Beaufort Creek Shifters (10 book series)
The Wolf’s Auctioned Mate Chapter 6

Laurencia

I must have been dreaming for him to kiss me like that.

Out on the stage was a different story. That was in front of a crowd, our alphas, the lights. Those were things that could sweep anybody up in the energy of it all. And I knew because I had gotten carried away as easily as anybody in the spotlight. Given that I hadn't had much attention in a while, it was refreshing. People were witnessing my rebirth.

But it was also fake. It was staged. I didn't like wearing gowns or heels. I didn't like anything heavier than eyeliner and lip gloss which were complaints that Skye and Jada occasionally made when they wanted to hit the sales at Sephora. Makeup just wasn't my thing. Danger and risk, well, those were definitely my things. I was practically tempting fate kissing Wendell like this, and not the kind that would lead to a happily-ever-after. Women like me weren't supposed to end up with men like Wendell when men like Wendell rejected women like me.

Well, he sure wasn't rejecting me now. And by the feel of his hands, he was thinking along the lines way away from rejection. It was on my mind too. That was why I had gotten so hot and bothered when he talked about the dress.

I struggled to pry open my eyes. I had to make sure nobody was around because the way things were progressing had me thinking things I only ever thought about in the shower. I spotted an empty office nearby, or a room, or whatever. It didn't matter what it was in particular, just that it was empty, and I yanked Wendell with me into that cramped space, shutting the door loudly and letting him shuck me against it.

Light disappeared. Darkness caused spots to twinkle in front of my eyes and behind my lids as I welcomed his bruising kiss. His tongue lunged into my mouth, possessive and strong, searching for the secrets I kept well hidden. One hand stroked my throat, lightly applying pressure while the other explored the silk fabric guarding my thighs. He massaged my leg, my knee, and then swept back from where he had already explored, sending a tingling shock through my center.

Desire like this was missing from my life. It resonated in my spirit to be touched like this, to be wanted in the ways that he had wanted me so long ago. Once the spots stopped flashing behind my eyelids, my head stopped spinning and I found the heat that led right back to him, following the rope closely.

I could see it. I could actually sense it. The thread between us that had once existed was faded and loose, but it was there. Maybe I could even touch it-

Laughter exploded on the other side of the door, muffled by the wood. The abruptness of the sound shook me out of my trance and broke the kiss, leaving me ravished and wanting. I was panting like I had just run a marathon. The fact that we had gotten so close to hooking up wasn't odd. Clearly, we still had an attraction.

But it wouldn't do either of us any good, would it?

I rested my hands on his chest and gently pushed him away. He didn't fight me. He gave me space.

Thank the gods for that.

And thank the gods for the lights being off when the corset decided to drop. I flipped around, fixed the dress, and then searched the wall for a light switch.

"Got it," I whispered when I flipped the switch. Light flooded my eyes, robbing me of my vision briefly. I covered my face. "Ugh, evil light."

"You're the one who turned it on."

I groaned. And you're the one who turned me on.

After a few seconds, I rubbed my eyes, blinked, and looked around. The office-or room, or whatever-was actually a dressing room. Clothes were piled on shelves, hung on racks, and billowing over a vanity. Some boxes sat along the left wall opposite the clothes lining the right wall. Though it was cramped, it was a welcome sight.

Because this dress was dreadful.

I held the corset in place and rummaged through the rack.

Wendell cleared his throat. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"Looking for something to wear for our date."

"Is the dress not to your liking?"

I arched my right brow in his direction. While he had the decency to look slightly bashful, it didn't reduce his handsomeness one bit. Which meant my arousal was sticking around.

It had to be stamped out before it became a problem.

Back to the rack where I located a forest green pixie skirt (for a pixie costume, of course) and a loose tank cropped at the waist that resembled a corset but wasn't the same primitive cage I was wearing. I dropped the dress, pulled on the clothes, and kicked off the heels with a relieved sigh.

"Oh, you still do that?" Wendell quipped as he pointed at my feet. "I thought those were gorgeous on you."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "No, you didn't."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I know you."

He huffed. "And I know you."

"So, you'll know that I expect you to actually take me on a date, right?"

"A date? What the hell are you talking about?"

My smile curled into my cheeks. He had no idea what he just signed up for, did he? Of course, that was typical Wendell fashion. Take and take without a thought spared about what he was taking. I knew that jealousy would catch up to him eventually. The way he had eyed me around the ranch showed me exactly how he felt.

Which was certainly something more than he was feeling when he decided to ditch me.

"Listen, I know we haven't gotten along," I explained, "but we're married now. You're my new hubby, and I expect you to take me on a date tonight."

He blanched. "Now wait just a second, vixen. Just because I won your bid doesn't mean-"

"Alpha Troy announced it to the pack. It's official." I stood triumphantly on my toes like a ballerina. "You're taking me to the beach, hubs."

"Don't call me that." He grumbled something else and then said a little louder, "And get us the hell out of this stupid closet."

Without looking, I located the doorknob and flung the door open, revealing a hallway filled with matched couples dressed to the nines in their glorious garb. The smile on my lips grew into a Grinch-like expression as I noticed the horror written all over Wendell's face at being caught behind a closed door.

Ah, the fact that his bowtie was crooked was even better. With my dress flung over my arm and my shoes hanging from my fingers, I offered him a flirtatious grin and nodded out toward where everyone was staring at us. Most of the time, embarrassment would grip me, and I'd practically die. But this incident was far too satisfying for me to worry about social anxiety.

Wendell flushed. He gestured forward for me to walk ahead of him as he caught the door. As he scooped my clutch from the ground and handed it to me, I beamed, drinking in the cute sounds circling us in awe of his dedication to me. These were the kind of affectionate displays I read in books. I never anticipated that they would make my heart race.

But my heart was definitely racing and every inch of me flushed with heat.

Romance wasn't dead yet.

I marched toward the exit with Wendell in tow. Funny how the hallway had gotten so crowded so quickly. All that time making out had been distracting-and rewarding, it seemed. As soon as I got to the exit door, I pushed on the lever and then yelped when the fire alarm went off.

Wendell fixed the door and shouted, "False alarm!"

My nerves were fried. The cool night air soothed my skin, inviting me to turn away from the exit door and face the sandy streets beyond the auditorium.

I hugged my shoulders. "A new whole bunch of new stuff for both packs, huh?"

Wendell made a choking sound. He recovered by coughing. "I can manage it."

"With a team, right?"

"What?"

I studied him, noticing the way the lonely light back here cast shadows over his stern features. "You're going to hire a team to help you, right? I can't imagine you would build all those things by yourself." "Right. Of course. A team."

He looked out toward the street where the lamps glowed like fairies. He seemed like he was thinking about things-like he was regretting everything he said in there.

And why would he? It wasn't like this was a bar where he had gotten drunk or something. He was sober. I was sober. Both of us were capable of handling ourselves when it came to desire.

If that was the case, then why had I lost control?

"Our date," I forced myself to say with a grin. "Let's head out."

He clicked his tongue twice. "No, Miss Sharman. There will be no date."

"Oh? Is that so?" I skipped ahead of him, aiming for a dark alley between two houses. The beach was on the other side of the property just near the line that separated our pack lands. "I guess I'm going by myself."

He hiccupped-or something like that sound. It was definitely one of protestation. "You won't do such a thing by yourself! It's dark out there!"

"And?"

"And what if there are-" He darted after me. "Miss Sharman, you shouldn't be walking around by yourself at night."

I shrugged him off. "Why? Is it dangerous?"

"You're such a ditz."

"Do you ever think maybe that I play dumb because people just automatically treat me like I'm dumb?"

That shut him up. We walked on with nature as our backdrop, bugs chirping through the tall grass near the tree line and then beyond. An owl hooted above. A couple of birds squeaked and fluttered about. Creatures of the night lurked around here. Whoever wasn't in attendance at the auction might have been taking a night stroll in their animal form. Wendell caught my elbow, stopping me in my tracks. "Would you quit walking?"

"Should I fly instead?" I snapped. "Or maybe you'd like to scoop me up and carry me like you did on that stage?"

He sighed. "That didn't mean anything."

"Just like our match doesn't mean anything. Great. We're in agreement."

Rotten energy dripped from every word. And I couldn't help it either. That was just what Wendell did to me. At one moment, he was sweet and caring. The next moment, he was a thorn up my a*s. No wonder we didn't work out.

You know, other than the fact that he abandoned me.

I snatched my arm away and kept trudging forward. "I'm going to the beach whether you like it or not."

"I won't mate with you if you keep disobeying me."

I scoffed. "Dream on, then."

"Laurencia Sharman, if you don't stop walking, then I won't come with you."

"I said I was fine going by myself." I grinned to the darkness ahead. "Or maybe I'll meet somebody out there. Since you don't want me, I'm sure someone else would be happy to take me off your hands."

He grumbled and grunted gruffly. Then he said, "Don't joke like that."

"Why not? It's clear you're not interested in having me as your mate."

"I'm not."

I shrugged. "Alright, then the kiss meant nothing and I'm free to do as I please."

"That's not true!"

"You're so confusing. Pick a side. Do you want me or not?"

The growl he released while grabbing my shoulders did things for me I didn't want to admit. This man was just drawing everything to the surface, things I didn't want to think or feel. His presence alone put me at odds with myself. While it was fun to challenge him and prance around, it wasn't my style to do it just to keep him arguing with me.

It was starting to feel like I wanted him around for more than just revenge.

Because yeah, revenge had crossed my mind at some point. It hadn't been a conscious thought, though it was starting to form now, to mold into something tangible and achievable. If I could get Wendell to fall for me like I had fallen for him, then I could kick him out on his a*s and be the victor of the situation.

The rejected mate was the one that rotted away. That was why I had felt terrible for the years he had been away from me. My rejection was my prison.

It was time to turn the tables.

I stared at him defiantly, leaning into his bruising grip, enjoying the way it felt to be under such a heavy hand for once. Men were eager to please me, yet hesitant to be a little rough. Wendell, though, had plenty of roughness to spare in his voice, his attitude, his hands. My slit throbbed just thinking about what he could do-because I knew what he could do.

"Go on," I hissed. "Reject me again. I dare you."

His brows furrowed together. "Reject you?" He tipped his head back and laughed. When he was finished, he wiped one eye and then scooped me up, planting me over his shoulder firefighter style. "Whatever you say, Devil Woman. I'll take you to the damn beach." I kicked my feet. "Wait, this isn't what I meant-Wendy, if you don't-You better put me down right this second, mister!"

His booming laughter echoed through the trees. Every other inch of me was annoyed. Because truthfully, his strength had always turned me on. The way he could just lift me up and toss me around like a ragdoll heated my center and made my slit ache. While he marched us through the trees, I kept up my arguments, accusing him of being jealous and callous.

He didn't argue back. He merely smacked me on my bottom.

Heat radiated where his palm had landed on my left cheek. He did it again and then left his hand there, gripping the flesh like I belonged to him. If he kept doing things like that, then I wouldn't have any dry underwear to wear on the way home. I kicked my legs sort of haphazardly and whacked his upper back with my fists.

"Put me down," I commanded with as much strength as I could muster. "Wendy, you're being a-"

Plop.

Wendell dropped me on the sand near the water's edge. We weren't at the beach. We were at a body of water close to the beach, one that got filled up whenever the tide came in. Cool water greeted my toes and put me at ease, soothing away some of the intensity of my arousal. My slit still twitched painfully, but at least I wasn't in his arms anymore.

Unfortunately.

I hugged my knees to my chest and sighed while tilting my head to the sky. A gargantuan head came into view. I mean, his head wasn't that big, but when it was blocking the beautiful moonlight, yeah, it was gigantic. And annoying. And enticing.

The way his hair fell over his face kissed by strips of moonbeams made me shiver. "Stop doing that."

"Stop doing what?"

Turning me on. "Chasing after me like my own personal guard dog."

"Maybe I'm supposed to protect you. We keep running into each other. And you keep going off alone like you can defend yourself."

Anger swirled through my body, enhancing my desire tenfold. "Maybe I can defend myself. You don't know that."

"I know a lot of things about you."

"Yeah, like what?"

He dropped to his knees and took either side of my face with a familiar firmness that was careful, cautious. I dug my nails into my knees to ground me, but there was no escaping the influence of his proximity. I was wet all over again, my panties were ruined, and my nipples were so hard from the goosebumps erupting everywhere that one slight movement would certainly cause me to o****m.

He was so close to me that I could hear his heart.

And then I sneezed.

Wendell drifted away from me and wiped his face. I covered my mouth and averted my gaze, too shocked by what I'd done to apologize and way too embarrassed to even look at him. No wonder he didn't want to mate with me. I was the kind of awkward idiot who would shame him in public.

That was why those people were gawking at us. Because they were probably thinking about how generous Wendell was being about saving that stupid guy from bidding on me.

Poor thing, they were probably thinking. She'll never amount to anything. She's too weird and strange.

My shoulders folded toward my chest, setting off another layer of thoughts that made me want to dig a hole and bury myself. That scratchy voice was back again. And I couldn't escape her criticism. I couldn't make her go away.

Maybe I deserved to hear it. With how I'd been acting with Wendell, yeah. That made sense. I wasn't womanly at all. I wasn't graceful or cute. I was just Miss Sharman, the little girl who didn't know how to keep her balance on level ground and burned too much incense.

None of my skills could have been used to bid. That was why my alphas had put me in the auction. That was why they had gotten me out of the way before everyone else. Because I couldn't be compared to better people when I was the first one on the stage, right? Right. I was just a useless lump stuck with a man who didn't even want me.

There was a coldness in the air as Wendell stood at the edge of the water with his hands in his pockets. Sand clung to his nice shoes. That was my doing. What was I even doing still sitting out here? It was stupid.

I stood up and brushed my skirt. "Alright, let's go."

"That was fast."

"Yeah, well..."

I didn't finish my sentence. Why should I bother? This was going to end just as quickly as it had in the past.

I was counting on it.