Beaufort Creek Shifters (10 book series)
The Wolf’s Bullied Mate Chapter 13

Isaiah

Shit, what had I done?

It wasn't like me to be clumsy. It wasn't like me to get hurt from somebody calling me a stupid name. It also wasn't like Jada to call me a stupid name. What was happening to us?

Guilt clung to my shoulders as I marched to the barn. I snatched the first aid kit from the manager's office, sneered at the workers waiting for the schedule to be posted, and trudged back to the stables where Jada was holding her mouth. Blood seeped between her fingers.

Great, now I could add reckless buffoon to the list of shit that Jada rode my ass about regularly. The snaps on the kit popped up easily under my thumbs. Packaged gauze and iodine sat neatly in one corner with coverings in the other. I grabbed what I needed and snapped the lid shut, beckoning Jada to sit on a stool near one of the empty stalls.

She hesitantly sat down. Something glittered in her eyes that I didn't like the sight of-and it wasn't like it was shocking to see the look of surprise there. I hadn't ever hurt her physically before, not even by accident, so it was an odd position. What was worse was the way the guilt lingered.

Never in my days had I struggled with such feelings. I had assumed I wasn't capable of feeling them after everything I had done in the past. The weight of my decisions hung heavy on my shoulders, reminders of a distant Isaiah who hadn't been sober at one point. Drugs and alcohol, s*x and dangerous stunts-those were the things he had dealt with.

Not guilt. Certainly not snobby little mates who got bruised easily.

Sourness stole the remaining guilt as I poured iodine on a piece of gauze and went to dab her lip.

She flinched.

"Stay still," I commanded in a hoarse voice. "You'll hurt yourself more."

"You're the one who hurt me."

I avoided her penetrative gaze as I cleaned the tiny wound. Gods, it was just her lip that had split open. Why was it bleeding so damn much? "Sorry."

"Thanks."

And that was that. I didn't say anything more. I didn't try to pamper her or soothe the fact that I had wounded her in a way that was worse than words. It wasn't like I'd done it on purpose. Yet her resistance to my touch told me she felt like it was on purpose. It was just a mistake. Plain and simple. "I really am sorry, Jada."

Her eyes widened as she peered up at me. Her lip was beginning to swell. The way it protruded past her upper lip made her look like she was pouting. She was probably also pouting too. "I get it."

I swept my thumb over the slit in her lip, wiping another bead of blood. "You're delicate."

"I'm no such thing."

"Could have fooled me."

Her brows furrowed as she looked away and scrubbed her arm. I'd never seen her look so defeated. Had she not realized she could get hurt?

"Whatever," she whispered. "I'm uh..." She chafed her arm harder. "I'm sorry I called you an idiot. It wasn't right."

My next breath felt less strained. I hadn't realized how hard it had been to breathe until she said that. Did she mean it? "Right."

"I've never done that in my life." She looked at the ceiling, more defeat slithering into her expression. "I don't know what's happening."

"I don't either."

She focused on me, eyes softening, heartbeat picking up a new rhythm. "Is this...normal?"

A smirk cracked my lips. "Define normal, sugar."

"No plum? No tits?"

My eyes dropped to her chest. "Always tits."

She scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you done nursing me? I have to get back to the schedule and post it."

"We got some eager beavers next door."

"They're not beavers. They're-"

I caught her shoulder and forced her to look at me. "Jada, shut up. I'm literally kidding. Take a breath. You're too serious all the time."

She stared back at me with a blend of confusion and amusement. Was I difficult to deal with at times? I would never deny such a claim. But I wasn't entirely shitty. And I wasn't unreasonable either. I had a level head. I just needed to get past the goddamn caffeine withdrawals before it turned me into a serious dickwad.

I sighed while releasing her shoulder. "You're fine. You should let it dry out and then apply some ointment." I plucked a tiny packet of Neosporin from the box. "Just don't lick your lips or you'll regret it."

She accepted the packet and tucked it into her pocket. "Thanks."

I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to take her. I wanted to bend her over my knee and pleasure her until she was a writhing mess on the floor. Maybe that would break the tension between us.

Or make it worse. There was one way to find out.

Instead, I leaned toward her and kissed her uninjured upper lip. She puckered up with a strained groan and then mewed as she found a comfortable rhythm. This was different for us too. Usually, we ravenously ate each other's mouths like they were fresh steaks. Yet this change of pace gave me the opportunity to truly explore her softness.

How sweet her softness could be when she allowed herself to soften.

"Hey." I tapped her chin, encouraging her to meet my gaze, trying to lower the amount of spikes that were jutting out from my energy field. I couldn't help it. I had just felt threatened by her calling me a name. "Take it easy. Pair me with Jennings so I can keep an eye on him."

"I thought we were trying to keep him home."

I shrugged as I tucked the first aid kit under my arm and headed for the door. "Guess he should have been a mule shifter for being so stubborn, right?"

***

Another hour with Lloyd would have made me an expert on near-death experiences for shifters. If it hadn't been for the sun setting, he would have kept on talking, content to allow me to do all the heavy lifting while his jaws flapped away. I was content to lift the heavy things, partial to the way it distracted my brain from thinking too much about things.

Like being called an idiot by the woman who was supposedly my mate.

Allegedly, I thought as I headed directly to the condo. Blake seems to think so. Troy too. I'm not going to win this battle, am I?

There was no use fighting if I wasn't going to win. That singular thought encouraged me to trudge to my front porch where I stood for a few minutes watching the sun set completely. Light inked its way over the dirt paths as streetlights winked on around me. Halos of light flooded the street.

Just like that, it was like the sun had never set. These new installations gave off ample light that made it impossible to sneak around. Our old compound had something similar. It was more for safety than anything else. Vampires couldn't creep up on us if we were able to see them. And while they moved relatively fast, it wasn't like they could avoid being spotted entirely.

It was odd being on edge when there wasn't any danger. I gripped the railing as I stared at the dirt, noticing the pattern of my bootprints leading toward the path that led to the field. Jada would be home eventually. She was probably caught up somewhere. Either that or she had holed herself up in a barn to stay away from me.

She had called me an idiot. I didn't think she wanted to be around me.

Regardless, my heart ached to have her close to me. Odd how that worked. Rude remarks were hurtful, yet I wanted to be close to the person who made the rude remarks. As much as she teased me, she never escalated.

I let go of the railing. Did she find out about the coffee?

My stomach rumbled and my head ached. I raced inside and up the stairs, listening to the condo to make sure nobody was home. I couldn't smell the telltale scent of my girlfriend, so that meant she wasn't here. Nobody was here. I could have a quick cup of coffee in peace.

The machine sat in my closet, ready to be used at a moment's notice. This was an emergency. To hell with abstaining. If I wanted a damn cup of coffee, then I was going to have one. My alpha and my girlfriend didn't need to know I was taking on cheat days. People did that all the time with their diets. They counted calories. They marked off their little exempt foods off their little lists. This was no different. And it definitely wasn't like the addiction I had battled ages ago.

Coffee didn't hurt people. It was just the best go-juice I had on hand.

Within a few minutes, the sound of percolation filled the main bedroom. Jada had started sleeping in here lately, preferring to be tucked into my side at night instead of locked away in that attic room. Every so often, she napped up there, content on a cot made of cheap material instead of the delightful bed on which I now sat with my mug.

Anticipation overwhelmed me. I watched the delicious dark liquid fill up to the second line and then grabbed the carafe, ready to pour myself a hot one. The smell of it was so intoxicating that it could have been hot vodka for all I cared. I added powdered cream and a few drops of sugar, then cupped the whole thing to my nose, inhaling as much as I could.

Relief was on the way. I felt it right down to my bones.

Being with Jada had shown me the vicious cycle of opening up. It didn't matter that we were alleged mates. I didn't trust her. I didn't want to give her access to the things that she could use to her advantage. That was why she felt free to stab me verbally. Give an inch and they'll take a mile, or however the saying goes, I thought. She's probably just itching to tell me what to do once our bond is permanently recognized by her alpha.

Her alpha-not mine. Troy supported this union under the direction of her alpha. Otherwise, I would never have been subjected to such a trite tradition. I was hardly trophy husband material. Everything I did had a purpose, which meant my routine needed to be undisturbed. That included my morning coffee routine.

The front door wheezed shut. I almost dropped my mug, frozen on the bed with it cupped to my face like it was my last few painkillers. Caught in the act, so to speak.

My eyes landed on the open door. She hasn't caught me yet. I have time to hide everything.

Fury swelled in the back of my mind. Why in the world was I bowing to this woman? Why was I even bothering to honor her requests? Coffee was for me to enjoy, not her. So what if she didn't want to drink it? That didn't mean I had to- "Isaiah?"

She was so small in the doorway. These openings had been specifically expanded to accommodate my shoulders' wide berth. Any gaping archway would have made her look tiny, but she was already so tiny, so petite compared to me and easy to toss around. Physically and verbally. It wouldn't take much to stand up to her.

While she was tenacious and rigid, she had limits. I knew those limits. I could tap those cracks until she shattered. Easily.

"What?" I snapped. I took a sip of coffee just to spite her. "I'm busy."

"It's my turn to make dinner," she whispered. She lowered her gaze to the carpet. "Tacos. Want 'em?"

Confusion slid into place like a key into a lock. Wasn't she angry that I was drinking coffee? Wasn't she going to say anything? I turned away. "Sure."

"I'd ask if you want something to drink, but I see you have that covered."

Ah, there it was, the snappy and irritated sound of her disapproval. Like I needed it at all. "I could use some ice to go with it."

"Iced coffee and tacos. What a combination."

"Better than vodka."

Her right brow furrowed slightly. Right-she had every reason to be puzzled by that statement. She had no idea what she had done the other night with that gas station run for cheap liquor. She hadn't even truly asked about it. So much for her being some kind of receptive girlfriend or whatever.

She scrubbed her arm. "I see."

"I hope you do because this isn't something I'm ready to give up."

"Well, I guess if you weren't ready to give it up, then you shouldn't have offered to give it up. I didn't make you do it." She turned her right profile to me as though she were preparing to walk away. She hesitated. "I didn't make you do anything."

I snarled. "Whatever, Jada. We both know you're a control freak about this stuff. Are you going to leave me in peace or are you going to hover there like a strict parent?"

Resentment sharpened her eyes. "You don't have to be a d**k about it."

"And you don't have to call me an idiot."

"Is that why you're mad? Was my apology not enough for you?"

I shrugged her off. "Whatever."

"You can't get mad at people for being people and then go behind their backs to break your promises."

"I didn't promise you shit."

She scoffed with disbelief. "I can't believe I ever thought you would change."

That snapped me to attention. I set the mug on the bedside table and stood up, taking three long strides to the door. She inched back for a second and then stood her ground. Typical Jada. I had to praise her for being committed to standing her ground.Read more at FindNovel.net

However brave it seemed, it was quite foolish. "I can't believe I thought you would ever make me happy."

Her eyebrows shot up.

"That's right, sugar tits. I went there," I growled. "If we're stuck together, then you're going to deal with your little disappointments about my habits by yourself. Is that clear?" "Excuse you."

I shouldered past her. "Get used to it. We're pretty much married."

"That's rich considering I don't see anything here-" She held up her left ring finger. "-or anything here." She pointed to her neck. "So, you can go ahead and screw yourself with that attitude. I'm out."

She marched past me, swung the attic door open, and stomped up the steps, disappearing into the space above. No matter how much I didn't want to be close to her, I couldn't stop the way my heart ached at the thought of her leaving.