Auctioned Mates Revenge
Chapter 22

Matt's POV

Renda's eyes had been glossy with tears after I told her. Lucas howled with grief. I wanted to hold her, but I knew she would reject me. Despite what she said, she didn't seem to like touching much at all. I was doing my best to remember that and respect her space. When she left to return to her room it took everything in me not to go after her and comfort her. She was always pretending to be so strong, but I could feel her pain radiating out of her. It made her beautiful eyes dull and her smile dime. Why couldn't she lean on me a little bit? Why did she always pretend to be strong? It was like she was afraid to show weakness in front of me. Did she think I would hurt her or take advantage of that weakness?

I know the bastards who used her while she was at Larry's and Midnight had probably taken advantage of her youth and any weakness.

She'd probably learned to hide everything she was feeling behind a mask just to survive, but what would it take for her to realize that I wasn't like them?

She had gotten drunk, and I hadn't taken advantage of her. Even when she was sober and had tried to seduce me, I had respected her real wishes and what she needed from me. I'd given her space and not brought it up after the incidents. How much longer would it take for her to start trusting me? It felt like I would never get even a bit of her trust no matter what I did.

Her scent lingered in the room, making Lucas growl with desire. Her scent was more addicting than a drug. It was going to drive me crazy if I wasn't careful. I tried to focus on the part of her scent that seemed wounded and in pain, but I couldn't. Aside from her sweetness, all I could smell was that man's scent tangled with hers.

I grit my teeth as Lucas growled.

She still smells like him! We shouldn't have let her leave like that. What if she thinks we don't care, Matt?

I winced at Lucas' words and sighed. He was a pushy bastard on the best days, but Renda was drawing out his manipulative side.

The thought of Renda even wondering if we cared about her made me furious.

She was my mate. Of course, I cared, but I didn't just care about scents lingering on her.

I cared about the new and old scars that covered her body. The scars in her heart that made her hide behind her smile and sly words were calling to me to fix them.

But I didn't know how to fix them. I didn't even know how to fix myself.

The only thing I did know is that barging ahead and letting Lucas take over would only push her away.

I couldn't be like the men who used her. I wouldn't be.

Even if it drove me and Lucas crazy.

My phone started to ring with the most annoying default ringtone available. It was Ben, the alpha of the Warhammer pack.

I smirked at the caller ID and swiped to answer the phone.
Matt's POV

Renda's eyes had been glossy with tears after I told her. Lucas howled with grief. I wanted to hold her, but I knew she would reject me. Despite what she said, she didn't seem to like touching much at all. I was doing my best to remember that and respect her space. A few moments passed before I heard him growling.

"Don't just answer the phone without saying anything, f*****g brat."

"You called me," Matt scoffed. "I don't have anything to say to you."

"You'd better have something to say for yourself! You bought a prostitute?"

I snorted, "Jealous?"

My lips twitched thinking of Renda's sly mocking.

"Don't you start with me, Matt! Have you no sense in your head? You're a Wallber!"

I leaned back in my seat, "How's your stupid whore and her son?"

He went quiet for a moment and I smirked, realizing what he called about.

"Were you behind it?" He asked, his tone cold and furious.

"Whatever could you mean, Alpha Wallber?"

"Wade's car accident! Were you behind it!"

I laughed, "You should have taught your dumb a's son to maintain his cars properly."

"Matt, you've gone too far-"

"Oh? He's dead then?" "Matt-"

I hung up with a chuckle, imagining Wade laying unconscious in a hospital bed. That son of a bitch and his accomplices were lucky Renda wasn't hurt when the cable car crashed. If she had been, I would have made sure he was dead. Sonia was probably sobbing pathetically at her son's bedside bitching at doctors, Ben, and whoever else would listen. Next time she or her conniving son came up with any more bright ideas, I'd make sure she was in the hospital too. Matt! Armand's voice came through our mind link. I growled at the sound of his voice.

That idiot had never learned to figure out when I was pissed off with him but always managed to hide out long enough for me to almost forget why I was pissed.

The remains of his stupid party were still lingering in specks of glitter in my carpet and the blue dye in Renda's hair.

How nice of you not to show your face, Armand.

Don't be like that, bro'. It was a great party and we left when you asked! He laughed. I heard you want to know about Andy. Did Renda say he was hotter than you or something? F**k off, I snarled.

I'm sure they've got classes for the tango, bro'. Maybe he'll teach you some moves.

I took a deep breath and reminded myself that killing a man who I saved in the past was not a good idea.

Armand, I'm not in the mood. What do you know about him?

He's Calvin Wilson's son, the alpha of Skyfall.

Skyfall was a newer, smaller pack that had been mentioned at several of Ben's parties. They were another lackey pack much like Luftmensch but with a cleaner reputation.

Why would Renda be interested in him? It could have been chance that she'd danced with him. Maybe she did find him attractive, but that didn't seem right.

Renda, even drunk, didn't seem to want me near her. I knew she found me attractive, but her resistance to s****l contact was clear. She wouldn't have chosen to get close enough to Andrew to dance the tango without an agenda. Then, there was the way she'd responded to me asking about it. She was guarded exactly, but she seemed a little defensive.

Had she known Andrew from another brothel or her past life? If she did, did Andrew recognize her?

Did she want Andrew to recognize her?

Matt? You still there?

Why a masquerade party?

Renda suggested it! She-

I ended Armand's connection, ignoring the irritation that washed through our link after I stopped listening.

It was suspicious.

My instincts were telling me that she knew Andrew somehow. She hadn't been at Larry's for long before I paid for her freedom. The only place she could have known him from was Midnight, Luftmensch or somewhere she'd been before that. Luftmensch and Skyfall were a bit farther away, but the more I thought about it, the more sure I was that a lot of the answers I wanted about Renda's past would be with Luftmensch.

My head ached just thinking about dealing with the alpha of Luftmensch and what I would find, but Renda deserved justice, and I could only hope that if I managed to get her justice she might come to trust me just a little.

The thought of one day being able to claim her as my mate and see the trust and love shining in her eyes made me smile and head upstairs. There were just a few more things left to prepare before I could advance my investigation into Renda's pst.

It took three days for me to do it, but when I came downstairs, I was feeling triumphant and proud. Renda was seated at the bar eating lunch. I was hungry, but my excitement was threatening to get the better of me. I smiled at her as I passed and tried to be as casual as possible.

"We're going to Midnight tonight. Pack for a week." I opened the refrigerator to pull out a pre-made plate to heat up. "Armand should be back with a luggage set for you soon."

I'd sent him out earlier to Renda a luggage set.

"Thank you," she said softly. "I'll start getting clothes together."

I felt her come up behind me and lingered at the refrigerator door so her scent drifted into my nose. A heady wave of pleasure, want, and comfort ent through me. The heat of her body was distracting. She felt like a beacon in the room, drawing all my attention. I snapped out of it just as Lucas was beginning to stir and crossed the kitchen to warm up my food. My heart raced as I listened to her wash her plate in the sink and hurry upstairs.

That was an odd quirk of hers. She could have just placed it in the dishwasher, but she always washed her dishes. Maybe she'd grown up without a dishwasher.

My lips twitched, a little gleeful. It seemed that no matter what new thing I learned about Renda, it was precious.