Levi leaned against one of the poles to the canopy at Alpha Station. Corey’s keyboard clicked behind him as he waited for updates from his crew. Night had fallen and the chances of a successful rescue had plummeted. It was Harry’s second night in the forest and prospects for his survival were not good.

Corey’s software had analyzed the data and suggested Shane go around the southern perimeter of the mountain to join Drew. Corey’s data analysis had never been wrong before, but Levi was beginning to have his doubts.

Shane couldn’t give updates in bear form. Angus and Zach were closing in on Drew’s location and none of them had picked up Harry’s trail. With so much on the line, failure was not an option. If his rescue crew couldn’t find the groom, it would not be good for business. Levi rubbed his forehead and looked at Corey.

“Does your magical computer have anything new to add?” Levi asked.

“It isn’t magic. It’s rudimentary artificial intelligence using probability generation algorithms.”

Levi had no idea what that meant but smirked and nodded his head as if he did. Shane had been out on the mountain for several hours now. If he was going to help the crew, it was about time he did something.

The walkie-talkie buzzed awake with Angus’s voice. “Big Bear to Alpha Station. I am now at Brew Bear’s location.”

“Ski Bear. What is your location?”

“Closing in on Brew Bear and Big Bear,” Zach said over the walkie-talkie. “Nothing new to report.”

“Dammit,” Levi said to Corey.

“How are things going with the girl you met on Mate.com?” Corey said, changing the subject.

“They were going fine. But I think I messed it up by moving too fast.”

“So you think she’s the one? Your fated mate?”

“I do. I don’t know how she feels about it, though. She’s a human, so her instincts are different from mine. I can’t just present her with a diamond ring two days after meeting her. That wouldn’t go off very well.”

“Do you want to marry this woman?” Corey asked.

“I do. She’s my mate. She’s perfect for me in every way. You should know that, since you invented the matching system,” Levi said.

“It wasn’t a question of whether or not my matching system works. It still astonishes me that people want to pair up like that.”

“This coming from a guy who’s making money off of a dating website,” Levi muttered.

“It was more about the experimentation that the money.”

“Don’t you ever want to find your mate?” Levi asked.

Corey rubbed his chin and looked away, contemplating the question.

“Not really. I’ve seen what relationships do to people. Shifters in particular. It isn’t always hearts and flowers. People get hurt. People have expectations and obligations. It doesn’t always lead to a happily ever after.”

“I’ve never seen a shifter who was with his fated mate who didn’t live happily ever after,” Levi said defensively.

“Doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.”

“I thought you are all about analyzing variables.”

“Yes, I’m about analyzing variables. If you do not mate with anyone, there is a zero percent chance of having your heart broken. In my opinion, those are excellent odds.”

“But you also have a zero percent chance of having all of the good stuff that goes along with being in love.”

“A small price to pay,” Corey said. “I don’t have time to mess around with emotions like love.”

“Suit yourself. But I’m not the only one who signed up for your dating website. I know Drew went off with one of the bridesmaids from the wedding last night.”

“We’ll see how that goes for him,” Corey said, turning back to his computer. “If you want to claim your mate, I’m not going to try to discourage you. It’s just not my thing.”

“Fair enough.”

The darkness was enveloping the camp now that the sun had set. Levi checked in with his crew every fifteen minutes, hoping each time that they would have something new to report.

It wasn’t until several hours later that Shane’s voice came over the walkie-talkie, sounding excited. “Wild Bear to Alpha Station. I think I found him.”

“How did you get a walkie-talkie, Wild Bear?”

“I snatched it in my mouth before I left. Boy, you guys are boring to listen to. Even muffled by my bear’s tongue.”

“What is your location, Wild Bear?”

Shane reported his location to Levi. Corey started inputting the information into his computer, and Levi told the rest of the crew to converge at Shane’s position.

“Chief Bear, I found strange tracks in the snow, like makeshift snowshoes leading toward the caves along the southern edge of the mountain.”

“Do you scent anything?”

“That’s what made me follow these tracks in the first place. I’m going to inspect the first cave.”

“Be careful you don’t wake up any angry bears,” Levi said, his mood lightening for the first time in hours.

He waited several minutes until Shane reported back.

“Wild Bear to Alpha Station. I have eyes on target. He’s cold. Probably has minor hypothermia and some frostbite. Requesting assistance.”

“Alpha Station to Wild Bear. The rest of the crew is on its way. Do what you can to warm him up until they get there.”

“That was a close one,” Levi said to Corey.

The rest of the crew found Shane and Harry, updating Levi every few minutes. They strapped the shivering groom to a rescue sled and began the arduous journey of pulling him out of the mountain. Shane shifted back to bear form to pull the sled back down the mountain.

The other men wrapped the groom in thermal blankets, strapped him to the sled, and helped attach it to Shane. Having Shane be responsible for the rescue of a man who was in that bad of shape gave Levi pause. At this point, however, there was no real reason not to let Shane take the reins.

Levi saw Shane’s grizzly emerge from the inky darkness at the edge of Alpha Station with Harry’s sled in tow. The EMTs, who had arrived several minutes before, hurried to take Harry and put him into the ambulance.

The rest of the crew arrived about an hour later, and they worked together to break down Alpha Station. Corey was the first to leave with his computers in the back of his SUV. Drew and Angus drove back into town together, and Shane took his motorcycle back down the mountain. That left Levi alone in the darkness where Alpha Station had once been.

He wasn’t quite sure why he hesitated to leave. Corey’s words about fated mate relationships not always working out had gotten inside him and were messing with his mind. He knew that Juliet was the one. He could sense that beyond a shadow of a doubt. Every fated mate relationship he had ever known, be it with a shifter or a human, had worked out in the end. Levi was from a wealthy family and traveled in prosperous social circles. Perhaps it had insulated him in privilege.

Even the best relationships could be rocked to the core by prejudice and poverty, two things many shifters had to deal on a daily basis growing up. Levi got into his car before driving down the road to the highway. When he arrived back at the lodge, he noticed a text message on his phone from Juliet.

Harry will be fine. Wedding is still on for tomorrow.

What a relief. Harry certainly was a brave man to go from being lost in the mountains to the groom at a wedding the next day. Levi had a feeling he knew what love could do for a man. He wanted that for himself. He texted Juliet back, letting her know he had arrived at the lodged.

Just made it back. Good to know everything will be all right with the happy couple.

He had hoped that she would text him back by the time he arrived at his apartment, but his cell phone stayed quiet. Levi took a shower and climbed into bed, more grateful than ever for his comfortable home in his comfortable life.

As confused as he felt, he would have to sort it out in the morning. No matter what Corey said, Levi could not argue with his bear’s need for a mate. The man in him needed exactly the same thing. He wanted Juliet. She belonged to him. He wanted cubs to leave his legacy to. No amount of pain could make him stop wanting any of those things.