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“Human?” More than ever, shifters and humans mating had become more common. We didn’t have to hide in the shadows like some species. But I’d always been told only shifters had fated mates. If she was our fated mate, did that mean we were hers and the common wisdom not wise at all?
“Yes. She’s open to a polyamorous relationship. Listed shifters as a potential interest as a match. Probably how she even got on the app. It’s supposed to be for shifters and other paras…or I thought so anyway.” He scrubbed his hand over his face. “She’s a lot younger than us.”
“So?” I asked, not willing to let anything barricade us from our mate. She was of legal age, certainly. “The app wouldn’t have matched us if she had expressed a preference for a certain age, right? Can we look?”
Unfamiliar with the app, we scrolled and clicked on various things in Monroe’s profile until we landed on her specifics.
“Holy shit,” I mumbled.
Edward cursed under his breath. “You’re seeing that too? She prefers older men.”
I chuckled. “Well, that’s us. What else?”
We went over everything and realized that after all these years, Fate had smiled on us. In our youth, our mate hadn’t even been born yet. That said a lot about our age, but it seemed Monroe didn’t mind.
“What do we do now?” I asked, eager to make a connection before someone else did even though we were the only match under her profile. How could an app know about fateds?
“We can send her a message. Accept the match and see if she does the same.”
I blew out a breath. I’d perched on the edge of cliffs. Climbed mountains. Looked down from bridges between ledges and saw my life flash before me. But nothing scared me more than this. Sending this woman a message, a woman that my bear was already clamoring for and having her reject us or worse, never answer one way or the other.
We’d never been ruled by fear. Now wasn’t any time to start.
“Do it,” I said.
Edward typed out a message and sent it off. I heard the swishing motion. “Now we wait,” he said.
“Now we wait.”
Chapter Six
Edward
With the breakfast dishes done, I walked under the stairs to my study. Ansel had one too, but mine had a secret entrance. No real need for it—just seemed cool when we were weighing in on the design of our place.
I sat in my chair and sent a text to my brother, Heath, asking if he wanted to hang out sometime today. I hadn’t seen him since we left for Greece. I missed my nieces and nephews as well.
My chair leaned back under my weight. I chuckled, thinking about Ansel’s reaction to Monroe. He and I desired a mate to the same degree but to see the gleam in my friend’s eyes, thinking that this could be our chance, realized, well, it made me happy.
My bear had stirred when we saw Monroe’s picture. He clawed at me, trying to get out, as though he could claim her through the phone. Bears weren’t very smart about technology, but if only the app gave us that option.
I checked my notifications when a text from Heath came in. He needed some time away from the house and wanted to meet me for a few rounds of pool and some chili cheeseburgers. He loved those sloppy, heartburn-inducing things.
I sent a text to Ansel and headed out after changing into some jeans and a gray T-shirt. The pool hall was just inside the local city limits. Our home sat far away from civilization, and the area surrounding was blanketed with trees and dense forest spreading to the mountain range in the distance.
“Hey.” Heath was waiting for me outside the pool hall. I had ten years on him but raising kids made him look older. Give me dark circles anytime, if it meant I had cubs and a mate to go home to.
“You look like shit,” I said, laughing and clapped him on the shoulder.
“Thanks. You look like Dad,” he teased. We walked inside and ordered sodas and burgers, along with their crispy beer-battered onion rings. My breath was sure to stink, but well worth it.
We sat on barstools at one of the small tables at the edges of the room and dug into our food.
Finally, he looked up at me. “How was Greece?”
“Beautiful. Stunning views. Incredible food. You can never go wrong with Greece. How’s Amy? The kids?”
He proceeded to give me all the updates, which were many since he had three cubs and his wife was just about the best thing that had ever happened to him. I’d stood up for him at his mating and rarely seen anyone so in love.
