Page 58 of Destined Mate

When Theo came by last night, I’d already retired to bed. It was pathetic of me, but all day, the only thing I could think about was Bodey. No matter how much I cleaned or tried to listen to music. Every damn lyric came back to him.

I didn’t even eat dinner with the family, opting to take it into my room under the guise of being tired. Stevie got me to watchThe Last Kingdomwith her, but even then, I couldn’t stop thinking ofhim.

“What’s up with you?” Stevie asked the next day as she turned down the road to Trevor’s real estate office, about forty minutes away in Halfway, Oregon. Since Oxbow didn’t have a town due to us living in wildlife territory, we had to drive to this area to find jobs if we couldn’t work from home.

Trevor had bought a house and converted it into a business office at the edge of town, right up against the woods. If a pack emergency happened, they could shift without causing alarm.

Stevie continued, “You’ve been acting strange since you got back.”

The last thing I wanted to do was discuss Bodey with her. I ran my hands over my black slacks and smoothed out my flowy long-sleeved business shirt, admiring the contrasting colors. “It’s been surreal, leaving and then coming back. They were very nice to me there.”

“That one guy who demanded you leave with him was quite a looker.” She waggled her brows. “I feel like that might have something to do with it.”

“He’s got a fated mate out there.”

Her nose wrinkled. “Oh, damn.”

Thankfully, we pulled into the driveway, and I eagerly hopped out of the car. “Thanks for dropping me off.” I was ready to end this conversation.

“Yeah, yeah. We still have the ride home tonight, hussy.” She stuck out her tongue. “But I’ll come by as soon as I get off work.”

“See ya.” I hurried up the five steps to the door and entered what must have been the living room and was now the reception area.

To the left was a sizable, vacant wooden desk right across from an identical desk where a brunette human, who looked to be in her thirties, sat. She was on the phone, her nails tapping against the wood. That had to be my desk.

Hurrying over, I set down my black purse and took in the light-blue walls. Someone walked down the hallway and entered the room.

Charles.

“At least you’re on time, so that’s something.” He sneered and grabbed my arm. “Suzy is on desk duty. I have something else planned for you.”

His grip was too tight. Even dressed in a gray suit and looking completely in charge, he still had to dominate me.

He led me down the hallway to a kitchen on the right. It was small but modern, with a mustard-yellow backsplash. He didn’t pause there but rather led me to the back door.

Once again, it was drizzling, so of course he’d have me do something outside. “What do you want me to do?”

He opened the back door, and we stepped onto a small cement landing that gave way to grass. Charles’s family’s older pickup truck, which they used for planting, was parked next to the woods.

“Theo’s alpha party is this weekend, and we need firewood. We can’t risk gathering and chopping wood near the pack lands because he’d be sure to notice, and we want it to be a surprise party and a bonfire.”

I glanced down at my black boots. They weren’t stilettos, thank gods, but they weren’t hiking boots, either. And this outfit, I suspected, would be ruined.

“I need you to go about a quarter mile into the woods to chop and gather logs where humans can’t hear you, then stack the wood in the bed of my truck. I want it full, and then we’ll put a tarp over it to prevent it from getting wetter.” Charles smirked.

This property had ten acres of land, so finding wood wouldn’t be an issue. I just wished Trevor hadn’t told me to dress business casual. The only highlight was that, usually, this was something they’d force me to do for our pack without pay. At least this time, I’d get money.

“Fine.” I nodded. “I’ll handle it.”

We walked to the bed of the truck. He unlatched it and handed me an axe. “Great. Make sure you get it done properly. I’d hate for you to have to do it again.”

I smiled and batted my eyelashes. “Thank you so much for your concern.”

“I can’t wait until I can put you in your place,” he growled before turning around and stomping back into the house.

Thank gods I wouldn’t have to spend the day near him.

Taking a deep breath, I trudged into the woods. My shoes sank into the grass, and rain pelted me. I hadn’t brought a jacket because I hadn’t expected to spend the day outside, but that was probably part of Charles’s plan.

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