Page 81 of Challenged Mate
All the debris from the building had been cleaned up, and the exterior wall had been rebuilt.
A pair of shifters stood in the middle of the street with arms raised towards The Daily Bean. In awe, I watched them use magic to move replacement windows into the newly constructed window frames along the street-side of the building.
Would I have the ability to use my magic in such a practical manner? Or was I limited to bursts of light and protective shields?
One of the shifters noticed me staring. He lifted a hand in brief greeting before returning his attention to the task at hand.
I murmured a hello in response, then quickly made my way down the street. I didn’t want to distract them. I’d find somewhere else to be helpful.
But while the streets weren’t empty, fewer shifters than normal wandered the streets. Those who did were focused and walked with determination. That didn’t stop them from waving hello or sharing a greeting, but then they swiftly went about whatever task they had before I could engage them.
I turned onto Main Street, noting that most of the stores were closed. I debated calling Kayla to see where she was. She could help me find something to do.
But then I noticed the bookstore’s chalkboard sign placed on the sidewalk. It was open.
Might as well kill some time.
The bell above the door rang with my entrance.
The comforting smell of leather-bound books and crisp paperbacks filled my nostrils. I always loved the smell of bookstores and libraries. There was nothing else like it.
I walked in, my eyes zeroing in on the central display and the dozens of best sellers placed on the table when I heard, “Hello.”
I whirled around. “Oh. Hi.” I greeted the brunette standing behind the counter. A stack of books sat in front of her, and a strip of price stickers dangled from her hand.
I took in her faded jeans and loose t-shirt. I guessed she was in her mid to late thirties.
The female smiled. “Can I help you find anything, Blair?”
Of course she knew my name.
“No, thank you. I was just going to look around.”
She nodded. “Let me know if you need anything. My name is Stephanie. I own the store.”
I held my breath after hearing my best friend’s name, but quickly released it. The last time I’d been here, a young teenage boy had worked the counter. I remembered because he’d flushed cherry-red when Kayla turned her attention on him.
“Nice to meet you,” I told her, managing to return her smile before disappearing between two towering bookcases.
I scanned the titles on the shelves with half-hearted interest. I’d left the apartment to be useful, but it seemed like the Wilds Pack had everything under control. I supposed that wasn’t surprising. The magical pack was a well-oiled machine, trained and prepared for anything that was thrown their way.
They had to be.
They wouldn’t have survived this long if they weren’t—especially considering how isolated they were from other packs.
The thought drew my attention to the impending alliance the Wilds Pack had with the Summit Pack, and the funds the Wilds Pack had pledged to each of the North American Packs to motivate them to approve their proposed prize during the games.
If the money continued to line their pockets, would the other packs forgive Axel if he freed me from our arranged mating?
Now that I knew Axel was aware of my fated bond with his twin, I had to believe he didn’t intend to go through with our mating.
No decent male would.
And while I hadn’t known Axel long, there was no question he was a decent male.
No, Axel wouldn’t make me mate with him.
The only question was: how did he intend to get his pack out of the deal unscathed? Money seemed the most likely answer.
