Page 39 of Auctioned Mate

I couldn’t stay here.

I couldn’t let this man take care of me. I couldn’t let this pack suffer the consequences ofmyactions. Had I been more committed to Baneridge and paying off my debts, I wouldn’t be trapped in a new place—although it was a damn nice place to be trapped in.

Take your time, he had said.

But what he really meant was,Stay as long as you like.

Chapter 15 - Juriah

Two Weeks Later

“You just haven’t learned how to keep your lanky arms to yourself, have you?”

Macy had started using this jab as a common deflection whenever I took her by surprise. I knew because I was standing chest-to-head with her in the kitchen where we often collided. Though I didn’t mind, she had shown increasing hostility about it lately.

Something about her had changed. I wasn’t sure if it was the brief captivity or the close encounters, or perhaps she was hormonal because she was just hormonal.

My gaze focused on her stomach.

Perhaps it’s something more than hormones.

Affection poured from her gaze while attitude spat from her lips. Were all earthly women like this? Or was it just the wolves?

I had a lot to learn about supernatural earth women.

“We’ve been over this, little wolf,” I teased. “I’m not lanky. I’m muscular. I just happen to be taller than the average earth man.”

“You’re older too.”

I noticed how she scooted around me, taking extra care to keep our bodies from touching again. How odd it felt to be avoided. After peppering Izdor with many questions regarding hookup culture, I found myself as confused as I had been at the very beginning. Some people preferred having emotional connections, while others wanted never to be bothered.

Macy displayed a baffling mixture of these desires. She never clearly stated her intentions to sleep with me, yet two weeks ago she hadn’t denied me the course of action that had led to her eruption—twice, if memory served correctly. She ogled my body when I worked in the garden, yet turned her nose in the air when I approached her.

Had I done something to offend her? As I skimmed the memory of our coupling in the kitchen from two weeks prior, I realized I had never taken the time toeat her outas it was commonly called. I quietly kicked myself.

Perhaps that was why she was angry.

Tension gathered in droves around us. She sidled up to the pantry and plucked through her snack options. Since her arrival, I had been sure to stock it with ample choices. She often chose cookies and pickle chips. Sweet and salty seemed to be her favorites. As she grabbed those from the top shelf, I observed her curvy figure.

My mouth watered. The gods had truly blessed her with a glorious figure. And since she had taken up running through the woods under the watchful eye of Raven, she had gained even more deliciously toned muscle.

She waved her hand in front of my face. “Excuseyou.”

“Yes, sorry.” I stepped aside. “Here.”

“No, I mean, stop staring at my ass.”

I stumbled over my words, for she had caught me right in the act. Frustration bubbled inside me while shame clouded my thoughts. The more time I spent with her, the more I boiled over with feelings that were foreign to me.

She snapped her fingers. “Hey, that counts for my tits too.”

I growled. “I wasn’t staring at your breasts, Macy. Stop accusing me of things!”

“Then stopdoingthings and we won’t have a problem.”

“I thought the attitude would go away with care and attention, but you seem dedicated to retaining it despite how much we give you.”

She glared up at me. “There it is. The catch. You’ve been waiting to throw that in my face, haven’t you?”

---