Chapter one

Carlos

I'm on high alert.

I lean back in my seat, looking around the table I'm sitting in at a bar in the middle of nowhere surrounded by my hunting crew. We hunt the supernatural. Not for sport, but to keep humans safe and oblivious. Jeff, our leader, wraps his arm around his mate's back, smiling down at their baby.

How the hell did I end up with a group of mated families? When we started, I was the baby of the group, unofficially having four father figures who looked out for me and now each and every one of them have found a mate and had a kid.

Not that I'm jealous. No, of course not. I'm overjoyed that they've all found their mates. It's what they all deserve, but that doesn't stop my mind from bringing up the things I'm missing out on now that they're all mated off.

Jeff has Axel. Ronny, our tech guys, has found Zander. Even Martin and Cooper, who are complete opposites from the outside have found love not only with each other but also with their mate, Dorian. If I thought I was deserving of a true mate I would be concerned Lady Fate's looked over me.

"Come on," Dorian whines, giving giant pleading eyes to his mates. "Come pick out a song for karaoke!"

After some discussion, Dorian pulls Jeff, Ronny, and Zander over to the little stage by the bar, flipping through books and picking out which songs they're going to sing. As much as I joke about being left out, it couldn't be further from the truth. I love this. I love seeing my family all find their loved ones. They deserve it.

I shift in my seat, trying my best to get myself to relax. Something doesn't quite feel right. There's an itch under my skin that I can't shake no matter how much I try to adjust or breathe through the discomfort. There's something in the air. My gut says-- well, I'm not sure, just that something is out of place. Which is why I'm on high alert despite how everyone at the table has reassured me that there's nothing out of place.

As a hunter and a shifter, I've always trusted my gut, but despite my protests, Jeff said nothing was wrong. This place was vetted by our tech guy. We should be safe here. And yet…

The doors open and I sit up straighter, setting down my soda. That unease rolling around inside of me grows. I can't ignore it even if I wanted to.

I sniff the air, just barely keeping myself from tipping over in my chair.

Oh.

Oh my gods. That scent! It smells like a cool fall breeze and crisp leaves. It smells like freedom, like the wind blowing through my fur. It smells like happy memories of my childhood. It's perfect.

Without my permission, my body begins moving. I stand up from my seat and start making my way over towards the door, letting my nose lead me.

The man whose scent is rearranging my entire world looks over at me, smiling softly. He has something in his hand that he looks down at before looking back up. I'm in shock. I can't believe this is happening. I can't believe my true mate is here.

I take another step forward, holding out my hands. His hair is golden blond, his eyes the prettiest brown color. I'm blown away by his beauty. I can't wait to feel him in my arms.

He's perfect in every way, pushing every button I didn't even know I had. My chest feels like it might burst with how happy I am, to be meeting my other half. Lady Fate deemed me fit to have a true mate and he's here. Oh my gods.

Just before he makes it to me, he ducks under my arms and keeps walking.

What?

I turn around in stunned silence, watching as he sits down in the seat beside Cooper.

"Hello," the guy says with a wide smile, staring at Cooper. I just barely keep a growl at bay, my hand going to my medallion and holding onto it so tightly my knuckles turn white. "It's so good to finally meet you."

Cooper looks up at Dorian who's walked over, trying to figure out what's happening along with the rest of us. "Umm? You too?"

The guy reaches over, putting his hand on Cooper's shoulder. The moment they touch, Dorian gasps. Cooper's eyes flash a bright green color and suddenly, his scent is shifting and changing. It's like static inside my nose and I realize with a start that Cooper has magic. I know his parents were both sparks, people capable of wielding magic, but now with the help of my true mate, his magic has been unlocked.

"I'm so sorry," the kid says, looking around the table and realizing we're all staring at him in shock. He runs his fingers through his blond hair, composing himself. "I should introduce myself! My name is Jude."

Jude. My true mate's name is Jude.

I snap out of my stupor, quickly making my way over to the table. I put my hands on my hips, looking down at Jude. I do my best not to give him too much attitude, but I would be lying if I said I was cheery and bright at the moment. My true mate just ducked me to meet Cooper after all. "Aren't you here to meet me? Cooper already has a mate! He has two."

Jude looks up at me in confusion, like he's only just realizing people other than Cooper are here. "Don't be a silly goose. I'm here for my spark."

"Your spark?" Martin asks in confusion.

"Yeah!" He says excitedly, looking at Cooper. "I'm your familiar."

Dorian puts his hand on Jude's shoulder. "You're in my seat, Jude."

"Shit, sorry," he says, standing up and letting Dorian sit down. "I'm Dorian. These are my mates, Cooper and Martin. And all of the people around this table are our crew. I hope you like chaos because this crew is full of it."

We are not that chaotic. Dorian better not scare away my mate before I can even properly meet him. He doesn't even know my name yet!

No, I'm not pouting. Not at all.

But also why is Jude so interested in Cooper when I'm literally right here. Doesn't he want to find his true mate as much as he wants to find his spark? Am I chopped liver?

Jude looks down at his nails, trying to keep a smile at bay. Gods, he's so cute. I can't wait for the excitement to die down so I can actually talk with him. "I've been known to indulge in a bit of chaos from time to time," he says like he's admitting a crime.

"Then I have one very, very important question for you," Dorian says slowly.

"Shoot."

"Do you like karaoke?"

I let out a huff as I sit down in my seat, picking up my soda and sipping it. I watch my mate as he introduces himself to the table properly. Jeff sits up, watching me with knowing eyes. I roll my eyes at him and he just shakes his head in amusement.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Jude," Jeff finally says, shaking Jude's hand and oh, look at that, yet another person who's touched my mate that's not me. Great. My inner alpha is not happy, but I've had years of practice keeping him at bay. He won't get the best of me tonight. "This is my mate, Axel and our daughter, Lily."

"I'm Ronny and this is my mate Zander. And these are our kids, JJ and Jordan. And I think you've already met those three and their newest little one."

Jude smiles wide at everyone's introduction before his pretty brown eyes are looking my way. I straighten in my seat. "And I should probably get your name as well," he says, like I'm just another person in the crew and not literally his true mate.

"I'd expect you'd want to know your true mate's name, yeah," I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

"It's nothing personal," he says with a wince, "I was just so excited to meet Cooper that I kinda bypassed your scent all together."

"Wait," Axel says, looking between us. "You two are true mates?"

I give Axel a little nod. "Yep. I've always heard stories about how wonderful it is to meet your true mate," I say, shaking my head and standing up. "It seems like sometimes the stories aren't always true." I give the table a little wave. "I'm glad you got to meet Cooper, I guess. I'm gonna head back. I'm suddenly really fucking tired."

"Carlos, you don't have to go," Cooper says softly but I just shake my head. I squeeze his shoulder as I pass, making sure they know I'm okay.

"This is just a lot," I murmur. I can feel Jude's eyes on me but he doesn't seem to react. I deflate further. "Sing a song in my honor, Dorian."

Axel walks around the table, walking with me outside. He puts his hand on my shoulder. "Are you doing alright?"

"I'm fine," I say, lying through my teeth. I suddenly feel so defeated. Maybe I was right, maybe I'm just not worthy of having a true mate. Jude is here and prepared to be in my life but not for me. It hurts.

"You're not," he says, squeezing my shoulder. He gives me a sad smile and I look away. "But that's okay. This is a lot to process. Your inner animal must be going a bit wild right now."

I don't talk about my shifter side with the guys. I'm pretty sure they all know I'm a shifter, but if they do, they never say anything. There's a reason I don't talk about it. There's a reason I haven't shifted in years.

I touch my medallion, looking back at Axel. "Yeah, he's not exactly pleased," I confess, but really, that's barely touching the surface. He's banging against the walls of his containment inside of me, begging to come out. That's not happening, absolutely not.

"I remember meeting Jeff and thinking that Lady Fate's timing couldn't have been worse," he says with a small smile. "But then it turned out her timing was just right."

"That's different."

"Is it?" Axel pulls me into a hug and I didn't even realize how much I needed this until his arms were squeezing me tight. "Just trust in Her. Everything will work out okay. I think he's just excited to finally meet Cooper. I've read a little bit about sparks and their familiars and their bond is incredibly intense. I bet that's all he can focus on. Let that settle and I'm sure he'll come find you to have a talk. Okay?"

I pull away, giving Axel a little nod. "You're probably right. I think my poor ego was deflated slightly but I'll get over it." I let out a self-deprecating chuckle. "Plus, it's not like I deserve a true mate anyway."

Axel pinches my arm and I let out a startled noise, holding my arm. "Don't say shit like that. Of course you do, Carlos!"

"Okay, okay. Ouch! You didn't have to fucking pinch me."

"I'm pretty sure that helps the message get into your thick skull."

I push Axel towards the bar's door, shaking my head. "Alright, alright. Get back to everyone before they send the search party."

I say goodbye to Axel and turn away from the bar. Thankfully, the campground we're parked at isn't too far from here. I let out a shaky breath, trying to process what the fuck just happened tonight, ignoring the way my chest aches with longing. I touch the center of my chest, wishing I could rub the pain away like I would a sore muscle.

I've been so good at hiding my feelings away, putting on a mask and pretending everything is fine. I've ignored the way my inner shift longs to run, I ignore the way I miss my home and parents. I've done my very best to make up for past mistakes. It feels like all of that is suddenly not enough the moment Jude walked through those doors.

I blow out a long breath, the cold making it puff with fog. I run my hands over my arms, a shiver running down my spine and I'm not sure if it's from the cold or from the overwhelming amount of emotions filling up my chest.

Jude is here and I have a feeling he's here to stay. I could run. I could shift into my hellhound form and take off. I could get into my truck and head down the coast in the opposite direction.

But even as I imagine running, I know I won't. I couldn't do that to Jude. I couldn't hurt my team like that.

Why the fuck did Lady Fate think it was a good idea to give me a true mate?