Once Mated Twice Shy by K. S. Martin

cooked it.  Jordan shimmied into his jeans and pulled a
tee shirt over his head as he padded down the hall.  His plate with a cup of caramel
colored coffee sat on the dining table.  He sat down and started to eat.  He
wondered briefly where she was, Lettie sitting across the table would’ve made
this perfect even if she weren’t happy with him right now.  She wasn’t around. 
He wondered if she’d eaten and decided she probably had.  He rinsed the dishes
and stowed them in the machine when he finished.  Pacing the length of the
house, she was nowhere.  Jordan closed his eyes and concentrated listening to
the house.  The computer keys were clicking.  His wide smile stretched over his
face.  She was doing the books.  Good.  Jordan found his boots and went outside
to the back yard to split wood.  His pile was getting low and winter would come
whether he could stay warm or not. 
    “Holy crap
Jordan.”  She hissed.  Lettie entered figures and tapped the calculator keys
then entered her numbers on the computer.  “This is BS.”  Lettie was getting
more and more frustrated with Jordan’s book keeping.  He was right, he sucked
at this.  Lettie rolled her head to stretch her neck.  A few hours passed since
breakfast and she was getting hungry.  Tuna sounded good so she set out for the
kitchen.  Where was he?  She’d expected him to barge in and to try and take
over.  It amazed her that he’d left her to it.  Glancing outside she saw him. 
Jordan was splitting wood.  She watched him.  He was poetry in motion.  His
muscles bunched and writhed under his skin as he worked.  His shirt was off and
slung around his strong neck, he used it to wipe the sweat from his face.  He
glanced up and saw her watching him.  Lettie turned from the window to make
lunch.  She didn’t see the grin split his face. 
    Jordan felt her
watching him.  He worked harder to show off his muscles.  Who was she trying to
fool?  They belonged together, they always would.  She wanted to be a guest. 
Fine.  Guest it was.  There was one tactic that he hadn’t tried yet, playing
hard to get.  His plan formed easily in his mind.  He knew his mate.  He’d been
inside her body, mind, and soul.  Lettie would be his again.  She wanted him. 
Her wolf wanted him.  He could scent her arousal all over the house.  She
wouldn’t last especially with him putting himself on display for her.

Chapter
Seven
     
    “Summerville Pack,
can I have your attention please?”  Jordan said from the front of the room. 
They quieted and watched him.  “I understand that there is an issue that
requires attention.  No one told me what the issue is so I will turn the floor
over to Mark.  Mark, what is the issue?”  Jordan asked.  Lettie was alone in
the back of the room by herself again.  One of these days, he was going to
force her to sit in the front.  Jordan sat down in the front row to let Mark
speak.
    “Well.”  Mark held
his baseball cap in his hands bending the bill.  Mark was very nervous.  “They
pulled my name out of the hat, so don’t think that this was my idea.  I am just
the messenger.”  Jordan’s brow creased and he nodded then crossed his arms over
his chest.  He took a calming breath.  This was not sounding good.  He didn’t
know what the issue was before the meeting and now he was beginning to worry about
it.  “I speak for the pack, most of them and this has to be followed by an
official vote so anything I say is not law.”
    “Get on with it
Mark, you have nothing to fear from me.”  Jordan said.
    “Um…well…Sir…The
pack thinks that you are too distracted to be the alpha.  You are not marked
anymore but your mate is here.  We know that she’s rejected you twice but she’s
living in the house.  It’s very confusing Sir.  You spent most of the past
month prowling around the grocer to protect her then slept most of the day
ignoring your duties.  The pack wants you to rescind