Holly

I glance up at the towering building, but all I feel is a mix of stress and jitters. In the small town of Divinity, things have gotten a little crazy over the years. Wolves haven’t been able to find their mates, but neither have any of the other paranormals, either.

To tell you the truth, I place the blame on the fact we came out to humans two hundred years ago. Once that cat was out of the bag, it seems like our matings have declined and so have our ranks. Not only that, there are so many more out there that are a mix of the two, supernatural and human, which isn’t really a big deal, except for the lack of finding mates.

You’d think with a surplus of people and more options we would be flourishing, not struggling.

As for me, I’m a werewolf from one of the largest packs in the world called Silver Bane. Yet I can’t seem to find my mate in this city and it’s driving me crazy.

My two best friends told me about this place and I’m hesitant. It’s called Love Bytes and their motto is that if they can’t find your mate, then no one can.

I asked how they tracked everyone, but apparently you have to put your application in and they match you with the best one. So far, in the last two years, they’ve made two hundred matches just around this area and plan to expand into other towns to help supernaturals.

I think they’re just a little on the crazy side and their slogan is too cheesy.

A ragged breath escapes my chest and I slowly head up the concrete steps toward the double glass doors. Once I enter through, I know my world is going to change.

And even though I’m excited, I’m scared out of my wits.

My gaze moves down to the trembling papers clutched in my hand and I force myself to keep moving toward the doors, though I feel like a bundle of nerves inside. All I have to do is keep moving toward my future, but it’s so hard to do so when I’m this nervous.

You really should move faster. No wonder we don’t have a mate. You are as slow as a snail. Do you think snails get mates?

I choke back a laugh. My poor wolf has been hounding me to find our mate by any means possible, including doing this, which seems so stupid. Though I prefer finding a mate the old-fashioned way, I know that it’s not happening.

I’ve already waited seventy years and I could wait even more years, but I don’t really want to. Maybe it’s crazy. 

Yet I know deep in my gut that finding a mate is near impossible now that we are mixed with humans. I’d have to go to every city possible. At least this way, I can get matched with my best options and go from there. It cuts out some of the legwork. 

I reach for the door, my free hand slightly brushing against the cool metal before I squeeze it tight and pull. The door comes open easily, allowing me to slip inside.

A blast of cold air hits me in the face, causing me to jump. I look up, only to find a vent right inside the door. “Crazy placement.”

I finally glance back in front of me, only to find a tiny woman standing behind the counter. She probably isn’t even five feet tall and looks fragile. Her dark brown eyes bore a hole straight through me. 

I walk toward her, still clutching the application in my left hand. She glances down, already suspecting what I’m coming here for.

When I reach the counter, I place the application down on the white marble top. “I’m here for -”

She cuts me off automatically. “I know what you are here for. You want to see the matchmaker, though you look like a trembling leaf. It’s not that bad. That much I can promise you.”

“The who?”

To be honest, I thought they just took the application and were done with it. I never thought they had someone up there making matches like a glorified consultant who thinks they are directly linked to fate.

No one but fate can do this. Even if I meet someone nice, unless she says yes, I may have them for a time, then nothing will work until fate grants me my fated match.

Her knowing grin grows wider. “Let me take you to her.”

I watch her as she gathers my application with something else from beneath her desk. She makes quick work of everything before coming around to the left side. “Follow me.”

As she heads for the stairs, I notice the glass they’ve used as some sort of railing. It makes me nervous and feel a little less safe because I can see the floor as we climb higher and higher.

“So, do you know why so many of your pack are searching for mates? I thought you all met at least once a month for some kind of run? Surely, there are plenty of choices for you all. There are so many,” she says with a laugh.

“Silver Bane is a large pack, but that does not mean we are all fated matches.”

She barely glances over her shoulder as we top the stairs and head to the left. “Seems like you all have become lonely creatures since coming out to the humans. Vampires don’t have such issues.”

“Vampires are different from us. But yes, wolves have fallen apart. Now that humans know about us and we have spread out, it seems like the way we used to do things just doesn’t work anymore. Some have found mates within humans, fortunately, but not all. Times are changing so fast and we’re becoming less like the pack animals we are meant to be.”

She nods and shows me the door to the matchmaker’s office. “Oh, look at that. We have made it. Now, this is pretty easy. She just goes over your application and enters everything into our database. After this, you can expect to hear from your true love soon.”

I roll my eyes at her words. It all sounds ridiculous to me. “We will see.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

She opens the door slowly, and when I enter the room, I instantly regret ever coming here. The entire room is pink. Almost like bubble gum. She has flowing white curtains hung over her office window, which look weird considering they are all glass. There is only a little piece of wall between each window. 

Then my eyes drift to the left. There is a rather large painting hanging on it with swirling colors that makes me wonder if the seventies were her favorite time period.

When she turns her chair, her smile widens as her eyes land on me.

Yes, instant regret. I miss the old days when the packs gathered, and we met our mates that way. I know those times are long gone, but this is the craziest thing I have ever seen. But if I don’t do this, I know it may take hundreds of years to find one.

I don’t want to do that at all or wait any longer than I have.

“Is that all?” I hear a very male’s voice say from somewhere in the room.

And that is when I see our alpha sitting right in front of her. While taking in the dazzling and overstimulating room, I had missed him.

There is a burning feeling inside of me, yet I struggle to comprehend why I have it or what it even is. Why am I doing this now? What is this feeling?

Then he turns around to where I can see him.

His dark green eyes meet mine and I nearly faint from the eye contact. This is not my normal reaction ever and I have never once felt this way about him.

The woman from downstairs excuses herself to go back to the front desk while I stand there awkwardly gawking at him.

“Rex,” I whisper.

He finally stands from the chair and thanks the woman for her time. “I better be going.”

As Rex walks toward me, my heart thuds loudly in my chest, making me fear it might pound its way out. He walks by with the faintest brush against my shoulder and my wolf howls with delight.

I stand there for a second, gathering myself. Rex and I have a very complicated past.

His father has known my mother since they were kids, but they’re also in the same pack, so why wouldn’t they? Anyway, they grew up and got mated, just not to each other. When their chosen mates died, they found solace in each other.

Rex and I were both over eighteen, but not quite nineteen yet. So both adults when our parents mated. It only lasted about five years before that fell apart.

The sad part about this is Rex and I were friends before our parents got together. We always had fun, too. When they mated, it made things awkward between us and then when they split, it has just gotten worse, especially since he has taken over as alpha for the last forty years.

“What a weird one,” the woman says. “Hi honey, you can come in. The big bad scary alpha is gone.”

Shaking my head, I clear my thoughts and turn back to her. “Sorry. Rex is a bit to handle, but he’s a very nice guy. I’m sure you’ll find someone great for him.”

She smiles sheepishly. “Oh, boy. From your lips to fate’s ears. He scares me. Anyway, let’s get this started.”

The woman stands and comes from around her desk. It’s then I realize she doesn’t have my papers, but I don’t know where the assistant has gone.

She quickly reaches outside her door and finds my papers in the slot that is attached to it. “Come on in. This won’t take long.”

As she shuts the door behind us, I walk to the chair in front of her desk and ease myself into it. It still has his scent, which is driving me crazy.

She begins by telling me her name, then going over my application. The hard part is answering what I want from a man and what is my list of what I won’t accept.

It’s fairly easy, but I feel like this may never end. Then, like it started, it’s all over. I tried to answer the best I could, yet I feel like my request is too hard.

Is it really that simple?

Will she find love for me?

Can she? 

What if what I want doesn’t even exist?

I reach up to rub my forehead out of frustration. “Are you sure about this, Valerie?”

“Oh, I’m positive and I don’t think it’s going to take too long at all to find what you are looking for.” She scrolls through her computer with ease and a cocky grin. “Now, you will need to download our communications app onto your phone and it will show you all of your matches that I have selected for you. Feel free to turn them down or accept. Dates are up to you and what you two decide. Do not feel obligated just because I picked them for you. Sometimes I can get it wrong, but that is rare. Still, I want to lay that out so you know the freedom to choose is yours.”

I find my phone in my back pocket and download their communications app called Love Bytes before hastily shoving it back. “Thanks. I have it now.”

The door opens behind me, so I cast a quick glance, only to find the woman from downstairs standing there with another woman. “Miss Valerie, it’s been an hour and the next appointment is here.”

“Thank you, darling. Send them right in.” Her gaze sweeps across the room, then she looks at me. “And thank you, Holly. I think you are going to be just fine.”

“Awesome.” I rise from the chair and turn to leave.”

“You should get your matches in the next hour,” she states.”

I laugh and shake my head as I reach the door. “Hopefully, you will surprise me.”

I breathe out a sigh of relief as I walk back down the hallway from before. The woman from downstairs catches up to me quickly, her curly locks bouncing as she lightly jogs.

“So how did it go?”

“I think it went well. She said I’ll have matches in an hour so maybe I’m not that hard to figure out.”

We head to the right and down the stairs. I keep a hold of the purse at my side and think of what is about to happen. 

“Is it really that simple?” I ask as we reach the bottom.

She nods. “It is. Valerie is good at her job and honestly, all two hundred matches made have been her doing. No one else has been able to do it.”

I roll my eyes and don’t feel too surprised.

“Is there anything else I can help you with today?” She asks as she comes to a stop.

I glance down at the floor, shaking my head. “No, this will be all. Thank you for your help.”

As I walk off, she calls something out behind me, but I don’t quite hear her. I turn slowly, my eyes locking with hers. “What did you say?”

“I said good luck.”

My gaze moves to the side before returning to her. “Thank you -”

That’s when I realize I never got her name.

“Sam. My name is Sam.”

I give her a curt nod, thanking her, before turning around to leave. “Good luck, Sam. May you have luck with your endeavors.”

She only laughs. “You’ll never catch me turning in my application to find a mate. Wooo, I don’t know that I want one of those.”

As I open the door, it strikes me as odd she’d work at a place like this when she doesn’t even want to find a mate. She’s gorgeous and seems really sweet, so I don’t see why she wouldn’t if she’s having problems finding one. 

“So odd.”

I reach into my back pocket as it vibrates, but then decide to check it later. When I get home, I can look and see who she has lined up for me. Hopefully, everything goes smoothly for once, but I don’t know how things will be.

As I step back down onto the flat concrete sidewalk in front of the old brick building, I look to my left. Something in that direction is pulling me that way, but as I scan the crowds walking down the street, I don’t know what or who it could be. It’s not like I recognize every single face I see and there’s not really anything in that direction that captures my attention.

“This is such a weird day.”

Instead of turning left like my wolf wants, I turn right and head home, back to my apartment.

But the feeling of being watched remains.