He let out a long sigh as if me checking in without an issue was a huge relief. “Perfect. Here’s your key and a map. Inside your cabin, there are a bunch of pamphlets and schedules of different events that are happening right now. As always, there are a ton of holiday activities to enjoy both here at the lodge or in town. There are the woods where you can go to shift if you need to. This is a shifter-friendly lodge, so you will be safe. Any humans here know about shifts. I think.”
He said the last two words quietly, as if he wasn’t sure. But the lodge promised a safe experience for shifters, so it was probably fine.
“Perfect!”
“Enjoy your stay,” he said.
“Thank you,” I said.
The walk to my cabin was quick, which would be great considering there was a speed-dating event I was hoping to attend at the lodge. It meant that I could easily walk to and from my cabin to all the places I wanted to go, and there was a regular shuttle that would take me into town. This was shaping up to be the best idea ever. I should have taken a vacation years ago.
The cabins were all different sizes, with their own unique designs. Mine was a one-story, with a cute front porch. The whole cabin was made with dark oak. To the left of the door was a stack of wood for the fireplace, while on the right were two chairs.
I spent some time exploring my cabin, not that there was much to see. I had a sitting room with a television (which I probably wouldn’t use), a bedroom with a king-sized four-poster bed, and six plush pillows that I could snuggle with just in case I didn’t find myself an alpha. There was a small kitchenette and a coffee maker. Other than that, there was not much else. I didn’t need much. There would be enough outside the cabin to keep me busy.
With any luck, I’d be sitting next to the small fireplace each evening with my prospective mate. Or inside the bedroom enjoying the beautiful view of the forest from the bay window.
I sent a quick text to my family to let them know I arrived safely. I even included a selfie with the fireplace so they had a visual. Next, I began my quest to relax.
I brought in firewood from the stack that was on the front porch. There was enough there to last me the week if I had a fire each night. I may need more if it got cold. After the fire was roaring, I changed into a pair of gray sweatpants and my favorite t-shirt. It was threadbare and a little snug. It was a shirt from when I was in high school, but for some reason, it was my favorite, so I wore it a lot when I was at home relaxing. The fire heated up the cabin quickly, and I was a shifter which meant I ran hot, so despite the chilly temperatures outside, I didn’t need anything warmer.
A knock at the door startled me as I finally sat down on the couch with the week’s schedule. I planned on figuring out what events I wanted to attend, paying specific attention to the match-making events. That was what I was here for: to find my mate. Perhaps it was someone from the lodge with a welcome basket or something. I hadn’t requested anything, and even though I was hungry, I wanted to nap before I ventured out for food.
What I found outside the door was the farthest thing from what I was expecting. My stomach twisted in knots like it usually did when I came face to face with Braxton.
His smile came easily, as it always did. “Hi, Kip.”
Chapter 4
Braxton
“What are you doing here?” Kip asked.
He stared up at me with his wide eyes. He didn’t have to look up very far. He was one of the few people who could meet my gaze almost eye to eye. Kip was just an inch or two shorter than me. Whereas I had tons of muscle, Kip was more lean. In his bear form, though, I was massive, and he was smaller.
Sometimes I wondered if his height intimidated other alphas, while it did the opposite for me. His height turned me on like no other.
He wore a pair of gray sweatpants and his old t-shirt from when he was on the basketball team in high school. I still remembered watching his games. I hadn’t known then that he was mine. At the time, I thought I was appreciating his talent on the court. I saw it through a different lens now.
“What are you doing here, Braxton?” he asked again. Apparently just standing here staring at him wasn’t helpful. “Please don’t tell me my parents sent you to watch over me. Oh, this is ridiculous. They never trust me to do anything.” Kip threw his hands in the air and tipped his head back in annoyance, making him look even younger than his twenty-three years.
He stepped aside, and I walked in, carrying my hastily packed suitcase with me.
“Don’t you dare put that down. You’re going to have to go someplace else. I’m not here for any sort of babysitting. And how do you think you… Who is going to work for the pack? We can’t have two of us off this whole time. Did anyone think that through? I requested this time off over six months ago.”
As cute as an exasperated Kip was, I needed him to relax. “Kip. Kip, calm down,” I said. “I’m here to find my mate. Just like you.”
How it was that my mate was standing right in front of me and didn’t even notice absolutely killed me. He was mine. I knew that he was mine. I knew it in the depths of my very soul, yet he looked at me like I was just another alpha. His scent was so intoxicating to me that I dreamt of it at night and couldn’t focus on anything except for him whenever he was in my presence. Yet he looked at me the same way he looked at everyone else.
“Oh,” he said, and then broke out into a grin. The worry melted from his body and was replaced by the endless enthusiasm he usually had. “Well, that’s great! You can be my wingman. I’ll be your wingman. We’ll be co-wingmen.” He reached a hand out and slapped playfully at my chest. The movement caused his shirt to ride up and expose the skin of his stomach. His gray sweatpants rode low on his hips. There was no way he was wearing underwear. The thick outline of the monster cock I knew was shielded by the offending gray material beckoned me.
My stomach twisted, and I forced myself to keep my gaze up. Also keep my tongue in my mouth. I hadn’t lied to him. Ihadcome here to find my mate—only my mate was standing right in front of me.
“Do you have a cabin here? How did you know where I was?”
“About that…” I said. “I talked to that Branson fellow at the front desk, and it seems there was a weird mix-up.”
“Yeah, he mentioned that there were a lot of overbookings and issues with check-ins today. I was lucky, though, my cabin wasn’t overbooked.”
