Shopping Showdown

by Buffi Becraft-Woodall

  Shopping Showdown

  By

  Buffi BeCraft

  (c) Copyright by Buffi BeCraft, January 2012

  Smashwords Edition

  Published by new Concepts Publishing

  Lake Park, GA 31636

  www.newconceptspublishing.com

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.

  Dedication and Forward

  This story is dedicated to all the fans of the Blue-Collar Werewolves.

  Finding this stuck in an old file was a fun surprise. This piece was written just after Weremones came out. I wrote several scenes with the intention of a book about Diana’s adventures as she establishes herself as the alpha female of the Anderson County Pack.

  I’ve edited it up just for you guys.

  Enjoy!

  - Buffi BeCraft

  “Adam!”

  The furry jerk was in the house somewhere. Diana Ridley knew it. A combination of her empathic abilities and the new metaphysical connection she now possessed, gave her a lot of insight to the local werewolf pack. That and the scent of coffee she had not brewed wafted from the kitchen.

  Besides, where else would a werewolf pack hang out, but at her house? Never mind that they hated to be referred to as werewolves. They were wolven, more powerful and among and socially superior to their were-cousins. At least, that was Adam Weis’s stand on the matter. Furry elitist jerk.

  Diana stormed down the hallway leading to the kitchen. Her bare feet slapped against the hardwood floor, announcing her entry and her churning emotions. Her scent probably preceded her. By whatever means, the three men, muscled prime beefcake material were forwarned and watched her entrance in various states of wariness. Ha! She thought. They should be more than wary. Letting themselves into her house. Sucking down her good mail-order coffee.

  Diana ignored the golden blond god and the African-American version of Adonis and slapped the crumbled letter in front of the alpha leader of the pack, the Canis Pater, Adam Weis. A sexy dimple emerged with his killer smile and Adam held out a mug. His pale blue, husky colored eyes met hers with a special warmth reserved especially for her. Her fingers itched to touch the white blond strands of hair that escaped the tie at the back of his neck and fell across a high cheekbone. Oooo. He was good and he knew it. The man was sexy. Diana tried unsuccessfully to smother the heat that unfurled in her belly. She narrowed her gaze and met his without flinching.

  “Coffee, my sweet?”

  “Don’t try to butter me up.” Adam grinned at her comeback, full of suggestion. Amusement danced in his eyes. She knew exactly where his male, one track mind was heading and headed him off before he tried to weasel his way out of this mess. “I mean it buster. You knew everyone thought we’d done that mate thing.”

  Diana slapped a hand on the paper and glared harder at him. He grasped her wrist and slid the paper away from her abuse. Gently he smoothed the sheet with both hands, glancing over the formal gold lettering. His expression was inscrutable while he considered the contents. When he looked up all trace of amusement was gone. In its place was a look of profound patience. That irritated her more. Her sound of frustration was not a growl. Humans didn’t growl at their boyfriends. Still the other two slouched into their seats with the most non-threatening posture, bordering on sloppy, that they’d ever had and buried their noses in their coffee cups.

  “Sweetheart, you are the Matra Canis. Pack Mother.” Adam practically sighed. “We’re dating. Of course the other packs are going to think you are my mate. Usually, the two go hand in hand.”

  “Or paw in paw.” Chase was the only one laughing at his humor. He cleared his throat and slunk to the coffee pot to suck down more of her gourmet beans.

  Diana crossed her hands under her breasts and tried not to feel defensive because she’d refused him. She had become Pack Mother, not because she wanted to, or because Adam had wanted her to, but because the pack chose her. Her sweet, needy boys.

  The pack originally consisted of five teenagers that Adam had rescued from abuse. For some reason the boys had latched on to her. The other two sexy men at the table were Adam’s new wardens and pack members. As wardens, golden Chase and dark elegant Tank, were like the pack bodyguards. Adam had even defied convention and made Karen, Diana’s daughter and another male, both human psychics like Diana official members of the pack. Then, there was Tamara, the bubbly wolven female that Diana never quite knew what to say around. If Tamara wasn’t so freaking nice and blond, Diana might have had a reason to dislike her. As it was, the other woman had latched on to her just like one of the boys.

  And she was going out with Adam. Dating and the best sex she’d ever had in her life. But she hadn’t made the last commitment he’d been pushing for the last several months. It was a decision she planned to make very carefully. Mating was serious magical ju-ju with no back-out clause. There could be no divorce to save her from a second marital mistake.

  Adam folded the paper with neat, precise creases and laid it down on her worn kitchen table. A lot more worn and scratched with the pack’s regular use. He pinned her with a steady gaze.

  “Look honey, Even without taking the mate’s bond, you are still alpha female. It’s only an invitation to a baby shower. You don’t have to go.” He was as clueless as the rest of the male species. Diana wanted to slap the long-suffering attitude right out of his chauvinistic werewolf mug.

  “Nooo,” She drew the word out. Two could play at this game. “It’s not just a baby shower. I have to go. It’s your nephew. In your old pack.”

  The idiot just blinked. Diana growled at him and snatched the invitation back. “I am not going to blow off an invitation from your parents. Who just happen to run one of the biggest packs in Texas.”

  “Mara’s more like a stepmother and there’s only about ten territories in the state.” Adam calmly held out his cup for a refill.

  “Arrggh!” Diana stormed off. Let his lackeys refill his cup. She wasn’t going to let him get to her, or guilt her into making a commitment she wasn’t ready to make. And someone owed her some freaking expensive coffee.

  Adam sighed and took a swig of the coffee refill. God, the woman had some amazing coffee. He could never find stuff like it on the store shelf. On either side of him, the tension began to slide from Chase and Tank. He gave his wardens a faint smile and a shrug.

  What was a guy to do when his woman kept saying no?

  “Don’t worry boss. She’ll come around.” Chase stood up and slugged down the rest of his coffee. The extra long braid slapped at his tee shirt covered back, telling Adam that his new wardens planned to ride their bikes in today. “C’mon Tank. Time to hit the road if we’re going to keep working.” The blond wolven male stretched, cup hanging from his fingertip. Adam snatched the mug before it dropped. There were enough broken things around this house and his own with the boys running around.

  “Where are you guys crashing tonight?”

  “Here.” Tank, the larger of the two, gathered up breakfast dishes and carried them to the sink with the ease of someone who felt right at home. Within moments, he had the dishwasher loaded and humming through its first cycle.

  It was a valid question. The two wardens may have found a job at a local bike shop, motorcycles not bicycles, but they hadn’t settled yet in any one place. Adam’s house was full to bursting with the most of the boys and Tamara staying there until she found a place. Some nights ,Chase and Tank settled on Diana’s living room floor, content as two pups. No, three. Adam spied the wolf slinking into the kitchen for a drink out of bowls sitting in the raised trays by the sliding
glass door. Brandon rarely took human form or left his Alpha Matra’s residence. Adam shook off his would-be mate’s commitment issues and his pack’s nomadic tendencies and got to his feet. He had a plan to fix the last issue at least and a lot of work yet to finish.

  “Hey buddy.”

  The wolf’s feet skittered in four different directions. The ripe smell of fear spiked in the room as Brandon nearly knocked over his water bowl. Head ducked, the wolf glanced up at Adam. His tail was so low, that it might have been tucked underneath. Serious and solemn, his eyes were more animal than human in the brown and gray patterned face. Adam detested his failure to stop the boy’s regression. He didn’t know how to get through to the boy inside the animal, but kept trying. “I’m heading out to a job site. You want to ride along? Your tools are in the back of the truck.”

  The wolf cocked his head to the side. He considered Adam’s offer. As the Pater Canis, Adam’s link to the pack allowed him to feel some of the turmoil inside the wolf. The boy, buried inside the wolf, was tempted. Brandon liked working on the construction site, working with his hands and body, the feeling of accomplishment in a job well done. The wolf was afraid. The wolf won. He whined and slunk back out of the room.

  Adam sighed. It was shaping up to be another perfect day.

  Diana felt horrible. She’d behaved like a harpy, thrown a tantrum and retreated back to her room. The large oval standing mirror in the corner drew her. Diana stared at her reflection and wondered at the woman staring back at her. She hardly recognized herself anymore. She didn’t know what was eating at her, but she’d better figure it out soon and stop snapping at everyone around her.

  She looked back down at the expensive vellum invitation and opened it so that the gold lettering was visible. It was Saturday and she had eight hours to find a gift for a brand new baby werewolf, er wolven, and find the right attitude to meet her boyfriend’s family. No problem.

  Diana jumped and jerked around at a thump on her bedroom door. She winced at a crash in the hallway. The door opened and two furry figures tumbled into her bedroom. Ferocious growls and snarls came from the combatants. There was no blood…yet.

  “Mark. Seth. Stop it.”

  Diana punctuated her words with a hot flash of her psychic abilities. A neat little trick she had recently figured out how to do, either because her own abilities were growing or because of her new status as the female pack alpha, she didn’t know. Whatever the reason, the heat and sting had he desired result. The fur separated into two distinct boy sized colors. Tan, covered in a bright red tee shirt bearing the words, SKATE OR DIE and a dark brown form in a plain green tee. Their jeans were ripped and stained though their high dollar tennis shoes were in pristine condition. Their eyes were wide in fuzzy faces. Both fang filled mouths, designed for ripping and tearing, were dropped in surprise. Sharp claws tipped their hands and probably their toes too. Diana couldn’t imagine ever being frightened of the boys. To her they were more cuddly than fearsome. She dropped her hands to her hips.

  “What do you two think you’re doing?”

  Mark’s pronounced muzzle stretched into a half-boy half wolf grin. He leaned heavily on his darker colored pack brother. Seth didn’t seem to mind. His body went slack, signaling his surrender and let the more dominant boy take the lead. Mark absently scratched at Seth’s back with his sharp claws.

  “Adam said we’re supposed to stay with you today.”

  Diana turned a hard eye on the boys. “Uh-huh. Why is that? What happened?” It was Saturday, supposedly chore day at the Weis household.

  Mark shrugged. “Stupid lawnmower broke and he’s got to go to work. He didn’t have time to look at it.” Diana crossed her arms and stared down hard until Mark began to fidget. That didn’t take much. The boy was always on the move. She didn’t blame Adam for not wanting to leave them alone. Mark and Seth were the youngest of the pack and Mark was very accident-prone. Not to himself, but to everything around them. “It wasn’t me.” The bright blue eyes blinked in introspection, then Mark shrugged. “But the oil could have been supposed to go in the other hole.”

  Diana sighed and waved her hands at them. “Shoo. Get cleaned up. I’m not dragging a bunch of raggedy werewolves around all day.”

  That got them up. Indignation raised Seth’s dark brown muzzle. “Adam says we’re wolven. Not werewolf monster movie trash.”

  Diana suppressed a smile. For all their supposed distrust, the boys quoted their leader a lot. They didn’t even know how attached to Adam they were.

  “Okay. Get your wolven rears in gear. I’ve got to go shopping. Look in the laundry room. Clean clothes and no excess body hair.”

  “Shop-ping!” Moans and groans of pain followed them out. Maybe a day tagging around behind her in the uncool parts of the store would make them think twice about sabotaging the lawnmower next time. Outside her door, there was a bump and several growls. The loud thumping of running feet. Diana walked to the door and stuck her head out. “No dogfights in the house. You hear me?” Diana closed her eyes against the sound of a yelp and the bumpity-bump of someone tumbling down the steps.

  “We’re not dogs!”

  “Yeah! We’re not dogs!”

  Their voices warbled up the stairwell. Thank goodness no one was hurt and even if they were, a supernatural’s constitution was amazing. Their bodies held off sickness and disease efficiently. Bruises and lacerations healed nearly overnight. Broken bones mended in a week. Their blood was a miracle-healing agent.

  “Keep it up and one of you is going to wind up with a broken neck. How long do you think that will take to heal?” Diana called back down. She waited to hear retreating footsteps before closing the door.

  “Hi, Mom. Are you going somewhere?” Karen poked her head into the bedroom. Her daughter’s precognition were a little unnerving sometimes, but this time, Diana had the feeling a little eavesdropping had been going on.

  “Want to go to a baby shower?”

  Karen’s face was bright and animated. Her brown eyes glowed. She was one hundred percent cheerleader.

  “No. Bradley is taking me to Saturday practice. We’ll grab something to eat while we’re out.”

  A flash of unease went through Diana. “Karen.”

  A frown marred Karen’s pretty clean features. “Mom. Get a grip. Bradley and I are dating. That’s it.” She bit her bottom lip and slipped into the room, shutting the door behind. Her voice was low. She cut her eyes at the door as if one of the boys were outside listening. “Mom, I know you have reservations… about everything.” Karen shifted her feet back and forth. Her nervous gesture transmitted to Diana.

  “Hon, What are you trying to tell me?” Her daughter hesitated, then reached underneath the back of her shirt. She pulled out a large envelope. Her hands gripped the grayish paper so hard her knuckles were white. Diana took the envelope with the same delicacy as if she were handling a snake. The words of her chosen university were typed in the top left hand corner. She looked up at her daughter.

  “It’s from a college in Houston. There’s a program I qualify for. With that, a student loan, and a partial scholarship from my cheerleading, I can take care of my expenses myself.”

  “I see.” Diana felt her heart squeeze. Houston was hours away. Her last baby was making plans to leave the nest. It seemed all her fears of not being needed anymore were finally coming to fruition. Diana mustered a smile. “You can do anything you set your mind to. Do you know yet what you want to study?”

  Diana had tried, unsuccessfully, before to find out what Karen’s interests were. Mostly, her daughter was interested in animals, sports, and music. Very general terms that didn’t translate into any particular career goal.

  Karen laughed. Her eyes filled with tears that she wiped away with the back of her hand. Diana felt her daughter take hold of her fear and uncertainty. An exotic animals vet.”

  “Wow. That’s big.” Diana crossed her arms, tucking the envelope under. She raised her eyebrows high. “Any particu
lar reason why?”

  Karen’s laugh was less strained this time. She sobered fast. “Oh, Mom. Bradley’s going to have a fit. He hates when I go out of the territory.”

  Oh drat. This was going to turn into one of those mother-daughter talks. Diana took her daughter’s hand and led her to the bed. She sat, pulling Karen to sit beside her. “Honey, I hate to point out the obvious, but I’m going to. You aren’t married.”

  A sudden horrifying thought crossed Diana’s brain. “You and he have’t… done that mate thing have you?”

  “Oh, Mom.” Karen rolled her eyes. Diana pushed down the irritation at the gesture.

  “We haven’t done anything. For so long we were just trying to keep the younger ones safe.” It amazed Diana how her daughter had led such a double life so early and so successfully. Bradley and her daughter had managed to keep the old pack alpha away from the younger three boys. Poor Brandon, Bradley’s twin, had gotten the brunt of Garrick’s foul attention. Brandon’s emotional scars ran so deep, he hardly came out of wolf form these days. He’d missed so much school with little hope of going back anytime soon, that Adam had pulled Brandon out and told everyone that the boy had decided to home-school.

  “Okay. So you haven’t made that kind of commitment to him. If you want to go away to college, then go.” The words hurt, but Diana forced them out anyway. She’d learned the hard way with her son Matt that she couldn’t hold them here.

  “But, the pack…”

  “Will be fine.”

  “But I’ve never been so far away on my own.”

  Diana squeezed her daughter’s hand. “I get the idea that you are more worried about how Bradley will fare than the others.”

  Karen pulled her hand away. She turned her head away, picked at the blue flowers on Diana’s comforter, then smoothed over the satin finish. “What if…what if he finds someone else while I’m gone.”