Tiffany was talking about some sort of fancy dress that she was trying to get a store to bring in for her. I mostly tuned her out since dresses didn’t really interest me. My fashion sense went something along the lines of 'if it keeps me warm and dry, then it’s good'. She froze mid-sentence, and I felt a wave of shock roll across her mind. I glanced at her and saw that she was staring at me with wide eyes. Will, Samantha, and John were also watching her in confusion.

Tiffany leaned over to gently tug the wide strap of my tank top to the side, revealing the mark on my shoulder. Her eyes bulged out. "And when did this happen? I thought it was odd that Will seemed so relaxed, but I didn't expect this yet." She took a deep breath and wave of frustration crossed her mind. She huffed, "I can't even pick up your scent under Will's to see if it has changed. Did you roll in a pile of leaves again? You seem to smell pretty strongly of the forest again."

Samantha and John looked surprised; I guessed they hadn't noticed the mark either. I said, "I ran around with it all day yesterday and no one commented. My scent is weak because I am a runt, which is why the plants and Will's scent overwhelms mine so easily."

Tiffany shook her head in frustration. "No one tells me anything important. I have to catch it myself every time. At least I have the morning off so we can catch up on gossip. What are your plans for today anyways?"

I shrugged. "Not much. I was asked if I could help with lunch in the smaller kitchen, and this afternoon I have to put together some sort of a plan on how to teach people to both mask their scent and detect those who are doing it."

Tiffany said, "Great, I can help with that this morning."

~

Tiffany groaned as she complained, "Why did I agree to this again?"

"I really have no idea."

She perked up. "Oh, right, gossip! So, is your bond completed?!"

I dropped the pan I was washing into the sink of water in shock, splashing both of us. "Is that really the first question you came up with?"

She grinned unrepentantly at me. "Since I can't figure it out on my own, I have to ask."

I sighed. "Yes, although I am not sharing any details."

She clapped her hands in excitement. "Has he seen those grey temptations we bought?!"

"Tiffany! What is it with you and lingerie?"

She pouted. "I dream of a mate of my own to drive insane one day. The worst part is that I haven't had any luck in finding him – and I made sure to see every guy who visits the pack or passes through. I have even gone to the worst parties in the creepiest packs just in hopes."

She sighed, and I felt her mood become dejected. "I haven't had any luck in finding him." She glanced up at me in speculation as a thought crossed her mind. "You seemed to know who Mark's mate was even before they met. Do you have any guess about who my mate might be? You have seen dozens of packs."

Her mood shifted to hope and excitement.

I said, "Mark was mostly coincidence since I had just met Cassie a couple hours before. Nothing is standing out in my mind at the moment."

She sighed and dropped into a chair to gaze up at the ceiling. Disappointment and sadness radiated from her. I didn't like seeing her sad.

I bit my lip lightly, and an old memory came to mind. I spoke slowly, "There actually might be a chance I can give you a lead, but I’m not sure if my abilities are strong enough to pull it off."

She sat upright in excitement. "What? How?"

I gestured to the doorway. "Let's go to your room, it will be quieter and we won't be disturbed."

She quickly led me upstairs. We sat on her bed, and I gently took her hands as I told her, "I have never attempted to do this before, and I’m running off of something that someone once told me a long time ago. I am going to get you to sit still, close your eyes, and try to still your mind. The fewer emotions I have to sift through, the better. Okay?"

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She nodded eagerly before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. While she worked at calming herself down, I mindlinked Will, "I am testing out one of my Omega abilities with Tiffany, don't be surprised if you feel a few weird tingles across the mate bond. We are in her room, and her door is locked if you come looking for us."

He swiftly replied, "Thanks for the heads up." He didn't seem too concerned, possibly because I was with Tiffany in her room.

I stretched my senses towards Tiffany and went below the surface. Her energetic mind was swirling with emotions that she was chasing around as she tried to force them into an inner peace. The varied colors of the emotions were distracting. It was like watching a hyper teenager try to meditate after drinking four or five espressos and two energy drinks.

With an internal sigh, I dove deeper. What I was looking for would be hidden deep. Our hand to hand contact was needed for me to get this deep. It was much harder with her than it had been with Will. The emotions now were like a heavy fog, deeper and more primal. I kept moving with difficulty through the thick miasma.

Like with thick smoke, just beneath the emotions was a clear area. I circled the area in her mind in curiosity. The elderly Omega had been right; each wolf had about a dozen potential mates in his or her life. It was how most found their mate so easily.

Once they met their mate, the other potential connections would disappear, and once the bond was completed, the extras would have no chance of returning. Those who were rejected still had hope of finding their second chance mate since the potential mate stones would re-appear.

Tiffany had six potential mate stones at the moment, although the dull lifeless rocks were a far cry from the glowing stone that I had seen in Will's mind since she had not met her mate yet. From what I was told, they were inert and had no potentially dangerous energy. I gingerly reached out to touch one, wary of a backlash. Nothing. I could feel the faintest hazy shimmer of emotion through it that must belong her potential mate, but that was it.

I backed up a bit to regard the six stones. Well, she definitely had a mate out there. But where were they? Even inert, the fact that I could even somewhat sense the guy meant that there had to be some sort of link. Was it at all possible to see which direction it led? I tried to extend my location sensing ability towards the stones. It was very hard. I was already at the edge of my abilities, and I could feel the strain.

I pushed a bit harder. Come on, stones. I am trying to help you here. Who do you belong to?

Chills ran up my spine as the stones seemed to pick up my internal irritated muttering. They started to shimmer and somehow reflected back my power to temporarily hold me captive. Like a mirage, I could see each stone’s link heading to a distant location.

The mirage zoomed out, and I could see foggy patches of color that were various packs scattered across the landscape like a map. Everything in the image was made of light, the rivers were a pale blue sparkle, and the forests varied in shade according the dominant flora in it.

I eyed up the links. Four were more than a quarter of the world away. I concentrated on the last two. My focus was being affected by my growing exhaustion, using my abilities to this extreme level was draining my energy quickly. One link went far to the south, past the mountains. I noted its location.

The other link was closer and headed to the northwest; I noted the rivers and lakes near it. It was likely only ten days travel for Tiffany. Oddly enough, neither of them were inside of a pack’s boundaries. Her mates were likely rogues.

I had what I needed. As if the stones were eavesdropping on my mind, they released me and returned to their dormant state. I sighed in relief.

I did want to see if I could get an idea of what the two nearer mates were like. I went up to the stone that pointed south and put my hands on it. I gently pushed my senses into the stone, being careful to let the stone know that I just wanted to get an idea of who he was. The emotions became stronger, and I got a vague sense of anger and irritability. My eyes widened, I had no idea how Tiffany was a match for this grouchy older rogue.

I went to the other stone, and a faint ring of laughter came through. Happiness and some sadness also leaked through. I was pretty sure the pack would have an easier time with this one joining the pack.

I knew which one I would be directing her to first. I backed away from the creepily aware stones and quickly pulled myself back into my own mind. With a sigh, I untangled my hands from Tiffany's and flopped back on the bed.

Tiffany opened up her eyes in surprise at my movement. I grinned at her, and her unusually quiet mind suddenly roared with excitement. "Did you find him?"

"You need to fetch me a map showing the nearby packs and the northwest area,” I said. The exhaustion was hitting me hard now, and I yawned. “I managed to pick up where he was, but you are going to have to move fast in case he’s traveling. I advise taking a few fighters along with you just in case you encounter trouble in no man's land."

She leapt off the bed and took off running. I closed my eyes to rest for a moment. If she left soon, his scent would be strong enough for Tiffany’s mate bond to pick up, even if he hadn’t stopped there long. His scent would stand out like a beacon for her if she crossed it, so she should have no problems tracking him, regardless if he was masking his scent or not.

Hopefully, he wasn’t travelling too fast or going too far.