.

I’ve found my mate.