Page 4 of Broken By Her Mate
His lips twitched and lifted with amusement. Laila hadn’t changed much. She was the clumsiest shifter he’d ever met and still so damn adorable. She was sexy and clumsy all rolled into one, and he had no idea how she pulled off the combination so well. Just as she marched back inside, he caught a whiff of another shifter nearby. It was a wolf. There was a chance it was the guy his team had been looking for.
Tolliver’s lips twisted into a snarl at the thought that there really was a threat to his woman. Well, after he rejected her, she wasn’thisper se, but he’d still tear apart anyone who even thought of harming her. Still, he couldn’t do that out in the open with human witnesses. He had to act fast and get Laila out of danger without violence.
Chapter 2 - Laila
Laila slid her bedroom window open to look outside. It was a habit passed down from her beloved grandmother, who raised her. Grandma Rose always said it was good to appreciate the gift of a new day. Laila would then watch her step onto the porch of their house in Bellefleur to take a huge whiff of the morning air.
Living in an apartment in Cedar Ridge over her bakery, Laila didn’t have a fancy wrap-around porch, so sticking her head out the window was the only option. As she inhaled, the crisp fall breeze lingered in the air. Suddenly, she felt less appreciative as Grandma Rose had taught her and more miserable.
The dreary feeling increased as she looked around at the trees, which no longer had green leaves. The array of yellows, browns, and oranges was supposed to be a pretty sight, but Laila hated it. Autumn reminded her too much ofhim.
As always, thoughts of Toll… He-who-should-not-be-named caused a sharp pain in her chest that radiated to her soul. How could the agony of her heartbreak be this intense a whole five years later? As she continued staring at the colorful trees, his image appeared as vividly as if she’d seen him just a few minutes ago rather than five years ago.
He-who-should-not-be-named had the dreamiest green eyes she’d ever looked into. The shade of emerald was mesmerizing. She always felt like she was drowning in their depths and didn’t want to be saved. His eyes were contrasting to his fair skin and luxuriously silky chestnut hair. She had loved his body too… absolutely adored it. He was a giant compared to her at over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and toned muscles.
Laila was on the curvier side, but she never felt self-conscious with him because he could lift her as if she were as light as a feather. Her mate had always made her feel sexy and gorgeous. She missed that. She missed him. A waft of cold air hit her in the face, and she blinked as if coming out of a trance. Letting out a loud, derisive snort, she shook her head.
“Get a hold of yourself,” she whispered with disgust. Pining over a man who had walked out of her life without a backward glance was beyond pathetic. He-who-should-not-be-named was a callous bastard who never loved her. If he had, would he have so easily walked away after three perfect years together?
He was an asshole, and she never wanted to see him again. Laila slid her window shut with finality as if to shut off all memories of her ex. She had things to do and a business to run, and she wouldn’t waste another second thinking about the past.
***
Laila was flipping theopensign around as one of her employees arrived. Cora Walsh entered the bakery with a swirl of breeze and colorful leaves behind her. Her scarf somehow unraveled from around her neck and flew back through the door. Cora muttered a curse and jumped after it, taking the leaves back out with her.
The young witch, who had a strong connection to nature, barely had control over her powers. She reminded Laila of Toll…that man’ssister, Elena. Gritting her teeth, she reminded herself not to think about anything or anyone related to him.
Unsuccessful in catching her flyaway scarf, Cora threw her hands up in defeat. As she stepped back into the bakery, shesighed. “There goes another one. That’s the third scarf I’ve lost this week.” Hands on her hips, she turned to Laila. “Hey, Laila. How’s it going? Do you think anyone noticed that mini tornado that arrived with me? I hate that the elements go crazy around me some days.”
They both peered through the bakery’s floor-to-ceiling window warily.
“Hi… I certainly hope not,” Laila said.
Cora heaved a sigh. “I’d hate to scare the non-supes.” She stomped her way around the counter as she unbuttoned her jacket.
Laila chuckled. Cora called anyone who wasn’t a member of the paranormal communitynon-supes… non-supernaturals. “Yeah, the people in this town are clueless about us. It’s best if we keep it that way.” Cedar Ridge wasn’t like Bellefleur, where everyone was either supernatural or fully aware of their existence, so no one had to hide. Most of the supernatural community preferred to keep their existence secret for fear that humans might attack.
Others didn’t care if humans knew otherworldly beings were walking around. In fact, they openly preyed on humans, which was dangerous. That was why the elders in Bellefleur created the Black Ops to covertly keep the order of things. Laila had a love-hate feeling for the group. While she appreciated the bravery and sacrifices of its members, she hated that the organization was why she’d lost her father. The typical pang of grief when she thought about her dad hit her, but she pushed it aside to comfort her young employee.
“Don’t worry, Cora. If anyone saw anything, they’d pass it off as a natural gust of wind. The human mind typically findsa way to rationalize the extraordinary out of fear and lack of understanding.”
“Are you a pastry chef or a psychologist?” Cora teased.
Laila smirked. “Well, technically, our pastries are therapeutic. I always feel better when I pig out on cream cheese Danishes after a stressful day.”
Cora smirked. “I know what you mean. My therapy is cheesecake.”
“Ugh. I love cheesecake.” Laila sighed and gestured to her lower half. “Hence, these childbearing hips.”
Cora rolled her eyes. “Oh, please, you look great.”
Laila lifted a skeptical eyebrow but smiled.
“Speaking of my great-looking boss…”
“Uh-oh,” Laila muttered.
Cora was a tiny thing, like a pixy, with her height and willowy form, but she had a big personality and was super mischievous. “Relax, I didn’t do anything crazy… this time. I simply told my sociology professor that I knew of a gorgeous, twenty-eight-year-old who might be perfect for him.”