The drive from the University of Alberta to my parents' house took about three hours in decent traffic. That meant six hours of driving total every week during mating season to get back and forth. That was around sixty hours this year alone – two and a half days. It was enough to make finding a mate an appealing prospect. But it was better to wait until next year when I was out of college. I didn't have enough time to devote to a relationship.

My mother believed otherwise. She wouldn't hear of me staying up at school and any time I tried to convince her to allow it just one weekend, she played her trump card: she was paying the part of my housing bill that my research grant didn't cover. I was a dirty card to play, but she had no qualms about using it. If I had for one minute thought she would ease up now that Anita was mated, that ray of hope had been quickly extinguished.

Maybe if my brother, Teddy, also found someone... but she wasn't properly on his case yet. Teddy was only a freshman. He didn't even have to drive back every weekend. No, it seemed there was no escaping Mom's hopes for me.

I pulled into the driveway and allowed myself a few seconds of peace before I went inside. I'd missed brunch this morning and I wouldn't hear the end of it from Mom until dinnertime at least.

Then I opened the door, tugged my overnight bag off of the passenger seat, and headed up the driveway. I opened the front door and stumbled through it- stumbled because of the scent that caught me so off-guard.

I grinned and threw my bag down on the ground. How ironic that I'd missed today's brunch! Though there was no one in sight, I could clearly smell my potential mate. Her scent called to me like no other ever had, gripping me by the throat and demanding that I find her. Had I just been reflecting on not wanting a mate yet? Irony all around. I couldn't help wanting- needing- her.

I left my bag in the foyer, knowing Mom would never fault me for it once she understood the situation. Then I began a quick, methodical sweep of the party. Though it had been a brunch event and it was now a little after noon, room after room was still full. That was the norm at Mom's brunches. They frequently melted seamlessly into dinner.

I quickly cleared the sitting room, living room, and dining room. Then I hurried downstairs to the den. The scent was completely absent, so I dashed back upstairs and headed for the solarium. Or maybe she was outside?

With each area I passed through, my confidence faded until I was left poking into bathrooms and the kitchen. Maybe she had gone back into one of the first rooms I'd previously checked while I was outside or downstairs? Gritting my teeth, I headed back toward the front of the house. By that time, my excitement had been replaced by anxiety. What if she had left? Some people did leave these brunches in the morning. And sometimes they never came back. The point of these kinds of events was to meet new people, to expose the single weres to as many other singles as possible.

She could be gone and I may never find her.

If she wasn't even in the house and her scent was this demanding of me, she was no ordinary potential bondmate. I couldn't let this opportunity pass. I had to find her.

I was just about to start a second lap of all the rooms when Anita caught my elbow. "What's going on with you?" she demanded. "You're acting like a crazy person."

"She's gone," I said, "and now I probably sound like a crazy person, too. I can smell... it's the most incredible draw, but she isn't here."

Anita broke out in a massive grin. "Really! You're that drawn in and she's not even here? Simon! This is amazing!"

"Anita, stop. She's gone. It doesn't matter how intense the pull is when I have no idea who she is or where she went."

Anita waved a hand dismissively and threw in an eyeroll for good measure. "Of course it matters. Come on."

Anita pushed me through the crowd until we came to a stop in front of our parents. Mom's eyes flashed when she saw me, so I cut in before I could receive a lecture. "Mom, I need your help finding someone."

She lifted a cool brow. "Who?"

"Someone left before I got here... but I don't know who she is."

"He wants to mate with her!" Anita put in jovially. She was enjoying this too much.

Mom's eyes widened and Dad hooked an arm around her waist, pulling her in. "Simon?" she asked hopefully. I winced, but nodded. She exchanged a look with Dad before launching into motion. "Let me get you a list of people I know who were here and have left. It should be a pretty narrow list, since most of today's guests were people you've met before. I imagine we can leave those names out?"

I nodded. "This is definitely someone new."

She nodded, all business. "I'll get you that list. Anita, ask around and see if there was anyone here I might not have met. There are always a few. Simon, you go bring your things up to your room and try to calm down. I'll find this girl."

Just like that I was dismissed. Since there was nothing more for me to do here, I complied. My bag was where I had dropped it, back when I was so sure of finding her. I brought it up to my room and stopped, heart pounding. My room was saturated with her scent. She had spent time in here. I crossed to my bed and leaned in, inhaling deeply. There were fresh sheets and blankets on, which was pretty common. I knew Mom liked to use my bedroom as a guest room when I was away at school. Had my potential mate slept here in my bed? I caught the scent of her and groaned.

No way would I be able to sleep in that bed tonight, not if she wasn't there. I set my bag down on my desk and sat in the chair. Her scent was here, too. Was this where her own bag had rested? I looked around my room, trying to see it from a stranger's perspective. The only thing that might have told her anything about me was a built-in bookcase filled with crime fiction. My closet stayed locked when I wasn't home.

Had she slept here, knowing that this room's owner had such a strong potential bond with her? If so, how could she have left?

The idea that she knew about our bond and had gone anyway made me angry and a little scared. Maybe even if I found her, she'd reject me.

But who could resist such a siren call?

I drew in a deep breath, hoping to calm myself. All I got was more of her scent... and the scent of another. I started sniffing around in earnest now. Had she stayed here with someone else? A werewolf?

It was hard to tell gender using scent alone, but I was almost certain the werewolf had been female. Interesting company my potential bondmate kept.

I noticed two other things while I was investigating. First, I realized that even though this was my room, my scent in it was relatively faint. I had been absent for months, here for a week around Christmas, and then only here the night of New Year's Eve. Between that and the cleaning crew, was it any surprise my scent had faded so much? So it was very possible that she hadn't realized the depth of the bond. That made me feel better about her leaving.

The second thing I found was a book. It was on the floor under my bed, upside-down and open to what I imagined what the last page she had read before losing it. And I was certain that it was her book. When I brought it to my nose and inhaled, something vital clicked into place. In every way that mattered except one, she was already mine. This wasn't just a potential bond. She was my soul mate.

Panic flared and quickly died down. Panic: now more than ever, I had to find her. Calm: now that I knew she'd been staying in my room, Mom would certainly be able to tell me who she was.

Then a smaller wave. Panic: what if she committed herself to someone else before I found her? Calm: she likely couldn't even detect potential bonds anymore, not now that she'd scented me, however faintly.

So rather than rushing downstairs to my mother, I decided to learn a little more about this person I was going to bind myself to- our bond wasn't a potential, but an inevitability. I held in my hands a copy of "The Hobbit" that was so worn that she had to have either bought it used or read it many times herself. I hadn't read it before, and wouldn't it be nice to meet her already having something in common? Besides, each page flip brought a fresh wave of her scent. Though it stirred a fire in me, I enjoyed each lick of flame.

I lay down on my bed on the side I knew she'd slept on and flipped to the beginning of the book. If I really focused, I thought I could finish by bedtime.

Then in the morning I would find her.

--

Of course, that's not quite how it played out. Anita came bounding into my room sometime around mid-afternoon with a list of names. She waved it teasingly at me and I instantly sat up, marking my place in the book with my phone. I caught the waving paper and quickly read through the names. Which was hers?

"Where do you want to start?" Anita asked.

"Did you stay here last night?" I asked, ignoring her question.

Anita frowned. "No, why?"

"She stayed in my bedroom."

Anita's eyes widened. Then she smiled wider than I'd ever seen. "She did? I met the women who stayed here last night before they left this morning. What species?"

It was an unusual question, perhaps, but vital this time. "I know a coyote and a werewolf were staying in here. The coyote is mine."

And then Anita giggled. "Smell again, big brother."

Brow furrowed, I picked up her book and held it to my nose, inhaling deeply. "What?"

"She's not a coyote. She's half and half."

I took in another breath. Now that she said it, it was obvious. "I just assumed I was picking up on the werewolf who was here."

"Nope," Anita said, still smiling excitedly. In fact, she was almost giddy.

"What's her name?" It was a struggle to remain relaxed. I managed to keep my voice level. In fact, the only betrayal of my tension was in my hands, which clutched at her book.

"Charlotte Hansen. We talked for a while this morning... about mates, amongst other things. She seemed really confused. Conflicted, almost."

I laughed. "It's no wonder she was confused. She could probably smell me everywhere, but it would have been faint. What did she say?"

Anita picked at her fingernails. "It's more what she asked than what she said. See, she's with her cousins and her friend on a big road trip. Her cousin, Penny, is determined to find her soulmate and dragged Charlotte along. I think Charlotte's feeling conflicted about the trip and about mates in general. She asked how Jake and I decided to commit to each other rather than waiting for a different potential mate to come around."

I frowned. How many potentials had she found? Apparently, none that had strong enough connections, since she would certainly have settled down with one by now if they had. But it sounded like maybe she thought she should settle. For her to pick someone else now, when I was on the brink of finding her, would be devastating. "What did you tell her?"

Anita seemed taken aback by the urgency in my tone, but she didn't comment on it. "I told her that if she had to ask, she hadn't found the right person yet. I guess that wasn't exactly true in her case. She found you and then she left. I'm really sorry, Simon. I had no idea."

"You couldn't have known. How did they end up coming here? Mom must have a phone number for one of them."

"Mom knows Charlotte's aunt from a long time ago, I think. Penny's mom, I mean. But you don't need to go through Mom. Charlotte and I exchanged numbers so we could keep in touch."

That said something good about Charlotte. Anita had excellent taste in friends. I hugged Anita. "You're my favorite sister," I said.

"I'm your only sister," she corrected, but hugged me back.

I pulled my phone out of "The Hobbit" and navigated to the page for adding a contact. My shaky fingers typed "Charlotte." "What's the number?" I asked my sister.

She hesitated. "I'm not sure I should give it to you. I'm wondering whether maybe I should check with her first."

I groaned. "This is going to be hard enough without my little sister getting between us," I complained. "I'm sure she'll understand."

But Anita had made up her mind. "No, I really think I need to check with her first. I'd be upset if she started handing my phone number out without consulting me."

"Even if she gave the number to your soulmate?"

There was a long moment of complete silence. "Soulmate?" Anita wheezed. "Really?"

"Really," I answered grimly. "So? What if she gave your number to your soulmate? Would you really be upset?"

"I'm mated, Simon. If I ever had a soulmate, it's too late for us." I didn't understand how she could be so matter-of-fact about such a thing. I knew what an ordinary potential mate smelled like. It was a shadow compared even to the scent of my soulmate's book. I felt sad for everyone who had settled for less than their soulmate.

But pity wasn't going to convince Anita.

"Just try and see my side," I wheedled.

"I do see your side. That's why saying no is so difficult... but it's still the right thing to do."

I pushed my palm against my forehead, stemming the headache that was beginning. And then I brought myself to a new low. "Would you call her on speakerphone? I swear not to say a single word."

Anita rolled her eyes. "If I do that, I'm telling her right away that you're listening. I don't think that'll help your image. No, I'll text her. I think that's best all around." She took out her phone and started tapping.

"What are you going to say?"

Anita rolled her eyes. "This is like junior high all over again. A little faith, Simon." A little more tapping and she held up her phone for me to see. In a draft message to Charlotte, she had typed, "Do you mind if I give your number to my brother? You left something in his room."

I nodded. "Go ahead."

She sent the message and set her phone on the bed between us. It was impossible not to stare at the screen, waiting for a response.

"I can't stay up here all afternoon, you know," Anita said. "If she doesn't get back to me soon I'm going to go downstairs and let you know when I get an answer."

"Have a little sympathy."

"I do. That's why I'm not mocking you relentlessly right now."

Her phone lit up with Charlotte's name and the beginning of a response. Anita unlocked her phone and scanned the screen, then tapped a few times. My phone buzzed seconds later with Charlotte's contact information. "Thanks, Anita. And I think this goes without saying, but you won't mention any of this to Charlotte until we've had a chance to figure everything out, right?"

Anita rolled her eyes. "Of course not. I'm going downstairs. Keep me updated!" I agreed and she crossed to the door before hesitating. "Simon?" she said tentatively.

"Yeah?"

"You landed a good one. I really like Charlotte."

Warmth spread through me. I wanted to ask more about her, but it was better to learn for myself.