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"Finding your mate isn't as simple as walking out into the world and looking for her," Mark said. "And even if it was, I can't leave this place until those goblins aren't a threat anymore, and, ideally, until I can find someone who can lift the curse from the treasure."

"What if it was simpler than that?" Jake said. "What if you could have your mate delivered right to your door?"

Mark snorted. "Yeah, right. If that was possible, everyone would be doing it."

"That's what happened to me, Mark." Jake laughed at the look on Mark's face. "I never told you the whole story about how Zoe and I met. She was ordered as a mail order bride to my house ... by someone else. I looked at the site Zoe mentioned after we were married, out of curiosity, and it turns out that the site was made to pair shifters with their mates. So if you order a bride, there's an extremely high chance she'll be the one meant for you."

After all these years, was it really possible for Mark to find true love? No, that didn't seem possible. Finding a mate was supposed to be a difficult and long process. Many shifters went their entire lives without finding their mate ... that was just how it had always been.

But why did that mean it had to stay that way? Everyone deserved to be happy, including shifters.

Including Mark.

"But what if Ariyawasthe one?" Mark said.

"I don't think they'll send you a match if they can't find your mate. You have nothing to lose by trying it out."

Mark nodded. He would either be given confirmation that his mate was gone, or he would be given an opportunity to find love again. Knowing the truth terrified him, but so did the prospect ofnotknowing. If Ariya was or wasn't his mate didn't change how he once loved her more than he loved himself, how he wanted to avenge her.

But that was so many years ago, now. It wasn't betraying her memory to look for love elsewhere. Especially if that love ended up being his mate, where Ariya hadn't been.

Mark breathed in deeply. "Okay. Let's give it a try."

Jake brought up the website of the mail order bride agency on his phone, and Mark filled in the forms as he was directed. The questions ranged from typical, like age and gender, to weirdly personal, and then outright bizarre and specific, such as how many goblins he'd killed so far in his lifetime.

At the end of it all, he submitted the form, and the phone screen turned into a pink background with a red heart that slowly filled up. Presumably, when it was done, he would know if there was a match out there for him.

Mark pushed the phone back into Jake's hands. "I can't watch."

"Okay, okay," Jake laughed. "Relax. Whatever happens, now you'll know for sure. And maybe I'll win, too, and you'll finally have a reason to leave your hermit mansion in the woods and come to the city."

"Yeah, right, don't push it."

A minute later, the phone made a chiming sound. Jake's eyes flicked up from the screen to Mark, and he waved it around before tossing it at him. "Looks like you've got a match, Mark."

Chapter 3 - Jennifer

The last time Jennifer got on a plane was when she moved from Colorado to Oregon, giving up the life she'd built so far to ensure her mother stayed alive. Now, she flew with a similar purpose: doing whatever it took to save her mom.

Even if that meant flying to the other side of the country and marrying a perfect stranger.

Jennifer strode from the airplane, turning on her cell after the long flight. She was met with a missed call from Arabelle, a concerned text from Lily, and another text from an unknown number.

No, Jennifer hadn't told Lily or Arabelle what she was doing ... and it was going to stay that way for now, until Jennifer knew exactlyhowthis was going to work. For now, she ignored their text and call and opened the one from the unknown number.

Hi, this is Jake. I'm an associate of Mark's. I'll be at the airport to pick you up at 3 p.m. sharp. Black SUV.

Succinct. Hm. Jennifer had been expecting to meet her future husband right away, but maybe this was better. She didn't need to be as nervous about meeting Jake, and instead, she could get a feel for what her husband was like—who hewas. She started for the front of the airport, weaving around other travelers and taking the stairs to the lowest floor and toward the exit.

Based on what the mail order bride site said about him after they were matched, he was wealthy. Just how wealthy, though, Jennifer had no idea. Regardless of how much money he did or didn't have, that wasn't the first topic that she could broach with her new husband or one of his business associates.

First of all, it was rude. For all Jennifer knew, the man might have truly 'ordered' her looking for real love. She wasn't going to make any promises about falling in love with him, but she had to admit she was curious. The website claimed that whoever she was matched with, she would fall for them. Maybe she would.

And if she did, that would be amazing ... it had been so long since she'd felt the rush of love in her veins and head. With each step she took toward the front of the airport, her excitement grew. She wanted to meet Mark, and Jake, to at least know if she made the right choice in coming here ... or if she made a horrible mistake.

That brought on the second problem. Jennifer wasn't exactly confident enough to straight-up ask for the $100,000 she needed to save Arabelle's life. In fact, the idea of asking at all made her so uncomfortable she thought she would throw up. The number alone made her anxious but asking for someone togiveher that money ... she couldn't imagine it.

Her parents raised her on the idea that all money was earned, that she had to work hard to receive her wages and purchase the things she wanted. Of course, buying essential treatment for her mom was different than buying new clothes, but that didn't change how it didn't feel right to ask for, and then use, money she didn't earn on her own.