Page 18 of Wilde Beta

He knew he would be as good as new when he woke in the morning. Adam finished his shower, dried off, and wore shorts because he knew his mate would be upset if he came to bed naked. How long would he keep these barriers between them before she gave in and gave him the love that he desired?

Adam stood looking down at the bed where his mate pretended to be asleep. It was obvious from her breathing and heartbeat that she was still awake.

Being bold, Adam pulled the covers back and slid into bed beside her. It was the most comfortable place he had slept since coming to the room.

In seconds, he was asleep. Even though he did not expect to fall asleep so quickly, he knew his wolf wanted him to be rested for whatever might come.

It was almost certain that something was headed their way, and he needed to be prepared to deal with it. Since he was awake, he got up and dressed, then woke his mate.

“Go away," Mel responded.

“It's morning, Sweetheart," Adam informed.

“I don't care. I'm tired," Mel said.

“You can have breakfast and coffee," he told her.

“Coffee? I could use a cup of coffee," she admitted.

His mate got up and ran to the bathroom, slamming the door closed. He could only assume she was getting dressed to go to breakfast. It didn't take as long as he expected before she opened the door and walked out.

“You promised me coffee," Mel reminded him.

“I'll lead the way," he agreed, heading out with her close behind him.

When they entered the dining room, he saw that most people were already there. The food smelled good, as it always did, and his stomach growled. He got himself a cup of coffee, made one for Mel, and handed it to her. They both went to get a plate and filled the plates full. They would need energy for whatever was ahead of them today. He hoped no one would be hanging around to cause them trouble.

With their plates loaded high, they sat down and began to eat immediately. Their wolves were hungry. It was an excellent start to the day. He would be working on the cabinets in the same house he had worked in the day before, and Mel would be with him. There would also be an assistant to make things go faster. His pack only had a few skilled craftsmen who could do this kind of work or anything else involved in building. The others would work as assistants until they learned enough to do the work themselves.

“I've not seen the inside of one of these cabins yet. This is really nice, and I can't believe the kind of work you do on these cabinets. I did see one of your trunks that Joey bought. It was beautiful," Mel admitted.

“It was a talent I've always had. Once I was older, it was discouraged because I was told to concentrate on being a pack alpha someday. My family didn't seem to think I could do both," Adam admitted.

“You just do the wood portion, and then someone comes in and puts it in the counters?” She asked.

“Yes, each of us should specialize in the area we work so we can get it done more quickly and make sure it is done well," he explained.

“What about the finished work?” Mel wondered.

“Someone comes in and paints. Then another comes in, usually somebody younger, and they put the pulls and handles on," Adam observed.

“Maybe I will get an opportunity to see what they look like when finished," Mel mentioned. “I'm going to set my computer up over here on this little table. There doesn't seem to be any place else to do it.”

Another wolf entered. “This is Jason, my assistant. He is learning to build cabinets and doing a great job.” Adam introduced.

Everyone began to do their work. Before they knew it, it was lunchtime. “We'll stop for lunch and see how everyone else is doing. Maybe the alphas will know something that they can share with us.” Adam observed.

They stopped and put everything away before heading to the house. Joey carried her computer in a backpack with her. She seemed very attached to it. Adam watched carefully as they closed the distance from the tent to the house. He saw a wolf come running up to the perimeter. That wolf hit and went flying backward as if picked up by a giant hand. Adam liked the little witch who came in and did the work. It would keep them safe, but he knew better than to depend on it too much. She had even told them it could be overcome if enough hit it simultaneously.

It surprised him that only one wolf had tested the perimeter, and no others were anywhere. It made no sense.

“Did you see…?" Mel asked.

“I did. I'm unsure what their plan is, but that tells us they have one," Adam explained.

“We knew they would probably come back. But we didn't know when or how they would attack," Mel pointed out.

“Let's hurry to the house and let everyone know what is going on," Adam directed.

---