Beaufort Creek Shifters (10 book series)
The Wolf’s Auctioned Mate Chapter 7

Wendell

Nothing like the smell of freshly cut wooden boards to get rid of the nightmares from a few days ago.

Laurencia had been a task and a half to handle in public. That strutting walk she made past that crowd of nosy peeping Toms had been all too proud, too big for her skirts if I was being honest with myself. I could have chided her about it. Maybe that would have prevented her attitude on the way to the beach.

Salty air sifted through the open window. I stopped my hammering for a moment, suddenly planted in the present with the unfinished look of a treehouse around me that was under repair. Plenty of wood was stacked nearby in a neat pile with a worktable and enough tools to build more than just a treehouse.

It paid off to be prepared. Since Troy had given me the greenlight to work on this place-and since it was officially mine by way of a deed signed by both alphas-I had been more than eager to work on it. Laurencia had kept her distance. That was perfect for the time being because I wanted nothing to do with her right now.

Soon, I would have to face reality. I had bid on her hand and won. I owed both packs things that I had promised, rather large things, intense things. In the next couple of weeks, I would need to pull together a team to start working on those things. I was a man of my word-and while I didn't necessarily want to keep my word with Laurencia, I had to do it for my alphas and my packs.

It was the right thing to do. Those youth who didn't yet understand mating had to be set with the right examples. If I rejected Laurencia right off the bat, then that would be a public disrespect to both alphas. Giving it some time showed everyone, alphas included, that some mate pairings just didn't work out.

While I already knew that from experience, I had to wait. Time would give us an opening soon. In the meantime, I could work on my treehouse, organize plans for the ranch renovations, and then sort my life out with Laurencia on the sidelines. As long as she kept her distance, everything would work out.

The floor door creaked open and slapped the wood pile behind it. Irritation crawled under my skin as I spun around and held up the hammer to scare off whatever poor soul had sneaked up on me in my brand-new abode.

Laurencia tossed a bag to the ground that was double her size, hoisted herself up, and propped her hands on her hips with a triumphant grin on her face. I wanted to kiss that smirk right off her lips-but I knew that would just lead to trouble again. So, I lowered the hammer and tucked it into my utility belt instead. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Alpha Troy said this was where you've been for the past three days."

"You've been looking for me?"

She shook her head while lifting the duffle bag like it weighed nothing. I had to admit her strength impressed me. Perhaps she was capable of defending herself.

No matter. If she had gotten attacked by human or animal-or some rogue shifter-then my alphas would have had my head. I was a protector. I was meant to guard the lives of those around me even if they annoyed me to no end. Her life was in my hands, and I took that charge seriously.

"I've been packing my things, actually," she stated while tossing the bag in an empty corner. At least she wasn't trying to move anything around.

I frowned. "Why the hell have you been packing?"

"Because I'm moving in with my hubs, silly."

"Stop calling me that. And you're not moving in with me."

She giggled while strolling around the room. "For a new place, it sure is, uh..." She made air quotations with her fingers. "Under Construction." "How did you find me?"

"It wasn't hard. I just needed to listen out for desperate hammering." She motioned toward my belt. "Of which I was correct about.'

I gritted my teeth. "You're not correct about anything and you're not moving into this treehouse."

"Because it's yours?"

"Because it's not finished, you f*****g ignorant dope."

Laurencia did something then that I'd never seen her do in my life.

She recoiled.

Whether it was the words or my tone that had sent her reeling back wasn't evident. However, that look on her face was completely unfamiliar-and entirely unacceptable. If she was to be in my presence, then I would tolerate her, not use her as my personal punching bag. Troy had sent her here which meant Troy expected me to treat her as my match.

This was for duty, and only for duty to my pack.

I bowed my head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

She jutted her chin in the air and propped one hand on her hip. "Whatever. When will it be finished?"

"Not for some time. If I'm doing those other contracts as well, then this will take a few months."

"I'm sure Troy wouldn't mind you finishing this place first. Do you need help?"

Laughter busted me open. "Are you serious about that?"

"I'm serious about helping."

"You can't even fight me off. How the f**k are you going to manage hammering something into the wall?"

Pain riddled her features, another unacceptable sight for me to witness. I cut my laughter immediately, adjusted my toolbelt, and slowly walked up to her. "Fine. You can help. But you can't get in my way, Rencie."

"I can help you work better by using my magic."

"You mean your incense and herbs?"

She was already humming a tune while rummaging through her ancient-looking satchel. That thing had seen better days. Yet seeing her with it hanging from her shoulder was better than seeing her in a glittering mermaid gown.

Dirt decorated her toes. Why would I ever expect her to wear shoes? "That's not going to fly around here, darling. You need to wear boots, so you don't get hurt."

"Sure, fine, alright," she said with the wave of her hand. Her face lit up when she found whatever it was she needed to find in her bag-which was a stick of incense. "Here we go. This patchouli should help you out." "Rencie, please..."

She lit the stick, swirled it in the air, and started praying quietly, only her lips moving quickly as she recited various words.

"Rencie."

She barely broke out of her trance while she floated around the room, appearing more elegant in her movements here than she ever had in the past. Her eyes were closed, and she was waving that ridiculous incense wand. She should have tripped. But she didn't. How in the world did that make sense?

My nostrils burned when she came close. "Rencie, stop it." I took her wrist and snatched the incense. "This is stupid. Would you just get out of my way? What's wrong with you? Why do you have to be so weird?"

Her eyes popped open, and her lips tightened together as her limbs stiffened. She stared at me for a split second, unreadable emotions passing over her pupils and causing my strength to wane.

She swallowed so hard that her throat clicked. Within a few seconds, she plastered a smile on her lips and whispered, "Alright. Sorry. I'll be downstairs."

Guilt slammed into me after she left. The incense smoke lingered even though she had quietly taken the stick with her to the ground below. I stood there for a moment with my hand on my forehead, trying to figure out why I had exploded on her like that.

Both of us were stuck in a crummy situation. We had plenty of heat between us, enough to want to make out and hump when nobody was looking, but there was so much animosity. Nothing this toxic could possibly succeed. Having her move in would only lead to the inevitable much faster.

That might be the ticket, I considered as I approached the door in the floor. If we can drive each other crazy faster, then we can part faster. Troy will realize his mistake, call it quits, and we'll both be heading for greener pastures.

I gazed south, looking at the rings of the ladder and trying to figure out how she had descended so fast. Perhaps she had shifted right after leaving the room and fled in the direction of the beach. It wouldn't be the first time I had to chase after Laurencia because of something I had said.

Admittedly, it had been a while since I had done it.

"Ren-" I shut my eyes and scrubbed my face. "Laurencia."

No response. She was probably hiding somewhere.

That meant I had to go find her.

With a sigh, I reluctantly descended to ground level. The trees around me bowed with the breeze, branches swaying lazily as a few leaves danced around. Sand crunched underfoot as I walked the length of the clearing in a few short minutes, sniffing the air to catch her scent. Juniper was easy enough to find.

Once I caught her trail, I followed it and tried to think of a way to work this out.

Why in the world would I want to do that?

Those thoughts had to be ignored if I wanted to make it out of this with my pride intact. Laurencia would reduce me to bits of scrap paper if I allowed her brattiness to take the lead. She needed a firm hand, a leader, and a protector. That was precisely what I was going to offer her.

For the time being. "Laurencia?"

Bushes rustled ahead. I saw a flash of burnt brown and orange, her hair unmistakable in the bright afternoon light. Seconds later, I located her near the water's edge of where we had been sitting just three nights ago. It was almost the exact spot. Was that on purpose?

"Hey, listen," I said in a low voice. "I'm...sorry. I shouldn't have reacted that way."

"I get it. You don't like me, but you're stuck with me."

That handled that explanation. "Right."

"We just have to deal with us until we don't. Is that right?"

I sucked air between my teeth. She just made it sound like a chore. "It doesn't have to all be bad."

"What do you mean? We don't even have a place to live."

"Your apartment."

Her head swiveled around. "Excuse me?"

"We could..." I rubbed the back of my neck. "We could stay in your apartment while I finish the treehouse."

"What about your old house?"

I chortled. "Somebody already moved in."

"Already?"

"What can I say? I move fast."

She chuckled while wobbling to her feet. I'd never seen her look so small. Hips like that deserved to be celebrated. Not by me. Someone else would give her what she deserved to have. I just wasn't the man to do it.

Even if I did know every intimate dip and peak.

I ran my fingers through my tan hair, shrugged, and set about kicking some rocks into the water. "Well, it's up to you."

"I was going to suggest it considering the state of our home."

"Our home?" I shook my head. "No, it's just-"

She squeaked while clapping her hands and jumping like a sprite. "You won't regret it! I can move your things too. It's a magical strength charm I got from the supernatural market. Oh, and you'll love going there too! It's at night, so you won't have to sacrifice your building time and-"

Good gods, my ears were about to start bleeding if she kept dumping all that information on me. Before I could do anything about her incessant babbling, she snatched my hand and tugged me back to the treehouse, going on about this fae she met at the market who taught her how to read stones. Yes, plain stones from off the ground. No, she couldn't predict the future, but she could tell me my sperm count.

I managed to redact my hand. "Laurencia, please."

"What?"

"You're..." How did I put this delicately? "The talking. It's a lot."

She withdrew a bit, curling her hands into her chest like there was a wound in one of her palms she was trying to protect. "Sorry, I just get excited and then I-" She squeezed her eyes shut. "I knew I should have shut up."

I caught her shoulder before she could drift back to the ladder. "If anyone is going to tell you to shut up, it's going to be me. Understand, Rencie?"

She gave me a crooked smile while resting her hand over mine. It was weird to stand here like this, to look down at her, to see her seeing me and feeling okay with that. We'd only been with each other for a few days. That wasn't enough time to change anything about the past.

So, maybe I was supposed to give it a little time.

Stay the course, I told myself. The plan is to let things explode as they will. I won't try to grapple with anything. I'll just let her ruin it herself. She's good at that.

But my heart was screaming for me to do something, for me to take her into my arms and promise her that she would never hear me say such a thing to her. Something was going on in that pretty head of hers beyond the scope of what I could see. While I could feel there were emotions rolling around in that noggin, I didn't know what they were, only that they plagued her.

Fear lanced my heart for a moment. I understand pain.

That simple moment of recognition led to my arms circling her body and tugging her into a snug hug. I knew the right amount of pressure. I was willing to bet she'd make the same sound too.

"I'll help you get my things," I told her. "Just take it easy, okay? I'm not used to being around a lot of people."

"Of course," she whispered back. "I'll do my best."

"That's all I ask."

She wound her fingers around my arms, reminding me of her smoothness and sweetness. Nothing like the good old days to make one realize that they were lost to the past. With a touch like this, I could reminisce for years and forget about the fact that we weren't compatible.

Still, the present called me. Her presence called to me. As long as there was an end in sight, I could play the part.

I just had to make sure I didn't get lost in it.