Page 9 of Bite

True mates are deeply spiritual for shifters and their wolves. It’s similar to human scent-matches, but the connection is a complex bond between a shifter, their wolf, and their mate that goes beyond biological compatibility. In shifter culture, finding your true mate is the height of fulfillment, but it’s widely accepted that not everyone will be blessed to find theirs. It’s theorized that sometimes true mates won’t even be born at the same time for several generations, simply missing each other in the cycle of rebirth. Many shifters don’t wait to find their true mate, but others do, hoping to bond the person who owns their wolf’s soul.

Now that I know what that cosmic pull feels like, the last person I should be angry with is Tore, who first sensed his true mate years ago at the edge of our territory but lost their trail before he could find them.

Clearing my throat, I apologize, “I know you were. I’m sorry, man.”

Aspen’s eyes are narrowed on me, her gaze probing with scrutiny. “For real this time,” she says, “what is going on?”

“I’m still figuring it out,” I downplay. “I promise as soon as I fully understand, I’ll tell you. In the meantime, I want to focus on the alliance and collecting information.”

Aspen looks like she wants to argue, but Koda saves me from her interrogation. “We trust you, Dair.” He looks pointedly at Aspen. “Don’t we?”

Her reluctant, grumbled agreement lifts my mood as we settle in, unpack, and pass the time before we’re expected for dinner.

Like my territory, Grand Prairie compound sprawls across land that used to be protected by the government, back when the government cared about conserving land. From old maps, we know places like this were once called State Parks, or in the case of my own territory, a National Park. Many of the protected lands out west were spared from destruction due to the terrain. It’s harder to build data centers in the mountains where there is no electricity than it is here in the flatter parts of the continent. However, we have our own challenges because of climate destabilization, drilling, and logging.

In some ways, the existence of Grand Prairie, the large forest surrounding it, and even the reclaimed prairie lands we passed through as we approached, are miracles. As we walk toward the bustling dining hall, I can’t help but marvel at the sprawling size, the well-kept cabins, and the overall air of serenity. Not to mention that alongside their impressive radio comms, this compound has one of the best solar energy setups I’ve ever seen, able to power the entire compound’s needs via the panels attached to converters at every building.

The dining hall is a long, bare-bones wooden structure lined with windows near the center of the camp. Its exterior is the same brown as the cabins, except the doors are painted with a chipped lake mural. As our group approaches the entrance, many of the compound residents give us friendly looks or little waves, but no one approaches for introductions.

I wonder if they’re worried about meeting shifters.

When we step through the doors, we’re greeted with large wooden tables lined up into several sets of rows, spanning the length of the room. People are intermingled, sitting with no obvious rhyme or reason. Luckily, all of the windows are open, allowing a cross-breeze to dilute the overwhelming mixture of everyone’s scents. The savory smells coming from the kitchen also help, making my stomach rumble appreciatively.

Koda elbows my side and jerks his head in the direction of River, who stands up from a nearly empty table at the back of the room. When he notices that I’ve seen him, he waves us over. Ferris sits by his side, glaring right at me, but there’s no sign of Raine.

“I figured you’d like to sit with us,” River says when we approach his table. “We haven’t gotten food yet, either, so we can walk with you through the line.”

“Sure, I think we’re all ready to eat,” I say, while the others mumble their agreement.

Conversation is a little awkward as we wait in line, but Aspen easily takes over speaking with River, getting details that we need while keeping it friendly. There’s a reason the beta is my second, after all. This isn’t the first alliance we’ve made with humans, so we’re used to the strange tension at first, but this is the farthest we’ve been from backup. While they speak, I allow my eyes to carefully scan the hall, looking for a head of wavy brown hair and freckled cheeks.

“She’ll be late,” a voice rumbles as the scent of zesty tea surrounds me.

I slowly drag my gaze to Ferris, who is now standing next to me in line. My eyes trail down his body, noting that he’s nearly as tall as I am, with a broad, strong frame. He’s leaner, though, with the kind of body that dramatically tapers from broad shoulders to narrow hips in a deliciously provocative way.

My voice is gravelly as I ask, “Who?”

Those amber eyes catch flame, maybe in response to my voice, or maybe because I’m pumping out pheromones as my rainy scent turns a little electric, like a storm. He grits out, “Raine, obviously.”

My lips lift in a smirk. “Who says I was looking for your ward?” I emphasize her relation to him just to see how he’ll react.

The fire in his eyes grows as his pupils expand. I catch his deepening scent and revel in the dominance pheromones he’s letting leak through. Damn, he smells so fucking good. Like a challenge. I can’t remember the last time someone dared to challenge me. My wolf likes this game very much, likes taunting this other alpha just to see what he’ll do, likes seeing him unravel. He wants to roll around in his scent so it sticks to our fur.

Ferris snarls, “We both know exactly who you were looking for, Alpha.” Fuck, I think he meant to emphasize my title as the Alpha of my clan as some kind of reminder of my business here, but coming from his full lips that hide an infuriatingly attractive gap between his front teeth, it sounds nearly sexual.

“Why will she be late?” I purr, unconsciously stepping closer to Ferris, just enough to let his heat and scent tickle my skin.

He doesn’t back down, doesn’t cower, not even under the weight of my own dominance. My wolf is nearly panting with the promise of a real challenge.

His eyes flicker to my mouth, just briefly, before returning to my gaze. “Because she always gets caught up in work.”

My body feels like it’s on fire, but before whatever this is between us explodes, I get the faintest whiff of Raine’s syrupy spiciness. Ferris and I break eye contact to watch as she enters the dining hall sandwiched between a man and a woman. They both have the same warm-beige skin and black hair, and although the man is comically taller than the woman, it’s obvious they are siblings. I track Raine’s movements as she crosses the hall, devouring the image of her head slightly tossed back in a laugh as she speaks with her companions.

My fluttery obsession falls to the pit of my stomach when the man next to her wraps his arm around her waist, pulling her close to his body. The growl in the air suggests that I’ve let my control slip, but I soon realize that it’s not me who’s growling; it’s Ferris. However, as soon as I notice, it’s cut off like it never happened.

“Who’s that?” I ask, trying to get a read on this situation. I don’t need to specify; I know Ferris knows who I’m talking about.

“That’s Clay,” he grunts. “The older brother of Raine’s best friend.” His voice deepens into a growl as he adds, “He spends a lot of time with Raine.”