Besides the Elders was the usual mix of adults. There was no assigned seating, but people tended to gravitate towards those like them, so the arrangement was always similar with little discrepancies. When he did marry, however, his wife would take her rightful place on his left side and the Elders would move across the table, so they sat next to each other on his right.
After the first course was served and the glasses were filled with an assortment of drinks, Marcus stood. It was a sign that he wanted to address them all, so his pack quieted and gave him their full attention. He had never liked speaking in front of them, but when it was necessary, he forced himself to do it. And if anything, this particular topic was quite necessary.
"I know many members of this pack are wondering when I am going to take a wife," Marcus began. He never spoke with a preamble, instead going straight for the point. He could be quite blunt when it came to what he wanted to get across, but his pack respected him for his honesty. "I have put it off for a long time because I wanted to concentrate on the betterment and advancement of the pack, as well as the fact I have yet to actually experience phasing. But I do want to reassure everyone that I do know my responsibility concerning my position as Alpha male, and just because I have yet to actually take a mate does not mean I won't in the future." He plopped back down and started cutting at his food, clearly done with saying anything more on the matter.
"We are just worried," one of the Elders, a man named Thane, said. "There are just so many women out there who would suit you and this pack quite well…"
"Maybe our expectations of you were higher than necessary," the other Elder, a woman name Razi, put in. "Your parents, may they rest in peace, found each other just when your father inherited the title of Alpha male. They had you shortly thereafter, and you were raised during his best years. Without your mother, he may have never made certain decisions that helped our pack prosper and gain the respect that we have."
Marcus felt him growl softly at the mention of his parents. They had died a hundred years ago. Because of their shocking and abrupt death – Marcus never found the hunter that shot them - Marcus had to take control of the pack at a young age, and instead of turning his attention to potential mates, he focused on attaining as much knowledge as he could in order to be a great leader. He didn’t like anyone mentioning his parents; he felt like he failed them.
"But he has chosen a mate," Julianne said, speaking up for the first time. Everyone, including the Elders and Marcus, turned to look at her. Marcus clenched his teeth together in order to gain some sort of control. His first piece of food was left forgotten on his fork. How could she possibly know…?
"She’s a human. I saw her.” A gasp from someone down the table. Marcus didn’t even turn his head to see who it was. His hazel eyes were set on Julianne, narrowed, calculating. Her rose-red lips were turned up and her eyes sparkled brilliantly. She was enjoying this. “She came to talk to him, but I intercepted her, unsure of her true intentions. His mark was there, though, on her neck." She tilted her head down to draw eyes to her own slender neck, her finger brushing her pulse.
Everyone turned to look at Marcus. How could Julianne have known and not spoken of Bridgette's presence, especially when she had supposedly wanted to speak to him? He couldn't exactly reprimand her now, and she knew this too, because most everyone was looking at him for some sort of explanation. Some were looking at him with their full mouths hanging open, while others avoided looking at him altogether. As though they were ashamed for him… or of him.
"If I had my head on straight, it never would have happened," Marcus said, attempting to defend his actions as best as he possibly could. "Something just took over me, and I bit her. It was more animalistic than anything else."
"A human?" Thane asked, completely ignoring Marcus's defense. He didn’t sound too disgusted by it, Marcus noted. Curious, sure. Definitely weary. But not disgusted.
"I have never heard of an Alpha marking a human," Razi murmured, her face losing color.
Murmuring pierced the silence. Silverware clattered to the china plates. One pack member – on older fellow – gulped down his goblet of wine. The pups were still chattering away at their table on the other side of the room, as though nothing happened.
"I'm not exactly sure what to say to this," Thane continued, his eyes focused solely on his mate sitting directly across from him. Razi stared back. They didn’t need to speak to each other to communicate.
"It’s a travesty is what it is,” Razi said, her face contorting up into a snarl. She didn’t notice the errant strands of greying brown locks escaping from their confines of the clip currently holding her hair into place. “Our pure line has been tainted with human. How could you do this, Marcus?”
“He didn’t have much of a choice, my dear,” Thane pointed out before Marcus had a chance to defend himself. He was grateful for it, truth be told; arguing with Razi was like arguing with a brick wall: exhausting and impossible. “Phasing can occur between any two people, regardless of race, sex, and age.”
“You cannot tell me you approve of this?” she asked him in disbelief.
“Approve?” He shook his head so his thick, shoulder-length blond hair followed his movements. “No. But what’s done is done, Razi. Our Alpha phased with a human. He already marked her. What else can be done about it?”
She was silent for a long moment, letting her mate’s words sink in. Then, "We will need to meet her," Razi said, turning her head so she locked eyes with Marcus. "Before you go through with your decision, however animalistic it was, we will need to meet her and give you our approval of the match. Just because you’ve phased with someone does not mean she’s entitled to be your Alpha female, especially because she’s human.”
"There's no need to meet her!" Marcus exclaimed, his temper getting the better of him for a moment. When he realized his outburst, he lowered his voice. "I have no desire to marry her. She is obnoxious and annoying and I have no idea why I bit her in the first place!"
"It doesn't matter that you don't want her or that you don't understand why you did what you did," Razi explained. She took a sip of her wine and let it linger in her mouth before swallowing. "Love is incomprehensible, something the mind cannot understand. So, our body reacts for us because it has a better understanding of the emotion."
"You are saying I love her?" Marcus asked in disbelief.
"She is saying that though your mind won't allow it, your body already knows," Thane answered. "You know that when a wolf bites anything – human, wolf, whatever – the victim experiences a hunger that cannot be satiated by anyone else but the wolf, correct?" Marcus said nothing but nodded, listening intently. "Well, the same goes for the wolf. He will never be fully satisfied by anyone other than the woman he bit."
Marcus's mouth dropped open upon hearing that. He had expected it would just be one way, not…
"It is imperative that we meet this woman and give her our approval," Thane told him, and though his voice was light, Marcus could tell the Elder was quite serious.
"And if you don't?" Marcus asked. His breathing hitched at all of this new information. "If you don't approve of her, what will happen? You say I will never be satiated by anyone else… Will you throw her out?"
Thane pressed his lips together, not willing to be the one to tell Marcus what will happen.
Razi took over, as she usually did. "We will take a vote and you could be expelled from the pack because of a decision that could negatively affect us," she told him, her demeanor softening as she continued to regard him with fierce eyes. Though she was usually a hard woman, she was quite fond of Marcus. “In all likelihood, we will reject her. She’s human, after all, regardless of your body’s response to her. From there, you can either choose a wife from this pack and live a long life with someone who isn’t your true mate, or you can choose to withdraw from your Alpha position, from this pack, and be with her."
Marcus felt his heart constrict at either choice. From the corner of his
eye, he noticed Julianne with that same smirk stained on her porcelain face, like a pristine doll. She didn’t even bother to hide the fact that she was enjoying the show. His pack was resuming eating, and now most couldn’t look at him. Some outwardly refused to do so.
He concealed a growl and gripped the wooden arms of his chair to keep from tearing his cloth napkin to shreds. What had he gotten himself into?
* * *
Chapter 9
* * *
He didn't have a choice. The Elders had spoken and he couldn't exactly argue with them despite the fact that he didn't want to marry the woman he had accidentally on-purpose bonded with. Well, he had to admit, at least with the bond, he could feel her within him, as though she was right next to him. The bond would undoubtedly lead him to her, and there he would demand that she return to his mansion with him. She would most likely refuse him, and if it came down to it, he would hoist her over his shoulder kicking and screaming. Heh. He might enjoy that, causing her some sort of distress. Although… if he was being honest, he had already caused her enough of that. Of course, he had never intended to… but she was… Oh, what was the word?
Intoxicating.
Yes, she may infuriate him to no end, but she was also intoxicating.
It had to be after midnight, or at least that was what Marcus had assumed from the moon's positioning in the night sky. If anything, she was probably asleep, probably at her apartment.
She had better be at her apartment, he thought, gritting his teeth at the mere notion that Bridgette might be with someone else, another man. He curled his fingers into fists as though he were preparing for some upcoming battle. He would probably take on the entire world for her, which was odd because he barely even knew her. But it didn't seem to matter. It was such an odd feeling of confliction that just thinking about it gave him a headache. Every time he thought of dismissing her, he physically recoiled from the thought. It was like his head and body were warring with each other, and he was afraid his body would eventually win.
His feet were already leading him out the door and into the wilderness. He knew he was going after her. He knew he had to see her, to smell her, to touch her…
The bond they now shared tugged at him, pulling him to her. The moon hung low in the sky, giving him adequate light though he was able to see clearly in the dark. It led him to the door of her apartment, where her scent was overwhelming to the point where he was drowning in it. He swallowed, feeling his senses heighten at the close proximity between the two.
Marcus had walked from his home to hers. It had taken nearly two hours, but the night was cool, and he found that small activity such as walking helped clear his head and made it easier for him to focus. It required no effort to break into her apartment. The luxury community she lived in wasn’t on a busy street, and everyone was sleeping by now. All he had to do was climb the outdoor staircase that led directly to her door. There was a thick tree right outside her window – a rarity in the city, but it seemed to add to the serenity surrounding the place. Luckily, he didn’t need to climb it.
Though there was an alarm that would go off in ten seconds adjacent to her front door, he quickly disabled it. He might not actually have participated in the embezzling they were trying to get him for, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have a questionable set of skills. They tended to come in handy, whether it was being a spy in the war or breaking into a near-stranger’s apartment. He twisted the door knob and pushed the door open, slightly hoping there wasn't some barking dog or curious feline prowling around.
His eyes easily saw everything despite the pitch darkness, and even though numerous shadows cascaded across the living room of her apartment, he could still make his way through the room. He didn’t, exactly, tiptoe, but every muscle he possessed was tense. Wolves weren’t known for being the most graceful or the quietest, after all. Her scent only got stronger causing a soundless growl to penetrate the bowels of his throat. He couldn't control himself, not when he was so close to her.
Intoxicating.
The bond led him to the last door down the hallway, but he refrained from entering just yet. What was he doing, breaking into her apartment just to steal her away? He didn’t even like her. But just the mere thought of another man –
Another growl lodged itself in his mouth and he gripped his thick hair, forcing himself to be quiet.
He blinked and forced his eyes around the room, taking in her current living environment. He needed something else to concentrate on. It was rather spacious, considering she lived by herself, but she probably got paid quite well and added to the fact that she lived in a pretty safe neighborhood. In fact, everything looked ordinary. Ordinary and clean. The room itself was oddly bare; there were no pictures hanging around, on the coffee table or on a wall. Her television was widescreen; her couch matched the color scheme
Huh.
Well, he expected something… different. Maybe something as brash as she was. Like dishes in the sink or scattered magazines or some kind of chaos. Because she certainly caused him chaos in the brief time he knew her. But this… Well, he didn't know her, exactly. It was very possible he was the only thing who managed to get on her grouchy side.
For whatever reason, this seemed to amuse him as his lips curled into a grin, and he glanced at her kitchen. Everything was in place, looked nice. Not a dish in the sink. He wanted to search through her refrigerator to see what kind of food she liked to eat, but her pull on him was becoming too hard to fight. His thoughts were tugged back to her bedroom door. He wanted to see her face, touch her skin, and interact with her. Even if she pissed him off, she made him feel something nobody else ever had.
She made him feel alive.
Not just for a night, or a little while. But every time he thought of her, the hair on his body stood erect, brimming with electricity, and he craved her presence in order to set that electricity off. He needed her reaction to him. No woman had ever made him feel as tantalized and as on-edge as Bridgette did.
He looked back at her doorway, noticing that it was closed. Interesting, he thought. There was no reason for her to close the door; no roommates, no pets. Her whole house guaranteed her privacy. So what was she hiding from?
You, a voice said, and without his accord, his lips curled on his left side.
He idly wondered for a moment if she was up reading. She looked like a reader. Bookish, but not quiet.
But when he opened the door to her bedroom, he found it completely black, much like the rest of the house. He could make out the silhouette of her form, but he arched a brow when he realized she was sleeping on her back. Usually, humans didn't really sleep on their backs.
He sauntered closer to her, not in the least bit worried if she woke up. His hazel eyes scrutinizing the scenery before him. It was then he realized just why she was on her back. It appeared as though she was having some sort of dream. Her eyelids were closed gently and her chin was tilted upwards. Due to the heat, it was no wonder that she was in a loose t-shirt and a pair of underwear, her body left free from concealment by the covers. Marcus's eyes took in her physique sharply, hoping to figure out just what she was dreaming about.
It didn't take him long to realize it, and his eyes opened in fascination. At first, he had assumed it was some kind of nightmare, because her brows were pushed together and her breathing was fast. Occasionally, she would bite down on her bottom lip, as though she was trying to conceal a groan of some sort, but he still heard her. Her arms were by her sides and her fingers were buried deep in the covers that surrounded her. She had them tightly balled into her hands, her knuckles white.
He could smell it on her.
She was having sex. In her sleep.
He watched her, transfixed by everything: the way her body moved, the sounds she would make, the way she looked. He wanted nothing more than to finish her off right there, wanted to feel her nails dig into his skin… He might have even been jealous, but he was almost certain she was dreaming about him. That and t
he fact he was mesmerized by everything about her.
It would have been easier if he had taken her while she was asleep. Marcus knew that; there would be no struggle and since she seemed so consumed by her dream, it was highly unlikely that she would awaken. But… he had to wait. He had to watch her finish, no matter what it meant. Of course he had seen her in his dreams, but that wasn't the same…
And just like that, her hips bucked up, and if it was possible, her fingers gripped the covers even tighter. Her head tilted back as she twitched, fully experiencing the sensation of her climax even though she was sleeping deeply. She even moaned slightly, and Marcus had to restrain himself from climbing on the bed and causing her to feel such pleasure while she was awake. Sex could wait. First, he needed to get her back to the house.
At that moment, however, Bridgette's eyes snapped open in Marcus's direction, as though she could sense his presence, as though she knew he was watching her. She didn’t appear frightened of him, for whatever reason. Instead, she merely stared at him, trying to wait to speak until the pleasure had subsided.
She had dreamt of him. Again.
And he had watched her body react to such a dream.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him, her voice laced with husk. She sat up, which was quite an effort for her tired body.
Again, Marcus had to restrain himself from forgetting about his mission and jumping on top of her in order to inflict the same pleasure on her in reality. Even the sound of her voice did things to his body he wasn't completely aware of but wanted nothing more than to figure out.
"I'm here to take you home," he told her, and though his voice was rough, he wasn't angry, upset, or frustrated.
"I am home," she told him firmly, though she, too, had yet to be upset over anything.
Losing Myself in You Page 5