Preview: The Blackstone Wolf

Nathan threw the wrench he was clenching in his hand, the metal making a loud clanging sound that echoed through the cave. He wiped a greasy palm down his pants. He was not having a good morning. First, one of their smelting machines had broken down, and it took hours to get it up. Then, he found out that they were going to have to relocate the next site, as it had not contained as much Blackstone as they thought. Months of planning down the drain. They would have to work double-time to make up. And now this.
“And if you leave this machine on again while you take your break, I’m gonna to tear you limb from limb and piss on what’s left!” Nathan roared.
“Y-y-yes sir, Mr. Caldwell,” Bryce Jenkins, said as he cowered.
The smell the fear from other man was unmistakable, as well as his fox crouching in terror. But Nathan didn’t give a shit. He hated it when people disrespected machines, especially the ones under his care. Carelessness could cause accidents, not to mention lives. And Lennox Corp., who owned the Blackstone mines, always put the safety of their people above everything else, which meant he was the one responsible for making sure the equipment ran smoothly and didn’t kill anyone.
“Get out!” he snarled.
“S-s-sir?” Bryce stuttered. “Am I fired?”
“No!” He couldn’t unilaterally make that decision of course; besides, he knew Bryce would probably never do it again. The younger man was inexperienced, not stupid. “Just get out of my face for now.”
“Y-y-yes sir!” Bryce backed up slowly and then when he’d put enough distance between them, turned and scampered away.
“And now this,” he said aloud. He gritted his teeth. Someone getting hurt would be the perfect icing for this shit cake of a day. He had to talk to Ben.
Nathan marched out of the cave, deciding to check if Ben was in his office. He immediately spotted Ben and Penny, hand-in-hand, heading to the group of trailers around the main parking lot. He jogged toward them, picking up his pace.
“Ben! Goddamnit Ben, wait up!” He ran faster. “That fucker Jenkins left the fucking grinding machine on again during his break! I told him I was going to tear him limb from limb and piss on whatever was left if he ever—”
Nathan didn’t notice the third person with them, not until he was much closer. Gravel skidded around his work boots as he tried to prevent his momentum from crashing into her, stopping centimeters away.
A sweet scent, like golden honey with an underlying tinge of fur assaulted his nostrils. He didn’t mind; he had a sweet tooth after all. He stared at person—no, the woman—in front of him. A gorgeous, heart-shaped face. Smooth skin that would surely be soft to touch. Thick, dark hair in a neat bun he longed to set free. Light blue eyes tinged with a darker color along the edges. And they were staring right back at him.
Mine, his wolf growled.
And he felt her animal—whatever it was—roar it right back.
The woman’s nostrils flared and her pupils dilated. His spine stiffened, and a growl escaped from his throat.
Shit. This was her. His mate.
His brain started turning after what seemed like an eternity. Mate? Him? No, that couldn’t be right. He didn’t want a mate. He was not ready to settle down yet.
“Oh.”
“Oh?” Was she so stunned that she was speechless?
“Oh. No.” She shook her head. “This simply won’t do.” Her voice was low and husky, with a rich timbre that washed over him like a lover’s caress.
“Huh?”
“No, this won’t do at all.” She gave him a quick once-over, then straightened her shoulders. “I appreciate you and your wolf’s interest, but I’m afraid I can’t have a mate at this time. So, thank you, and I wish you well.”
What. The. Everliving. Fuck.
The woman turned to Ben. “Mr. Walker, could we get on with the interview, please? It was a long flight, and I’d really like to go back to my hotel and rest.”
Ben was looking at Nathan, his eyes wide. Penny had to elbow him to get his attention. “What? Oh yeah. Penny, sweetheart, could you show Dr. Robichaux to my office? I need to talk to Nathan.”
“Of course,” Penny said with a nod, then two women began to walk to the direction of Ben’s office.
“Nathan?” Ben began, his voice unsure. “You okay man? Is she your—”
“No way,” Nathan said.
“Look, man, I know how it feels when you think your mate is rejecting you, but—”
“You heard her. She doesn’t want a mate.”
“So? If she’s yours—”
“Newsflash Ben: I don’t want her either. You think I want a mate?” He let out a laugh, not caring if it sounded forced. “I’m drowning in so much pussy right now, especially now that you and Jason are off the market. I can have any girl I want. Why would I give that up for some chick?”
“Nathan, you can’t stop fate—”
“Don’t, Ben. Just don’t.” He turned around, kicking a rock in his path, then shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked away.
Mate? Fuck that. Who the hell needed a mate when freedom was much sweeter?
Besides, she wasn’t that pretty, anyway. She seemed cold and unfeeling. And what was she wearing? She looked out of place wearing a white suit and stiletto heels in the mountains. What kind of interview was she doing with Ben?
His wolf snarled in jealousy, thinking of her and Ben alone in his office. Stupid wolf. “For fucks’s safe, Ben would cut his own balls off before he cheated on Penny,” he told his animal.
“Mr. Caldwell, sir!”
He stopped in his tracks and turned around. It was Morris, the smelting room supervisor. By based on the man’s face, he wasn’t bearing good news.
“What is it?”
“You need to come see this, sir.”
Nathan groaned inwardly. He pushed aside thoughts of honey and fur and light blue eyes. “Fine. Show me what’s wrong now.”

***

Violet Robichaux was sitting down on the chair in front of the large oak desk, waiting patiently for Benjamin Walker to come inside to start the interview.
Mine, her tiger hissed. Mine.
So that foul-mouthed man—wolf—was supposedly her mate?
Those really existed?
Violet didn’t have any shifter peers in the New Orleans neighborhood where she grew up. She had a normal upbringing, which her parents had strived to give her. They weren’t mates either; they had explained that they chose each other because their personalities were suitable; they had similar goals, and it didn’t hurt that they were both shifters and scientists. Her father was a chemist and mother was a botanist. Of course, had one of them been a geneticist, perhaps they wouldn’t have thought they were so compatible. Recessive genes, after all, had higher chances of mutations, which her own animal certainly was.
Mine, it insisted, interrupting her reverie.
“Oh hush,” she said aloud. “I told you, this can’t happen. Not now.”
It growled unhappily, but she pushed it away, deep inside her so she didn’t have to listen to it whine. She wouldn’t have gotten this far in her career if she gave in to her animal’s demands all the time. Science demanded discipline and dedication. Her parents, who were also at the forefront of their own fields, taught her that. It was hard enough for a woman in STEM to get ahead, but a shifter, too? She’d learned to hide that part of her over the years, controlling her inner animal.
And now it seemed to want to break free. And all for a wolf. The irony.
She supposed he was attractive, in that conventional, bad boy kind of way, but not her usual type. Like most shifters, he was tall and built like a bodybuilder, though he looked like someone who liked to work outdoors and with his hands. The way that white shirt clung to his broad shoulders and chest was practically obscene. And his dark blond hair was a tad too long though she wondered what they would feel like between her fingers—
The sound of someone clearing their throat jolted her out of her thoughts. “Dr. Robichaux?” Ben Walker said as he walked through the door. “Sorry to keep you waiting. I had to see my wife off.”
“Not a problem,” she began.
He sat on the worn leather chair behind the desk. “You said you had a long flight? From where?”
She rolled her eyes inwardly. Small talk? She didn’t have time for this. “London.”
He scratched his head. “Dr. Philipps said you’d been working abroad for six months, but I could have sworn it wasn’t London.”
She gave him a tight smile. “No, I’ve been living in Eritana.”
“Eri—wha?”
“It’s a small country in the Caucuses, north of Azerbaijan.”
“And what were you doing there?”
“I was doing research on the properties of the minerals found in the Vaisjaani Nature Reserves,” she said smoothly.
“Sounds, er, interesting.”
She smirked. “Yes, it was fascinating.”
“So, why did you leave?”
“We ran out of funding,” she said. It was close enough to the truth. Hopefully he didn’t notice because she had a feeling that despite his hulking size, Ben Walker wasn’t a dumb oaf.
“I see.” He picked up a folder on his desk. “Well, I’ve read through the resume Dr. Philipps forwarded to me, plus he’s done nothing but sing praises about you. But tell me: why would want to be our Chief Geologist?”
Violet sighed and her shoulders sagged. This was an amazing opportunity. She would get to study blackstone, the hardest substance on earth and could only be mined by dragon fire. Anyone in her field would have given their right arm for this and she had been flattered that her mentor, Dr. Scott Philipps, had chosen her as his replacement. But she just wished the timing were better.
“Dr. Robichaux?”
“Right.” She cleared her throat delicately. “Mr. Walker—”
“Ben, please.”
“All right. Ben. I’ll be honest with you. This job would be excellent for my career. I’ve always been fascinated with the properties of blackstone ever since Dr. Philipps brought a sample to class. So, when he told me about this job a few weeks ago, I jumped at the chance. But I also need to be honest with you. Something came up and I’m still waiting on another opportunity.”
“And what’s that?”
She cleared her throat. “I’m trying to secure funding to further my research back in Eritania. I’ve left a few things undone. So, I’m afraid I won’t be able to accept any position at the moment.” She stood up. “My flight was already booked, so I thought I’d come, anyway. Apologies for wasting your time.”
“Wait.” Ben got to his feet and raised a hand. “I mean, please stay, Dr. Robichaux. And hear me out.”
Huh? Curiosity pricked at her. “All right.” She sat back down and crossed a leg over her knee.
“Dr. Philipps has been with us for almost twenty years now and a well-respected part of our team. We’re sad to see him go, but of course, he deserves to retire. As you know, the position is highly specialized, but aside from the skill and knowledge, we also need someone who would fit in around here. With our people.”
“Oh.” He meant shifters, of course. She knew the prejudices they faced after all.
“I know Dr. Philipps is really wanting to get on with his retirement and I hate to keep him here. So, how about this: why don’t you fill in temporarily, until we can find someone else?”
“Really? You’d let me stay knowing I could leave any moment?”
“Why not? I’ll give you a full six months salary, plus housing and all the benefits, if you can stay and help us with the transition. I mean, who knows, you might like it here and decide to stay.”
She highly doubted that, but bit her tongue. But, a whole six months salary for a few weeks’ work? If she secured her funding for the year, that additional money could keep her going for another couple of months. Plus she could see them mine the blackstone. She would be stupid to refuse that.
“That’s very generous of you. Are you sure?”
“Oh, I’m very sure.” There was this … glint in Ben Walker’s eye. Was this some kind of trick?
Take it, that logical voice inside her said. The salary was pocket change to Lennox Corporation, but would mean all the world to her. “All right. That sounds reasonable. I also know a few people who might be a good fit.” If she helped them find a replacement, she could leave Blackstone right away and have money to go back to Eritania. This was the perfect solution.
“I’ll have HR draw up the papers. Are you staying in town?”
“At the Blackstone Hotel,” she said.
Ben nodded. “You can keep staying there while you’re here or move into one of our corporate apartments. Just let Janice in HR know what you’d like and she’ll take care of it for you.”
“That sounds excellent.”
“Can you start tomorrow?”
“Of course,” she said.
“Good. You’ll be working with our Chief Engineer, Nathan Caldwell. He works with Dr. Philipps closely.” He paused. “Is that okay?”
She shrugged. If this Nathan Caldwell worked with Dr. Philipps, she was sure he would be a fine colleague. “That’s fine.”
Ben’s face lit up. “Great.”
She stood up. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to get some rest.”
“Of course. Just call if you need anything else. And, uh ….” He looked at her outfit.
“Don’t worry, I have some appropriate work clothes.” She was used to digging in the dirt after all. But, since today was a formal interview, she wanted to look nice.
“Good. You’ll be doing a lot of work inside the mines, so you should wear some sturdy shoes.”
“I will. Thank you again, I’ll see myself out.” With a final nod, she pivoted on her heels and headed out the door.
As she walked to her car, Violet still couldn’t believe what had happened. She was going to be working with blackstone, of all things, paid a generous salary, and could walk away anytime she wanted? Maybe the Ben Walker wasn’t as smart as he looked or there was something in the mountain air that was rotting his brain.
A scent in the air caught her attention. Male, spicy, and smelled so good her knees buckled.
Mine!
“Stop!” She was glad no one was around. It must have been her imagination, or her hyper senses picking up the lingering scent. “He is not ours. Didn’t you hear what he said?”
If her sense of smell was good, her hearing was even better.
I don’t want her either.
You think I want a mate?
I’m drowning in so much—
Jealous growls silenced her thoughts.
“You’re being unreasonable.” She yanked the door of her rented car open. “And I can’t believe I’m even talking to you.”
Violet slid into the front seat and shoved the key into the ignition. A deep breath escaped her lips.
“He’s not interested either. He’s far too busy entertaining other women.” The angry snarled was something she’d never heard before, especially not from her own mouth.
“No, we have to forget about him.” She closed her eyes. “Remember why we’re here. So we can go back. Remember.”
Her tiger quieted down as her own chest tightened with pain.
“Now, let’s focus.”
When she didn’t hear any more protests, she turned the key and drove back to her hotel.