and he felt unable to pull himself out of the dark fog he'd been living under for the last several months. “I found my mate a few months ago.”
“Congratulations. That's wonderful.”
“It would have been wonderful. But she disappeared the morning after we met—and deleted her profile from mate.com. She's gone, and she didn't even tell me why.”
“Wow, that's rough,” Zander said. “I'm sorry, man.”
“I just have to accept that she didn't want me.”
“Whoa, man, don't talk like that. There has to be an explanation. Maybe she's in trouble.”
“Part of me thinks that she might be.” Dylan closed his book and set it on the end table beside his chair. “It's like I can almost feel her distress. And I can't do anything to help her.”
“If you feel that way, it's probably true. You know what they say about mates.”
“But I never claimed her. How could I be feeling her feelings?”
“Sometimes the bond is so strong that mates can feel each other even before they've mated. I've heard about it happening before.”
“Be that as it may, I still have no way of finding her. I don't even know her last name.”
“I might be able to help you.”
“How?”
“I know a guy who is a whiz with computers. He's kind of a hacker, if I'm being honest.”
“And what could your hacker friend do to help me find her?”
“There are all kinds of things that men like him can do. It's best not to ask too many questions.”
“I see,” Dylan said, wondering if what Zander's friend did was entirely legal.
“I'll let him know about your situation. I'm sure there is something he can do to help.”
“Are you sure about this?” Dylan asked.
“Absolutely sure. You and I have been friends for a long time. And I would lose all my shifter street cred if I let you lose your mate.”
“I don't know how to thank you.”
“You can thank me when we find your girl. And I also wouldn't mind some steaks.”
“It's a deal,” Dylan said.
“And try to finish that book. I would hate to be the only man in Fate Rock who reads.”
“You don't have to worry about that,” Dylan said. “I'll probably finish this one tonight.”
“Good for you. I'll contact you as soon as I know anything. I just need all the information you have about her.”
Dylan told Zander everything he had learned about Annie from mate.com. It was shockingly little. But Zander assured him it was enough to go on. After his friend left the bookstore, Dylan was feeling a thousand times more hopeful than when he'd arrived.
On his way out of the shop, he picked up a few more books, with the intention of reading all of them. But he doubted that he could actually concentrate on anything until he got word back from Zander about whether or not he could actually find his mate.
11
The ob-gyn squirted warm gel onto Annie's rounding belly then pressed the scanner against her skin. She immediately heard the fast heartbeat of the child growing inside her. The doctor ran the scanner around her belly and tapped information into her keyboard.
“Everything looks good,” the doctor said. “Would you like to know the baby's gender?”
“I don't know,” Annie said, lying back on the bed.
“I know that we've talked about possibly arranging an adoption, but you can still do that if you know the baby's gender. That information might help you find the best couple for your child.”
“Okay then. What is the baby's gender?” Annie squeezed her eyes closed to push back the tears.
“It's a girl, Annie. You’re going to have a little girl.”
The ob-gyn looked up at her with wide, hopeful eyes. They’d discussed the possibility of adoption at almost every appointment she'd had so far. But the doctor had also often subtly hinted that Annie should keep her baby.
“Have you contacted the father yet?” the doctor asked.
“No.”
“You're going to have to ask his permission to place the child for adoption. He would legally have the first opportunity for custody.”
“I know,” she said as the doctor wiped the goo off her stomach.
“Is there a reason that you don't want to tell him? Did he hurt you?”
“It's nothing like that.”
“The baby's growth rate tells me it could possibly be a shifter. Is that why?”
Annie pulled up her pants and swung her legs over the hospital bed. “He's a shifter. And he's my fated mate.”
“I see. And that's why you don't want to tell him? Because he would want you, too. Not just the baby.”
Annie looked up at the doctor.