Gabe
congrats I guess
Heguesses?!I log out of the chat before I say something I regret. He’s been my friend for a long time, so I know he has the best intentions, but he’s being a dick for no reason.
Well…maybe he’s annoyed that I skipped work to fly to San Drogo when we’re in the middle of a big project. That’s fair. I’ll make it up to him tomorrow. I can get some remote work done while I’m waiting to meet up with Cari.
I try to sleep in the crisp, white hotel sheets, but it’s impossible. My mind spins with date ideas, work stuff, memories of Cari. Eventually, I give up, pull out my laptop, and log into the hotel Wi-Fi. Might as well do some restaurant research for tomorrow if I’m going to be awake anyway.
Before I pick a place, I open my secret spreadsheet, the one where I record everything I know about Cari. I store it in the cloud now, because I’ve transferred it to so many new devices and updated the spreadsheet software so many times over the last fifteen years that I was afraid it might get lost or corrupted.
I scroll over to the “Food” tab where I keep track of the meals she’s mentioned on social media and skim through the screenshots and detailed notes on her most recent meals.
My girl likes meat. Prime rib, kebabs, juicy burgers.Perfect.
I want to take her somewhere fun, somewhere pet-friendly, somewhere where she can relax and sink her teeth into a delicious steak. Doesn’t take me long to find a casual place nearby with fantastic reviews, an outdoor patio that allows dogs, and a “Meatlovers’ Celebration Package” that I can book online when I make my reservation.
A date with Cari. It’s finally happening. If this isn’t a celebration, I don’t know what is.
Suddenly, I’m exhausted. The long flight hits me like a brick, and I’m asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
Chapter 8
Zed
Why didn’t I get her number last night? I’m a fucking idiot, because as soon as my eyes crack open, all I want to do is say good morning to my mate. My alokoi.
Gabe’s given me so much shit for being obsessed with Cari all these years, but he has no idea of the full extent of it. Now thatI’m positive she’s my fated mate? I am fully indulging my feral form’s obsessive, possessive impulses.
Grabbing the hotel’s free breakfast on the way out the door, I jog across the park, stationing myself near the path by her house. There, I sip my coffee and nibble the gluten-free sausage biscuit until she and Radar appear. I observe them discreetly from behind a juniper bush, waving away the steam rolling off my coffee cup so it doesn’t rise above the greenery and give me away.
Cari’s wearing a blue version of the same scrubs she had on last night, but today she has a big tote bag over her arm that she didn’t yesterday. It looks heavy. My fingers curl, and I have to bite my tongue not to call out and offer to carry it for her.
Mate, hisses a feral voice inside me, angry at me for not volunteering our superior strength.
Be cool, I warn him, even though I agree with him. Normally, I’d never let my mate do the heavy lifting when I could do it for her. But Cari has a lot to process in the next few days, and I don’t want to make it any more difficult for her by popping out of a bush like a fucking jack-in-the-box every time she goes outside.
Damn, she looks good in those scrubs, though. The thin fabric pulls across her curvy ass as she walks away. I’m not expecting anything, but I’d love to be peeling those off her tonight after dinner.
Stitches pop in the crotch of my pants. Fuck me, my dick is trying to shift.Not again.
Thankfully, it chills out as soon as she’s out of sight. And even though my feral form is restless and would prefer to sit outside her workplace all day, I force myself to go back to the hotel and jam out a full day of work instead of following her.
Gabe and I trade a few messages about the new app, and it all seems normal between us, so that’s a weight off my shoulders. I don’t want to blow up our business by oversharing aboutmy personal life. He never talks about his relationships, and I should take a hint from that. But I have to tellsomebodyabout what’s going on. An hour before the date, I can’t hold it in anymore, so I message the one person I know will be supportive.
Zed
I found my alokoi for sure
Mom
I knew it. You’re a late bloomer just like your father. Who is she? Is she from our hive?
Zed
Actually, I didn’t find her late. I’m just an idiot and didn’t act on it when I found her. Remember Cari?
Mom
