The highway had cleared some and I knew that we would be at the shop where the stone was in a matter of minutes. It wasn’t nearly enough time for Ethan’s nerves or my own to settle. I had to get the ball rolling, whether he was ready or not.

“Are you okay?” I asked softly.

He nodded. “I think so. Why did that man grab me? It’s not like I’m anyone important.”

“You know that there are other packs around here, right?”

“Yeah,” he muttered.

“There have been rumors going around that the packs are getting smaller and with that shrinking size, more desperate for new members.”

“So they steal other shifters? That doesn’t seem like a great plan. Why hasn’t anyone done anything about it?”

“Because until now, it was just rumors. They aren’t after just any shifters either. They only want the mates of Alphas. They know they have the best chance of procreating.”

“That’s stupid,” Ethan huffed. “That would bring the wrath of an entire pack down on them. It would be a slaughter.”

“Not necessarily,” I said carefully. I didn’t want him to worry, but I owed him the truth. “These packs, they aren’t like us. They don’t hold themselves to the same basic laws that we all follow. The rumors say they’ve made packs with witches who offer them protection in exchange for a safe place to practice.”

“Why would they need that? We let anyone practice in our town.”

“Not dark magic,” I said.

Ethan gasped. “That’s forbidden!”

“So is kidnapping other shifters, especially when you think they are an Alpha’s mate. But these outlying packs have no moral compass. They don’t care what happens to others as long as they get their own way. Now that we know it’s more than just a rumor, I give you my word that my pack will be taking action.”

“Well you can count on Drake to stand by you,” he said confidently.

My eyes widened in surprise. “Really? What makes you think that?”

“Because I know Drake. Once he finds out what happened, he won’t rest until that Alpha and his pack are put in their place.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle a little. Ethan had such blind faith in his Alpha. If only I could get him to trust me in the same way. I knew that it would take time, but I wasn’t sure we would have much more of it as the storefront came into view. Gordon was reminiscent of a Victorian village. Everywhere it was draped in history. The store where we were to pick up the stone was no different. Large, hand carved stones made out the walls that surrounded the oak doors. I parked my truck in front, waiting for Ethan to be ready before stepping out.

He let out a heavy sigh. “Well, I guess this is it. We should go get the rock.”

I grinned. “I’m happy to see you are feeling a little more like yourself. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

“That’s why you don’t travel at night?” he asked.

“When I am with someone like you, yes.”

“What do you mean? I am no different than any of your other Omegas. I don’t know why they targeted me.”

I cleared my throat, I had a feeling that I knew why Ethan was targeted. It wasn’t just a mild attraction between us. There was something that even I could feel in the air. If I had to guess, I would say that the other Alpha picked up on it too. The same way that Drake had known. Still, Ethan wasn’t ready to deal with an Alpha falling for him like a young pup. He was still so wary of me. I just needed to give him more time.

“Look,” I said, thanking my luck stars that the shop keep was standing in the open door waving to us.

I quickly jumped out, jogging around and opening Ethan’s door for him. As we made our way over to the aging man, I sensed something different about him. He must have seen the shocked look on my face as I put it together.

The graying man laughed. “That’s the reaction I get most of the time.”

“What is he talking about?” Ethan whispered to me.

The man turned back to Ethan, extending his hand. When Ethan took it, he gasped a little as I had done. “You’re a human!”

He laughed. “Mr. Danvers is the name. My family moved here about a hundred years ago. Been running this place ever since. I take it you are Ethan?”

“Yes,” Ethan stammered.

“And you must be Trevor,” Mr. Danvers said with a grin. “I see Drake picked well for this little trip. Please, come in. The stone is here.”

Mr. Danvers turned and headed inside. Ethan leaned closer to me and whispered, “I guess we shouldn’t call it a rock anymore, huh?”

I chuckled and wrapped my arm around his shoulders. When he didn’t flinch, or move away from me, I took it as a good sign. Mr. Danvers made his way around the counter and produced a small wooden box, about the size of a shoebox. It was ornately covered in carvings and precious stones placed deep into the intricate artwork. I was awestruck by its beauty until he opened it. Inside was the stone we’d heard so much about.

“Wow,” Ethan said softly.

“You said it,” I gulped.

Even as Mr. Danvers lifted it from the box, the colors started to change. Swirling black and red hues danced from the inside of it. The colors spread out through the four-inch stone.

“It’s mesmerizing, isn’t it?” he whispered.

I nodded as he held it out to me. As it touched my skin, I shuddered with the warmth coming from it. Instantly the red changed to a bright blue color.

“It’s getting warmer,” I whispered.

Ethan was awestruck as I held it out to him. His hand touched the stone and my fingers at the same time. As they made contact, the stone again changed colors. This time, it danced in a brilliant rainbow. I couldn’t take my eyes from it, our hands touching in an intimate embrace around the stone. There was something magical going on to be sure. It was glowing with color.

“Would you look at that?” Mr. Danvers said in shock. “I guess we know why Drake sent you two to fetch the mating stone, you two are fated to be together.”

Ethan gasped, the stone falling from his hand and into mine. At once the rainbow was gone and the subtle, but still radiant color changed back to the same blue.

“What?” I stammered.

“Oh,” Ethan muttered.

“Don’t you know what this is? This is the Mating Stone of Faroe. It predicts those who are destined to be together. The magic and unity it symbolizes will bring together shifters from both packs. This single gathering could produce dozens of pups.”

Ethan looked like he had seen a ghost, stepping away from the counter and back out the door. I didn’t want to take my eyes off him as I carefully set the stone back in the box and thanked Mr. Danvers. He seemed very comfortable in letting the stone leave with me. Though I was sure Drake had to pull several strings to get it. The outcome could be unprecedented. If our shifters could find their soulmates, we would have a better chance of rebuilding our species.

As thrilling as it was to think of the implications, I knew that Ethan was still in shock. When I went outside, he was already waiting for me in the truck. I climbed in, but didn’t start it right away. The day had been one blow after another to him. He needed something to lighten the mood.

“Hey,” I said, as cheerfully as possible. “Have you ever been to Epic Gardens?”

He looked at me suspiciously, but shook his head.

“I think we have enough time, why don’t we take a little detour. It’s a blast.” Without waiting for an answer, I started the truck and pulled back onto the road.

“Isn’t that place…” His voice trailed off.

“A lot of fun?” I offered. “It was the last time I was there. Granted that was almost a decade ago, but I think you will have a good time.”

“I think we should get back,” he whispered.

“Please, Ethan,” I whispered, sounding more desperate than I liked. “Just give me a chance okay? You heard what he said.”

“I heard the rantings of a superstitious old man. Not everything is magic, especially not a rock.”

“You saw what it did, it’s more than just a rock and you know it. Can we at least talk about it? Am I such a miserable person that you couldn’t even think about being my mate?”

“Listen,” he said. “I don’t know how things normally go for you, but I’m not one of those Omegas that you need to make silly promises too. I don’t want anything from this, can we just get back to the city?”

I ground my teeth together, trying to keep my temper under control. Ethan was so stubborn. How could I make him understand that there was more to this than just a fling for me? Somehow, I would have him as my own.

“Ethan, I’m being serious. There is something between us and I want you to talk to me about it.”

I slid my hand across the seat and took his. He smiled over at me. As soon as our skin touched, the fireworks from the night before were ignited once again. We rode in silence, the idea of going anywhere but back to the city now long gone. It meant that I only had a few hours to get him to see that I really cared.

“See?” I said as I squeezed his hand. “Isn’t this nice?”

“Yes,” he agreed. “But once we get back to Gryther, I don’t think that we should keep seeing each other like that.”

“Why not? Can’t you see how much I care about you?”

“Listen, I just don’t want to be with anyone right now. It’s not you okay?”

I snorted, my pride hurt almost as much as my heart as I pulled my hand away. He was so stubborn, I wanted to drag him back to Reluson and make him see just how much I cared about him. I would shower him in gifts, there would be people to take care of his every need. But without something real, Ethan would never believe that I wanted only him for the rest of my life. It was a shock even to myself that I cared so much for him.

After years of searching for the perfect mate, I had given up. Now the only relationships that I had were full of sex. Even then, it had never been as good as the night before with Ethan. Why did he have to be so damn stubborn?

“Ethan, there is something that I wanted to ask you,” I started carefully.

He rolled his eyes. “Would you make up your mind? One second you want to talk and the next you are pissed off at me.”

“Well you are the most enticing and infuriating Omega that I’ve ever met, so I guess that makes sense!” I shot back.

He glared at me, crossing his arms across his chest when I tried to reach for his hand. I groaned. It was not going as planned. Why could I not find the words to tell him what I wanted?

“I’m sorry, Ethan,” I whispered.

“Don’t be,” he hissed. “I just want to go home.”

“There is something that I wanted to talk to you about, though. I think that you’ll be much happier afterwards.”

I could see that his curiosity was piqued as his eyes darted in my direction. “What?”

“Well, I know that you don’t think that I really care, but I want to show you I do. What would you think about becoming my mate? Officially.”

At once, I regretted the decision to ask him. His body stiffened, he looked like a caged animal as his hand twitched. There was no doubt in my mind that if we were going slower, he would have jumped from the truck in an effort to get away from me. I was baffled by his obvious disproval. Men would line up for miles if they knew that I was seeking a mate. Yet the only one I wanted didn’t seem to want anything to do with me.

He shook his head. “I’m sorry but I can’t. I like being alone, I really do.”

“Oh,” I said softly, my focus going back to the road. “Okay.”

I’d never been rejected before except by him. It wasn’t a feeling that I liked as my heart ached. There was nothing else to be said. We rode in silence for several miles. As the landscape passed us by, I knew that I wouldn’t be seeing Ethan again unless I was willing to fight for him. I stuck out my chest, a new determination settling down inside of me as I turned off the highway and down a less known road.

He looked at me, a little fear obviously showing through. “What are you doing? This isn’t the way back home.”

I grinned. “No, but there is an amazing little restaurant about a mile down the road. They have a patio and some of the best food you will ever eat. I’m betting you are still hungry.”

In response, his hand flew to his stomach as it growled. For the first time since the morning, he smiled at me. Instantly my heart was elated. He was so beautiful when he was happy.

“I guess I could eat something, but no funny business okay?” Ethan said softly.

I nodded. “I promise, but you should know something.” Our eyes met as I spoke, I didn’t look away from him. “I am not giving up on us. I think you know that we are soulmates too. I know you’ve been hurt in the past, but I’m not going anywhere.”