[Rock]The next day was calm and relaxing. It was Carmen and I at home, enjoying our life together. Everything felt a lot lighter after we talked the night before. Both of us struggled with our inadequacies among our people and families. My mother wasn’t like a softie mom, but she wasn’t as hard on me as a troll mom should be, either. Like Carmen’s parents, she coddled me. Seeing my friends with their mothers showed me the ways I was treated differently. She didn’t mean to do it, but it was difficult for her to stop. I wasn’t a full troll and she couldn’t overlook my softness. I knew it made her worry. That wasn’t to say she wasn’t hard on me, too. My mother did everything she could to toughen me up so I wouldn’t suffer as much. She tried to make me a troll in every way she could think of. Carmen’s parents weren’t that kind. They kept her a child for as long as they could. We made plans for having my friends over the next weekend. It wouldn’t be quite like the dinner we had last night, but it would be similar. Carmen was looking forward to meeting everyone. I told Elbio, Jett, and Forrest they could bring dates as long as they behaved. Mica was bringing his mate.I pulled out my phone while we were watching a movie. Carmen showed me how the descriptive function worked on disks. It was interesting, but I never really watched many movies. Her head was in my lap, so she knew I was getting my phone out, but she didn’t say anything. She was listening to the movie. It was time to let my mom know I found my mate. She might have already heard it from Forrest and Elbio’s moms, but she would be waiting to hear from me. I couldn’t hold off any longer. Quickly, I sent a text letting my mom and brothers know I had found my mate. I told them she was a werewolf and we marked each other. It was the basic information they needed. No one ever replied. I expected as much from my brothers, but I thought my mom would say something. Maybe she was busy. She would get back to me when she could. At the end of the night, I carried Carmen into our room. She was falling asleep on the couch. I was feeling tired, too, which was strange. Even if I weren’t, I would want to go to bed with her. Laying with her in my arms every night made me happy. The next morning, we got up at five thirty and got dressed. Carmen picked out a dress suit that made her look like she was definitely the office manager. She put her hair up in a tight bun. It showed off the tip of her mark very clearly. Mine was covered by my shirt because it was on the curve where my shoulder met my neck. I reached out and traced my finger over the tip of her mark. Carmen smiled at me. “Regretting that we have to leave the house?” she asked. I chuckled. “I need to go to work. I actually love my job almost as much as I love you. It’ll make money for us that will last our lives. It will pay for me to spoil you and take you on vacations.”Carmen laughed. “You don’t have to spoil me, Rock. I love you and you accepted me. Even if we had nothing, your accepting me is the best thing you could have given me. I have everything I want.” “Then I guess it’ll be easy to spoil you,” I replied, taking her in my arms and kissing her. “We should leave soon. I usually pick up something from a fast food restaurant in the morning. A cup of coffee and some toast isn’t really enough for a troll, and we’re not pleasant when we’re hungry.” “Neither are werewolves. I could eat a few breakfast burritos or something.” “I love when you talk like that. Come on, we’ll take the truck so we can eat while we drive.” We locked up the house and I helped Carmen into the truck. We stopped at a restaurant and bought a dozen of their biggest burritos. I ate two while I drove across town to my office. The office was on a plot of land I bought in town before the prices went crazy. I built the place myself. It was a way of showing off my work and ensuring the office would fit the trolls or any other fae I could hire. There were no steps up in it and the doors were tall and wide enough for if I wanted to hire trolls, ogres, or orcs. I could even manage a short giant. I also had a door off to the side of the main entrance that had a standard door, it was lighter and easier to open. We entered the lobby. It had a desk at the front. If I had someone who had something they were doing that day, like an appointment, they acted as the receptionist until they had to leave, then I came back and took over. Now, someone would always be there. To the left was my office and to the right was the guest bathroom and kitchen for the staff. Most of my guys filled their coffee cups when they came in. Other than that, it stored food for my or reception’s lunches. In the back was the conference room and a locker room with showers. Some of my guys liked to shower before going home. It was especially important for the shapeshifters, who all said they didn’t like smelling like fae after work. I didn’t know why they wouldn’t, but that was their prerogative. I took Carmen into the kitchen and sat her at the table while I filled the large coffee maker with grounds and water. I joined her and we finished our breakfast while talking about how the day would go. Today, I wouldn’t work on any job sites, unless I was needed. On Mondays, we had a staff meeting. The guys would get their assignments for the week and we’d go over where I expected them to be by the end of the week. It was all pretty simple. Carmen listened thoughtfully. Her friend, Gemma, would be showing up closer to seven. I would introduce the women at the meeting. “Anything you want to ask before they get here?” I asked, leading Carmen to my office. “You told me some shapeshifters and trolls work for you. What is everyone and how many?” “I have thirty employees, not counting you, Gemma, and me. Some are temporary and only work in the higher volume seasons. Most of my work includes teaming up with other companies and submitting bids, so I have some carpenters, electricians, and plumbers, but most are general construction. I only hire supernaturals, so my crew is smaller than you’d see in some human companies with the same amount of work,” I explained. “Wow, you have more work because supernaturals are better?” “All of our unique advantages pay off in this business. We’re not raising skyscrapers or apartment buildings. We build houses, sheds, garages, and do renovations. We offer consultations and a low-cost option for people who are planning to do it themselves. It makes them think of us first if they realize they need help.” Carmen nodded. She never seemed like she was bored by me when I got long-winded. It was as if she was always interested in whatever I had to say. “I have four trolls on the crew and two orcs. They’re my heavyweights. I have three dark elves and five lesser elves. If you want to piss off the high elves, call lesser elves ‘elves’.” I chuckled. Carmen giggled. “I have two sprites who are almost human size. They’re four foot ten inches, or so. The rest are shifters. We have four werewolves, but they’re all rogues, not pack wolves. Will that be a problem?” She shrugged. “Not for me if they don’t have a problem. I did the rogue classes in school and we have an alliance with their queen.” “Good. I know two are getting ready to leave to go serve their queen, but the other two are staying. The ones who are leaving are two of my permanent workers. They don’t take time off in the winter like the other two do. I also have a leopard, a lynx, and a panther. You don’t have trouble with cats, right?” Carmen laughed and shook her head. “I’m not a dog, Rock.” “I know the rogues got territorial with the cats. That’s why I’m checking.” “I have no reason to have a problem with them. If they don’t have a problem with me then we should be fine.” I smiled at her. She smiled back. As more time went by, Carmen seemed to hone in on my emotions. She could tell if I was looking at her and she would smile back at me. Maybe it was a trick of my mind, or maybe her bond to me let her feel something of what I was feeling. Was it okay to ask her that stuff? She was as straightforward and honest as a troll, but we also didn’t like when people asked us too many questions. Was it something I should have already figured out? “The others are elk, bears, and beavers. Apparently, they turn into beavers the size of mastiffs. It sounds scary as hell.” I shivered. “Do they do carpentry or plumbing?” she asked with a giggle. I laughed. “Both. I have four of them.” “At least they have a job they love. It sounds like you have a great crew with a nice mix of supernaturals. That’s what Queen Bellamy is doing with her collective and allies. It’s what Alpha Trent is working toward with his alliances. I think they’re right. Bringing together all species of supernaturals will create a stronger bond between the Goddess’ children on Earth.” “I think so, too. If my crew is any indication, I know it’s what the Goddess wants. They make up for the gaps the others have. We even named the shifters honorary fae. That means our trolls back them one hundred percent,” I told her. I cleared up the wrappers from our breakfast and threw them in the garbage. Taking Carmen’s hand, I guided her out of the chair and into my office. I wanted to see how much work would need to be done to get her up and running. The desk was sitting in the spot where I wanted it with the chair, which had been put together. I was glad they took care of that. I hated building those things. Too many small pieces. On top of the desk, there were several boxes. I knew they held Carmen’s computer. I’d paid extra for quick delivery on the keyboard. I wanted to have everything for Carmen all sorted out. There was a desk phone with a headset, too. That way she wouldn’t have to worry about picking it up and putting it back in the cradle. “Once we’re done with the morning meeting, I’ll get your computer and phone set up. You and Gemma can explore the building,” I said. “Oh… okay.” I looked over at her. She was fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. I went to where she was sitting and knelt in front of her. Taking her hands in mine, I brought them up to my lips and kissed them gently. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing. I was just… I mean… I just thought you would show me around. It’s fine, though. Gemma and I can figure things out,” she replied. “I can’t do everything, little wolf. Plus, I’m sure Gemma’s dying to get you alone to ask you all of the things she couldn’t ask you around everyone else the other day. And she probably wants to update you on everything else you’re missing in the pack lands. I know werewolves gossip as much as fae do.” “I know. There’s something about being out in the world that makes me want to cling to you. I didn’t spend too much time in the human city. It was mostly the nights I would go out with my friends. I don’t like being away from you. I forgot to ask… are there any females on your crew? Are Gemma and I the only ones?” Carmen asked. “You and Gemma are the only women in the company. Not for lack of trying. We had a female hyena for a while but she ended up getting fired,” I admitted. Female hyenas weren’t allowed on our crew anymore. The one we had got the orcs and trolls riled up. She was reported for abuse by several of the shifters and ѕexual harassment by the trolls. It was her personality, it was too much for them to handle. She was so aggressive and abrasive that they were having trouble resisting her charm. When I talked to her, she had no idea what I was talking about. It wasn’t flirting for her. She was earnest about her desire to learn more about the company. I talked to her about her goals and she wanted to start a company like this for female hyenas. They were bigger and stronger than their male counterparts. Unfortunately, they were too playful for the serious times. That was getting her in trouble with my guys. I recommended a demo company and she jumped at it. I told her I was going to have to let her go. That was five years ago and her company was doing great. I used them for demo if we were too busy to do it ourselves. “I think I’m still feeling possessive. I don’t like the idea of women around you. I don’t like you being away from me. Is this my life now? Am I a clingy werewolf?” she asked with a little whimper. “No. This is normal for a lot of species. Once you’re comfortable, you’ll feel it go away. That’s what the thing Alpha Trent gave me said. This isn’t permanent.” The main door opened and I heard men talking. They were here. Soon I would have our meeting where I would show off my little wolf for the first time.