Chapter 12

Levi

I had a date with my mate.

Giggling, I shook my head, internally singing the words again. A date with my mate.

They rhymed.

Letting out a tiny laugh, I turned.

What did one wear for a date with their fated mate?

On the one hand, it should be easy, right? Rhett was attracted to me, no matter what. Fate had made him fall in love with me already. He thought I was his perfect match, the other half of his soul, the person who would make him whole, so to him, it probably didn't matter what I was wearing.

On the other hand, taking him for granted was a dickish move. It didn't matter that he was guaranteed to like me; that was no excuse for not putting in the effort.

The only problem? My wardrobe was extremely limited. Like, jeans and sweaters, limited. I didn't have a button-down shirt—well, I owned several, but all of them were currently in my apartment in Vancouver. As in out of my reach. So, I didn't really have options.

In the end, I decided on the tightest pair of jeans I had here, one that hopefully made my ass pop, and an anthracite sweater that gave me a sophisticated look without making me look too pale. I hoped.

By the time I'd artfully tousled my hair, making it look like I'd just rolled out of bed, it was time to head downstairs and meet with Rhett. He'd texted me that he'd pick me up and take me out to dinner.

Heading down the stairs, I felt like I was walking on clouds. A dinner date with my mate.

Yeah, I needed to stop with the silly date-mate rhymes, but come on… This was a big moment, right?

This might be the last first date I ever went on.

The thought was… weird. Theoretically, every first date I'd ever been on had had the potential of being the last one, but this time around, it was different. The chances were much higher.

Because yeah, I actually felt the connection inside of me, like my inner compass was tethered to Rhett, always letting me know where he was—if he was close by.

It hadn't been like that back in the woods. I'd been happy when I'd seen Wolfie, but I hadn't known he was coming until I'd actually seen him.

But now?

I stopped in the middle of the staircase and closed my eyes, hand firmly grabbing the railing. Taking a deep breath, I tried feeling for Rhett, extending my senses, finding his… aura? Him? I had no idea. Hell, I had no idea what I was doing and if it was going to work if I consciously tried finding him.

The air smelled like potatoes and garlic, mixed with the scent of the fireplace. Cutlery was clanking against plates, and there were low voices coming from the dining room.

However, that was not the direction my mind was steering me to. No matter how good it smelled, there was a nagging feeling I wouldn't find what I was looking for in there. Nope. Something drew me to the front door. An invisible thread or… a fishing string. The hook was firmly embedded in my chest and the string was being pulled in, drawing me closer to the door.

Rhett was right outside.

Swallowing heavily, I brushed my hands over my sweater, trying to make sure it was straightened out, before I rushed down the rest of the stairs, skidding to a stop as the front door opened mere inches in front of me.

"Woah," Rhett exclaimed upon seeing me so close. In a flash, his hands were on my hips, holding me in place, making sure I didn't hit the door face first.

He critically studied me for a moment, a frown marring his handsome face, as if he was trying to figure something out. Then, a dazzling smile transformed his face, lighting up a sparkle in his eyes. "You look amazing," he said almost reverently, as his eyes raked over my body.

"Thank you," I said, nodding at him, "But I'm definitely not a match to you."

He cleaned up fine.

Like damn.

Like… I wanted to be the black dress shirt clinging to his muscles, holding on for dear life just like the buttons of his shirt.

I bet he could rip the shirt by flexing his muscles—a theory we'd had to test later.

A faint blush crept into his cheeks, the short sandy-brown beard unable to hide it, but his smile said he didn't mind me ogling him.

And ogle I did. I couldn't stop. Hell, the only reason I wasn't climbing him like a tree was the fact he was still holding on to my hips, which I didn't have a problem with at all. Having his warm hands on me, no matter where, was a definite plus. Still… there was something better than having just his hands on my hips.

"Do I get a hug?" I challenged him, remembering how fucking good his body had felt against mine yesterday. A shiver ran down my spine and a low heat ignited in the pit of my stomach.

Rhett chuckled. "My pleasure."

And then he engulfed me. Utterly and completely. His scent, his hard chest, his strong arms, his aura, and the incredible warmth emanating off of him. Everything surrounded me, wrapped me up in a blanket of comfort and Rhett.

A sigh escaped my lips as my body melted against his. I could stay like this forever. Fuck dinner. Two hours of a hug like this and I'd be in heaven. Permanent bliss. A melted puddle of goo right here on the antique floorboards—and I was perfectly fine with that plan.

Unfortunately, Rhett took a step back way too quickly—which, granted, was probably only after a minute or two – and gave me a gentle smile.

"I made a reservation at a steakhouse in town," he said, biting his lip. "I hope you like steak. To be honest, it's probably the only fine-dining option there is in Balwood, but if you're a vegetarian or don't eat red meat or anything, there's a place a town over that should be a better fit."

Dead. I was dead, my heart melting on the spot.

"Don't worry. I don't eat meat often, but I like it once in a while."

Rhett released a shaky breath, his smile widening. "That's good to hear because I love a good steak. And… uhm… people like me tend to eat a lot of meat."

I nodded. That made sense, right? He was part wolf. Wolves were carnivores, so he was part carnivore. Humans might be omnivores, but that made him half omnivore-half carnivore, so his body requiring more meat was a logical consequence.

Or was I getting it all wrong because I was trying to explain magic with science? Was shifting magic? It had to be, right?

I'd need to ask Rhett about it as soon as we were out of earshot because just this moment, the professor—the one Mave thought might be looking for shifters here—emerged from the dining room and gave me a short wave.

"Good evening, Levi," he greeted, then turned his attention to Rhett. His eyes widened for a second, but then his features smoothed out, leaving a polite mask in place. "Good evening."

Rhett nodded. "Hi."

He didn't introduce himself and, quite frankly, he didn't need to, because I was pulling him out the door a second later.

This was our first date, and I didn't want to spend it listening to my mate and the professor chit-chatting about old legends, even though the topic was interesting and maybe even kind of relevant to me now that I knew about shifters.

But not today, and especially not if I could get first-hand information from my mate.

The steakhouse was a lot more modern than I'd expected. The stone walls painted a bright, clean white, a stark contrast to the dark wooden floors and furniture. White candles in cast iron chandeliers adorned each table and garnered the white walls, though I was ninety-nine percent sure the candles in the chandeliers on the wall were fake ones. And the candles hanging from the ceiling in some kind of web that featured empty wine bottles, too, were definitely fake, but the whole construction looked impressive, nonetheless.

"It's beautiful," I told Rhett, as we followed the server to our table. And it truly was. The whole place held an air of sophistication, but managed it in a way that didn't feel snobby.

People were talking and laughing animatedly, yet it wasn't loud, as if the interior was designed to swallow the sound.

"I have to agree," Rhett said.

As the server came to a halt at a table in the back corner of the restaurant, Rhett took over and pulled the chair out for me like it was just common courtesy. No one had ever done something like this, especially with so much nonchalance, like it was just a normal thing to do and not something he needed some kind of praise or appreciative gesture for. My heart somersaulted, my pulse kicking up a notch.

He didn't want recognition for it, but I had definitely noticed. Just like I'd noticed him holding the door open for me.

"Thank you," I said, my voice sounding a little breathy and raspy.

Rhett's cheeks flushed again, and he ducked his head before rounding the table and sitting down across from me. "You're welcome."

We took the menus off the server and listened politely while he told us his name—Oliver—and that he'd be back in a couple of minutes to take our drink order.

"Have you been here before?" I asked. I let my gaze wander through the room, my eyes catching on to a lot of small decorative elements that told me the person who'd been responsible for the interior design had known exactly what he'd been doing.

If this wasn't a first date, and I was currently still vlogging and posting on Social Media, I'd have a blast taking pictures of this place.

"A couple times," Rhett answered. He opened his menu, face taking on a thoughtful look. "But they've redecorated since the last time I've been here. Then again, that was probably a year ago. Gray likes to come here on his birthday, and that's in three weeks."

I nodded, then studied my own card, trying to find something to drink that wasn't Coke, but not alcohol either. I wasn't big on wine—or beer for that matter—and the restaurant didn't really scream cocktail bar to me.

In the end, I settled on a homemade lemonade with salal berries, mint, and lemon, while Rhett ordered a craft beer for himself.

"Soo…" I started quietly, remembering my theory about him liking meat and the questions that had arisen from my theory. "Can I ask you about… you know… here?"

Rhett let out a low laugh. "We have to be careful, but yes, you can. There's no one sitting close enough to listen in to our conversation, and if anyone can, it's because they're paranormals themselves, and I highly doubt anything you could ask me is news to them."

I nodded. "I don't want to spend the whole evening talking about you being a shifter, so please stop me if it gets to be too much," I told him, worrying my lip. "But I'm really curious and the questions just keep piling up."

"So, hit me." Rhett winked. "I can handle whatever you're throwing at me."

Was he flirting?

The tingling sensation washing through my body said yes.

I waggled my eyebrows. "Okay… is shifting science or magic? Like… is your DNA different from mine? And what kinds of paranormals are there? What kinds of shifters? Do you have, like, mouse-shifters or rabbit-shifters?"

"Oh wow, you're not beating around the bush. Shifting definitely has magical elements," Rhett said thoughtfully. "There are scientists, shifter ones, mind you, working on answering that exact question. There are differences in shifter and human DNA, so… both? Answering that question is really hard because we obviously have to be very careful. Nowadays, everything easily lands on the internet, and once it's there, it won't ever go away. So having someone accidentally post about human-slash-animal DNA online would be a catastrophe and put all our lives at risk."

"Do you really think humans wouldn't accept shifters?" I asked.

"Have you taken a look at the state of the world?" Rhett retorted, raising his brows.

"Good point."

"Besides, to answer your other question, it's not just about shifters. It's about magic users—witches, wizards, and mages—too. I don't know if other paranormals besides magic users and shifters exist. I think I heard someone talking about meeting a vampire once, but I've never met one. If they are real, they're extremely reclusive."

We paused our conversation while Oliver delivered our drinks, then placed our orders with him.

"To a great first date," I said, raising my glass for a toast.

"May it be the first of many," Rhett answered, gently clinking his glass against mine while holding eye contact.

The first of many. My stomach swooped, and not because of the lemonade's sparkling water base. I liked the sound of that. It made my stomach all warm and fuzzy.

"I think there's still one question left unanswered, if I remember correctly? I'm not sure if it's disappointing to you or not, but there are no rabbit or mouse shifters. From what we figure, since the weight of the shifter stays the same in both forms, if there were mouse shifters, you'd basically have giant mice running around. We think that's the reason wolf and big cat shifters are the most common, while bears and foxes are rarer. Though, I have to admit, seeing a hundred- and fifty-pound fox is damn impressive."

Nodding slowly, I tried working through the information. What Rhett was telling me made sense, but now I really wanted to see a fox shifter in his animal form.

"How rude would it be to ask Paul to shift for me?" I asked, thinking about the red-haired Mountie that was helping me navigate the whole shitshow that was my life.

Rhett snorted, a bit of beer foaming out of his nose. "Uhm, it's generally pretty frowned upon to ask people to shift for them. However, seeing as you're human and this is a whole new world for you… most pack members wouldn't have a problem with it. We do have a couple of pack members that escaped very traditional packs, though, so it'd probably be best to ask me first if you want to ask someone to show you their shifter side."

Got it. No asking people about shifting for me. Better safe than sorry.

Rhett cocked his head, face turning serious. "Was Paul able to help you? I haven't talked to him about your case because while we usually keep tabs on any shifter related crimes, I wasn't sure if I'd be invading your privacy by not getting the information from you."

A smile tugged at my lips, and a pleasant warmth washed through me. My mate was thoughtful. Damn. I hadn't known that was a turn-on for me. "It's okay. Feel free to talk to Paul, if you want to. I just want to leave this mess behind, but I'm afraid it'll take a while to get it resolved." Taking another sip of the lemonade, I scrunched up my nose. "As far as I know, the police got a search warrant for Alistair's office and his apartment. Paul said the VPD was probably going to search his place today. Honestly, I'm kind of glad I don't have my phone on me, otherwise I'm sure he'd be blowing it up, and I want to enjoy dinner with you."

Beaming at me, Rhett took my hand, his bigger, much warmer one engulfing mine, squeezing it gently. "Me too."

"And then we ran off as fast as we could, thinking we'd gotten away with it," Rhett told me, mirth sparkling in his eyes. "But, did you know what our drunken, idiotic selves didn't think about?" Snorting, he shook his head like he couldn't believe what he'd done.

My belly swooped with all kinds of feelings. This was a new version of the thoughtful, but rather stoic man I'd met. This was a playful, funny version I really liked. It made him more… human? Which was a silly thing to say since he clearly was human. Well, half -human.

"What?" I asked, sipping on my third lemonade of the evening.

"Shifter senses. Back then, the sheriff was a shifter and he could not only smell us, but the alcohol from about a mile away."

"Oops." I giggled. "Did you get in trouble?"

"Trouble is an understatement. Gray's father was furious. It hadn't been the first stunt we'd pulled that month, and for some reason, wrapping our teacher's house in toilet paper really rubbed him the wrong way. We got in so much trouble. Think month-long trouble."

Rhett shook his head, then carded a hand through his sandy hair, mussing it all up in an incredibly sexy way. The fake candlelight highlighted the sharp features of his face, illuminating some parts while dipping others into shadows. He looked delectable and I was definitely starting to hope for a kiss.

"In the end, it actually did us some good," he finished his story, emptying his glass of beer. "My punishment was to help my predecessor, Solomon, out. In the beginning, it really felt like a punishment, but I grew to love being outside in the wilderness, and started to enjoy taking care of our packlands. I never stopped."

"Mave told me you're the one who started keeping bees?"

Watching his whole face light up was one of the highlights of this evening. And I had fun finding more and more topics that elicited that reaction. It was inspiring.

"Yes. It was supposed to be a fun project, but we're actually making money off of the honey and beeswax. It's not much since we really only sell the stuff at the farmer's market or to other pack members, but it's a revenue stream, and quite a few teenagers actually enjoy beekeeping, so it's a fantastic way to involve them in pack business."

"That sounds like it's important to you?"

Our server came and handed Rhett the check, who pulled a few bills out of his wallet, then handed them to our server, his eyes never leaving mine.

"It is," he said, smiling. "I can tell you more about it on the way home? I'm afraid it's time for us to head out."

Biting my lip, I let my eyes wander through the restaurant, and yeah, Rhett was right. We were some of the last few people still occupying tables, and most looked like they were about to leave. No wonder. The clock above the bar said it was past eleven already.

When did that happen?

"Sure."

I rubbed my chest as a pang hit me right in the heart, distributing coldness that spread through my veins with every beat of my heart.

The date was about to end. We were about to drive back to the Inn, where I'd say goodnight, and then I'd head up to my room.

Alone.

Dread coiled tight in my stomach. A dread I didn't understand. I liked my room, and I loved the Inn. It was so warm and welcoming. Every time I entered the building, it felt like I was getting a warm hug from my grandma. Sure, the interior was a bit dated, and it smelled a little dusty, but it also smelled like maple and cinnamon, the fireplace, and warmth.

Still, the prospect of returning to my room alone made me feel empty. Like there was a black hole in the pit of my stomach growing bigger with every second.

"Are you okay?" Rhett frowned at me, his eyes filled with concern.

"Yeah… I…" I shrugged, then got up from my chair. I didn't know how to voice that feeling. Hell, I didn't even know why I was feeling the way I did.

It'd been a great evening, an amazing one even. The best date I'd ever been on, hands down.

Rhett's heavy, muscular arm wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me snugly against his side. Immediately, the cold disappeared, warmth returning to my body. Sighing, I leaned my head against his chest and let him walk me out.

Was this the mate bond?

I startled, almost tripping over my own feet.

"Levi?" Rhett gently held me close, making sure to keep me upright while I was having trouble finding my balance.

"Is it like this for you, too?" I asked, rubbing my chest.

"What? What are you talking about?" Rhett pulled me away from his side, his hands on my upper arms, looking at me with worry.

"This coldness… this utter emptiness whenever you're, or I guess in your case whenever I'm, not close to you." Shuddering, I shook my head. "It's like you're taking all my warmth with you when you leave." Case in point, snuggling with him was warming me up from the inside.

Rhett blinked down at me, confusion evident in his eyes. "You… you feel that way?"

"Shouldn't I?" I asked. "I mean, we're mates, right? Mave said mates are irrevocably drawn to each other. That there's a bond between us even before we… mate."

The whole mating thing still was a bit of a mindfuck. Fucking, biting and ending up magically tied together for the rest of one's life was not something I'd ever seen myself doing instead of, you know, getting married in a church or in a courthouse or, hell, in a botanical garden.

I'd expected a ceremony, I'd expected all my friends and family to be present and witness me committing myself to my one true love, but now I definitely didn't want anyone besides Rhett witnessing the whole thing.

Rhett remained quiet, silently studying me, his eyes filled with questions I probably didn't know the answer to. After all, I was the one who was new to the whole fated mates thing, not him. He should be the one to provide me with answers instead of looking at me like I was a riddle he had to solve.

"Do you… is there anything else you're feeling that's… off?" He finally said, scrunching up his brows.

We kept walking until we reached his truck, stopping in front of the passenger door. I quickly opened the door and climbed inside while Rhett rounded his car and got into the drivers' seat.

As the motor rumbled to life, his eyes wandered back to me, patiently waiting for an answer.

"You mean like me being able to feel when you're close?"

Rhett sucked in a breath and nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay, I'm able to feel when you're close; I even know where you're coming from. Like today, I knew you were right outside the front door."

I bit my lip as I saw Rhett grabbing the steering wheel tighter, his knuckles turning white, his brows pulled together, lips pressed into a thin line.

"I've never heard about a human being affected by their fated mate like this prior to being mated," he eventually muttered. "Never. The human mates in our pack told me they felt attracted to their mate, and they fell in love hard and fast, but that's it."

Snorting, I shook my head. "Maybe I'm not human after all," I quipped, then giggled upon seeing Rhett's shocked face. "Calm down," I said, following my instinct and placing a hand on his right arm. Immediately, he took a deep breath and his shoulders sagged a little as the tension left his body. "I'm definitely human. As human as one could possibly be."

It took him a while, but in the end, Rhett managed a small smile. "You certainly smell human to me. It's just… weird."

Laughing, I squeezed his arm. "Hey, I'm the guy who cuddles what he thought was a wild wolf and then even followed the wolf's survival tips. By now, you should know that weird is my middle name."

When Rhett let out a small laugh, my body relaxed. Though tentative, the sound was genuine. Free.

For a while, we just drove through the night in comfortable silence. I didn't need him to talk, and I honestly didn't know what to say. What to make out of our whole situation?

"Does it freak you out?" Rhett finally asked into the silence, briefly glancing at me. "Your reaction to our mate bond, I mean." He took a deep breath, tension returning to his features, the muscles in his arm beneath my hand tightening rhythmically. "I'd get it. You didn't sign up for any of this."

"I sure as fuck didn't, but meeting you is the only good thing that came from me being dumped in the middle of nowhere, soo… I don't know. Freaking out might be the wrong word. Or maybe not. It is freaky to know where you are, but also… I kind of like it. I like being able to feel you, to feel the warmth when you're close. Maybe I'm more freaked out by the fact of how much I enjoy this bond. But I'm worried about what it means for us."

His whole life was here. His work, his friends, his family. His pack. Here, he had a place to shift and run, a place to let out his wolf.

My whole life was in Vancouver; friends, family, apartment, job—if I still had one, that was.

What would happen when I had to return?

"We'll figure it out," Rhett vowed, his eyes boring into my soul. "Whatever life throws at us, we'll figure it out."

Smiling at him, I finally gave in to what a part of me was urging me to do: I touched him. Placing a hand on his thigh loosened something in me, made my stomach unclench and my heart skip a beat before my pulse evened out into a slow, steady pace. I didn't understand how this was possible. How a simple touch could cause such a visceral reaction, especially since we didn't have direct skin contact, but it didn't matter if I understood or not, I couldn't deny what was happening. Couldn't deny the way Rhett's eyes lit up, couldn't deny the way a tingling sensation slowly crept up my arm, spreading throughout my whole body, sparking a fire inside my gut.

My eyes roamed over Rhett, taking in his form, the way he smiled while staring out the window, never taking his eyes off the road. He had a death grip on the steering wheel, knuckles white, muscles in his forearms drawn tight.

He bit his lip and holy shit… how could this one gesture be so hot? An electric shock raced through my body, right into my groin, and for a moment I couldn't breathe.

I wanted to pluck his lip free, and I wanted to kiss him. Right here, right now. I wanted to be the reason his lips were swollen and shiny, wanted to muss up his hair, wanted to know how his beard would feel against my skin.

Fuck. I bet it'd feel so good. A little scratchy, a little rough, and oh-so intense.

Rhett let out a strangled sound, and I watched his Adam's apple bob in his throat as he swallowed heavily. Nostrils flaring, his hands gripped the steering wheel even tighter, the plastic crunching precariously beneath his fingers.

"I can…" He swallowed again, eyes flashing as he looked at me. "Just for your information, I can smell your arousal."

Oh.

Oh shit.