“She giving you trouble?” Her new alpha was standing behind her.
“No more than usual.” Lettie climbed down and tried to start it again with no result. Jordan reached into the engine. It still wouldn’t start.
“Got a screwdriver?” Lettie went inside to the tool box, brought a screwdriver back, and handed it to him. “I stopped by for the checkbook, do have that handy?” Lettie went back inside and got it for him. What did she care? She wasn’t using the money. In fact, she refused to use the money. She laid it on the front of the truck. “Try it again.” Lettie reached in and started the truck. It rumbled to life. “You should let me have her. She just gives you problems anyway.” Lettie nodded and reached inside the truck to turn it off. She threw the keys at his chest and went back inside the house to put her purse away. Lettie locked the front door when she came out. He was still standing there watching her. “You’ve become a non productive member of this pack Colette.” A large ball of fear formed in the pit of her stomach. First, he’d rejected her as a mate, now his first order of business as pack alpha was to reject her as a pack member. Would this man ever stop? Didn’t he have enough? He took her happiness, her truck, the money, and now he was going to take her pride. She nodded and bit her lip, watching him. “You know what I’m going to say?”
“I’ll move out over the weekend. If that’s not soon enough you let me know. I have to get to work.” She shifted into her wolf not giving him time to say another word and sprinted down the gravel road that led to town. Lettie was sobbing by the time she got to work and leaned against the back of the building trying to pull her shattered nerves together. She wiped her eyes and straightened her hair before ducking inside.
“Are you okay Colette?” Another wolf, Aiden asked. She nodded and went to the ladies room. Aiden didn’t need to hear about her screwed up life, he was just a kid. She wiped her face with a cool wet paper towel. When she could breathe again without shaking, she went to work.
***
“Sir?” Jordan looked up from his computer screen at Lucas. Lucas was a few years older and below beta in the pack hierarchy. He was a nice enough wolf, and seemed like he was an honorable wolf. “A word?” Jordan motioned him into the office. Lucas sat down in the visitor’s chair across from Jordan. He seemed nervous and Jordan watched him closely. “It’s about Colette.” Jordan nodded. He’d screwed that up earlier. He didn’t mean for her to leave. He only meant that she needed to participate with everyone else and that she should try to help with pack matters like these damn books that he was trying to balance. Now that he was pack alpha and her mate, she should deal with female pack members. He’d meant that she shouldn’t stay inside the house all of the time. But like nearly every conversation they had, he said one thing and she heard something else. Of course, he didn’t always say everything he intended to either. It didn’t help that the last five years of their relationship he’d spent most of his time trying to get her goat. Riling her was always his favorite sport, and at one time, it ended in the most fantastic sex but not at the end. By the time he was leaving her, it always ended in hard feelings and tears. “Sir, is it okay?” Shit he hadn’t heard a word Lucas said and the wolf looked expectant.
“Is what okay? I’m sorry. I have a lot on my mind today. Can you repeat your question Lucas?” Jordan ran a hand through his hair and tried to pay attention.
“I asked if it would be okay with you, since you were her mate and all, if I courted Colette.” Lucas had a look on his face that was a cross between lust and giddiness. It disgusted Jordan. Hell no he couldn’t court her.
“What? Are you seeing her? Is she interested in you?” Jordan tensed further.
“Well, I’m not sure if she’s interested. Sometimes we run together, I mean we run into each other sometimes when we are out running. You’re mark, you rejected her, but it still repels me. Is she free or is she your mate?” Jordan drew a deep breath and let it out trying to calm himself. He was the alpha now. He needed to stay in control of himself, the situation, and of the pack. “You don’t want her Lucas.” Jordan put up a hand when Lucas began to protest. “She doesn’t want any pups. Family doesn’t interest her at all. I rejected her because she’s not a good mate, between you and me.” He looked disappointed. “You wanted pups? Right?” Lucas nodded. Jordan shook his head. “Yeah, me too.”
“Thank you for telling me sir.” Lucas climbed out of the chair and left the office. Jordan ran his hands through his hair and went back to balancing the books that Francis had left in terrible condition. Lettie could fix this. She was a whiz at this stuff. It was what he’d meant by productive, he wanted her to help. He needed to fix this before she left. She couldn’t leave. He still loved her. It was why his mark repelled Lucas. He’d said the words to her but he hadn’t meant them and Mother Nature knew it. He hadn’t lied to Lucas, Lettie didn’t want pups, she said they cost too much. That argument was the beginning of the end. Jordan clicked on the next bill to be paid.