Beaufort Creek Shifters (10 book series)
The Wolf’s Auctioned Mate Chapter 14

Laurencia

Midnight was coming. That would be the busiest part of the market if my mental analysis of recent trends was correct. lyanna sat nearby with Bernhart who stood so comically tall compared to her that it made her look even smaller. She poked me with a pudgy finger. "You smell like salt."

"I camped at the beach last night."

"No, I mean the other kind."

I chuckled. "I thought you didn't understand stuff like that."

"I thought you promised me a nice massage from that hot mate of yours."

"He's..." I trailed off while staring at the patrons billowing around us. "Uh, he's working on something."

She made a pffdt sound with her lips and then readjusted herself on the stool. "That's a bunch of horse vomit and you know it."

Bernhart's ears perked up. lyanna waved for him to relax, and he obeyed, shoving his nose back into the bucket of slop she had procured for him. Something about it reminded me of oatmeal, but I knew it was just a magical mixture that would turn into whatever his body needed to thrive. We weren't yet sure what Bernhart's diet consisted of given that his presence in this realm was rare.

One of the market patrons paused in front of my booth. She had iridescent green skin, stood half my height, and had scales that shimmered on her neck. Antenna sprouted from her forehead and back along her bald head. She pointed a webbed finger at Bernhart. "Is that...Is that really...?"

I nodded. "Would you like to pet his head?"

"Oh, I couldn't. I shouldn't." She blinked twice-once with her land eyelids and once with her fish eyelids. "Mother always warned against petting such creatures. I'm actually in need of assistance."

I waved my hands over my deck of cards on the booth table. "A reading?"

She shook her head. "No, a jar."

I pushed one of the many jars forward. "It keeps pixies away. Just put it on your porch."

The merperson sputtered over her words. "How did you know I needed it?"

I shrugged. "Intuition, I guess. I have to figure that lots of creatures are attracted to merperson magic just like they're attracted to unicorn magic." I glanced at Bernhart who seemed to nod his head in agreement. "So, if you're just getting your land legs under you, then I'd recommend this jar."

After tapping the mason jar's lid, the merperson stepped forward and lowered her voice. "I've just moved here from the Atlantic. I'm still not used to having toes." She pointed down to her feet. "They're so uncomfortable. Would you also happen to know someone who could adjust that?"

Thoughtfulness carried me right out of the market. Three seconds later, I had my mental contact list scrolling through my mind like a slide projector.

Once I had what I needed, I focused on the merperson again with a grin and pointed to the left. "Dreya works with physical magic and is happy to trade many different items instead of the usual coin currency."

The merperson smiled gratefully and tapped the mason jar. "And this?"

"Would you happen to have any seaweed?"

She reached into her bag and procured a Ziploc of seaweed. My stomach rumbled as we traded the items. After thanking each other profusely and sending her off in the direction of Dreya, I turned back to lyanna with the bag. "Care to make me a makeshift grill?"

She smiled a toothy grin. "I thought you'd never ask."

A little wave of her hairy fingers procured a tiny grill on which we could roast the seaweed. I added my special dash of seasoning and watched as they cooked. For a second, I smelled cedarwood. The scent was so strong that I stood up and knocked over my stool. Bernhart skipped a step over.

I reached for his neck and shushed him. "Whoa, sorry there, pal."

"You're jumpy," lyanna accused. "Something you want to tell me?"

"Nope, nothing important."

She whistled while turning the strips of seaweed like they were bacon.

Wow, bacon. Now that was something my body was certainly missing. Nobody cooked bacon quite like Wendell, especially when we were having breakfast for dinner. My body folded in on itself as I returned to my stool and leaned against the booth. Wendell was worried about me. He had only called me twice, but he hadn't left a voicemail or a text message. Jada and Skye kept telling me about he was moping around the forest and trying to finish the treehouse in record time. Grandpappy was ready to chew my ear off. Troy and Blake shared understandable concerns about my safety.

One of them talked about how a couple of the dire wolves were likely staying out in the thicker forest areas. Without socialization, they were going to revert toward their animal sides. That happened sometimes. And naturally, Blake was worried that I would run into one of these guys and have a mighty fight.

I didn't think that would happen. I'd spotted a few dire wolves here at the market who weren't staying with us. They seemed calm enough. Just because their DNA had been altered didn't make them dangerous.

But I understood. My alphas were worried about me-and I could sense that Wendell was worried too.

Though what did he really need to worry about these days? It wasn't like he couldn't replace me in a heartbeat. Cedarwood invaded my nose again, reminding me of how he massaged my feet while I ate. Anybody else would have gotten kicked right in the face. But Wendell? He could get away with just about anything.

lyanna tapped my shoulder with the magical tongs she had created out of thin air. "You want 'em crispy while you think about your mate?"

"I'm not thinking about my mate, lyanna. He's not my mate."

"Could have fooled me." She clicked her tongs a few times and then used them to point into the crowd. "He keeps staring at you like you belong to him."

I laughed nervously. That couldn't possibly be true. I'd grabbed the bag with the right herbal mixture sewn into the fabric. Nobody could track me when I wore it. If Wendell had found me, it was sheer luck that brought him to my booth.

The only way to find out was to turn and look.

Oh, my gods, it was Wendell.

Oh, my gods, he was naked.

People milled about Wendell without giving him too much mind until someone had the great mercy to point out his nudity. He wouldn't have been the first shifter in the market to appear nude after changing out of animal form, but it was generally considerate to be mindful of the market's attendees-and their many eyes.

Though lyanna didn't seem to mind. Even Bernhart was interested in the naked man approaching our booth.

I must have been hallucinating. Yep, that was it. I had grabbed the wrong jar of herbs, and that would explain why my dreams last night were so damn vivid. Wendell walked up to the booth and kindly gestured to take lyanna's stool. The mole woman practically tripped over her own stubby feet just to get out of the way. As she scrambled toward the unicorn, I rummaged through my bag to grab a pair of shorts.

He stared at them. "You expect me to wear those?"

"I expect you to behave."

He took the shorts and tugged them on, revealing how comically small they were on his athletic body. Though by the look on the faces of those who had gathered just behind Wendell near the unicorn, I'd say that it was a grand sight to behold with his ass filling out the shorts. On him, they looked more like what bodybuilders wore on stage to pose.

I covered my mouth.

He sighed. "I expect you to behave."

"And what about them?" I pointed to the crowd. "You're not the performing type, are you?"

"Aren't you supposed to be mad at me or something?"

At that, lyanna blinked herself out of her funk, flipped around on one foot, and shooed away the groupies ogling Wendell. Bernhart sneezed and then turned his head away. I silently thanked them for their consideration on the matter. This was probably the most privacy we were going to get.

Wendell motioned toward the stool on which lyanna had been sitting. I raised my eyebrows, staring at the small circle while he went ahead and tried to sit on it. The wood groaned. As did he.

I reached for the tongs that lyanna had left and gathered the strips of grilled seaweed. Once they were piled on a plate, I reduced the fire and let it burn low in case lyanna or Bernhart wanted more seaweed strips.

I offered one to Wendell. He squinted at it suspiciously, plucked it from my hand, and gobbled it up in a few loud bites. He cleared his throat while beating his chest twice. "Saltier than I thought."

"That's seaweed for you."

"But...it's nice."

I stared at the plate in my lap. "Why are you here, Wendell?"

"Because everyone has been looking for you. We were worried, Rencie."

"You didn't seem worried about that promise you broke."

He sighed. "If you don't tell me what I did wrong, then how can I make up for it?"

"Why would you want to make up for it?"

"Why can't you believe that I want to do that for you?"

it.

Anger rumbled in his chest, a growl he was desperately trying to keep from releasing onto the unsuspecting crowd of patrons floating past us. All sorts of creatures were out tonight. It was packed. Funny how when I needed the most privacy was when I couldn't have Wendell adjusted on the stool and then blanched when we both heard the sound of fabric ripping.

I kept my eyes on the booth. "That was my last pair of shorts."

"Can you make new ones?"

"Sure, but I can't do magic that fast."

lyanna waddled up to Wendell. "I can. Allow me to take your measurements."

Watching my boyfriend-or ex-boyfriend, whatever-grumpily grunt while lyanna shuffled around him with a magical tape measure lifted even the heaviest resentments from my heart. Who knew just having him here would have made me feel better? Already, the strange dreams were fading. My heart wasn't racing. I felt at ease.

Oddly enough, I felt okay.

As soon as lyanna was done measuring the irritated wolf, she wandered off past the unicorn and disappeared into the crowd. That meant I was on Bernhart duty.

I plopped my chin into my hand. "You didn't have to look for me. Jada and Skye know that I eventually go home."

"What about your grandfather?"

My spine snapped straight. "Is he okay? Is he hurt?"

"No, he's fine. But I got a text from Blake while I was on the way here that your grandfather has been worried sick about you. He's been to see Dr. Windsor twice now for stomachaches."

Well, that was news to me. Usually, Grandpappy didn't worry so much. Maybe he was just getting old.

Or maybe I should have texted him before I took off.

I closed my eyes, shame coursing through me. "I'm sorry, Wendell. I didn't mean to make everyone feel bad."

"I know. You were running."

"I was thinking."

He smirked. "You were running while you were thinking."

"Don't you mean I was thinking while I was running?"

"I'll note that as a confession."

I grumbled. "It's not a confession, Wendy."

"I've missed your arguments."

I stared at him. What did he just say to me?

It was like he read my mind when he nodded. "I've been lonely without you. I can't sleep. I can hardly make a meal without thinking about your toes digging into my thigh."

"I don't do that."

A chuckle rumbled his throat. "I think I've spoiled you with the foot rubs during dinner."

"Sheesh, I did that one time and now you're hanging it over my head."

"You mean like you're hanging that broken promise over mine?"

Was he a scratched record or something? It hurt me to hear him say it like that. If he couldn't remember something that simple, then why should I tell him? I wasn't his memory bank or his calendar. My brain had better things to focus on. Like the way the glimmering lights above glistened on his muscles.

I shook my head. "Stop getting under my skin."

He took my hand, the feeling his flesh impacting mine slicing my heart with envy. Other people had experienced this touch for five years, other people who weren't me. Sunlight had kissed this skin. Water had caressed it. Wind had embraced his form and carried him day after day.

But not me.

So, why the hell was he here? "Wendy..."

"Laurencia Sharman, if you can't hear my love, then do your best to feel it."

Love.

Did he mean that?

I met his gaze, seeing a host of worlds imploding there, thoughts that were likely fighting over each other to get to the surface, words felt instead of heard. They were all there. They were all about me.

"You ditched me at that bar," I whispered. "You left me at the counter, and I had to sit there with my head hung all damn night."

He frowned. "What bar?"

"Paddy's."

His cheek twitched. "We were supposed to meet at Garfield's."

"But your note said-"

"I never sent a note, love." He cupped my cheek. "Rencie, there's something I need to tell you about that night."

I shuddered to think of what it could be. Had he met someone else? Had he f****d someone else?

My brain hurt while I tried to pull away from his touch as my body refused to honor the desire. "I don't understand."

"I got attacked in the alley behind Garfield's. Some vampires."

I gulped.

"I was...so angry at you for leaving me there. I mean, I'm still angry about it, Rencie, but I don't think it was your fault. Not anymore."

"You thought I set you up?"

He looked away, eyes burning with memories-and guilt. "When you said vampires weren't so bad, when you defended them, I really just felt like you were maybe..."

"Part of it."

"Not the war."

I pulled away from his hand. "But part of it."

"No, Rencie. That's not what I mean. Gods-" He ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry. I have so much trouble speaking when you're around. All I want to do is kiss you." "I've heard that before."

He took both of my hands. "Believe me when I say that I don't blame you anymore."

"Well, how kind of you to do that."

"Rencie, please."

I stood abruptly, knocking over my stool. "You know what? No, we can't do this anymore, Wendy. I'm tired of doing it. I'm exhausted from having to run around with you and wonder the whole time when you're going to leave me again." "I just told you I didn't ditch you. I was attacked by vampires in an alley. I can't even tell my alpha about it!"

I scoffed. "So, there's no one to corroborate your story? Is that it?" I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling how unfair it was to do in that moment, how awful my words felt even as they shot uncontrollably out of my mouth. "I don't believe it."

"Is that bite burning?"

I touched the scar, alarmed by his question.

"It is, isn't it?"

He paused when lyanna returned with a pair of sensible beige shorts that would fit Wendell's frame. Only when she went away did he bother changing. While he seemed visibly more comfortable in the shorts, he was still too big for the stool, so he stood next to me, so much taller and so much stronger.

And so much angrier than before. "It's burning. You know it. I know it. I can feel the way it feels on your neck."

"Lies."

"You can shove me out, Rencie. Or you can try. But you can't deny that what we had back then-that what we have now-is utterly inexplicable."

I shivered. "You're just trying to convince me everything is okay so I'll go home with you, and you can save face."

"Do you see anyone here from our pack?"

"No, but-"

He took me by the shoulders and leveled his gaze with mine. "This isn't some stupid performance. It's real. Just like that attack at Garfield's. Just like the way I love you."

"You don't really love me. You just love the idea of me because of our alphas."

"Don't you think that's a testament to our bond? That the fact that we've met again and can't stay apart shows us exactly the nature of our connection?"

I couldn't say anything. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't. Because I didn't believe him. But I did believe him. And I didn't know how to make myself pick a side.

So, like every time this happened, I reached for my tarot deck. I pulled a card. I set it on the booth and stared at it, blinking away tears as I studied the picture on that worn piece of cardboard.

It was The Lovers.