Page 17 of Delivered to My Beasts
It was a beautiful, crisp fall day, blue skies dotted with white clouds and the mountain foliage beginning to turn in earnest. As the two males washed the windows, they kept checking with me to make sure I approved of their performance. In fact, as they worked, they began to clown around and be silly until finally they had me laughing and telling them they were going to have their pay docked if they didn’t get serious about the task.
But when they finished the last window, I sobered again. “Shouldn’t Duke be back by now?”
Jax hefted the ladder over his shoulder. “Pretty soon. An hour each way, a few errands in town. I’m not worried, are you, Crew?”
“Nope.” He reached for my hand. “Duke can handle a little grocery shopping on his own. You come in with me and we’ll have some hot apple cider with cinnamon sticks.”
He’d taken my hand so casually and naturally, but the contact was electric, and I let him lead me inside and seat me at the counter.
I chatted with Crew and then Jax when he came in while we drank cider and nibbled sugar cookies, but I kept one eye on the driveway where I wanted to see Duke park. My car, the pack vehicle, had been moved into the garage, out of sight, but it was going to have to be gotten rid of at some point. Maybe I’d just ask the guys to leave it on the opposite side of town one day. But not yet. I didn’t want them going there if they didn’t need to.
Finally, as I tipped the mug up to drink the last of the cider, I heard the car pulling in. I flew out the door to meet Duke, the others following me at a slower pace.
I’d never been so glad to see anyone.
Chapter Thirteen
Duke
It wasn’t often that another person’s words disgusted me to the point of physically becoming ill, but today was one of those days.
At first, it all sounded like something right out of a romance novel. The male was searching for his mate. He didn’t know what happened to her and was desperate to find her.
From the gossip at the gas station, this male had been on the brink of tears as he went from place to place, pack to pack, inquiring about his mate. He seemed so sincere, and one woman wiped away a tear of her own, wishing that the male would be successful. Even going so far as to say the whole ordeal had given her new hope for love.
When I got to the hardware store, I was picking up some things for the house when I saw some young wolf males in a group, heads together.
They were right next to the rope.
“Has he found anything?” one of them asked as I hovered. I wasn’t really into drama but even I was interested.
“No. Did you see him? Even pretending to cry in front of that old lady to try to get her to feel sorry for him.”
“Mateo? That fucker. I can’t believe he pulled that shit.”
Another one laughed. “He’ll do anything to get Imogen back. He can’t wait to get ahold of her. And let us have a turn while he’s at it.”
“I don’t know what kind of alpha he will be. He’s kind of a little bitch sometimes.”
“Don’t you dare speak about your future alpha that way.”
I could’ve stayed longer to hear the rest of the wolf drama unfold, but I had enough information. Plus, the way they weretalking about my mate made me want to show them exactly why the rumor about us being beasts was true after all.
I made quick work of getting the few things we needed, ignoring the looks from those who knew who I was or guessed by the scent of bear on me. We tried not to go into town during the day, but today, I was buying things for my mate. Groceries, mainly. Our female loved breakfast, and I’d made it a point to cook up a proper one every morning since she’d arrived. She didn’t look as gaunt anymore, and that made my bear very happy.
She’d brought life into our home. Her laughter filled our house with joy, and I longed for the sound of her voice. Her presence. Her smiles.
I wanted to make her smile as much as possible. Selfish of me, of course. They were sunshine to me, and I craved their heat and warmth as my bear did outdoors.
I wished I had stayed longer and put eyes on Mateo, and now that I was on my way home, I slammed my palm into the steering wheel. If we knew what he looked like, at least we would know the enemy if he dared come near our home. I got home in just over half the time, speeding the whole way, even on the mountain road. I needed to make sure my mate was well. We hadn’t mated yet, and we bore no marks, so the bond we had through our animals was weak—intact but weak.
As soon as I got out, Imogen came running out to the front porch. She wore shorts with a hoodie and socks only. The look on her face was pure fear.
“What?” I called out. “Did something happen?”
“You happened,” she said and, as I approached the steps, she practically launched herself at me. I caught her midair and she wrapped her arms and legs around my torso.
“What did I do?” I asked, chuckling. She wasn’t mad, only worried.
