Beaufort Creek Shifters (10 book series)
The Wolf’s Auctioned Mate Chapter 3

Wendell

That girl had lost her mind if she thought I was going to fall for her silly tripping business again. It was bad enough I had to see her around the Beaufort Creek pack neighborhood. Now I had to worry about running into her when I picked up my nephew. Nobody had prepared me for that. Not a damn soul in the vicinity would have thought to do so because they had no idea the history I had with that woman. Her vivaciousness and performative ditzy nature had sucked everybody in. They weren't privy to her sneaky ways or the fact that she had no issue discarding shifters like they were yesterday's newspaper.

Nope, that girl wouldn't get me again. The fact that I had lifted her from the carpet was merely to save face. Being a gentleman meant being proper and courteous, even if it was doing things that were annoying. If Laurencia had tripped in an attempt to embarrass me, then she failed.

But if she had done it to make me touch her...

I shook my head. Archie's bag weighed nothing in my hand, practically like wads of paper in a plastic bag. I walked purposefully toward the exit of the miniature school with Archie lagging behind, his chin poking out from the bottom of a book about fish. I stopped at the entrance and waited for Archie to catch up. "We can stop at the library, but then I have to get to the treehouse."

He peered over the book. "The treehouse?"

Shit, I said too much. I cleared my throat and gestured to the double doors. The glass windows allowed plenty of light to shine into the hallway, inviting me to the world beyond. "There's something I'm working on that I call the treehouse."

"What are you building this time, Uncle?"

"Something."

He laughed while pushing out the doors. "You always say that."

"I rarely say such a thing."

"Dad says you can be vague."

I foamed at the mouth with irritation. "Your father is the only one who can understand my...antics." "Do you mean attics?"

"No, I mean antics. Like childish buffoonery."

Archie snapped his book shut and reached for his backpack. "So, you act like me or something?"

My mood soured. This kid was too smart for his britches. He was so much like his father in so many ways, challenging everything and anything that crossed his path. But not because he was rebellious by nature. Archie was simply curious. He loved to inspect the world and discover new things. Helping him understand things was part of my job as his non-related uncle.

While handing him his bag, my feet led us toward the library. We had a modest setup since the Bravecrest pack had begun aiding the repairs around the ranch. Workers in the field had a better breakroom than the barn these days, though many of them still used the barn. The express labor I could spit out rivaled that of the best construction company in town-and I often made my own tools and harvested my own resources.

That was why the treehouse was so important-it was all mine. None of it needed to be shared with anybody. Nobody else had claimed it. The place was empty, sitting at the edge of the tree line near the beach where I could access the ocean and swim to my heart's

content.

It would become mine, plain as day. Soon enough.

Archie grabbed my hand, shaking me out of my head. "This isn't the library."

I blinked a few times and then raised my eyes to the structure standing before us. The backyard was fenced in and utterly distraught with weeds, tall grass, knotted branches, and jagged roots thick with desire for the earth. I could barely see the rear door. Everything about the place seemed to scream for upkeep, yet I got the impression it never wanted to be kept up.

Much like Laurencia. She was wild, untamable, ridiculous in all her little rituals and superstitions. She walked barefoot so much that I was surprised she didn't get pin worms in her toes. My jaw ached as I gritted my teeth.

"Come on," I said while tugging Archie's hand gently. "I must have taken a wrong turn."

My nephew didn't argue or point out that it was unlike me to do anything of the sort, and I quietly thanked whatever gods were guarding my ego at the moment. Just ahead, we would have to turn left and go back the way we came. I could see now we had gotten truly turned about.

I glanced down at Archie. "Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"I thought you were getting something from my mom's old apartment."

"Your mom?" That felt odd to hear seeing as Gwendolyn was no more-until I realized that Archie was talking about Francine. I nodded slowly. "Ah, right. Did she used to live there, really? That place looks-" "Dreadful?" came an all-too familiar feminine voice.

My jaw burned with agitation as I looked at Laurencia. Yet looking at her now didn't feel like how I looked at her back at the school.

This was different. This was...strangely alluring.

That golden skin glowed in the sunlight, shimmering like she had covered herself in some of that fancy glitter lotion she loved so much. Juniper floated toward me, slithering around my nostrils and reminding me of a motel with a crooked number 7 on the door and a fridge that squealed whenever it ran. Eyes far more cosmic than any human captured image of the galaxies peered up at me curiously glimmering as blue as a ghastly star burning up in the atmosphere.

Beaded necklaces guarded her neck. I noticed the patch of flesh just beneath her jaw, the one that seemed to call to me as hard as it did back then, years flying by in a flash and planting me in the back alley of a neighborhood with my nephew next to me and my ex-girlfriend in front of me. Where the hell had I gone just then?

I frowned. "Unkept."

"The yard loves to be left to its own devices." She squinted at me while waving her fingers elegantly in front of her face. "It's all the magic."

"You believe in magic?" Archie piped up to my dismay. "Like a magician?"

Laurencia smiled pleasantly, beaming with joy that someone had just mentioned her special interest. "Better than that. This magic comes from the earth."

She rummaged through her satchel that I could have sworn was just another layer of patchwork on her skirt. The marigold yellow was faded from the sun and dirty underneath where she had set it on the ground, no doubt. Her toes were bare. "Rena, you're going to get pin worms," I hissed. "Why are you barefoot again? Don't you ever wear sandals?"

"I had them on earlier," she said pointedly. "Besides, you know I like to shift at will. I'm not the only one who walks around without shoes." Her eyes sharpened while she smirked at me. "Aren't you glad I don't walk around like those really progressive packs?" Good gods, she was going to kill me today with her nonsense. "You know what? Forget it." In a lower voice, I added, "You're not my problem."

Archi tugged on my hand. "Can I stay with Miss Laurencia instead of going to the library today? I want to learn about magic."

Such a request hadn't been anticipated. And who could blame me? I didn't understand the appeal with Laurencia, why anyone would want to be around her when she stank constantly of some incense or other, and when her fingers were constantly dirtied with charcoal or some kind of paint. She was always layering that juniper crap on her without caring for anyone's nostrils nearby.

Another tug and then Archie started patting my forearm. I smiled as gently as I could. "No, we promised your father you would go to the library today to return your books and get new ones, remember?"

He gave me his expert pouty face and turned it on Laurencia too, practically turning up the charm well past the extreme.

Laurencia chuckled while leaning her hands on her knees to level with Archie. "Maybe another day. I'm sure if you ask your father, he'll ask Francine to call me, and I can come back to the classroom any day this week."

I scoffed. "When you're not dancing in the forest."

"I can always check my calendar." She opened her hand and extended it to Archie. A rich violet stone sat in her palm. "Here, take this for now."

"None of your deviltry, woman," I stated as I started to march past her. "Don't fill his head with ideas now."

She laughed whimsically like a fairy. I half-expected her to sprout lavender wings and flutter off in the direction of the sun. Archie was amused as well, resisting my march, and pausing to accept the stone from Laurencia. He was alight with wonder as he studied it. "What is it?" he asked. Gods, did we have to do this?

"It's an amethyst stone. I polished it myself," she replied. "It can help with all kinds of things like anxiety, stress, fatigue...you name it."

"Do I rub it on my head?"

She giggled. "You can if you want. Or you can just hold it and focus on your breath. It's a good focus stone." She grinned and started heading toward the wild house. "See you guys around!"

Again, the way she skipped off made me think of supernatural things-and truly, that was just absurd because there were supernatural things like fairies in existence, but they didn't look anything how I expected Laurencia to look like a fairy. The ones I pictured were from adventure books. The ones that existed were barely comparable.

At any rate, the fae were a proud species with various shades of colorful skin hardly the human eye could capture. My species was adept at recognizing such color because of our supernatural nature. For Laurencia to suddenly resemble anything fairy or fae-like was nonsense in the making, something that just happened when she was around.

Yet Archie was captivated by it. "Another sucker down."

Archie smiled. "What?"

"Nothing, champ. Let's get to the library before it closes."

Onward we went without a word about Laurencia, her silly stone, or the fact that I couldn't get her out of my damn head.

***

Going to the library got the taste of the day out of my mouth. Silence like that was perfect, a necessary cleanser that helped get my thoughts in order. Though many people avoided such quiet moments, I embraced them. Being in a settled and orderly place like the library gave me pause, and I adored quietly engaging with Archie while searching for various books and updated building codes, carpentry techniques, and the like.

After dropping Archie off at home, I headed for the woods. I stepped into the quiet clearing, adoring the backdrop of birds singing and squirrels skittering around in the brush. The ocean waves crashed close enough to enjoy without it cutting off the sound of the wilderness around me.

Elias would have wanted to blast some kind of noisy music in his ears while I preferred the hush of nature. Her lustrous orchestra made for great building-and that was what I wanted to get into tonight. With the sun setting on the horizon and casting foamy orange hues around the ladder leading up to the treehouse, I pictured the space I was ascending toward and imagined how it would look with various floorplans.

A second story would be difficult to build on, but it would certainly make the place look a lot better. As a wolf, it was odd for me to want to reside high above the ground, but this place flooded often, the ground becoming marsh and sticky, muddy and gross with that swamp-like smell. I loved being near the ocean, but I despised the composition of the ground. Putting my home above all that would protect me during hurricane season.

That was if Troy would allow me to reside out here. I knew that Blake owned some of this beachfront property, mostly by birthright. What he granted us was out of respect and courtesy for his resources and kindness had invited the Bravecrests to thrive once more. We owed him everything-yet he didn't ask for much in return. Such was the mark of a true alpha.

Sometimes, he reminded me of Troy. I supposed that was why they got on so well. They were very much alike, though Blake was more like Elias in his hobbies and interests while his temperament resembled that of the Bravecrest alpha. Such a strange combination. Though his pack members hardly ever complained.

Once I was through the door for the treehouse, a world of possibilities erupted around me. I could install a front door easily, and then a deck overlooking the clearing. A second floor would need stairs. The windows were fine, though they needed to be updated. The place wasn't terrible, and I could repair much of it without issue.

A grin sat on my lips as I wandered around the room, inspecting every nook and cranny, imagining the greatest of opportunities for what I wanted in a home. What I had was sufficient, but this place was the goal. Secluded, close to the water without being on the water, and in the midst of a glorious green forest-it was everything I could have dreamed of and more.

Nobody would bother me here.

My hands itched to get to work. As I descended to grab my tools, I noticed another scent nearby-a shifter like me. It was familiar too. Like someone I had spent a lot of time with recently.

I retrieved my tool bag and waited patiently for whomever it was to approach. I wasn't the type to get caught with my pants down. Years of studying under Troy's tutelage had taught me better than that.

And a good thing considering it was Troy who was approaching. I could recognize my alpha's scent easily. Though it had been masked first using clay, the resonant scent remained, something that couldn't be hidden from another member.

My alpha smiled as he wandered between two grand trees. "Ah, as expected."

I bowed my head. "Do you need anything?"

"Just wondering who gave you approval to work on the treehouse."

His voice carried an amused note. Never would he judge me for wanting to make a project out of an abandoned piece.

I huffed my chuckle and slung my bag over my shoulder. "Nobody uses it."

"That's true."

"I thought I'd repair it, edit it, and then claim it."

He nodded once. "Makes sense to me."

"Can I do that, Alpha?"

He studied me for a brief moment and then looked up at the treehouse, his eyes inhaling the structure like he would anything else. "I think I can make a deal with you that Blake wouldn't mind." "What's that?"

"Participate in the auction and the treehouse is yours."

I nearly choked. "What?"

"We need as many participants as we can get. Cash isn't the only resource that can be used to bid. You could bid on this home-or your old home. You can bid on your services. Anything to make the deal as long as it's logical and useful." "But sir-"

He held up one hand. "Wendell, you've been hiding yourself away too long. You've been chasing danger much harder since Elias quit accompanying you. I can't have you getting injured just because you're trying to fill the void in your heart." "My heart isn't void. It's-"

"Broken. I know."

Silence passed between us, an understanding too. He knew me too well, my alpha. How could I ever argue with him about what he could sense in me? His skills were myriad, and our lives had been entwined too long to even attempt to deceive him. To lie now would be to make my bed in the sand. I would have to sleep in it.

He knew me. He knew my heart. It was screaming.

I sighed. "If you and I can draw up a deed right now, I'll participate in the auction."

His face lit up with relief. "You promise to choose a mate?"

"I...promise I'll choose a mate, Alpha."

"With conviction, Wendy. It's not a death sentence."

Breathing hurt, but it was the only thing I could manage to do without breaking down. "It feels like one."

"You must be protected. I can't always be around to protect you. The war taught me that."

"But you're a fine leader. You would never leave us, Troy. You wouldn't dare leave us for death."

He nodded solemnly. "I'm aware of that. I believe that, Wendy. And I'm also aware that someday I shall die of natural causes. The alpha who takes my place will do their best to protect you, and in the interim, your mate bond will protect you as well." Emotions rattled my body like hurricane winds to a window. "Alpha, you can't talk like that. You can't expect me to think that far ahead."

"In time, Wendy, you'll see that the mate bond is so much more than protection for your physical safety." He stepped toward me and rested his hand on my heart. Warmth permeated my very being, infecting my soul with a soothing balm only an alpha could deliver. It promised mirthful friendship, protection, and calm nights. "Your heart. You must have your heart protected too. So much out there can wring it dry."

"Like women."

Laughter burst from him like a whale breeching the surface of the ocean. He tipped is head back and leaned into the laugh, exposing his throat to me, showing me that he trusted me in ways that no one else could. And then he yanked me into a brotherly hug while patting my back, fusing the laughter right into my spirit.

I couldn't help but laugh along with him.

However much his bond comforted me, his hug smoothing my rougher edges, I couldn't help but wonder about a woman who had already wrung my heart dry, one with bare feet that stamped the earth under the surreal moonlight. She'd be available in that auction. She'd be walking across that stage.

My hand could easily take her. I could throw all my services on the line. Surely, I could win her hand as smoothly as I could erect walls. Every scheme of revenge I had mentally plotted over the years came to mind, things I could do during that time to get her to precisely understand the damage she had caused. I would have that opportunity. I could make it happen.

The problem was her-and of course, it was her. The way she looked at me, smiled at me, the scent of her invading the steel of my fortress. Her glances and tenderness couldn't win me over. But they were appealing still, part of me longing for that voluptuous heart, those slim-thick curves, those darling fingers threading through my hair. It was more than I could bear just watching her prance around, yet I couldn't bring myself to steal her away for fear of the same happening.

I hugged my alpha tight. I needed him to guide me. Confusion grew comfortable in my chest, settling in like an old friend in my guest room.

Would I have anything left in my heart to bid on her-or would I leave her to her demise for rejecting me?