Page 44 of Dark Company

The moment he leans down to slide his nose across my cheek, I turn my face, zeroing in on the juncture of his neck and shoulder. I have to empty my brain of all my thoughts, or surely, he’ll know. Even now, I feel him fluttering about, as if he’s taking his fingers and combing through my mind.

Think of sunlight. Think of cool breezes. Think of Mother and Father and the love they had for you. Moment by moment, this Alpha begins to relax, his body easing down on me like a warm blanket instead of a rigid heap of man. That’s when I make my move.

Curling my hands around his neck, I bring him low, starting first with soft kisses placed to that thick, corded column before moving onto the solid mass of his shoulders. As much as I want to insist that me kissing him isn’t turning me on, I can’t. Just being this close to him, skin on skin, his hot breath stirring my hair, it’s almost enough for me to forget my purpose.

But I can’t. I can’t let myself fall back under his spell. Licking the spot that I plan to mark, I shift my hips, bearing down on his knot, distracting him with my body before setting my teeth to him. Once I do this, there’s no going back. I know this, and that’s why I hesitate. What sort of monster will I find when I take the plunge?

Closing my eyes, I bite down, wrapping my arms even tighter about his neck, holding him in place. I grip my wrist with the opposite hand, praying to Ilaria that I have the strength to see this through.

Hot, coppery fluid passes over my lips and stains my tongue. The roar that erupts from his chest is magnificent, flooding my body with both undying need and terror. Sweat beads on my forehead and I force my teeth deep into his muscles, ignoring the painful pull on my own mark as he struggles with me.

Light floods the tent as the opening is pulled back. Loud shouts pepper the air, but I don’t understand a word. The only thing I know is that my Alpha’s name is Altris, and I fucked up big time. Steel wires wrap around my heart, surging from his, blasting through the mist that held us together.

I thought by marking him, it would be my own brand, never realizing it would tie us together. I thought I would tie myself to him as he was tied to me, but this is different. It’s intertwining. It’s merging two halves into one whole. I feel him. I feel his anger, his despair, the sudden need to kill and maim.

It’s not directed at me, though. I can tell that much, but even underneath that is the promise of retribution, of consequences to my actions, of dark nights and even darker days. He will have his revenge upon my body, of that, I have no doubt.

Altris

Men swarm the inside of the tent, interrupting what Karis is doing to me. Anger, hot and fierce ripples down my body as I feel her intent. Though I long to pry her off, I have no idea how the bond really works. I don’t want to stop her too soon and sever our connection. Helpless, I cradle her head and screw my eyes shut, silently compelling her to do her worst.

I know why Leon is here. He’s worried for my safety, but that still doesn’t give him the right to look upon my mate in her state of nakedness. Turning my head, I cover her with my body and snarl up at him, brushing off the look of shock that crosses his face.

He doesn't understand; just like I didn’t understand. Not until I had a mate of my own. Right now, he sees me as his friend, his ally, the one soldier that always had his back, no matter what. And now, because of a woman, I’m snapping at him like a feral animal.

I want to apologize. I want to explain, but deep down, I feel as if it shouldn’t be warranted. Until now, I never knew the dark trenches of my psyche held such a penchant for possessiveness. It doesn't matter that she’s forcing her mark upon me; she’s mine. As an Alpha who seems to have bedded plenty of females, he should understand.

He stares back at me, a myriad of emotions flashing in his eyes. I can’t read any of them. All I can feel and think about is my little omega’s teeth forcing themselves through the tough fibers of my muscles.

It’s not the pain of her bite that rips through me. It’s the depth of her anger and rage. She hates me. Detests me even. She doesn’t even know me, and already she’s determined not to like me. There’s a jangle in the bond, a dissonance. Nothing feels the same. Nothing is okay.

Sorrow floods my brain as Leon and the others step out. Even though I’m now thoroughly bonded to this woman, I’m more alone than I have ever been. I thought the bond was supposed to bring us closer together. How in all the gods did it manage to rip us apart?

The mark she leaves on my shoulder throbs along with my heartbeat. It’s a sad refrain, each pulse reminding me that she finds me abhorrent. Deep down, I was worried about this reaction, but somehow, I thought that my claim on her would help her see past my many flaws, but apparently it magnified them, amplifying the worst in me. It’s the only way I can figure that she carries this much anger.

I’m not the Alpha she wanted. That much is clear from the fragmented echoes flooding my brain. I’m not even sure if she realizes I can hear her. I have to hope that’s the case and that she’s not being intentionally cruel for no reason. Though, based on what I see and feel from her, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch.

Every thought that bursts from her mind is yet another example of how selfish she is. I should have known from her photo that it was best to leave her alone, but I couldn’t resist the siren call of her body. True, the other omega forced my hand, but realistically, how long could I have held out? If I let myself think about it, I had craved her from the moment I saw her picture.

Fear, anger, and distrust saturate the air, souring the smell of our passionate sex, dissipating any lingering softness I have towards her. She stares up at me, blood coating her lips. They’re pulled back into a feral snarl, as if she wishes to tangle with me, fight me. Even if my size wasn’t a factor, as an Alpha, I could easily subdue her.

Is she that stupid to think that she’ll actually win? She’s so convinced that I’ve hurt her that she’s willing to put her life on the line to confront me? An Alpha trained solely for warfare? I’m not some fancy Alpha she pictured her life with, at least from what I can gather from her side of the bond. I’m not the type to come home from a long day of work and make sweet, passionate love to her. I could be misreading the feelings I’m getting from her, but given the reaction to me, I doubt that I am.

Since being in her tight body, I feel as if I’m the type to fuck to forget. It is so easy to get lost in her, to use her to drive out my demons. I’m the type that will have to wash the blood off my body before she can even touch it. I’m the type whose soul is painted dark red with the blood of my enemies. My hands are not clean. They’re stained with the souls of those I’ve sent to the gods.

Anger spirals through my gut as she wrenches herself out of my grasp and crouches low in an attacking stance. If anything, I need to disabuse her of the notion that she actually has a chance of winning. She needs to know right now that those Alphas out there won’t give two shits about her little fits or show of teeth.

There are Alphas that will slam her face in the dirt just to wipe off that insolent little smirk. The only thing keeping me from being like them is my training. That’s the only difference. Reaching through the bond, I crouch as well and give a warning growl.

The threads that now bind us together are sharp, prickly, and hard to navigate. Every spot I touch sends pain into my heart, but I push through, determined to find the cause of this rift. It has to be more than just petty wants and desires. Right?

A hint of fear lies at the base of her being. It hums like an incessant bug, a tiny scream that barely reaches the surface. She’s terrified of me. Scared at being mated. Sympathy smothers my anger, but just for a moment. The second I step forward, she growls back, the angry buzz filling the air. Enough is enough.

As her Alpha, I don’t have to take this from her. Hell, I barely took it from the hostile omega. She was closer to punishment than she’ll ever realized. Standing to my full height, I loom over Karis, staring down into those bottomless pools, but this time, I’m not distracted by them. Until things are right between us, I’ll never allow myself to get lost in her eyes again.

“This is enough. You will not growl at me. I am your Alpha.”

“I never chose you,” she spits back, rising on the balls of her feet.