Mated to the Wilde Bear

Chapter 18: Laurel

By eleven the next morning, the sun was shining, birds were chirping, and Laurel had to fight the urge to cry at the unfairness of such a beautiful day. She kept her head down as she made her way back to the car at the end of the block. The realtor’s office had been her last hope, but in the end, it hadn’t been an option. Just like the apartment complexes and even the rent-per-week time share office she’d visited this morning. All of them wanted a reference from Kelly. None of them were going to get it. Not after what she’d pulled last night.

God, why did she wait so long to shift every time her animal wanted out? It never ended well, and now she’d ruined the little bit of friendship she’d had with Kelly and she had to find a new place to live, effective immediately.

She’d stood outside Kelly’s door and tried reasoning with the girl one more time, but it hadn’t worked. The last thing Kelly had said to her before she’d left the apartment: “Even if you’d paid a pet deposit, you’d still be out on your ass.”

She couldn’t get the image of their trashed apartment out of her mind. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the mess she’d made.

As of this morning, she was now homeless. If she didn’t figure out something fast, she’d be sleeping in her car tonight.

Just in front of her, a bell chimed as someone exited a shop. The massive frame filled the sidewalk and Laurel pulled up short to avoid running into the person. His scent hit her at the same time she recognized the cut abdomen straining against the thin tee. She looked up at Xavier, relief washing over her for a split second before she remembered how things had ended last night. Dread crashed over her, and she looked away.

She moved to go around him, but he put his hand on her arm, and she froze, unable to move away from his touch.

“Laurel?” He said her name like it pained him, but she ignored it. She was in pain too. “What are you doing out here? I thought you’d be at work.”

She stared at her tennis shoes, the most casual pair she owned. “I called in sick today.”

His shoulders tightened. She watched as the muscles bunched and she felt the air around them change. He was worried for her. “Why? Are you ill? Did I hurt you last night? Was it something I did?”

“No, it’s nothing you did. I…” She hesitated, hyper-aware of the people passing by them and the curious glances they were already getting just by standing there.

Xavier slipped his hand underneath her elbow and led her along. “Where are we going?” she asked, but she didn’t resist. Her animal wouldn’t have let her if she tried. Even after he hurt her last night, she still wanted him. Still chose him. What an idiot to choose someone who would never put her first.

“My truck, come on,” he said, heading for the lot where she’d parked earlier. “We can talk inside.”

She let him lead her through the lot and helped her inside his jacked up Ford Raptor with the word WILDE on the license plate. Xavier climbed in beside her and waited expectantly. She faced him knowing full well what a mess she was. Her eyes were puffy from a sleepless night and too much crying. Her cheeks were probably flushed from the visit with the realtor. No make-up. She hadn’t even brushed her hair before she’d rushed out of her house. No, not her house anymore.

“I called in to work because I need to find a place to live,” she explained. “When I got home last night, I found my apartment trashed. Broken lamps, shelves overturned, dishes shattered.” She took a deep breath as Xavier’s frown grew. What would he think of her now? Not any less than she thought of herself. “I told you last night that I’d been resisting the change for a while now. Apparently, I resisted too long, and my fox went a little nuts. I shifted inside and broke a window to get out. That’s how I ended up in the woods. I didn’t even remember doing all those things. I was so out of it, so panicked when I

shifted. But my roommate… she didn’t know I was a shifter. When she found out it was me, she kicked me out.”

Xavier was quiet, just listening as she vented everything, and she appreciated it. She hadn’t realized how long it had been since she had someone to just listen. “I spent today going to all the rental offices in town, but they all want a reference from my last landlord. Kelly won’t tell them about my fox, but she will tell them about the damage, and that’s enough to ruin my chances.” Desperation clawed at her as she added in a whisper, “I don’t have anywhere to go.”