Love at First Mate - Badlands Territory

They both stop their bullshit and stare at me. Rarely am I so forthcoming about personal shit and feelings, but I feel like a pressure cooker with my needle in the red.

“Sorry, man.” Wayne shakes his head. “We were just busting your chops. I get it, but what happened with your dad, it’s not fucking genetic. It was a shit storm. A fucked-up moment that went sideways. It’s not history waiting to repeat itself.”

“I’m not so sure,” I mutter, my gut tight as I fight the memories.

Maybe it’s Wynter, finding my mate, but my usual ability to go flat line and shove away the demons of the past fails.

There’s a clutch in my chest, my temples throb as I remember the day the sheriff showed up at my elementary school with my gran. Her eyes red-rimmed and her skin white as she took my hand and drove me back to her house, then set me on the sofa in the living room and told me about my mother.

That my father had killed my mother in a shifter’s rage.

Then, trying to exact his revenge, he was killed as well.

If I’m going to be the right man for Wynter, I need to believe I’ll never let my anger get away from me. I need to believe, even in my worst moments, I’d never hurt her.

“Hey,” Wayne interrupts my thoughts, thank fuck. “I was scared when I found Tina. Shit, I practically blew it with her several times because I couldn’t get out of my own goddamn way. As soon as I put the ring on her finger, my wolf and I both settled down. When we got married, had our first baby, I settled more. You just gotta move forward, man. Don’t get stuck. Get her locked down, I know that’s what you want. I can see it in your eyes.”

I nod as I get back to work, the thought of a ring on her finger settling me a bit, and imagining her with my name nailed to her, my baby in my belly, I relax even more.

So, in my mind, I make my plan.

I’ll finish up my work, get in my truck and do what needs to be done to get her sassy ass locked down.Chapter 10RagnarTwo hours later, my bank account is a fuck ton lighter, but the little box in my pocket feels like I’ve already won the lottery.

Whether she’s ready or not, here I come.

I park my pick-up behind the shop, look into my rear view and run a hand through my damp hair. After meeting with Howard at the jewelry store, I stopped at the house. I wanted to do this right, so I showered, cleaned up and put on the one suit I own along with a tie that now feels like a noose around my neck.

Not because of what I’m about to do, just because I don’t get how dudes wear ties every day. I’ll take my jeans and a toolbelt every time over this monkey suit, but I want Wynter to know I can be the man she needs, furry or not.

“Let’s do this.” I whisper to my bear, who has been pacing inside since I got the ring in my pocket.

As I step out the truck and shut the door, I look over and my blood turns into a river of fire.

Coming out of the back door of Wynter’s studio is fucking Robert the realtor, who looked at her like his lunch that day he called me to fix the spraying toilet.

“What the fuck?” I’m stomping forward when he looks up at me and I see the blood.

His nose is at an odd angle, two crimson rivers coming from each nostril and his right eye is sporting a soon-to-be shiner. His tie is pulled sideways and in my head all I can think of is, go Wynter. This fuck tried something and you fucking took him down.

Even so, if that’s what happened, she may have started it, but I’m going to finish it.

“I didn’t do anything to her!” He backs up against the outside brick wall, and I know the rage in my eyes must be clear, but from the way his hands are shaking, something else is going on.

“Is she in there? Did you touch her?”

He shakes his head as I swing open the back door and call for Wynter, but there’s no answer. There’s a new sort of noose that feels like it’s tightening around my throat as Robert’s voice breaks through.

“There were three guys. I was coming over to give Wynter all her copies of the lease documents and an extra set of keys I found, but when I came in the back door, there was this guy. He had his hand over her mouth…”

“Guy? What fucking guy?”

“I didn’t recognize him. I tried to get her away, she was fighting so I knew something wasn’t right. Two of them jumped me from behind and the other one went out the door with Wynter. They must have knocked me out, because the next thing I knew, I was alone. I came out the door and here you are…”