Wyatt’s patience was running out. Who the hell was he kidding? It had run out the second his mate had asked him to give her time. He’d been ready to beat down the damn door and demand that his mate talk to him the second he’d stepped out of the small office, but he hadn’t. One pleading look from her was all it had taken to get him to keep from rushing through the flimsy door and making an ass out of himself.

“So I guess Gerri had been right after all. Looks like you found your mate.” Ethan was the first to break the silence.

“Looks like it. I just wish I could talk to her.”

“So she’s human?”

Of course, his brother would have picked up on that little tidbit. “Seems like it.”

To his surprise, Ethan didn’t say a word. Not a single one. He should have been happy about it, but he wasn’t. It annoyed the fuck out of him. “Just say what’s on your mind. You always do.”

“What is there to say? Your mate’s human. It’s not something you can control. I know you wouldn’t have asked for a human mate, but it’s something you need to make amends with and fast. I know how you feel about them, so I imagine it won’t be easy.”

As always, his older brother was right. The last thing he imagined was that the Fates would saddle him with a human mate, but they did. Was he happy about it? Gods no. Would he make do? He’d have to figure it out.

Wyatt held his breath as the office door opened.

“She’s gone,” his wolf said.

“What do you mean, she’s gone? There’s only one way out of that office and we’ve been standing here the whole time.”

“Where’s my mate?” Wyatt demanded the second Cam emerged from her office.

“She’s gone.” Cam tied an apron around her waist.

“Where the hell did she go?” Wyatt stepped into the office and looked around.

The window. “Fuck!” he shouted to his wolf.

Why hadn’t he bothered to think that she’d bolt? He’d stupidly believed they would talk, all would be okay, and he would claim her within the hour.

How stupid—no, arrogant had he been?

Wyatt spun on his heel. Cam would give him answers or he’d bring the diner down around them.

“Where did she go?” He’d caught up with Cam who was busy clearing dirty dishes from one of the tables.

“You think you can just storm in and demand answers when I know nothing about who you are or where you’re from? You may be a wolf, but you can bet your ass you’re not the biggest or the baddest in town. So you need to back the fuck off. Callie isn’t ready to talk to you yet.”

Rage. Pure fucking rage surged through his body. He’d been dreaming of his mate for months. Months! He would not allow this woman to stand in the way of him and his mate.

Wyatt’s voice thickened. His canines lengthened. He could feel the flimsy tether that had kept his wolf contained slipping.

A firm hand landed on Wyatt’s shoulder. “Why don’t we sit down and talk… maybe calm things down a bit.”

A surge of undiluted power rushed over Wyatt. His wolf whimpered in his mind, bowing to the restrained show of force.

“The Alpha.”

As much as Wyatt wanted to buck the Alpha and push for information about his mate, he knew better. He didn’t need his wolf to tell him what a supremely bad idea that would be or how badly it would end for him.

Wyatt turned and nodded to the Alpha.

“Cam, can you be a sweetie and grab us three of the specials, and three Cokes? We’re going to grab this corner table over here and have a chat.” Calder motioned for Wyatt and Ethan to join him.

“Sure thing.” Cam smiled at Calder and set off on her task.

Wyatt didn’t know what to think. Most Alphas that he’d run across would have kicked his ass out, not ordered him to stay for lunch. He eyed his brother warily. Maybe he knew what the hell this was all about.

Ethan simply shrugged and went to join them.

“So, why don’t you boys have a seat and tell me what brought you to our humble little town. I know you didn’t come all this way just to harass Camryn.” Calder pulled out a chair and took a seat.

Wyatt folded his tall frame into an open chair. What would be the easiest way to explain to the Alpha why they were there without sounding like a total perv? He sure as hell had no desire to tell him about the dreams that led him to this point, so he opted for the partial truth.

“Gerri Wilder sent us. She told us that we’d find exactly what we were looking for at Twisted Tail.”

“Ah. The infamous Gerri Wilder strikes again.”

What was that supposed to mean? Did the Alpha know Gerri? Wyatt looked to Ethan, who looked equally confused by Calder’s statement.

“Do you know Gerri?” Wyatt asked.

“I owe everything I’ve become to Gerri.” Calder smiled at the thought.

Wyatt arched an eyebrow at the Alpha’s cryptic statement. He had absolutely no idea what the fuck Calder was talking about. He took a closer look at Calder, noticing something different about his appearance. His eyes had changed. When he first looked at the Alpha—sizing him up—he’d noticed they were amber. Now they were solid black, not a speck of white to be found anywhere. Shivers raced over him as Calder turned this blank, blacked out gaze to him and then his brother.

“Hey, man. Are you okay?”

Calder shook his head, seeming to come out of some sort of trance. “Yes, sorry. Just looking for the truth. And to answer your question fully, Gerri is the reason I found my mate, Daisy. She’s been here to visit a few times, so I’m assuming that’s why she sent the two of you.”

Wyatt had listened to what the Alpha had to say, but he was still creeped out over the thing with his eyes. It wasn’t something he could just let go.

“What did you mean? Looking for the truth?”

Calder eyed the two men once again, as if he debated something in his mind. When he finally spoke again, he simply said, “Sometimes it’s easy to see what’s in someone’s heart or soul when you look clearly.”

Wyatt looked again to his brother, Ethan, for some sort of interpretation. Ethan shrugged once again.

“Do you have any idea what this is about?” he asked his wolf.

“None,” the wolf replied.

Camryn swung by their table to drop off three burgers, fries, and Cokes.

“Thanks, Cam. Tell me if you would. What did Callie think of all the commotion this morning?”

Cam sucked in a deep breath and let out a long exhale. “She was shaken by all of it. You know our Callie. She wants nothing more than to be strong and independent.”

Calder nodded. “Thanks.”

When Cam left them alone, Wyatt asked, “What does that mean?”

“It means you can’t simply barge in and expect to claim your mate. She’s human.” Calder grabbed the ketchup and squirted much more than necessary on his burger.

“I don’t see how that makes any difference.” Wyatt took a bite of his burger.

 

***

 

Calder chewed on a couple of fries, looking over the brothers once more. He’d taken a deep look into each of them, searching their souls to find out the good and bad that had been housed within them. To his relief, he’d found that while they’d shared a similar past involving the tragic death of their parents at the hands of humans, they were still good wolves.

“My mate was human when she first came to me. A good friend of mine gave me Gerri’s number when I found out in order to be the Alpha of Twisted Tail, I had to have a mate by my side. I didn’t believe in all the hype that she could find anyone’s mate anywhere in the universe, but lo and behold, not only had she found her, she’d sent her right to me.”

The brothers seemed to be drinking in what he’d said.

“What do you mean she was human when she first came to you?” It was Ethan that had asked the question, which surprised Calder because Wyatt was the one who’d found out his mate was human.

“She was human. There was nothing about her that was dual natured, like us.”

“How is that possible?” Wyatt eyed him skeptically.

“How are we possible? How is anything in our world possible? Through the majik of the gods.”

Calder still couldn’t believe his luck. Not only had Gerri sent his mate to him, she’d become one of them.

“So, she’s a wolf now? Like us?” Wyatt asked with amazement in his voice.

Calder nodded. “She is. The pack knew she was human when she first came here. After we completed the mating ritual, there had been some commotion in town one night, she not only saved my life but changed in front of everyone gathered. Scared the shit out of her and everyone who had been unfortunate to be near her at the time.”

What a night that had been. Calder had never been so awed by his mate or more proud. He could practically see the wheels in Wyatt’s head turning, wondering if it was possible for his mate to become like him.

“I wouldn’t try courting her with the sole intent of thinking the change will happen for her after the mating ritual.”

Wyatt looked up at Calder, shocked. “Stay out of my head.”

Calder rocked back in his chair. “I don’t need to read your mind to see what’s written across your face. Heed my warning, pup, if you approach Callie with the hopes she’ll become like us—you’re going into it for the wrong reasons. She may be human, but she’ll still hand you your ass.”