The Wolf’s Forbidden Mate by Layla Silver

Chapter 9 — Travis

Grabbing artists proved to be a lot more difficult than I had anticipated. My original plan was to swing through town, leave flyers everywhere, and allow artists to come to me. But since it had been a week or so since I put up the flyers and no one had responded, I decided to do a little footwork.

The air was brisk as I walked through downtown Boston. Lively groups of people clotted the sidewalk, a clear indication that the weekend was upon us. As I nestled my chin into the neck of my sweater, I dropped my gaze to the lines of the sidewalk in front of me and watched a few leaves flutter across the cement.

I stopped at every art store in the vicinity. I walked into each gallery along the way. I even popped into a few coffee shops and dive bars, hoping to happen upon people who would be interested in donating. Some folks gave me paintings or photographs. Some handed me money. Even though I had a laundry list of phone numbers and websites I had collected from the city bulletin board, most of the people I spoke to weren’t interested in helping a deteriorating business.

I did everything I could to appeal to potential donors. I cited how the cats were all trained, how they needed good homes, how they could be homeless within a month if things didn’t change, but that didn’t seem to help. By the end of my spiel, whoever I was talking to would shove a bill or a business card for an artist into my hands just to get me to go away.

Fifty dollars will sure put a dent in our debts, I thought with irritation as I took a seat outside a coffee shop to call the artists on my list. It’s not like we’re drowning here.

My demeanor sank even more as I worked through the list. Each person I called had an excuse—their grand gallery opening was approaching which meant they couldn’t spare pieces, they were short on funds or creativity, or they didn’t even like cats. Why should they care if a bunch of stinky felines are homeless?

I ignored the last jab, though I did lift my arm to sniff myself. Did I smell bad? I closed my eyes in a defeated display as I leaned forward and rested my head against the cool metal of the table. This was a disaster. Without any backers, I wasn’t going to get much going with an auction. We couldn’t do it on Waverly’s plushies alone, even if they were the cutest darn things I had ever seen in my life.

She can’t possibly make more than thirty. She’s already putting her life on hold for me.

Missing her hit me like a semi. I lifted my head, the urge to call her so overwhelming that my fingers lifted my phone and maneuvered through the prompts on the screen just to get her name in my contacts. I paused before I called.

I should go back to the shelter first. I’ve been gone for a while. Oliver probably needs help.

I put my phone away and stood up, the chair squealing against the cement as I pushed it back. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans and quickly returned to my vehicle. There was always tomorrow. I would find someone who cared enough to donate.

The drive back to the shelter felt like it took longer than usual, probably because I was heading back with my tail tucked between my legs. I parked in my usual spot and sighed without looking up as I wandered into the lobby. I peeled off my sweater, revealing the pale blue polo underneath. As I fixed the hem, I heard a familiar voice waft from the break room.

“Really? He said that?”

Waverly. My heart leaped into my throat as I darted to the door, my senses soaring excitedly as I bounced behind the counter and reached for the knob.

Oliver’s voice joined in and said, “He sure did.”

A growl vibrated in my throat. I bristled all over, every hair on my body standing at attention as I realized that Waverly wasn’t alone—she was with Oliver. All logic flew out the window right then. My only concern was getting into the staff room as fast as possible to lay claim to what was mine.Oliver should know better. Oliver was my friend. He wasn’t supposed to entertain my girl like that.

I flew into the staff room before I could even think about what I was doing. I scooped Waverly into my arms, her plush body flush with heat as I stole her lips and hummed into the kiss. The squeak that erupted from her made me twitch with desire, limbs aflame with an urgency to strip her down and fuck her raw right here and now.

Oliver cleared his throat. “I’ll take that as my cue.”

I heard his sneakers squeak over the tile. I heard the staff door squeal open and then whisper shut. The remaining silence was broken only by the sound of my lips warring with Waverly’s equally hungry mouth. My eyelids fluttered when her fingers danced into my hair. I propped her on the counter and nestled between her thighs, shuddering when she wrapped her legs around me.

We fit perfectly together. And though my original hesitance had finally dropped away, I still had a nagging thought at the back of my brain that said Allegra would go through about three of her nine lives having heart attack after heart attack over my favoring a wolf.

Her disapproval wouldn’t be exciting, but pissing her off was an appealing thought.

Waverly sighed as she withdrew from the kiss. “Missed you, too.”

“Missed you a lot.”

“You look tired.”

I met her gaze, her cheeks flush with desire and her pupils well on their way to overwhelming the stormy gray of her irises. I shrugged. “I’m pretty tired.”

“What’s going on?”

“I can’t find any donors. I had some people hand me money and a few people handed me some paintings, but it’s not enough.”

She hummed, frowning as she stroked my favorite spot just behind my ear. My knees weakened and my core melted, all sensations suddenly leaving me with only her fingers at that exact location that I loved. As my eyes rolled back, she giggled. “Maybe you should sit before you fall.”

“Oh sweetheart, I’ve already fallen.”

“Don’t say that.”

I blinked my vision clear, focusing on her with strained effort. Her fingers had paused, but she hadn’t pulled them back. Not yet. “Why?”

“It’s just…”

“It’s just, what?”

She shrugged, her stormy eyes clouded with worry. “Let’s sit down and talk about the shelter. We’ll see what we can do about it.”

“Waverly?”

But she had already scooted off the counter and went to the table nearby, inviting me to sit in the chair next to her. I resisted the urge to scoop her back into my lap. I wanted to be close to her, to feel her warmth and to hear her breathe. I knew the steady thump of her heart would put me at ease. That was all that mattered to me right now.

“I’ve only made about twelve plushies so far,” she explained. “I can set them on auction, but I think it’s also important for you to have an independent investor.”

I arched my right eyebrow thoughtfully, trying my best to think through my muddy thoughts. Waverly without any clothes was a much more appealing mental image than digging through my mental list of people I knew who had funds to spare.

I sighed. “Okay, how in the world am I going to do that?”

“Do you know anyone who would be interested in investing?”

“Well, I already asked one of them.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fuck that snide bitch. Think of someone else.”

I slumped forward, my shoulders folding together as I dug through my foggy brain for ideas. And just as quickly as I had caved, I sat up rigidly. “Milton.”

“Who?”

“My friend. He’s an accountant and I think he can help us out.”

She smiled. “Go call him.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The approving grin she gave me made me tingle all over. Knowing that she approved—knowing that she supported me—gave me the strength to run from the staff room and head to the office. I checked the hallway to make sure it was clear and shut myself inside, whipping out my cell phone so I could get a hold of Milton.

He answered on the third ring. “Yeah?”

“Hey, question for you.”

“Go ahead.”

I stroked my chin mindlessly as I asked, “You alone right now?”

“Give me a minute.” The noise in the background shifted from muzak to idle chatter to passing vehicles. Wind blew static into my ear followed by sudden silence capped by the sound of a door slamming shut. “I am now.”

“I need your help finding investors.”

“For the shelter?”

I nodded. “You’re the only accountant I know. You’ve probably made some solid connections with people who have money to spare.”

“I...I don’t know about that.”

“Come on, Milton. You have a knack for finding money. It pretty much grows on trees for you.”

He laughed. “Then, why am I still broke?”

“Because you’re humble about it.”

The resulting snort made me cackle. He took a deep breath and sighed it out, filling the line with static again. “I want to help, but I don’t want Allegra finding out about this.”

“So, don’t let her find out.”

“Like it’s that easy.”

I rolled my eyes. “How many times have you run things under her nose?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” he said with a lilt to his voice that told me he was being coy about it. I shook my head as he continued, “There’s a difference between moving a zero here and there and actually sneaking something under her nose. You know she’s got eyes everywhere. She has her claws in everything, Travis.”

“Find a place where she doesn’t have eyes or claws. There’s gotta be people you know.”

“I might be able to find a few connections.”

I cracked a grin. “That’s my bestie.”

“Yeah, and I’d like to state for the record that I’m doing this for our friendship. Nothing else. If I get caught, I’m selling you out.”

“Wow, way to be a team player.”

He laughed. “Don’t give me up and I’ll give you the same courtesy.”

“Pinky swear.”

“Pinky swear in your underwear.”

I wiggled my hips. “You just made my day. I have to get back to the shelter, but hit me up when you find some investors, okay?”

“Some? God, it’ll be a task just finding one of them.”

“Whatever. Even one is better than none.”

He scoffed. “Such a poet. Later, man.”

“Later.”

I shoved my phone into my pocket and returned to my girl who was waiting patiently at the table in the staff room. This time, I didn’t hesitate. I dropped into the chair next to hers and scooped her into my lap, hungry to taste her once more. Every inch of me screamed to be closer than close, to force our bodies to merge. I wasn’t sure how I would accomplish such a feat, but my panther assured me it was possible. Anything was possible with the right attitude.

When she broke the kiss, she smiled. “I take it things went well?”

“More than well.”

“Do you have an investor already?”

I shook my head. “No, but he’s going to help. I’m just happy about it.”

Her gaze drifted to my jeans. “I can tell.”

Blush stole my cheeks as I realized my excitement had trickled to the space between my legs, a full erection pushing my zipper outward. I bit my lower lip as I tightened my grip on her shoulders. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” she whispered. “I like seeing you happy.”

“Yeah?”

She hummed. “Yeah, it makes me feel relieved.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. It’s just...a feeling. Relief. Seeing you happy makes me feel better.”

A warm grin spread over my lips as heat flushed my body. What had I ever done to be happy before Waverly Morran came into my life?

And what the hell was I going to do after she left?