Cole grinned at his friend. “And you can’t think what it could be?”
“No idea,” Nash said. “This has never happened to me before.”
“No, but it’s happened to me,” Cole said.
Nash’s eyes widened. “It has?”
“Yep.”
“Well, what is it?”
Cole clapped Nash on the shoulder again and let out a laugh filled with satisfaction. “You, my friend, are scenting your mate.”
Nash’s mouth fell open in surprise. “You’re shitting me.”
Cole chuckled. “Nope, I’m telling you, that’s what this is.”
Nash looked up and down the street. “Well, where is she?”
“I don’t know. She’s got to be around here somewhere.”
Nash sighed. “I bet I just caught a whiff of her in passing. That would be just my luck. My one and only chance gone. Poof. I knew I was destined to be alone forever.”
“Don’t be so dramatic. You are not destined to be alone,” Cole said. “We just need to retrace our steps. Come on. Up you get.”
Nash heaved another sigh and clambered to his feet. “Okay, where do we start?”
“Well, you smelled it by the bakery, right? So maybe she’s a customer. We’ll check there first.”
“This is pointless,” Nash said as he trailed behind Cole. “I’m telling you, she’s gone.”
As they moved towards to the bakery, Nash swayed on his feet and Cole had to reach out and grab his friend to keep him from falling over.
“Is it stronger here?” Cole asked.
Nash nodded. “Much.”
He all but stumbled towards the bakery, as if guided by instinct alone. Fortunately, there was no one inside the store to witness the display except for Maya and Aria. Cole nodded in satisfaction. He’d been right. Itwasone of the bakery’s customers who’d been in earlier. He could ask his mate, she might know who she was.
“Nash?”
Cole’s friend didn’t reply, but he was moving more swiftly now, as if compelled by an unseen force. Cole knew what that felt like. He hurried along beside his friend until they finally reached the bakery’s doors. Nash made to push them open.
“Wait,” Cole said. “Maya’s not alone in there. Her employee, Aria, is with her. You can’t go in there looking like that.”
Nash fought Cole’s hold on him, then spun and growled in his face. “Mate,” he bit out.
“Trust me, she’s not in there,” Cole said. “And you are not going anywhere until you get yourself under control.”
Nash ground out an expletive, then closed his eyes and when he opened them again, they had returned to their human form.
“Open your mouth,” Cole said.
“Jesus, if you keep this up, we are going to fall out. I’m not five years old. Seriously, I’m fine now.”
Cole sighed. “Okay, if you’re sure.”
Cole pushed open the bakery door and as they entered, Maya was standing behind the counter, looking ever so slightly better than she had five minutes ago.
