The smell of liquor, sex, and something elementally Mark, perfumed the room. Later Cara would think it was the smell of the forest, but for the time being, the only word she could give it was: wild.
***
"I can't believe we just did that." Mark panted as his fingertips stroked Cara up and down her arm.
Cara pulled his jacket more securely around her naked body, and cuddled closer to him. The hair wasn't very comfortable, but Cara didn't have to worry about that, with her head resting on his shoulder and her legs curled around his calf. "I need to get dressed." She said yet made no move to get up.
"Me too." Mark laughed tiredly.
Cara nodded, and closed her eyes, feeling super tired. She was halfway to sleep, with Mark not far behind her when banging interrupted their nap. "Wedding starts in a little under three hours. Most of the guests are coming!" Riley boomed through the door.
"We have to make this thing official, don't we?" Mark grinned.
"Yep." Cara muttered, reaching up to give him another kiss.
Cara entwined herself and grabbed her corset. The underwear she could go without. "Help me with this?"
Mark was behind her in a second, his diminishing erection pressed against her ass. "Sure." He fumbled for a few seconds before he finally got all the clasps hooked.
"Hey, Cara?" Mark began as he helped her into her wedding dress.
She would have liked to run and take a shower, but time was of the essence and unfortunately she'd have to live with a quick bathroom wash up. Turning her head to look at Mark over her shoulder, Cara raised her eyebrow.
Mark paused, started, and then paused again. Finally he fingered the material of her dress and forced the words out. “I'm a werewolf."
Cara reached back and lifted up her hair so he could zip her up. "Yeah, I know."
Mark paused with the zipper half way up her back. "You know?" He asked flabbergasted.
Cara shook her shoulders to get his attention back to the zipper. The metal slid up her back until it was secure, and Cara let her hair fall and turned around to look a naked Mark. Her breath caught as she looked him up and down, her gaze lingering on a few key spots.
As incomprehensible it was, Cara wanted him again. And if they didn't have to go and get married she was pretty sure she would have pushed him back into that chair and taken all the time in the world to get ready. Her mind wandered before she remembered their conversation. "I mean, yeah. My dad told me." Cara shrugged and looked for her shoes. "You're a part of the Blackwater pack. I've known about werewolves since my father started doing business with Blackwater. I mean as soon as he said you were with him, I sort of assumed you were one."
Cara could feel Mark's eyes on her as she found her heels and slipped them on. But it was his outburst of laughter that really surprised her. She turned to see him still naked, doubled over in laughter. Cara rolled her eyes, finding that despite their strange meeting and forced marriage, there was something more than just duty here.
Smiling, Cara followed him, and laughed too. Let all her pent up anger and aggression out in a fit out laughter that made her eyes water, made her jaw hurt, made her sigh ache. In that moment, she let go.
Six months of worry and tension from one failed date after another disappeared. It was a relief to have that weight off her shoulders, a relief that only Mark could offer her.
Looking at him trying to stop laughing, Cara couldn’t be upset with her father. Mark was a great guy. And while she would have liked to take more time to know him, maybe date a little, break up once or twice before ultimately settling down, she wasn’t altogether upset over their nuptials.
“Ok, Ok.” Mark chuckled holding his hands up, palms out. “Enough of that. Let’s go get married!”
Cara swiped at her eyes and nodded empathically. “All right!”
"But before that…" Her father's voice came to her, catching her off guard. “It’s time we had a talk.”
Cara tuned to see her father silhouetted in the doorway. For some reason he looked sicker and much paler than he’d looked days ago. He certainly looked worse than he’d been a month ago. It was only then Cara realized she hadn’t seen much of her father, only brief instances that lasted a few minutes and almost always when he was sitting. This was the first time in a long time that Cara could remember seeing her father standing.
“Daddy, are you ok?” She asked as she instinctively moved to his side.
He waved her off and motioned for her to follow him out of the room. She went without hesitation, following her father as he moved from to a room across from theirs and held the door wide. What the hell is going on? Cara wondered as she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror as she passed.
Immediately she stopped and fiddled with her hair and makeup. “Stop it Cara. You look fine.” Mark said coming up behind her and stealing her hands.
“Sit. Both of you.” Her father gestured to a couch positioned adjacent a chair.
Cara turned and went to take a seat, waiting for her father to speak. She wasn't mad at him, only weary. She had learned long ago that her father only spoke when it was important, even if it was to give a command. So she waited for him to come out and say whatever it was.
Mark moved to sit beside her, one of his large hands enveloping hers in warmth.”Cara,” Her father began, his eyes puffy with bags. “I know this last few months have been stressful for you but…”
He paused and Cara leaned closer, a lump beginning to form in her chest. Her father didn’t stall, he didn’t look back at the past. The man had always looked forward, even when her mother died, he had just pushed through the grief and forged on. But now it looked like all the years of hard work and toil, the blood staining his hands, all of it was catching up with him.
“I’m dying, Cara.” He said tiredly on a gust of air. “Lung cancer. Inoperable. The doctor told me I had six months to live.”
No! Cara immediately denied the truth before her eyes clashed with her father’s black brown ones. Seeing the truth written inside. The truth pierced her heart. “N-No!” Cara choked. She struggled to breathe.
It was only the strength of Mark’s arms pulling her back and his hands running through her hair that stopped the panic attack. All the work preparing for the day, all the hours spent picking out the right dress and makeup and groom, it all culminated to this moment. Yet, every strand was out of plan, every scrap of cloth wrinkles, and all of her makeup warped so she looked like a depressed clown.
But Cara didn’t care; found herself unable to after the news her father had dropped on her. “I’m sorry." He said.
She didn’t want to hear it, didn’t want to even think about her father dying. He was all he had. And as much as she disliked his controlling tendencies, she knew he did it out of love. She couldn’t imagine a world without her father. "You can't leave me, daddy."
"Would that I could, princess." Her father smiled wanly. "But I must. Which is why you have Mark."
***
“I’m sorry.” Mark said quietly as Cara starred in the mirror at her new made up face and hair. She could only imagine Jacques bill with him having to do her hair and makeup twice.
Reaching for her favorite lipstick, Cara very carefully applied it to her lips. “Cara.” Mark said again, his voice closer than before.
Meticulously she rubbed her lips together, bloated, and then applied another light layer. Her eyes were still a bit puffy and red, but Jacques had done a great job counseling the damage. No one would believe she’d had sex with the groom hours before the wedding and also had a break down.
The wonders of cosmetics. Cara tried to smile but the muscles on her face wouldn’t move. Only her lips moved, parting fractionally to let the question that had been burning on her tongue slip out. She didn't turn around, only staring at Mark at the reflection in the mirror. “Why are you marrying me?
“My father is dying. We don’t have to get married. I know that the only reason he even wanted this whole fiasco was so tha
t I could be provided for when he dies.”
It was strange for Cara to utter the words without feeling, without sadness. It was the truth and to try and tarnish it with silly emotions would be pointless. Her father was dying. That was a fact. But his death would not rule her life. The choices she made within her life would.
“It has nothing to do with your father, Cara.” Mark rested his hands on her shoulder. Warmth flooded her and clouded her mind. She shrugged the hands off. She'll need to think clearly.
“Really?” Cara turned around. “The first time we met was in my father’s office when he ordered me to marry you. You'll have no obligations after, after--"
“I’ve made stupid choices in my life, Cara, I admit that.”Mark waved his hands emphatically as they faced off. “But your father could never force me to marry you. Not even when he beat the shit out of me did I agree to this marriage.”
Cara flinched back like she’d been slapped, a memory of their first meeting when he’d been beaten and bruised flashed through her mind. “Then why?” Cara’s voice dripped with venom. “Why are you marrying me?”
Mark paused as he gathered his thoughts. “I could tell you that I was a thief who stole from your father, and when he caught me, he saw something good inside of me and gave me a chance.”
"But."
Mark’s eyes were somber as he looked down at her. “But the honest truth was that the moment I got close enough to take a whiff of your father, I smelled you. It was like smelling the first snow fall--a new beginning.”
His chest expanded as he drew a deep breath in. “It drove me absolutely nuts the first time I smelled it..”
Frowning slightly, Cara looked up into his mossy-green eyes. “Are you saying I smell like your--”
“Mate? Yes.” Mark finished for her.
Shaking her head, Cara refused to believe that was the reason he’d married her. “You don’t love me. You just want to posses me like everyone else.”
Was that all she'll ever be? Just a pretty ornament for people? Daughter of a wealthy man with a spending habit. Daddy's girl, nothing more. Now? Now she was someone's mate? It was something she was having a hard time wrapping her head around.
“Do you remember what I did when I first met you?” Mark asked softly, changing the subject.
Cara shook her head.
“I covered my nose, because right at that moment all I wanted to do was pick you up and lay you on the desk. That’s it. But I waited.” Mark smiled at her wolfishly. “I waited because I knew i didn’t just want to fuck you, Cara. I wanted to love you.”
His words washed over her, casting out the darkness that had fallen on their day. “I.. I didn’t just want to fuck you either, Mark. I felt--I don’t know--drawn to you.”
As much as she wanted the words to sound strange on her tongue, they didn't. They felt right. It was as if she’d always wanted to say it, but something had kept her back, a part of her that realized the ludicrousness in that statement.
But she'd said it and it felt right.
Mark swooped his head low and caught Cara's lips in a kiss, smearing her lipstick. But Cara didn’t care. They'd just sealed a deal of their own. One that she was still hesitant to give a name, but one that was stronger than marriage.
“Mate.” Mark whispered softly against her lips as he pulled back.
Yes, that was a good word for it.
Cara leaned forward and met his lips for another kiss. She couldn’t yet give him what he wanted, still too raw from the day's events. Too many things had happened too fast. Not all great, but not all bad. And as she indulged herself for a few more minutes in the wet heat of Mark’s mouth, Cara decided to remember the good.
After all, she was getting married.
***
“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.” The priest intoned solemnly.
Mark kept the kiss light, just something to please the crowd. Cara wanted to rush down the aisle and to her father’s side, but resisted the impulse. No one knew that her father was dying, only she and Mark knew.
On what should have been a happy occasion, Cara could only feel a dark cloud. It all made sense now, why her father suddenly wanted to marry her off. He’d been securing her future in the only way he knew how.
“You ruined my lipstick.” She whispered out of the corner of her mouth, maintaining a what she hoped was a serene smile. Jacques had come to her rescue by redoing her hair and makeup, but the sadness and stark grief were still reflected in her red puffy eyes.
“You look better without it.” Mark leaned down and kissed the spot just beneath her ear.
Turning she looked up at Mark, so happy that she’d married him, even if it had been spur of the moment. She was finally happy. As strange as that was, being married to a werewolf she felt like she had finally found her home.
“Alpha Blackwater.” Mark said respectfully, and Cara paused on her walk down the aisle to look up.
“Congratulations, Mark.” The alpha returned.
Alpha Blackwater. She’d met him a time or two, and he was just as devastating then as he was now. His hair was jet black and fell in thick waves, secured by a band at the nape of his neck. His eyes were chocolate brown, set beneath two thick slashes for eyebrows, and blending perfectly with his olive hued skin calling to a Middle Eastern heritage. He was impeccably dressed in a tailored black tuxedo with a striking blue tie that reminded her of--
“And Cara, this is my sister Sapphire.” Mark introduced them.
Cara smiled and extended her hand to the petite auburn haired woman at the alpha’s side. She was short but nicely curved in a flattering blue dress that matched Blackwater’s tie and also her name. A peaches-and-cream complexion with intelligent eyes that looked far beyond just the skin. Cara could see sympathy written in their depths. Did she know?
Instead of shaking Cara’s hand, Sapphire leaned forward and engulfed her in a hug. “I’m so sorry Cara. If you need anything, just let me know.”
Cara looked sharply at Mark, her blood beginning to boil. “Don’t be mad at Mark, Cara.” Sapphire said quietly, her voice a bit husky. “I found out through our link.”
She was just about to ask what a link was, when Mark silently pulled on her arm and they were moving again. But Cara didn’t stop, because she knew the faster they were done with the wedding and the reception, the quicker she could be with her father.
“Mark?” Cara asked when their limousine door closed. It was just the two of them now. The world outside muted as the engine purred to life.
He gave her a curious side long glance. “Yes.”
“What was it like when you first, uh, smelled me? What were you feeling?” Cara asked curiously.
Mark wrapped leaned over and his arms around her, drew her closer to him.“Like I was coming home. Your scent was calling me home. I knew that no matter what, I had to claim you as my mate.”
“Don’t you mean wife?” Cara asked, craning her neck to look up at him.
His lips were just a hairbreadth away from hers, his breath blowing hot across her lips. “That too.” He smiled. “But you are, and will always be my--”
Cara silenced him with a kiss, hearing all she could take. Shifting, Cara brought her lips up to Mark’s. He smiled into the kiss as she pulled him closer, tilting his head back to control the kiss. She put all her pent up emotions in that kiss--everything she couldn’t admit out loud.
“Mark!” Cara gasped as she pulled back to look in his mossy-green eyes. There was something moving in the eyes, pacing back and forth, waiting for her to make a move. Is that his wolf?
It was so strange but the creature stopped, and for an instant Cara could swear that she was no longer looking in Mark’s eyes, but the wolf’s eyes. But then the warm leather of the car seat was against her back, and mark was hovering over her, once again a man.
“We can wait if you’re not ready Cara.” Mark whispered lowly.
He’s willing to wait for me. The thought b
rought tears to her eyes. Not only had he signed on to deal with her selfishness but he was willing to give her time. Mark was willing to wait for her to come to him and claim him just as he wanted to claim her.
It was a novice feeling for Cara. Not being ordered around, not being told what to do and how to behave, not being shoved in a corner but given choices and freedom. She could say she wasn’t ready. She could say no.
For a long minute Cara stared into Mark’s eyes, watching him for any indication that he would change his mind. But he never did, and knowing he wouldn’t gave her the power to do something she’d never thought she’d even want to do.
To Marry an Alpha (Paranormal Werewolf Shifter Romance) Page 2