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No harm in going to see what was there.
I went home for a moment to change into my non-work clothes, though they were all well-worn and showed their age. But if I was going to have a day off, I sure as hell wasn’t going to wear my holey jeans and raggedy shirt.
This girl was going to wear a dress, especially with how hot it was.
It took me an hour to get to the site. I took my time and halfway through, took off my sandals since the top of my pinkie toes were getting warm, a sure sign of a future blister.
I stopped at the cusp of the forest, taking in the view before proceeding. There was an opening in the ground that gave way to a huge tunnel. Pack members were filing in and out with wheelbarrows full of dark-brown dirt with hunks of clay mixed in.
Others were standing by the creek. Some were tasked with getting the bigger chunks of dirt filtered down to smaller chunks. After that, more pack members stood in the creek, swishing around dirt. Some reported to the guys in charge, showing them pieces of this and that.
But judging from the large glass jar on the table between the two foremen, things were going well. The sunlight shone through the jar, lighting up all the rainbows of gems. It was a shame they’d plucked them from the earth but better than messing with my precious crystal caverns. Those were sacred.
At least, I hoped the alpha still agreed with me on that one.
“You’re Jillian,” a voice surprised me from behind. I jumped in place and slapped my hand over my chest, since I was sure my heart would leap out from it after the scare.
I nodded curtly and whirled around. Gods, I was not in the mood to see creepy man again or even the other less creepy one.
Come on, Fate, it’s my day off.
The man who spoke stood before me, pickaxe in his hand. I eyed the thing and stepped away, hitting my back against the tree I’d been using to hide behind. I thought he was the one who came with Shane a while back, although I hadn’t seen them together on the lands since.
“No, I’m sorry, please. It’s just for my work. Here, I’m putting it down. I would never try to do anything to you.” I’d seen him before—he was the wolf who came with Shane, but I’d never reacted to him like this. Never even spoken to him.
My wolf was on full alert and not because of the fright.
I put my hands out in front of me, trying like hell to signal that I wasn’t afraid, that it was okay.
“I’m Creek.” A laugh bubbled out of me. I pointed to the small body of water to my right. He looked in the direction I was indicating and laughed right along with me. “Yeah, like that kind of creek. The irony isn’t lost on me.”
I stuck out my hand to shake his, yearning more to touch him than being polite. He took my hand in his. It was softer than Shane’s but rougher than Dean’s, fitting somewhere right in the middle.
His green eyes danced with joy when our skin made contact. My wolf went wild, howling and preening in his presence.
“You’re absolutely stunning. I’ve seen you from afar, up close only a handful of times, but you really are beautiful.”
I mouthed thank you. “You’re not working today?”
Shrugging, I pulled out my notebook from my pocket.
Forced day off.
He chuckled and pulled his hand out of mine. I hadn’t realized we were still holding them. It seemed so natural, so right. A calming wave washed over me in his presence. It wasn’t the giddy excitement of meeting Shane or even the lusty blooming when I’d met Dean.
Creek settled me and my wolf.
Interesting.
And I’d never reacted to him before, even if it had been only at a distance. But I was sure reacting now!
“Wow, I wanna know how to earn one of those. Look, I want to stay and talk to you but I can’t afford to get into trouble. I…I will see you later, okay?”
I nodded and while he walked away, the weight of what was happening pushed down on my chest and left me heavy shallow breaths.
Another one? Could it be true?
Gods, he was attractive, beyond so. His wheat-colored hair was cut short, enhancing a pair of forest-green eyes that danced in the sunlight. He was taller than my other mates by a few inches, but his build and muscles making him even appear bigger.
