I knew I hadn’t read this wrong. I knew what I felt. There was an alpha who was ready to claim me. To make me his. I’d never seen this man before, but it didn’t matter. Fated mates were something I believed deeply in. I’d always known there was one waiting for me. I just thought it would be someone from a neighboring pack, someone whose family and traditions were intertwined with mine. Not some complete stranger. But right this second, I couldn’t deal with this alpha. I needed to deal with Barrett.

And Barrett was pissed.

A local rep supposedly talked to the archeologists digging on the ranch lands but he’d conveniently forgotten to talk to Barrett. Barrett Goode wasn’t a shifter to ignore. When he heard the dig was starting today without his permission, he gathered up all his alphas and me to march us down here and find out what was going on. And trust me, if he didn’t want this dig happening, he’d shut it down, agreements between the other packs and the university be damned. Barrett was a traditionalist and didn’t like so-called academics from the University of Stelline poking around sacred lands. He thought shifters who lived in the city had lost touch with their roots.

“Step back, Shiloh. And keep those special ears of yours open.” Barrett’s arm pushed me out of the way and he took a step forward. I heard a low sound and turned my head to see the young alpha archeologist watching us with narrowed eyes. Barrett’s eyes slid back and forth between me and the alpha. His lip lifted in a sneer and pushed me behind the pack. I slid to the side until the young alpha was in my sight again. And I reached out with my mind. Or my special ears, as Barrett said.

My special ears. For an alpha and leader of our pack, Barrett was pretty tactless. He meant my gift. I was a seer.

It was too much. There were too many shifters and the land itself was buzzing with energy. Barrett’s emotions alone were enough to cloud anything I might have been able to hear. I shook my head to clear the fuzz.

I was tapped as a child by our pack’s former seer as his apprentice. In our pack, seers were always omegas. It was so we had no choice but to use our gift for the good of the pack and at the behest of the Alpha. It was a blessing and a curse. Because of the ambivalence the pack treated me with, I had the tendency to stay to myself.

Barrett advanced on the man who looked like he was in charge. He was a tall, rangy looking guy, grey hair flecking his rust colored buzzcut. I studied the man. His movements were quick for someone his age, and his walk was lanky and loose. Stealthily, I raised my nose and took a sniff. Hm. The guy in charge was a shifter. Coyote, if I wasn’t mistaken. And the skinny, twitchy looking girl. She was a shifter, too, I just couldn’t tell what kind yet. This could get interesting. Barrett didn’t normally take to other shifters.

I eased my way around the rest of the pack and approached the tarp covering the ground. The edge was pulled back and I saw the bones nestled into the ocher colored earth. I stole a glance around to make sure no one was watching me before I made a quick blessing sign over the bones. This man was my ancestor and I felt like I should pay him the proper respect.

“What did you just do?” a low voice asked from behind me.

I didn’t even have to turn around. I knew who it was. The young alpha. Every word he spoke was liquid fire traveling down my spine. I didn’t have to see him to know each movement his body made, each breath that moved over his lips. I didn’t want to look at him again. If I did, it’d be more than a spark. I’d die in his gaze and be reborn as his.

A hand dropped onto my shoulder and I shuddered.

“Don’t touch it,” a woman’s voice said.

I finally turned around. The skinny girl. Thank gods she was here now. Just her presence could help diffuse some of the tension in the air. If I could keep her between me and the alpha.

“I’m not going to touch him,” I murmured, looking at the ground. “I’m Shiloh.”

“Shiloh,” I heard the young alpha breathe. My name was honey in his mouth and the sound poured over me, almost melting my resolve. I kept my gaze firmly on the dirt at my feet.

“I’m Allison,” the girl said. “Call me Al.” She thrust her hand at me and I was forced to look up slightly. I took her hand and gave it a quick shake.

“Parker,” the young alpha said.

I took a step back. I didn’t want to shake his hand, to touch him. I’d become lost if I did. Instead, I gestured down to the grave at our feet.

“What are you going to do with him?”

“We don’t know yet,” Allison said. “We want to study him, and the area here, but we want to be respectful while we do.”

“Good, that’s good,” I said. I was glad to hear they were being careful.

“Shiloh,” Parker said.

“Yes?” I took another step back and finally looked up at him.

Oh, he was so beautiful. I’d never seen such broad shoulders or warm eyes. A quick picture of us tumbling into a bed flashed through my head and I knew it wasn’t just my wishful thinking. I’d be his. There was no fighting it. But right now, while Barrett and the other pack Alphas were here and in a state of high agitation, was not the time for me to offer myself up to some strange alpha.

“Sorry?” Parker looked confused.

“You wanted something?” I asked. “You said my name.”

“Oh. No. I just…” His voice trailed off as he studied me. “Just making sure I remembered your name.”

Allison gave him a strange look before she squatted next to the bones. “You know anything about this?” Her hands hovered above the skull and I could tell she wanted to lift it and learn its secrets.

“No, I’m afraid I don’t,” I told her. “There are old stories, of course. We’ve all grown up listening to tales of people who lived their lives in half-state, whether because they preferred or because of some kind of… curse or prophecy.”

“Prophecy?” Allison looked at me from the corner of her eye. “Seriously?”

“They’re just stories,” I muttered. This was why Barrett didn’t really like the city shifters. They didn’t understand the old ways and tales. “Anyhow, if you want to hear the stories, and Barrett will give his permission, I’m sure the pack’s old seer will be happy to talk to you.”

“Your pack has a seer?” Parker asked.

“A couple,” I answered, and turned my head to watch Barrett talking with the older man.

Parker took a swift step in my direction and stopped, his body inches from mine. I resisted the urge to reach out and touch his chest.

“Allison!” a voice barked from across the dig.

The girl shrugged and jumped up. “Let me see what’s going on.” She smacked Parker on the shoulder and flitted across the packed dirt toward Barrett and the dig leader.

“Shiloh,” Parker said again. I stayed silent, my eyes trained on the bones, and waited for him to say what he was thinking.

“Do you know what this is?” he finally asked.

“Yes,” I said calmly. “I’ve known since your eyes met mine. We’re fated.”

Parker barked out a laugh. “I don’t know about…”

“Yes, you do. If you didn’t think that, you wouldn’t be over here talking to me right now.”

“Lust,” he said. “Plain and simple. I’ve been out here in the boonies for too long.”

“You know that’s not true.” My lips curved into a soft smile. “It’s a shock for me, too. But I can accept fate. Can you?”

“You don’t even know me,” Parker retorted. “It’s been twenty minutes. And you’re here trying to tell me we’re fated? Be serious. I know what lust feels like. And that’s what this is.”

“I know lust, too. And that’s not what this is. Lust may leave you breathless but it also leaves you hollow. Empty and wanting something more.” I took a swift step forward and laid my hand on his chest. The air crackled around us, the atmosphere charged and sparkling. There was an invisible tug between his body and mine, urging us closer together. “Ever felt that before?” My breathing was shallow and quick now.

“No,” Parker choked out, and reached for me. The smell of my arousal was thick around us and was driving at him. Something about the mountain air made the arousal of fated mates more intense. I suspected it was because we were away from the digital bombardment of the city. There was nothing here to distract from the intensity of feelings. No cars or advertisements, no distractions. Just pure emotion.

“Not here,” I said. “Not now.”

“Where? When?” Parker was panting now and a low, growling rumble sounded in his chest.

“Come see me tonight. We’ll talk,” I said. “At the bottom of the hill, the road to the left. Follow it and you’ll find my cabin. Tonight, after sunset.” I dropped my hand and backed away. The connection still crackled between us.

I looked over and saw Barrett shaking the hand of the dig leader. His face was still clouded but he’d evidently reluctantly agreed to let them dig. I stepped away and headed back toward the pack before Barrett noticed I was consorting with the enemy.

“Tonight,” Parker said. I smiled over my shoulder before hurrying away to join my pack.

* * *

My cabin was small, really just two rooms, but it’d always been plenty for me. The front was the living room and kitchen area. I was lucky, as an omega, to have a place of my own. Most omegas here lived with their families until they found their mates. This was a family cabin, but since I was a seer, it’d been determined that I needed space of my own to practice my arts. It was sparsely furnished, just a sofa and chair and a full bookcase tucked into the corner. The kitchen was tiny but fully functional and there was no table, just a couple of stools pushed underneath an extended counter.

My bedroom was in the back and this was where I’d let my personality come out in my decorating. The bed was large and took up most of the room. It was made of roughhewn logs, but it’d been smoothed so the wood was glowing and silky smooth under my hands. Deep violet comforters draped it, with stacks of pillows in various shades of purple lining the top. Plush white rugs on either side kept my feet from the chilled floorboards in the mornings and sheer amethyst curtains filtered the light coming through the windows.

In one corner, a small, flat pillow faced a low shelf covered in glittering crystals, leaves, and pieces of dried flowers. A candle sat to one side. This was where I meditated every day. It was important to me that I got that piece of quietude.

I paced the floorboards, straightening a book here, plumping a pillow there. I debated on making tea and a plate of sandwiches but finally decided against it. I wasn’t sure Parker would want to stay long enough for food. If he showed up at all.

Tires crunched on the gravel that covered my driveway.

Opening the door, I saw the same old truck that was at the dig earlier, its color indeterminate in the gloom of the setting sun. The driver’s side door swung open and Parker’s broad shoulders appeared as he ducked out of the driver’s seat.

I walked out onto the porch and stood waiting at the top of the steps, watching as Parker strode across the yard, his boots sending puffs of dust swirling around his ankles. He stopped at the bottom step and propped one foot onto the worn boards.

“Hey,” he said. “I brought this.” There was a six-pack of beer dangling from his upraised hand. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“No, it’s okay. Come on in.” I nudged the door open with my foot and gestured him inside. I caught a whiff of woodsy soap as he squeezed past me into the cabin. So he showered and brought alcohol. Maybe I should have made the sandwiches. It looked like he was planning to be here a while.

“Have a seat,” I said, and took the beer from him. He glanced around the room before hooking the stool nearest him with his foot and dragging it toward him. He looked around as he settled into his seat.

“Nice place,” he said.

“Uh, thanks. I like it.” Must not be as nice as I thought it was in the city if he thought this place was nice. Or maybe he was just making conversation.

I stashed the beer in the fridge and snagged a couple of bottles, popping the tops off and setting one in front of Parker.

“Um, I was going to make myself a sandwich. Would you like one?”

“Sure.” Parker took a long swig from his bottle, his eyes still wandering my home. Finally, they landed back on me. “You still want to… talk?”

I busied myself pulling meat and cheese from the fridge and washing vegetables. “Yeah,” I said offhand. “If you’re still up for it.”

I could feel his eyes on me when I bent over to grab mustard from the bottom shelf of the fridge. “I’m up for it.”

“Okay.” This was much harder than it was earlier. The spark still crackled between us but it was slightly dulled somehow. I wasn’t sure what was going on.

“So, you believe in fated mates?” he asked.

“I do.” I slid a plate in front of him. “Eat up. Yes, I do. Our pack always has. It’s taught to us as pups. Fated mates are real. Don’t you?”

Parker took a bite of the sandwich instead of answering. “This is good.”

“Thanks. Do you believe in fated mates?”

“I’m… not sure. My brother, well, he just married his mate. They have a new baby. And they say it’s fated. And there is something about them that’s not the same as other couples. They… seem more connected than normal couples. Like, they almost seem to know what the other is thinking. They move in sync. Rudy, my brother’s husband, he seems to instinctually know what my brother wants or needs without being asked or told. It’s… odd. But I don’t know…” He dropped his sandwich back onto the plate.

“How can you see it with your own eyes and not know? How can you feel the connection we felt today and not know?” I reached across the counter and laid my hand over his. The connection came roaring back.

It rolled over both of us and slammed against my chest. Pictures flickered across my vision: a baby, a home, a family together. And it was us, me and Parker. The air crackled around me and Parker jumped back, his face stunned and questioning.

“What was that?” he gasped. “What did I just see? You?”

“Yes,” I said and reached for him again.

But before I could put my hand on his, he was around the counter. He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me against the refrigerator. “What was that?” he asked again.

“Us,” I said.

“Was it real?”

“It could be.”

He slammed his lips into mine.

He was hard and demanding, his lips bruising my mouth as his hands slid up to hold my face steady. He was hot and rough, pushing at my tongue with his, tugging at my hair, his fingertips almost punishing against my cheeks.

I loved it.

I opened my lips to his assault and let my body melt against his, letting his big, alpha bulk support my slighter body. His tongue seared across my lips, then down my throat, sucking at the tender flesh there. I dropped my head back and moaned, my hands trapped between us, splayed over his thick chest.

“Is this why I came here?” he asked against my throat.

“You came here because you couldn’t help it,” I said. “Fated.”

He pulled back and studied my face. “Bedroom,” he finally said.

I pointed to the door at the back. He grabbed me and hefted me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. My cock throbbed and pushed into his stomach when he brought my head down for another kiss. Lips locked together, he maneuvered us into the bedroom.

Parker tossed me onto the bed and reached down, flipping the button on my jeans and yanking them down.

“Get that shirt off,” he growled.

I grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head, then leaned back onto my elbows, watching as Parker undressed.

He ripped his shirt off, tossing it to the side. He was as beautiful as I though he was, his shoulders wide, his torso muscled and tight. His jeans rode low over chiseled hips I’d spend hours licking if he’d let me. But I could tell by the way he was tearing at his boots and hurriedly pawing at his belt that he was impatient to bury himself inside me.

He shoved his jeans down, kicking them to side, and I gasped.

I’d never seen a more gorgeous cock.

There were beautiful cocks and then there was Parker’s cock. It was perfectly straight, until the end, which curved just slightly, enough that I knew it would hit that spot deep inside me with every thrust. My mouth watered just looking at it, thick and veined and throbbing with the beat of his heart, the tip already glistening. I wanted it so badly I couldn’t speak.

Parker fell across me, pinning me to the bed, capturing my own throbbing cock in his hand and my lips with his.

“I don’t know what this is,” he murmured against me, “but I want you. Now.”

“Good.” I wound my legs around his waist.

There was no waiting, no pretense, no games between us. He lifted my hips and his fingers searched the warm crevice of my ass. “You’re so wet. You smell… incredible.” A finger slipped into my waiting hole, testing and teasing. I arched up, pushing against his hand. “You’re so ready.” And then his finger slipped out and the thick head of his cock was pushing against my pucker.

Parker pressed forward, pushed my cheeks further apart, and thrust again. The pressure increased, verging toward pain, then, with one swift thrust, he was lodged deep inside me. He stilled for a moment and we were locked together, my legs up, my cock trapped between us, Parker’s throbbing inside me. And then he moved.

He thrusted, pulling out to the tip and slamming back in, and I pushed up to meet every thrust he gave me. His cock was thick, stretching me almost to the limit, and I savored every inch. He pumped into me, his breath hot across my face. My cock was jostling between us, rubbing rhythmically against his taut abs with each thrust. I closed my eyes and threw my head back, giving him my throat.

“No,” he growled, “not now. No claiming, no knotting. Just this.” And he slammed into me until I felt his balls slapping against my flesh.

He was relentless, going deeper and deeper, pushing me closer to the edge. When he reached between us and tugged at my sack, I lost it. My teeth sank into my lower lip and I spilled my pleasure between us, slicking our stomachs.

With a roar, Parker sat up onto his knees and grabbed my legs, pulling them further apart until I was wide. He pounded into me, furious and almost scary in his need. Then he spurted into me. One, two final pumps and he was lodged deep in my channel, crying out and spilling his seed inside me.

When he collapsed on me, we were both covered in sweat. Parker eased wearily up the bed and slipped under the covers.

“Come here,” he said, and tugged at me.

I slid in beside him and he fit me to his body, tucking my legs between his. I should have felt trapped, but instead I felt safe.

“Shiloh,” Parker murmured against my hair, and then I heard the soft, steady breathing that told me he was asleep.

Before I slipped into slumber beside him, a picture flashed through my mind. Parker standing beside me, his hand resting on my bulging, pregnant belly.