Page 11 of Matched in Mayhem

“What’s not?” I asked.

“Eh, not for you to know yet. Let me do some research and I’ll get back to you.”

Frost indeed did come back the next time with Alby’s name and some limited info about him. Together we hatched the plan to contact Aidan Gilmore. Frost was there as I tweaked my application so that he couldn’t resist finding out what would happen if Alby and I were put together for a few months. No harm, no foul, because he wasn’t really going to get information either way because Bennie and Alby belonged together. If I couldn’t have the other half of my soul, I’d have to settle for watching my best friend have all his dreams come true.

“How do you feel?” The very real, present Frost asked me.

“Not bad,” I shrugged. I didn’t know what would be the catalyst for me to fly off and reunite with my mate, only that Frost had good reasons to believe that it would happen in the next few years. This wasn’t quite the omega sight that some omegas in the pack had, but it was something akin to it. Hell, maybe this was Alpha Sight. Though, to be honest, sometimes it felt as if Frost was my probation officer. Maybe that was all in my head because he’d never treated me like I was the monster from before. He only treated me like the ‘hatchling’ he saw me as now.

Chapter 6

Alby

The Hemlock Wolf Pack, Star’s Territory

I kept my hand in Bennie’s all the way to Raziel’s house. The last hour or so made my brain spin. How was this real? One minute I was part of a research study to help true-mates meet each other in the future and then I was smothered in Bennie’s scent. How did this happen?

“Raziel,” my wolf chimed into my thoughts. “Well, him and remember, there were two true-mate meetings from the first test run Aidan Gilmore did too. It’s like if you’re incompatible with someone you should introduce them to your friends or something like that. I don’t know how it works. I don’t think Aidan knows either or he wouldn’t have needed us to be part of the research. Maybe the mystery is the answer to itself or something cyclical like that.”

“You alright?” Bennie asked, squeezing my hand.

The increased pressure sent lightning bolts throughout my body and made me blush again. For a second, I imagined his big, strong hand sliding down my chest and stomach straight to my… I gave myself a good mental shake. The time to romp wasn’t when he was behind the wheel.

“Maybe just give him a hand job?” my wolf advised and I’d never been so grateful that Bennie couldn’t hear him yet. That wouldn’t come along until after our claiming vows.

“I’m okay. Just thinking…” I said.

“Me too. Raziel pulled this off somehow. I didn’t suspect anything. He kept prodding for my input every step of the way, but I still didn’t suspect anything. I just thought he wanted to ensure you had a good time. I think that was a big part of it but… Shit.”

“It’s a lot to take in,” I nodded. “You didn’t have any big plans for the day that I messed up, did you?”

“No,” he shook his head. “Just lunch with you and Raziel and then I figured I would spend the rest of the day hanging out in case they needed help at the cooling station. It’s balls hot out here.”

“Good climb onto the roof and take a nap weather,” I said.

“Exactly,” he laughed. “So, what do you do back on Hemlock Mountain?”

“A little of everything. Some folks have jobs outside of the Sanctuary but a lot of us just contribute to community tasks and no, before you ask, that’s not a fancy way to say that I’m unemployed.”

“Community living runs on a different system than most places,” Bennie said. “There are more than a handful of shifter communities that run their societies like that to this day. Everyone works and everyone eats. It works well in a lot of remote places. Not better or worse than what we do, just different. So, what did you usually do?”

“I was at the library a lot,” I admitted. “There’s a group of us who keep it all organized. We have our own library that is technically part of the Hemlock Mountain branch but you have to have a Sanctuary card to check out books from there. I organize authors coming in to sign books and stuff too. Alesky Mink has come a few times. A few others.”

“Mink, huh? The guy who wrote The Trouble with Lion Dads? I’ve met him a few times in the GGB. They have a pretty big Temple of Juda there and they always need extra hands and guards. He’s a decent lion.”

“You really go there for the drag, huh?” I teased him.

“Never passed up a chance to see a show,” Bennie shrugged. “Everyone has to have fun at some point.”

“I saw it on your social media,” I admitted.

“That’s why I post,” he said. “I think social media sort of lets us see into the lives of others and that can sometimes promote unity between groups.”

“Ah, you’re one of those,” I teased him.

“One of who?” he asked, side eyeing me.

“Someone who believes we can all be one big group,” I said.