A Wolf's Claim

CHAPTER 27

*Jace*

I left with Adam to talk to the contractors about the expansion, but planned to return to Stella soon. I knew she was in good hands with Sienna, and I had everyone else on guard, but I still wanted to be with her. It's difficult, because as Alpha, I have a lot of responsibilities that require constant attention. Though, all I want to do is be near Stella. Not only because she's my mate, but because she's so delicate and fragile right now. She's just a small human, one that can be snapped in half like a twig by most of her enemies.

Solomon doesn't know we were attacked by The Silbermen, but he'll figure it out when he finds our abandoned home. It will take him some time to locate us, but he has Stella's scent, so I can't underestimate him. I'm assuming he'll attack us, because he'll see me taking Stella as a sign of war. Midnight Sun pack and Shadow pack have been disputing for a while now, all we needed was something to tip the scales, and that something was Stella.

I know Edgar will keep searching for us, especially because Tex is involved. Luckily, Edgar is just a human, he has no way of tracking our scent. I'd like to assume it will take longer for him to locate our whereabouts, but I never like to assume anything. Instead, I'll prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

Adam and I met the contractor down the road, somewhere away from the house. I don't want anyone to know our whereabouts, until I know for a fact they're trustworthy people. I can't take any chances, especially now that I have Stella to worry about. There's so much to contend with, it's a little overwhelming. Once I sign the contractors, though, Adam will take over and I can focus on everything else.

We sat at a booth in a diner, just off the highway, and waited for the contractor. His name was Francisco. The door to the diner opened, and I didn't have to ask if it was Francisco or not. There was no doubt. In walked an Italian man with perfectly styled hair, dressed in a tight gray plaid suit with a pink tie. His broad smile stretched wide when he saw us, and skipped over to our booth.

"Hello, hello! You must be Jace Laroux?" Francisco asked, holding his hand out to shake mine.

"Yes, and you're Francisco?" I asked, my voice much lower than his.

"Yes!" Francisco beamed brightly, looking over to Adam and holding out his hand again. "You are Adam?"

"I am." Adam nodded, shaking his hand firmly.

"Wow... Strong men!" Francisco giggled, rubbing his hand.

I watched as Francisco started blushing, and I had to stifle a laugh. Francisco dug through his portfolio bag, retrieving a blueprint for the expansion. He unraveled it and spread it across the table, sitting back with a smile that was proud of his work. I studied the design and actually liked it, surprisingly enough. I thought his style would clash with mine, but he definitely knows what he's doing. I smiled at Francisco, but looked back down at the blueprint.

"What do you think?" Adam asked through mindlink.

"I like the print, but I want to get to know Francisco more." I responded.

"What do you think?" Francisco asked, interrupting our mindlink.

"I like the design," I said, noticing how nervous Francisco became when silence began to fill the room. "I'd like to ask you a few more questions, before agreeing to a contract."

"Sure, anything! Ask away." Francisco exclaimed with a bright smile.

"Where are you from?" I asked, starting with an easy question.

"California, but my family is Italian." Francisco smiled, and my gut wanted to trust him, but I was weary.

"I can tell." I smirked, chuckling. "I'd like to invite you for dinner, this evening."

"Dinner? That's so kind!" Francisco gasped, smiling broadly. "I would love to!"

"Here's the address, be there at seven." I said, handing him a small piece of paper with an address close to the house.

"Sounds fantastic! I'll see you all later." Francisco said with a bright smile.

"See you later." I nodded, leaving the booth, Adam right behind me.

We left the diner and got back into the truck, leaving before Francisco walked out the door. I invited him for dinner because it would help me get to know him better. It was also an opportunity for Sienna to meet him. She usually has a trustworthy intuition. That meant Stella would meet him, and I'd be willing to bet she would have something to say about him too. Even though we're still getting to know each other, I can tell Stella is very intuitive as well.

"He seems like a normal guy, other than being eccentric." Adam shrugged, chuckling.

"I'm inclined to agree," I nodded, "But we can never be too sure."

"What do you think about Tex? Think he'll come looking for Stella again?" Adam asked, changing the subject.

"He loves her, of course he'll come back at some point." I grunted, gripping the steering wheel tightly between my fists.

"Yeah, but her love doesn't stretch as far." Adam shrugged with a complacent smirk.

"What do you mean?" I asked, raising a brow.

"She may love him as a friend, but I doubt it goes much farther than that. Not anything like how she looks at you." Adam remarked, and I wanted to smile proudly.

"She's my mate, it's natural for her to feel that way." I said, not wanting to get my hopes up.

"I think it's more than that, Jace," Adam argued.

"I don't know her well enough to decipher how she feels toward either of us, me or Tex. Until I do, I don't want to get too attached. We haven't even discussed completing the mating process, but she's also been injured. I don't know," I started rambling, "I don't want her to think that all I want is to have s*x, either."

"Don't worry so much about that, dude. Just let it happen naturally." Adam chuckled, and I realized I was overthinking it.

"I'm just concerned... she has a lot of pressure on her right now, I don't want to add to it." I sighed.

"You won't. Just take it one step at a time, feel it out." Adam advised, which I was thankful for.

"Thanks Adam." I responded, and the rest of the ride was silent.

We were almost home, with good news for those of them that were forced to share bedrooms. Though building the addition will take some time, it's nice to hear that it will be starting soon. Just as soon as I can get a better reading of Francisco, which will happen in just a couple of hours.