Page 6 of Matched in Mayhem

“Eh….” my wolf sounded off into my thoughts. “He smells weird. Why did the dragon’s scent change? It’s like he’s hiding something now!”

“You’re early!” Raziel cupped his mouth and called out. I flinched away from his booming draconic voice.

“We had extra volunteers today! Plus, the cooling station is still overstaffed. I decided to leave and let the others get in some work,” Bennie called back.

The tiger shifter had a nice voice. Maybe I’d get too hot and have to show up at the cooling station while Bennie was working there. He could fan me with a palm leaf any day.

“You read too many romance novels,” my wolf said into my thoughts.

“You like them too! So shut up!” I snapped at him, trying not to blush harder.

A warm breeze danced through my hair, and I froze in my tracks. Raziel stopped too, crossing his arms and grinning at me. What had he done? Was this dragon a seer? Oh, Frost’s Pit! It didn’t really matter! I opened my mouth, breathing in Bennie’s scent. This had to be wishful thinking, right? I’d seen his photos and videos and thought he was attractive. Now, he smelled delicious and my brain was just making up stuff. There was no way this was happening. No way that the large, tiger shifter in human form bounding across the parking lot toward us was my true-mate! I was imagining it, right? I probably fainted and was dreaming this. That’s why he was running over here to help me. Hell, maybe the tacos were filled with mushrooms that were now making me hallucinate.

“Have fun,” Raziel patted me on the back and started toward his truck. Was he going to leave me to be mauled?

“Shut up and get mauled!” my wolf howled inside my thoughts. “ALPHA! ALPHA! ALPHA!”

Bennie stopped running a few yards from me. I blinked. He was even more handsome in person. Taller than he looked in his videos too. He wore black basketball shorts and a blue t-shirt that read TEMPLE OF FROST VOLUNTEER. It all made perfect sense if he was working at the cooling station today.

“Alby?” Bennie called my name.

How did he know my name? Of course, he knew my name. Raziel probably told him. Where was Raziel at? Had he left with my bag?

“Bennie?” I called back, unsure of what else to say.

A second later he stood in front of me. My nose barely reached above his nipples as I looked up at him. Holy, Juda on a cheese cracker! I opened my mouth wanting to say something else but only breathed in more of his scent. He smelled like warm fur and a campfire. Everything about him made me want to curl up and bury my head in his big, broad chest.

“I’m Alby,” I managed to say a minute later and gave him the whole speech about Mated for Mayhem. “And I don’t know where Raziel went, but my bag is in his truck and… He gave me money and..” All my words started to run together.

Bennie took out his phone. Maybe to call Raziel. Maybe to call for help because I sounded as if I was in the middle of a stoke. It chimed and he glared at it. My wolf snarled inside his inner sanctum, ready to eat the phone and whoever sent the text.

“Fucking, Raz,” he said under his breath and turned the phone to face me. I took a step closer, holding my breath so that I had a snowball’s chance in a volcano of thinking clearly.

RAZIEL: Congratulations! I’ve moved his bag to your trunk. He didn’t bring much. I think we should’ve shopped more, but he has money for whatever he might need. I knew you wouldn’t accept cash as a mating feast gift, but he was too kind to say no. He has my keys. The house is yours for your matingmoon. Take as long as you need and let me know if you need anything you can’t go out for. No complaining! If you’re worried about your shifts at the temple, I’ll take them over for now. Stop looking confused and no I’m not telling you how I knew. You can thank me later or not. Enjoy your mating moon! Your first basket is already in the kitchen waiting on you. Plus, you know the itinerary for things you can do later. They’re all already paid for! Ha!

“I don’t think your friend knows what a prank is,” I said, blinking after reading the message twice.

“This is actually typical Raz,” Bennie grinned. “I take it you didn’t know he was setting us up either?”

“No,” I shook my head. “I… I signed up for Mated for Mayhem and then Aidan Gilmore called me to arrange this. Raziel and I are only seven percent compatible. So Aidan thought we’d get a lot of data. Do you think he was in on it? I mean, in on what? How could he have known? Is Raziel a seer?”

“Not that I know of. I mean, he’s private, but I don’t think anyone could be that private. Not to be that guy but most seers or second sighters are omegas. Not always but mostly. I…” he rubbed the back of his neck. “To be honest, I’m having trouble stringing two words together.”

I blushed as his eyes raked up and down my body. Then I stepped closer because the distance between us was too much.

“So…” I said, unsure of what to say next. Part of me, probably a part I inherited from Grandpa Clyde, wanted to track Raziel down and find out exactly who helped him obtain this information. Anyone who was keeping this close of tabs on me didn’t deserve to remain anonymous. The other part of me, the part who was more wolf and wilds than human, didn’t give a single fuck. I spent hours stalking this guy’s social media and it turned out he was my guy.

“Are you hungry?” Bennie asked. “The Temple does food up good. I’m biased, though. I was raised by a warrior of Frost. So, I love all the recipes there. Hell, I practically grew up in the temple.”

“I had Mama Dragon’s while I was looking around. I told Raziel I was coming on a later train than I actually took and…” I blushed harder, admitting my lie.

“Not a bad plan,” Bennie shrugged. “Recon of a new area is important. You might be coming here through Mated for the Holidays but it’s a new place and you’re an omega on your own. If I thought about it, I’d have suggested Raz get someone from the Temple of Juda to meet you here first. He’s been obsessed with getting things ready for you. Honestly,” he rubbed the back of his neck again. “I thought he lost his mind because he knows you’re not his true-mate. He remembers at least one of his past lives and knows who his mate is. Don’t ask me, I don’t know. Don’t ask why he’s still piddling around. I don’t really know that either. I… Now I’m rambling. Is it too hot for you out here? We should go inside somewhere.”

“I’m okay. I like the sun,” I said. “So, do you usually say no to gifts?”

“Huh?” Bennie blinked, stepping closer to me. “Why do you ask that?”

“What would you have done if Raziel told you about me and why he was doing this?” I asked.