Page 55 of His True Mate

I started to calm quickly, feeling bad.

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to keep growling at you. I just can’t stand the thought of any other male even looking her way. Yesterday when I picked her up, Dalton Draper said something that made her laugh and it took every ounce of control within me not to rip his throat out for it. I’m not handling this well. I just don’t know what to do about it.”

“Why don’t you just take a few days off to spend alone with her? Work things out and get it over with. You’ll feel so much better for it,” Ruby said.

I shook my head. “She already accepted a job and I’m trying really hard not to interfere with that.”

“So if it’s a problem with Dalton, then just have Thomas talk to him. He can order him to let her have some time off without penalty. I mean there has to be some benefit to you for putting up with my brother all these years.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not going to use my friendship with the Alpha like that. It’s not right.”

She shook her head. “You really are a good guy, Clay. Stupid, but one of the good ones. Now, go home or go hang out at the stables or just go for a run. Your wolf is all worked up now anyway and you aren’t concentrating for shit.”

“My wolf is worked up because you two provoked him,” I reminded her.

“Whatever. Just go. Bran’s around all week and we’re fully staffed. I’ll be fine.”

I grunted. “You two don’t have the best track record of working alone together.”

They’d been caught in all sorts of compromising positions around the barn and neither of them had even the slightest bit of shame about it.

Ruby just laughed. “We’ll try to behave if you promise not to.”

I groaned.

“Now get on out of here.”

She didn’t have to tell me again. I wasn’t getting anything done anyway and desperately needed to see my mate.

Even knowing I was two hours early to pick her up didn’t stop me from driving straight over there.

Dalton shook his head and grinned when he saw me pull up.

“Couldn’t stay away, could you?”

I huffed, feeling bad for not being able to control myself better than this.

“She’s been a little distracted today too. Done with her chores already so why don’t you go ahead and take her home.”

“Thanks Dalton. I think I will.”

I walked into the stables to find Winnie but she was nowhere to be found.

My wolf was already on edge but surged once more as I started to panic. Where the hell was she?

I walked back outside and around back. There in the middle of the corral with that hellish beast of a horse was my mate.

“Just stay calm, Winnie. You’ve got this,” Emmett cheered from behind the safety of the fence.

Austin and Brady were there too.

The horse spooked and reared back on his hind legs.

Winnie scrambled to get away, but I ran in and jumped the fence shifting in mid-air. My wolf snarled and gnashed my big teeth in warning.

I don’t know what I thought would happen, but the horse certainly didn’t calm or submit in anyway. Instead, all I did was spook the thing who freaked out and tried to get away.

I made sure to stay between him and my mate until she was safely across the fence.