Page 21 of Destined Mate

Wesley led them to a booth, and a server stopped by and handed out menus.

“I’m not scenting anything but humans,” Keith whispered. “Staff included.”

Duncan nodded. “Same.”

Wesley looked through the menu. Everything looked scrumptious. “Oh man, they have handmade milkshakes.”

“Did you see their hamburgers?” Duncan asked, checking what a server had on a tray as they walked by. “They’re huge.”

“Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had a milkshake?” Keith asked. “And yeah, those hamburgers look fantastic. I know what I’m getting.”

Wesley was still chuckling when the server came back, and they ordered enough food to feed a small army. With milkshakes, of course.

After they finished eating, and tipped the hell out of the server, they piled back in the truck and started driving aimlessly around San DeLain.

Wesley had done his research. He knew who the leaders of the city were, and he made a point to drive by the Dominion, which was where Kage and his mate lived. They also drove past Club Nomadic, which was owned by the vampire RavenSt. Clair, Master of the City.

The dragons and the gargoyles had territories which were outside the city, so there would be no investigating those areas without running into problems.

He wanted to drive out to the Cross Creek pack, but the Council of Wolves warned everyone to stay away until the challenge date, which bothered Wesley. Why was the pack off limits?

Why couldn’t he go out there and talk to the members and the alpha mate? He didn’t like it, but it wasn’t worth getting eliminated over. Besides, in less than a week, he would get his wish to meet the Cross Creek pack.

AFTER A couple of hours of driving around, they returned to their hotel. Wesley sniffed discreetly as they walked through the lobby. So far, he hadn’t smelled any other werewolves, although he scented several kinds of paranormals and non-humans.

Theo and Duncan returned to their room. Keith went to raid the vending machine while Wesley took a shower. He had just walked out dressed in night pants when Keith returned.

“Run across anything unusual?” Wesley asked.

“Nope. If you’re done in the shower, I’m going to take my turn.”

“Go ahead.”

“What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?” Keith asked as he got his night pants out of his duffel.

“Well, would you think it weird if I contacted the leaders of San DeLain and asked to meet with them one at a time?”

“Huh. Why?”

“So, you think it’s weird?”

“I didn’t say that. I’m just wondering why you’d do that.”

“Appearances. If I win this challenge, I’m going to be one of the leaders of the city. I want a good relationship with the others, especially after all the shit that went down here with the hunters.”

“You’re trying to establish relationships, aren’t you?”

“You betcha. They can’t influence the outcome of the challenge, but if I want to be integrated into their circle, I need to make a good first impression. This group is close, from what I can gather, which isn’t surprising considering what they’ve gone through.”

“Smart.”

“And I’ll be coming in as an outsider. I need them to accept me because it will benefit not only me, but my new pack.”

Keith nodded. “Do you plan to have your betas and enforcers with you when you do these meetings?”

“That’s protocol, so yes. Because I guarantee you the leaders will have their most trusted people with them.”

“Then I need to tell Duncan to behave himself,” Keith said.

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