Free Once Mated Twice Shy by K. S. Martin

taking the new
truck.  She deserved it after all.  Her hard work saved this whole pack from
bankruptcy. 
    Once home she fell
back onto the musty mattress and closed her eyes.  Damn him.  For a minute,
she’d believed him again.  For a minute, they were just Lettie and Jordan
again.  They were deeply in love and not able to see past the other, for a
minute.  Lettie let herself drift.  She would return to work in the morning if
she still had a job. 
    ***
    Jordan’s wolf
loped the perimeter of the grocery store.  His ears perked at every little
sound.  Her mark faded soon after the words of rejection left her beautiful
lips.  Now he was guarding the entrances.  Mister Thompson should really
consider a guard dog.  Jordan went to check the back again.  No one would get
to his mate again, no one would ever hurt her again, and that included him. 
He’d been at this for a week now.  Lettie didn’t know that he was out here and
if he could help it, she wouldn’t.  There were more rumors that trio of rogue
wolves was terrorizing the area.  His newly appointed betas were patrolling the
compound at night while he patrolled the grocer.  Apparently, the first group
wasn’t the trio that everyone heard about earlier in the month.  This trio had
a bad reputation.  Several times, they’d shifted in front of humans which put
everyone at risk.  Every wolf knew that secrecy was the best protection.  There
were packs that had taken vows to die if humans suspected them.  His pack had
taken no such oath but he could see the reasoning.  Their population grew every
year but all knew that just one piece of conclusive proof was all the humans
needed to declare war on the species.  The last time that humans found them
out, the wolf population almost went extinct.  Jordan’s ears perked again.  His
cell phone was ringing in the truck.  He shifted and opened the door.  It gave
a loud rusty squeak.  “Jordan.”
    “It’s Lucas sir. 
Uh, Terry told me to check in and make sure that you were okay.”  Lucas was a
nice wolf, he was respectful, but he had such a brown nose.
    “Fine.  Everything
quiet there?”  Jordan watched the woods next to the building.
    “Yes sir.”  Jordan
narrowed his eyes at something that moved.  It was a squirrel.  No threat but
maybe a snack later, his inner wolf was interested.
    “Good, is there anything
else?”  The light in Lettie’s apartment went off now.  He kept watching the
window hoping to see her.  She may have rejected him, but he still had hope and
he would still protect her.
    “No sir but I um
was wondering if it was okay if Aimee and me…”  Jordan rolled his eyes.  He
wished someone would fuck her and keep her the hell away from him.
    “Wear her out
Lucas, please.”  Jordan disconnected the call.  He shifted after looking around
and loped the perimeter again.
     
    A week later,
Jordan having just finished his lap he heard the cell in the truck ringing.  He
shifted and answered.  “Jordan.”
    “Sir, we think the
rogues are in the compound.  Terry thinks he saw some unfamiliar wolves but he
couldn’t scent them downwind.  You should come back sir.”
    “On my way, all is
quiet here.”  He disconnected the call and glanced up at the dark window as he
started the truck.  “Sleep tight sweetheart.  I’ll be right back.”  Jordan
raced down the gravel road taking the curves sideways.  He pulled the truck
over in front of his house and got out shifting immediately.  Jordan raced down
the roads scenting the air.  He didn’t smell anything unfamiliar but there was
a scent of pups on the breeze.  Terry came out from behind Lettie’s bungalow. 
They both shifted back to men.  “Well?”  Jordan asked as soon as he could speak.
    “I don’t know
where they went sir.  I’m not even sure of what I saw but I saw something, I
know that I did.  I just wasn’t close enough and the breeze shifted then gusted
so I couldn’t catch the