Rig put on his seatbelt and started the truck. He dialed the alpha's office while backing out of the construction site. As luck would have it the alpha had an opening in an hour, just enough time to make it back to pack territory.
He turned off the main road on to the private drive that led to the compound. He'd had a long, quiet drive to organize his thoughts and put together questions. About a mile down the drive the gate came into view, Rig rolled down his window to enter the access code and the gate rolled smoothly open.
Another couple of miles through dense forest and he was at the compound. It looked like a large, well appointed neighborhood, centered around a community building with a pool and playground. Rig parked in front of the community building and walked in to be greeted by the receptionist. She checked the appointment book, before calling in to the Alpha's office to announce his arrival.
"He'll see you now, follow me." She led him through a set of double doors and into the Alpha's office. Alpha William Smith and his mate Karen were seated in front of a crackling fire, casual and relaxed. Will stood up as Rig entered and held out his hand.
"Rig! So good to see you, come have a seat." Will motioned to a chair across from the loveseat he and Karen shared and Rig perched on the edge of the seat.
"You look like you are about to come apart at the seams Rig, what's going on?" Karen asked, concern and kindness radiating from her.
"I'm not quite sure where to start. I met my mate this morning."
Will and Karen grinned and congratulated him.
"That's good news, but there's something more isn't there?" Will prodded gently.
"She's human."
Karen gasped and Will looked concerned. "Rig, you are a strong and valued member of this pack. We've had our eye on you for more responsibility. But you have to know how unlikely this claim is?"
Rig tried to rein in his temper. He wasn't an Alpha, it was an unusual situation, but he knew his mate. "I understand it is unusual, but I have no doubt. She is my mate."
Will and Karen exchanged a glance. "Rig," Karen started with a gentle tone, "If she truly is your mate there are some things that will confirm that for us. We need to make absolutely sure."
"Take it from the beginning. I don't mean yesterday, go back over the past 6 months. Has anything strange been happening?"
"Yes actually," Rig looked surprised, "for a few months now I've been dreaming I was chasing my mate through the woods, but I couldn't catch her. These dreams are unlike any I've ever had."
"What was so unusual about them?" Will prompted.
"First they didn't feel like a dream, they felt like a memory." Rig was uncertain what they wanted, but thought back over the past couple of months, "And the smell. It's been driving me crazy. Always cupcakes."
Will and Karen exchanged another meaningful glance. "Tell us about this morning." Karen leaned towards him.
"I had the dream again and woke up smelling cupcakes. On the way to work I stopped at a coffee shop near the site I'm working at, as soon as I walked in I was hit with the cupcake smell again, only this time. . . " He paused, slightly embarrassed.
"This time it was like somebody gave you a shot of viagra?" Will had a chuckle in his voice.
"Yeah." Rig admitted, "and my wolf was going crazy. I looked around for the source of the smell but there were no cupcakes in the shop. Then I heard a woman laugh and everything else just disappeared, my wolf was lunging, nearly out of my control."
"You introduced yourself?" Karen reached for Will's hand, squeezing it affectionately.
"Yes, there were no empty tables so I asked if I could sit with her. We shook hands and it was like a thousand volts went through me. It seemed like she felt something too. We talked for about an hour and she's. . . " he gestured, trying to find the right word, "well there's no other way to say it, she's perfect."
Will nodded, contemplating for a moment, "Was she aroused?"
Rig nodded, shifting in his seat as he remembered the smell of her arousal, her erect nipples pushing against that green dress.
"Rig you know a human mate is highly unusual at all, let alone for a Beta member of a pack. We are about to share some information with you that most people don't know." he put his arm around Karen and pulled her against him, kissing the top of her head. "There are very specific things that happen when a wolf is fated a human mate. This isn't common knowledge because we don't want false claims being made. Do you understand?"
Rig tensed and asked defensively, "Do you think I'm making a false claim?"
"No Rig," Karen shook her head earnestly, "You have definitely not made a mistake. The first things we look for are reoccurring dreams and a haunting smell. Human mates always show up in our dreams first for some reason, always elusive and out of reach. Then the smell. You already know we all identify our mates by smell but a human mate teases us long before we meet them."
Rig relaxed hearing his Alphas validate his claim.
"Then of course we look for your reactions to each other. Though she knows nothing of wolves and fated mates her body recognizes you already. The fact that you find her compatible is not surprising, Luna is wise in her matches." Karen smiled up at her mate.
"Rig we need you to understand that this is highly classified information. You must not share it with anyone else. But from what you've shared with us it appears that Luna has blessed our pack with another human mate. We are incredibly lucky and your children will be strong and valued members of this pack. Our pack will continue to be strong and healthy well in to the future with the gentic diversity from Karen and. . ." He paused, not knowing the name of Rig's mate.
"Georgia." Rig offered.
"Georgia, that's lovely!" Karen gushed.
"But, well, what now?" Rig was at once hopeful and concerned. How on earth did he move forward with making her his?
"That's tricky." Will stood up and paced a couple times in front of the fire before turning back toward him. "Have you arranged to see her again?"
