This couldn’t be the first time someone had sniffed an unusual mate. He knew of at least one other in the pack. He punched in the familiar numbers and waited, one hand on the railing as he sucked in the refreshing air off the ocean.
“Yo. Heard the news you got sacked.” TJ Lynus was another middle-of-the-packer in the Granite Lake wolves and an all-round good guy. “Want to drown your sorrows tonight? Pam’s working the graveyard shift. I’m free to go carousing, so to speak.”
With everything else on his mind, Mark had forgotten he’d been laid off. “That was days ago. It’s old news, and I’m not upset or anything. I have something important to ask you, though. Regarding Pam.”
“Really?” TJ’s laidback attitude vanished, even over the phone, becoming more protective. “What do you need to know about my mate?”
How the heck did he ask this? Mark snorted. Maybe he needed to take a page from the straight-out honesty Tessa had shown. “Pam’s human. When you sniffed her out as your mate, did you…?”
He already knew what TJ had ended up doing to convince the woman that werewolves existed. The situation was now legend in the pack.
“What are you not saying? Did you find your mate? Is she human?” TJ asked.
Dead silence. Mark discovered he’d turned to face the paddle wheeler, searching instinctively for a glimpse of Tessa. “Yes, I found her. No, she’s not human. She’s…well, a cat. Not sure what kind yet.”
He should have expected the laughter that greeted his announcement. TJ hooted for a moment before pulling himself together. “Congrats. Awesome news—the finding-your-mate part. You’ve been looking for her, you should be happy now. And at least you don’t have to explain to her shifters exist.”
There was a bright spot. “Good point.”
“So why are you calling me instead of burning up the sheets? Something’s got to be off.”
Mark moved down the deck until he could peer in the windows, watching her blonde hair bounce as she followed Grampa Josiah’s more stately march. They walked through the room Gramps used when he stayed overnight. Her smile seemed genuine while she listened to the old shifter, her gaze darting everywhere.
Was he in love with her? Damn it, what was love to a shifter? This feeling of intense satisfaction he had inside at having found her was a kind of love, wasn’t it?
“Dude…you still there?” TJ clicked his tongue. “Let me guess. She’s not from around here.”
He didn’t want to turn this into a guessing game. “She’s a cat. She wants to fall in love before we mate.”
This time silence echoed from the other end for way too long. TJ finally whistled softly. “Oh boy. Okay, I take it back how explaining about shifters was harder than what you’ve got. You mean she wants you to wait?”
“Seems that way. Yes.”
“Well, hell.”
They both sighed at the same time.
“That’s why I called.” There had to be something he could do to speed things along. “Maybe it would help if Pam had a heart-to-heart with her, because you two hit it off pretty fast, and all.”
“I’ll ask her. Hate to say it, my big bro is your best bet. Or Robyn. They know all kinds of things. And if you’re serious, and you’re going to bring her to visit the pack, you’d better talk to them anyway. I don’t think tossing a cat into the mix is a good idea without checking with the Alphas first. Humans aren’t cats. Like…whoa, your mate is a cat. Not saying I’d be too worried about… Well, you should just call them.”
If there was an indication this situation was not normal, it was TJ warning him about how dangerous things could get. “Great. My one competitor for the ‘picks the most awkward mate ever’ award, and you’re not very reassuring.”
TJ laughed. “Don’t worry. It’ll all be worth it in the end. She’s your mate, dude. There’s nothing like a mate, no matter how hairy the trip is to get to the point you’re both one hundred percent in line. Trust me on that one.”
It was all he had to go on. “Thanks, anyway.”
“Dude?” TJ cut in one last time. “She’s a cat. Think about it. This might not be as bad as you expect.”
Mark had no idea what TJ was implying. He clicked off the phone and tried not to stare as Tessa wandered through his bedroom, expression of rapt adoration on her face as she peered at the woodwork.
At least she liked his house.
Standing outside staring in at her, his wolf demanding he go in and jump her bones, Mark came to a startling conclusion. Maybe TJ hadn’t given him any long-term solutions to their problem, but one thing he had mentioned in passing was absolute truth.
It was going to be worth it in the end. She wanted him to fall in love with her? He was already over halfway there. Instinct wouldn’t let him do anything but want her, and want the best for her.