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"Isaiah is your mate. There is no doubt about it." He offered and then glanced out to the bay. "He's one of our best security people. That's why the Alpha sent him to the Coven to be trained in the new systems. He catches on quick, and he has a mind that is always working. He’s also a damn good soldier.”

He didn’t need Seamus to sell him Isaiah's attributes. He knew for himself that he was a good man. The connection they shared gave him an inside view of just who Isaiah was, and he was attracted to every part of him.

“I know he’s my mate. I felt the connection, and Jake had already explained the basics of what to expect.” He finished his sandwich and then set the plate aside, taking his coffee and drinking a few sips. “It was more powerful than I would have expected, which just makes it clear to me that he is the one. It's kind of bonkers actually to think that yesterday I wanted to burn this place down, and now here I am having lunch and apparently planning my wedding.”

Seamus laughed hard, and Aidan joined. "Feels good, doesn't it.”

"Yes, it does. I know I have a lot to learn, and life is going to be awkward for me for a while, but I am excited to get to know Isaiah. I just met him, and within hours, I was ready to move in without hesitation. Will it always feel like this so desperate and overwhelming?” Aidan discovered that the longer he was apart from Isaiah, the more he longed to be with him. “The pull, as Isaiah called it, is fierce.”

“I've been mated for a few years, and I've found that it just gets better, broader, and more intense. That’s the power of a Fated bond. There is nothing like it in the world, and it is fierce.” Seamus stated.

“I look forward to it. Now I just have to get Jake on board.”

“Hayes is taking care of that.”

Isaiah remained at home, wondering what Aidan was thinking and when he would see him again. He knew he was being pathetic, but he believed he had a right to his feelings, considering his mate had walked away from him without a backward glance and had not contacted him since.

Travis had stopped by, but Isaiah was not fit company for anyone. He let him know that Hayes had worked things out with Jake, and Aidan was asking questions. “He’s understanding what's happening, and he knows that you're his mate."

"Then where is he? Why is he not at my side." Isaiah was losing his cool the longer he had to wait. His wolf was pushing to shift and just bring the man home, but as good as that idea sounded, it wouldn't work out in the end. Aidan had to come to him of his own free will; he could not be forced or coerced.

"Give him time, Isaiah. It's only been a day.” Isaiah apologized for his abruptness and thanked Travis for keeping him informed. “Also, the Alpha has given Sasha permission to set up a border on the bay side similar to what his grandfather gave the Coven. He's already on it, so we will find out if mage magic is the answer." As much as that should have been satisfying for Isaiah, all he could do was nod. The absence of his mate was making everything dark and lifeless, and excitement was out of reach.

“I hope it works for us as well as it works for the Coven.” Finally, Travis had his fill and forced Isaiah out of his house and down to the dining hall for dinner. It helped a little, very little, but it did get his mind off things for a bit. He could see the main house from where they were seated, and it gave him comfort to know he was close to his mate.

“He won't stay away for long," Travis assured. Everyone was telling him the same thing, and yet Aidan had yet to seek him out. It had been several hours, and the waiting was excruciating. It was dusk when they left the dining hall, and Travis left him to get ready for work. Isaiah decided to take a walk on the beach to clear his head before heading home.

“The security glamour that Sasha used has brought to light a magic spell that exists on the bay side from the southern border to the forest line. We didn’t put it there.” Javiar reported the illicit intrusion to Henrik immediately. “Sasha removed it, but he said it has been there for quite some time gathering information on the property and the pack.”

“Why didn’t we know it was there?" Henrik barked, clearly disappointed in the lack of thoroughness.

“It was cloaked and placed deep within the aura of the lake. Even Sasha didn’t know it was there until his magic bumped into it.” This was serious, and the ramifications were endless. Henrik ran his hands through his hair, furious at the breech and desperate to find the source. He called Derek and put him on the case, and asked Sasha to try and find the author of the magic.

“Sasha is doing a complete sweep of our borders and every inch of pack lands to see if there are any other surveillance spells in place.”

“Bring Sasha to me as soon as he is finished.”

"I'm sorry, Aidan, I overreacted.” Jake sat with Aidan on the back deck. “I knew that your mate was here somewhere, but it just seemed so odd that you'd just run into him while on a walk. Everything struck me as contrived the more I thought about it, and then I felt responsible for you, and what if I'd drawn you into something that wasn't real." Jake continued to drone on and on, trying to find the right words.

"I can't very well chastise you for overreacting, considering how I acted yesterday, but the way you spoke to Isaiah was uncalled for." Aidan sat there with his brother, butevery molecule in his body was pushing him to go and find Isaiah. It had been hours since he left him there by the bench, and the void was beginning to become painful.

“He’s really your mate?” Jake once again asked for reassurance.

"Based on the way I felt when I saw him and the way I'm feeling right now, I'd say yes. I don’t know much about this culture, but I know how I feel when I'm with him, and it is like nothing I've ever felt before. I want to investigate these feelings, and I want to know him, and more importantly, there is an urgency stirring in my heart that is compelling me to go find him." Aidan spoke calmly, but it was calm. He was not feeling. It had been too long he needed to go to him.

Aidan suddenly stood and looked down upon the beach below them and saw a man walking and recognized him immediately. That need brewing in his soul exploded, and he jumped from the deck and began racing down to the beach. Jake did not interfere with him this time. He obviously knew better.

He was at a considerable distance, but he knew his mate. He knew it was Isaiah, and he needed to get to him. He should have gone sooner. Suddenly, he was feeling guilt descending upon him. He shouldn't have waited. He should have sought him out earlier, but so many things had held him back, not least of which was his own lingering doubts that kept getting in his way.

The what-ifs were killing him and had kept him at the pack house waiting instead of going to Isaiah. Isaiah was a stranger, and yet there wasn't anyone on this earth that he knew better. The truth of that was what had kept him frozen and waiting, not trusting himself until he saw him on the beach, and then nothing would stop him. All doubts and hesitations disappeared.

Isaiah stopped when he saw him. He didn't come to him. He simply watched and waited. The insecurity he was feeling filled the air between them, and Aidan felt like an ass for having waited so long and for having left him to begin with. He made some mistakes today, but going forward, he would not, ever again, take this man for granted.

“Isaiah.” He called out, but Isaiah remained rooted to the spot. He ran faster, needing to get to him as soon as possible. “I’m sorry.” He said quickly and stopped a few feet in front of where Isaiah stood. He looked tired and sad, and it tore at Aidan. “I shouldn’t have left you. I shouldn’t have stayed away so long." Still, Isaiah did not respond. He stared at Aidan, his expression changing from uncertainty to what looked like hope.

Aidan moved closer until they were mere inches apart. “I’m sorry." He said again, and Isaiah reached out, brushing the hair back from Aidan's face. He let his fingertips linger, brushing them gently across Aidan's cheek.

"I'm not trying to deceive you, Aidan. I am not a liar." The words came out like gravel, low and coarse.